Tamara Thorne
| Tamara Thorne | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 1957 (age 59–60) Los Angeles, California |
| Pen name | Chris Curry |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | United States |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Period | 1991 - present |
| Genre | Horror |
| Notable awards | Bram Stoker Award (nominated, 1991) |
| Website | |
|
tamarathorne | |
Tamara Thorne (born August 1957 in Los Angeles, California), who also writes under the nom de plume Chris Curry, is a well-known,[1] bestselling[2] American horror writer.[3] Her novel Winter Scream, co-authored with L. Dean James, was nominated for the 1991 Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel.[4][5]
She has authored nearly 20 novels, including two novel series and multiple anthologies, as well as multiple stand-alone works. Her works tend to be set in the Los Angeles area, as she has lived in that area since she was born.[6]
Biography
Tamara Thorne was born in August 1957 in Los Angeles, California. She published her first novel, Winter Scream, in February 1991 under her nom de plume Chris Curry. The book was coauthored with L. Dean James. Since then, Thorne has authored nearly 20 novels, both standalone and in series. She authored two other series under her own name: the Sorority in 2003, and The Ghosts of Ravencrest series, coauthored with Alistair Cross, in 2014 and 2015. Many of her books have become bestsellers,[2] and she is well known in her chosen genre of horror.[1]
Writing
According to the Los Angeles Times, Thorne's novels are set in, "made-up burgs" on the edge of Los Angeles, but Californians see the town in Bad Things as sounding a lot like Redlands, California, where Hollywood stars used to live. Moonfall closely resembles Oak Glen, and the "scary high desert retreat" in Thunder Road is drawn from Calico Ghost Town.[6] Thorn responds that "My natural mind-set is bound to Los Angeles and the Inland Empire,...and in my books I like to use history and folklore from the real places."[6]
Reception
Thorne was nominated for the 1991 Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel.[4][5] The Horror Zine describes Thorne as being "a bestselling author between 1991 and 2002."[7] The Los Angeles Times describes her as a "successful practitioner [of] terror."[6]
British horror Graham Masterton writer named a character in his Forest Ghost novel after Thorne.[8]
Bibliography
Novels
- Haunted (1991, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-1684-1) (reviews:[9][10][11])
- Moonfall (1996, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-1600-0)
- Body House (1999, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-8217-4467-4)
- Candle Bay (2001, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-1311-7)
- Eternity (2001, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-1310-9) (listed in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror[12])
- Bad Things (2002, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-1477-6)
- The Forgotten (2002, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-1475-X) (review:[13])
- The Cliffhouse Haunting (2015, Glass Apple Press (ebook), coauthored with Alistair Cross)[2]
Sorority series
- Eve (2003, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7860-1539-X)
- Merilynn (2003, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7394-3709-7 (hardcover), ISBN 0-7860-1540-3 (paperback))
- Samantha (2003, Pinnacle, ISBN 0-7394-3764-X (hardcover), ISBN 0-7860-1541-1 (paperback))
- The Sorority (2013, Kensington ISBN 0758285515; trilogy reissue of all three "sorority" novels)[14]
The Ghosts of Ravencrest series
These titles were co-authored with Alistair Cross.
- Darker Shadows (2014, Glass Apple Press (ebook))
- Christmas Spirits (2014, Glass Apple Press (ebook))
- Night Moves (2015, Glass Apple Press (ebook))
- Dead Girls (2015, Glass Apple Press (ebook))
As Chris Curry
- Winter Scream (1991, Pocket, ISBN 0-671-68433-7, coauthored with L. Dean James)
- Trickster (1992, Pocket, ISBN 0-671-68434-5, coauthored with Lisa Dean)
- Panic (1993, Pocket, ISBN 0-671-74947-1)
- Thunder Road (1995, Pocket, ISBN 0-671-89737-3, was inspired by Calico Ghost Town.[15] Reissued by Pinnacle in 2004. (review:[16])
Anthologies
These anthologies contain works by Thorne.
- Dark Seductions (1993, Zebra, ISBN 0-8217-4331-7)
- The Devil's Wine (2004, Cemetery Dance Publications, ISBN 1-58767-070-4, collection of poetry)
Nonfiction
- Ghosthunting Southern California: America's Haunted Road Trip with John B. Kachuba (2010, Clerisy, ISBN 1578604567)[15]
References
- 1 2 Thorne, Tamara; San Bernardino Sun Staff (30 October 2013). "Southern California ghost stories from horror novelist Tamara Thorne". San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Native son writes hair-raising tale". Daily Herald (Utah). 26 March 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ Weeks, John (August 2010). "Inland Empire has the Write Stuff". Inland Living magazine. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- 1 2 "Tamara Thorne". Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
- 1 2 3 4 Masello, Robert (28 October 2004). "The Skeleton Crew". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ "An interview with Tamara and Alistair". The Horror Zine. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ Masterton, Graham (2014). Forest Ghost - A novel of horror and suicide in America and Poland. Seven House Publishers, Ltd. p. 256. ISBN 1780104855.
- ↑ Dobbs, Georges T. (2005). "Review of Haunted". SF Site. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror. Carroll & Graf. 1995. p. 5.
- ↑ Conan, Tigard. "Haunted by Tamara Thorne". Reading Review. Reading Review. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ Windling, Terri (2002). The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection. St. Martin's Press. p. li.
- ↑ Dobbs, Georges T. (2005). "Review of The Forgotten". SF Site. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ Fox, Rose (22 June 2013). "Fall 2013 Announcements: Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror - Growth Spurts". Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- 1 2 Weeks, John (21 August 2009). "The news out of Calico Ghost Town is dispiriting". San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ Dobbs, Georges T. (2005). "Review of Thunder Road". SF Site. Retrieved 20 April 2015.