Ray Garton Jr. (December 2, 1962 –April 21, 2024) was an American author of horror fiction for adults and young adults.

Personal life

Ray Garton Jr. was born in Redding, California, on December 2, 1962. He was adopted by Pat and Ray Garton, the latter being a World War II veteran. Garton grew up in Anderson, California, where he only attended religious schools. Raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, he had left by adulthood, calling it a "pseudo-Christian cult." Garton married his wife, Dawn, around 1989. Weeks after being diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer, he died on April 21, 2024, at the age of 61.

Career

Garton was first published before age 22. In the 1980s, Garton worked for Pinnacle Books in New York City. Growing up, Garton's media influences included Bob Wilkins' Creature Features, Dark Shadows, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Boris Karloff, Stephen King, H. P. Lovecraft, Bela Lugosi, and Edgar Allan Poe. He further credited child abuse and church-induced eschatological fears with inspiring his interest in horror fiction. Beginning with seeing 13 Ghosts, the genre was an outlet that took his then-lifelong fear "and made it fun." In 2009, he explained that horror was not his intention when beginning writing, rather "that's just what came out". In the early 1990s, he was hired by Ed and Lorraine Warren to write a book about Carmen Snedeker, her ill son, and their family's house—allegedly a former funeral home that was infested with anal-rapist demons. After he found various Snedekers' stories to be contradictory, Garton says the Warrens told him "Everybody who comes to us is crazy. Otherwise why would they come to us? You've got some of the story – just use what works and make the rest up. And make it scary." He did so, and after A Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting was published, Garton revealed his side of—and contributions to—the story, which was denounced by the Warrens and Snedekers. The book was oft miscategorized as non-fiction, and both the Discovery Channel (A Haunting in Connecticut) and Lionsgate Films (The Haunting in Connecticut) produced docudramas based on his work. By August 2006, he had written over 50 books, with Dread Central calling Live Girls his "crowning achievement" at that time. By late 2019, his canon had increased to 68 books.

Accolades

Live Girls was a Bram Stoker Award nominee. In 2006, Garton was bestowed the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award.

Published works

When writing for young adults, to prevent that audience from accidentally reading works not written for their age level, Garton published under the pen name Joseph Locke. He also wrote under the pseudonym Arthur Darknell.

Collections

, Locus listed two original collections published by Garton: A collection of one novella, four novelettes, and two short stories—four original (Fat, Something Kinky, "Shock Radio", and Dr. Krusadian’s Method)—that originally sold for US$19.95 1990. A collection of one novella and eight short stories—five original (A Gift from Above, "Cat Hater", "Bad Blood", "Ophilia Raphaeldo", and "God's Work")—that originally sold for US$50.00 1996.

Novelettes

, Locus listed five original novelettes published by Garton:

Novelizations

Derived from the screenplay by Dan O'Bannon and Don Jakoby, and based on the screenplay by Richard Blake, this film novelization originally cost US$2.95 1986, and was republished by Grafton that September. Based on D.T. Twohy's screenplay for the 1989 film, Garton's novelization originally cost US$3.50 1989.

Novellas

Novels

While working in New York City, it was a disturbing experience in a 1980s' Times Square peep show that inspired Garton to write this evergreen vampire novel. Originally selling for US$3.95 1986, it was republished by Futura (October 1987), Macdonald (November 1987), and CD Publications (October 1997). The sequel to Live Girls. Set in the San Fernando Valley, this horror novel originally sold for US$3.95 1988, and was later republished by Dark Harvest (June 1988), Futura (January 1989), and Macdonald (April 1989). A horror thriller, in 1990 Trade Secrets in hardcover sold for US$25.00 1990. Only 500 copies of this slipcased erotic horror novel were published, with a list price of US$125.00 1991. This novel about a vampire prostitute was published in hardcover for US$22.00 1991. Originally selling for US$4.99 1992, this horror novel is set in Marin County, California, and was republished by Science Fiction Book Club in August 1992. A horror novel eschewing the supernatural, this story about satanists and child abuse originally sold for US$5.99 1997. The sequel to Ravenous.

Young adult

, Locus listed eight young-adult novels published by Joseph Locke (with one under his real name): About four teenage girls are locked in a wax museum, this originally sold for US$3.50 1992. Originally sold for US$3.50, this supernatural novel is about teens and serial murder. Teens and violence mix in a video arcade named Hades, the original edition of which sold for US$3.50 1993. A young-adult non-fantasy horror novel about party line killer, it originally sold for US$3.50 1994. A teens thriller novel that originally sold for US$3.50. Originally selling for US$3.50, this is gothic horror for young adults. Originally selling for US$3.50, this is the second in Garton's Blood and Lace gothic horror series for young adults. This young-adult novel is the sixth based on the TV series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It originally sold for US$3.99 1998. The twelfth Sabrina the Teenage Witch novel originally sold for US$4.50 1998.

Stories

, Locus listed nine original short stories published by Garton:

Editing

Other

, Locus listed two additional non-fiction works published by Garton: