Noted horror author and editor Dennis William Etchison was born on March 30, 1943, in Stockton, California. He graduated from Lynwood High School in Lynwood, California, in 1961 and went on to attend both Los Angeles State College and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Etchison worked a variety of part-time jobs, including several years as a gas station attendant in Malibu, California, while writing his early short stories on the side in the 1960s. He became a full-time writer in 1976.
Etchison's original novels include "Darkside" (1986),"Shadowman" (1993),"California Gothic" (1995),and "Double Edge" (1996). His short stories were collected in the anthology compilations "The Dark Country" (1982),"Red Dreams" (1984),"The Blood Kiss" (1988),"The Death Artist" (1999),"Talking in the Dark" (2001),"Fine Cuts" (2006),"Got to Kill Them All & Other Stories" (2009),and "A Long Time Til Morning" (2014).
In addition to his writing, Etchison served as an editor for several anthologies, including "Cutting Edge" (1986),three volumes of the "Masters of Darkness" series (1986, 1988, and 1991),"Lord John Ten: A Celebration" (1988),the World Fantasy Award winners "MetaHorror" (1992) and "The Museum of Horrors" (2001),and "Gathering the Bones" (2006).
Etchison's short stories "The Olympic Runner" (1986) and "The Dog Park" (1993) both won British Fantasy Awards, while "The Dark Country" (1981) won both the British Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards. He was also the recipient of a Bram Stoker Award for lifetime achievement in 2017.
In addition to his writing and editing, Etchison taught creative writing and wrote for television. He passed away at the age of 76 on May 28, 2019, and was survived by his wife, Kristina.
