Paperbacks from Hell [N.F. - Literature, Art]

Between 1984 and 1989, Schoell wrote six paperback originals for Leisure (Bride of Satan, Saurian, The Dragon, Shivers, Late at Night, and Spawn of Hell), which remain C-grade delights, although he regretted the generic titles Leisure slapped on them. Schoell moved to St. Martin’s for The Pact (1988) and Fatal Beauty (1990), two titles that were left out in the cold when St. Martin’s closed its horror line almost overnight. Now Schoell writes nonfiction, including The Rat Pack (1998) and I Can Do Anything: The Sammy Davis Jr. Story (2004).

Sharman, Nick (born 1952)

Norwegian-born Scott Grønmark was head of publicity for NEL before writing eight books for them under his Nick Sharman pen name, starting with The Cats in 1977. Plotted more like murder mysteries than traditional horror, his last horror novel was Next! (1986), after which he began working for BBC Radio.

Straub, Peter (born 1943)

Similar in prominence to Stephen King in the ’70s and ’80s, Straub wrote big, fat books that became big, fat paperback best sellers, and he blurbed plenty of other horror writers. He began his career writing literary fiction but started writing horror with his third book, the ghost story Julia (1975); and his fifth book, Ghost Story (1979), was a huge hit. The massive sales are unusual for an elegant, understated writer whose prose is some of the most polished in horror fiction.

Teason, William (1922–2003)

One of the best-loved and most prolific cover artists in the business, Teason got his first big break when Dell hired him to paint a cover for one of its Agatha Christie titles. Dell was contractually forbidden from depicting the book’s characters on the cover, but Teason’s clue-based still life won approval and he wound up painting about 150 Christie covers for Dell. A master craftsman, sometimes called one of the best American illustrators nobody knows, he painted everything from fine art that hung in galleries to skeletons for Zebra Books.

Tem, Melanie (1949–2015)

After Melanie Kubachko and writer Steve Rasnic were married, both she and her husband adopted the surname Tem. Her early novels were all published by the Abyss line: Prodigal (1991), Blood Moon (1992), Wildling (1992), and Revenant (1994). Her work focuses on the horror found within families. She has fifteen novels to her name.

Tor Books (founded 1980)

When Tom Doherty left science-fiction publisher Ace Books, he immediately founded Tor, a paperback originals house with a focus on sci-fi. Tor was publishing 137 books a year by 1986, when it was sold to St. Martin’s Press due to cash-flow problems after its paperback distributor, Pinnacle Books, declared bankruptcy. Doherty stayed on at Tor, and the company remains a science-fiction imprint under Macmillan.

Tuttle, Lisa (born 1952)

Like a lot of writers of her generation, Tuttle started in science fiction as a respected short story writer, coauthoring Windhaven in 1981 with George R. R. Martin, and then moved to horror after one of her stories was included in Kirby McCauley’s groundbreaking Dark Forces anthology. Since then she’s bounced back and forth, with well-written novels like Familiar Spirit (1983) and Gabriel (1987) and her short story collection, Nest of Nightmares (1986). She remains the only person ever to refuse a Nebula Award.

Wallace, Patricia (born 1949)

Patricia Wallace wrote exclusively for Zebra between 1982 and 1992, turning out eleven titles that are either medical thrillers or children in peril novels (or sometimes both at the same time), including The Taint, The Children’s Ward, Monday’s Child, and The Water Baby. Between 1988 and 1994 she also wrote four Sydney Bryant mysteries about a private investigator. Her real name is Patricia Wallace Estrada.

Wheatley, Dennis (1897–1977)

With his first occult novel, The Devil Rides Out (1934), Wheatley established himself as the great British horror author of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s selling a million copies every year. His novels, including To the Devil a Daughter (1953) and The Haunting of Toby Jugg (1948), have been made into films and are frequently reprinted with updated covers (The Devil Rides Out was reissued in paperback twelve times between 1969 and 1991). Wheatley was a deeply conservative snob who feared Britain would become a socialist state after his death.

Williamson, J. N. (1932–2005)