Richard Chizmar

Richard Thomas Chizmar (born 1965) is an American writer, the publisher and editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, and the owner of Cemetery Dance Publications. He also edits anthologies, produces films, writes screenplays, and teaches writing.

Writing Richard Chizmar is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author.

He is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the novella, Gwendy's Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than 35 anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including multiple editions of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA's Board of Trustee's award.

Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little.

Chizmar is also the creator/writer of the online website, Stephen King Revisited. His fourth short story collection, The Long Way Home, was published in 2019. With Brian Freeman, Chizmar is co-editor of Dark Screams horror anthology series published by Random House imprint, Hydra.

His latest book, The Girl on the Porch, was released in hardcover by Subterranean Press, and Widow’s Point, a novella about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, Billy Chizmar, was recently adapted into a feature film.

Chizmar's work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.

Publishing

Chizmar is the founder of Cemetery Dance, a literary publisher that runs a magazine by the same name and a book imprint, Cemetery Dance Publications. He founded Cemetery Dance magazine in 1988 while attending the University of Maryland's College of Journalism. It features dark fantasy, horror fiction, and articles related to those subjects. Metro Silicon Valley called it "America's longest-running independent horror-themed magazine".

The book imprint, Cemetery Dance Publications was first launched in 1992 and has produced more than 300 different autographed limited edition, lettered edition hardcover novels, novellas, and anthologies. It also publishes chapbooks, trade hardcovers, and a few paperbacks. 1997 British Fantasy Award Small Press 1998 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional 1999 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional 2007 Black Quill Award Dark Genre Short Fiction Magazine (Editors' Choice) 2008 Black Quill Award Dark Genre Short Fiction Magazine (Readers' Choice)

1997 World Fantasy Award Collection

1998 Bram Stoker Award Anthology 1998 International Horror Guild Award Anthology

(with William Schafer) 1999 International Horror Guild Award Anthology

(with Robert Morrish) 2000 International Horror Guild Award Anthology 2001 Locus Award Anthology

2001 International Horror Guild Award Anthology 2002 Locus Award Anthology

2001 Bram Stoker Award Anthology

2002 Bram Stoker Award Anthology

2004 Bram Stoker Award Anthology

2009 Black Quill Awards Dark Genre Anthology

2016 Bram Stoker Award Fiction Collection

2021 Goodreads Choice Awards Horror

(with Stephen King) 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Horror 2023 Locus Award Anthology

2023 Goodreads Choice Awards Horror

Books

Gwendy trilogy

Gwendy's Button Box (with Stephen King) (2017) Gwendy's Magic Feather (2019) Gwendy's Final Task (with Stephen King) (2020)

Boogeyman series

Chasing the Boogeyman (2021) Becoming the Boogeyman (2023) Killing the Boogeyman (2026)

Standalone novels

Darkness Whispers (with Brian James Freeman) (2017) The Girl on the Porch (2019) Memorials (2024) Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting (with WH Chizmar) (2025)

Short stories and novellas

Dirty Coppers (with Ed Gorman) (1997) Devil's Night: A Halloween Short Story (2012) Brothers (2015) Widow's Point (2018) The Washingtonians (with Bentley Little and Johnathon Schaech (2018) The Man Behind the Mask (2024)