Ray Garton, author of nearly 70 books, most of them in the horror genre, died April 21, Locus magazine reported. He was 61.
Garton's debut novel, Seductions, appeared in 1984. His other novels include Stoker Award finalist Live Girls (1988), International Horror Guild Award finalist Sex and Violence in Hollywood (2002), Scissors (2004), The Girl in the Basement (2004), 'Nids (2006), The Loveliest Dead (2006), Graven Image (2007), Ravenous (2008), Serpent Girl (2008), Bestial (2009), Meds (2011), Frankenstorm (2014), Loveless (2023), and Trailer Park Noir (2023).
His story collections include Methods of Madness (1990), Pieces of Hate (1996), The Girl in the Basement and Other Stories (2004), 'Nids and Other Stories (2006), Slivers of Bone (2008), and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth (2012).
Garton co-edited several anthologies. He also wrote YA novels under the name Joseph Locke, and sometimes used the pen name Arthur Darknell. He wrote several tie-ins, including for the Nightmare on Elm Street and Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series.
He was named a World Horror Grand Master in 2006.
Author Jonathan Maberry posted on social media: "So sad that another great horror writer has passed. Ray Garton was one of my inspirations when I began writing. In 2006, the year my first novel came out, Ray was presented with the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award."
Stephen King posted: "I'm hearing that Ray Garton, horror novelist and friend, died yesterday. This is sad news, and a loss to those who enjoyed his amusing, often surreal, posts on Twitter."