Ronald Kelly is best known as a speculative fiction and "southern-fried" horror writer. His tales are usually set in the Southern United States and feature language and actions that are associated with those regions.
Ronald Kelly was born November 20, 1959 in Nashville, Tennessee where he was raised a Southern Baptist. He attended Pegram Elementary School and Cheatham County Central High School (both in Ashland City, Tennessee) before starting his writing career.
Ronald Kelly began his writing career in 1986 and quickly sold his first short story, "Breakfast Serial," to Terror Time Again magazine. His first novel, Hindsight was released by Zebra Books in 1990. His audiobook collection, Dark Dixie: Tales of Southern Horror, was on the nominating ballot of the 1992 Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album. Zebra published seven of Ronald Kelly's novels from 1990 to 1996. Ronald's short fiction work has been published by Cemetery Dance, Borderlands 3, Deathrealm, Dark at Heart, Hot Blood: Seeds of Fear, and many more. After selling hundreds of thousands of books, the bottom dropped out of the horror market in 1996. So, when Zebra dropped their horror line in October 1996, Ronald Kelly stopped writing for almost ten years and worked various jobs including welder, factory worker, production manager, drugstore manager, and custodian.
In 2006, Ronald Kelly started writing again. In early 2008, Croatoan Publishing released his work Flesh Welder as a stand alone chapbook, and it quickly sold out. In early 2009 Cemetery Dance Publications released a limited edition hardcover of his fist short story collection, Midnight Grinding & Other Twilight Terrors. Also in 2010, Cemetery Dance is planning on releasing his first novel in over ten years called, Hell Hollow as a limited edition hardcover. Full Moon Press had made a deal to release all of Ronald Kelly's previous novels in hardcover format with bonus material and a brand new added novella in each release. They were calling the series of books The Essential Ronald Kelly, but the deal fell through when Full Moon Press closed its doors. Ronald Kelly has announced that a new publisher has taken over the project, but the name of the publisher has not been revealed.
Ronald Kelly currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, Joyce, and their three children.
Dark Dixie: Tales of Southern Horror - Was a part of the nominating ballot of the 1992 Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album
Flesh Welder - Chosen as the flagship publication for Croatoan Publications
Chosen as "Horror World's Author of the Month" for April 2008, and they published his short story "Mister Mack & The Monster Mobile" on their website
"The Final Feature" - Chosen as the flagship story for Mark Seiber's Horror Drive-In fiction section. "The Final Feature on Mark Seiber's Horror Drive-In
A featured Author Guest at Hypericon 4 in 2008 and is a scheduled featured Author Guest for Hypericon 5 (June 5—7, 2009)
Something Out There (1991, Zebra) ISBN 0-8217-3338-9
Moon of the Werewolf (1991, Zebra) ISBN 0-8217-36265-6
Father's Little Helper (1992, Zebra) ISBN 0-8217-3957-3
The Possession (1993, Zebra) ISBN 0-8217-4368-6
Fear (1994, Zebra) ISBN 0-8217-4693-6
Reprinted by Pinnacle Books in 2001 under ISBN 0-7860-1357-5
Blood Kin (1996, Zebra) ISBN 0-8217-5331-2
Reprinted by Pinnacle Books in 2001 under ISBN 0-7860-1413-X
Hell Hollow (forthcoming 2010, Cemetery Dance Publications) ISBN 978-1-58767-186-9
Timber Gray (unannounced)
Slocum novels written as Jake Logan
Ronald Kelly contributed two books to the Slocum series of western novel that are collectively published under the pen name "Jake Logan".
Slocum and the Nightriders (1994, Berkley) — Slocum series number 174
Slocum and the Gold Slaves (1994, Berkley) — Slocum series number 187
The Essential Ronald Kelly series
Hardcover series that were originally announced by the now defunct Full Moon Press, but are now with a new undisclosed publisher. Each book is scheduled to contain a new novella that includes characters from the original novels and are linked to the original storyline. All are currently forthcoming:
Undertaker's Moon (formerly Moon of the Werewolf), plus the novella: The Spawn of Arget Bethir, artwork by Alex McVey
Pitfall, plus the novella: Last of the Chupacabra, artwork by Alex McVey
Burnt Magnolia (formerly The Possession), plus the novella: The Conflict, artwork by Alex McVey
Twelve Gauge (formerly Father's Little Helper), plus the novella: Killing Time
Fear, plus the novella: The Seedling
Hindsight, plus the novella: Potter's Field
Restless Shadows (sequel to Hindsight), plus the novella: Thine Eyes Be Opened
The Dark'Un (formerly Something Out There), plus the novella: Of Crows & Pale Doves
Blood Kin, plus the novella: The Wanderer of Twilight Mountain
Chapbooks
Flesh Welder (2007, Croatoan Publishing) — 96-page perfect bound signed limited edition chapbook featuring the story "Flesh Welder", an interview with Ronald Kelly, and an excerpt of the novel Undertaker's Moon
Tanglewood (2008, Cemetery Dance)
Collections
Midnight Grinding and Other Twilight Terrors (2009, Cemetery Dance Publications) ISBN 978-1-58767-182-1 - Limited Edition hardcover (1500 copies) - Features story notes on each short story, an introduction, and an afterword. Stories include:
"Breakfast Serial"
"Miss Abigail's Delicate Condition"
"Forever Angels"
"Yea, Though I Drive"
"The Web of La Sanguinaire"
"The Cistern"
"Papa's Exile"
"The Hatchling"
"Black Harvest"
"Dead Skin"
"Consumption"
"Dust Devils"
"The Boxcar"
"The Dark Tribe"
"Old Hacker"
"The Winds Within"
"Oh, Sordid Shame!"
"The Cerebral Passion"
"Thinning The Herd"
"Blood Suede Shoes"
"Tyrophex-Fourteen"
"Scream Queen"
"Devil's Creek"
"Impressions In Oak"
"Bookmarks"
"Romicide"
"Whorehouse Hollow"
"Depravity Road"
"Beneath Black Bayou"
"Exit 85"
"Grandma's Favorite Recipe"
"Midnight Grinding"
The Sick Stuff (2009, Thunderstorm Books) - available as a 52-copy limited hardcover and a trade paperback. It was the second book in Thunderstorm Books' Elemental series. It was also released digitally from David Niall Wilson's Macabre Ink Digital. Includes the short stories:
"Diary"
"Mass Appeal"
"The Abduction"
"Pins & Needles"
"Housewarming"
"Old Hacker"
"Mojo Mama"
Collections editied by Ronald Kelly
Somewhere South of Hell: Tales of Southern Horror - originally announced by the now defucnct Full Moon Press for a 2010 release, it is currently being shopped for another publisher. Scheduled to feature: Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, Elizabeth Massie, Bryan Smith, James Newman, Scott Nicholson, Deborah LeBlanc, Weston Osche, Nate Southard, and more.
Uncollected short stories
The following have not had a physical re-release since their original printings (some have been released digitally):
"Cumberland Furnace" - featured in Shivers 5 edited by Richard Chizmar (2008, Cemetery Dance Publications)
"Mister Mack & The Monster Mobile" - published online only on the Horror World website in 2008
"The Final Feature" — published online only on Mark Sieber's Horror Drive-In website in 2009 [1]
"The Thing at the Side of the Road" - featured in Harlan County Horrors edited by Mari Adkins (2009, Apex Publications)
"The Peddler's Journey" - featured in Appalachian Holiday Hauntings edited by Mark Justice and Michael Knost (2009, Woodland Press)
Uncollected non-fiction and articles
"Insight On Hindsight" (March 1990, Mystery Scene #25)
"Writing Something Out There" (Spring 1991, After Hours #10)
"A Tribute to Ray Rexer" (1991, Overlook Connection #15)
"Confessions of a Religious Horror Writer" (1991, Gauntlet #2)
"Subway Graffiti" (1991, After Hours #10)
"Writing Moon of the Werewolf" (December 1992, Mystery Scene #32)
"Introduction" for the novel FireflyBurning Bright by Barry Hoffman (October 1996, Gauntlet Press) ISBN 1-887368-10-8
Audiobooks
Dark Dixie: Tales of Southern Horror (1991, Spine Tingling Press) - 90-minute audio collection on cassette. Narrated by Reg Green. Contains an introduction and the following short stories with 3-D sound effects:
"The Cistern"
"Miss Abigail's Delicate Condition"
"Papa's Exile"
"Black Harvest"
"Yea, Though I Drive"
Undertaker's Moon - excerpts (Croatoan Publishing, 2008) - Audio CD narrated by Wayne June (commissioned promotional-only CD by Croatoan Publishing)
Digital e-book releases
David Niall Wilson's Macabre Ink Digital/Crossroad Press has released digital editions (PDF, Kindle, etc.) of the following:
Flesh Welder - same as physical release
The Sick Stuff - same as physical release
Dark Dixie: Tales of Southern Horror - featuring the same tales that are in the audio book plus a new Introduction by Ronald Kelly, "Uncle Cyrus," "The Hatchling," and "Forever Angels."
Cumberland Furnace & Other Fear Forged Fables - featuring:
