Lee Murray

Lee Murray’s not your run-of-the-mill writer—she’s a straight-up force of nature from Aotearoa New Zealand, and honestly, her trophy shelf probably needs its own zip code. We’re talking twelve Sir Julius Vogel Awards, four Australian Shadows, a handful of Bram Stokers, and, oh yeah, she’s the only Kiwi to ever snatch up the Shirley Jackson Award for psychological horror. That’s not bragging; that’s just fact. If you’ve ever picked up a military thriller, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled onto her Taine McKenna Adventures—gritty, wild, a bit like getting tossed head-first into the New Zealand bush and told to survive. But she doesn’t stop at action. Lee’s got this whole crime-noir vibe, too, with The Path of Ra trilogy (shoutout to Dan Rabarts for the tag-team effort), where the supernatural creeps in and takes the wheel. Short stories? She’s got ‘em. Grotesque: Monster Stories will ruin your sleep schedule in the best way. And editing? Please. Nineteen volumes of dark fiction with her fingerprints all over ‘em, including Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women (co-edited with Geneve Flynn) and Asian Ghost Short Stories for Flame Tree Press. Basically, if there’s a shadowy corner of speculative fiction, Lee’s already explored it, rearranged the furniture, and left behind a few monsters for good measure. Expect the unexpected—because that’s just how she rolls.