Gerald "Jerry" Neal Williamson (April 17, 1932 – December 8, 2005) was an American horror writer and editor known under the name J. N. Williamson. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana he graduated from Shortridge High School. He studied journalism at Butler University. He published his first novel in 1979 and went on to publish more than 40 novels and 150 short stories. In 2003 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Horror Writers of America. He edited the critically acclaimed How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction (1987) which covered the themes of such writing and cited the writings of such writers as Robert Bloch, Lee Prosser, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, William F. Nolan, and Stephen King. Many important writers in the genre contributed to the book. Williamson edited the popular anthology series, Masques. Some of his novels include The Ritual (1979), Playmates (1982), Noonspell (1991), The Haunt (1999), among others. In 1946, Williamson founded The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, a Sherlock Holmes scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars. Williamson recalled in a 2003 interview that his first work of fiction was a Sherlock Holmes pastiche called "The Terrible Death of Crosby, The Banker." Bibliography Series Martin Ruben The Ritual (1979) Premonition (1981) Brotherkind (1982) Lamia Zacharias Death-Coach (1981) Death-Angel (1981) Death-School (1982) Death-Doctor (1982) Novels The Houngan (1980) The Offspring (1980) The Tulpa (1980) Horror House (1981) The Banished (1981) Ghost Mansion (1981) Queen of Hell (1981) The Evil One (1981) Playmates (1982) Extraterrestrial (1982) (writing as Julian Shock) Horror Mansion (1982) Nevermore (1983) The Hour (1983) The Dentist (1983) Ghost (1984) Babel's Children (1984) The Longest Night (1985) Ladies of the Longest Night (1985) Wards of Armageddon (1986) (with John Maclay) Evil Offspring (1987) Noonspell (1987) Dead to the World (1988) They Never Even See Me (1989) The Black School (1989) Shadows of Death (1989) Hell Storm (1990) The Night Seasons (1991) The Monastery (1992) Don't Take Away the Light (1993) The Book of Webster's (1993) Bloodlines (1994) Spree (1998) The Haunt (1999) Affinity (2001) Collections The New Devil's Dictionary: Creepy Cliches and Sinister Synonyms (1985) The Naked Flesh of Feeling (1991) The Fifth Season (1994) Frights of Fancy (2000) Anthologies Masques: All-New Works of Horror and the Supernatural (1984) Masques 2 (1987) The Best of Masques (1988) Masques 3 (1989) Flesh Creepers (1990) Masques 4 (1991) Dark Masques