02/02/2026 BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Vaughn A. Jackson

As we do every year in the month of February, Uncomfortably Dark takes time out to honor Black authors and Black history from every era, past and present. If you already read widely and diversely or want to get started; please add these authors to your Must - Read lists and to those TBR piles! A massive thank you to fellow author Eliza Broadbent for this huge undertaking for this month, enabling Uncomfortably Dark to honor at least one author a day, or more!

Today, we honor Vaughn A. Jackson

Vaughn A. Jackson is a Horror Writers Association affiliated author, editor, and sometimes poet of dark speculative fiction. His work generally focuses on one of three categories: Creatures, Kaiju, or Cosmic Horror. Often blending elements of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, he refers to his works as unholy abominations of terror.

His published novels include the Kaiju thrillers Up from the Deep and Deepspore: Death Below the Sea, the cosmic horror Touched by Shadows, and the vampire hunter revenge novel Southern Cross. He is also the co-editor of the diverse cosmic horror anthology Beyond the Bounds of Infinity. When not writing, he can usually be found hanging with his wife and pets, cracking jokes, and making sure H.P. Lovecraft turns over in his grave.

What kind of horror do you write/publish, and what brought you to the horror genre in particular?

I don’t really stick to one particular genre of horror. I’ve written Cosmic Horror, Kaiju/Giant Monster Horror, and most recently Weird Western. Whatever genre best fits the idea that comes to me is what I end up writing. Hopefully, I’ll get around to a little bit of everything!

Who would you consider your influences and inspiration?

I would list authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Victor LaValle, Junji Ito, and Stephen King as some of my biggest influences. When it comes to Lovecraft, the influence is both stylistic and spiteful. I greatly enjoy his writing, and since he is widely regarded as the Father of Cosmic Horror, when I write in that genre, it is pretty hard to divorce myself from his influence. That said, he was an abominable person, and whenever I write Cosmic Horror, I do so in a way that I hope would have made him sick to his stomach. As far as inspirations go, I’ve met so many fantastic authors in my time doing this that have inspired and re-inspired me to continue writing. To name a few: Mary SanGiovanni, S.A. Cosby, L. Marie Wood, Brian Keene, and Hailey Piper.

What piece of writing has meant the most to you, and why?

The piece of my writing that has meant the most to me is actually the first novel I wrote, a science fiction thing that I hammered out while I was in college and that has not been (and likely never will be) published. It’s terrible. Absolutely atrocious. But it was the first novel-length piece I wrote, and it proved to me that I could, in fact, write a novel. For a piece by another author, I think the story that has stuck with me the most is either H.P. Lovecraft’s “Dagon”, or Stephen King’s The Gunslinger. Both were stories whose styles I tried to painstakingly emulate when I first started writing and still carry great weight in the world of my writing.

What’s your writing/editing journey been like? What challenges have you faced?

I’m not going to say that my writing journey has been nothing but smooth sailing, but it hasn’t exactly been the most difficult either. Admittedly, the hardest part has been the writing portion, which fluctuates depending on what horrors in the world decide to assert themselves on my consciousness at any given moment. I’ve been, I think, very lucky in that most of my works have been picked up after being pitched, and I’ve had relatively decent success with them after publication. The one challenge that comes to mind is that I took a gig with a publisher who…wasn’t the best to work with. It caused some frustration on my part (and possibly on their part as well) but otherwise has still turned out more or less alright. That and the fact that running a Kickstarter is a nerve-wracking pain in the butt.

Who do you think everyone should be reading right now?

I think my inspirations above list some of these, but I’ll put them here as well: Mary Sangiovanni, Brian Keene, Hailey Piper, S.A. Cosby, and L. Marie Wood. Additionally, I suggest Victor LaValle, Darcy Coates, and Chuck Wendig. I feel like I should also use this place to shout out some friends who are also doing great work in the scene: Edward J. Flora, Cat Delani, Amanda Headlee, and TT Madden. Everyone in all three of these lists are definitely worth checking out.

What’s it like being a Black horror writer/editor at this particular moment?

I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard. I mean, I think it’s hard to be any type of writer (or sane person) at this particular moment. The horrors I come up with can hardly compare to the horrors that exist around us every day. And it’s hard to find that creative and artistic spark when everything around you is so…depressing. That said, now more than ever is the time for creatives to step up and use their voice, especially those of us in the minority - art is freedom, and it is destructive to the evils that are hounding our world right now.

All horror is political. How do you think your politics informs your writing/editing?

I don’t often set out to write something political, but I think that no matter what I do, my politics will bleed through into my writing. More accurately, my writing will always end up addressing social issues that are unfortunately made political in our world. Race in particular is something that comes up quite a bit in my stories, whether it be in Touched by Shadows where it’s a major focal point, or in Up from the Deep where it’s only briefly mentioned. At the end of the day, I’m a Black man living in America, and my experience as such will affect what I write.

Do you do any writing or editing that’s not fiction? If so, how did you come to that space, and where can we find it?

I currently have one published piece of non-fiction circulating. It is titled “Purposeful Grimaces and Terrible Sounds” and can be found in Poisoned Soup for the Macabre, Depraved, and Insane: Nostalgic Terrors from Brigids Gate Press. As for how I came to the space, well, in this particular case, I got to talk about one of my favorite things: Giant Monsters. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I can go on for ages about them, so the hardest part was keeping my essay under the word limit!

Have you faced any unique challenges in your writing career?

In all honesty, none that I can think of. Most of my challenges feel like the norm: stories not getting picked up, a less than perfect publisher, making words happen even when the days are bad. Straightforward stuff, if you ask me.

What advice do you have for Black horror writers who are just getting started in the genre?

Tell your story the way it needs to be told. There will be adversity, and people who want to silence your voice, but your story is your story, and only you can tell it. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.

Where to find Vaughn A. Jackson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vaughn.madness.and.monsters

Instagram, Threads: @madness_and_monsters

Bluesky: madnessandmonsters.bsky.social

TikTok: @madness_and_monsters

Substack/Blog: https://madnessandmonsters.substack.com/

Website: https://www.madnessandmonsters.com/

Linktree: linktr.ee/madness_and_monsters