J. N. Williamson
Gerald Neal "Jerry" Williamson was an American author and editor known for his significant contributions to the horror and supernatural fiction genres. Born on April 17, 1932, in Indianapolis, Indiana, he had a diverse career that included stints as a professional vocalist, insurance investigator, and editor. After serving in the U.S. Army and attending Butler University, he began writing short stories, initially submitting them to mystery magazines while managing the challenges of raising a blended family of six children.
Williamson's literary career flourished in the late 1970s when he published over 150 short stories and numerous novels within a span of just five years, showcasing themes of ghosts, supernatural events, vampires, and the darker aspects of human nature. His first novel, "The Ritual: Robert Plus One," was released in 1979, and he later wrote under the pseudonym Julian Shock for his science fiction work, "Extraterrestrial."
A respected figure in the horror literature community, Williamson served as secretary of the Horror Writers of America and received several awards, including a Porgie Award and lifetime achievement honors alongside Stephen King. He passed away on December 7, 2005, in Noblesville, Indiana, leaving behind a legacy of influential works in horror and supernatural fiction.
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J. N. Williamson
Writer
- Born: April 17, 1932
- Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Died: December 7, 2005
- Place of death: Noblesville, Indiana
Biography
Gerald Neal “Jerry” Williamson was born April 17, 1932, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the son of Lynn Jordan Williamson and Maryesther Mendenhall Williamson. Jerry graduated from Shortridge High School, where he coedited the school’s daily newspaper and wrote a review column in the Indianapolis Times from 1948 to 1950. After high school, he attended the Jordan College of Music from 1951 to 1953 before entering the U.S. Army, serving from 1953 to 1955 as an officer specializing in intelligence, troop information, and education.
Following his discharge from the military, Williamson attended Butler University in 1955- 1956. He afterward worked at a variety of occupations, including as detective, professional vocalist and drummer, insurance investigator, assistant theater manager, advertising copywriter, and joint owner of a record company. From 1961 to 1964, he was editor in chief at an Indianapolis publisher, Alan C. McConnell and Sons.
A noted fan of Sherlock Holmes, Williamson had written and privately printed the nonfiction book A Critical History and Analysis of the Whodunit, and had as a young man edited three volumes of Sherlockiana, Illustrious Client’s Casebooks. In 1960, he married Mary Theresa Cavanaugh, and began intermittently submitting short stories to mystery magazines. However, he succumbed to the pressures of raising six children—two of his own, Scott Anthony and John Keith, and four stepchildren, Charles, Joseph, Eric, and Mary—and suffered a nervous breakdown in 1970. Upon his recovery, Williamson served a stint as editor in chief (1973-1975) and international sales manager (1975-1977) for International Computer Programs.
In the late 1970’s, Williamson again turned his talents to fiction. For more than twenty years he contributed dozens of short stories—more than 150 in all, particularly in the horror and supernatural genres—to such periodicals as Lady’s Circle, Cavalier, Twilight Zone, Pulphouse, Night Cry, Weirdbook, Midnight Graffiti, Fantasy Book, Crossroads, After Hours, Cemetery Dance, Deathrealm, Dark Regions, Dead of Night, The Horror Show and Eldritch Tales.
Williamson’s first novel, The Ritual: Robert Plus One, appeared in 1979. Within five years he had published twenty novels, half of his lifetime’s production, including a science-fiction work, Extraterrestrial, written under the pseudonym Julian Shock. His primary themes include ghosts (Ghost Mansion, Horror House, Horror Mansion), supernatural events and spooky sightings (The Longest Night, Dead to the World, Don’t Take Away the Light), vampires (Death- Coach, Death-Angel, Death-School), and humans who do bad things with evil purpose (The Dentist; The Book of Webster’s, 1995, reprinted as Spree, 1998). Williamson also published several story collections, including Anomalies, Nevermore!, and The Naked Flesh of Feeling. A well- respected editor, Williamson oversaw the production of four volumes of the acclaimed Masques anthologies of horror and supernatural short fiction and the nonfiction How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.
Recognized particularly for his work in the horror genre, Williamson served as secretary of the Horror Writers of America (1986-1987). He won the Porgie Award from West Coat Review of Books in 1980 for The Houngan, the Dale Donaldson Memorial Award from the Small Press Writers’ and Artists’ Association (1985), and was nominated for the Superior Award from the Horror Writers’ Association in 1993 for Don’t Take Away the Light. In 2003, Williamson and Stephen King received lifetime achievement awards from the Horror Writers of America.
Williamson died the night of December 7, 2005, in Noblesville, Indiana.