Brian Blackwood - Dark Novelist

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Brian Blackwood was born into words. Sharing a birthday with his grandmother—an English teacher at Bellarmine in Washington State—he grew up under her careful tutelage, learning not just grammar and structure but the art of storytelling itself. From the start, she instilled in him a reverence for language and a drive to create, guiding him through award‑winning school publications and early short stories that hinted at the writer he would become.

But Brian’s path was never linear. After a trusted friend’s harsh critique, he turned away from writing for himself, channeling his talents into Hollywood instead. There, beginning in 2009, he carved out a career as a scenario writer and script doctor, shaping scenes and stories behind the curtain of major productions. For nearly a decade, he honed his craft in the crucible of collaborative storytelling, sharpening his cinematic prose and structural instincts in the process.

In 2019, Brian returned to Washington, closing one chapter and unknowingly preparing for the next. It wasn’t until 2022, when he collaborated with author Michelle Morningstar on Hallowed Blood Bonds of the Eternal, that he rediscovered his own voice. Encouraged to write again, he poured years of experience and imagination into his debut novel, Fractured. Released in January 2024, the book quickly drew acclaim, earning recognition as a 2024 Shelley Award semi‑finalist from Chanticleer and praise for its genre‑defying blend of urban fantasy, historical fiction, horror, and religious themes.

That same year, Brian and Morningstar co‑founded Unquiet Tomb Press, an independent publisher dedicated to empowering authors through collaboration, strategy, and craft. Through the press, Brian also developed From Idea to Book, an interactive course that distills the techniques of professional writers’ rooms into a practical roadmap for aspiring authors.

Today, Brian Blackwood writes fiction that refuses to be confined by genre, weaving together history, faith, horror, and the supernatural into stories that ask difficult questions and linger long after the final page. He lives in Washington State, where he continues to build worlds, mentor writers, and explore the fractured spaces between light and shadow.

When he isn’t writing, Brian can often be found wandering the forests and coastlines of the Pacific Northwest, drawing inspiration from its mist‑shrouded landscapes, collecting macabre and gothic oddities, or playing with his dogs Lola and Ziggy.