Finding work that combines a literary mindset with genre elements. I love horror of nearly all kinds and always love a good thriller or mystery that's grounded in sharp, realistic characters. I love working with literary fiction writers who are struggling to find their plot.
Excessive gore, writing intended to shock and provoke more than entertain, and AI generated writing.
Richard Z. Santos is a widely published author of fiction and nonfiction. Trust Me, was a finalist for the Writer's League of Texas Book Awards and was named one of the best debuts of the year by Crime Reads. He's the editor of the acclaimed anthology A Night of Screams: Latino Horror Stories. His fiction has been nominated for The International Thriller Writers Awards and has appeared as a Distinguished Story in Best American Mystery and Suspense. His nonfiction and essays have appeared in Texas Monthly, Slate, Like the Wind, The Rumpus, Los Angeles Review of Books, Lone Stars Rising (Harper Wave), Sandra Cisneros: Portraits of a Writer (Texas A&M Press, ed. Reyna Grande) and more. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Austin Noir (Akashic Books), Latin American Shared Stories (Flametree Press, ed V. Castro), Nimrod, Pank, Oxford American, riverSedge, The Laurel Review, Club Chicxclub, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. In a previous career, he taught in high schools and before that he worked for political campaigns, consulting firms, and labor unions. He currently teaches fiction at Austin Community College.
