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Robert McCammon is arguably the most accomplished writer of historical fiction and modern horror. He is the author of fourteen horror and fantasy novels and short stories- and nearly all of them were published in the period between 1978 and 1998.

Early Life

Robert McCammon was born on the 17th of July, 1952, in Birmingham, Jefferson County, to Jack and Barbara Bundy McCammon. Most of his early years were spent in Birmingham’s East Lake Community. He began the art of writing when he was only ten years old. His childhood stories focused on aliens, cowboys and fantastic monsters. He wasn’t athletic and had very few friends, so, he decided to write stories where he portrayed himself as popular and excellent in sports.

Upon graduating from Banks High School, McCammon intended to be a journalist. He enrolled in the University of Alabama to study journalism. He graduated in 1974.

Soon after graduation, the course of his life veered off from the field of journalism. He spent the early post-college years as an advertiser. He once worked in the back room of a department store.

Writing Career

As already indicated, after his graduation, McCammon wrote advertising copy for Birmingham newspapers and businesses. He began writing short stories. He couldn’t get the short stories into print. This failure prompted him to write his first novel, Baal. Baal is Revelation-inspired. It talks of a conflict between limitless evil and limited good. In the 1988 edition of Baal afterword, McCammon states that the book, Baal, is about power, and that it was written when he had none. He also reveals that since editors always advise budding writers to write about what they know, he chose to write about what he didn’t know; therefore, he set Baal in faraway locations that he didn’t know to give his stories a global flavor.

The book Baal begins in New York City. A character called Mary Kate Raines is raped by an entity that leaves burns wherever it touches her. She conceives and delivers a baby called Jeffrey Harper. Jeffrey Harpers destroys the lives of Raines. Mary Kaite kills her husband and the bou, Jeffrey, is sent off to an orphanage where she grows unusually fast. He develops unusual powers and he calls himself Baal.

He has a slew of followers in the orphanage. He flees with is followers to Kuwait where he encounters a theology professor called Professor James Virga. This theology professor, who is a resident of Boston, is here in Kuwait to know the whereabouts and fate of his younger colleague, Donald Naughton, who had come to Kuwait to study Baal’s sect.

The theology professor realizes quite uncanny and unsettling: that though Baal is human in form and shape, he is very evil in intent and is bent on dominating and destroying the world. Virga doesn’t have the wherewithal to stop Baal. He is helpless and powerless. Thankfully, another laconic stranger by the name Michael wades into the situation. The laconic stranger has unusual powers of his own.

Michael, together with Virga, follow Baal around across the wastes of Greenland. A vicious fight ensues. Baal and Michael vanish. Virga is left alone, but he is about to be rescued. But who are rescuing him? Are they genuine or they are Baal’s disciples?

The book, Baal, was published by Avon Books.

McCammon continued to write horror fiction and in the 1980, he published two novels- The Night Boat and Bethany’s Sin. After the successful publication of the two novels, McCammn decided to write horror full-time. It is thought that his penchant for horror stories was instigated by his desire to escape from his own uncommon reality.

Also, during this time, McCammon came up with another splendid idea: forming the Horror Writers Association (HWA). This is an organization of published writers who offer support and mentorship to aspiring writers. The association also connects with other writers in the horror genre, thus, creating a horror writer’s community. He collaborated with other writers such as Dean Koontz to establish the group as a non-profit organization in 1987. Dean Koontz was elected as the group’s first president. As of 2016, the Horror Writers Association boasts of 426 members, and each year, it rewards deserving horror writers with a Bram Stoker Award.

Fetes

McCammon continued to grow as a writing, especially in the horror genre, after plunging into full-time horror fiction writing. He went on to be feted with the 1985 Alabama Library Associations coveted Alabama Author Award for his novel, Usher’s Passing. His nest novel was the Swan Song. This is a post-apocalyptic story that is inspired by Stephen King’s novel, The Stand. Both the Swan Song and King’s novel, Misery, tied for the 1988 Bram Stoker Award in the genre of Horror and Dark Fiction. In 1987, Swan Song became a New York Times bestseller.

His short story, The Deep End, his novels, Mine and Boy’s Life, also won him the Bram Stoker award. Boy’s Life is essentially a return to McCammon’s southern roots. It is set in the fictional small town of Zephyr, Alabama. It chronicles the fictitious and horrific events of a southern boy’s childhood in the 1960s. McCammon wrote some more fiction set in the south. In 1992 he wrote Gone South. Gone South is set in Louisiana and tells of dark exploits of Arden Halliday, who is a Vietnam Veteran.

Break From Writing

After authoring Gone South, McCammon took a long break from writing to concentrate his energies on being a good father to his daughter, Skye, and his wife, Sally. When he resumed writing, he had a penchant for historical fiction. The debut novel upon resumption is Speaks the Nightbird. The novel is set in the Carolina Colony in 1699. The novel is about a woman called Racheal who is accused of witchcraft in a new and struggling town called Fount Royal. The Magistrate’s assistant, one Mathew, doubts the charges of witchcraft. The magistrate’s assistant defies the magistrates’ wishes and does an investigation of his own. He learns unnerving truths. McCammon spent over a year researching for the book.

His next novel, Queen of Bedlam, is a sequel to his previous novel, speaks the nightbird. McCammon was feted in 2009 with the Phoenix award. It is undeniable he was a great writer.

4 Responses to “Robert McCammon”

1. Jerome Valdivia: 1 year ago

   So many Dark niches, corners rounded in R.R.M stories of darkest turns.A delight in every tale, spilling out its lives in unknown amounts wich always leaves A thirst for more.And more again( second reads…)Its A mysterious world he creates. A dangerous one.Thrilling is bareley worthy of these tales. Just A word to describe A depth of entertainment. But it’s all I may convey in so small an opinion.These stories last,and remind me personally to keep my wits about me. One never knows….

   Reply
2. Chuck werner: 2 years ago

   Am a avid reader of your books thanks for the time to lose myself in them

   Reply
3. Francie Dub ElYou: 2 years ago

   Read a lot of your books in the 80s. Now I’m starting over again and looking forward to reading your other works.

   Reply
4. N. Davis: 2 years ago

   Love your work. You have a unique mind and the gift of sharing it. Thank you.

   Reply