Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Luciano Marano

Luciano Marano Biography

Luciano Marano is an award-winning writer, journalist, and photographer, the author of a trilogy of werewolf novellas, The Ambush Moon Cycle, and many short stories which have appeared in anthologies such as Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, The Best New Weird Horror, Monsters, Movies & Mayhem, and Crash Code, as well as Nightscript, PseudoPod, and Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. His written and photographic reporting has earned a number of industry accolades, and he was twice named a Feature Writer of the Year by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. A U.S. Navy veteran originally from rural western Pennsylvania, he resides near Seattle.

Book Recommendation: The Ambush Moon Cycle Trilogy (Hidebound, Dark Cutter, and The Cemetery Special)

The Ambush Moon Cycle is a trilogy of novellas—Hidebound, Dark Cutter, and The Cemetery Special—centered on the trials and adventures of Rayne Ellison, a troubled young woman who suffers from lycanthropy, which in my story has nothing to do with the moon but is an inherited genetic condition that can be either managed (to a degree) or made worse by various environmental and psychological factors. For anybody curious about my work, I think Hidebound, the first book, is probably the best introduction, because it functions as a standalone story and is a fairly quick read. The book finds Rayne at an especially low point, having suffered a relapse during which she unwittingly murdered her best friend. She flees town intent on finding a rumored commune of werewolves who supposedly have learned to control their condition. Heavily inspired by lots of classic werewolf mythology, my own experiences with depression and substance abuse (both lived and observed) and the classic ’78 TV adaptation of The Incredible Hulk, I like to say it’s a story of equal parts horror and heart … and guts … and claws .. and teeth. Mature audiences only, please.