John C. Foster was born in Sleepy Hollow, NY, and has been afraid of the dark for as long as he can remember. A writer of thrillers and dark fiction, Foster was raised in the wilds of southern New Hampshire before hauling stakes for the ersatz glow of Los Angeles. He has since relocated to the relative sanity of NYC. Foster is an enthusiastic amateur cook, partially to offset all the griping that results from pushing his increasingly decrepit body through the rigors of martial arts training.
John’s novel Dead Men was published by Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing (PMMP) in 2015 and his second novel, Mister White, was published by Grey Matter Press in April of 2016. His debut collection of short stories, Baby Powder and Other Terrifying Substances, was published by PMMP in January 2017. His short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies including Shock Totem, Dark Moon Digest and Dread – the Best of Grey Matter Press among others. He lives in Brooklyn with the actress Linda Jones and their dog Coraline.
from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing
John C. Foster adds to the current Weird Fiction Renaissance with Baby Powder and Other Terrifying Substances, a tough-as-nails collection of short stories that deftly explore elements of cosmicism, science fiction horror, creepshow bizarre, unholy retribution, human cruelty, and post-apocalyptic blight with a trim, almost Noir flare and a thoughtful eye. Foster is not just one to read, he’s one to watch, as the secret is out and the ascent is on.
~T.E. GRAU, AUTHOR OF THE NAMELESS DARK AND THEY DON’T COME HOME ANYMORE
John Foster doesn’t write horror stories—he writes terror stories, the kind that get under your skin and stay there. Crack open Baby Powder and prepare for a lot of sleepless nights!
~NICHOLAS KAUFMANN, AUTHOR OF IN THE SHADOW OF THE AXE
from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing
Foster ferociously and confidently propels this full-throttle odyssey of assassination, the first in the Libros de Inferno trilogy, to depths of gut-punching horror rarely glimpsed in a debut. With more questions raised than answered, Foster establishes ample intrigue and horrified fascination to draw readers back to finish the trilogy.
~PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)
Frankly, I haven’t been this impressed with an authorial debut since Clive Barker’s Books of Blood. And no, that isn’t hyperbole. John C. Foster really is that good. He doesn’t read like a first time novelist. He reads like someone who knows where you live and isn’t afraid to kick down your door. Do yourself a favor and get this book. You won’t regret it.
~JOE MCKINNEY, BRAM STOKER AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF DEAD CITY AND THE DEAD WON’T DIE
Is it horror? Is it noir? Is it something in-between? Doesn’t matter, this is just damn good writing. John Foster crafts lean, mean fiction darker than a serial killer’s soul, and Dead Men is one incredibly gripping debut.
~JAMES NEWMAN, AUTHOR OF UGLY AS SIN
Dead Men by John C. Foster is a hypnotic tale, told with blazing eyes, and a gut full of twisting snakes. The darkness swims across the page, but it is not without light, not without hope. Tense, violent, and sprinkled with humor, it’s a gripping read.
~RICHARD THOMAS, AUTHOR OF DISINTEGRATION
Visceral and haunting, you literally have no idea what the next twist is going to be with this brilliant story, filled with over the top characters and situations. I couldn’t put it down, even if I tried.
~ARMAND ROSAMILIA, AUTHOR OF THE “DYING DAYS” ZOMBIE SERIES
Dead Men is a nightmarish road novel propelled through an America of dark and ugly places and strange and awful characters. It has the guts to demand something of the reader, that an effort is required to take in the book, an effort that will be well rewarded by a unique and lyrically beautiful tale of terrible things.
~TIM POTTER, HELLNOTES
from Grey Matter Press
The most thrilling thing about Foster’s sweeping thriller Mister White is how well it’s written. If the idea is to put powerful words to paper, then Foster does it. And if the idea is to then use those words to pulley-up walls around a willing reader, trapping him or her in the world of Mister White, Foster does that, too.
~JOSH MALERMAN, INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BIRD BOX
John C. Foster’s Mister White is a lightning-paced, globetrotting mashup of espionage, adventure and truly disturbing occult horror. Fun and nasty in all the right places.
~PAUL TREMBLAY, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS
“John Foster’s Mister White is a finely tuned cat-and-mouse thriller that reads like a seamless integration of classic John Le Carré style spy thriller with the best of the Splatterpunk movement. With a stunning ending I’m still reeling from, Mister White feels like the same kind of unstoppable force as the titular character. Unlike Herr Weiss, you’ll be happily repeating John Foster’s name after you finish this.”
~BRACKEN MACLEOD, AUTHOR OF MOUNTAIN HOME AND STRANDED
Mister White is a potent and hypnotic brew that blends horror, espionage and mystery. Foster has written the kind of book that keeps the genre fresh and alive and will make fans cheer. Books like this are the reason I love horror fiction.
~RAY GARTON, GRAND MASTER OF HORROR AWARD-WINNER AND BRAM STOKER AWARD-NOMINATED AUTHOR OF LIVE GIRLS AND SCISSORS
John C. Foster keeps you turning the pages with prose as propulsive as a bullet. Mister White is a skillful blend of horror and international intrigue, Ian Fleming by way of Stephen King. An impressive, accomplished novel you won’t soon forget.
~NICHOLAS KAUFMANN, THRILLER AWARD-NOMINATED AUTHOR OF DYING IS MY BUSINESS AND DIE AND STAY DEAD
Mister White is like Stephen King’s The Stand meets Ian Fleming’s James Bond with Graham Masterton’s The Manitou thrown in for good measure. It’s frenetically paced, spectacularly gory and eerie as hell. Highly recommended!
~JOHN F.D. TAFF, BRAM STOKER AWARD FINALIST OF THE END IN ALL BEGINNINGS
A single John Foster story has enough chills to freeze a tub of water. An entire book jammed full of them can freeze the Hudson River as solid as an airport runway. He packs dread and foreboding into everything he writes, so much that you’re almost afraid to turn the page, but you damn well know you will. If you read only one single author collection this year, Baby Powder should be it.
~SHANE DOUGLAS KEENE, SHOTGUN LOGIC