About
Sumiko Saulson, Award-Winning Horror Author
Biography
Sumiko has an AA in English from Berkeley City College, writes a column called “Writing While Black” for a national Black Newspaper, the San Francisco BayView is the host of the SOMA Leather and LGBT Cultural District’s “Erotic Storytelling Hour,” and teaches courses at the Speculative Fiction Academy.
Sumiko is a cartoonist, science-fiction, fantasy and horror writer, editor of Black Magic Women, Scry of Lust and 100 Black Women in Horror Fiction, author of Solitude, Warmth, The Moon Cried Blood, Happiness and Other Diseases, Somnalia, Insatiable, Ashes and Coffee, and Things That Go Bump In My Head. They wrote and illustrated comics Mauskaveli, Dooky, and graphic novels Dreamworlds and Agrippa. They writes for the SEARCH Magazine and the San Francisco Bayview column Writing While Black. The child of African American and Russian-Jewish parents, a native Californian and an Oakland resident who’s spent most of their adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Awards and Distinctions:
2013 – (February) Official Women in Horror Month ambassador
2015 – (March) Amazon Best-Selling Author in the Horror Comedy category for “Warmth”
2016 – (May) HWA StokerCon Scholarship from Hell First Place Winner
2016 – (June) Third Place in the San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Best Blog Contest
2016 – (June) Second Place in the San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Short Shory Contest
2017 (May) – Mixy Award
2017 – (August) Amazon Top 1000 Horror Authors (Rank: 738)
2017 – (October) Sixth Place, HorrorAddicts Next Great Horror Writer Contest
2017 – (November) First Place, Berkeley City College Reframing the Other Essay Contest
2018 – (June) Second Place in the San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Songwriting Contest
2018 – (June) Second Place in the San Mateo County Fair Literary Best Blog Contest
2018 – (July) Afrosurrealist Workshop Short Story Award
2018 – (October) Ara Jo Memorial Zinemaker’s Award for Tale of An Iconoclast” The Carolyn Saulson Story
2020 – Horror Writers Association Diversity Grant Award
2021 – Ladies in Horror Fiction Grant Award
2021 – Richard Laymon Presidents’ Award for Service (Bram Stoker Special Award)
Contact Info
My email address is sumikoska at yahoo.com
My Twitter is @sumikoska
My Instagram is @sumikosaulson
My Tik-Tok is @sumikoska
My Facebook author page is https://www.facebook.com/authorsumikosaulson
Sumiko Saulson 
I got your message on my email about wanting to interview me about my books. I don’t have horror or vampire books. Does that matter? Mine are sci-fi and fantasy.
That’s great! Actually, Jody was telling me about your books – she’d introduced you to me as a sci-fi writer who writes books with kick-ass heroines. I was very interested in the fact that your stories have strong female protagonists – I know you don’t write horror or supernatural fiction. Sci-Fi and Fantasy are related genres, and I would love to interview you.
Sorry it took so long to reply- my computer got a horrible virus and I lost all capabilities. Trying slowly to get back online. I would love to have you talk to me. I am trying hard to get my books promoted- it’s difficult. How do you do the interviews? Phone? Email? Whichever way works best for you is great! I look forward to hearing from you. Email me to let me know how and when- llandra@netzero.net
I interview via email, and you can expect an email from me shortly. I am very sorry to hear about your computer virus and I hope you didn’t lose any writing – that’s a writer’s nightmare.
Ms Saulson – there is an egregious error of fact in one of the women in horror you have just published, with a false claim about a Bram Stoker Award nomination. I would like to provide you with the information privately so you can make a correction, please.
Rocky Wood president@horror.org
President – Horror Writers Association
(Proprietor of the Bram Stoker Awards®)
Okay well my email is sumikoska@yahoo.com – let me know what the error is and I will happily correct it.
[…] on my part; I flat out didn’t know about most of them. Which makes me truly grateful to Sumiko Saulson for putting this one […]
Thank you! I also have a giveaway for a copy of the print edition going on, on my Facebook page. There will be one going up on Goodreads soon.
I am loving your short story anthology so far (“Agrippa” is amazing!) I must get a signed copy of the paperback when I’m done! 😉
Awesome! You can get a signed paperback from me for $10 + shipping.
There is a comic book based on the short story “Agrippa,” and you can read it for free online as a eBook here…
http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Agrippa/
HI, MISSED YOUR EASTMONT LECTURES…..
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY PERHAPS IN THE FUTURE?
I would like to talk with you please.
I am going to see if I can do another class series down there in a couple of months, please do tell the library you are interested, thanks!
Hey,
I have been trying to find websites about black women in horror and came across yours. Plus, I listened to one of your short stories on a podcast, which was thrilling. I just started a blog titled, Spooks. If you get a chance, check it out at blackhorrorreviews.blogspot.com.
Thanks,
Tracie
I would be happy to check out your blog! Thank you for doing the work of drawing attention to black horror!
Thanks for checking me out. It means a lot coming from you!!
Sure! Keep up the great work.