Author Spotlight: Tananarive Due – Where Horror Holds Memory
- Cailynn Brawffe
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
Some horror stories give you a good scare. Others—like those written by Tananarive Due—embed themselves under your skin, humming in your bones long after you’ve turned the last page.
A master of supernatural terror, folklore, and Afrofuturism, Due’s work doesn’t just haunt—it remembers. It remembers the past, the ancestors, the trauma, and the strength it takes to survive all of it.
If you like your horror with heart, history, and a few deeply unsettling ghosts, then you’ve just found your next favourite author.
Who Is Tananarive Due?
Born in 1966, Tananarive Due is not only an award-winning novelist but also a professor at UCLA, where she teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism (yes, she’s literally a scholar of fear).
Her work explores:
Generational trauma
Supernatural legacies
The intersection of horror, spirituality, and social history
She’s part of the ongoing literary legacy of Octavia Butler, but make no mistake—Due has carved out her own beautifully haunted space in the genre.
The Good House
Tagline: What if the haunted house was also your family’s inheritance?
This isn’t your average ghost story. When a tragic death sends Angela Toussaint back to her grandmother’s home, she finds more than childhood memories waiting. There’s something old. Something hungry. Something tied to generations of family secrets.
If you love horror with emotional heft, richly layered characters, and folklore that bites back—The Good House is a must-read.
My Soul to Keep
Tagline: Till death do us part. Or… not.
Jessica thinks she’s married the perfect man—until she discovers he made a supernatural pact centuries ago. Now, she’s caught between love, immortality, and the terrifying cost of secrets.
This one’s part horror, part thriller, and all tension. What happens when the person you love isn’t entirely… human any more?
Why You Should Be Reading Her Work
Tananarive Due’s fiction stands out because it’s more than just scary—it’s resonant. She writes about horror that connects:
🎭 Folklore with grief
🕯️ Superstition with generational pain
📚 History with supernatural dread
You’ll find no cheap jump scares here—only the kind of creeping dread that walks beside you for days.
Final Thoughts: A Voice That Haunts with Purpose
Tananarive Due doesn’t just write horror—she curates it. With care, with fury, with empathy. Her stories ask: What are we really afraid of? And then they answer—with nuance, cultural weight, and unsettling grace.
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