Ronald Malfi (born April 28, 1977) is an American novelist whose genres include

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

, thrillers, mainstream, and literary fiction. Malfi is also a musician, having fronted the

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

-based alternative rock band Nellie Blide as well as his current project, Veer. He currently lives in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Life and career

Ronald Malfi was born on April 28, 1977, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. His father was a

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

agent and his mother was a stay-at-home mom, who eventually raised four children, of which Ronald was the eldest. His father's job saw the family transferred to various cities throughout the northeast until they eventually relocated to Severna Park,

, where Ronald attended

Severna Park High School Severna Park High School is a public high school located in the suburban CDP of Severna Park, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system. SPHS opened its doors to students in 1959 and was the seventh pub ...

until his graduation in 1995. Malfi went on to study at

Anne Arundel Community College Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) is a public community college in Arnold, Maryland. The college was founded in 1961 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The community college offers letters of recognition, ...

and ultimately received a degree in English from

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...

in 1999. Malfi began writing stories at an early age. His earliest short stories and small press novels saw Malfi using his full name, Ronald Damien Malfi, but he later dropped his middle name for his mass market releases. As for his daily writing routine, Malfi has said he typically tries to write about 15 pages a day. He is considered one of the new wave of literary, or "art house," horror novelists. In 2009, his novel '' Shamrock Alley,'' based on the true exploits of his own father, a retired

agent who went undercover and infiltrated the violent Irish gang in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

known as

The Westies The Westies were a New York City-based Irish-American organized crime gang, responsible for racketeering, drug trafficking, and contract killing. They were partnered with the Italian-American Mafia and operated out of the Hell's Kitchen neighbo ...

, was released and optioned for television. The novel also won a Silver

Independent Publisher Book Awards The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also styled as the IPPY Awards, are a set of annual literary awards for independently published books. They are the longest-running unaffiliated contest open exclusively to independent presses. The IPPY Aw ...

medal (IPPY) in the thriller/suspense/mystery novel category in 2010. In 2010, his novel ''

Snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

'' was released in paperback to much acclaim, as reviewers touted the novel's near-flawless pacing and descriptive writing. Malfi claims the novel was "feverishly hammered out in about two weeks." The plot of the novel follows a group of strangers in to a town in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

which has been overrun by snow phantoms that can turn people into flesh-hungry

zombies A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore ...

. In 2011, the publication of his novel '' Floating Staircase'' garnered him much praise, and the novel won a Gold IPPY Award and was nominated by the

Horror Writers Association The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of horror and dark fantasy writers. Overview HWA was formed in 1985 with ...

for the

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...

for best novel of 2011. During a 2011 radio interview, Malfi stated that most of his fiction deals with the concept of lost or confused identity. Malfi is also a musician, who has composed music for independent films, and was the lead singer/songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the Baltimore-based alternative rock band Nellie Blide (from 2000 to 2002) and his current project, Veer.

Novels

*''The Space Between'' (2000) *''The Fall of Never'' (2004) *''The Nature of Monsters'' (2006) *''Via Dolorosa'' (2007) *''Passenger'' (2008) *'' Shamrock Alley'' (2009) *''

'' (Lesiure Books, 2010) *''The Ascent'' (2010) *''Cradle Lake'' (2011) *'' Floating Staircase'' (2011) *''

The Narrows The Narrows is the tidal strait separating the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City. It connects the Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay (of larger New York Bay) and forms the principal channel by which the Hudson Ri ...

'' (2012) *'' December Park'' (2014) *''Little Girls'' (2015) *''The Night Parade'' (2016) *''Bone White'' (2017) *''Come With Me'' (2021) *''Black Mouth'' (2022) * ''Small Town Horror'' (2024) * ''Senseless'' (2025)

Novellas

* ''Borealis'' (2009) * ''The Stranger'' (2009) * ''The Separation'' (2011) * ''Skullbelly'' (2011) * ''After the Fade'' (2012) * ''The Mourning House'' (2012) * ''A Shrill Keening'' (2014) * ''Mr. Cables'' (2020)

Collections

* ''Ronald Malfi Thriller Collection'' (2012) * ''They Lurk: 4 Novellas'' (2014) * ''We Should Have Left Well Enough Alone'' (2018) * ''Ghostwritten: 4 Novellas'' (2022)

Awards and acknowledgments

"I Know What You Are" (poem)
- Second Place (amateur), "Dracula '97" from the

Transylvanian Society of Dracula The Transylvanian Society of Dracula (TSD) is a cultural-historic, non-profit, non-governmental organization. Its members include Romanian and international scholars, folklorists, historians, esoterists, writers, cultural anthropologists, and indiv ...

. '' Shamrock Alley''
- Independent Publisher Book Award (Silver)List of awards won and nominations received
/ref> '' Floating Staircase''
- Nominated for a

for Best Novel of 2011
- Independent Publisher Book Award (Gold Medal of Honor)
- Winner (third place), Vincent Preis International Horror Award ''Cradle Lake''
- Benjamin Franklin Independent Book Award (Silver) ''Little Girls''
- Shortlist -

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

's Year's Best in Genre Fiction

References

External links

The Official Ronald Malfi Website

Medallion Press

Delirium Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malfi, Ronald 20th-century American novelists American horror writers American male novelists Novelists from Maryland Living people 1977 births Towson University alumni People from Severna Park, Maryland 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers