Renee S. DeCamillis
Southern Maine

Bio: Renee S. DeCamillis is a horror author and freelance editor, and the author of the psychological thriller/supernatural horror novella The Bone Cutters, book 1 in The Bone Cutters series, and Chisel the Bone, book 2 in the series. She also has a book forthcoming in 2025, a choose-your-own-path horror novel co-author project called Try Not to Die: By Your Own Hand. Renee’s short fiction appears in various anthologies: Phantoms from the Sky; Dethfest Confessions: The Devil’s Playlist; Horrors of the Deep; After the Burn; Wicked Women; and more. Her poetry appears in the Horror Writers Association Poetry Showcase Vol. IV. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the New England Horror Writers, and the Horror Writers of Maine. Renee is the lead singer/songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the punk-metal band Scars Aligned, and she's a tree-hugging hippie with a sharp metal edge. Renee earned her BA in psychology, earned her MFA in Popular Fiction Writing, and attended Berklee College of Music as a music business major with guitar as her principal instrument. Renee is a former model, school rock band teacher, creative writing teacher, private guitar instructor, A&R rep for an indie record label, therapeutic mentor, psychological technician, and preschool teacher. She is also a former gravedigger; she can get rid of a body fast without leaving a trace, and she is not afraid to get her hands dirty. Renee lives in the woods of southern Maine with her husband, their son, and a house full of ghosts. _______________________________ What reviewers say about her work: Chisel the Bone: * "This one digs deep – bone deep, you could say. If you weren't already gritting your teeth from the blade." ~~~ Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Indian Lake Trilogy _______________________________ * "CHISEL THE BONE is a gruesome, gritty tale in which DeCamillis creates a stark, tense atmosphere of unease, dread, and pervasive and increasing madness. She shows evil in its big, bad, brutal glory, but also at its most insidious, often understandable, and inevitably tragic. Echoes of Laird Barron and Poppy Z Brite within a voice uniquely her own, DeCamillis flays the skin of polite society and exposes for all to see the sharp edges of desperation, need, and survival. This book will get under your skin in all the best ways." ~~~ Mary SanGiovanni, author of THE EVERYWHERE HOUSE _______________________________ * “Chisel the Bone is by turns hallucinogenic, tough, rough, and unexpectedly tender. Lovecraft meets Nope on Renee DeCamillis’ long, strange, trip into a bone-dark nightmare. If you love books written in blood, you’ll turn the pages so fast your fingers will splatter. Sequel!” ~~~ Nancy Holder, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award _______________________________ * “A fresh new voice in horror, Renee S. DeCamillis knows how to write tales that get under your skin. Chisel the Bone offers a macabre and unique brand of dark storytelling that will keep you turning the pages. This one is a fast-paced carnival ride that brings you on a wild journey full of twists and turns.” ~~~ Morgan Sylvia, author of Abode _______________________________ * “For all the readers, including myself, who did not want to see DeCamillis’ novella, The Bone Cutters, come to an end, we are in luck. The anticipated sequel comes to us in the novel, Chisel the Bone. And Renee DeCamillis does not disappoint. Dory finds herself in another nightmarish battle for survival. Chisel the Bone takes horrific things that can happen in real life and blends them with the supernatural. Follow the blood trail to the very end. You’ll be glad you did.” ~~~ Cindy O’Quinn, Bram Stoker Award-winning author _______________________________ * “Brilliant and disgusting, Clive Barker meets Supernatural, the TV series…Sick, twisted, and demented…I like it! Give me more, please.” ~~~ Michelle Schmer, A.K.A. DJ Unikorn, Author and Podcaster @ Coffee Fueled Stories _______________________________ “Chisel the Bone by Renee S. DeCamillis is exactly the kind of book I’m putting in the hands of the next generation of readers who are just cutting their teeth on the horror genre. It is breakneck paced, and left me absolutely impressed with this clever twist on vampire fiction. ~~~ Peter Dudar, author of The Goat Parade & Blood Cult of the Booby Farmers _______________________________ * "DeCamillis's writing is really fun, super descriptive, and highly entertaining in such a dramatic way. It recalls similar writers like Christopher Moore, Joe Lansdale, and Carl Hiaasen. Each chapter could be its own short story. The chapters are short enough to keep my attention, and the pacing is excellent. The characters are theatrical in nature, with both their names and personalities creating colorful imagery as they deal with the horrific antagonists' motives. This story would make a great play or movie. Definitely R-rated, but teenagers would love it!" ~~~ Meg North, author of The Transformation of Charlotte Poole _______________________________ * "'Bad Trip Highway' by Renee DeCamillis harkens back to the best of wicked, sharp, classic horror of the eighties in the vein of Elizabeth Massie." ~~~ Cemetery Dance _______________________________ The Bone Cutters: * “Razor sharp. Grabs hold from the get go, and drags the reader through a surreal experience that evokes One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, if written by Clive Barker. A recommended novella.” ~~~ Monster Librarian _______________________________ * “I immediately fell in love with Dory, the writing style, the story...This is a terribly heart-wrenching story with a bit of a haunted house/ghost vibe where you’re also being chased by a bunch of crazy people who want to devour your bones. I didn’t want to put this book down.” ~ Kendall Reviews _______________________________ * "It's actually refreshing to be able to enjoy a book so much that you were miffed when it was over. As the debut novella from Renee S. DeCamillis it's a fantastic beginning to what could prove to be a career to watch." ~~~ Ginger Nuts of Horror _______________________________ * “This story grabbed me by my throat and squeezed harder and harder with each chapter. Relentless, aggressive. I love this story, everything about it is perfect. Everything. Pure insanity. 5/5 Duster Skulls” ~~~ Five-star Amazon & Goodreads Review ______________________________ * “This book commands your attention from the get go. Dealing with darker themes of addiction and self-harm with a twist. Many twists and turns in this mini read you won’t know what's going to happen until it does.” ~~~ Five-Star Amazon Review _______________________________ What Renee's writing mentors have said about her: "Renee is hands-down one of the hardest working writers I've met at Stonecoast, and her excellent thesis novel, Diagnosis, is proof of that. . . . [Diagnosis] is an engaging and intelligent page-turner that makes its supernatural subject both believable and emotionally engaging." ~~~ Elizabeth Hand, bestselling and multi-award-winning author of thirteen cross-genre novels and four collections of short fiction, a longtime critic for the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Salon, and The Village Voice; author of Curious Toys, the Cass Neary crime novel series--Generation Loss, Available Dark, Hard Light, The Book of Lamps & Banners, and A Haunting on the Hill _______________________________ "Renee did some of the most creative work I've ever seen at Stonecoast. Her novel Diagnosis--it's fabulous, it's scary, it's weird. What I love is, I'm a horror person and I've read tons of horror, and I could not read one scene [of Diagnosis] without the next. She's a great writer, and she's a hard worker. Through thick and thin she has been there dedicated to her writing. I want to say how much I respect her and enjoyed working with her." ~~~ Nancy Holder, New York Times bestselling author, 5-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, author of the Wicked series and the young adult horror series Possessions. She has sold over eighty novels one hundred short stories, many of them based on such shows as Highlander, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and others. She is also the author of the Crimson Peak novelization. _______________________________ "I feel Renee has hit upon a powerful and also marketable novel that takes on issues like addiction, prophetic powers, and the thin line of sanity. Renee's novel is powered by narrative tension, edgy sensual prose, and a deep sympathy for all her troubled characters. Her short fiction also delves into life on the edge." ~~~ Elizabeth Searle, author of five novels of fiction: We Got Him, and the Tanya and Nancy: The Rock Opera, which has drawn major media coverage and which has been produced in Boston, Chicago, LA, Portland OR and at New York Musical Theater Festival in NYC. Her novel A FOUR-SIDED BED was turned into a feature film.

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