Francesca Maria

Francesca Maria has been penning horror stories since she was able to pick up a pen and write at the age of six. This fascination with horror was spurred by her insatiable quest to uncover what was haunting her house as a child.  Francesca is still haunted by her childhood home which continues to invade her dreams.  

Francesca currently writes dark fiction surrounded by cats near the Pacific Ocean. She is the award-winning, bestselling author of They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark from Brigids Gate Press which debuted as an Amazon #1 Best Seller. She is the creator and co-publisher of the Black Cat Chronicles, a true horror comic book series narrated by a mystical black cat. 

Her short stories and essays can be found in various publications including Crystal Lake Publishing's Shallow Waters, Death’s Garden Revisited, To Hell and Back and Under the Stairs anthologies. Francesca is the co-editor and co-publisher of the upcoming Black Cat Tales anthology from Black Cat Publishing, due out in 2025. Francesca is also the co-chair of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Horror Writers Association Chapter.  

Francesca co-owned Black Cat Comics  Northern California before retiring to the beach after 19 years. 

Francesca is a former journalist, data analyst, high-tech wizard, and a graduate from University of California at Berkeley.  

Francesca is also a psychic medium and detective and uses her knowledge of the other world to aid in her storytelling.  She has a black belt in Taekwondo, drives a '53 Chevy truck and drums until her hands bleed.