Sandy DeLuca is an American author and visual artist, born in Providence, Rhode Island. As an author, she is known for dark and surreal prose; often visceral and shocking. She is best known for her work in the horror genre. She has produced critically acclaimed novels; DESCENT, MESSAGES FROM THE DEAD and MANHATTAN GRIMOIRE.
Over the past decade, much of her visual work has been related to the horror genre and her own writing. When she writes, she often sketches and paints characters and scenes inspired from her fiction. She illustrated the award-winning poetry collection, VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES & WANTOM SOULS, with Marge Simon’s poetry. She has also painted cover art for small press publications; ALBAN LAKE PUBLISHING and NIGHT TO DAWN BOOKS.
She sold her first piece of art in 1979, when a friend exhibited her drawings on a wall in a beauty shop. A few years later, she had her first solo exhibit, while still an art student, at the CCRI art gallery. Around 1987, she began to write articles, accompanying her photographs for a string of magazines. And several years later, her art, poetry and fiction began to see publication within the zines that were popular in 80’s and 90’s.
During that period, she launched her own publishing companies, Goddess of the Bay. Later, December Girl press, producing and editing magazines and anthologies; including horror anthos such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and crime noir fiction such as Crime Spree. She worked with late icons like Charlee Jacob and Ed Bryant. She published work by Brian Keene, Mary San Giovanni, Greg F. Gifune and Mike Liamo. She went on to to be nominated for the Bram Stoker * for poetry award in 2000.
She lives in New England with three feisty tortoiseshell cats and an elderly tabby cat. She is an avid book collector, spending her free time reading, researching family genealogy and studying the metaphysical.
POETRY AND COLLECTIONS
BURIAL PLOT IN SAGITTARIUS (POETRY), 2000, THIEVIN’ KITTY PUBLICATIONS (NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER FOR POETRY AWARD AND THE RHYSLING AWARD). This book was accompanied by her cover art and interior illustrations. A copy is maintained in the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays (Brown University) Poetry, 1976-2000.
PATHS OF DESTINY (SELECTED POETRY AND SHORT STORIES), 2001, DOUBLE DRAGON BOOKS
DANGEROUS DREAMS, WITH MARGE SIMON (POETRY), 2013, ELECTRIK MILKBATH PRESS (NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER FOR POETRY AWARD AND THE ELGIN AWARD)
HUNTER’S MOON, SELECTED SHORT STORIES, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA
FRAGMENTS, SELECTED SHORT STORIES AND POETRY, WITH BOB JUDGE (ART), 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA
NOVELS
SETTLING IN NAZARETH, 2003, DECEMBER GIRL PRESS, 2017 CROSSROAD PRESS
DESCENT, 2005, DELIRIUM BOOKS, 2010 uninvited books
MANHATTAN GRIMOIRE, 2007, DELIRIUM BOOKS, 2017 CROSSROAD PRESS
FROM ASHES, 2008, DELIRIUM BOOKS, 2017, CROSSROAD PRESS
SWITCHBLADE, 2018, CROSSROAD PRESS
MIDNIGHT TOWN, 2019, CROSSROAD PRESS
Currently at work on a new novel, working title 19 STRAND STREET
NOVELLAS
DARKNESS CONJURED, 2010, Delirium Books, 2017 Crossroad Press
REIGN OF BLOOD, 2011, Delirium Books, 2017 Crossroad Press
INTO THE RED, 2011, Damnation Books
MESSAGES FROM THE DEAD, 2013, DarkFuse, 2017 Crossroad Press
HELL’S DOOR, 2013, DarkFuse, 2017 Crossroad Press
CITY AT THE EDGE OF THE EARTH, 2016, Midnight Town Media, 2018 Crossroad Press
LUPO MANNARO, 2016, with her illustrations, Night to Dawn Books (Soon to be reprinted by Crossroad Press)
Novelette: Journey to Talazia, with her illustrations, Alban Lake, 2017
*From 1987 through the present her short stories, poetry, articles, photographs, opinions and art have appeared in various books, magazines, print and online publications.
ART BOOKS
PAINTING THE THIRD FATE, 2005, SAM’S DOT PUBLISHING
THE MAD HATTERY (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2012, ELECTRIK MILKBATH PRESS
VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES & WANTON SOULS (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2012, ELECTRIK MILKBATH PRESS
Gardens of the Fey, (with marge simon’s Poetry), 2013, Wolfsinger Publications
APPARITIONS: THIRTY YEARS OF STRANGE ART, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA
ETHEREAL BEINGS, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA
NAUGHTY LADIES (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2015, ELDRITCH PRESS
CHILDHOOD, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA
TALES OF AN EARTHBOUND TRAVELER, 2015, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA
SMALL SPIRITS, 2016, (WITH MARGE SIMON’S POETRY), 2016, MIDNIGHT TOWN MEDIA
COME DREAM WITH ME, 2018, ALBAN LAKE PUBLISHING
Notable anthologies which included her short stories are:
Divas of Darkness–Thievin Kitty–2001
IN DELIRIUM II–2007
PIERCING THE DARKNESS (NECRO PUBLICATIONS)–2013
SCARY TALES FOR HALLOWEEN (DOUBLE DRAGON PUBLISHING)–2003
SLICES OF FLESH (DARK MOON BOOKS) –2010
EROTIKOS (DARKFUSE)–2017
EDITORIAL/PUBLISHING PROJECTS:
Goddess of the Bay Publications, where she produced and edited a monthly zine of poetry, art and short stories. In addition, specialty projects such as A Midsummer’s Night Terror, Something Wicked (experimental fiction collections) were produced under this banner.
December Girl Press (an imprint of Delirium Books): She produced and edited a collection of ‘Noir fiction called Crime Spree and a rare collectible novel Saying Uncle, by Greg F. Gifune. (1999 through 2003).
*Also see:
Resource lists that have documented some of my work.
Reviews, interviews & blurbs about my work.
VISUAL BODIES OF WORK:
Figures and Fantasies 1986—ongoing. Expressionistic figurative work, Shapeshifting–fantasy paintings of felines, strange lands and the female figure.
The Genre 1995-ongoing. Paintings inspired by genre writings and imagined images related to my own writings.
Abstract Experiments in the City 2002-2006
New York inspired art 2007-2008
Digital Experiments 2016–ongoing project.
Sports Photography 1986-1996
Feline Photography 1995-present
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
Community College of Rhode Island, Solo show at Warwick and Lincoln campuses; 1986. Two paintings were on loan for exhibit in President’s reception area Community College of RI, 1987. Various group shows Warwick Community College Campus, 1984-1997; while earning my AFA in the 1980’s, and then later studying art seminars in the 1990’s.
Border Books, Cranston and Providence, Rhode Island (2003)
Winky Dink Ink Gallery and Tattoo Parlor, (New York) 2010
Various shows, New Hope Gallery (Cranston, RI) 2011-present
Various shows, Hughes/Donahue Gallery (Taunton, MA), 2011-2013
Anything Goes Gallery (Warwick, RI), October 2011-2012
Right Studios, Woonsocket, RI, December 7th, 2011
Jerry’s Artarama (Providence, RI), 2012, Various shows
Gallery Q Summer, Juried, (Providence, RI) June 1, 2012
Ugly Dog Gallery (Attleboro, MA), August 2012
Bank RI, Providence, RI, solo exhibit–TALES OF AN EARTHBOUND TRAVELER–December/January 2012-2013
Cranston Public Library, two-person exhibit with Bob Judge, June, 2019
Article from my Bank RI solo art show.
University of Rhode Island, Feinstein Campus, Group show, ART IN HEALING November 2014
Eunoia Gallery–The Unframed Works on Paper Show–November 2018
Awards:
Awarded the Gothic Readers Book Club Choice Award, 2011.
Nominated for the Bram Stoker for poetry for 1999 and again in 2013. Nominated for the Rhysling award for 1999.
*It’s not possible to list everything, as I was published by numerous zines back in the day. Please see my Lists link where I’ve located documentation of a lot of my work from back in the day. Lots missing, but overall they’ve noted a chunk of it.
*This is one of the offbeat and interesting art publishing credits I earned back in the ’90’s. One of my pen and ink drawings appeared on the back cover of the Klingon Journal of Language. In those days, there were no digital files and email wasn’t used widely. So, the original piece was sent to the journal via snail mail.
*This is a “notebook” of past, present and ongoing projects and experiences. I try to add new books, exhibits and events as they occur. In addition, I am going through files in order to document some of my obscure works of poetry and fiction. For a long time, I thought that the different stages of my creativity (specifically in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s) were not connected–did not bring me to the place where I am now. However, as I grow older, I see that they are. Just trying to preserve a record of it all…thanks for looking.
*Notations from me.
Contact me at: SandyDeLuca13@Gmail.com
Selected photos from my travels.
With Bob Judge at Cranston Public LIbrary, Barbara Rosenbaum’s solo show, January 5, 2019
Kaspar, Phoenix Rising Equestrian Farm, January, 2019
With Ricky Gagnon, Eunoia Gallery, November, 2018. This was from the Unframed Works on Paper show that I participated in.
