Whisper House Press

“Mundane horror for the people.”

Meet the Editor / publisher

a photo of steve with arms crossed, a "write on" tee shirt, and glasses. He's smiling. He's wearing a pink corduroy hat with a "phish" band emblem on it.

Artist Statement.

Steve Capone, Jr. is a writer working primarily in horror fiction and screenwriting, creative nonfiction, and game literature. He’s founder and editor-in-chief for Whisper House Press, an independent publisher committed to elevating diverse voices to produce “mundane horror for the people,” bringing the Kafkaesque terrors of the everyday to the public who cannot but endure them. His work draws on his own experiences of early life in active addiction followed by decades of continuous recovery from that addiction, pulling at the emotional thread of anticipated social expectations, cultural norms, and other shibboleths. Neurodivergence, too, shapes his output—he is always working to understand other humans, those unknowable others. His goal is to connect with others in empathy for what we often share: our fears.

Author/Editor Biography.

Steve is a Rust-Belt transplant living and writing in the Rocky Mountain West. He teaches and writes across genres and has won awards recognizing his long-form fiction, short-form screenwriting, and nonfiction. His forthcoming Jimmy vs. Communism is a YA historical fiction novel set during the McCarthy era. It’s due out in a traditional publishing push nationwide [sometime soon] with Gibbs Smith. Recently Steve’s short screenplay, “Cure for Creativity,” won Best Short Screenplay by the Bloody Mirror Film Festival and official selection and award nomination in multiple festivals and contests. He’s also had nonfiction pieces in trade presses such as Education Week Magazine, the Salt Lake Tribune, and The American Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy.

In development: a GameLit/ LiteraryFic mashup and a horror novel set during the Satanic Panic. Steve is an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association and a member of the League of Utah Writers. He also works with Arctic Rescue to help Arctic-breed doggies, and he bakes pizza pies for his family and guests.

You can find Steve’s short fiction in anthologies like This Isn’t the Place (Timber Ghost Press, 2024), Write Where You Belong (League of Utah Writers, 2024), Darkness 102: Advanced Lessons Were Learned (Collective Tales Publishing, 2025), the We Are Dangerous anthology (LUW Press, 2023), and the Inkpot online literary magazine (League of Utah Writers, 2021) and Timber Ghost Press monthly guest fiction blog. Find his incorporeal footprint at https://linktr.ee/stevecaponejr.

(July 2025)

Publications.

Awards.

  • Denis Diderot Grant artist residency; Château D’Orquevaux, France (July 2025)
  • League of Utah Writers Quills Awards, 2025
    • Honorable Mention, “Cure for Creativity” in the Screenplays category
    • Bronze Typewriter Award, “As teachers we need guidance for enforcing full compliance with Utah’s book bans. Help!” in the Media Articles category—published in the Salt Lake Tribune in December 2024
    • First Place, “In My Suit,” Horror shorts category
  • League of Utah Writers Quills Awards, 2024
    • Gold Quill Award for MG/YA Novel of the year (2024) for Max in the Capital of Spies
  • For “Cure for Creativity” Short horror script:
    • Best Short Screenplay at the Bloody Mirror Film Festival (2024)
    • Official Selection and Short Script category Nominee at Chicago Horror Film Festival (2025)
    • Honorable Mention at Frights! Camera! Action! Horror Screenplay Awards (Feb 2025)
    • Official Festival Selection at Oregon Screams Film Festival (Fall 2024), Film Basement Horror Film Awards (2025), and Oxford Script Awards (2025).
my desk at the chateau at Orquevaux (artists’ residency)