Ronald Kelly was born and raised in the hills and hollows of Middle Tennessee. He became interested in horror as a child, watching the local "Creature Feature" on Saturday nights and "The Big Show"---a Nashville-based TV show that presented every old monster movie ever made ---in the afternoons after school. In high school, his interest turned to horror literature and he read such writers as Poe, Lovecraft, Matheson, and King. He originally had dreams of becoming a comic book artist and created many of his own super heroes. But during his junior year, the writing bug bit him and he focused his attention on penning short stories and full-length novels.

Following high school, he entered the workforce and found employment as a welder. During a twelve year period, he wrote in his spare time, polishing his writing skills and seeking publication. He wrote mystery, science fiction, and western fiction, but found no success in those genres. Then, upon a whim, he returned to the horror and suspense genre that he had loved so during his earlier years. In 1988 he sold his first short story to Terror Time Again for $20. Afterward, his short fiction appeared regularly in small press horror magazines and Kelly became known as one of the few Southern horror writers of that period, setting his dark rural tales in Tennessee and other southern locations. His work was published in legendary publications such as Cemetery Dance, Deathrealm, Grue, Noctulpa, and New Blood. In 1989, he sold his first novel, Hindsight, to Zebra Books. It was published in 1990, and during the next six years, seven other novels were published by Zebra: Pitfall, Something Out There, Moon of the Werewolf, Father's Little Helper, The Possession, Fear, and Blood Kin. Also during that time, Kelly put out an audio story collection, Dark Dixie, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best non-musical recording. He also had numerous short stories in major anthologies, such as Cold Blood, Shock Rock, Hot Blood, Borderlands, The Earth Strikes Back, and Dark At Heart.

Then, in autumn of 1996, the bottom fell out of the horror market and Zebra Books closed down their horror line. Kelly was left without a publisher and, since many mass market publishers had also abandoned the horror genre, he found little prospect of finding one. He grew disillusioned and discouraged, and decided to retire from writing. During the next ten years he returned to the workforce, building a life with his wife and raising two daughters. He also embraced his Christian upbringing and became involved in his local church. For years he believed that his career as a horror writer was a thing of the past and that he would never return to it.

Then, in 2006, concerned fans began to ask about Kelly over the internet, wondering what had become of him. Before long, a renewed interest in his brand of Southern Horror fiction emerged and new readers began to search for his old novels on eBay and other internet outlets. Close friends and fans urged him to return to the horror genre and give a career at writing another shot. In the summer of 2006, Kelly gave in and, while apprehensive, decided to try his hand at writing once again.

Nearly a year has passed and Kelly's second career as a writer of Southern Horror is gaining momentum. In 2008, his first novel in twelve years---Hell Hollow---will be published, as well as his first short story collection, Midnight Grinding & Other Twilight Terrors. He also has numerous short stories scheduled for publication and some limited edition releases of his previous novels---such as Undertaker's Moon (Moon of the Werewolf)---are now in the works.

He currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, Joyce, and his two daughters, Reilly and Makenna (Chigger),