Christina Escamilla Biography
Christina "Stina" Escamilla crafts dark short stories and teaches the art of horror writing. Her work explores the eerie spaces between fear and curiosity, often drawing inspiration from childhood memories, psychological tension, and forgotten folklore. She enjoys helping other writers find their voice through workshops, guides, and creative exercises designed to spark new ideas and deeper storytelling.
When she isn't writing, she can be found wandering quiet trails, browsing through curiosity shops, or lingering in a cozy coffee spot with a notebook in hand. Whether she’s chasing a new idea or soaking in the world around her, Christina believes that we are all just future corpses with a story to tell.
and now
Christina Escamilla’s Story in Her Own Words
The Early Backstory of Christina
Growing up, I was an extremely imaginative kid, and if I gave you my trademark crooked smile (like the one in this photo), then you knew I was either plotting a wild tall tale or a really good prank.
One of my fondest memories is when I drew on ALL the walls… literally. I took my mom’s lipstick and covered every part I could find.
My parents were… surprisingly not mad. They were amused and left it up for a few weeks, referring to the walls as “Stina’s mural.” Telling stories became a natural part of my identity. Though I learned they were best told on paper.
Horror, for me, was inevitable. My mom watched a lot of true crime (Unsolved Mysteries, Forensic Files, etc.), and my dad was always a horror fan, especially creature features (Gremlins, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and Tremors come to mind).
But there was a time when church and religion became predominant, and horror, or anything remotely creepy, was boxed up and put away.
I never stopped loving it, though. I just loved it in secret, and it became a solace for me, because if you can control some of the monsters, then the real ones are a little less scary.
Becoming An All-Genre Writer
I started writing professionally around 2008, mostly marketing copy with a few short stories sold on the side.
By 2013, I had self-published 64 Deaths, a collection exploring the many ways we lose people, metaphorically or otherwise.
Though it was firmly horror, I was too afraid to call myself a horror author and instead dabbled in other genres… even romance.
I was embarrassed. I was lucky enough to do a few conventions and start selling books, but I was terrified of being judged, of truly being seen.
And then, one day, I stopped completely.
Like your horror gritty, strange, and thoughtful?
Becoming A Horror Author
I didn’t stop writing, not exactly. I attended the University of Houston for a degree in Creative Writing. My thesis was even titled “Horror Narratives in Contemporary Literature.”
But I was too scared to put myself out there. That is until 2018 when my world changed completely.
I met Tyler. She became my muse and encouraged me to write what I loved, reminding me that the people who truly care will love me and those who don’t shouldn’t matter anyway.
I came out in more ways than one. I still kept my horror a secret, but it began to blossom outward. And now, nearly a decade of us being together, I have embraced myself fully. Skeletons in the closet and all.
Want to dig into the craft behind the chaos?
The Inspirations Behind the Fear
I am no longer afraid, I just exist. I love sharing my love of horror with others, whether through film analysis, writing prompts, or writing guides.
My fiction often explores loss, death, and regret, but never without contrast.
I love duality: beautiful imagery layered with the macabre, sharp teeth behind soft words. If I don’t find inspiration in a news story or a painful memory, I usually find it in a new location. I’m drawn to places with strange energy, where there’s a hum beneath the city noise.
I want readers to think about what it means to be human, especially when things get ugly, unexplainable, or uncanny.
At the heart of it all, I write to remind people that even in the shadows, there’s beauty worth finding.
When I’m not writing, I’m usually haunting a coffee shop or holed up in my office like a cave troll. I love going on adventures, finding strangeness in ordinary places, and spending time with the people who matter most. Sometimes that means traveling to a new city, sometimes it’s just a late-night walk where the world feels a little tilted.
However you’ve found me, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you’ll stay a while in my little corner of the macabre.
Need ideas to spark your own nightmare fuel?
Fear in Your Feed
Follow Christina on Instagram for bite-sized horror thoughts, writing inspo, eerie snapshots, and the occasional cursed coffee pic.
