Poppy Z. Brite (Billy Martin) was born in New Orleans. When he was eighteen years old, he sold his first story to the Horror Show magazine. In 1991, he published his first novel, Lost Souls, followed by Drawing Blood, Swamp Foetus (or Wormwood), Exquisite Corpse, Courtney Love: The Real Story, The Lazarus Heart, Are You Loathsome Tonight?, and the Liquor series about about two young chefs in New Orleans. His books have won many awards, including the British Fantasy Award, the International Horror Guild Award, and the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire Award. His work has also been nominated for the Bram Stoker, Locus, Lambda, and World Fantasy awards.
Martin lives in New Orleans, where he does visual art and hoodoo/rootwork.
