The Face Behind the Fear
Meet Christina Escamilla and the inspiration behind the work
About Christina Escamilla
Christina Escamilla (pronounced ess-cah-mee-yah) is a horror author who has written professionally for more than a decade. Christina earned her BSA from the University of Houston, where her undergraduate thesis, Exploring Horror Narratives in Contemporary Literature, earned her honors. Her work appears in multi-author anthologies as well as her own short story collections. Her writing emphasizes duality, often exploring the space between curiosity and unease. She draws inspiration from childhood memories, obscure news stories, and real-life locations that feel just slightly off.
Alongside her writing, Christina helps other horror writers develop their voice through tools, prompts, and structured guidance, as seen in her book Write Horror: Good Enough to Wake the Dead. Some of her prompt books include the popular 1,000 Motivational Prompts series, as well as the 500 Horror Writing Prompts series.
When Christina is not writing or inspiring others, she can be found haunting a local coffee shop, perusing oddities at an antique shop, or traveling wayward paths with her shih tzu–poodle mix, Tiffany.
About The Stinaesc Site
Christina Escamilla first launched this site in 2013, and since then it has gone through many iterations. While Christina has a background in marketing, she wanted the website to feel more like those of the early 2000s: personal, niche, and free from a million ads. Simply put, this is her way to connect with the horror community and explore the genre in a more meaningful way.
This space is built for those who want more than surface-level fear. The goal is to help writers and filmmakers understand why specific scenes unsettle you, why fear lingers, and how to shape that feeling into your own horror stories.
Questions About Christina Escamilla
Learn more about the craft, inspiration, and creative process of a female horror author. This FAQ explores how she approaches storytelling and the themes behind her work.
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Christina focuses on the craft behind fear, building tension through atmosphere, psychology, and the details that make something feel just slightly off. Her work can be disturbing to some readers, but the horror is never without purpose.
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Yes. She offers writing guides, tools, prompts, and structured resources, and also leads online and in-person workshops for writers looking to strengthen their craft.
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Find the thing that scares you the most. The most effective horror comes from a place of honesty, not imitation. Learn the craft, but don’t be afraid to explore what feels uncomfortable to you.
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She primarily writes psychological horror, with themes rooted in loss, identity, and the parts of ourselves we try to ignore or control.