C.W. Blackwell is an American author from the Central Coast of California. His short stories have appeared with Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Shotgun Honey, Tough Magazine, Reckon Review, and Rock and a Hard Place Press. He is a 3x Derringer Award winner and an Anthony Award finalist. He was included on the Distinguished Author list in the 2024 Best American Mystery and Suspense collection. His folk horror novella Song of the Red Squire was published in 2022 from Nosetouch Press. His crime fiction novella Hard Mountain Clay was published in January 2023 from Shotgun Honey Books. His debut crime fiction collection Whatever Kills the Pain was released by Rock and a Hard Place Press in 2025.