Odal Madsen is a Southern writer with deep roots in the region and its storytelling traditions. His debut novel, Saint Nellie (March 2014), is a horror tale that pits an old-world witchcraft practitioner against the pressures of modern life.
His second novel, Apex Americans—a revenge story set against the backdrop of late-stage capitalism—releases August 21, 2026.
Madsen's influences range widely, from the bleak moral landscapes of Cormac McCarthy to the horror instincts of Stephen King to the raw psychological intensity of Heather Lewis. He writes gritty, unflinching fiction: stories with strong characters that confront readers with life's harder truths, propelled by plots that never let up—and endings that don't let anyone off easy.
When he's not writing, Odal spends his time with family in the South he calls home. As for the mask in his author photo—no, he's not Batman. He just prefers to let the work speak for itself.
