Poppy Z. Brite (born Melissa Ann Brite on May 25, 1967) is an American author born in New Orleans. Early in her career she was best known for writing gothic and horror novels and short stories. Her trademarks have included using gay men as main characters, graphic sexual descriptions and an often wry treatment of gruesome events. Some of her better known novels are Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Exquisite Corpse; she has also released short fiction collections: Swamp Foetus (also published as Wormwood), Are You Loathsome Tonight? (also published as Self-Made Man) and The Devil You Know.