| 100% | EAPOE | 5 | Author of Gothic short stories, in short |
| 63% | POE | 3 | Author of the short story "Loss of Breath" |
| 62% | POE | 3 | American author of macabre short stories |
| 62% | POE | 3 | 19th-century author of creepy short stories |
| 62% | POE | 3 | 19th-century author of macabre short stories |
| 61% | CARVER | 6 | Raymond —, author of 1983 short story collection Cathedral |
| 60% | ANDERSON | 8 | Sherwood —, author of 1919 short story collection Winesburg, Ohio |
| 60% | ELLISON | 7 | Harlan —, author of 1988 short story collection Angry Candy |
| 59% | FALL | 4 | "The ___ of the House of Usher," gothic short story by Edgar Allan Poe which is about two ailing siblings living in a strange mansion |
| 59% | ORR | 3 | Author of the short story on which All About Eve was based, Mary ___ |
| 59% | HORNUNG | 7 | E W —, author of 1899 short story collection The Amateur Cracksman |
| 59% | DAUDET | 6 | Alphonse —, author of 1869 short story collection Lettres de Mon Moulin |
| 58% | DANRHODES | 9 | Author of 2001 short story collection Don't Tell Me the Truth About Love |
| 57% | KARENRUSSELL | 12 | Author of the short-story collection "Orange World and Other Stories": 2 wds. |
| 57% | EAPOE | 5 | Author of "MS. Found in a Bottle," for short |
| 56% | JACOBS | 6 | W W —, English author of 1902 short story collection The Lady of the Barge |
| 56% | RUNYON | 6 | Damon —, author of the short story collections More Than Somewhat, Furthermore and Take It Easy |
| 55% | LEFANU | 6 | J Sheridan —, author of 1872 story collection In a Glass Darkly |
| 55% | SAKI | 4 | Pen name of H H Munro, author of 1914 short story collection Beasts and Super-Beasts |
| 54% | NIN | 3 | Anais —, author of 1954 short novel A Spy in the House of Love |
| 54% | ERNESTHEMINGWAY | 15 | Author of the concise yet evocative story told in this puzzle |
| 53% | POE | 3 | Author of the first detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" |
| 52% | LEVI | 4 | Primo —, author of 1975 volume of short stories The Periodic Table |
| 52% | BRADBURY | 8 | Ray —, author whose volumes of short stories include The Illustrated Man |
| 52% | BABEL | 5 | Isaac —, Russian author of story collection Red Cavalry executed in 1940 |
| 51% | SAYLE | 5 | Alexei —, comedian-actor who authored 2000 book of short stories Barcelona Plates |
| 51% | SOMETHING | 9 | & 22A Volume of short stories by Katherine Mansfield published posthumously in 1924 |
| 51% | BERENICE | 8 | Short horror story by Poe; lover of Titus in Bible |
| 51% | ARTHURCCLARKE | 13 | Author of "The Sentinel," the short story on which 42-Across is based (3 wds.) |
| 51% | RUNYON | 6 | Damon —, author of short story collections More Than Somewhat and Take It Easy |