Our Authors
Elmdea Adams
I live on a windy ridge near Berkeley Springs, WV, where dragon’s-breath fogs rise from the valleys. My previous adventures include Fortune 500 management and work as a past-life therapist, which are more related to one another than one might initially think. I appreciate the skilled supervision of my cat, Miz Alice. www.ElmdeaAdams.com
Ed Ahern
Ed Ahern resumed writing after forty odd years in foreign intelligence and international sales. He’s had over three hundred stories and poems published so far, and six books. Ed works the other side of writing at Bewildering Stories, where he sits on the review board and manages a posse of nine review editors. https://www.twitter.com/bottomstripper
https://www.facebook.com/EdAhern73/?ref=bookmarks https://www.instagram.com/edwardahern1860/
D.H. Aire
D.H. Aire often writes a mix of genres. He is an Indy author and has published over 20 books. His love of history and archaeology first found expression in his writing of his epic fantasy/sci fi Highmage’s Plight and Hands of the Highmage Series. His twisted sense of humor comes alive in his Apocalypse Knot, Dare 2 Believe, and Knights Tower Series. He is also a member of SFWA. Follow him on Twitter @DHAire15, Facebook (Dare 2 Believe), and DHAire.net.
Remy Allen
Remy Allen has been a reader for much longer than they have a writer, having only recently reached a quality of prose that they feel is worthy of scrutiny. Due in part to their lack of education beyond a high-school diploma, they’ve worked a variety of menial jobs in the past, including being a prep cook, rolling barrels of bourbon whiskey in their native Kentucky, apartment maintenance (which they were especially terrible at), and making industrial-sized rolls of foam. At the time of this biography’s writing, they’re an unassuming grocery store worker, the toil of which allows their mind to wander into the places where many of their stories end up taking place. They write such indulgent fictions when they’re not spending quality time with their devoted partner, rambunctious son, and supremely fluffy cat Piers, whom they had no hand in naming. You can find them online at https://twitter.com/RemyWritesOkay, where they’re most often cited screaming about their novel they promise will be done very soon. And a few pictures of that cat they mentioned, which is really the important part.
Matthew F. Amati
Matthew F. Amati was born in Chicago but was asked to leave soon after. He lives by a canal in Madison, Wisconsin and plays the 5-string banjo. Over 40 of his short stories have appeared in various online and print publications. His novel Loompaland is available from places online that sell books. You can find his collected works on his diffidently-updated website www.mattamati.com.
Sara K. Anderson
Sara K. Anderson tends to acquire story ideas faster than she can write them down. When she isn’t frantically typing words, she’s listening to them; while washing dishes, at the gym or waiting to pick up her kids from school. Sara resides in Arizona where they claim two seasons—boiling hot summers, and mildly cold winters. Because of this, she and her husband love traveling to places with bright fall colors.
Tim Newton Anderson
Tim Newton Anderson is a former senior daily newspaper journalist and PR executive who recently started writing, including a self challenge to write at least one story a week during lockdown. So far 15 of these have been accepted for publication. When not writing he plays guitar, blues harmonica and sings.
Stephen L. Antczak
It almost seems that Stephen L. Antczak was destined to become a writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, seeing as he was born on July 20th in Salem, MA, and graduated high school in 1984. Over the years, he has written dozens of short stories, some comic books, some novels, some screenplays, and even a play or two. Some of these have been published or produced. He has also attended dozens of conventions and comic book shows over the years and met many of his favorite writers. He is currently working towards a PhD in psychology.
Diane Arrelle
Diane Arrelle has sold more than 350 short stories and has three published books including the rerelease of her updated and expanded short story collection, Just A Drop In The Cup, and, Seasons On The Dark Side, her collection of horror stories. She is the editor of the anthology Crypt Gnats: Horror You’ve Been Itching to Read and the mystery anthology, WhoDunit. Retired from being director of a municipal senior citizen center, she is now co-owner of Jersey Pines Ink LLC. She resides with her sane husband and her insane cat on the edge of the New Jersey Pine Barrens (home of the Jersey Devil). www.arrellewrites.com FaceBook: Diane Arrelle www.jerseypinesink.com
H.T. Ashmead
H.T. teaches secondary English by day, writes by afternoon, and sleeps by night. She writes whatever she darn well pleases, which usually ends up being flash fiction and YA fantasy. Her writing explores our humanity — the good, the bad, and the not-so-ordinary. You can find more by visiting www.htwrites.com.
Jen Bair
Jen Bair is an Air Force brat, Army veteran, and military wife. She and her husband met in Basic Training in 2000, and they are still happily married two decades later, shamelessly dragging their sons all over the world on one adventure after another. Jen has lived in 12 U.S. States, the Philippines, Guam, Korea, and Germany…so far. She fully believes in world exploration as a lifestyle. Much of her time is spent homeschooling her four children, teaching her energetic Malinois new tricks, or planning the next family vacation. From feeding tigers in Thailand to diving with sharks in the Bahamas to skydiving in Hawaii, she’s always looking for great ways to make memories with her family. She loves travelling to foreign places, real or imaginary, whenever she can, which is typically whenever she’s not relocating to a new continent. Her family is her life. Her writing is her passion. Her published works can be found on her author website at http://jenbair.com or you can write to her at author@JenBair.com. She’d love to hear from you.
Caitlin Barbera
Caitlin Barbera is a lifelong lover of reading and writing science fiction and fantasy. Her first story was about a girl velociraptor going on an adventure and fighting androids. She is currently a student in the Genre Fiction concentration of the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Western Colorado University. A native of Colorado, she currently lives in the Denver metro area with her spouse, child, and dog, and spends much of her time coming up with more story ideas than she could possibly write in a lifetime. She can be found at caitlinbarberawrites.wordpress.com.
Ross Baxter
After thirty years of naval service, Ross Baxter now concentrates on writing short stories. He has won a number of awards, and had a story included on the 2017 HWA Bram Stoker reading list. Married to a Norwegian and with two Anglo-Viking kids, he now lives in Derby, England. Website: https://rossbaxter.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @rossbaxter1
Alyssa Beatty
Alyssa Beatty grew up in the wilds of West Virgina, but now lives in Brooklyn, NY. She shares her home with her husband, and three cats who occasionally offer editorial advice by walking over her keyboard. After many years writing screenplays, she returned to short fiction, and discovered a deep love for speculative stories. She has previously been published in Corner Bar Magazine.
Dana Bell
Owned by two cats Taj and Esther, Dana Bell often uses felines in her various tales. She is notorious for mixing genres and tying her various universes together. These include her Winter Trilogy, Five Systems/Borders and vampire cats. Currently she has three books released Bast’s Chosen Ones, Winter Awakening and God’s Gift. She is an editor as well with seven anthologies compiled and published. Belle Blukat is the pen name she uses for Paranormal Romances. Her first novel Blood Bride will be released soon. Hobbies include, flower arranging, making candle holders, soap, and building/decorating dollhouses.
Diana Benedict
Diana Benedict’s fiction has appeared in Midwinter Fae, Doorway into Faerie, Beauty and Wickedness, and Fiction River’s Editor’s Choice, Tavern Tales, Sparks, and Alchemy and Steam anthologies. Her first novel Perils for Portents. Find more of Diana’s work at www.dianabenedict.com.
John T. Biggs
I grew up in Southern Illinois, the son of a coal miner turned junk dealer. It gave me a strange view of human nature that often winds up on the printed page. I was trained as a dentist and practiced as a Public Health Service provider, a dental educator, a prison dentist, and a private practitioner. Most of that happened in Oklahoma. Writing came naturally, but relatively late in my life. I’ve published four novels and eighty pieces of short fiction that have varied in genre from young adult to literary fiction. One of those short stories was a Writer’s Digest Grand Prize Winner. My novels, as well as a collection of linked short stories, and a linked novella collection have been published (or are currently being republished) by Oghma Creative Media. I’m currently working on a weird western and two short story collections for the same publisher. I spend more time on Twitter than any other social media, @biggspirit, but you can also find me on FB John T. Biggs, or check out anthologies I’ve been published in as well as my novels and collections on my Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00GW5A1QU
David Boop
David Boop is a Denver-based speculative fiction author & editor. He’s also an award-winning essayist, and screenwriter. Before turning to fiction, David worked as a DJ, film critic, journalist, and actor. As Editor-in-Chief at IntraDenver.net, David’s team was on the ground at Columbine making them the only internet newspaper to cover the tragedy. That year, they won an award for excellence from the Colorado Press Association for their design and coverage. David’s debut novel is the sci-fi/noir She Murdered Me with Science from WordFire Press. A second novel, The Soul Changers, is a serialized Victorian Horror novel set in Pinnacle Entertainment’s world of Rippers Resurrected. David was editor on the bestselling and award nominated weird western anthology series, Straight Outta Tombstone, Straight Outta Deadwood and Straight Outta Dodge City for Baen. He’s currently working on a trio of Space Western anthologies for Baen starting with Gunfight on Europa Station. David is prolific in short fiction with many short stories and two short films to his credit. He’s published across several genres including media tie-ins for Predator (nominated for the 2018 Scribe Award), The Green Hornet, The Black Bat and Veronica Mars. Additionally, he does a flash fiction mystery series on Gumshoereview.com called The Trace Walker Temporary Mysteries (the first collection is available now.) He does a quarterly comic strip about a new author’s experiences with Sign Here, Please, and runs an author-themed t-shirt shop called Author-Centric Designs by Longshot Productions. David works in game design, as well. He’s written for the Savage Worlds RPG for their Flash Gordon (nominated for an Origins Award) and Deadlands: Noir titles. He’s a Summa Cum Laude Graduate from UC-Denver in the Creative Writing program. He temps, collects Funko Pops, and is a believer. His hobbies include film noir, anime, the Blues and History. You can find out more at: Davidboop.com Facebook.com/dboop.updates Twitter@david_boop and www.longshot-productions.net
Melody Bowles
Melody writes fantastical, speculative and romantic short stories (not all at once – usually!). She co-hosts The Short Story Workshop podcast. Her story ‘Protector of the Throne’ appeared in Noctivagant Press. She loves mythical creatures, particularly mermaids, and is fascinated by the mysteries of the sea. Her work is often inspired by fairy tales and legends. In 2021, she was selected for the National Centre for Writing’s Escalator programme for upcoming writers.
Steven D. Brewer
Steven D. Brewer teaches scientific writing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As an author, Brewer identifies diverse obsessions that underlie his writing: deep interests in natural history, life science, and environmentalism; an abiding passion for languages; a fascination with Japanese culture; and a mania for information technology and the Internet. Brewer lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his extended family.
S. R. Brandt
S. R. Brandt is an author, father, computer scientist, spinner of black holes, and amateur martial artist. He is a traveler, but at six four, he doesn’t fit well in airplanes. Fortunately, journeys to impossible worlds only require mental space and don’t require any higher price than the ability to read.
A.M. Burns
A.M. has been writing to pass the time since high school. The stories he wrote helped him deal with life. A few years ago, he started sharing those stories with friends who enjoyed them and he has started sending his works out into the world to share with other people. He lives in the mountains with his extremely supportive husband. They have a lot of critters, including dogs, cats, birds, horses, and rabbits. When not writing, A.M. spends a lot of time hiking, trail riding, or just driving in the mountains. Nature provides a lot of inspiration for his work and keeps him writing. He is also an avid photographer and falconer. Don’t get him started talking about his birds, because he won’t stop for a while.
Web Contact Info: Website: www.amburns.com
Email: andy@amburns.com
Facebook: http:// www.facebook.com/authoramburns
James Burt
Originally from Southampton, Ontario, James Burt is based in Toronto where he works, blasts music, tries to pick up New Zealand All-Blacks games, experiments with varying degrees of success at homebrewing, and scribbles on multiple tablets. On saner days, he enjoys spending time with friends, family, and traveling.
C.B. Calsing
C.B. Calsing is a graduate of the Creative Writing Workshop at the University of New Orleans. A retired teacher, she reviews, writes, and edits full-time from the Puna district of Hawaii Island. Stay up to date at her blog, cbcalsing.blogspot.com, or follow her on Twitter @cbcalsing.
J. A. Campbell
When Julie is not writing she’s often out riding horses, or working sheep with her dogs. She lives in Colorado with a handful of cats, some sheep, her border collies, her Arabian endurance horses, and her Irish Sailor. She is the author of many Vampire and Ghost-Hunting Dog stories the Tales of the Travelers series, and many other young adult books. Her passions include horses, writing about horses, dogs and writing about dogs. She writes fantasy, sci fi, horror, and all related genres. She’s a member of the Horror Writers Association, and Science Fiction Writers of America. Find out more at http://www.writerjacampbell.com
Brenda Carre
Brenda Carre lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in a place steeped in lore where myth arises from the waves of the Salish Sea on the backs of Killer Whales. A love of lore and myth and emotion creeps into everything she writes. Her short fiction crosses borders into the realm of weird fiction, ghostly visitation and the terrifying unknown: A paranormal sleuth and her side-kick genie solve X-file-style crimes in Victorian England. In small 1960’s town in the Pacific Northwest school girls resurrect road kill to deal with bullies and killers.
Brenda writes long epic fantasy with voice and a kiss of grimdark. In her upcoming portal trilogy, an intrepid young witch comes of age in a world where ghost dragons fight a cosmic war against demons of anti-matter.
A taste of Brenda’s prose can be found in “The Clunkety’”(Superpowers/Fiction River Anthology #26 2017 Edited by Rebecca Moesta) and “Birdie’”(cover story in Pulp Literature summer issue 31/2021). Talk to her about ghostly encounters, the strange and unseen and weird fiction. Sign up for her newsletter and get a free publication at: https://mailchi.mp/627eb341fe91/gret
Find her at https://brendacarre.com/ and on Twitter @brenda_carre
Nathan Carson
Nathan Carson was raised on a goat farm in the backwoods of Mid-Valley Oregon but has called Portland home since 1997. He is an accomplished music journalist, booking agent, FM radio DJ, founding member of the long-running doom band Witch Mountain, published weird fiction author, and a MOTH StorySlam Champion.
More info at www.nathancarson.rocks Facebook.com/nathan.carson.666
Instagram @nanotear
Twitter @nanotear
Dan Castro
Dan Castro enjoys writing mystery and crime stories. In 2022/3, he has stories slated for publication in Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Sherlock Holmes Magazine (UK), Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine (U.S.), and more! When not composing stories, Dan tweets writing tips (@CDanCastro43), dreams of traveling again, or studies languages to imbue his stories with je ne sais quoi. Whatever that means. He lives in Connecticut, where he’s making a final polish on his first novel, a middle grade fantasy.
Alicia Cay
Alicia Cay is a writer of speculative and mystery stories. Her short fiction has appeared in Galaxy’s Edge magazine, and in several anthologies including Unmasked from WordFire Press and The Wild Hunt from Air and Nothingness Press. She suffers from wanderlust, collects quotes, and lives beneath the shadows of the Rocky Mountains with a corgi, a kitty, and a lot of fur. Find her at aliciacay.com
Sherry Fowler Chancellor
Sherry Fowler Chancellor is a lawyer in Pensacola, Florida who keeps her mind off legal cases in the middle of the night by writing fiction. She writes eclectically. Some might say her writing runs amok since she switches from novels, to short stories, to flash fiction, depending on her mood. Long fascinated by books of all sorts, from murder mysteries, to horror, to literature and historical works, she has written in multiple genres and enjoys them all. There are no limits in her world and she loves to be inspired by the people and things around her. A student of observing other fellow travelers on the planet, be careful around her as she has been known to pick out pieces of interactions and create whole worlds around them. She also writes romantic stories under the name Jillian Chantal. Connect with her at www.SherryFowlerChancellor.com, https://m.facebook.com/people/Sherryfowlerchancellor-writer/100063505564718/ http://twitter.com/JillianChantal
Nick Clements
Nick Clements is an American writer whose short fiction has appeared in Center Street Press, Samjoko Magazine, Pulp Cult, and more. He currently resides in the Pacific Northwest.
Dawn Colclasure
Dawn Colclasure is a writer who lives in Oregon with her husband and children. She writes poetry, essays, articles, short stories and book-length fiction and nonfiction. She is the author and co-author of over four dozen books, among them 365 Tips for Writers: Inspiration, Writing Prompts and Beat the Block Tips to Turbo Charge Your Creativity and the horror novel, Shadow of Samhain. She is also a freelance writer, book reviewer and ghostwriter. She is also a self-publisher. Her stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. She publishes the SPARREW Newsletter each month. Her websites are at https://dawnsbooks.com/ and https://www.dmcwriter.com/. She’s on Twitter @dawnwilson325 and @dawncolclasure.
Tony Covatta
Tony Covatta is a retired English Lit teacher and retired lawyer now trying his hand at writing short stories, full length, flash and micro. To date he has been published or is forthcoming in October Hill Magazine, The Opiate, The Headlight Review, The Literary Club Anthology 2021, Literary Club Anthology 2023, Friday Flash Fiction, Scribes MICRO Fiction, 101 Word Stories, Fifty Word Stories, A Story in 100 Words, Bright Flash Literary Review, and others. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife of 48 years, has three good kids and four splendid grandchildren. The family puts up with three dogs of various and varying dispositions.
Darby Cox
Darby Cox is a little hermit who enjoys writing fantasy and literary fiction. She grew up in a military family where she moved around a lot. Didn’t make many friends that way, but it helped her develop a great imagination and love of stories. She now lives in Philly with her anxious dog Milez.
Craig Crawford
Growing up, Craig Crawford read constantly. After being wowed by so many great novels he wondered if he could do it too. In the last four years, he’s published nineteen short stories including a novella with more coming out in 2023 plus a novel length serial coming out in fall of 2023. He writes in fantasy, sci-fi, YA, horror, humor—whatever his imagination gives him. You can learn more about his writing and what makes him tick at craiglcrawfordbooks.com For his novel length serial you can find our more at https://projectthreshold.com/ . His twitter account is: @CraigLCrawford
Dave D’Alessio
Dave D’Alessio is an ex-industrial chemist, ex-TV engineer, and ex-award-winning animator currently masquerading as a social scientist. His more than thirty published short stories have appeared in venues including Daily Science Fiction and Heroic Fantasy Quarterly; “The Twenty-Year Reich” was a finalist for the Sidewise Award in alternate history fiction. He lives near and Ikea, enjoys assembling furniture, and could really use an agent.
Kevin A Davis
Kevin A Davis is a contemporary fantasy author with three published series including the
Khimmer Chronicles, the AngelSong series, and the paranormal procedural DRC Files, where
the adept Kristen is quick to use her magic and wits. Residing in north Florida, he attends
conventions throughout the southeastern US either as a vendor, speaker, staff, or a nerdy fan.
He publishes anthologies through Inkd Pub. www.inkdpub.com. At the annual JordanCon in
Atlanta, he is manager of the Authors Workshop track which focuses on hands-on panels for new
writers.
You can find his schedule, releases, or join his newsletter at www.kevinarthurdavis.com.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KevinArthurDavis/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kevinarthurdavisauthor/
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kevin-A.-Davis/author/B0992PZ54Z
Julie Day
Julie Day lives in SE London, UK. Julie has Asperger’s Syndrome. She is an indie author of the children’s series ‘The Rainbow School’ about autistic children finding confidence at school via magical elements. She also writes for adults about helpful ghosts, (especially ancestors helping relatives as in her ‘Geraldine’s Gem’s’ series), short stories and magazine fillers. She is currently writing a second children’s series featuring autistic children, her first cozy mystery with a helpful ghost, and her memoir about having endocarditis.
You can connect with her online:
http://www.twitter.com/@juliedayauthor
http://facebook.com/AuthorJulieDay
website: http://www.julieaday.co.uk
blog: http://www.julieaday.blogspot.com
Jude Deluca
Jude Deluca is a nonbinary aegosexual Capricorn. Their areas of interest are slasher fiction, magical girls, young adult horror, superhero dads, and big beautiful men. They enjoy writing about the ways in which we influence media and media influences us. As a professional historian of horror media, some would say a horror detective, they have successfully rediscovered and preserved several lost and unpublished pieces of horror fiction from the 1990s including Goosebumps: Dead Dogs Still Fetch. They can be found on tumblr, twitter, facebook, and instagram as Jude Deluca or @judedeluca. Their professional articles can be found on websites such as Point Horror, Wicked Horror, Comicoisty, and Legion of Super-Bloggers.
Stacey Dighton
Stacey Dighton is an author of speculative fiction from the south-east of England, who, as a teen, was inspired by the fiction of Stephen King, James Herbert and Dean Koontz. He has published three books: the horror-crime novel, ‘Pale Face and The Raven’, and its sequel, ‘The Hawk and The Raven’, as well as a collection of fantasy and science fiction novellas, ‘The Maidens of Fey and other Dark Matter.’ In 2023, his horror novel, ‘The Faraway People’, will be published by Cranthorpe Millner, and his short story, ‘An Ocean Black’, will be published by Scare Street. Stacey can be contacted via his website – http://www.staceydightonstoryteller.com – and can also be followed on Instagram @staceydightonauthor, Twitter @Stacey_Dighton and Facebook stacey.dighton.509.
C.J. Dotson
C.J. Dotson is a Northeast Ohio native who long contemplated living somewhere other than the rust belt and has finally managed it—C.J. and her family now live in southern Maine, in a house with too many basements and too many irregular corners. She lives with her husband, grade-school-aged son, toddler daughter, her grandmother-in-law, and with her teenage stepson over the school breaks. She loves reading sci fi, fantasy, and horror, but will read really anything that catches her eye. In what spare time she has, C.J. likes to paint and draw (mostly with acrylics and charcoal respectively) and she’s teaching herself to decorate cakes. C.J. is primarily a writer of novels and short stories, and occasionally flash fiction. She loves to write dark genre fiction. Find more at cjdotsonauthor.com or visit her on Twitter at twitter.com/cj_dots
CJ Erick
CJ Erick’s stories have appeared in anthologies from WMG Publishing, WordFire Press, and others. He won the FenCon short story competition in 2015. He writes in multiple genres, publishes novels in a space fantasy series, and dabbles in poetry. He’s an MFA student in creative writing at Lindenwood University, and an editorial assistant for the Lindenwood Review. He lives in Dallas area with his wife and their rescue superhero dog Saber-Girl, calls his sourdough bread starter “Ursula” (K. Le Guin), and cooks crazy-good Cajun food for a Midwest Yankee.
Website: www.cjerickfiction.com
Email: cjerick@cjerickfiction.com
FB: www.facebook.com/cj.erick.9
Instagram: cee_jay_erick
J.T. Evans
J.T. Evans writes fantasy and urban fantasy novels. He’ll dabble with sci-fi and horror in short form as well. He is the former president of the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group and Pikes Peak Writers. When not writing, he secures computers at the Day Job, home brews great beers, and plays way too many tabletop games. Despite having his right arm amputated and reattached after a nasty car crash, he types faster than the average bear. The first two novels in his Modern Mythology series, Griffin’s Feather and Viper’s Bane, are out now. He’s hastily working on more right now, and you can find out more about him at www.jtevans.net.
Todd Fahnestock
Todd Fahnestock is a fantasy/sci-fi author of the bestselling Tower of the Four, Threadweavers and The Whisper Prince series. He was a finalist in the Colorado Authors League Writing Awards for the past two years, for Charlie Fiction, his time travel novel, and The Undying Man, book 2 of The Whisper Prince. His passions are fantasy and his quirky, fun-loving family. When he’s not writing, he teaches taekwondo, swaps middle grade humor with his son, plays Ticket to Ride with his wife, scribes modern slang from his daughter and goes on morning walks with Galahad the Weimaraner. Visit Todd at www.toddfahnestock.com.
Kat Farrow
Kat Farrow grew up skinning her knees and listening to the wind among the rabbit trails and red rocks of the Four Corners area of the western U.S., and currently resides in the mountains of northern Utah. A multi-genre author, her works range from fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, historical, and children’s stories. She has short stories appearing in Happy Holiday Historicals (Camden Park Press, December 2021) and LTUE’s benefit anthology, Parliament of Wizards ( February, 2022). Her first children’s novel is scheduled for release in 2022. Find out more about Kat at loreweaver.com, her works for children at spindlespark.com, and follow her on Facebook @authorKatFarrow.
Angelique Fawns
Angelique Fawns is a journalist and speculative fiction writer. She began her career writing articles about naked cave dwellers in Tenerife, Canary Islands. After selling her first story to EQMM, she fell in love with weird fiction, which is ACTUALLY stranger than non-fiction. You can find her lurking at @angeliquefawns on X, Blogging about upcoming calls at www.fawns.ca, or gazing into the abyss hoping it stares back at her. She’s sold over 80 short stories in the spec, mystery, and literary worlds.
Arlen Feldman
As well as writing fiction, Arlen Feldman is a software engineer, entrepreneur, maker, and computer book author—useful if you are in the market for some industrial-strength door stops. Some recent stories of his appear in the anthologies The Chorochronos Archives and Particular Passages, and in On The Premises and Penumbric and Little Blue Marble magazines, with several more coming out soon. His website is cowthulu.com.
James Fitzsimmons
James Fitzsimmons writes sf, fantasy, and horror, and his fiction can be found in Bards and Sages Quarterly, the Six Guns Straight From Hell 3 anthology, and on the Cast of Wonders podcast. James works in IT and says that writing a computer program is much like writing a horror story, especially when users scream. James lives in Long Beach, CA with his family and pet rabbit, Alice Cooper. Links to James’s fiction can be found on his LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-fitzsimmons-064ba150.
Jackie Ross Flaum
Water aerobics enthusiast and amateur jewelry-maker Jackie Ross Flaum is a former Hartford, CT. newspaper reporter and Memphis, TN. public relations free-lancer. Her short stories can be found in Low Down Dirty Vote II and VIII, Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem, Elmwood Stories to Die For, Mayhem in Memphis, Lies Along the Mississippi, and an upcoming Black Cat Mystery Magazine. Her novella The Yellow Fever Revenge tells of love and murder in another time of American epidemic. Short stories appearing in Now There Was a Story, a Musical Crime Anthology and Modern Magic anthology feature young detectives Madeline Sterling and Socrates Gray from her novel, Justice Tomorrow. She is vice president of Malice in Memphis a Killer Writing Group. Visit her website www.jrflaum.com, @jrflaum on Twitter, WriterJackieRossFlaum on Facebook, and jrflaum on Instagram.
Shannon Fox
Shannon Fox is a San Diego-based writer of fiction spanning multiple genres. She grew up in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies before relocating to California to attend UC-San Diego, where she earned a B.A. in Literature-Writing. She misses the rugged natural beauty of Colorado, but definitely doesn’t miss the wind. Her short stories have appeared in the Monsters, Movies & Mayhem Anthology, the Cursed Collectibles Anthology, The Copperfield Review, The Plaid Horse Magazine, Black Fox Literary Magazine, and more. Besides writing, Shannon has a passion for horses. She has competed at the international level in the sport of dressage. Shannon also owns a digital marketing company that works primarily with small businesses and real estate agents. To learn more about Shannon and her forthcoming stories, visit her website: www.shannon-fox.com.
Eric Fritz
Eric Fritz is a speculative fiction writer, web developer, and amateur bartender. His short fiction has appeared in Every Day Fiction and Martian: The Magazine of Science Fiction Drabbles. His awards include a Golden Cobra Award in 2020 for freeform LARP design. He is ambivalent towards our new robot overlords. You can find him digitally at https://twitter.com/commonheresy and physically in Cambridge, where he lives with a plush cat named Will.
Read Gallo
Read Gallo, writer and artist, hails from the most magical place in the world: New Jersey! A former pirate, mail-carrier, and tour guide, Read currently works as an administrator for a summer camp that protects, trains, and teaches children to be heroes. When not tending the trolls, herding the hydras, or polishing the pegasus, Read likes to create watercolor paintings and write stories about myths, legends, and fairytales. You can see the results at readgallo.com.
Jayrod P. Garrett
Jayrod P. Garrett (they/them) is a storyteller with a Creative Writing MFA from UNR. They are a Nonbinary, Black, Atheist, U.S. Veteran with PTSD and ADHD. They tell stories as an educator with RISE Academy, NSOUL, SLC’s Legendarium, and as the Belonging Coordinator of Superstars Writing Seminars.
Peggy Gerber
Peggy Gerber is the 2021 winner of the Open Contract Challenge and the author of two poetry chapbooks, Stumbling in CrazyTown and The Big Indignity. When she is not busy writing poetry, she indulges her love of speculative fiction by writing short stories about time travel, creepy dolls, friendly aliens and yes, sometimes even lovable vampires. You can learn more about her at http://peggysue445.wixsite.com/my-site
H.Y. Gregor
H.Y. Gregor was born in Portland, Oregon, but she’ll always call the mountains of Colorado home. In college she interned for congressional offices and law firms, and has a bachelor’s degree in political science. After narrowly avoiding law school, she now puts her international relations and government background to use creating intricate, colorful worlds to serve as backdrops for her fantasy fiction novels. In 2022 her short story, A Secret Spoken, received a Silver Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future contest, and you can look for another upcoming short in Animal Magica Volume 2, with more exciting, secret projects in the works. She can be often be found at writing conferences with an overstuffed messenger bag and too many pens.
You can follow Gregor on Instagram (@toviahy), Twitter (@toviahy), Facebook (H.Y. Gregor – Author) or check out her website at hygregor.com.
Elana Gomel
Elana Gomel was born in a country that no longer exists. Since escaping the ruins of the USSR in her youth, she has lived in Israel, Hong Kong, Italy, and the US. She currently resides in California. She is an academic with a long list of books and articles, specializing in science fiction, Victorian literature, and serial killers. She is also a fiction writer and the author of more than a hundred short stories, several novellas, and four novels. Her story “Where the Streets Have No Name” was the winner of the 2020 Gravity Award, and her story “Mine Seven” is included in The Best Horror of the Year 13 edited by Ellen Datlow. Her latest fiction publications are “Little Sister”, a historical horror novella, and “Black House”, a fantasy novel. Her current projects include another historical horror novel set in the same world as “Little Sister” and a fairy-tale-based dark fantasy. When not writing speculative fiction, she writes about speculative fiction. And when not doing either, she dreams of traveling again. She is a member of HWA and can be found at https://www.citiesoflightanddarkness.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Jessica Guernsey
Jessica Guernsey writes Contemporary Sci-fi and Fantasy novels and short stories (and the very rare Historic Fiction story). A BYU alumna with a degree in Journalism, her work is published in magazines and anthologies. By day, she crushes dreams as a manuscript evaluator/slush pile reader for two publishers. Frequently, she can be found at writing conferences. She isn’t difficult to spot; just look for the extrovert. While she spent her teenage angst in Texas, she now lives on a mountain in Utah with her husband, three kids, and a codependent mini schnauzer. Connect with her on Twitter @JessGuernsey. Visit www.JessicaGuernsey.com to see an updated list of published works.
Lucinda Gunnin
Lucinda Gunnin is a reformed journalist turned author and commercial property manager in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She moved to the end of the Main Line long before she knew what that meant and now finds herself surrounded by old money, the country’s biggest shopping mall, and historic sites. When she’s not at her computer, chances are she’s at the gaming table. She’s a fan of old school TTRPGs, war gaming and cooperative board games. She’ll probably get around to having an author website again someday. For now, send sushi and find her at: Twitter:https://twitter.com/LucindaGunnin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucinda.gunnin
Aaron Haden
Aaron Haden is an academic researcher moving around the world every few years or so, exploring more of the literary field he’s devoted to. He is a science fiction and fantasy writer, sometimes getting lost in his own world building. He likes quiet spaces and loud people, which reflects in his writing, and he is always seeking a new adventure to look forward to. You can find him on Twitter @aaronuniverses.
Tanya Hales
When Tanya Hales was a baby, she enjoyed books by chewing them to pieces before eventually moving on to the higher art of reading. Tanya splits her time between her work as a writer, an illustrator, and a mother, all of which she loves intensely. She now lives in Utah with her family, illustrating coloring books, writing YA fantasy, making cute stickers, and daydreaming constantly about imaginary worlds. Tanyahales.com
Kay Hanifen
Kay Hanifen was born on a Friday the 13th and once lived for three months in a haunted castle. So, obviously, she had to become a horror writer. Her work has appeared in over forty anthologies and magazines. When she’s not consuming pop culture with the voraciousness of a vampire at a 24-hour blood bank, you can usually find her with her two black cats or at kayhanifenauthor.wordpress.com. Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheUnicornComi1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katharinehanifen/
Sheila Hartney
I live in New Mexico, Land of Enchantment and vast numbers of science fiction writers. I’ve had the good fortune to meet many of them. I’ve been reading science fiction for, oh crap, I don’t want to put out a number that large. Just say, I’ve been reading science fiction ever since I learned to read, oh so many years ago. I have been a student of various workshops, including the one that came with being a Writer of the Future. I’ve also been to the Taos Toolbox, and one taught by Jim Gunn some years back.
W.O. Hemsath
W.O. Hemsath is the mother of four boys and considers herself blessed to be married to her best friend. She currently lives in Minnesota, but has also lived in Utah, Arizona, California, Argentina, and New Zealand. She loves traveling, cardio dance, watching movies with a bowl of ice cream, and really good back scratches. She has a degree in screenwriting, enjoys teaching at writing conferences, and generally writes stories with a touch of magic, mystery, or aliens. To see what she’s written or what she’s currently up to, find her online at any of the links below:
Twitter: @WhitneyHemsath
Facebook: @AuthorWhitneyHemsath
Amazon: amazon.com/author/wohemsath
Website: whitneyhemsath.wordpress.com
Carol Hightshoe
A native Texan, Carol found her way to her current home in Colorado by way of a five-year detour in The Netherlands – courtesy of her husband Tim and the US Air Force. An avid reader at a young age, her strong desire to write came from her love of (her husband calls it her obsession with) Star Trek. It was this early love of Star Trek that led her to the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. In addition to her writing she has worked as a receptionist/office manager for two veterinary clinics, a deputy sheriff in El Paso County Colorado, Assistant Fan Club Manager for the Professional Bull Riders, and currently as a Rodeo Keyer for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. She has been published in various anthologies and magazines including “Creature Fantastic”, PanGaia Magazine, “Stories of Strength”, Baen’s Universe, Tales of the Talisman and Kepler’s Dozen. Her books include: Call of Chaos, Chaos Embraced, The Road into Chaos, and Chaos Challenged. In addition to her own writing, she is the editor and publisher of the online e-zine: The Lorelei Signal as well as running her own micro-press – WolfSinger Publications.
Ken Hoover
Nearly every morning, Ken Hoover wakes up at an ungodly hour to gulp down several cups of coffee and write before he goes to work at his day job. He’s never been more disciplined and productive…and tired. He lives in New Mexico with his wonderful family. Ages ago, he received a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing from NMSU, and he’s an alumnus of Superstars Writing Seminars. His short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies, and he has published two weird western novels. Visit his website for more—short fiction, deleted scenes, musings, and merchandise.
https://kenahoover.wixsite.com/website http://www.facebook.com/ken.hoover.52 https://www.instagram.com/kenhoover7/
https://twitter.com/KenHoopster https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7043785.Ken_Hoover
L.N. Hunter
L.N. Hunter’s comic fantasy novel, The Feather and the Lamp (published by Three Ravens Publishing at the end of 2022), sits alongside works in anthologies such as Best of British Science Fiction 2022 and Hidden Villains: Arise, among others, as well as several issues of Short Édition’s Short Circuit and the Horrifying Tales of Wonder podcast. There have also been papers in the IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, which are probably somewhat less relevant and definitely less entertaining. When not writing, L.N. occasionally masquerades as a software developer or can be found unwinding in a disorganised home in rural Cambridgeshire, UK, along with two cats and a soulmate. Publications list: https://linktr.ee/l.n.hunter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/L.N.Hunter.writer
Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/l.n.hunter
Wade Hunter
Wade Hunter is an author of dark fiction and horror. He grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania that was rich in local myths and ghost stories that sparked his imagination. His short stories have been published in multiple anthologies and collections. He also has several novels available from various vendors. Under the name Aaron Buterbaugh, he has a series of YA books published and a children’s picture book. He currently lives in West Virginia with his wife, daughters, and Golden Retrievers.
Thea Hutcheson
Thea Hutcheson’s story in Realms of Fantasy’s 100th issue prompted Lois Tilton of Locus to call her work “sensual, fertile, with seed quickening on every page. Well done…” Publications include Hot Blood XI; Fatal Attractions; Baen’s Universe Issue 4, Vol. 1; several critically-acclaimed Fiction River anthologies; Amazing Monster Stories Issue 3; Water Fairies, Nuns with Guns; and High Noon on Proxima B from Baen Books.
She lives in a house with 1000 books, four rescue cats, a goat-herding dog, and an understanding housemate in an unscenic, nearly historic small city in Colorado. When she’s not working diligently as a Planning Commissioner to change that, she writes.
See more at www.theahutcheson.com
Michael James
Michael James is the author of the series The Hotel at the End of Time. His work has been featured in Cossmass Infinities (forthcoming), and several anthologies including Executive Dread by Jolly Horror Press and Horror Library Volume 7 by Dark Moon Books. You can connect with him on Twitter @MikeJamesAuthor or keep up to date at https://www.michaeljamesauthor.com/
Stace Johnson
Stace Johnson is a writer, musician, and IT professional in Denver, CO. He has more than 100 publications spanning fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and can be found participating on panels and performing music at several Front Range science fiction conventions. Learn more at www.lytspeed.com, or visit his writer and musician page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wrytspeed.
Laura G. Kaschak
Laura G. Kaschak grew up in the pine barrens with the constant companionship of the Jersey Devil. She now lives in Virginia wine country as a wife and mother, successfully fooling everyone into believing she’s a grownup. When not writing, Laura can be found working on an alliance with the crows in her yard or hyper-focused on whatever latest artistic creation has captivated her.
Carolyn Kay
From an early age, Carolyn Kay’s been steeped in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. She watched Star Wars at the drive-in and viewed Star Trek (the original series and Next Gen) religiously with her parents (yes, she’s that old). Legos and Star Wars figures were her favorite toys, and Madeline L’Engle and Tolkien graced her bookshelves at a young age. So it’s no surprise that she writes stories in a variety of genres, or that her first novel was an Avengers-Star Wars crossover fanfic. Carolyn melded two of her favorite genres, steampunk and fantasy, together into a series titled, “Galessel’s Tale,” set in a world co-created with her husband and award-winning illustrator, Chaz Kemp. She’s also authored several short stories and a sci-fi novelette. A government drone, she carves out time to write in between the day job, belly dancing, gardening, photography, and herding two very independent felines. You can find her at carolynkayauthor.com and on most social media platforms under the username, Bewitchinghips.
My steampunk project: www.WorldOfAshelon.com
My Blog: www.CarolynKayAuthor.com
My books: https://www.books2read.com/ap/RQwe28/Carolyn-Kay
Gretchen Keefer
After teaching English to adult learners for a long time, Gretchen Keefer started writing short fiction for fun. Her stories are family friendly and, hopefully entertaining and/or thought-provoking. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul – The Magic of Christmas, Rain Magazine, CommuterLit.com, Academyoftheheartandmind@wordpress.com and some local anthologies.
Katie Kent
Katie Kent is a writer of fiction and non-fiction living in the UK with her wife, cat and dog. She likes to write stories, mostly for a YA audience, particularly about LGTBQ characters, mental illness, time travel and the future- sometimes all in the same story! Her stories have been published in Youth Imagination, Limeoncello, Breath and Shadow and Northern Gravy, amongst others, and in a handful of anthologies including The Trouble with Time Travel, Summer of Speculation: Catastrophe, Growth and My Heart to Yours. She won second place in Writing Magazine’s 2022 ‘Love Story’ competition. Her non-fiction, mostly mental health-related, can be found in publications including The Mighty, You & Me Magazine, Ailment, OC87 Recovery Diaries and Feels Zine. You can follow her on Twitter @uniKH80 and visit her website at https://www.katiekentwriter.com/.
Amelia Kibbie
Amelia Kibbie is an author, freelance writer, and secondary educator. Her debut novel Legendary was published in 2019 by Running Wild Press. Amelia’s short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including the pro-human sci-fi collection Humans Wanted, We Cryptids, Witches, Warriors, and Wyverns and Enter the Rebirth. The literary journals Saw Palm, Quantum Fairy Tales, Wizards in Space, and Intellectual Refuge have featured her work. She is active in her small Iowa town, serving on the local Historic Preservation Commission and Arts Council. She was named the local Poet Laureate in 2020 for a two-year term. Her next project is to renovate the turn-of-the-century church she just purchased into a home, with the help of her husband, daughter, and four cats. Find out more at ameliakibbie.com and https://www.facebook.com/ameliakibbie. Amelia tweets @AmeliaKibbie and can be found on Instagram @hollycat83.
Edward J. Knight
A fourth generation Coloradoan, Edward J. Knight only left the Denver area long enough to learn how to put a satellite into orbit. Four satellites (and counting) later, he’s returned to both the mountains and writing fantastical fiction. Along the way, he met the love of his life and became the father of two amazingly curious kids. He’s a huge fan of tightly constructed universes and smart plots. He hopes his own Mythic West stories hold up to those standards. More of his work can be found at www.edwardjknight.com.
Sam Knight
A Colorado native, Sam Knight spent ten years in California’s wine country before returning to the Rockies. When asked if he misses California, he gets a wistful look in his eyes and replies he misses the green mountains in the winter, but he is glad to be back home. As well as having worked for at least three publishing companies, Sam has edited six anthologies and is author of six children’s books, five short story collections, three novels, and over 75 stories, including three co-authored with Kevin J. Anderson, two of which were media-tie-ins: “Wayward Pines: Aberration” (Kindle Worlds, 2014) and “Of Monsters and Men”, Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone (Titan, 2016). A stay-at-home father, Sam attempts to be a full-time writer, but there are only so many hours left in a day after kids. Once upon a time, he was known to quote books the way some people quote movies, but now he claims having a family has made him forgetful, as a survival adaptation. He can be found at SamKnight.com and contacted at sam@samknight.com.
Kellee Kranendonk
Kellee Kranendonk has spent a lifetime writing. According to her late grandfather she was born with a pen in one hand and paper in the other. She’s certain that these days he would have claimed she was born clutching a laptop. She’s had over a hundred published stories, poems and non-fiction pieces. Her work has received honourable mentions, been shortlisted; she’s been a spotlight author and some of her pieces were to appear in a school book project, though that didn’t pan out. Kellee has been an editor, has managed online writing groups, and one of her stories appeared in a best selling anthology. She lives in New Brunswick, Canada. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082330346438 – My writer’s page https://twitter.com/MaritmeK1K https://www.instagram.com/k2j2t1/?hl=en
Stephanie Kvellestad
Stephanie Kvellestad is a fiction writer from Calgary, Alberta. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Oxford Brookes University, as well as a Film and Video Production Certificate from SAIT. One day she hopes to have her own anthology television program, combining her love of writing with her passion for TV. Her short stories can be found in Gypsum Sound Tales’ “Thuggish Itch” and Dead Sea Press’ “Shadows Beneath the Surface”. Three of her short screenplays, “Gertrude and Her Plant Steve,” “I Swallow Your Secrets,” and “Say Macaroni and Cheese,” can be found on Youtube.
Instagram: @Kvellestadchaos
Julia LaFond
Julia LaFond got her master’s in geoscience from Penn State University. She’s had short stories published via The Librarian Reshelved (Air & Nothingness Press), The Future’s So Bright (Water Dragon Publishing), and Alternative Holidays (B Cubed Press). In her spare time, Julia enjoys reading and gaming. Website: https://jklafondwriter.wordpress.com/
Yvonne Lang
Yvonne was a librarian for 15 years before moving to children’s publishing – but she loves writing for adults. Her work has featured in a range of publications from magazines, to ezines and anthologies. She has achieved success in a few genres but is best known for her horror and weird fiction – but she promises she is a delight and can pass as quite average in real life. She resides in Yorkshire with her partner and a cat who does not respect personal space. This furry intrusion has improved her typing though. www.yvonnelang.co.uk
Natasia Langfelder
Natasia Langfelder is a born and bred Brooklynite. You can find her work in The Threepenny Review, OffLimits Press, Sirens Call Publications, Cloaked Press, Papers Publishing, Wicked Shadows Press, and more. When she’s not writing, you can find her on the couch with her partner and their teacup yorkie. To keep up with her work, follow her on Instagram @lady_misfortune_ or twitter @natasiarose.
Shannon Lawrence
A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in over forty anthologies and magazines, and her three solo horror short story collections and her nonfiction title, The Business of Short Stories, are available now. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there’s always a place to hide a body or birth a monster. Find her at www.thewarriormuse.com.
Website: www.thewarriormuse.com
Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewarriormuse
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewarriormuse
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarriormuse/
Joan Leotta
Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. Since childhood she has often channeled her curiosity about things in this world into searches into the realm of the fairy world that peeks out at her from trees and ponds. Her poems, articles, essays, and short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Yellow Mama, The Ekphrastic Review, anti-heroin chic, Haunted Waters Press, Verse Visual, Silver Birch, Verse Virtual, and others. She has been a Tupelo Press 30/30 author, and a Gilbert Chappell Fellow. She is a 2021 Pushcart nominee, (Active Muse) and received Best of MicroFiction in 2021 from Haunted Waters. Her chapbook, Languid Lusciousness with Lemon, is out from Finishing Line Press. As a performer, she tells folk and personal tales featuring food, fairies, family, nature, and strong women. https://www.facebook.com/joanleotta
Barton Paul Levenson
Barton Paul Levenson has a degree in physics. Happily married to poet Elizabeth Penrose, he confuses everybody by being both a born-again Christian and a liberal Democrat. He has 69 published short stories, poems, and essays. His novels “Another Century,” “Recovering Gretel” and “The Argo Incident” are available from amazon.com. Barton was banned from entering the Confluence Short Story Contest again after winning first prize two years in a row.
Web page: https://bartonlevenson.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/barton.levenson/
Paul Lonardo
Paul Lonardo is a freelance writer and author with numerous titles of both fiction and nonfiction books. He’s placed dark fiction and nonfiction articles in various genre magazines and ezines. Most recently, his collection of 365 haiku horror poems, titled Penny Dreadfuls, was published this past summer, and Small Dark Things, an anthology of new dark fantasy and horror stories, will be released in October 2023. He is a contributing writer for Tales from the Moonlit Path and an active HWA member. A longtime baseball fan, when not writing, Paul helps coach his son’s travel baseball team.
Author Website: https://www.thegoblinpitcher.com
Instagram: PaulLonardo13
Twitter: @PaulLonardo
Brian MacDonald
Brian MacDonald writes in the earnest hope that his words can bring joy and comfort like the books of his youth brought him. He has returned to the writing world after a twenty-plus-year hiatus filled with teaching Intensive Special Education in the private and public schools of Massachusetts. His years with his students have informed his worldview and taught him to take nothing for granted and to see the beauty in the chaos swirling in our minute-to-minute struggles in life. Brian’s work tends but doesn’t always include elements of fantasy and science fiction as well as dumb jokes and fisticuffs. In ending, Brian would like to state that he disagrees with Conan. While he agrees that crushing one’s enemies and hearing the lamentation of their loved ones is indeed enjoyable, Brian is absolutely certain that “Homemade Calzone” night at the MacDonald house with his wife, sons, and reruns of Leverage is the best thing in life.
Chris Mandeville
Chris Mandeville writes science fiction/fantasy novels and short stories, as well as nonfiction for writers. Her published fiction includes the time travel trilogy, IN REAL TIME (Quake, Shake, and Break), and Seeds: a post-apocalyptic adventure. Chris can write anywhere, but her usual spot is a comfy chair at home in the Rocky Mountains where the only sound is the wind in the trees, her coffee cup is in reach, and her service dog, Finn, is snoozing by her feet. When she isn’t writing, she loves to cook, travel, and teach writing workshops. She and Finn can often be found at events for writers and readers along Colorado’s Front Range. To learn more about Chris and her works-in-progress, and to join her Reader’s Group, visit chrismandeville.com.
CJ Mattison
CJ Mattison’s stories have been published by Brilliant Flash Fiction, WMG Publishing, Camden Park Press, and others. His short fiction received a recent Pushcart nomination and inclusion in The Best Small Fictions 2023 anthology. He writes in multiple genres, publishes novels in a space fantasy series, and dabbles in poetry. He lives in the Dallas area with his wife and their rescue superhero dog Saber-Girl, calls his sourdough starter “Ursula” and cooks crazy- good Cajun food for a Midwest Yankee.
Kim May
Kim May has always been a storyteller—just ask her mother. On second thought don’t. She knows too much. Kim writes fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, historical fiction, steampunk, and a bit of poetry, because she collects genres like a cat lady collects strays. Kim lives in Oregon, where she works at an independent bookstore and watches a lot of anime. She’s a retired stage actor and has a penchant for fast cars, high heels, and loose screws. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and at ninjakeyboard.blogspot.com.
Matt McGee
Matt McGee writes short fiction in the Los Angeles area. In 2020 his stories appeared in Barrelhouse, Sage and Gnashing Teeth. When not typing he drives around in rented cars and plays goalie in local hockey leagues.
S.A. McKenzie
S.A. McKenzie lives at the bottom of the world on one of the better-looking islands of New Zealand, in the earthquake-ravaged ruins of the city of Christchurch. After surviving more than 12,000 aftershocks, they have become adept at estimating the exact magnitude of any quake based on the amount of coffee spilled. They started writing six years ago and since then their offbeat and blackly humorous science fiction and fantasy stories featuring time travelling rabbits, carnivorous unicorns and man-eating subway trains have been published in more than twenty speculative fiction magazines and anthologies. Currently they are working on a fantasy novel at an extremely slow pace. They can be found wasting time on Twitter: @samckenzie2 and online at www.hedgehogcircus.com.
Jessica McLain
Jessica McLain is an Australian writer who majored in creative writing at UTS and is completing a graduate certificate in editing and publishing. She has loved books since before she even knew how to read, when she would constantly pester her poor father to read them to her. When she’s not writing, she’s travelling the world as much as she possibly can. You can find her on Instagram @jessicamclainbooks.
Julie McNeely-Kirwan
Like a stone, I go where I am kicked. Currently, I live in Arkansas with a couple of elderly rescue dogs. My work has appeared in Spine, Sanitarium, Every Day Fiction, Overtime!, Every Writer’s Resource, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and Writer’s Digest’s Show Us Your Shorts.
G.A. Miller
G.A. Miller is another voice in the chorus of horror authors, drawing his ideas from every day, commonplace events that take unforeseen turns down dark corridors, often with horrific consequences. His lifelong bond with horror began in the late 1950’s watching Zacherley, the “Cool Ghoul” host Shock Theater on TV and grew from there. When he picked up the first paperback edition of Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot” in 1976, there was no turning back. Once he began committing his own demons to paper, he’s had numerous stories published in a variety of publications and his latest novella, “The Shopkeeper: Curios, Curiosities and Rarities” was submitted for consideration in the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards, and he resides in New England.
Web: https://wordsofprey.me
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/gamiller/
Josh Morrey
Josh Morrey loves a good story, in any format. Whether it’s novels, short stories, video games, movies, TV, bedtime, campfire, or anything else that tells a captivating tale of what it means to be human. He’s been writing stories of his own for nearly twenty years. Most of those were submitted to Writers of the Future and, when they didn’t win, were forgotten about in some subfolder or another on his computer. Six of those submissions earned Honorable Mention in WotF, and one a Semi-Finalist. The struggle continues. In the meantime, Josh has finally started searching for homes for these long forgotten tales. He lives in Utah with his wife and four amazing kids. Find him online at www.joshmorrey.com
Winona Morris
Winona Morris always knew she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. When it became apparent that she was never going to grow up she decided to become a writer anyway. After sharing her multi-genre fiction on various free blogs over the years she has finally decided to lock her imposter syndrome in a closet so she could be a “real” writer. You can connect with her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/winona.morris.author
Eve Morton
Eve Morton lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada with her partner and two sons. She reads tarot cards and coffee grinds for fun, while teaching university classes on the dangers of too much and not enough media consumption. Find more updates at authormorton.wordpress.com.
Jerri Moyes
Jerri Moyes is a fledgling writer, just starting to get off the ground and into the world of publishing. Born and raised in a small town near Dallas, Texas, she tends to dream of bigger things, leading to her obsession with the fantasy genre. This interest only grew as she was introduced to video games, comic books, and a lot of YA novels. She does her best writing whenever and wherever she’s inspired so don’t be surprised if you find her typing something up at 2 am or halfway through a party.
Morgan J. Muir
Morgan J. Muir has always loved telling stories, especially stories with magic, hardships, and—eventually—happy endings. She is working hard on becoming a crazy cat lady and on
curating her collection of hobbies. Morgan lives with her family in Utah. You can find more of her work at morganjmuir.com, and on FB @MorganjMuir
R.C. Mulhare
R.C. Mulhare was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and grew up in one of the surrounding towns, in a hundred year old house up the street from an old cemetery. Her interest in the dark and mysterious started when she was quite young, when her mother read the faery tales of the Brothers Grimm and quoted the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe to her, while her Irish storyteller father infused her with a fondness for strange characters and quirky situations. When she isn’t writing, she moonlights in grocery retail. She’s also fond of hiking in the woods of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and browsing the antiques shops one finds all over New England. A two-time Amazon best-selling author, contributor to the Hugo Award Winning Archive of Our Own, and member of the New England Horror Writers, she has one hundred stories in print through dozens of independent publishers including Atlantean Publishing, Macabre Maine, DBND Publishing, Hellbound Books, Nocturnal Sirens Publishing, FunDead Publications, Deadman’s Tome, NEHW Press, and Weirdbook Magazine, with more stories in the works. She shares her home with her family, a parakeet with a dictionary in his teeny head, about fifteen hundred books and an unknown number of eldritch things that rattle in the walls when she’s writing late in the night. She’s happy to have visitors through her page at rcmulhare | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
Donna J. W. Munro
Donna J. W. Munro teaches high schoolers the slippery truths of government and history by day. She lives with five cats, a fur-covered husband, and an encyclopedia son. Her daughter is off saving the world. Head to https://www.donnajwmunro.com/ to find more of Donna’s strange little stories.
J Layne Nelson
J Layne Nelson was born in a city of iron and magic better known as Birmingham, Alabama. When he’s not rolling d20s or exploring new places, he writes horror and fantasy in many flavors. He currently lives in Miami, Florida.
R.S. Nevil
R.S. Nevil is an avid reader and author. He mainly writes science fiction, while also dabbling in different types of short stories. From a small town in rural Georgia, writing has always been a passion of his, and he hopes to one day publish entire series. While also working his regular job, R.S. spends most of his free time reading, writing, and trying to perfect his craft, coming up with new and fantastic tales of Werewolves, Vampires, and anything else of the Supernatural sort. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058560523986
Blog/Website: Hopefully coming soon.
Thomas Nicholson
Thomas Nicholson is a teacher and UX designer from the UK who has spent time living in Spain, Colombia, and Vietnam. His short stories have appeared in anthologies and magazines around the world, including recent publications from Madhouse Books, Thuggish Itch, and Scare Street. He is currently in the process of finalizing his first full length novel and is actively seeking representation. When not working on this, he spends most of his free time thinking about new darkly comic horror stories while trying not to lose his grip on everyday reality. https://www.instagram.com/tom.nich/
Rob Nisbet
Rob Nisbet lives in a small clifftop town on the English south coast near Brighton. He has had over 100 stories printed in anthologies and magazines ranging from romance (using his wife’s name) to horror. His wife has recently turned to crime. He started writing as a hobby prompted by an evening class with his first sale to Woman’s Weekly. Many ‘womag’ sales followed. With an interest in speculative fiction, he branched into horror including five volumes in the Castle of Horror series. Sci-fi credits include audio drama. He has adapted work by Philip K. Dick for radio and, to date, has had seven audio scripts produced by Big Finish / BBC for their Doctor Who range. He has won five international writing competitions with prizes ranging from a mug & t-shirt to a Mediterranean cruise. He was also the winner of the 2022 Kepler Award for a sci-fi/fantasy short story.
Sarah Marie Page
Sarah Marie Page spends her days engaging in intense battles of wits, fueled by copious amounts of tea and the occasional dramatic slamming of a briefcase. AKA: She’s a lawyer. When she’s not doing lawyer things, she can be found sneaking off to make-believe worlds filled with romance, betrayal, and enemies-to-lovers tension. She’s also a frequent flier on Instagram. Check her out: @sarahpagestories.
Ioanna Papadopoulou
Ioanna Papadopoulou is a Greek author, currently residing in Glasgow. She studied Art History and Heritage Visualization and has worked in museums, libraries and community centres. She is currently on a Museum studies course. Her work can be found at places like Hexagon Magazine, Idle Ink, Piker Press and Nymphs. Twitter: @IoannaP_Author
Chris Paranicas
Chris Paranicas is a native of the northeast who currently lives in Maryland. He has published both fiction and non-fiction. One of his stories involving LGBT characters recently appeared in Gargoyle Magazine. He is currently working on a longer fiction piece.
Lee F. Patrick
Lee F. Patrick is a long-time writer living in Calgary Alberta who loves new worlds. She lives with her amazing hubby and Jacky the (mostly) invisible cat. She’s written novels, short stories and some poetry over the years, recently starting to publish seriously. She’s been a part of a Search and Rescue group, studied Aikido and Irish, worked as a researcher in molecular biology, owned a horse, was a movie and TV extra, learned to ski and generally had a lot of experiences over the years that seem to creep into her writing. A long time fantasy and science fiction fan, she has a large library of books that keep using up all the walls in her house.
John D. Payne
John D. Payne grew up on the prairie, where the tornadoes and electrical storms play. Watching the lightning flash outside his window, he imagined himself as everything from a leaf on the wind to the god of thunder. Today, he lives with his wife and family at the foot of the Organ Mountains in New Mexico, where he focuses his weather-god powers on rustling up enough cloud cover for a little shade. Stalk him on Twitter @jdp_writes. Patronize him at www.patreon.com/johndpayne.
Annie Percik
Annie Percik lives in London, writing novels and short stories, whilst working as a freelance editor (https://alobear.co.uk/?page_id=778). She writes a blog about writing on her website (https://alobear.co.uk/), which is where all her current publications are listed, including her novels, The Defiant Spark (http://getbook.at/DefiantSpark) and A Spectrum of Heroes (https://markosia.com/a-spectrum-of-heroes/). She hosts a media review podcast (https://stillloveit.libsyn.com/), and publishes a photo-story blog, recording the adventures of her teddy bear (https://aloysius-bear.dreamwidth.org/). He is much more popular online than she is.
Lynne Phillips
Lynne Phillips lives in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales Australia. Her stories have been published by Zombie Pirate Publishing, Black Hare Press, Fantasia Divinity Publishing, Our Wonderful Anthology, Black Ink Fiction, and in various online magazines. She enjoys exploring the craft of writing stories and the challenge it presents. Her priority is spending time with her family while her passions are reading, writing, keeping fit and spending time at her farm. Connect with her on https://www.facebook.com.lynne phillips.505
Kelly Piner
Kelly Piner is a Clinical Psychologist who in her free time, tends to feral cats and searches for Bigfoot in nearby forests. Her writing is inspired by Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. Ms. Piner’s short stories have appeared in Litro Magazine, Scarlet Leaf Review, The Last Girl’s Club/Wicked News, Rebellion Lit Review, The Chamber Magazine, Drunken Pen Writing, Storgy Magazine, The Literary Hatchet, Weirdbook, Written Tales and others. Her stories have also appeared in multiple anthologies.
David Powell
David Powell has taught school, directed plays, played music and portrayed zombies, but now he writes full-time, seeking out the pockets of chaos brewing in the corners of the grid. You can find his writings in HWA Poetry Showcase Volume 6, Shotgun Honey, and other online zines, and three anthologies. Links can be found at his website, davidlpowell.net. You can see his zombie portrayal in Dance of the Dead (an extra, but hey–what zombie isn’t?) and hear his acting on Pseudopod and the horror podcast Archive 81.
Ken Poyner
Ken’s four collections of brief fictions and four collections of speculative poetry can be found at most online booksellers. He spent 33 years in information systems management, is married to a world record holding female power lifter, and has a family of several cats and betta fish. Individual works have appeared in “Café Irreal”, “Analog”, “Danse Macabre”, “The Cincinnati Review”, and several hundred other places. www.kpoyner.com
Judith Pratt
My varied experiences– actor, director, professor, fundraiser, and freelance writer–inspire my novels, stories, and plays. I began as a playwright. Then a story appeared that would not fit on a stage, so I wrote a novel, and another, and one and a half more. Published: The Dry Country, and Siljeea Magic, on Amazon. Short stories followed soon after. They appear in various magazines, online, and in actual print. For more: www.judithpratt.com I live in Ithaca, NY, with a husband and three loud cockatiels.
Richard Pulfer
Richard Pulfer works at a small library in northern Illinois. He has been published in Futurescapes: Blue Sky Cities, Call of the Wyld, Insurgence: A Fae Rebellion and The Rockford Review. He enjoys comic books, reading, writing and avoiding long pants at all costs.
Evan Purcell
Evan Purcell is a writer and educator who has lived everywhere from Zanzibar to Bhutan. He managed summer camps in Kazakhstan, taught drama in Ukraine, assisted volunteer dentists in Cambodia, and helped over 200 children from developing countries publish their first stories and poems. He’s written novels, plays, podcasts, and cartoons, and his very first film (a low-budget gay slasher) is ready to film later this year. You can find more information about his latest projects on his website https://www.evanpurcellromance.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EvanPurcellWriter/
Medium https://medium.com/@evan_purcell
If you’re curious about his new movie, you can find all the information here https://www.therememberfilm.com/
Mary Jo Rabe
Mary Jo Rabe grew up on a farm in eastern Iowa, got degrees from Michigan State University (German and math) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (library science) where she became a late-blooming science fiction reader and writer. She worked in the library of the chancery office of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Germany for 41 years, and lives with her husband in Titisee-Neustadt, Germany. She published “Blue Sunset”, inspired by Spoon River Anthology and The Martian Chronicles, electronically and has stories published in Fiction River, Pulphouse, Penumbric Speculative Fiction, Alien Dimensions, 4 Star Stories, Fabula Argentea, The Lost Librarian’s Grave, The Lorelei Signal, A Flight of Dragons, Draw Down the Moon, Dark Horses, Wyldblood Magazine, One-Way-Ticket to Epsilon Eridani, Boundary Shock Quarterly, Blaze Ward Presents, and other magazines and anthologies. She indulges in sporadic activity on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rabemj). Blog: https://maryjorabe.wordpress.com/
Kara Race-Moore
Kara Race-Moore studied history at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts as an excuse to read about the soap opera lives of British royals. She worked in educational publishing, casting the molds for future generations’ minds, but has since moved into the more civilized world of litigation. She currently lives in Los Angeles, the land where fact and fiction tend to blur. She can be found at: https://kararacemoore.wordpress.com/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6763776.Kara_Race_Moore
Joshua Ramey-Renk
Joshua has been writing and submitting and publishing for over *ahemcough* years. His fiction work has appeared in DailyScienceFiction.com, a variety of small press anthologies and in multiple *cough* adult *cough* markets. His non-fiction has appeared in a variety of human-capital markets, where he covers topics such as leadership development and coaching. Right now, he might be next to you in a café scribbling away in any one of a myriad of notebooks, scrapbooks and journals. Joshua lives on the San Francisco Peninsula with his wife and a treat-addicted rescue dogs Roadie and Pepper. He loves reader feedback and can be reached at rameyrenkwriting@gmail.com.
Jodi Rizzotto
Jodi Rizzotto is a full-time writer and former elementary school teacher living in Southern California. She likes to percolate ideas while camping at the beach with her husband. Her critique groups at SCBWI keep her book characters from wandering out of her stories. Several of her fantasy short stories have been published in anthologies including Magic Portals, Never Cheat a Witch, and Rabbit Hole Vol. 5. Her short story “An Android Goes to School” was shortlisted for Backchannels Literary Magazine 2023 Fiction Award. Full publishing credits available on her website. Connect with Jodi at:
https://www.facebook.com/authorJodiRizzotto
https://twitter.com/rizzotto_jodi
https://www.instagram.com/jrizzotto/
https://jrizzotto.com/
Daniel R. Robichaud
Daniel R. Robichaud lives and writes in Humble, Texas. His fiction has been collected in Hauntings & Happenstances: Autumn Stories as well as Gathered Flowers, Stones, and Bones: Fabulist Tales, both from Twice Told Tales Press. He writes weekly reviews of film and fiction at the Considering Stories (https://consideringstories.wordpress.com/) website. Keep up with him on Twitter (@DarkTowhead) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/daniel.r.robichaud).
James Rogers
Originally from Ireland, James Rogers lives in New York and is a teacher at the United Nations International School. His short fiction has appeared in a number of literary magazines, including The First Line, The Galway Review and Inscape. His debut novel, Flight of the Eternal Emperor, is set for publication on 24th November 2023. https://jameswrogers.com/
J. L. Royce
J. L. Royce is a published author of science fiction, the macabre, and whatever else strikes him. He lives in the northern reaches of the American Midwest. His work appears in Allegory, Fifth Di, Ghostlight, Love Letters to Poe, Lovecraftiana, Mysterion, parABnormal, Sci Phi, Strange Aeon, Utopia, Wyldblood, etc. He is a member of HWA and GLAHW. Some of his anthologized stories may be found at www.jlroyce.com. Follow him on Twitter: @authorJLRoyce.
Nicholas Rud
Nicholas Rud is a horror author from Bellingham, Washington. When he isn’t at his desk, he can be found wandering about in the rain or tinkering with some small project. Online, he can be found on Twitter @RudNicholas
James Rumpel
James Rumpel is a retired high school math teacher who has greatly enjoyed spending his additional free time trying to turn some of the many odd ideas circling his brain into stories. He lives in Wisconsin with his wonderful wife, Mary.
Steve Ruskin
Steve Ruskin writes science fiction with a streak of rebellion, and thrillers with a hint of magic. He is also an award-winning historian, with a PhD in History of Science. He’s been a professor, a mountain bike guide, and a number of things in between.
Kitty Sarkozy
Kitty Sarkozy is a speculative fiction writer, actor and robot girlfriend. She is an Associate Editor and narrator for Pseudopod, an award-winning weekly horror podcast in the Escape Artists network. Several large cats allow her to live with them in Marietta GA, where she cultivates extensive gardens into a perfect, tranquil place to hide bodies. For a list of her publications, acting credits or to engage her services on your next project go to kittysarkozy.com or follow her on twitter @KittySarkozy.
Peter Sartucci
Peter Sartucci is a retired LARP producer and full-time dad who hides out in suburban Denver between a firehouse and a cemetery, where he enjoys the average noise level. He has written and published three alt-history books and four epic fantasy tomes, with a fifth on the way and more planned. He has occasionally conned people into reading his short stories too, and none of them have fled screaming yet! He hasn’t the business sense that God (any god) gave to a mitochondria but has had the very good luck to be discovered by friends anyway. You can find him on Facebook – he’s the only Peter Sartucci there.
Fran Scannell
I have recently returned to creative writing after spending forty-five years as a Creative Director for two advertising agencies, one of which was my own. Having written and produced a few hundred radio commercials and close to a hundred TV spots, as well as a few corporate films, numerous annual reports, outdoor advertising and so forth, it is now time to put my creative juices to the real test during my retirement—literary fiction. Traveling my career path, I had a one-act play, “All My Heavy-hearted Heroes,” which I wrote, produced, and directed while in graduate school getting my Masters in Mass Communication, shown on Rocky Mountain PBS. Later, in the evenings, I was also an adjunct professor at Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado, teaching Advertising/Marketing 301 two nights a week for six years. Over the last two years, I have written four-literary fiction novellas as well as a few short stories. I am a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers organization.
Ronnie Seagren
Ronnie Seagren is a storyteller, and her own story began in Colorado, segues to California for her school years, then back to Colorado. Its cast of characters includes husband Frank, three sons, and seven grandchildren (so far). Plans to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary standing in the moon’s shadow in South America succumbed to Covid in 2020.
Ronnie began creating stories in sixth grade and, smitten by the original Star Trek, turned to science fiction in high school. The landscape is often as much a character in her stories as people, and as a Colorado State Park volunteer, she enjoys telling visitors tales of rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and rocks. The sequel to her novel, Seventh Daughter, is currently under construction.
Arlo Sharp
A lifelong resident of Kentucky, Arlo Sharp has begun writing fiction after retirement from a thirty-six year office job. His stories have appeared in the anthologies It Happened in a Flash, Hellfire Crossroads #7, Dragon Gems Winter 2023, and the online magazine The Gray Sisters. He recently self-published his debut novel, a borderline supernatural suspense/thriller entitled A Little Doll Will Die, the first of a planned series. Also, the opening chapter of his unpublished novel A Doll to Kiss, A Doll to Kill won fourth prize in the Institute For Writers “Thriller First Pages” contest.
Martin L. Shoemaker
Martin L. Shoemaker is a programmer who writes on the side… or maybe it’s the other way around. He told stories to imaginary friends and learned to type on his brother’s manual typewriter even though he couldn’t reach the keys. (He types with the keyboard in his lap still today.) He couldn’t imagine any career but writing fiction… until his algebra teacher said, “This is a program. You should write one of these.” Fast forward 30 years of programming, writing, and teaching. He was named an MVP by Microsoft for his work with the developer community. He wrote fiction, but he gave up on submitting until his brother-in-law read a chapter and said, “That’s not a chapter. That’s a story. Send it in.” It won second place in the Baen Memorial Writing Contest and earned him lunch with Buzz Aldrin. Programming never did that!
Martin hasn’t stopped writing (or programming) since. His work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction & Fact, Galaxy’s Edge, Digital Science Fiction, Forever Magazine, Writers of the Future, and numerous anthologies including Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF 4, Man-Kzin Wars XV, The Jim Baen Memorial Award: The First Decade, Little Green Men—Attack!, More Human Than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity, Avatar Dreams, and Weird World War III. His Nebula-nominated Clarkesworld story “Today I Am Paul” explores the logical consequences of a medical care android with empathy, able to understand how its actions affect its patient’s emotional state. It appeared in four different year’s best anthologies and eight international editions. He expanded that story into his debut novel, Today I Am Carey (published by Baen Books in March 2019), in which the android learns more about humanity through life with its human family. His novel The Last Dance was published by 47North in November 2019, and was the number one science fiction eBook on Amazon during October’s prerelease. The sequel, The Last Campaign was published in October 2020.
You can find more about Martin’s writing at http://Shoemaker.Space. You can find him on Facebook as Martin L. Shoemaker.
Wayland Smith
Wayland Smith is the pen name for a native Texan who has lived in Massachusetts, New York, Washington DC, and presently makes his home in Virginia. His rather unlikely list of jobs includes private investigator, comic book shop owner, ring crew for a circus (then he ran away from the circus and joined home), deputy sheriff, writer, and freelance stagehand. Wayland’s novels so far include Blood Of A Nation, In My Brother’s Name, and Cadre Clash, the first book in the Wildside series. He has short stories in the anthologies Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse, HeroNet Files, Vol 1, SNAFU: An Anthology of Military Horror, and Legends of the Dragon, among many others. He has spoken on panels at DragonCon, DC AwesomeCon, MystiCon, and RavenCon. A black belt in shao lin kung fu, he is also a fan of comic books, reading, writing, and various computer games. (I’ll shut 7 Days to Die down in one more hour. Really.) He lives with a beautiful woman who was crazy enough to marry him, and the spirits of a few wonderful dogs that have passed on.
P. Francis Smythe
P. Francis Smythe lives in Colorado, and together with his wife, raised two successful, independent daughters. Though recently retired from a full-time career as a scientific glassblower, he still works part-time, somehow figuring 45 years on the torch wasn’t quite enough. A degree late in life allowed him to realize his lifelong dream of becoming an avocational archaeologist and to follow one of his other loves, writing. Family time, hunting, fishing, myriad hobbies, and exploring Colorado fill the narrow gaps left between blowing glass, writing, and reading. He’d always thought he would have more free time to do nothing in retirement. Thankfully, he’s wrong. https://www.facebook.com/pat.smythe.31
Instagram: @patrickfsmythe
Twitter: @PatrickFSmythe
Sylvia Son
Sylvia Son lives in Mississauga and writes. She likes horror movies, improv and board games but not at the same time. But she has played Ultimate Werewolf and it’s sort of the same thing. She contributes to a YouTube channel, Crandle The Hat Maker https://www.youtube.com/c/CrandleTheHatMaker
Emily Martha Sorensen
Emily Martha Sorensen writes fantasy and science fiction books with realistic paths to a happy ending. She considers all her books clean, with zero swearing and not much violence, but the romance between married couples can be PG-13. She likes clever characters with unique personalities who charge straight through her plot and spend it spinning wildly off the rails. (Those brats.) She likes magic systems with strict rules and intriguing limitations. She likes romance after the happily ever after. That’s where the relationship begins! She likes plot twists that will make your jaw drop. She likes hope and fun and humor. She likes darkness that exists only to help characters grow towards greater light. She likes — Wait, where did those uncooperative protagonists put the plot this time? They just ran off with it, cackling maniacally! Well, she hopes they’ll leave you grinning. You can find her books at http://www.emilymarthasorensen.com.
Andrea L. Staum
Andrea L. Staum is the author of Rogue’s Kiss, the Dragonchild Lore series, The Attic’s Secret novella, and Scattered Dreams short story collection. She’s a mama, an amateur runner, and somehow manages to find time to write. She lives in south central Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their overlords…err…cats. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAndreaLStaum
Twitter: @DragonchildLore
Website: https://dragonchildlore.wordpress.com/
Carolyn Ivy Stein
Carolyn Ivy Stein loves writing stories about time travel, mystery, fantasy, and romance. Her short stories appeared in WMG’s Winter Holiday Spectacular 2021 Calendar of Short Stories, JewishFiction.net, and can be found in her collections, Lightning Scarred and Other Stories and Sweet Lifts. She received nine Honorable Mentions from the Writers of the Future Contest for her fantasy and time travel stories. With her husband, Stephen Stein, she writes RPG supplements for GURPS, Call of Cthulhu, Traveller, and TinyDungeon. Their upcoming book, Biremes and Triremes will be out in late-2022 from Steve Jackson Games. When not writing, she plays games, hikes, and conducts dubious experiments to replicate historical dishes. Find her at http://www.carolynivystein.com.
AE Stueve
AE Stueve teaches writing, photography, filmmaking, and design at Bellevue West High and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His novels, short stories, poems, and essays can be found online, on podcasts, and in print. To learn more about him, check out his website: aestueve.com and follow him on twitter and Instagram @aestueve.
A.M. Symes
Camping as a child, the adults use to tell this author that the yipping noises in the dark were from banshees hunting for kids up past bedtime. She still believes banshees are lurking in that dark line at the edge of campfire light and enjoys bringing readers to the edge of the light to make them squirm. You can find her published works and occasional horror rantings on her website https://amsymes.wordpress.com/.
Stephannie Tallent
Stephannie Tallent lived in Phoenix while in middle and high school. After graduating from The United States Military Academy at West Point in 1989, she completed the Military Intelligence Officer’s Basic Course in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. She developed a love for the American Southwest, especially the Sonoran Desert. A few years ago, Stephannie published a collection of knitting patterns with the theme of the Wild West, inspired by the flora, fauna, and geology of the American Southwest. It’s no surprise that one of her fantasy series, featuring the sorceress Dinah Lee Wright, takes place in an alternate American West, populated with beings from folklore and magic, permeated with the history, vegetation, and real creatures of the area. Check out her website at www.stephannietallent.com.
Lisa Trefsger
Much to the consternation of her teachers, parents, and grandfather, Lisa struggled to pass spelling and grammar tests in school, despite being an avid reader. When she entered college, thanks to a new thing called the internet, the future of journalism, library sciences, and the written word in physical book format, was nail-bitingly uncertain. Unable to decide what to do with an English degree and knowing teaching wasn’t for her, she opted for a degree in communications with an English minor. After years in marketing and customer service, Lisa now spends her time managing her own business, scribbling in spiral bound notebooks, and trying to keep up with her husband. She still can’t spell or pass a grammar test. Her website is lisatrefsger.com
Darren Todd
Darren is a freelance book editor for Evolved Publications, and his short fiction has appeared in more than thirty publications over the years, including Hellbound Books, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, and The Stoneslide Corrective. He has had four plays and a feature-length film produced and a non-fiction book published. While some of his works fall under the literary umbrella, he often returns to genre. His style and reading preferences tend toward the psychological, as he enjoys stories that linger in the imagination long after he’s closed the book on them. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his son and girlfriend. See what he’s up to darrentodd.net.
Cathryn H. Uber
A jack of all trades and a master of some, Cathryn Uber is a writer and teacher who prefers to run away to the mountains whenever possible. With a Masters in Humanities and an MBA, she is constantly writing something, whether it’s lesson plans, analysis, essays, fiction, or creative nonfiction, usually in an attempt to process the incredible swath of stars sprawled across midnight skies far from advancing city lights. Find her editing and publishing work at brothersuber.com.
David J. Vane
David J. Vane teaches college English in the northeastern United States, where he lives with his
partner, son, and two cats. He is a consistent advocate for LGBTQ rights and equity. In his free
time, David enjoys playing the guitar and watching or reading horror. He can be reached at
Davidjvane19@gmail.com and welcomes feedback and questions about his work.
Carla Ward
Carla Ward has published over a dozen short stories in various genres: mystery, romance, literary, and low fantasy. If she’s not at the keyboard, you’ll find her taking long walks or reading the latest Dean Koontz book. Her work has appeared in Night Picnic, Laurus, Oakwood Magazine, and Woman’s World Magazine.
https://twitter.com/Carla_Ward_
https://www.instagram.com/carla.ward.author/
Donea Lee Weaver
Donea Lee Weaver is a perpetual daydreamer who has been creating and telling stories since her elementary school days. When she’s not writing about the things she loves (all things romance, fantasy, sci-fi, and yes, even a little horror) you can probably find her planning her next vacation, playing games with the girls, reading, taking the scenic route or cuddling on the couch, with her family and dog, binge-watching a favorite show. She was born and raised in Utah and earned a BA in English from Weber State University. She’s also a member of The League of UT Writers and attends a variety of writing conferences every year. Feel free to connect with her at www.donealeeweaver.com or on Facebook at Donea Lee Weaver Author.
Robinne Weiss
Robinne Weiss is an author, educator and entomologist writing fantasy, science fiction, poetry and non-fiction for children and adults. Her short stories have most recently appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine and the anthologies Alternative Deathiness, and Te Kōrero Ahi Kā, and have won multiple awards. She’s published eleven books, including a series of middle grade fantasy novels infested with dragons, a lighthearted urban fantasy, an epic YA fantasy, a book of poetry, and some rather more serious non-fiction about insects. Robinne lives in rural New Zealand. Visit her online at https://robinneweiss.com, or follow her at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobinneWeiss.
Marie Whittaker
Marie Whittaker enjoys teaching about publishing, writing craft, and project management for writers. She works as Associate Publisher at WordFire Press and is Director of Superstars Writing Seminars, a world-class writing conference concentrating on the business of writing. She also puts in time as the personal assistant to New York Times bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson. Marie is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association and keeps steady attendance at local writer’s groups. She is currently pursuing a certificate as a Project Management Professional. When not at work in publishing, Marie is an award-winning essayist and author of horror, urban fantasy, children’s books and supernatural thrillers. She has authored several dark fiction novels. She is the creator of The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch, which is a children’s book series concentrating on getting sensitive childhood issues out in the open between children and adults. Many of her short stories appear in numerous anthologies and publications, including Weird Tales. She is currently working on a new supernatural thriller, titled (working) Little Boy Lost. A Colorado native, Marie resides in Manitou Springs, where she writes and enjoys renovating her historic Victorian home. She spends time hiking, gardening, and indulging in her guilty pleasure of shopping for handbags. She is fond of owls, coffee, and all things Celtic. A lover of animals, Marie is an advocate against animal abuse and assists with lost pets in her community. Find out more about her at www.mariewhittaker.com.
JM Williams
JM Williams is the Editor-in-Chief for Of Metal and Magic Publishing and an established SF/F writer in his own right. He is the author of several books, including Call of the Guardian and In the Valley of Magic, and around 50 short stories. His short fiction has or will appear in Abyss & Apex, Over My Dead Body! Mystery Magazine, The Arcanist, The New Accelerator, Bards and Sages, and multiple anthologies. He lives in Korea with his wife and cats, and he spends most of his time these days leading an international team of authors and editors at OMAM. You can find JM online at https://jmwilliams.home.blog/, and you can follow OMAM at https://ofmetalandmagicpublishing.wordpress.com/.
Grayson Wilson
Grayson lives in Colorado in full view of the Rocky Mountains and a group of wild house cats. His love of stories started early, listening to the old folktales and legends told to him by his wise mother. Stories continue to be his passion and love, as stories are what truly bind the cosmos together. When not reading and attempting to contact the muses for writing, he wanders, frequently looking for dragons flying in blue skies and fairies dancing in the city’s shadows.
Adrienne Wood
Adrienne Wood’s stories and poems have appeared in Spider, Fine Linen, Kansas City Voices, and others. She was reclusive, anti-social, and spent all day reading books way before it was cool. Adrienne lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan with one husband, two teenagers, three dogs, two cats, and one lizard. To find out what stories she’s playing with right now, visit adriennewood.com.
Mike Wyant Jr.
When not being crawled over by his Writing Cat, Einie, Mike Wyant Jr. writes science fiction with a focus on exploring mental illness and its repercussions. Once upon a time, he was a SysAdmin, Network Administrator, and do-it-all tech drone. He’s left those days behind. Mostly. In addition to his writing, Mike Wyant Jr. is also the Editor and sometimes Producer/Director of The Storyteller Series Podcast, a full-cast short fiction audiobook podcast.
Jason A. Wyckoff
Jason A. Wyckoff is the author of two short story collections published by Tartarus Press, Black Horse and other Strange Stories (2012) and The Hidden Back Room (2016). His work has appeared in anthologies from Haverhill House, Plutonian Press and Siren’s Call Publications, as well as the journals Nightscript, Weirdbook, and Turn to Ash, among others. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and lives in Columbus with his wife and too many cats.You can find links directing you to other works at jasonawyckoff.weebly.com
Sonny Zae
Sonny Zae lives on the edge of Dallas, Texas, and on the edge of reality. He writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, humor, or whatever strikes him at the time. His anthology of Ninja Nuns short stories, Ninja Nuns and the S.P.E.C.T.E.R. of Evil, is available through Amazon as a paperback or electronic book. His robot story Automated Everyman Migrant Theater was third place winner in Writers of the Future contest, first quarter 2019 and published in Writers of the Future volume 36. Sonny’s zombie romance short story She Has My Heart was published in the Dates From Hell anthology of Hellbound Books. His horror short story Doll 538 was published December 2021 in Road Kill: Texas Horror volume 6. His science fiction short story Automation, Obsolete was published by Daikaijuzine in March 2021.
Alex Zalben
Alex Zalben is the author of an all-ages comic book series for Marvel, “Thor and the Warriors Four.” His short fiction has recently been featured in Splickety Magazine, Gypsum Sound Tales “Thuggish Itch” anthology, Third Flatiron’s “Galileo’s Theme Park” anthology, and an issue of Enchanted Conversation Magazine. For the past decade he’s hosted the live show and podcast Comic Book Club, which has been profiled in the New York Times. He currently works as Managing Editor at Decider.com, with previous bylines on TV Guide, MTV News and more.
Twitter: @azalben
Web: http://AlexZalben.com