Our Anthology Authors
Forged in Flame
A Dragon Anthology (2012)
Samuel Mayo
Samuel Mayo was born the day after Christmas in 1982. Over the course of his life, Sam has visited a wide variety of interesting places, both in the real world and the fictional world. These places fueled his imagination and from them he drew inspiration for creating fresh new worlds of his own. Since 2008, those worlds have found their way onto paper. He has written and self-published three novels as well as a short story. A fourth novel is currently in work. Aside from writing, Sam works as an engineer for a big company in Kansas, teaches Tae Kwon Do, plays video games, and spends time with his beautiful wife and their weird animals. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | LinkedIn
Brian Collier
Like most fantasy authors, Brian Collier’s journey to authorship began as a child, with stories scribbled on scraps and margins of paper during class in lieu of actual homework. An avid fan of fantasy, paranormal, paranormal romance, erotica and young adult genres, he allows his own characters out to play in such worlds on a regular basis to preserve his sanity. With multiple projects always in the works, he plans on publishing more of his stories in the future. Brian resides in North Carolina with his wife, daughter, and a menagerie of pets, all of whom keep life interesting. When he is not writing, he enjoys reading, watching movies, hiking, crafting jewelry, and dabbling in decorative painting.
Eric White
Forever the daydreamer, Eric White’s imagination has always spilled over into reality, a penchant which feeds his art, poetry, and prose. Answering his desire to never grow up, he fulfills his daylight responsibilities as a teacher’s aide for children with special needs. This assures him of recess and art every day and summer vacation each year. He enjoys his greatest adventures with his wife of fifteen years and two sons in southern Illinois. Eric’s world of make-believe finds expression in his children’s books, poetry, songs, and growing collection of fantasy/paranormal short stories. He currently oversees construction as his first novel, One Running, the initial installment of his paranormal fantasy series Walking the Quay, wrestles its way out of his imagination and onto the printed page. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Jana Boskey
A 22-year-old university student and a native of Illinois, Jana Boskey lives with her family in a small town in Pennsylvania. From a young age, she began to realize she lived in a world far different from those around her. While her classmates worried about homework, she fretted over whether or not her dream characters could foil the newest evil she created to oppose them. Tapping into her fertile imagination—something that seemed to be in short supply in people her age—she began to put her world onto paper. After three years of dabbling in writing, Jana became a published author in August, 2011, with her contribution to an anthology produced by Firefly and Wisp Publishing. Since that time, four more of her short stories made it to print. She is currently working on her debut novel with fantasy author Cesya Cuono.
Caitlin McColl
As soon as she was able to string words together, Caitlin McColl has been writing down the worlds that fill her imagination. As a child, she wrote and illustrated a short story about a knight named Michael rescuing a princess from a dragon, and she immersed herself in the strange, wonderful and magical world of fantasy fiction. Naturally, the fantasy world has found its way into her own writing. Published several times in anthologies, she is currently working on a novel series, as well as a collection of steampunk short stories. As fate would have it, Caitlin married her knight in shining armor, Michael. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and dog. When she is not writing she enjoys reading, fitness, the outdoors and is a member of the local Sherlock Holmes society.
D. Robert Pease
Epic adventures filled most of D. Robert Pease’s childhood. Middle Earth, and the planets of Dune were his stomping grounds. It’s not surprising he chose to write stories with worlds just beyond reach but familiar enough for readers to get lost in new lands with epic adventures all their own. D. Robert lives in the grey-skied world of Northeast Ohio with his wife, son, daughter, dog, cat, and a back yard pond full of goldfish. His award-winning debut novel, Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble, was published in 2011, with subsequent installments in the series, Noah Zarc: Cataclysm, and Noah Zarc: Declaration, as well as Shadow Swarm now available. When not writing, he loves helping other authors succeed through great visual design for their books. Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | GoodreadsMechanized Masterpieces
A Steampunk Anthology (2013)
Neve Talbot
As a child, Neve Talbot developed the habit of lulling herself to sleep by dreaming up continuations of her favorite books too soon ended. She never left off the habit, and eventually gained confidence in worlds of her own creation. She first cracked open a spiral binder in high school, and has spent the past decade dutifully penning her prerequisite one million words of bad writing before getting to the good stuff. Now author and journalist, Neve currently lives with her husband in a quasi-reality filled with fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, Regency romance, the classics, and history books, suspended between the piney woods and sprawling metropolis of southeast Texas. She plans on exploring the world when she grows up. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn
Anika Arrington
Anika Arrington is a devoted wife, mother of six, a Scorpio, and an unabashed pluviophile. Unfortunately, she lives in the deserts of Arizona, so she passes the time with her kids baking (she is especially good at homemade macaroni and cheese, cheesecake, and pumpkin anything), reading, watching for clouds, and of course, writing. Arrington studied communications for three years at NAU aspiring to be a speech writer before trading it all in for domestic bliss. She has studied physics at Stanford and history at Yale (free online classes count right?). And although she has been writing and occasionally illustrating her own stories since the age of 4, The Accidental Apprentice is Anika’s first novel.
David Wilkin
A graduate in History from UCLA, David Wilkin has written in various genres for thirty years. Extensive study of pre-modern civilizations, including years re-enacting Medieval, Renaissance and Regency times, has given Mr. Wilkin insight into such antiquated cultures. He studied Micawber and Copperfield’s period of Victorian Colonialism under John Semple Galbraith. With a proficiency in historical conventions, his fantasy and historical work encompasses mores beyond hero quests, and adds depth to his created worlds. Mr. Wilkin regularly posts about Regency history on his blog thethingsthatcatchmyeye.wordpress.com, and as a member of English Historical Fiction Authors (englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com). Mr. Wilkin is the author of several Regency romances; his most recent, a sequel to the epic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, called Colonel Fitzwilliam’s Correspondence.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads
Scott William Taylor
Scott William Taylor lives and writes in Utah. He grew up living on the side of a mountain and lives on that same mountain today, with his family and a dog that loves cheese. Scott is married, with four children. He received his undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Utah and a Masters in English from Weber State University. Scott is the creator and producer of A Page or Two Podcast. He also wrote the award-winning short film, Wrinkles. When not writing and working, Scott enjoys participating in community theater productions with his children. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
M. K. Wiseman
A Wisconsin gal with a Southwest soul, M. K. Wiseman can generally be found wandering happily amongst the pages of the largest book she can get her hands on. She came upon writing rather accidentally, finding that, sometimes, there are stories that simply must be told. A techie with a penchant for typewriters, she is a magnet for misadventure, though her own story has yet to unfold. Harboring such dreams as someday possessing a library complete with hidden bookcase doors, piloting a hot air balloon, and running away in a sailboat, she currently subsists contentedly between worlds in the company of her hypoallergenic fish. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn
Aaron Sikes
Aaron Sikes began his adult life wearing a soldier’s Kevlar® helmet. He’s worn several hats since, including the toque of an apprentice pastry chef. Now, he’s a full-time dad, and writes science-fiction as A. J. Sikes. His stories lean towards the weird side of the shelf, and tend to be located in his favorite American city: Chicago. If he’s not writing, he’s probably tinkering with something in the woodshop. Or doing laundry. Aaron tweets @SikesAaron, follow at www.facebook.com/SikesAaron. Belinda Sikes wrote her first story at age five and her first novel at age twelve. She writes historical and fantasy romances, but since earning her Doctorate in Plant Pathology, has detoured into the life of a science writer. Website | Twitter | Amazon
A. F. Stewart
A. F. Stewart was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, and still calls it home. The youngest in a family of seven children, she has always had an overly creative mind and an active imagination. She is fond of good books (especially science fiction/fantasy), action movies, sword collecting, and oil painting. Ms. Stewart is an indie author with several published novellas and story collections in the dark fantasy and horror genres, with a few side trips into poetry and non-fiction. She has a great interest in history and mythology, often working those themes into her books and stories. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn
Alyson Grauer
Alyson Grauer is a storyteller in multiple mediums, her two primary canvases being the stage and the page. On stage, she is often seen in the Chicago area, primarily at Piccolo Theatre, Plan 9 Burlesque, and the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Her non-fiction work has been published in the “Journal for Perinatal Education” for Lamaze International. Her short fiction can be found in Tales from the Archives (Volume 2) for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences and in two anthologies from Xchyler Publishing, Mechanized Masterpieces: A Steampunk Anthology, and Legends and Lore: an Anthology of Mythic Prorportions. Alyson is a proud graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and hails originally from Milwaukee, WI. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | GoodreadsA Dash of Madness
A Thriller Anthology (2013)
M. Irish Gardner
A daydreamer at heart, M. Irish Gardner has dabbled in imaginary worlds from day one and developed an incurable addiction when she finally began recording her ideas. Her bachelor’s degree in recreation management does nothing for her writing, but she sure knows how to play. She lives in Arizona with her husband, two daughters and all the other characters in her head. Twitter | Facebook
Elizabeth Gilliland
Elizabeth Gilliland is a lifelong writer who wrote her first “novel” in the 4th grade and hasn’t looked back ever since. She got her Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in playwriting and her Master of Arts from the University of Westminster in Screenwriting and Production. Her plays have been featured regionally as well as off-off Broadway at the Manhattan Repertory Theater. Website | Twitter
Sarah Hunter Hyatt
Sarah grew up in a large family, being number four of ten children. To escape the chaos, she would retreat into her own mind, writing stories to share with her younger sisters at bedtime. After years of prodding by family and friends, she joined a writer’s group, giving her the courage and knowledge to go after her dream as a writer. Sarah lives in Olympia, Washington with her husband, three kids and two lovable parakeets. Website | Twitter
Breck LeSueur
Breck LeSueur was born in Mesa, Arizona, grew up in Gilbert, and lived in East Russia for a time. His head has always been full of fantastic stories and he has enjoyed writing them from a young age. By day, Breck is a programmer for a software company. He currently resides in Queen Creek with his beautiful wife, two daughters and son.
F.M. Longo
F.M. Longo grew up surrounded by books. He started his own personal book collection at the age of seven, filling his shelves with The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift, Jr. It wasn’t long before he read his way through the entire works of Christie, Queen, Sayers, Gardner, and Wolfe. He started working in commercial kitchens from the age of fifteen, but he traded his whites for a blue pin-striped suit when he started working in Lower Manhattan, developing financial and communications software for banks, brokerages and other Wall Street companies. He later went back to the kitchen, working as the banquet chef for a large resort, and later, as the executive chef and general manager at a fine-dining restaurant. He is also an accomplished jazz drummer, playing professionally for many years. Now retired, he advises non-profit groups in his area on publicity and advertising. Originally from Stratford, CT, where his four children and seven grandchildren still reside, he currently lives in Woodbury, CT. Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Ben Ireland
Ben churns out his prose from his home in Southeast Texas, where he lives with his wife and three children, and works in IT. When he isn’t writing, he’s either thinking about writing, or he’s driving his winfe insane talking about his novel ideas. His work has appeared in two X-anthologies: “Kissed a Snake” in A Dash of Madness: a Thriller Anthology (July 2013), and “Fairykin” in Moments in Millennia: a Fantasy Anthology(January 2014). His first novel, Kingdom City: Resurrection was published in February 2014. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads
David MacIver
David was born and raised in the desert sands of the valley of the sun. He graduated from Hamilton High School in 2000 and later attended the University of Phoenix. He served a mission for the LDS church in Recife, Brazil where he grew to love the culture, language, and wild jungle environment of that country. Currently, he and his wife are loving life with their newborn daughter in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Tim Andrew
Tim Andrew is an Intern Architect who lives with his wife and three children on the southern coast of Oregon. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a professional degree in Architecture in 2008, and spends far too much time wearing ties, commuting, and sharpening pencils.Shades and Shadows
A Paranormal Anthology (2013)
Eric White
Forever the daydreamer, Eric White’s imagination has always spilled over into reality, a penchant which feeds his art, poetry, and prose. Answering his desire to never grow up, he fulfills his daylight responsibilities as a teacher’s aide for children with special needs. This assures him of recess and art every day and summer vacation each year. He enjoys his greatest adventures with his wife of fifteen years and two sons in southern Illinois. Eric’s world of make-believe finds expression in his children’s books, poetry, songs, and growing collection of fantasy/paranormal short stories. He currently oversees construction as his first novel, One Running, the initial installment of his paranormal fantasy series Walking the Quay, wrestles its way out of his imagination and onto the printed page.
Ginger C. Mann
Ginger C. Mann is a flutist, songwriter, composer, and computer systems integrator. If you can’t find her doing those things, look for a woman chasing around her small children with a camera. A Texas artist, she enjoys writing for other Texans; especially young voices. The premiere of her song, “River Night”, will be performed by a high school choir in North Austin at the same time as the release of her short story, “China Doll.” Facebook
Scott William Taylor
Scott William Taylor lives and writes in Utah. He grew up living on the side of a mountain and lives on that same mountain today, with his family and a dog that loves cheese. Scott is married, with four children. He received his undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Utah and a Masters in English from Weber State University. Scott is the creator and producer of A Page or Two Podcast. He also wrote the award-winning short film, Wrinkles. When not writing and working, Scott enjoys participating in community theater productions with his children. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Marian Rosarum
Marian Rosarum studies genre fiction as a graduate student by day and crafts dark fairy tales by night. Although she comes from a long line of Cuban exiles and grew up in Rocky Mountains, she currently resides in Virginia with her best friends, a cat named Colonel Brandon, and the many fictional characters who populate her imagination. Twitter | Facebook
R.M. Ridley
R.M. Ridley lives with his wife on a small homestead in Canada, raising chickens and sheep. He has been writing stories, both long and short, for three decades, the themes of which range from the gruesome to the fantastical. As an individual who suffers from severe bipolar disorder, Ridley is a strong believer in being open about mental health issues and uses his writing to escape when his thoughts become too wild. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Ben Ireland
Ben churns out his prose from his home in Southeast Texas, where he lives with his wife and three children, and works in IT. When he isn’t writing, he’s either thinking about writing, or he’s driving his winfe insane talking about his novel ideas. His work has appeared in two X-anthologies: “Kissed a Snake” in A Dash of Madness: a Thriller Anthology (July 2013), and “Fairykin” in Moments in Millennia: a Fantasy Anthology(January 2014). His first novel, Kingdom City: Resurrection was published in February 2014. Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads
Scott E. Tarbet
Scott Tarbet writes enthusiastically in several genres, sings opera, was married in full Elizabethan regalia, loves Steampunk waltzes, and slow-smokes thousands of pounds of Texas-style barbeque. An avid skier, hiker, golfer, and tandem kayaker, he makes his home in the mountains of Utah. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
E. Branden Hart
E. Branden Hart graduated from Trinity University with a degree in psychology and philosophy. He works and lives with his wife and a neurotic coonhound in San Antonio, Texas. When not writing, he enjoys playing piano, cooking meat, and carrying heavy things around on his back. Branden’s writing has been published at Toasted Cheese Literary Journal and Down in the Dirt magazine, and he is the Executive Editor of Empty Sink Publishing. Website | Twitter | Facebook
Neve Talbot
As a child, Neve Talbot developed the habit of lulling herself to sleep by dreaming up continuations of her favorite books too soon ended. She never left off the habit, and eventually gained confidence in worlds of her own creation. She first cracked open a spiral binder in high school, and has spent the past decade dutifully penning her prerequisite one million words of bad writing before getting to the good stuff. Now author and journalist, Neve currently lives with her husband in a quasi-reality filled with fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, Regency romance, the classics, and history books, suspended between the piney woods and sprawling metropolis of southeast Texas. She plans on exploring the world when she grows up. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn
J. Aurel Guay
Hailing from New England where he lives with his bride, and their two children, J. Aurel Guay writes both fantasy and science fiction with emphasis on strong plots and meaningful themes. Having played at writing fiction since grade school, Guay more recently has revived his passion as a coping skill in reaction to graduate school in biomedical science. Soon to complete his graduate studies, he is intent on publishing further short stories and novels. Website | Twitter | FacebookMoments in Millennia
A Fantasy Anthology (2014)
Samuel Mayo
Samuel Mayo was born the day after Christmas in 1982. Over the course of his life, Sam has visited a wide variety of interesting places, both in the real world and the fictional world. These places fueled his imagination and from them he drew inspiration for creating fresh new worlds of his own. Since 2008, those worlds have found their way onto paper. He has written and self-published three novels as well as a short story. A fourth novel is currently in work. Aside from writing, Sam works as an engineer for a big company in Kansas, teaches Tae Kwon Do, plays video games, and spends time with his beautiful wife and their weird animals. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | LinkedIn
Ben Ireland
Ben churns out his prose from his home in Southeast Texas, where he lives with his wife and three children, and works in IT. When he isn’t writing, he’s either thinking about writing, or he’s driving his winfe insane talking about his novel ideas. His work has appeared in two X-anthologies: “Kissed a Snake” in A Dash of Madness: a Thriller Anthology (July 2013), and “Fairykin” in Moments in Millennia: a Fantasy Anthology(January 2014). His first novel, Kingdom City: Resurrection was published in February 2014. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads
Michael Cross
Michael Cross entered the industry in 2013 as a wandering hopeful, seeking to have his own adventure in the literary world. When he isn’t working on his next novel, he is reading, modding Steampunk inventions, or working on his airship with his copilot Chihuahua. Cross’ short story, “The Promise,” appears in Terra Mechanica: A Steampunk Anthology, published by The X in May of 2014. Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest
Candace J. Thomas
Pete Ford was born in England and lived in Wales and Switzerland before moving to Texas. He now lives in Colorado with his wife, Kate. They have two grown-up sons and two not-at-all grown-up granddaughters. He spends his days as a software developer; he once designed a system that accidentally dumped twenty thousand tons of water into the wrong part of the River Thames within minutes of going live. Today, he uses those same skills to develop web applications for the US government. Although he has been writing short stories as a hobby for many years, Pete decided it was finally time to fulfill a dream—to write a book and get it published. And, as he has been a fan of Steampunk stories since before the term Steampunk had even been coined, the genre of the story was a foregone conclusion. He is now developing ideas for more books to come. When he isn’t working or writing, he reads, watches movies, and plays computer games including World of Warcraft, and the Half-Life and Portal series. He loves science, history, and cheese. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Neal Wooten
Neal Wooten grew up on a pig farm on Sand Mountain in the northeast corner of Alabama before being dragged kicking and screaming to the snow-infested plains of the American Midwest. He now resides in Milwaukee with his wife and three dogs. He is a contributor to the Huffington Post, columnist for The Mountain Valley News, columnist for The Indie Times, Op-ed writer for The Walking Dead Fan Club, cartoonist, artist, and standup comedian. Neal has a long list of writing credits, including short stories and flash fiction in several anthologies and magazines Website | Twitter | Facebook| Huffington Post
S. P. Mount
Abandoned on Planet Earth, S. P. Mount never really found his footing among the bizarre species called humankind. However, he eventually become adept at putting one foot in and doing the hokey-pokey, so that today, he might even seem human himself. Mount grew up in an orphanage in Scotland with his nose wedged in encyclopaedias. He spent his youth envisaging the world and beyond, until awakening one morn to find wings sprouted. Embarking on a career in worldwide tourism, he fluttered them far and wide. He pretends to speak numerous languages, having lived in Germany, England, Greece, Dubai and Italy. Currently, he resides in Canada, where he reinvents his life experiences via his writing. While yesterdays inspire him, he combines those experiences with the possibility of tomorrows and a vivid imagination to create his unique prose. Blog | Twitter | FacebookTerra Mechanica
A Steampunk Anthology (2014)
Jay Barnson
Software engineer, video game developer, and father, Jay Barnson is a transplant to the state of Utah from the east coast. He grew up on a diet of science fiction and fantasy ranging from Howard, Heinlein, and Tokien to Lucas and Spielberg. His wife and daughters had to drag him to his first steampunk convention. And now they can’t drag him away from the genre. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn | Goodreads
Michael Cross
Michael Cross entered the industry in 2013 as a wandering hopeful, seeking to have his own adventure in the literary world. When he isn’t working on his next novel, he is reading, modding Steampunk inventions, or working on his airship with his copilot Chihuahua. Cross’ short story, “The Promise,” appears in Terra Mechanica: A Steampunk Anthology, published by The X in May of 2014. Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest
Pete Ford
Pete Ford was born in England and lived in Wales and Switzerland before moving to Texas. He now lives in Colorado with his wife, Kate. They have two grown-up sons and two not-at-all grown-up granddaughters. When he isn’t working as a computer programmer for the US Government or writing, he reads, watches movies, and plays computer games including World of Warcraft, and the Half-Life and Portal series. He loves science, history, and cheese. Ford’s first full-length novel, the well-received Mr. Gunn and Dr. Bohemia, was released in November, 2013, witt its sequel slated for release later in 2014. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Goodreads
TC Phillips
TC Phillips hails from tropical Central Queensland in Australia, where he currently lives with his loving wife, three young children, a spoilt cat and an overactive imagination. An avid reader from a young age, he has held a long standing attraction for the written word and is excited to able to make his own contributions to the vibrant and ever shifting world of storytelling. Holding degrees in both Theatre Studies and Education, he is also currently completing his Master of Arts (Writing) through Swinburne University of Technology. Website | Facebook | Twitter
J. R. Potter
A lover of graphic novels and the occult fiction of the late great John Bellairs, James gravitated towards the paranormal world from an early age. Watching the first episode of The X-Files with his older brother was a transformative experience, as well as an education in great storytelling and mythmaking. Since “growing up,” James has devoted his time to finding his voice through writing, publishing short fiction in The Portland Review, and winning two international short story competitions for science fiction and horror. When he’s not writing, he tours with his incredible wife Amy as “The Crooked Angels,” an Americana duo specializing in rocking your socks off. Potter is currently collaborating with artist Klaus “Plaid Klaus” Shmidheiser in the graphic novel series “Glimmer Society.” Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Tumblr
Rie Sheridan Rose
Rie Sheridan Rose has been writing professionally for over ten years. She has published six novels, one short story collection, two chapbooks of collected stories, and five poetry collections as well as contributing to numerous anthologies like Reloaded: Both Barrels, Shifters, Nightmare Stalkers and Dream Walkers, and A Bubba in Time Saves None. She also wrote lyrics for Marc Gunn’s “Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits” CD. She has a poem in the next issue of Gearhearts Steampunk Glamor Revue, and upcoming Steampunk stories in this magazine and Fictionvale. Her latest novel, The Marvelous Mechanical Man is the first in a Steampunk series called The Conn-Mann Chronicles. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Goodreads | LinkedIn | DeviantArt
C R Simper
C R Simper is an Arizona native who has never lived anywhere else. She graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Purchasing and Logistics Management. She married another Arizona native in 1991 and is now the stay-at-home mom of three daughters and one son. She has found that writing is a great way to maintain a sense of order in her life. Simper has written in multiple genres over the past three decades and decided to try her hand at steam punk at the suggestion of her oldest daughter. “The Journey of Inspector Roux” is her first published story. Other hobbies that she enjoys are playing volleyball, genealogical research, and indexing obituaries. She gave up watching commercial television in 2003, but enjoys an occasional Netflix series. She prefers movies with happy endings. She is a member of ANWA-American Night Writers Association and appreciates the critiques and encouragement that come from such a great organization. She is grateful of the support of her family and friends. Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Goodreads | Pinterest
S. D. Simper
S. D. Simper has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. Although a recent graduate from Eastern Arizona College, she is still trying to figure out what exactly to do with her life. She lives in Arizona with her two pet turtles and various insane roommates, and her hobbies include singing, comic book reading, and pretending she can dance. A valuable and proven team member, Shauntel works as an assistant editor at The X. Her first project as lead editor, Relative Evil by Debra Efert, will be released in July. This is Simper’s first published short story. Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Goodreads
Scott E. Tarbet
Scott Tarbet writes enthusiastically in several genres, sings opera, was married in full Elizabethan regalia, loves Steampunk waltzes, and slow-smokes thousands of pounds of Texas-style barbeque. An avid skier, hiker, golfer, and tandem kayaker, he makes his home in the mountains of Utah. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | TwitterLegends and Lore
An Anthology of Mythic Proportions
Alyson Grauer
Anika Arrington is a devoted wife, mother of six, a Scorpio, and an unabashed pluviophile. Unfortunately, she lives in the deserts of Arizona, so she passes the time with her kids baking (she is especially good at homemade macaroni and cheese, cheesecake, and pumpkin anything), reading, watching for clouds, and of course, writing. Arrington studied communications for three years at NAU aspiring to be a speech writer before trading it all in for domestic bliss. She has studied physics at Stanford and history at Yale (free online classes count right?). And although she has been writing and occasionally illustrating her own stories since the age of 4, The Accidental Apprentice is Anika’s first novel. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Sarah Hunter Hyatt
Sarah grew up in a large family, being number four of ten children. To escape the chaos, she would retreat into her own mind, writing stories to share with her younger sisters at bedtime. After years of prodding by family and friends, she joined a writer’s group, giving her the courage and knowledge to go after her dream as a writer. Sarah lives in Olympia, Washington with her husband, three kids and two lovable parakeets. Website | Twitter
Emma Michaels
Emma Michaels is a cover artist, blogger, and author of the Society of Feathers series. Her love of blogging started when she created a book blog in 2009 which gave her the courage to finally submit her own novels to publishers. Emma Michaels’ publications now include Owlet and Eyrie (Tribute Books), Holiday Magick Anthology (Spencer Hill Press), and Cirque d’Obscure Anthology and Cogs in Time Anthology (Crushing Hearts Black Butterfly). Website| Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest
R.M. Ridley
R.M. Ridley lives with his wife on a small homestead in Canada, raising chickens and sheep. He has been writing stories, both long and short, for three decades, the themes of which range from the gruesome to the fantastical. As an individual who suffers from severe bipolar disorder, Ridley is a strong believer in being open about mental health issues and uses his writing to escape when his thoughts become too wild. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Sarah E. Seeley
Through two wonderful mentored research experiences, Sarah E. Seeley had the opportunity to work with dead sauropods and ancient odonates while acquiring her undergraduate degree in geology from Brigham Young University. She hopes to study more dead things in the future and contribute to scientific discussions about what makes life on Earth so amazing. In the meantime, she explores the bright side of being human by writing dark fiction. Sarah’s independently published works include Maladaptive Bind and Blood Oath: An Orc Love Story. Another short story, “Driveless,” appears in “Leading Edge Magazine” Issue #66. You can learn more about Sarah on her writing blog at www.SlithersOfThought.com. Website| Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Lance Schonberg
In the middle of lecturing one of his children on the importance of following dreams, Lance began to wonder why and when he’d stopped following his. Gathering up a few salvageable shreds of unfinished stories, he began his first novel. He’s written several novels and many shorter works in the years since, and has had twenty or so stories see publication. At any given moment Lance is working on a novel and at least one short story—probably more—most of which fall into the broad buckets of Science Fiction or Fantasy. Website| Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Amazon | Goodreads
Danielle E. Shipley
Danielle E. Shipley’s first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. . . . Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. She’s also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who home schooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. Website| Blog| Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
A. F. Stewart
Anika Arrington is a devoted wife, mother of six, a Scorpio, and an unabashed pluviophile. Unfortunately, she lives in the deserts of Arizona, so she passes the time with her kids baking (she is especially good at homemade macaroni and cheese, cheesecake, and pumpkin anything), reading, watching for clouds, and of course, writing. Arrington studied communications for three years at NAU aspiring to be a speech writer before trading it all in for domestic bliss. She has studied physics at Stanford and history at Yale (free online classes count right?). And although she has been writing and occasionally illustrating her own stories since the age of 4, The Accidental Apprentice is Anika’s first novel. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
M. K. Wiseman
A Wisconsin gal with a Southwest soul, M. K. Wiseman can generally be found wandering happily amongst the pages of the largest book she can get her hands on. She came upon writing rather accidentally, finding that, sometimes, there are stories that simply must be told. A techie with a penchant for typewriters, she is a magnet for misadventure, though her own story has yet to unfold. Harboring such dreams as someday possessing a library complete with hidden bookcase doors, piloting a hot air balloon, and running away in a sailboat, she currently subsists contentedly between worlds in the company of her hypoallergenic fish.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn
The Toll of Another Bell
A Fantasy Anthology (2015)
Jodi L. Milner
Jodi Milner lives among the most epic vistas of the Rocky Mountains in Utah and uses them for inspiration when writing fantasy. When not shepherding her children, she dreams of magic and getting a good night’s sleep. She’s published fiction and poetry in the online literary magazine Soft Whispers. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Goodreads | LinkedIn | Pinterest
Timothy Vincent
Timothy Vincent splits his time between his home in Kentucky and his work in Nanjing, China. A published writer and scholar, he teaches for an American Overseas program. His previous creative writing publications include: “Prince of the Blue Castle” (The Bacon Review 2013); “Star-Crossed” (Winner, Terri Ann Armstrong Short Story Contest, Suspense Magazine, 2012); “The Blanket” and “Standing on the Doorstep with Borges” (The WriteRoom Literary Magazine). He was a top 25 finalist in Glimmer Train’s new writer contest in 2010.
Elise Stephens
Elise Stephens illustrated and wrote her own storybooks from an early age, binding them with staples, and displaying them to a captive audience of family and friends. She thanks her mother for teaching her the confidence to perform, and thanks her father for reading books out loud to her. She received the Eugene Van Buren Prize for Fiction in 2007 and was a quarter-finalist for the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. She has published two novels. Moonlight and Oranges(2011) and Forecast (2013). She lives with her husband and son in Seattle where she loves to paint, sing, see live theater, dance in the rain, and eat tiramisu in generous proportions. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Goodreads | LinkedIn | Pinterest
Thaxson Patterson II
Thaxson Patterson II is a 30-something, single, African-American writer, living in Denver, Colorado. He is the child of an Air Force retiree and loving mother who’s wild about superheroes and fantasy literature. He graduated from the University of Denver in 2003 with a degree in Electronic Media Art Design. His lifelong obsession with a variety of literary genres including Lovecraftian horror, Stephen King supernatural tales, and the heroic myths from antiquity and Jack Kirby fueled his passion for art design. His family has been a constant thorn of encouragement in his side. Writing has been an ongoing journey full of creativity, joy, and tears spanning several years. Blog | Facebook | Google +
Scott E. Tarbet
Scott Tarbet writes enthusiastically in several genres, sings opera, was married in full Elizabethan regalia, loves Steampunk waltzes, and slow-smokes thousands of pounds of Texas-style barbeque. An avid skier, hiker, golfer, and tandem kayaker, he makes his home in the mountains of Utah. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
F.M. Longo
F.M. Longo grew up surrounded by books. He started his own personal book collection at the age of seven, filling his shelves with The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift, Jr. It wasn’t long before he read his way through the entire works of Christie, Queen, Sayers, Gardner, and Wolfe. He started working in commercial kitchens from the age of fifteen, but he traded his whites for a blue pin-striped suit when he started working in Lower Manhattan, developing financial and communications software for banks, brokerages and other Wall Street companies. He later went back to the kitchen, working as the banquet chef for a large resort, and later, as the executive chef and general manager at a fine-dining restaurant. He is also an accomplished jazz drummer, playing professionally for many years. Now retired, he advises non-profit groups in his area on publicity and advertising. Originally from Stratford, CT, where his four children and seven grandchildren still reside, he currently lives in Woodbury, CT. Twitter | Facebook
Ginger C. Mann
Ginger C. Mann is a poet, musician, and digital security engineer. If you can’t find her doing those things, look for a woman chasing around her small children with a camera. A Texas artist, she enjoys writing for other Texans. Her song, “River Night”, premiered on October 12, 2013 in North Austin. During that same weekend, her first short story, “China Doll,” began selling on Amazon.com. She is also a key writer, and digital security adviser, for “Think Before You Click,” the Cyber-Safety campaign of legal counsel, Rick Mann. Ginger lives with her family in the Austin, Texas area. Facebook | Website | Blog | Amazon
J. R. Potter
A lover of graphic novels and the occult fiction of the late great John Bellairs, James gravitated towards the paranormal world from an early age. Watching the first episode of The X-Files with his older brother was a transformative experience, as well as an education in great storytelling and mythmaking. Since “growing up,” James has devoted his time to finding his voice through writing, publishing short fiction in The Portland Review, and winning two international short story competitions for science fiction and horror. When he’s not writing, he tours with his incredible wife Amy as “The Crooked Angels,” an Americana duo specializing in rocking your socks off. Potter is currently collaborating with artist Klaus “Plaid Klaus” Shmidheiser in the graphic novel series “Glimmer Society.” Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Tumblr
Danielle E. Shipley
Danielle E. Shipley’s first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. . . . Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. She’s also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who home schooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. Website| Blog| Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
TC Phillips
TC Phillips hails from tropical Central Queensland in Australia, where he currently lives with his loving wife, three young children, a spoilt cat and an overactive imagination. An avid reader from a young age, he has held a long standing attraction for the written word and is excited to able to make his own contributions to the vibrant and ever shifting world of storytelling. Holding degrees in both Theatre Studies and Education, he is also currently completing his Master of Arts (Writing) through Swinburne University of Technology. Website | Facebook | TwitterMechanized Masterpieces 2
An American Anthology (2015)
J. Aurel Guay
Hailing from New England where he lives with his bride, and their two children, J. Aurel Guay writes both fantasy and science fiction with emphasis on strong plots and meaningful themes. Having played at writing fiction since grade school, Guay more recently has revived his passion as a coping skill in reaction to graduate school in biomedical science. Soon to complete his graduate studies, he is intent on publishing further short stories and novels. Website | Twitter | Facebook
Megan Oliphant
An editor at The X, Megan Oliphant has studied creative writing since college, taking classes from the founder of LTUE, Marion K. “Doc” Smith at Brigham Young University, and attended Orson Scott Card’s Literary Boot Camp in June of 2014. Her primary interests are in fantasy, ranging from dark urban to high epic, but she’s a sucker for a good mystery that she can’t guess the ending to before she gets there. She divides her time between reading, writing, and “familying” with her husband and five children in North Carolina.
Jay Barnson
Software engineer, video game developer, and father, Jay Barnson is a transplant to the state of Utah from the east coast. He grew up on a diet of science fiction and fantasy ranging from Howard, Heinlein, and Tokien to Lucas and Spielberg. His wife and daughters had to drag him to his first steampunk convention. And now they can’t drag him away from the genre. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn | Goodreads
M. Irish Gardner
A daydreamer at heart, M. Irish Gardner has dabbled in imaginary worlds from day one and developed an incurable addiction when she finally began recording her ideas. Her bachelor’s degree in recreation management does nothing for her writing, but she sure knows how to play. She lives in Arizona with her husband, two daughters and all the other characters in her head. Twitter | Facebook
D. Lee Jortner
Playing with imaginary friends and writing and directing plays in the neighbor’s garage filled D. Lee Jortner’s childhood. Today she lets her imagination flow onto her keyboard as she writes mystery, fantasy and steampunk stories and novels. “Payoff for Air-Pirate Pete” is her first short story for Xchyler Publishing. She also enjoys her marketing role with the company and teaching English composition at Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso, Indiana. When not writing or working, Jortner is usually busy with her husband, children or grandchildren. Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads | Blog | Pinterest | Twitter
J. R. Potter
A lover of graphic novels and the occult fiction of the late great John Bellairs, James gravitated towards the paranormal world from an early age. Watching the first episode of The X-Files with his older brother was a transformative experience, as well as an education in great storytelling and mythmaking. Since “growing up,” James has devoted his time to finding his voice through writing, publishing short fiction in The Portland Review, and winning two international short story competitions for science fiction and horror. When he’s not writing, he tours with his incredible wife Amy as “The Crooked Angels,” an Americana duo specializing in rocking your socks off. Potter is currently collaborating with artist Klaus “Plaid Klaus” Shmidheiser in the graphic novel series “Glimmer Society.” Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Tumblr
M. K. Wiseman
A Wisconsin gal with a Southwest soul, M. K. Wiseman can generally be found wandering happily amongst the pages of the largest book she can get her hands on. She came upon writing rather accidentally, finding that, sometimes, there are stories that simply must be told. A techie with a penchant for typewriters, she is a magnet for misadventure, though her own story has yet to unfold. Harboring such dreams as someday possessing a library complete with hidden bookcase doors, piloting a hot air balloon, and running away in a sailboat, she currently subsists contentedly between worlds in the company of her hypoallergenic fish. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn
Scott E. Tarbet
Scott Tarbet writes enthusiastically in several genres, sings opera, was married in full Elizabethan regalia, loves Steampunk waltzes, and slow-smokes thousands of pounds of Texas-style barbeque. An avid skier, hiker, golfer, and tandem kayaker, he makes his home in the mountains of Utah. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Scott William Taylor
Scott William Taylor lives and writes in Utah. He grew up living on the side of a mountain and lives on that same mountain today, with his family and a dog that loves cheese. Scott is married, with four children. He received his undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Utah and a Masters in English from Weber State University. Scott is the creator and producer of A Page or Two Podcast. He also wrote the award-winning short film, Wrinkles. When not writing and working, Scott enjoys participating in community theater productions with his children. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Neve Talbot
As a child, Neve Talbot developed the habit of lulling herself to sleep by dreaming up continuations of her favorite books too soon ended. She never left off the habit, and eventually gained confidence in worlds of her own creation. She first cracked open a spiral binder in high school, and has spent the past decade dutifully penning her prerequisite one million words of bad writing before getting to the good stuff. Now author and journalist, Neve currently lives with her husband in a quasi-reality filled with fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, Regency romance, the classics, and history books, suspended between the piney woods and sprawling metropolis of southeast Texas. She plans on exploring the world when she grows up. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn
Steel and Bone
Nine Steampunk Adventures (2015)
Katherine Cowley
Katherine Cowley wrote her first story at the age of five, a retelling of the Icarus myth titled “The Turtle That Got Too Close to the Sun.” She has worked as a documentary film producer, a radio producer, and a college professor. She now devotes herself to writing steampunk, fantasy, and science fiction. Cowley’s short stories and essays have been published and won awards in the Locutorium, the BYU Studies Personal Essay Contest, the Meeting of the Myths, Four Centuries of Mormon Stories, and the Mormon Lit Blitz. You can also read her stories online at katherinecowley.com. Katherine loves European chocolate, the history of science, and steampunk fashion. She has lived in the United States, Brazil, and Finland, and currently resides in Arizona with her husband and two daughters. Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads
Scott E. Tarbet
Scott Tarbet writes enthusiastically in several genres, sings opera, was married in full Elizabethan regalia, loves Steampunk waltzes, and slow-smokes thousands of pounds of Texas-style barbeque. An avid skier, hiker, golfer, and tandem kayaker, he makes his home in the mountains of Utah. Amazon | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
TC Phillips
TC Phillips hails from tropical central Queensland in Australia, where he currently lives with his loving wife, three young children, a spoilt cat, and an overactive imagination. An avid reader from a young age, he has held a long-standing attraction for the written word and is excited to make his own contributions to the vibrant and ever shifting world of storytelling. Holding degrees in both Theatre Studies and Education, he is also currently completing his Master of Arts (writing) through Swinburne University of Technology. Phillips’ other short stories with Xchyler including “Ripper Bound” (Terra Mechanica) and “60 Seconds to Midnight” (The Toll of Another Bell). Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon
C. R. Simper
C. R. Simper is an Arizona native who graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Purchasing and Logistics Management. She married another Arizona native in 1991 and is now the stay-at-home mom of three daughters and one son. Simper has written in multiple genres over the past three decades. She has found that writing maintains a sense of order in her life. Her first published story, “The Journey of Inspector Roux” appeared in Terra Mechanica: a Steampunk Anthology (2014), another Xchyler publication. Other hobbies that she enjoys are playing volleyball, genealogical research, and indexing obituaries. She is a member of the American Night Writers Association (ANWA). Simper first published with Xchyler withher short story “The Journey of Inspector Roux” (Terra Mechanica). Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn | Goodreads | Pinterest
Danielle E. Shipley
Danielle E. Shipley’s first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. . . . Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. She’s also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who home schooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. Website| Blog| Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Sarah E. Seeley
Through two wonderful mentored research experiences, Sarah E. Seeley had the opportunity to work with dead sauropods and ancient odonates while acquiring her undergraduate degree in geology from Brigham Young University. She hopes to study more dead things in the future and contribute to scientific discussions about what makes life on Earth so amazing. In the meantime, she explores the bright side of being human by writing dark fiction. Sarah’s independently published works include Maladaptive Bind and Blood Oath: An Orc Love Story. Another short story, “Driveless,” appears in “Leading Edge Magazine” Issue #66. You can learn more about Sarah on her writing blog at www.SlithersOfThought.com. Website| Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
Kin Law
Living in the bustle of NYC, Kin Law is constantly reminded he is a child of two worlds. Originally from Hong Kong, he’s traveled both geographically and socially, working in many professions including movie projection and line cooking. He has degrees in Media and Culinary Arts, and a great love of Philosophy. As for fiction, his favorite authors are Douglas Adams, Hemmingway, and Chuck Pahlaniuk. Today, Kin is a culinary copywriter, intent on furthering his novelist career. He loves his fiancée, his cat Zoe, Scotch, bacon and coffee. Addressing himself in the third person makes him chuckle. Website | Twitter | Amazon | About.me
John M. Olsen
John M. Olsen has been creating things his whole life through a mixture of technical and creative processes, whether building family, stories, art, software, woodworking or anything else. He has dreams of becoming a Renaissance man and loves to learn new things to add to his store of randomly accessible information (otherwise known as irrelevant trivia). Writing is one of his loves, inspired by having read most of his father’s extensive fantasy and science fiction collection in his teen years. He builds high-end simulation software, and has contributed chapters to several books on computer graphics and game design, as well as publishing fiction in multiple genres. He lives in Utah with his wife and five children, some of whom are old enough to have moved out and back in. Together they have also raised three nieces and a nephew, and are minions of their benevolent cat overlord. Blog | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Amazon | Goodreads | About.me