Scales Made Manifest, Fiction, Issue 14, March 1, 2011

K.J. Kabza’s work has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Flash Fiction Online, Daily Science Fiction, and others. He encourages you to visit www.kjkabza.com for links to more, or follow him at http://twitter.com/kjkabza.

Author Website:  www.kjkabza.com

Get to know K.J...

Birthdate? It was the early 80s. A time of high-waisted pants; a time of jean jackets. A time of regret.

When did you start writing? You mean seriously? Age 14. To this day, my conception of what most teenagers do for fun is a little hazy.

When and what and where did you first get published? "You Make Bathtimes Much More Fun" was taken by Tyree Campbell at Sam's Dot Publishing to appear in the September 2002 issue of Kisses for Kids (now called Spacesports and Spidersilk). I had it reprinted in all its old-school glory on my website for a while. (I'm sorry you missed it.)

Why do you write? I've never been able to figure this one out. Hasn't appeared to stop me, though.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? I'm not too sure about this one either. I have some tentative theories, but when I type them out they sound supremely pretentious and stupid, so let's just say that I think it's fun.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? Your questions are really hard. I am beginning to feel out of my depth.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? Okay, now I am definitely out of my depth. I know what I'm trying to say with each individual story (assuming I'm trying to say anything at all--and sometimes I'm not, because people, sometimes a story is just a story), but I can't say I've ever nerded out and created a database of all my stories' concerns and themes and compared and contrasted all the... wait. Actually, that might wind up being really interesting.

Do you blog? Where? At the time of this writing, I do not, but I have the sad, foreboding feeling that I will in the future, because everybody tells me I must. I dread this day, because I don't think my life or opinions are interesting enough to sustain an entire blog, and I worry endlessly about what the hell I'm going to put there.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? "He Rocked Pretty Hard."

Refuse to See, Flash Fiction, Issue 43, June 2018

Michelle Kaseler is a software engineer by trade, but can be whatever she wants to be when she reads and writes. A two-time Boston Marathon qualifier, the only thing that matches her enthusiasm for creating stories is running. And cheesecake.

Refuse to See, Flash Fiction, Issue 43, June 2018

Michelle Kaseler is a software engineer by trade, but can be whatever she wants to be when she reads and writes. A two-time Boston Marathon qualifier, the only thing that matches her enthusiasm for creating stories is running. And cheesecake.

The Desalinator's Day Off, Flash-fiction, Issue 62, Spring 2023

As the daughter of an antiquarian book dealer, Taria grew up surrounded by

far more books than is healthy for one person. After a Literature degree, a

journalism course and some gratuitous vocabulary overuse, her stories have

appeared in a Hagrid-sized handful of anthologies and have won enough

literary prizes to fill his other hand. Despite this, she has no need as yet for

larger millinery.

The Mahahaa and the Quarreling Lovers, Fiction, Issue 52, September 2020

Herb Kauderer spent twenty years working in factories and driving trucks, and then twenty years as an English Professor at Hilbert College.  His publications include 1,800 poems, about twenty books and chapbooks, 200 pieces of non-fiction, more than sixty short stories, the feature Indie film Beyond the Mainstream (2013), and some short dramatic works.  He won the Asimov’s Readers Award for best poem in 2017, has been a finalist for the Analog Anlab Readers Award, received honorable mention in the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and been nominated for many other writing accolades.  More can be found at WWW.HerbKauderer.com

Get to know Herb...

Birthdate? September 21st

When did you start writing? I began writing for myself at age eight. I began writing sports and politics for the school newspaper when I was twelve.

When and what and where did you first get published? My detective short story "The Grinning Pearls" appeared in a literary magazine named The Albatross in May of 1977. I was seventeen years old.

Why do you write? It gives me pleasure. Some people like having written. I like the actual process of writing. Especially revision.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? Curiosity. I have all these college degrees, and have studied libraries full of literary fiction, and I find most of it boring and strangely incurious. SF/F explores new territory. Most literary fiction digs the same holes of numbness and disconnection without adding much knowledge of the human condition.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? Author: John D. MacDonald. Story: "Jeffty is Five" by Harlan Ellison. (Another day the story might be different, but not the favorite author. John D. MacDonald is permanent.)

What are you trying to say with your fiction? Society lies.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? A Life Too Full for Words.

Blueberry Pie, Fiction, Premier Issue, December 1, 2007

Michael A. Kechula is a retired technical writer. His flash and micro-fiction tales have won first prize in six contests and honorable mention in three others. His stories have appeared in eighty-six online and print magazines and anthologies in Australia, Canada, England and US. He’s authored two books of flash and micro-fiction: “A Full Zombies--61 Speculative Fiction Tales” and “Crazy Stories for Crazy People.” Both paperbacks available atwww.amazon.com and www.booksforabuck.com.  eBook versions of the former are available at www.fictionwise.com

Get to know Michael...

Birthdate: June 9, 1939

When did you start writing? In 3rd grade.

When and what and where did you first get published? My article about new ways to train computer operators was published in Data Management, the journal of the Data Processing Management Association.1976.

Why do you write? For enjoyment and self expression.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?Because it requires lots of imagination and creativity.  Also wish to avoid writing mundane tales.

Who is your favorite author? W. Somerset Maugham and Guy de Maupassant.

Your favorite story? The Monkey's Paw.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? Life is full of fantastic possibilities.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? He was born in the wrong century.

Do you blog? Where? I don't blog.

For Toe's bio please click here

Land of the Beast, Flash Fiction, Issue 18, March 1, 2012

Joel V. Kela is a PhD student studying New Testament in Dallas, TX. He is married to a better girl than he deserves, has three surprising kids, and goes kiteboarding whenever he can. He has stories published in Fear and Trembling Magazine, forthcoming in Big Pulp, and forthcoming in Mytherium: Tales of Mythical and Magical Creatures, by Indigo Mosaic Publishing. You can visit Joel’s home on the web at acrosseyesky.com.

Get to know Joel...

Birthdate? 1/16/1983

When did you start writing? One summer night in 2003, I was in a bad mood and couldn't sleep. Without any premeditation I got out of bed, sat down at my computer, and started writing a fantasy novel. It was cliche and hackneyed, but it was a start.

When and what and where did you first get published? My first published story, "Brightmoor Confessions," was published online by Fear and Trembling Magazine in January, 2012. 

What themes do you like to write about? I like writing about human responses to the most dire and unusual circumstances. I'm fond of post-apocalyptic settings, and enjoy exploring religious themes--especially as envisioned in vastly different worlds.  

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? I love George RR Martin's works, especially his A Song of Ice and Fire and "Manrealm" science fiction stories. I admire both his characterization and the vast history which he weaves into the backdrop of both worlds. I try to emulate the way he hints at these histories and allows readers to piece it all together. Another book that stands out in terms of emotional impact and significance is C. S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces, a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. While Lewis is most famous for his Narnia series, he himself considered Till We Have Faces his finest work. It only grows richer with each re-read, and I would love to someday write a story with so much depth.

Messiah, Poetry, Issue 2, March 1, 2008

Author's Website: http://www.myspace.com/cindykelly

Cindy Kelly lives in Amsterdam, Ohio across the railroad tracks from the gobpile where the coal mine used to be.  The town, a remnant of a bustling coal town in the early 20th century, is an endless pile of inspiration. She has a Himalayan cat named Ursala Miner, and she's good with a paint brush.

Get to know Cindy...

Birthdate? 11-14-1977

When did you start writing? When I was 7. 

When and what and where did you first get published? A poem, "River Pirates" in AdHoc Foxtrot Quarterly

Why do you write?  I write for focus and self-examination. 

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?  I like to research and restructure and twist things around to my fancy.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?  Tom Robbins is by far my favorite author.  But my favorite story is a short story by Elizabeth Garver called The Mourning Door.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? My fiction is inspired by Raymond Carver. I try to say as much as I can with as little as possible. 

Do you blog? Where? LiveJournal and MySpace

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? She liked big words.

The Last Library, Flash Fiction, Issue 52, September 2020

Kate Kelly is a marine scientist by day but by night she takes up a pen and writes. Her short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies including Sci-Phi Journal, BFS Horizons, and forthcoming in Neo-opsis magazine. Her short story collection, The Scribbling Sea Serpent, is available on Amazon. She lives by the sea in southwest England where she is often to be found wandering the coast on her paddleboard.

Get to know Kate...

Birthdate?

I was born in November which makes me a Scorpio. I’ve never been sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.

When did you start writing?

I have been writing ever since I could hold a crayon. My first ever story was about my toy dragons, so I guess the SFF genre was always going to be my thing.

When and what and where did you first get published?

I was first published a few years back by a small UK magazine called HUB, sadly now defunct. It was a short story called One In a Million about the only man left on Earth.

Why do you write?

For the simple reason that’s its something I enjoy doing. I love extrapolating science or real world situations and asking the question ‘What if?’.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

I discovered Science Fiction when I was twelve and someone handed me a copy of Isaac Asimov’s Nightfall. That hooked me on the genre so much that I wound up pursuing a career in science. So it feels natural that when I write that is the genre I want to write in.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Difficult question. There are so many amazing authors out there, so I’m going to pick two, one old and one new. The old one has to be HG Wells, simply because of the way his work stands up to the test of time in a way that so many others don’t. His short stories in particular are really interesting. For the new I’m going to pick the author I’m currently reading who is Adrian Tchaikovsky. His writing has huge scope and amazing ideas. Children of Time has to be one of the best SF novels I’ve read in recent years.

Do you blog?

Yes. I keep a blog at https://scribblingseaserpent.blogspot.com/ where I talk about my writing journey, the writing craft, and write the occasional review.

Out of Sync, Fiction, Issue #40, September 2017

Chris Kelworth lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has been writing science fiction and fantasy stories with increasing diligence for the past twenty-five years, and is a graduate of the Odyssey, Taos Toolbox, and Young Gunns workshops. He works in Burlington as a computer software developer under an assumed name, and his work has appeared on the Gallery of Curiosities podcast, On the Premises, and SciFan Magazine. He blogs, occasionally, at http://chriskelworth.com/, and is podcasting his way through the 1999 television series Roswell with a partner in crime, at http://alienscast.com/

Get to know Chris...

Birthday? November 17th

When did you start writing? 

In the early 90s, as a teenager. In those years, I submitted a piece of thinly veiled Star Trek TNG fanfiction to one of the biggest SF magazines around--except there were four teenagers all as brilliant and precocious as Wesley Crusher.

When and what and where did you first get published? 

In February 2016, my Edwardian tunnel of love/goddess story "Love is a Masterpiece" was published by Gallery of Curiosities podcast, anchoring a Valentine's day special episode. (I love the narrator they picked and the music they got for the story.)

What themes do you like to write about? 

True love, family, magic, outsiders, the dangers of entitlement, difficult choices, sacrifice, making a connection with somebody very different, getting lost and finding yourself.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? 

I was blown away when I first read "Inappropriate Behaviour", by Pat Murphy, especially by the moment where the autistic main character pushes out of both her own comfort zone and her training to save the life of her unlikely friend. I love all of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, mostly because of what they have to say about taking care of other people, responsibility and temptation, and how weird growing up can be. And Diane Duane's Young Wizard novels, full of wild magic and technology, friendly and frightening aliens, curious and creative protagonists.

Website? chriskelworth.com

Facebook page? facebook.com/chris.kelworth

Twitter? HTTPS://twitter.com/chriskelworth

Get to know Philip…

Birthdate? August 18, 2003

When did you start writing?

 I started telling stories when I was three years old, long before I began to write. My mother encouraged me to learn typing, and I began to write my stories down. Since then, I haven't stopped.

Why do you write?

 I love using words to describe the world around me, and to create new ones. I enjoy painting pictures of dynamic moments with sentences. More importantly, I want to create something that helps other people see the beauty and wonder that has been built into reality.

Why do you read/write/review Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

 It is very hard to think outside the box and conceptualize things outside of our own experiences. At their best, speculative fiction is a vehicle for the contemplation of what could have been if our circumstances were a little different.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

 My favorite author is C. S. Lewis, and my favorite story is “Till We Have Faces.” I love how Lewis uses the layers of meaning in each phrase, paragraph and overarching theme to explore the disconnect between our perception of ourselves and who we really are inside.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

"Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?” 

Do you blog?

theauridiumharp.wordpress.com

Dream of the Prophet, Fiction, Issue 3, June 1, 2008

Get to know A.J...

Birthdate? 10/19/74

When did you start writing? Semi-seriously in 94, seriously in 99.

When and what and where did you first get published? 2005, short story, The Coming of the Ronsardi, Aphelion.com

Why do you write? Stories, of any kind, are the single greatest enjoyment in my life.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? It is currently the greatest source of philosophy, creativity, satire, and adventure in US fiction, which makes it my favorite genre.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? Steven Brust. The Venus Throw (by Steven Saylor)

Do you blog? Where? Not yet.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? He was here, and now he's not.

Coyote Blessing, Fiction, Issue 7, June 1, 2009

Owen S. Kerr has been a professional actor, rodeo cook, math teacher, waiter, husband, playtester, journalist, father and construction worker.  He writes a little, too.  His work has appeared in the Phoenix New Times, Pyramid Magazine, and On The Premises.

Get to know Owen...

Birthdate? August 24, 1969

When did you start writing? For fun - 1983ish. For profit - 1999

When and what and where did you first get published? April 9,1999 - Adventure Pizza: Home Turf Advantage - Pyramid magazine. It was a role-playing adventure for a popular gaming magazine.

Why do you write? Several reasons: I have stories to tell; I love language; and I'm a better writer than many authors I've read. 

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? Speculative fiction lets me set the parameters in which my characters will interact. I'm a big fan of "What If" questions.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? Harlan Ellison. Short story - "The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn" by Diana L. Paxson. Novel(s) - 'The Wizard Knight' series by Gene Wolfe 

What are you trying to say with your fiction? "Pay me for  writing." or "Here's a good story. Enjoy it." Seriously, my main themes are relationships, addiction, and how one can relate to the other. I worry about the 'message' of the story after the first few drafts. If I have an axe to grind, I tweak the incidentals of the story to support my viewpoint.  

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

Here lies the biological remains of Owen Sterling Kerr (Prime)

  Uploaded 2049

  Cloned 2051

  Downloaded 2066

Book Review ; Slains Castle's Secret History: Warlords, Churchill, and Count Dracula, Book Reviews, March 2024.   

Katerine Kerestman is the author of Lethal (PsychoToxin Press, 2023) and Creepy Cat's Macabre Travels: Prowling around Haunted Towers, Crumbling Castles, and Ghoulish Graveyards (WordCrafts Press, 2020), which placed on the preliminary ballot for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards, and co-editor (with S. T. Joshi) of The Weird Cat, an anthology of weird cat stories by writers living and dead (WordCrafts Press 23023). Her Lovecraftian and gothic works have been featured in Black Wings VII, Penumbra, Journ-E, Spectral Realms, Illumen, Retro-Fan and The Little Book of Cursed Dolls (Media Macabre, 2023). Katherine is wild about Dark Shadows and Twin Peaks and has been seen cavorting in the graveyards of Salem on Halloween. You can keep up with her at www.creepycatlair.com.

Get to know Katherine:

I write primarily in the horror genre (fiction and nonfiction, as well as poetry and reviews), because I believe existence is a cosmic joke, and I like to express my feelings about my world-view artistically; and because I was raised in a family that loved horror.

My favorite authors are Thomas Hardy, the Brontes, H. P. Lovecraft, and Bram Stoker. My favorite books are Dracula and Wuthering Heights. My favorite television is Dark Shadows (which I still watch every day) and Twin Peaks.

I do not blog. I shun social media and surveillance devices.

My epitaph:  "Katherine was a thorough aesthete."

This Last Island of Beauty, Fiction, Issue 60, Fall 2022

Simon Kewin is a fantasy and sci/fi writer, author of the Cloven Land fantasy trilogy, cyberpunk thriller The Genehunter, steampunk Gormenghast saga Engn, the Triple Stars sci/fi trilogy and the Office of the Witchfinder General books, published by Elsewhen Press. He's the author of several short story collections, with his shorter fiction appearing in Analog, Nature and over a hundred other magazines. His novel Dead Star was an SPSFC award semi-finalist, and his short story “#buttonsinweirdplaces” was nominated for a Utopia award. He is currently doing an MA in creative writing while writing at least three novels simultaneously.

Get to know Simon

Birthdate?  1964 

When did you start writing? 

When I turned 30. It was time to stop messing around and begin doing what I'd always meant to.

When and what and where did you first get published?

(Checks ancient records) 1995! A long-defunct magazine bought a poem I'd written. Much to my immense surprise and delight.

Why do you write?

Simply because I enjoy it. It satisfies something fundamental. I quite often decide to stop—and then find myself jotting down ideas for a new thing ten minutes later.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

I think for the sense of wonder. I spend most of my time in the real world so it's good to escape. I do read (and write) realist fiction—but it so often seems...small.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

It would probably be Ursula K. Le Guin, but I can't pinpoint my favourite story.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

I'm not sure I can identify an overarching theme. Perhaps, "it will all be okay in the end.”

Do you blog?

A little. Not as much as I should! My blog is at:

https://simonkewin.co.uk/blog/

The Magic of the Rings is Temperamental, Nonfiction, Premier Issue, December 1, 2007

The Future of Futuristic Fiction, Nonfiction, Issue 35, June 1, 2016

Ahmed A. Khan is a Canadian writer whose works have appeared in various venues like Interzone, Strange Horizons, Anotherealm, Starship Sofa, etc. He has also co-edited the seminal anthology of Islamic SF titled A Mosque Among the Stars.

Get to know Ahmed...

Birthday? 1959 

When did you start writing? I started writing stories - very childish ones, of course - when I was 6 or 7 years old. 

When and what and where did you first get published? My first publication was a poem in Urdu which I had written when I was about 17. My first English language publication was a science fiction story that appeared in 1984  in an Indian magazine called Science Today.

What themes do you like to write about? I love to write stories where intelligence triumphs over adversities.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? The stories/books that have resonated with me most in the English language were: The Pickwick Papers, Tom Sawyer, the Sherlock Holmes cannon, Dune, Tactics of Mistake, to name a few. I think these works resonated with me due to their positive connotations and appeal to intellect and logic. These stories find expression in my work in the most direct way possible. As indicated in answer to the previous question, I love writing stories about characters that overcome monumental odds using their faculties.

Children of War, Poem, issue 52, September 2020

Get to know Zainab...

Birthdate?

I was born on 30th August, 2000.

When did you start writing?

I have been writing for as long as I remember. The earliest "book" I wrote (which consisted of 10 pages) was in second grade, which ended rather gloomily if I recall correctly.

Why do you write?

Writing provides an escape to me, an outlet. Spewing what is often nonsense on a page is a cathartic act; my words are my confidant, my stories are my favorite place to be.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Fantasy propels me into a world where I can turn my deepest sorrows into moments of triumphs, where this world's cruelties can temporarily be cast out. 

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy are literary masterpieces in my opinion. One book that shook me to my core was Markus Zusak's The Book Thief; it's quite a read.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

Death called her, and she said, "Hello, dear friend."

Do you blog?

I have a blog on Instagram called @arewealright where I share snippets from stories I might never get a chance to complete

Diet Nanobots, Poetry, Issue 45, December 15, 2018

A Modern Funeral, Poetry, Issue 66. Spring 2024

Ngo Binh Anh Khoa is a teacher of English in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In his free time, he enjoys reading fiction and writing speculative works, some of which have appeared in Star*Line, Weirdbook, Spectral Realms, and other venues. He also enjoys writing haiku, some of which have won awards and received honorable mentions in international contests in the US, Japan, Canada, and elsewhere. 

Get to know Ngo Binh Anh Khoa...

Birthdate?

October 11, 1994

When did you start writing?

Mid-2018, if we don't count the random lines I wrote during my university years.

When and what and where did you first get published?

The first time I got published was in May 2018 when two of my scifaiku were featured in the printed version of Scifaikuest.

Why do you write?

I write for my personal entertainment, for real life can be boring and tedious at times.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Growing up, I have always had a love for fairy tales, mythologies, and legends, and that interest translates itself into my fantasy-themed poems. In addition, I'm not so keen on realism, so sci-fi is a logical choice for me, allowing my imagination to run wild and simply have fun.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

My favorite story is "The Graveyard Book," as it was one of the very first novels in English that I picked up when I was younger, and my interest in dark fantasy got amplified after this first contact with the mind of Neil Gaiman.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

Please enjoy a slice of my mind.

Do you blog?

At the moment, no.

The Universal Directory of Dangerous Places, Fiction, Issue 48, September 2019

Elise Kim is a high school student in San Diego, California. When she isn't studying or writing, she enjoys cultivating her ever-growing collection of mechanical typewriters and fancy wooden pencils. She plans to continue studying English and storytelling in the future, and has several longer writing projects in the works.

When did you start writing?

At age six. It started with a story about a princess with waffles in her hair, and it just got worse from there.

When and what and where did you first get published?

I'm pleased to say that NewMyths is my first publication!

Why do you write?

There's very little space for daydreaming in this world otherwise.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Imagination always seems like something children have, then lose as they grow up; my goal in writing in the speculative fiction genre is to hang on to that imagination for as long as possible. I love the freedom that comes from throwing the rules of reality out the window.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

I try to say things with my fiction, but success isn't always guaranteed. If someone reads my work and, at the least, feels the importance of genuine human connection, then that's good enough.

How the Monarchs Came to Utah, Flash Fiction, Issue 54, March 2021

E.E. King is a painter, performer, writer, and biologist - She’ll do anything that won’t pay the bills, especially if it involves animals.

Ray Bradbury called her stories, “marvelously inventive, wildly funny and deeply thought-provoking. I cannot recommend them highly enough.”

Her books include Dirk Quigby’s Guide to the Afterlife, Electric Detective, Pandora’s Card Game, The Truth of Fiction and Blood Prism. 

 King has won numerous various awards and fellowships for art, writing, and environmental research.

She’s been published widely, most recently in Clarkesworld.

King was the founding Director of the Esperanza Community Housing’s Art & Science Program worked as an artist-in-residence in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sarajevo, and the J. Paul Getty Museum’s and Science Center’s Arts & Science Development Program. 

Her landmark mural, A Meeting of the Minds (121’ x 33’) can be seen on Mercado La Paloma in Los Angeles. King has also painted murals for Escuelas Para La Vida in Cuenca, Spain, and in Tuscany, Italy. 

She’s worked with children in Bosnia, crocodiles in Mexico, frogs in Puerto Rico, egrets in Bali, mushrooms in Montana, archaeologists in Spain, butterflies in South Central Los Angeles, lectured on island evolution and marine biology on cruise ships in the South Pacific and the Caribbean, painted murals in Los Angeles and Spain and has been published widely.

Check out paintings, writing, musings, and books at :

www.elizabetheveking.com

amazon.com/author/eeking

Follow her at https://twitter.com/ElizabethEvKing

facebook.com/pages/EE-King

https://whatsinanafterlife.wordpress.com/

Get to know E. E. King...

Birthdate?

10/11/1900

When did you start writing?

2005. 

When and what and where did you first get published?

My first story, “Dirk Snigby's Guide to the Afterlife” was published in Next Stop Hollywood,  by St. Martin's Press, in 2007. I later expanded it into my first book, Dirk Quigby's Guide to the Afterlife.

What themes do you like to write about?

Death and Belief. is there anything else?

 Also reality vs. belief. We see only a small percentage of available light waves, yet persist in trusting that what we see, or hear, is real.

Your dog sees and perceives a different world than you do (especially if you don’t have a dog) but it is no less real. A lot of my work has a biological/scientific base.

I think that most of the world’s problems are caused not by racism but by speciesism. We don't even try to understand the alien intelligence of other species and they could teach us a lot. Imagine navigating like a bird, or touching like an octopus! 

I never really thought about it, but your question makes me realize that all my work deals with conflicting perceptions of truth and sometimes imaginary dogs.

I raise a lot of birds and beasts and they usually find their way into my work. My cat, Max, is in every book.

I used to be the director of an art and science program in South Central Los Angeles. I painted murals, taught afterschool art classes, and started a garden project.

The children and I planted milkweed, the host plant for monarch butterflies, in the narrow swaths of dirt between sidewalk and street. What if we could make the streets a walking garden and create a migration path for monarchs in the heart of the inner-city? I would travel back and forth from work to home with my car full of pupas. It worked for a while. 

Now I’m going to share my great idea with you. You can steal it if you like. I wish you would. This is the idea: If every stretch of unused dirt, parkways, medians, etc. were planted with milkweed, monarchs would inhabit our streets. 

Be Johnny Milkweed seed. Milkweed needs little water or care and proliferates with the abandon of Mormon rabbits. It is completely drought tolerant. It can grow almost anywhere, and once established, needs no care. Currently Monarch’s migratory patterns are at risk due to habitat loss, climate change, and Monsanto poison. However, if you plant Milkweed they will come. Just imagine a cities heartbeat pulsing in tempo to the rhythm of orange wings!

Then I moved to a Magic town in Mexico for three years. I go back each year for Día de Muertos, to drink in the music and love that hangs in the air so thick, it’s almost tangible. I check my shoes for marigold petals, the flowers of death, just to make sure I’m still alive because in the Magic towns of Mexico (Pueblos Mágicos) anything could happen.  Old Gods and new ones waltz arm in arm, and everything seems possible. 

From there I moved to Utah, hence the origins of this tale.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author?

Too many to list. I like reading and listening to both science (mostly biology or quantum physics) and fiction. I hate listing epiphanal works because I always end up forgetting huge influences. Aldous Huxley,  Saki, and Ray Bradbury, though, are at the top of most of my lists. 

Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work?

I love the poetry of Bradbury, the intelligence of Huxley, and the brevity of Saki.  My father was a writer, Dolph Sharp. He told me stories. He also hosted a writer's group with Ray Bradbury in it. When I began to write, my father was dead by then, Ray mentored me. He was extremely generous to young writers.

The Ride, flash fiction, Issue 38, March 15, 2017

Biography 

I was an actor for twenty five years, with roles in TV and movies. You may spot me in both parts of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” if you’re quick at freeze-framing. I had a stint as a stand-up comic, which I still teach, as well as creative writing and comedy writing. I share a flat in London with my wife and that chilly portal I mentioned earlier. She still thinks I go there for beer…

Get to know Tony...

Birthdate? Tuesday’s child

When did you start writing? I wish I could remember.

When and what and where did you first get published? My book “How To Write Comedy” came out in 2014. I’ve had sketches on UK and Euro TV and radio, humour articles in newspapers and magazines. This is my first published prose fiction story.

What themes do you like to write about? I’m into the juncture of the phantasmagorical and the everyday: stardust on your toast, a gateway to other dimensions at the back of the fridge.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? Terry Pratchett, Robert Sheckley and Charles Dickens in their different ways showed me how to create characters, build worlds and make laughter. 

Song Hungers, Fiction, Issue 15, June 1, 2011

Swapna Kishore lives in Bangalore, India, and writes fiction and nonfiction. Her speculative fiction has appeared in Nature (Futures), Ideomancer, Fantasy Magazine, Strange Horizons, Sybil's Garage 7, Warrior Wisewoman 3, and other publications. Her website is at http://swapnawrites.com.

Get to know Swapna...

When did you start writing? I have been writing nonfiction since 1988 and have co-authored six books in the area of software, process, and quality. I started attempting fiction around nine years ago, and decided to focus on speculative fiction around five years ago. 

When and what and where did you first get published? My first nonfiction publication (now out of print) was a book called What every manager should know about computers, published in India in 1990. My first fiction sale was a speculative humor flash-length piece, which I sold to the e-zine Planet Relish in 2003.

What themes do you like to write about? In fiction, I focus on speculative fiction. Many of my stories have a mythological flavor and contain more female characters [than male characters]. I am facinated by what makes a person unique, especially the role of selective memories and their interpretation. Acceptance, forgiveness, and death are some subjects that I explore through stories. Other than fiction, I blog about dementia caregiving in India, and maintain a resource site for dementia care. 

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? I read a lot, often many books a week, but rarely remember details. I don't think what I read affects my writing choices. For example, I gobbled up the Harry Potter series, enjoyed Paulo Coelho's Alchemist, and was impressed by Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, but I cannot see traces of these in my writing. I write to sort out what puzzles or interests me. I also read nonfiction, especially popular science books on neurology; maybe some day these concepts will get incorporated in the world-building in my stories. 

The Right Stuff, Poetry, Issue 38, March 15, 2017

Vampire Valentine, Poetry, Issue 40, September 14, 2017

Biography

Following four years as a U.S. Army journalist, Shawn Klimek attended San Francisco State University to earn his BA in Creative Arts: Interdisciplinary. Despite these excellent credentials for bagging groceries, he somehow ended up as a Marketing Data Specialist.  His wife, Sara, is a nurse in the U.S. Air Force, and they are stationed at Misawa AB, Japan. Fortunately, this assignment has blessed him with more time to focus on his writing. Visit him on Facebook at Shawn M Klimek Author.

Get to know Shawn...

Birthday? December 1, 1961

When did you start writing? Dr. Seuss was a major childhood influence. At age nine, inspired by such television show theme songs as "Branded," I attempted to write my first poem,"The Ballad of Van Keith."  My eldest brother came along however, and because he kept laughing at a funny alternative rhyme he had thought of, ultimately persuaded me to shift my literary goals to humor.

When and what and where did you first get published? The summer after graduating from high school in Hereford, TX, I wrote a ten-minute, comic sketch to be used in interscholastic duet-acting competitions, and handed it off to the juniors in my drama class. The competition rules required that any works used be published, so they had someone do that for them in the local newspaper. No pay, of course. My talented schoolmates (one of whom rewrote the script) won their very first tournament using the piece, and by the end of that same year, teams from several schools had used it to qualify for State finals.

My first paid writing gig was as a U.S. Army Journalist.

What themes do you like to write about? Hope and hopelessness have come up a few times. Wizards and space farers seem to crop up the most often as subjects. But I love to tell stories of all kinds, and humor and adventure are my favorite treatments.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? Following Dr. Seuss, I graduated to Edgar Rice Burroughs (my parents owned his "Pellucidar" series), and then, later, to Rod Serling and Ray Bradbury. Skipping ahead a few decades, my tastes gradually broadened. Today, I automatically look for Jack Vance when I'm browsing used-bookstores, and I've read Patrick O'Brian's "Aubrey-Maturin" series three times.  My fantasy novel-in progress is noticeably influenced by Rex Stout, Douglas Adams and P.G. Wodehouse.

Drinking Problem, Fiction, Issue 10, March 1, 2010

Spencer Koelle is a Creative Writing Major at Susquehanna University, endeavoring to uphold the good name of speculative fiction. As a feminist, his greatest inspiration is the great god Dionysus. Like Derek Landy, Spencer enjoys the opportunity to write about himself in the third person without appearing pompous or insane.

Get to know Spencer...

Birthdate? March 30, 1988

When did you start writing? I've always dabbled in narratives, but I began writing with intent to publish in the Summer of 2008.

When and what and where did you first get published? It depends on how you define "published." My poem "Contemporary Literary Paean" was accepted for Pegasus, a non-copyrighted college publication at Delaware County Community College, during my final term there. My first formal publication is "Chick Food", published in the Fall 2009 issue of A Thousand Faces: The Quarterly Journal of Superhuman Fiction.

Why do you write? Because I have so many intriguing ideas buzzing in my head, seeking release.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? Because the ideas I have always involve a speculative fiction element. I think about story ideas by running of a fantasy or scifi concept I've seen or by adding it to something in real life. I can't not write Fantasy and Sci-Fi. On top of that, I really like writing about monsters and magic.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? My favorite author is Garth Nix, who in addition to being born with a perfect name for a dark fantasy writer, displays a range of ability, a world-writing restraint, and a sense of mystery and wonder that are sadly lacking in a lot of fantasy today. My favorite story is the one I haven't written yet.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? Monsters are awesome.

Do you blog? Where? No thanks, I'm vegetarian.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? Here lies somebody who still hopes to get another manuscript published.

Gil Dreamt about Zombies and Women, Poetry, Issue 21, December 1, 2012

Michaelsun Knapp is Native American, a college graduate, really really ridiculously good looking, and has published in magazines as far away from L.A. County as Ball State’s The Broken Plate in Indiana and Long Beach’s Carnival. He has been published on the internet, on small sites, and somewhat larger sites, and sites that have fallen.   

Get to know Micaelsun...

Birthdate? 26 June 1989

When did you start writing? I’ve been writing creatively, periodically, from when I learned to write, but I have only taken it as a serious course over the last two years taking pains to improve my craft and push my capabilities.

When and what and where did you first get published? This is a little embarrassing, but my first published work was through my elementary school. Its cover was laminated construction paper. It was bound with black plastic rings. It was about my friend and I fighting monsters, and not very good. I did the illustrations myself. My first published work as a serious writer was a story about a florist who murdered a homeless man because she was dissatisfied with her home life.

What themes do you like to write about? I like to write about the relationships people have; how people are affected by them and how they allow themselves to be affected. I occasionally make these up, steal them from other people, or write them from my own life.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? As an author, I’ve found the poetry of Lorca and fiction of Sanderson have resonated with me the most, to have made me want to change and to be better. Lorca was my first introduction to surrealism in poetry and it opened ways of writing that I didn’t know were even available. Sanderson has affected me more technically, the podcast he’s on, alone, I feel has made me a stronger writer with how I’m doing things, and making me more aware of conscious choices I’m making as a writer not just with fiction but with poetry as well.  

Foolish Wishes, Fairy Kisses, Fiction, Issue 21, December 1, 2012

Brent Knowles has been published in several magazines and anthologies including Shroud, Abyss and Apex, Neo-Opsis, On Spec and Writers of the Future. He can be found at www.brentknowles.com where he blogs sporadically about game design, writing and his kids.

Get to know Brent...

Birthdate? A brutal January morning, during a blizzard. My father and grandfather had to shovel snow from the highway to get me to the hospital in time. There may or may not have been wolves involved too.

When did you start writing? I remember writing my first graphic novel in grade 5 or 6, with a friend.

When and what and where did you first get published? My first sales were to a couple online sites, that I don’t think exist anymore. My first print sale was to Not One of Us in 2006. I sold them my story, ‘End of the Road’, which is the last in a series of stories about my post apocalyptic hero, Wanderer. (Oddly, I didn’t sell the first story in that series until years later).

What themes do you like to write about? I’m all over the place, to be honest, but I think generally many of my stories deal with reality. What is real, who is real. Most often I explore the theme through science fiction, but occasionally I’ll write a mystery or horror or fantasy story instead. I suspect my fixation with reality stems from years of playing pen and paper games and then transitioning into video games (and later making video games during my time with the role playing game studio BioWare).

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? During my youth I was very much into adventure fiction, generally Star Wars or D&D related material but I wouldn’t say what I write resembles those all that much. Still I like to bring some adventure elements into my work, when possible.

A stronger influence I think is that during my early adulthood I started reading Stephen King’s novels. And not just one book here and another there. I read his entire collection all at once, when I purchased the books from a friend. I pretty much devoured everything King had written, in the span of a couple months.

I prefer stories with realistic characters experiencing upheaval in their lives and struggling, not just to survive, but to cope psychologically with the upheavals. I like this about King’s work and it is why I gravitate more towards science fiction like Robert J. Sawyer nowadays, where it is just as much about the characters and their response to the events as it is the events themselves.

Butterfly Hands, Fiction, Issue 2,  March 1, 2008

Get to know Catherine...

Birthdate? May 10

When did you start writing? Fiction? A little over two years ago.

When and what and where did you first get published? My very first publication credit was way back in the 80's to "Owl" magazine (a pun, I believe!). My first "official" publication credit was a short story called Pinprick in the June 2006 issue of Forgotten Worlds.

Why do you write? Because I can't convince the words to leave me alone!

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? I seldom think about genre when I write. Genre figures into my process when I get to the stage of wondering "Now what do I do with this thing?".

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? I'm not sure I have a favorite, per se. But, one story that's stuck with me for a while is What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie.

The Lookout, Fiction, Issue 65,  Winter 2023

Get to know Dennis...

Birthdate?

16 Aug 69

When did you start writing?

I don’t know exactly. I have scraps of paper from when I was very young, maybe 6 or 7 with poems and short ideas. I kept a diary in high school, edited the school literary magazine, and wrote short stories ever since.

When and what and where did you first get published?

Poetry in high school and university magazines, academic articles in my professional career, but my first short story was published in 2021 “Her Mother’s Others” in The Chamber Magazine. https://thechambermagazine.com/2021/06/25/her-mothers-others-fiction-by-dennis-m-kohler/

Why do you write?

I have been writing every day of my life for decades, it has become a part of my life and identity. I suppose I write now because it hurts to not.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

I have always loved reading science fiction, I have always loved the openness of it. With science fiction, the world is only limited by our imagination. I believe it is a most fertile place to explore where we as human beings are and will be. Mostly, it is fun.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

When I was younger and of very limited means, I bought a copy of “The Number of the Beast,” by Robert Heinlein at a garage sale for 25 cents, though it is one of his most critically rejected works, it was dear to me. I have loved books by Jack Vance, Andre Norton, and Julian May. There are too many short stories to list, but I do remember one of the first that resonated with me was a story I read in an old anthology when I should have been working in the school library. Nerves, by Lester Del Rey almost got me fired.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

I was read to in my crib, and read to my children every day. I hope, in the end when my eyes are too old to see the words, some kind soul will read to me. We should enjoy the time we have with stories, reading should be accessible to everyone. I just want to be part of the thing that is so necessary for our humanity.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

Dennis learned far more than he ever taught.

Do you blog?

No but I do try to update my website, dennismkohler.com, when there are things that must be said.

Encounter While Waiting for Transport (with W. Gregory Stewart), Poetry, Issue 26, March 1, 2014

David Kopaska-Merkel studies rocks and the holes in them for the State of Alabama. He lives with an artist and several tetrapods in an urban farmhouse. Kopaska-Merkel has published 1200+ poems, stories, and essays since the 70s. He won the Rhysling award (Science Fiction Poetry Association) for best long poem in 2006 for a collaboration with Kendall Evans. He has written 23 books, of which the latest is Luminous Worlds, a collection of dark poetry from Dark Regions (http://www.amazon.com/Luminous-Worlds-David-C-Kopaska-Merkel/dp/193712892X/). Kopaska-Merkel has edited Dreams & Nightmares magazine since 1986. DN website http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/. @DavidKM on twitter.

Get to know David...

Birthdate? Jan. 11, '57.

When did you start writing? Age 15

When and what and where did you first get published? A poem in Albemarle H.S. litmag, ~1973.

What themes do you like to write about? death, transformation, aliens & animals, personal misfortune, future technologies & their effects on people

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? Walt Kelly's Pogo, for its whimsey; Tim Powers, PC Hodgell, & Roger Zelazny for inventiveness and taut story telling; Fritz Leiber for his ability to immerse the reader in a created world. Hundreds more have influenced me. Other than explicit shout-outs, the influences of others on my work isn't something from which I can tease out individual strands. 

Ozelotl, Fiction, Premier 1, December 1, 2007

http://www.johnkratman.com

John Kratman is a husband and the father of triplet girls. When he’s not busy spending time with his family, he’s a fulltime techno-bureaucrat. He lives in Rhode Island.John’s fiction has appeared in markets such as Jim Baen’s Universe, Aeon Speculative Fiction, and Dark Recesses Press. Check out his website and blog at http://www.johnkratman.com

Get to know John...

Birthdate?I just turned 36.

When did you start writing? I started writing seriously around 2001, though I had fooled around with it a few times before that.

When and what and where did you first get published? My first sale was to the 2005 NASfic anthology, Northwest Passages: A Cascadian Odyssey. I was psyched - there were some great stories by some very well known authors.

Why do you write? It beats thinking about the fact that I'm going to be a corporate drone for the rest of my life.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? It's what I enjoy reading the most. 

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? I guess if we're talking about short speculative fiction, my favorite author is definitely Roger Zelazny. Favorite short from him....probably The Furies, which I picked up in a collection a lot of people are familiar with, Four for Tomorrow.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? Nothing in particular. I like to think people will be entertained.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? "Worms gotta eat, too."

Do you blog? Where? http://jkratman.livejournal.com

The Curve, Fiction, Issue 37, December 15, 2016

Get to know Damien...

Birthday? January 30

When and what and where did you first get published? My first published piece of SF was “Good Night, Eva,” which appeared in 365 Tomorrows in 2010.

What themes do you like to write about? I enjoy learning about the natural sciences and philosophy, and writing is my way of learning.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? The works of Greg Egan, Gene Wolfe, William Gibson, among heaps of other SF writers, but also Ballard, DeLillo, Pynchon, Nabokov, Joyce, Woolf, Borges... Books like Incandescence and Aurora and The City and the City and The Handmaid's Tale have shown me what the genre is capable of.

Biography

Damien Krsteski writes SF and develops software. His fiction has appeared in Plasma Frequency, Flapperhouse, Future Fire, Bastion, Kzine, Mad Scientist Journal, and others. Visit him at http://monochromewish.blogspot.com.