Under Io, poem, Issue 16, September 1, 2011

Biography

An avid fan of storytelling in all its forms--from oral tale-telling to all kinds of written works, to movies, to stories told through music, and beyond--S. Bradley O'Blenis has been writing for some time but has only begun submitting in signifigant numbers fairly recently. His works range from horror to fantasy to mystery to science fiction to 'slice-of-life' to adventure and on, and all kinds of hybrids thereof. His poems usually focus on love, spirituality, nature, and on dreaming and hoping, although there are examples that fall into the same kind of territory as his stories. In defiance of convention (and, most likely, of logic and common sense as well) rather than work on one piece at a time he tends to have numerous projects on the go at any one time, ranging from ideas still just germinating to projects at long last having the finishing touches put on their end drafts. Unusual and perhaps illogical, but it sure is fun (and, according to the author, a tremendous rush to be getting work done on several completely different stories in a short span of time). He lives on a large slice of land in rural Canada with his family, which they feel priveleged to share with squirrels, crows, robins, toads, bats, woodchucks, even the occasional deer or duck which wanders in to freely sample the cuisine of the gardens and crops.

Get to know S....

When did you start writing?

I know this is going to sound cliche, but I've been writing in some form or other for as long as I can remember. Before I started school, just making up stories as best I could and putting them down on paper with what words I knew (there was probably also a lot of "Mommy, how do you spell ________?") was no different from playing out whatever stories I had with my toys.

The main thrust of my current writing probably started about six or seven years ago; prior to that I'd been trying to write, and occasionally getting work done that I felt was good, and occasionally even completing a piece. But it was about six or seven years ago that I was able to put away all the notions about how I was 'supposed' to write, and venturing out on a new path where I wrote in my own way. Previously, if I came to a spot in a story where I couldn't get one sentence exactly right, I'd obsess on it and not go any further until I got it precisely how I wanted it. In my new way I'd do it--the sentence--the story section, whatever--as best I could and feel a lot more confident that I would simply return and polish that sentence or paragraph up later. That worked well, although there were times I just couldn't get it even remotely right, and I'd feel more confident about putting the whole work aside, doing other projects, and returning to the work when the time was right.

That leads into another change in my work. I used to try to limit myself to having two or three works on the go at one time; now I let myself go with however many want to come. Not only do I get more work done in any given period of time, any given work tends to progress faster this way. It's as if one that's suffering from writer's block, actually has all its gears rumble a bit when I'm working on other things, and that blocked project shakes off the block quicker this way than if I spent that time fretting, worrying, and forcing myself to work 'x' hours a day on it (during which what I got done on paper wouldn't necessarily be that great).

So now the way I work is to have numerous projects on the go at any one time. Some of them may never go anywhere, because some insist on moving at a slow pace and also insist on expanding themselves indefinately (one question I grapple with in a semi-serious way, and which turns up in some of my stories--and in other authors's stories, I've noticed) is this: how much of this (story, poem, endless saga, etc.) am I actually writing, and how much is writing itself? That's something that would sound crazy saying to most people, but I suspect that a lot of writers, editors, and people in any creative field would have a definate sense of that strange feeling I'm referring to.

Anyway, two ways of knowing if a piece is worth continuing to plug away at: 1) if you KNEW this would never get published, never make any money, would you write it anyway? (Of course, one may also wish to endeavor to write other stories that they hoped WOULD get published, too.) 2)- if you're writing it and you're thinking "If even a handful of people love this a third as much as I do, I'll be one happy author," then that's a very good feeling.

Okay, I'm going on WAY too long here (this is why some of my projects take a long time to reach completion--I start out on something I'm hoping will be a good short story of about ten pages, and then about fifty pages later I realize it's still only begun...) so I'll try and answer the other questions more quickly.

When and what and where did you first get published?

My first publication was a poem called "Apart," done a long time ago back in the 90s, when I was still quite young and new to the idea of publishing It's one of the very rare pieces I completed in those days (although others that were begun at that time were revived and have in some cases been completed, in that spell starting six or seven years ago) and it was even rarer in that I saw a place looking for submissions --quite by accident--and I took a chance on sending it in. It got into an anthology called Ballads Of Our Lives, no pay, but still, great to get something out there. It would be a little while before I submitted again, though. When that surge of writing came, I made a decisdion (I'm still not sure if it was conscious or not) to just write for a while and try and get a few things built up before launching into the submissions process full-tilt.

What themes do you like to write about?

As for what themes I like to write about--I like writing almost everything, really. Horror, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, adventure, 'slice-of-life', all kinds of stuff I don't even know how to classify. I've got things written that I wouldn't have a clue where to submit, because I can't even identify if it's a story, a poem, or some weird stream-of-consciousness thing. They're not all like that of course, but in general I like to mix in a lot of different elements. Most writers probably to some extent write the stories they're dying to read, and I'm certainly no exception. My poems are often based on emotions and yearnings and the whole secret-hopes-and-fears kind of axis. "Under Io" is different from that; it was written in a batch of poems dealing with living things and nature and all that, and this one happended to be a nature-based poem touching on the nature of a whole different world. Other poems written in that batch included "Dandelion," "Crows," "The Winter Poem," "Child"--so you sort of get an idea of the track I was on. I would, however, like to go back and tackle the whole subject of Io's hypothetical life in a big science fiction novel.

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

Hoo boy. I've already been far too long-winded, so I'll restrict myself to a handful of novels that people may actually be familiar with. If I open up on all the strange things I've read that nobody knows, and then expand to include short stories, poems, movies, comics, songs and music--all of which have been influential--we'll be here all week. Shadowland by Peter Straub, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, Deepdrive by Alexander Jablokov, Julia by Straub, Balook by Piers Anthony, the first two Duncton books by William Horwwod (only two I've read so far, probably get to #3 soon), The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova--these are all among the ones that I've immensely enjoyed reading and that stay with me in full force ever afterwards. And another I have to mention, even though it seems to languish in near-total (and very undeserved) obscurity is The Gnole, by Alan Aldridge, Steve Boyett, and Maxine Miller. And there are so many others, I could go on and on.

Probably the biggest influence from these and other works is that their diversity shows that there are really no limits. There's no one way you have to write, there's no style that you can't try and tackle. You can mix in anything, you can go and do things that are just way out there, or you can take a theme that's been done before, but prove that that same ground that others have mined for their tales still has much treasure waiting to be offered up.

A Walk in the Sun, Fiction, Issue 28, September 1, 2014

Mike O’Reilly is a doctor. He has been an emergency doctor for the past 9 years and has only recently made a momentous career choice. He is married and has a young son. All of the above adds up to a time deficit that he struggles to make up. He has been writing a long time, but it took him a long time to learn how to finish a story. He writes short stories that people seem to want to read, a fact that amazes and humbles him.

Get to know Mike...

Birthdate? 1968

When did you start writing? I remember acquiring a toy typewriter my sister received as a birthday present and writing my first science fiction story when I was about eight years old. I 'two finger' tapped a swirling space opera that bore a startling resemblance to Battlestar Galactica, the old one where the cylons looked like homicidal vacuum cleaners rather than the new one where cylons look like supermodels.

When and what and where did you first get published? I had written on and off since that first story but never seriously considered seeking to be published. In 2008 I worked in Afghanistan and thought hard about my writing and decided to try to be published. I wrote a horror story called “Sins of the Flesh” and sold it to Night to Dawn. I haven’t stopped since.

What themes do you like to write about? I don’t have many thematic pretensions. I first write characters and the stories grow around them. It probably seems a bit empty but I don’t go looking for theme and I am often surprised when a theme is pointed out to me.

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 Stephen King as a teenager, I think everyone did, and fell for his simple story telling and strong characterisation. I enjoy literary crime fiction - especially James Lee Burke and the crossover crime supernatural novels of John Connolly. I would love to find some comparison of my work to any of the above but alas I am a work in progress.

Dutchman Rules, Fiction, Issue 59, Summer 2022

Bio

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Currently living in exile further East on the same stretch of land just over the border of the City. Has been a prosecutor and is an insurance attorney for longer than he is willing to admit. Husband and father. Writer, homeowner, handy man, restorer of hand tools, known to do cruel things to perfectly innocent pieces of wood.

Birthdate?

Old enough to have an AARP card. (2-7-65)

When did you start writing?

In grammar school.

When and what and where did you first get published?

First published in the grammar school paper -religious oriented poetry. As an adult, first published in Painted Bride Quarterly. NewMyths is my first commercial sale.

Why do you write?

Always have. Hopefully, always will. It seems as natural as breathing, labored at times.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

One never forgets his first love. The limits are boundless.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Tough one. Ray Bradbury. Something Wicked This Way Comes

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

In this story, that nostalgia is benefit and bane.

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

A good man.

Do you blog?

No

Molting Season, Poetry, Issue 23, June 1, 2013

Kenneth A O’Shaughnessy lives in Simpsonville, SC with his wife and several children. When he is not writing, he works full time as a data engineer and attends church. He recently spent six months trying to write a poem a day, and was successful if you take an average. He is working to publish several children’s picture books, and the first middle reader book in his Meals With Monsters series.

Get to know Kenneth...

Birthdate? March 29, 1970

When did you start writing? I started writing in the fourth grade at Cherry Street Elementary in Phoenix, NY to spice up my vocabulary word papers. These were adventures about a character completely different from me, as evidenced by the name I gave him, “Kenneth Irishman”.

When and what and where did you first get published? Like most poets, I was originally published in one of those books that you can get a copy of for only $49.95. I have also had a poem printed in the August 2012 edition of Underneath the Juniper Tree, a macabre journal for children. Self-publishing has been my primary outlet; my poetry collections from the past several months and a children’s book can be found on Amazon: amazon.com/Kenneth-OShaughnessy/e/B008HPMJKE

What themes do you like to write about? I weave religion into many of my works, but I mainly just like the way words feel as they rub up against each other in different ways. Most of my pieces started with a phrase that began to gather other phrases around it for the company. I spent six months trying to write at least one poem a day, so I was constantly inviting words over to play. As a result, I have a fairly eclectic oeuvre.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? I like authors that use words in unusually effective ways. The fiction of G. K. Chesterton, the works of Ray Bradbury, and a picture book by Jules Feiffer called Bark, George! are primary examples.

How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? I strive to use words as concisely as possible to achieve the desired effect. Sometimes, the best surprise is in what the author did not have to say.

At Death's Door, Flash Fiction, Issue 15, June 1, 2011

Get to know Mel...

Birthdate? November 21, 1981

When did you start writing? I have been writing since I was 11 years old--ever since my brother brought home our first computer with WordStar. I started submitting my stories in 2011, after quitting my IT career to be a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom).

When and what and where did you first get published? In March 2011, I received my first acceptance letter and contract from Daily Science Fiction for my story entitled, "The Jester". Technically, though, my first short story to be published online was "Death Wish", which appeared last April on the New Asian Writing website.

What themes do you like to write about? Anything and everything that inspires me at the moment, so long as I can inject some fantastical or absurd element to it.

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 of fantasy, science fiction, romance, and historical novels, but I think it is the stuff I grew up with--fairy tales, myths and legends, the works of Hayao Miyazaki and other various Japanese anime/manga--that have inspired me to dream about improbable places, people, and things and realize them through my writing.

The Yeast of Your Worries, Fiction, Issue 3, June 1, 2008

Fredrick Obermeyer lives in Cooperstown, NY. He enjoys writing science-fiction, horror, crime and fantasy and has had stories published in the Dead Inn, Alternate Realities, Planet Relish, Fedora, the Fifth Di, Forgotten Worlds, Electric Spec and Golden Visions magazine.

Get to know Fredrick...

Birthdate? November 12th, 1978.

When did you start writing? 1997.

When and what and where did you first get published? "Artificial Life." It was published in a high school magazine back in the late 90's. I forget the name.

Why do you write? Because I love making up stories and imagining ideas that can't exist in the real world.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?Science fiction and fantasy are far less restrictive in terms of exploring the human condition than traditional mainstream fiction. As an author, they allow you to transcend the limits of ordinary existence and explore unique themes and ideas that mainstream fiction can't or won't touch. Also, I like the fact that speculative fiction is still something of an outlaw literature. What I mean is that people still look down at science fiction and fantasy and that lack of respectability makes it an intriguing branch of literature to work in. Oftentimes you can take more risks and be more daring in sf than in mainstream literature.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? Difficult to say. I have so many. Maybe now Kurt Vonnegut and "Harrison Beregon." I really like Vonnegut's wry cynicism. Ask me tomorrow, and I'll probably give you a different answer.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? I don't know if I'm trying to say anything, really. I'm not a big fan of fiction with a "Message." Emphasis on the capital "M". I just want to tell stories that entertain readers and possibly make them look at the world in a different way. If I've done that, then I've done my job.

Do you blog? No.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? Please don't water the roses. Thank you.

David Milner Is, Fiction, Issue 13, December 1, 2010

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?

My reading tastes range far and wide, but for inspiration I tend to stick close to home when it comes to speculative fiction. The collected short stories of Harlan Ellison have perhaps been the biggest influence on me as both a writer and reader. He brings a passion to the page that lingers long after the words have slipped once more between the covers, whether the glorious trickster in ' "Repent, Harlequin!" Said The Ticktockman ', the tormented mother in "Soft Monkey", or the tangled family relationships in "Cat Man".

Conversely, the lush detail of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint Germain novels leaves me wanting more because I can't step through the page and into her incredible settings. She adds a depth of physical detail that engages all of the senses.

My hope as a writer is to marry Ellison's passion with Yarbro's detail to create a story where the reader can't help but ask "What next?" and then reach toward the page hoping to touch the answer.

Biography

Sandra M. Odell is a 43-year old, happily married mother of two, an avid reader, compulsive writer, and rabid chocoholic. Her writing credits include publication in Jim Baen's UNIVERSE, audio production on The Drabblecast, and upcoming publication in Horror Bound Magazine's "Fear of the Dark" anthology. She is a Clarion West 2010 graduate.

Gentleman's Agreement, Fiction, Issue 45, December 15, 2018

Get to know Tom Olbert...

When did you start writing?

As soon as I could hold a pencil.

When and what and where did you first get published?

Science fiction, in struggling small press publications, in the late 90's.

Why do you write?

It's always come as naturally as breathing. I like to take an idea to its logical conclusion. At times, writing is cathartic. A way to vent about things that make me angry. Or, just a way to speculate.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Sometimes, I'll wish to take a scientific idea as far as my imagination makes possible, if the idea intrigues me. At other times, scientific speculation, the paranormal or fantasy makes an excellent canvass for allegory; you have the whole universe to serve as a backdrop for whatever is on your mind.

Who is your favorite author?

Ray Bradbury

Your favorite story?

Fahrenheit 451

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

Any number of things or nothing at all, depending on the story and how I feel at the time. Rebellion against injustice is one theme I've used a lot.

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

He tried his best.

Do you blog? - Yes, I do.

The Tideline, Fiction, Issue 43, June 2018

Andy Oldfield (www.andyoldfield.com), a psychotherapist in a former working life, is a storyteller and musician who lives in the UK. His fiction has been published on both sides of the Atlantic in the likes of: Dark Horizons, Flashquake, F/SF, Gold Dust, HMS Beagle, Interzone, Neo-opsis, Scheherazade and Thaumotrope.

Grey Halo, Fiction, Issue 59, Summer 2022

Bio

Rosie has been in love with science fiction ever since as a teenager she discovered a whole bookcase of yellow-covered Gollancz books in Chesterfield library. It sent her on a world-spinning life journey that includes being a mathematician turned aeronautical then systems engineer, an experimental fruit and vegetable gardener, an accredited handicraft judge and recently, a minor author of a research paper on aurora borealis (northern lights). With all this variety in life, it is not surprising she likes writing science fiction.

Birthdate?

1958

When did you start writing?

It feels like several ice ages ago. Ever since school, I always had an interest in writing stories, but my English was not up to much. Part of the problem was being brought up to speak German as well as English and blundering into imposing German grammar on the English language. Then in 1993, I realized I had the imagination to build dazzling thought-provoking worlds, but not the skill to write about them. So started the long arduous road of working up to having some literary style.

When and what and where did you first get published?

The British writers’ magazine, ‘the new writer’ had a short science fiction story competition for new writers, which I won with ‘Displaced’. The nineteenth century alpine climber, Whymper, inspired it by in essence saying rock fragments often present the same fractal shapes as the mountains they come from. What better place to demonstrate this than on the rocky planet of Mercury? ‘Displaced’ was published in their volume 66 in May 2004.

Why do you write?

To get a buzz out letting my creative muse come out to play. I can never be sure when I start writing where my story will end up. There have been so many times I’ve sat back at the end of a session thinking, ‘Where did that come from? It’s so much better than my original plot.’ This feeling has its own special aura of satisfaction! It’s super addictive.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

As you would expect from a mathematician turned engineer, I write science fiction (though I have very occasionally strayed towards fantasy). The multi-verses of potential science and technology are so fascinating and little explored in literature. It’s such a shame many people miss out on such awesomeness and hope-inspiring dreams that could one day become real. I just want to let people have a honeyed taste of the beauty of the future.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

The answer will vary depending on what mood I’m in. If I’m feeling inclined to the thought-provoking intellectual, then Adam Roberts, and in particular his The Real-Town Murders. If adventurous, it’s Peter F Hamilton, principally his Salvation trilogy. If I’m in the mood for something grim, Simon Morden is the go-to author with his Metrozone series (Samuil Petrovitch novels). On the other hand if I want to debate about life as we know it today, then I would recommend Heather Child’s Everything About You.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

We have only scratched the surface of the wonders of science, the ingenuity of turning it into technology and the complexity of fine-tuning the engineering. My science fiction aims to push this well beyond what is currently identified by genre authors or anticipated by today’s scientists and engineers. It is like having a whole un-sensed super-brilliant multi-verse to play with and wanting to share it with readers.

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

Her impossible turned into illusions.

Do you blog?

Yes. See rosieoliver.wordpress.com

Gruff, Flash Fiction, Issue 7, June 1, 2009

Lydia Ondrusek is a long-married mother of two who describes herself as writing her way out of a paper bag. More of her fiction can be found online at Sniplits, BURST Literary Ezine, Flash Fiction Online and Flash Me, with work upcoming at Every Day Fiction.

Get to know Lydia...

When and what and where did you first get published? My first fiction publications were drm-free audio, bought by Sniplits before the site even went live. They took a drabble called “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (a shout-out to Stephen King) and a group of four fifty-worders.

Why do you write? Writing is how I try to answer the questions in my head. Also, it’s the only way I know how to draw.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? When I write fantasy (I don’t always), it’s because it’s the proper vehicle for the story I need to tell.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? In fantasy, my favorite author is Ray Bradbury; favorite story is “In A Season of Calm Weather”, with “Uncle Einar” and “The Exiles” close seconds.

Do you blog? Where? I blog at www.thelittlefluffycat.com, in the persona of a small black and white cat.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? “Missed.”

Moonshine Girl and the Golden Cat, Fiction, Issue 27, June 1, 2014

Christopher Owen lives in Texas with his wife and two cats. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his work has appeared at Every Day Fiction, Daily Science Fiction, Mystic Signals, Fried Fiction and other places. He is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop and the Yale Summer Writing Program. More info at his blog, www.christopherowenwriter.blogspot.com.

Get to know Christopher...

Birth date? May 9th

When did you start writing? I started writing in childhood, filling old spiral notebooks with fanciful stories. Started writing seriously (and collecting rejection slips) in high school.

When and what and where did you first get published? My first published story was called “Father Figure,” a mainstream piece about a man who discovers he’s not the father of his child. It appeared in a now defunct college literary magazine called Perspectives.

What themes do you like to write about? I rarely think about themes when I write (but perhaps I should), I just get an idea for an individual story and run with it. I guess if I analyzed my stories for themes I would find that they often deal with loneliness, loss, and love.

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 grew up loving Tolkien’s works, and I still reread them regularly today, but there have been so many Tolkien clones and knockoffs written that I feel there’s not room for any more, so I don’t tend to write ‘high fantasy’ like that. My favorite writer is John Crowley. His prose is so exquisite and moving. I aspire to write like that, but usually fall short. Some other writers who have shaped me: Hemingway, Thoreau, Shakespeare, e. e. cummings, Mark Twain, Joanne Harris. I could go on and on.