From Hell's Heart, Fiction, Issue 30, March 1, 2015

Dark God Rising: The Slender Man, Nonfiction, Issue 32, September 1, 2015

Donald Jacob Uitvlugt lives on neither coast of the United States, but mostly in a haunted memory palace of his own design. While primarily a short story writer, he also writes the occasional book review and essay. His short story "From Hell's Heart" appeared earlier this year in New Myths, and he has a story in Chaosium's forthcoming werewolf anthology Mark of the Beast. He also regularly serves as a judge at the weekly one-on-one writing contest, TheWritersArena.com. If you enjoyed "Dark God Rising," let him know at his webpage http://haikufiction.blogspot.com or via Twitter:  @haikufictiondju

Get to know Donald...

Birthdate? March 22nd

When did you start writing? My sixth grade teacher gave a weekly creative writing assignment, and I usually wrote a minimum of three times the required amount. But I first started writing seriously (ie, to get paid) around 2005, when I read a novel by a fantasy writer and said to myself, "I can do that."

When and what and where did you first get published? The first short story for which I got paid was a piece of flash fiction called "Ghost in My Mind" that appeared in a now-defunct webzine.

What themes do you like to write about? Many of my stories are about ordinary people forced into extreme situations. For example, "From Hell's Heart" treats how far someone might go for revenge. I also deal a lot with alienation and loss of faith and its results.

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? Every story or book I read shapes me as an author. The author that intrigues me the most these days is Jorge Luis Borges. I admire how he was storyteller, essayist and poet, and how such classifications have a tendency to break down in his work. Even in translation, his work has a deceptive simplicity. The simplicity allows for some complex thoughts and emotions to take root in the soul. I strive for a similar effect in my own work.

Lily Pad Interlude, Flash Fiction, Issue 27, June 1, 2014

Sarena Ulibarri earned her MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder and will be attending Clarion UCSD in the summer of 2014. Her fiction has appeared in Lightspeed, The Colored Lens, The First Line, Birkensnake and elsewhere. She is a first reader for Crossed Genres and occasionally judges for the NYC Midnight story challenges. Find more at www.sarenaulibarri.weebly.com

Get to know Sarena...

Birthday? The same as JK Rowling’s, exactly two decades later. 

When did you start writing? Shortly after I started reading.

When and what and where did you first get published? Very first publication was in 2005 with a poem in Scribendi, a regional magazine run out of my undergraduate alma mater, the University of New Mexico. I won a $250 prize for that poem and also got to attend a conference in Las Vegas. My first fiction publication was in 2011 with Zahir: A Journal of Speculative Fiction, which was a very nice online magazine that I wish was still publishing. First pro-level sale was to Lightspeed in 2013.

What themes do you like to write about? I’ve always loved mythology, and it often influences my writing. Another recently published story, “As Dust Rolls Toward the Mountains” in Kasma SF, pulls from the Cassandra myth. A realist story, “These Boots” published by the Center for the American West, flips the gender of Cinderella and places it in contemporary Wyoming. The novel I’m currently querying is science fiction but also includes minotaurs, hydras and Hindu deities. A recently written story investigates how mythic language could be used to make sense of electricity and technology in a post-apocalyptic world that has none.

For a while I was writing stories based on an idiom or cliché, taking these common sayings literally, and to their absurd extreme. Stories like “Son of a Gun” in Gone Lawn and “Working like a Dog” in Bartleby Snopes are examples of that theme.

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?

If I had to pick a favorite short story, it might be “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury, and if I had to pick a second, it might be “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler, and a third maybe “The Distance of the Moon” by Italo Calvino. All of these stories have the kind of depth, lyricism and clarity that I might occasionally stumble into, for a sentence or two, on a good day.

Up From the Valley, Down to the Valley and a Pass Between, Fiction, Issue 52, September 2020

End of Season at Lesser Klattercup Island, Fiction, Issue 66, Spring 2024

James Van Pelt writes full-time in western Colorado. He has coached swim teams, taught high school and college English, and enjoys the numerous hiking trails near his home. His work has appeared numerous times in Analog, Asimov’s and other venues. He has been a finalist for the Nebula, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (now the Astounding Award), and been reprinted in several Year’s Best anthologies. He hangs out on Facebook and loves chatting with fans and writers. 

Get to know James...

Birthdate?  6/26/54

When did you start writing?

I actually submitted a poem for publication to Scientific American when I was in 4th grade. I had no idea what I was doing. I’m sure I didn’t include a SASE or format it correctly, but a couple months later a patient editor there wrote me back to explain that Scientific American didn’t publish poetry. I pretty much considered myself a writer from that point forward. I remember in elementary school going into the science fiction section to see which authors my book would be shelved between (Jack Vance and A.E. Van Vogt). I didn’t get serious about writing and trying to publish until my late 20s.

When and what and where did you first get published?

I sold my first story in 1989 while I was working on a masters degree in creative writing at U.C. Davis to a small magazine called AFTER HOURS. I was 34. The editor phoned me, but didn’t introduce himself or say why he was calling. He launched into what sounded like a critique of the story. I thought he was one of my professors or another student. Eventually, though, I figured out he was an editor who wanted to buy the story. The problem was that AFTER HOURS had a narrow editorial requirement that some part of every story took place at night. My story had no night scene in it. I changed one sentence and he bought it.

Why do you write?

I write because there are stories I can’t find that I would like to read. I write because I enjoy the challenge of turning a blank page into a space filled with people who don’t exist, in a setting that I made up, doing actions that have never occurred, and that produce an emotional/intellectual response in a reader. I spoke to a third-grade class about being a writer once. A kid asked me what I did, specifically, and I explained about writing fiction. He wrinkled his brow and said, “So, you just make shit up?” Yeah, well, yes.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

I was a major-league science fiction fan pretty much from the time I could read. My dad was a big fan of science fiction movies too, so those are what he took me to see. I have a tendency to see the world in science fictional or fantastical possibilities. They’re fun worlds to live in imaginatively.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

I have lots of favorite authors, but the first one was Ray Bradbury. I loved science fiction when I was young, but the idea of writing a novel seemed completely unrealistic. I was one of those kids who freaked out about having to do a two-page book report over a weekend! But after I read THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, which I found to be an utterly captivating book, I thought that although I could never write a novel, maybe if I stretched myself I could manage one of those little things that Ray Bradbury did in THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. Heck, the first story in that book, “Rocket Summer,” is less than a page long. So, if I stick with Bradbury, my favorite story might be, “There Came Soft Rains,” or “All of Summer in a Day,” or “The Veldt.” For a novel, probably my favorite would be Robert Holdstock’s MYTHAGO WOOD. That’s if I don’t count LORD OF THE RINGS, or THE SHINING (they’re so long they get their own category).

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

Although I think my fiction does say stuff (I’m an old high school English teacher—eventually the question of a piece’s theme comes up), I don’t think I have a consistent point. Sometimes when I write horror, the message is “Something awful is going to get you.” That’s a bleak thing to say all the time, so I’ll also write pieces that say, “There are reasons for hope.” My stories say a lot of things in between those two extremes.

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

I’ve had the epitaph planned for my gravestone for a long time: “I consider myself prey.” The food chain is all encompassing, wouldn’t you say? What I’m worried about is that the universe will take me literally and a mountain lion will get me when I’m on a jog on a western Colorado trail.

Do you blog?

I’m mostly active on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/james.vanpelt.14  but I also have a real web site at www.jamesvanpelt.com 

Recollection of Merit, Fiction, Issue 42, March 15, 2018

J. Verostka was born in the Mid-west and grew up a little bit of everywhere, even some time overseas but mostly on the West Coast. She attended college in Richmond, Virginia, stayed,  married, pursued a career as a tapestry weaver and set that aside to mother full time. Somewhere along the way, mothering led to writing and now she does both. She still owns two looms and four spinning wheels - along with thousands of books - but her dearest things are her husband, her daughter and sometimes her cats.  

Birthday?

November 6, somewhere mid-20th-century.

 When did you start writing?

As the oldest of four siblings -- and designated entertainer/babysitter -- in a household which moved almost constantly, storytelling was a large part of my life. When I wasn't creating adventures with whatever happened to be at hand for the little ones, I was alleviating my own boredom with a pretty fantastic stream of imaginary worlds in which I was some kind of hero. I never thought of it as a talent though, it was more like a survival skill. I moved on (skip a couple of decades here) and then, when I had a child of my own, I finally wrote a story -- for her. And found that the storyteller in me was still there. Waiting. And she'd been taking notes.  

When and what and where did you first get published?  

Recollection Of Merit. NewMyths.

What themes do you like to write about?

I don't choose to start from themes and yet, everything I've written seems to ultimately revolve around that thing that gives - or comes to give - the protagonist's life its purpose.     

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 cut my teeth on traditional fairy tales and myths; those are the bedrock of my imagination. There are other influences. I hit my teens just as a cultural landslide of fantasy hit the bookshelves and classic sf was sitting around in heaps in second-hand book stores. The truth is, I'll read anything. Dictionaries. Reader's Digest.  History and art history and "how people lived" books. Since the story I wrote for my daughter turned out to be a YA, I am researching that market with unbridled enthusiasm.  But I always go back to stories with ancient bones underneath, however modern the clothes I may dress them in.

Conversations with Tungking Langit, Fiction, Issue 32, September 1, 2015

Biography

Recle E. Vibal, a son of a Bicolano and an Ilonga, is proudly Filipino. He finished a degree in BS Chemical Engineering at the University of the Philippines Los Baños but found his passion in writing and learning. He reads books of every genre but devours more fantasy, history, and mythology than what is good for the body.

Learn more at www.ibongtikling.wordpress.com

Birthday? 6 July, 1987

When did you start writing? I started writing in the second half of 2011. Yes, I'm a late blooming writer.

When and what and where did you first get published? My first published works were "Target: Heart" and "White Hairs" in Amok: An Anthology of Asia-Pacific Speculative Fiction and Allusions of Innocence, respectively, both by Solarwyrm Press.

What themes do you like to write about? I like stories of unrequited and enduring love that keeps fighting for what is right despite all the challenges. In all my stories, I try to add something Filipino or Filipino-like in the characters and settings.

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? Neil Gaiman is my favorite author, and he has influenced much of my writing. Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Coraline, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane taught me how children faced with what they fear the most can be the best of heroes. I often find myslef trying to immitate Gaiman's prose. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and Richard Adam's Watership Down showed me what a fun adventure really looks like. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo made me realize the power of stories to induce change. Philippine folk literature gives me the characters and settings that add the Filipino flavor in my fantasy stories.

Swift Vengeance, Flash Fiction, issue 50, March 15, 2020

Dawn Vogel's academic background is in history, so it's not surprising that much of her fiction is set in earlier times. By day, she edits reports for historians and archaeologists. In her alleged spare time, she runs a craft business, co-runs a small press, and tries to find time for writing. Her steampunk adventure series, Brass and Glass, is available from DefCon One Publishing. She is a member of Broad Universe, SFWA, and Codex Writers. She lives in Seattle with her husband, author Jeremy Zimmerman, and their herd of cats. Visit her at http://historythatneverwas.com.  

Birthdate?

I share a birthday with Elton John, Gloria Steinem, and Lee Pace, though none of us share the same birth year.

When did you start writing?

As best as my family can tell, soon after I started reading (age 3). We found a story I wrote and illustrated when I was about 4 or 5 years old when we went through some old boxes from my dad's house. It had some slight flaws, like not quite following through on the promise of the title.

When and what and where did you first get published?

My first published story was "The Recondite Riddle of the Rose Rogue," which appeared in the steampunk issue of Crossed Genres Magazine in 2010.

Why do you write?

Because I honestly can't imagine not writing.

Do you blog?

Yep! I post on weekdays at http://historythatneverwas.com

Warchild, Flash Fiction, Issue 52, September 2020

It wasn’t until David VonAllmen’s high school professor thought one of his short stories was suspiciously high in literary merit and threatened to have him expelled for plagiarism that he realized he just might have the talent to be a real writer. David’s writing has appeared in Galaxy’s Edge, Daily Science Fiction, Deep Magic, and other professional publications. David is the Grand Prize winner of the 2018 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. He lives in his hometown of St. Louis with his wife, Ann, and children, Lucas and Eva, who write some pretty darn good stories of their own. Links to his works can be found at davidvonallmen.com. 

Get to know David...

Birthdate?

January 19, 1972

When did you start writing?

I started writing at 13 years old, but never thought my work was any good and gave it up. It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that I thought, “If I really study the craft, maybe I could become a decent writer. No point in not trying."

When and what and where did you first get published?

Daily Science Fiction, sometime in early 2016.

Why do you write?

I don’t have a real answer for that. All I can say is that the only things that interest me are things that are creative and I like creating stories the best.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Science Fiction and Fantasy are the stories full of ideas and wonder, things that will really light up your brain. I’m always searching for that feeling.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Probably Terry Pratchett. My favorite novel of his is Small Gods, because it’s got tons of clever humor while at the same time having a lot of insight into our social structures and how they work.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

I’ve never had a particular message I’m aiming for with my body of work. Individual stories say something, but it’s usually a meaning that I find while I’m writing it so there’s a degree of randomness to it. If there’s any common thread, it’s probably that you can only judge yourself or others based on whether or not they did their best to do what they believed was right, whether they succeeded or not.

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

"He loved his friends and family with all of his heart, and did the best he could for them.” Oh boy, now that I’ve written that, I have to follow up on it, don’t I?

Do you blog?

Nope! I have a page on my website where I post updates about my convention schedule and stories coming out, but I’m not interesting enough that people would want to hear about my daily life. It’s mostly hanging out with my kids.

Follow Me, Poetry, Issue 45, December 15, 2018

Calie Voorhis is an internationally published short story writer and poet, with appearances in the Space Sirens Anthology, Farspace 2, DOA - Tales of Extreme Terror (Volumes 1 and 2), Andromeda Spaceway’s Inflight Magazine Issue 51, Anywhere but Earth, the Urban Green Man Anthology, and the upcoming If This Goes On, among others. She is an Odyssey workshop alum with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.

Get to know Calie...

Birthdate?

5/20/1969

When did you start writing?

In second grade – a story about the Keebler Elves and a cat.

When and what and where did you first get published?

Deep Magic way back when.

Why do you write?

Writing is a way to get worlds across.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Because my imagination tends to run towards the fantastic.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Unfair question – rather like asking which type of chocolate I prefer.  Really depends on the day, mood, season, and what type of adventure I feel like experiencing.  That said, I really enjoy Robin McKinley, Ursula K. LeGuin (of course), and more recently, Jeff VanderMeer, Nick Mamatas, and I’m currently rereading James Tiptree.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

There’s no one theme or motif I inspire to convey – more of moods, with varying intensity.

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

“She tried to do things with words.”

Do you blog?

Not precisely, but I do write the “Changing the Map” column at SpeculativeChic.com.

Analise's Grandma Rex, Flash Fiction, Issue 49, December 15, 2019

KT Wagner writes speculative fiction in the garden of her home on the west coast of Canada. She enjoys daydreaming and is a collector of strange plants, weird trivia and obscure tomes. KT graduated from Simon Fraser University’s Writers Studio in 2015 (Southbank 2013). Her short stories are published or podcast at Daily Science Fiction, Factor Four, The Twisted Book of Shadows, The Centropic Oracle, Toasted Cake and several anthologies. She’s currently working on a scifi-horror novel. KT can be found online at www.northernlightsgothic.com and @KT_Wagner

Get to know KT Wagner...

Birthdate?

I'd rather not share the date publicly, but I am a Virgo and I'm old enough to have two grown sons in their late twenties. :)

When did you start writing?

I started writing as a young child. My mother recently found a notebook of short stories I wrote when I was eight. However, in high school I wrote for the school newspaper and for the next thirty years I wrote non-fiction. Almost ten years ago, I also turned my attention to writing fiction.

When and what and where did you first get published?

In my early teens, I wrote a letter to the editor of a national Canadian newspaper about the separatist movement in the province of Quebec and my hopes for national unity.

Why do you write?

Writing helps me make sense of the world. It's a way to explore emotions, relationships and issues. I believe writing is an essential, and unique, aspect of human communication.

The Blood of Our Children on their Teeth, Fiction, Issue 61, Winter 2022

Elizabeth Walker is an author and collector of way too many holiday decorations (but are there ever really enough??). She believes the best thing in life is a cozy blanket and a good book on a cold day. Elizabeth lives in Southern California with her husband, kids, and a grumpy elderly cat. Visit her on Twitter and Instagram: @authoredw.

Get to know Elizabeth…

Birthdate?

 I'm an Aries. :)

When did you start writing? 

I wrote my first novel when I was in sixth grade.

When and what and where did you first get published? 

My first published novel The Beauty's Beast (a fairy tale retelling à la Robin McKinley) was published by a small e-press in 2010. I've since gotten the rights back and you can buy it (and the rest of my fairy tale retellings) on Amazon under my pen name E.D. Walker.

Why do you write?

It's fun.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

Star Wars was probably the first story I really fell in love with, and I've been chasing that high ever since. 

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Lois McMaster Bujold for novels. I'd say my favorite short work is  "And Then There Were (N-One)" by Sarah Pinsker.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

My stories don't really have "a message." I tend to be more focused on themes I'm interested in exploring: family, marriage, motherhood, etc.

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

Practice makes progress.

Do you blog?

No, but I'm still on Twitter. For now. @authoredw 

That's also my instagram handle.

Threshold, Poetry, Issue 13, December 1, 2010

I have an enduring fondness for the works of Philip K. Dick. I greatly admire the strangeness of his stories and their accessibility. This theme of a hidden, underlying strangeness of reality finds it way into my stories and poems.

Biography:

Deborah Walker loves dreamy, dark poetry. Her heroes are Christina Rossetti and Jacqueline West. Find Deborah’s poems in Scifaikuest, Dreams and Nightmares and Sounds of the Night. 

Choose Death, Fiction, March 1, 2014

Biography

I am the president of Team Dynamics, a small corporation in Ohio. Prior to that, I practiced business law in California. Married with three grown step-children and an embarrassing number of cats, I’ve promised my husband that I will no longer volunteer at the Humane Society, as our home has reached its maximum capacity for paws. When I’m not working or writing, I’m usually riding my motorcycle (a Vulcan Mean Streak 1500), drawing or at the gym.

Get to know Shannon...

Birthdate? April 18, 1969

When did you start writing? I’ve written for business my entire professional life (legal briefs, contracts and advertising copy), but I began devoting significant energy to fiction in 2007, when I joined a local writer’s group.

When and what and where did you first get published? “Choose Death” in New Myths is my first published fiction.

What themes do you like to write about? I enjoy writing about family bonds/conflicts. Divine intervention also threads through much of my fiction.

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? Charles de Lint is my favorite author. In his urban fantasy, the mythical characters are ones I want to believe in, and his human characters are ones I would love to have as friends. He often deals with gritty subjects in a way that makes me appreciate the good things in my life. My writing also focuses on normal people dealing with familiar life challenges, but with a touch of strange.

OK, a lot of strange.  

Convergence, Fiction, Issue 65, Winter 2023

Biography

I was born in China and came to the US when I was 8. I’m an ex-corporate worker turned actor and writer.  I have a story published in Lightspeed. I won the 2017 Parsec Fiction contest. I attended Clarion West in 2014.  

Get to know Yang-Yang Wang....

Birthdate?

June 20th, 1984

When did you start writing?

I've always been writing for fun, but I didn't start working on my writing until 2010. My first class was one taught by Nick Mamatas

When and what and where did you first get published?

My first publication was the short story "Every Single Brian" in Lightspeed Magazine. It was the second story I wrote while attending Clarion West.

Why do you write?

Because I must! I'm sure your readers can relate.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

As a child, my parents took me to my local library every weekend. Wasn't thrilled until I stumbled into the genre books section. Happily got lost and was never found!

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Can I say all of them? It's so hard to pick one! If I must, then Kij Johnson! Her words are beautiful blades. A recent favorite story is Legends & Lattes - such lovable characters in a warm, cozy tale.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

Life is a struggle to understand the universe, your communities, your relationships, and your self. Always seek new perspectives.

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

"Finally stopped snoring."

Do you blog?

Alas no - but I do run a Discord community for writing, books, D&D, and all matter of other beautiful nerd-dom called the Dungeon Scrawlers. Join us!

A Greater Moon, Poetry, Issue 15, June 1, 2011

Spores of the Volcano, Fiction, Issue 25, December 1, 2013

Gerald Warfield has published fifteen titles in music and investing. He is former editor of the Longman Music Series. Since leaving New York City for the wilds of Texas he has written exclusively speculative fiction and poetry. His first published short story "And Happiness Everlasting" was published in 2010 in a Canadian anthology, Timelines, edited by JW Schnarr, for which he received a Pushcart nomination. Also, in 2010, he survived the Odyssey Writers' Workshop.

Get to know Gerald...

Birthdate?  Feb. 23, 1940

When did you start writing?  I began writing music textbooks as a graduate student at Princeton.  After publishing a dozen or so how-to books in finance I began to write fiction in the 80s.  Fiction is different from non-fiction—very different.

When and what and where did you first get published?  My first publication in fiction was a short story, “And Happiness Everlasting.”  It appeared in a Canadian anthology, Timelines, published in 2011 and edited by JW Schnarr.

What themes do you like to write about?  Like many, I hope for the triumph of good over evil, but as Star Trek’s  Dr. McCoy says, “I’ve found that evil usually triumphs unless good is very, very careful.” What I like to write about is good being very, very careful.  That doesn’t mean boring or passive, but it does mean winning.

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? In my younger days the imagination of Piers Anthony’s Macroscope and Frank Herbert’s Dune were spellbinding. I loved the world building of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover Series. The mythic scope of Lord of the Rings blew me away.  But now I prefer quieter novels like Ursula le Guin’s Lavinia or her young adult novel Gifts.

A Christmas Tail  or Mr. Dickens' Last Christmas, fiction, issue 45, December 2018

J. S. Watts is a British poet and novelist. Born in London, she now lives just outside of Cambridge. Her poetry, short stories and book reviews appear in a variety of publications in Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the States, including Acumen, Mslexia and Popshot and have been broadcast on BBC and Independent Radio. She has been Poetry Reviews Editor for Open Wide Magazine and Poetry Editor for Ethereal Tales.

J.S.’s poetry collections, "Cats and Other Myths" and "Years Ago You Coloured Me", are published by Lapwing Publications, as is her multi-award nominated poetry pamphlet, "Songs of Steelyard Sue". Her latest poetry pamphlet, "The Submerged Sea", came out in early 2018 and is published by Dempsey & Windle. Her novels, A Darker Moon - literary dark fiction and Witchlight – a paranormal tale with a touch of romance, are published in the US and UK by Vagabondage Press.

For further details see her website:www.jswatts.co.uk

Get to know J. S. Watts

Birthdate?  Over 21

When did you start writing? According to my mother, at a very young age.

When and what and where did you first get published? It was a poem, but it was too far back into the mists of time to recall the details.

Why do you write?  Because I breathe.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? The potentiality of the blank page and the limitless possibilities of the imagination.

 Do you blog? While J.S.Watts does not write a regular blog, she is often invited to contribute guest posts to others' blogs. Such generosity on the part of the blog hosts should not go unremarked and uncelebrated. With thanks to those concerned, this is a list of guest blog posts written by J.S, together with details of the blogs they have appeared in and a live link to both the post and the blog, where this is available.  http://www.jswatts.co.uk/p/blogs-and-posts.html

Michael Wertenberg is the author of three books: Delirium’s Muse (Running Wild Press), The Orthography of Madness and Misgivings, and Stories To Tell Your Children (assuming you are a very bad parent). He lives in the South of France with his cat Zvyezda.

Get to know Michael…

When did you start writing?   
I started writing seriously back in 2011 after a debilitating case of hyperacusis forced me to abandon my principal creative outlet, music composition.

When and what and where did you first get published?
My first published piece was a horror short story, “Brain Leek,” published in The Literary Hatchet issue #12 in August 2014.

Why do you write?

Sadly, I don’t have any other skills, and I have a cat to feed. So I write for practical, life-sustaining reasons. I suppose, on a deeper level, I write because I fear my own mortality. I feel that if I create, my thoughts and explorations will live on well after I shed my corporeal shell.

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

 I review books for two reasons. I know that authors rely on reviews to help generate and/or maintain momentum for their work. Also, I want to share my passion for books. And I hope that my passion is contagious. The world needs more readers, and more book buyers.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

I have several favorites: Clive Barker, Adam Nevill, Shirley Jackson. The list is long, but those authors would figure at the top of it.

As for my favourite story, Clive Barker’s The Books of Blood have been important works of literature in my life. They are greatly responsible for turning me into an avid reader and then writer of fantasy/horror. One of the stories in Vol. 1 called “Pig Blood Blues” still haunts me some thirty years after I first read it.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

My fiction explores the mind’s frightening yet fascinating ability to rationalize the irrational and defend the otherwise indefensible. I marvel at man’s resistance to reason, how fear, addiction, loss, and pain compel us to seek refuge in the irrational, how our minds are not always complicit but rather in opposition to our will.

I fear for the gradual loss of my sanity. And my work seeks to find either solace in its impending departure or a means to conserve it for as long as I can.

Do you blog?

 I have a YouTube channel, @Michael_Wertenberg, where I talk about books, interview authors, give writing advice, and offer insights into the world of publishing.

Enhancements of an Imminent Kind, Poetry, Issue 38, March 15, 2017

Nora Weston’s fiction and poetry slips in-between and all around science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The most terrifying things Nora has encountered are teenagers...with driving permits, and she’s taught six of these frightening creatures to drive. Her publishing credits include novels, anthologies, plus fiction and poetry in magazines of various genres, including; Insolent Rudder, Decompositions, Bete Noire, The Harrow, Eye to the Telescope, The Hacker’s Source, Star*Line, and Hoboeye. New work will be published soon at Speculative 66. She’s had the pleasure of reaching people through the airwaves on radio stations throughout the US. 

Get to know Nora...

Birthday? September 27, 1962

When did you start writing? Words. Spoken, written, hidden in thoughts...how I adore them. Math, not so much. So, I began writing in my high school geometry class. I'd finish up my work as fast as possible, then let my mind slip into realms of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

When and what and where did you first get published? Great question! I wish I could remember, but raising six, fascinating children has resulted in years that rushed by too quickly. I started out getting some parenting pieces published, and then short stories and poems. Sleep deprivation, while not a welcomed thing, led the way for some bizarre short stories and poems. 

What themes do you like to write about? I enjoy writing about consequences. We all make choices that, at times, result in horrible consequences. Exploring the darker side of life to actually highlight how to make life better is something I usually write about. I also find human nature quite interesting. Why we do, what we do...opens up endless possibilities for fiction and poetry. Why do some individuals risk their lives for a stranger? What makes a person fill with hate, revenge, love, empathy, and so on? And then the aliens. I cannot leave them out. I write a lot about meeting aliens. Nothing would please me more, than to find out I am one.

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 favorite book is the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. The main character, Edmond Dantès, who is a merchant sailor, is arrested due to being accused of treason. He is imprisoned in the Château d'If, which is hell on earth. Betrayal, love, and revenge mix to create a memorable story saturated with choices and consequences that change the lives of the characters forever.  

Taking time to ponder why Edmond does what he does, and what he could have done differently kept me turning the pages. He suffers a great deal because of betrayal, but he fights on. His perseverance has definitely inspired my characters. I respect people who never give up, who grow because of the pain they have endured. I like to think the future is what we make of it.

Hubris Humbled, Flash Fiction, Issue 48, September 2019

David Whitaker is originally from the UK though has travelled around a bit and now resides in India. He has a degree in Journalism, however decided that as he's always preferred making things up it should ultimately become a resource rather than a profession. 

Get to know David...

Birthdate?

June 1987

When did you start writing?

From an exceedingly early age! I got given a typewriter for my 4th birthday as I’d already started showing an interest.

When and what and where did you first get published?

My first published piece was a brief essay detailing my journey as a writer, submitted to a competition by The Writers College Times. It was published in February 2017, and is still available online (http://www.writerscollegeblog.co.za/neuroses-nirvana/)

Why do you write?

I write because I love the act of creation. To be able to build something from scratch, something that can take you away from reality, is to me a kind of magic.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

I write Science Fiction and Fantasy because I think if you’re going to build another world, it may as well be one which is as far removed from our own as possible. That’s where imagination can take greatest flight.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

I grew up loving the works of Terry Pratchett. An amazing writer, he could reimagine the mundane into something fantastical, and funny, and full of heart. My favourite story of his is ‘Mort’, in which Death is personified and takes on a human apprentice.

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

I never really try to say anything too deep with my fiction. If I am, it’s usually to do with how we could all be nicer to one another.

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

If you can read this, you’re standing on my face.

Do you blog?

I don’t blog, but I do have a website where all my stories and published works can be found, and which I update as soon as new work comes out: wordsbydavid.com

The Secret Life of Snowmen, poem, Issue 33, December 1, 2015

Biography

I am a writer, poet, explorer of the universe, who resides in Palmer, Alaska. I have a wife, a son, and two cats. Since beginning a writing life some thirty years ago, I have been fortunate enough to have my poems, stories, articles, and reviews published in such journals as: Modern Haiku, Permafrost, Webster Review, Candelabrum, Alien Skin, and Minas Tirith Evening-Star. I am past Alaska region coordinator for the Haiku Society of America, and the founder of the Shin Tao Haiku Retreat, a peaceful stop for poetry and repose in the online community of Second Life.  

Get to know Mark...

Birthday?  October 6.  

When did you start writing? Soon after I started reading.

When and what and where did you first get published? My first published thing was a letter to the Kodiak Daily Mirror in about 1984. My first poem published was a haiku, a few years later.  

What themes do you like to write about? I like to write about things on the edge of our perceived realities, and about realities other than our own. I have always been a dreamer, and dreams are a wonderful place to begin. The real world, however, should be ignored only at our own peril. The discipline and awareness of haiku has taught me to keep seeing things for the first time. Be awestruck by a drop of rain, or the shadow of a coffee cup, or a first smile.

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? Every adventure story from Kipling to Howard fueled my desire to seek and to find. Tolkien breathed fire into my soul for the journey.  I love poets and storytellers and the list of those who have touched my spirit are many:  Tennyson; Dylan Thomas; Basho, and on and on.  

Dream of Things, Poetry,  Issue 11, June 1, 2010

Sharon M. White lives in the hills of East Tennessee in the small rural town of Erwin with her husband, daughter and too many pets.

Get to know Sharon...

Birthdate? 12/05/1974

When did you start writing? Just because I'd figured out how to write/tell stories: 1980, professionally: 2005.

When and what and where did you first get published? Enigma Magazine, 2005, story "Pretty Things."

Why do you write? Compulsion.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? As a way to explore the spiritual/unseen side of life and to hopefully make others think about the same.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? Too many to choose just one.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? There is a world and a life out there beyond ours and that our mortal coil is not final.

Do you blog? Where? Yes. At my Web site (Inkspot), Facebook, MySpace (under the name Sharon M. White).

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? "See you on the other side."

God's Plan for the Lunar Colony, Fiction, Issue 21,  December 1, 2012

N.M. Whitley was born and raised in North Carolina. He now lives, writes, teaches and makes a little music in Barcelona. He half-heartedly tumbles and tweets at nmwhitley.tumblr.com and @nm_whitley (respectively).

Get to know N.M...

Birthdate? Sometime in 1978. And as Deep Purple would say, "Maybe I'm a Leo."

When did you start writing? My opera prima was (I think) a picture book inspired by the Transformers line of toys, self-published in a hand-lettered limited edition of 1 copy. I did this one drawing of Optimus Prime with one of his chest-windows shattered that was like, really cool. From there I went through a phase in junior high where I aped my favorites in the sword & sorcery genre (Conan, obviously, and R.A. Salvatore’s Drizz’t books, now that I think about it), and then in high school, the requisite phase filling notebook after notebook with piles of cheap po-mo angst. I don’t know what to call the current phase yet.

When and what and where did you first get published? Right now, right here: the story “God’s Plan for the Lunar Colony” in NewMyths.com is my first publication.

What themes do you like to write about? Oh, the usual: alienation, man’s inhumanity towards man, all that good stuff.

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? Off the top of my head, the list of authors who present themselves as important for me in my “formative” years is probably pretty typical of a certain post-adolescent, English-major counterculture sensibility, to wit: Vonnegut, Burroughs (William S., not Edgar Rice), Borges, Donald Barthelme, etc.

Maybe the real “primal scene” for me literature-wise was my sixth-grade Language Arts class, where the teacher showed us films (yes, films, celluloid on reels with a light that projected the images...) with adaptations of “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Melville and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson(!). I read Ray Bradbury for the first time in that class. Man, that was kind of an awesome class, looking back.

As for the 'why' and 'how', no idea.

Jemma in the Sea, Flash Fiction, Issue 59, Summer 2022.

Get to know Belinda...

BIO 

I write science fiction and fantasy. I’ve been published in Brilliant Flash Fiction, Flame Tree Press, and Connecticut Muse. I have stories in the anthologies of The Minnows Literary Group, a group of like-minded speculative fiction writers who have collaborated for years.  

I have a Certificate in Screenwriting from NYU and was a prizewinner in the WriteMovies Screenwriting Contest and featured screenwriter in the New Hope Film Festival.  

For my day job, I’m a NYC-based free-lance violinist, which is an entirely different story.  

Birthdate? 

In November, which is nice because I like autumn.  

When did you start writing? 

I was in my 40’s. I didn't have anything to read so I thought, “I’ll write something. It’ll be easy and fun.”  Well... it was fun.

When and what and where did you first get published? 

I won first prize in a writing contest in Connecticut Muse, a lovely New England publication that was put out by Patricia D’Ascoli. That was about fifteen years ago and was for a short literary piece. It was a sweet, memorable way to start out. 

Why do you write? 

A lot of what I write comes from questions like, Where will this piece of technology take society? If humans had this power, how would we use it? What would happen if…? I like it when a reader takes away a question or idea they’ve never thought of before. That sense of “what if” is what draws me to science fiction and fantasy. 

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

I guess my real epitaph is my life, which would mean I’m writing it right now.

The Thief of Laughter, Fiction, Issue 3, June 1, 2008

Get to know Liane...

Birthdate? Long long ago, in a galaxy far far away...

When did you start writing? Shortly after learning that chewing on the crayons just turns your teeth blue.

When and what and where did you first get published? I'm still a noob at the publishing game. My first short story publication was "The Plague Ship" in Flashing Swords 9, February 2008. I was Liane Whittier then.

Why do you write? All the good addictions were already taken.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? I like weird stuff. I don't see a reason to buy chocolate or vanilla ice cream when there's blood orange sorbet or bacio gelato on offer; similarly I don't see a reason to write about imaginary dysfunctional families when I could write about imaginary dysfunctional families who take their heads off to sleep.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? I'm going to weasel out of naming a favorite author and just say that my mind was most recently blown by Paolo Bacigalupi's collection Pump Six. The man is a genius. He cannot write a bad story. Well, maybe he can, but he's certainly never published one.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? "Here is a story." I'm not aiming for anything more profound than that. I think stories go off the rails as soon as people start trying to force profundity into them (although Bacigalupi can do this because, again, the man is a genius). So I settle for "here is a story," and hope to succeed just with that.

Do you blog? Where? I do not. I like reading other people's blogs but I, myself, am exceedingly boring and will virtuously save imaginary paper by not writing about it.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? "Here lie her pinky finger and tailbone. We never did find the rest."

Using AI for Writers, A Computer Scientist's Perspective, Nonfiction, Issue 63, Summer 2023

Steven Winston's background is in AI research. He used to teach it, and he uses AI professionally to create 3-D airfield displays for AR/VR headsets for helicopter pilots, among many other projects. 

Read more about him at gpxblog.com 

Get to know Steven...

Birthdate?

6/7/1980

When did you start programming computers? -

I started programming in grade school.  I wrote a single player chess program in the 7th grade in Pascal.

When and what and where did you first get published?

In College I was published in an undergraduate orientated science publication.  It was about colony theory, in which I described how one can train an AI using generational intelligent agents pitted against one another.

Why do you write?

The best answer to this paraphrases the why do rock climbers climb?  Because it's there.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

When I don't write about or within my field, I write for one audience.  Me.  That's also the only audience I let consume my work.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

Asimov.  Foundation

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

That's far too morbid a question for someone who's newly cancer-free to answer.

Do you blog?

On occasion

Skyscaping, Poetry, Issue 64, Fall 2023

Susan Shell Winston is an editor at NewMyths.com, and the author of Singer of Norgondy, available at Amazon.

While "Skyscaping" is her "debut" to this website, she has contributed two tea-cup flashes to the first two NewMyths Anthologies.

Her website for her Colonium Worlds website is at Holdenstone.com. A holdenstone is, yes, a geode on our world. On Colonium, it's the secretive race of holdens who hide crystalline artwork inside stones and drip water down inside their cavern homes to create stalactite formations. 

For more information about Susan, see the About/Contact page on newmyths.com.

Apotheosis, Poetry, Issue 17, December 1, 2011

Hell's Gardener, Poetry, Issue 39, June 15, 2017

The Puzzleist, Flash Fiction, Issue 47, June 15, 2019

Writing by Shannon Connor Winward has appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction, Pseudopod, Analog, PerVisions Flash Fiction Online, Strange Horizons, NewMyths.com, and elsewhere. She is the author of the Elgin-award winning chapbook Undoing Winter and winner of a 2018 Delaware Division of the Arts Emerging Artist Fellowship in Literature. In between parenting, writing and other madness, Shannon is also founding editor of Riddled with Arrows, a literary journal dedicated to metafiction, ars poetica, and writing that celebrates the process and product of writing as art. Her first full-length poetry collection, The Year of the Witch, was released from Sycorax Press in 2018.

Get to know Shannon...

Birthdate? June 13th, 1977

When did you start writing? In the womb, I think, but I had trouble keeping track of pens, so I used to scratch story notes with my fetal finger nails on whatever was handy:  Kidneys. Heart. That kind of thing.

When and what and where did you first get published? I was first published at age 10 in Creative Kids Magazine, with a poem about toys and war. I took a hiatus, then began publishing again at 18 in a variety of 90's poetry zines and broadsides that you'd be hard-pressed to find today. Seriously--if anyone could find them for me, I'd be most grateful.

What themes do you like to write about? Fantasy, dreams and spirituality lace almost everything I write--I'm fascinated with themes of life and death and rebirth; transcendence. I've also been known to write about love and feelings, coffee and cigarettes and, you know--stuff.

What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? In my blog I just elected The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley as my favorite book because it's the only one I've read more than twice, but I've read and resonated with more fiction than I can possibly list. Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters series, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold are the first titles to come to mind, but my influences are numerous and varied.

I suppose I should also make a shout out to Stephen King (The Stand is one of my first favorites). He's the reason I turned to writing in the first place, as a weird, bespectacled little kid with too few friends and too much time on her hands. 

Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? I suppose I am especially drawn to stories where magic and otherworlds are a given. My favorite characters tend to struggle with more than mundane concerns. It doesn't have to be a global struggle, as in The Stand or American Gods; Alice Sebold's novel is about a spirit coming to terms with her all-too-short life. It recognizes that the ties of love between people go on even beyond death. It's a small-scale story, but universal. I believe that the next world is as real and relevant as this one. I think each life has meaning, that suffering has a purpose and what is precious about human beings does not crumble into dust when the body dies. I'd like to think my writing echoes the ideas explored in my favorite stories, by my favorite authors. I'd like to think my stories add to the conversation.

Facebook page? www.facebook.com/shannon.connorwinward

Twitter? S Connor Winward (@SCWinward) | Twitter

The Emperor of Forever, Fiction, Issue 10, March 1, 2010

Billy Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for hardcore warriors of the fairer sex. His fiction has appeared in many venues including Afterburn SF, Sorcerous Signals, and The Written Word. A full list of his published works can be found here:  http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58445

Get to know Billy...

Birthdate? 08/29/1983

When did you start writing? Don't remember, wrote a little in junior high and high school, starting writing seriously (for publication) in 2005

When and what and where did you first get published? A tongue-in-cheek sword and sorcery short, "The Darkmount Trilogy", almost simultaneously in Literal Translations and Afterburn SF in April and May 2007

Why do you write? To express the cool ideas that come into my head and to increase the presence of tough female fantasy heroes out there.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? Because it's the best genre for the type of over-the-top action I like.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? David Gemmell (RIP), I think Legend is still my favorite book of his.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? Respect the hardcore warrior chicks!

Do you blog? Where? No

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? In heaven or hell, hopefully meeting a lot of dead chicks who kick ass

Dead Man's Shoes, Fiction, Issue 18, March 1, 2012

Mjke Wood was a winner of Writers of the Future in 2008, and won first place in the Jim Baen Memorial Contest in 2007. His work has also appeared in The Best of Jim Baen’s Universe II, Murky Depths, Jupiter, Short-Story.Me and on the podcast, StarShipSofa.  Mjke plays jazz saxophone in a Big Band and by day works as a Management Accountant. He lives in the UK with his wife, Sarah, a botanical artist.

His blog is at http://mjkewood.blogspot.com.

Get to know Mjke...

Birthdate? 10th September 1956

When did you start writing? It was around 1980. I started writing a letter to a local rag, ranting about a bad day's commute. The letter got longer, the exaggerations became wilder and most of the reality evaporated.The letter was published. I realized I enjoyed doing this writing thing.

When and what and where did you first get published? I had a few none fiction humour pieces published in a UK camping magazine through the early 90's, but my first actual story appeared on BBC Radio North, in 1997. It was a fantasy story called 'Drawing Daphne'. It was professionally narrated and I was very proud of the result. 

What themes do you like to write about? I'll go with anything that catches my interest. Music is often present, either in the background or front and centre; and I guess I do have a thing about consciousness and the frailty of memory. This is a theme that seems to pop up quite regularly in my stories.

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? Phew, how much space do I have here? Okay - A Fall of Moondust, by Arthur C Clarke. I was 12 when I read it. I was totally swept away. A year later Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon and I felt that it was a place I'd already visited.I read pretty much everything Arthur C Clarke ever wrote after that. And I have to mention Stephen King. He is one of those writers who will always make me want to write. I want to be able to perform that magic trick of his, the one where the reader gets so sucked in to that other world that he/she cannot help but miss their bus or train stop. I'd like people to blame me for a long walk home in the rain, some day.

Talisman, Poetry, Issue 3, June 1, 2008

Christopher Woods is the author of a prose collection Under a Riverbed Sky.

Get to know Christopher...

Birthdate? 9/19/1950

When did you start writing? When I was in high school.

When and what and where did you first get published? A first poem publication was in a Texas journal, The Pawn Review, in the mid-Seventies.

Why do you write? A basic need to express in words, on paper, all the things that would be lost otherwise.

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? I write both realistic and non-realistic works. The latter is probably influenced by the magic realists.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? I do not have a favorite writer or story, sorry.

What are you trying to say with your fiction? I’ll let the characters decide about that.

Do you blog? Where? No.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? I would not write my own epitaph.

Nevermore, Poetry, Issue 36, September 1, 2016

John R. Worsley: I was raised in the Bay Area, upstate New York, and the Boston area, before going to Reed College in Portland, OR, and settling near there, where I live with my wife and stepdaughter (also writers!) and four dogs. The methodical, analytical way my mind works reflects the long line of engineers I descend from, but I have also always loved words and playing with them. When I was four I called my elbow my "ell bone" because my arm is ell shaped. Growing up I read constantly (200 books one summer for a library contest), engaged in creative word usement with my siblings (many nouns were verbed), and enjoyed writing essays in school. Despite an attempt to become a geophysicist, in college I wound up studying… words. Well, language anyway – Linguistics. After college I fell into a career in IT, but lurking in the background have always been those words I just can’t shake. I have dabbled with short poetry, long poetry, flash fiction, short stories, a novelette, a novella, and the beginning of a non-fiction book. I focus mostly on screenwriting now, and am currently working on a graphic novel script.

Visit me at http://www.johnworsley.name.

Get to know John:

Birthday? Late Sept.

When did you start writing? Grade school. I believe I wrote my first poem around the age of ten.

When and what and where did you first get published? Around 2000 I had a regular feature in a short-lived zine, The Abyss, in Portland, OR, for which I wrote vignettes to illustrate goofy phobias I made up.

What themes do you like to write about? I am not a thematic writer (at least, not consciously). I write to entertain myself.

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? All of JRR Tolkien’s work, fiction and non-fiction, plus Humphrey Carpenter’s authorized biography of Tolkien and collection of his letters. The Why of it would fill an essay, if not a book, but I think it derives from the fact that Tolkien believed stories, and the worlds we create through them, are in a very meaningful sense real (or true). He also wrote exactly what resonated with him (and his children in some cases), and that is about all I find myself capable of.

Serpent Queen, Cover Art, Issue 60, Fall 2022

Get to know Akiko

I spent most of my childhood living and traveling between California and Kochi, Japan. Because of how much I moved, I was a weird, imaginative kid who wasn't able to make a lot of friends so I developed this inner world, and I think a lot of that translates into my visual art. I was originally studying oil painting in college but after a stint of homelessness, discovered my love for mixed media art and acrylics—much more portable and quick drying. After some years doing pet portraits, general commission work and gallery shows, I now work as a tattoo artist and owner of Angry Toad Tattoo in Billings, Montana.

Birthdate?

April 4, 1988

When did you start doing art?

When I was younger I was a voracious reader and had so much to say—besides stream of consciousness journaling and a whole lot of terrible poetry, I used to love writing first person fiction. I was always fascinated by the process of the reader finding things out along with the main character rather than an omniscient narrator. These days I’ve got much less to say in writing as much as creating more ambiguous visual language.

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

It’s difficult to name a favorite, but one of them is Garth Nix and his Sabriel series.

Crumbling Butterflies, Illustration, Issue 16, September 1, 2011

Nathan Wyckoff has been an illustrator and painter on the scene since 2002, starting with a series of acclaimed comics published by multiple small presses including Jumpgate Comics. From there, Nathan went on to headline numerous gallery shows with his paintings. While still currently exhibiting works, Nathan also teaches painting and graphic novel courses, He co-edits the free fiction and art e-zine ReArtedzine.com, and has upcoming works in Midnight Echoes and Bete Noire to accompany his work with NewMyths.com.

Get to know Nathan:

Birthday? May 18th, 1984.

When did you start doing artwork? When I started reading comics at 5.

When and what and where did you first get published? Jumpgate Comics, 2002.  Not around anymore, but some of the stuff will be showing up in the free e-zine I Co-Edit, ReARTEDZINE.com.

Do you use reoccurring themes or images in your illustrations? I love the macabre, bizarre, and anything that's just really different or really old. Not much contemporary gets me going.

What media do you like to work in? Why? I do most of my work in straight pen and ink, though I do gallery work oils and sometimes acrylic.  I do digital coloring when doing graphic layouts for ReArtedzine or doing comics.

What artist's work do you most admire? How has this artist's work

influenced you? Writers influence me more than artists these days, they get the brain-images flowing better than any illustration I could get my hands on!

The Myth Behind the Kom Settlement, Nonfiction, Issue 63, Summer 2023

Get to know Njong Patrick Yuh...

I was born into a family of four, in the Njinikom area, some 60 kilometers from Bamenda-the chief town of the North West Region. I attended my Primary education in Government School Mbam, went on to obtain my Ordinary Level Certificate where I was born. I later moved to Yaounde-the Capital of Cameroon, where I obtained my advanced Level Certificate. I enrolled for my tertiary studies at the University of Yaounde II-Soa. Three years later, I obtained my Bachelor of Business Administration, and in two years, a Master in Marketing Management in 2019. Since then, I have worked as a teacher in Azimuth Higher Institute, Forex Trading Classes, and a home teacher for kids. I work with Olam Food Ingredients (Ofi group) as a stock Controller. I write as a part time writer, I also do freelance translation etc.  

Birthdate?

5/6/1994

When did you start writing?

2010

When and what and where did you first get published?

In a local Newspaper here in Cameroon, though as a ghost writer. 

Why do you write?

It's a passion, a way to express my ideas, stories etc

Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy?

They are imaginary, but with some iota of truth. 

Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story?

William Shakespeare. My favorite story is "Tortoise and the Jungle Fox" 

What are you trying to say with your fiction?

It is a way of telling the world that every community "Advanced or un advanced" has a myth behind its origin. These differences should be taking into consideration when devising a global strategy to tackle whatever problem. 

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

Patrick- the epitome of determination and bravery. 

Do you blog?

Yes, though still starting