Past Writer Guests
H. David Blalock
In print and on the web for decades, David's work has appeared in such diverse venues as magazines (Alternate Species [UK], Devachan, Baltimore Freethinker Journal, Shelter of Daylight), webzines (Aphelion, Dark Moon Rising, Raven ElecTrick, Quantum Muse, Alternate Realities, Pathway to Darkness, etc.), and anthologies (Monsters from Memphis (Zapizdat Press), Heaven and Hell (Speculation Press); Tales of Fantasy, Dragons Composed, WTF Mysteries, Dreams of Steam (Kerlak Publishing), The Three-Lobed Burning Eye Vol 2 (Owlsoup Press), Call of Lovecraft (Papercut Books), etc.). His fantasy novel Ascendant appeared in 2009, and is currently being adapted into the short film Swordbearer. A sequel, Emperor, is to appear in March 2011. He currently lives in the Memphis area with his wife Maria. For more information on his past and upcoming projects, visit his website at ThranKeep.com.
Shirley Damsgaard 2010 Guest of Honor
Take a lifelong interest in the paranormal and mix it with a vivid imagination. Let the potion simmer in a small Iowa town, and the result is the Ophelia and Abby mystery series written by SHIRLEY DAMSGAARD (Avon Press, an imprint of HarperCollins). Shirley, the author of numerous published short stories resides in Stuart, Iowa, where served as Postmaster for over twenty years. WITCH WAY TO MURDER was an Agatha Award nominee and at this time, there are seven books in the highly popular mass market paperback series.
Shirley Damsgaard is also a regular poster on the Wicked Authors blog.
Peggy DeKay
There has never been, since the invention of the printing press a better time to be a self-published author!
Writing was never a part of my life plan. I came to it in small steps - a business woman first, a writer second. After a short career in banking, I went back to college for a computer science degree and opened a computer and network design company. I left the computer business after thirteen years and became a newspaper columnist and freelance writer. It seemed to me that the two consistent things in the many iterations of my career were computers and writing. When I discovered print-on-demand technology and realized the huge potential for authors, I knew what I had to do; teach other writers how to take control of their careers, their content and their profit margins by self-publishing. I am on a mission. Self-Publishing for Virgins is a comprehensive how-to book that teaches writers how to self-publish with profit! This book takes you from conception to publication and promotion of your self-published book using cutting edge, print-on-demand technology, social media and non-traditional book promotion.
Ms. DeKay is the Director of Women Who Write and the former editor of Writer's Wire, an ezine for writers. She teaches self-publishing workshops at the University of Louisville, Indiana University and at several regional libraries and book festivals.
Elizabeth Donald
Elizabeth Donald is a writer fond of things that go chomp in the night. She is the author of the Nocturnal Urges vampire mystery series and numerous short stories and novellas in the horror, science fiction and erotica genres - and a three-time winner of the Darrell Award for speculative fiction, including one for her short-story collection, "Setting Suns." By day, she is a reporter in the St. Louis region, which provides her with an endless source of material, and writes CultureGeek, a pop-culture newspaper column. Her latest releases are a game novelization titled "The Dreadmire Chronicles" and a zombie novella titled "The Cold Ones." A sequel titled "Blackfire" will be released in 2011.
TammyJo Eckhart
TammyJo Eckhart's fiction has appeared in anthologies from Circlet Press, Greenery Press, Blue Moon and Ravenous Romance. Six collections of her fiction have also been published. Mistress Loves Me, This I Know from Python University Productions, 2009, is her seventh book in print and contains science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and horror short stories (www.pupstc.com/Eight/Merch/TJE/Mistress.html). Other books in print include Servants of Destiny a sword and sorcery novel with a few twists while Eroscapes and Sweet Memories of Pain & the Future of Pleasure together contain over a dozen stories in a wide range of genres. Currently she is searching for an agent to help her market her new novel, Day Unto Night, which focuses on the question of power and problems between of vampires and those who serve them. Two early drafts of stories from this collection were published in the summer of 2009 Women of the Bite and Boys of the Bite. Her fall 2010 publications will include a non-fiction book, At Her Feet from Greenery Press, as well as her first ebook Beyond the Softness of His Fur from Circlet Press.
A skilled storyteller, Eckhart enjoys reading her fiction to live audience so she is happy to travel in her region to perform readings, sell/sign books, and lead workshops and discussions on various aspects of BDSM, gender & sexuality, or the literature, culture, and study of science fiction, fantasy, horror and other types of speculative fiction. Anyone wishing her to come to your event, please go to her website for information.
A huge but picky science fiction, fantasy, horror, and slash fan, Eckhart is also a prolific book reviewer writing 4-8 reviews a month for various publications. Her ongoing RPG set in the "Ghoul: Fatal Addiction" variation of World of Darkness 3.0 is run at several science fiction conventions and she is always looking for good actors to embody her complex characters. Eckhart earned her PhD in ancient history with minors in women's history and folklore in November 2007 from Indiana University in Bloomington, and uses both her scholarly knowledge and teaching techniques in her writing and storytelling. Currently she is also the creator and main writer for The Chocolate Cult (http://thechocolatecult.blogspot.com/).
Feel free to learn more about her at www.tammyjoeckhart.com (mirrored at www.thetammyjo.com) or follow her latest adventures at thetammyjo.livejournal.com
Jackie Gamber
As an award winning author, Jackie writes stories ranging from ultra-short to novel-length, varieties of which have appeared in anthologies such as Tales of Fantasy and Dragons Composed, as well as numerous periodical publications, including Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, The Binnacle, Mindflights Magazine, Necrotic Tissue, and Shroud. She is the author of the fantasy novel Redheart, and writing an alternate history time travel novel. She blogs professionally for English Tea Store.com, where she reviews classic science fiction and fantasy novels and pairs them with the ideal tea-sipping companion. Jackie is a member of the professional organizations Science Fiction Writers of America and Horror Writers Association. She was named honorable mention in L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Award, and received a 2008 Darrell Award for best short story by a Mid-South author. She is the winner of the 2009 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award for Imaginative Fiction for her story The Freak Museum, a post-apocalyptic tale that looks closely at perceptions and outward appearances and how they affect the way we see ourselves.
Jackie Gamber is co-founder and Executive Editor of Meadowhawk Press, a speculative fiction publisher based in Memphis. One of their novels, Terminal Mind by David Walton, won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award in 2009. Jackie also edited the award winning benefit anthology, Touched By Wonder. She has been a guest lecturer at Memphis Options High Schools, and is a speaker at writers' conferences from Michigan to Florida. Jackie is also the visionary behind the MidSouthCon Writers' Conference, now in its third year.
Allan Gilbreath
Allan Gilbreath denies that he was raised by wolves, but still enjoys quiet moonlit evenings. He is an accomplished skeptic, cook, gardener, computer geek, martial artist, and avid student of arcane knowledge. Allan is also a nationally recognized and award-winning author, publisher, speaker, and instructor. He has appeared on television, stage, radio, web/podcast, and tours the country in live appearances. He enjoys serving on convention panels and can cover a wide range of topics from the serious to the outrageous. In his adult vampire novels, Galen and Dark Chances, he links sensual fantasy with danger and predation to excellent effect. His exceptional use of plot tension between the various characters sets a wonderful stage for the little details that bring it all to life. Allan's Jack Lago supernatural mysteries are known for their attention to detail and suspense. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and his collection, Allan Gilbreath: A Short Story Collection covers his three favorite genres; science fiction, dark fantasy, and steampunk.
Jimmy Gillentine
Horror author Jimmy Gillentine was born and raised in Memphis. his debut novel, Of Blood and the Moon, was the first runner-up for the Darrell Award in 2009. His most recent publication was a short story titled 15 Minute Break, published in the 2010 edition of Cover of Darkness, an annual anthology from Sam's Dot Publishing. He is also co-founder of the writing and artist Facebook group the International Brotherhood of Beards and Leather.
Jon Klement
Jon Klement lives in Warrenton, MO with his three children, Sabrina, 13, Max, 8, and Ian, 4, and their fish Xiao Yu. His first novel, Velocity Girl and Xu'n H', was published in 2005. The Velocity Girl series has spun off into Smerd the P'ckit Dragon children's books. Jon has also written fantasy, including the Myrror Trilogy set in the world of the Hacktastic Fantasy Game, and Amerix and the Aatyr, a short story in the upcoming Walk the Abyss anthology set in the dark fantasy world of Shane Moore. Jon is also a high school science teacher and co-hosts a convention news and interview show, DragonTalk Radio: Your Convention Connection with Wei He. DragonTalk Radio can be heard or downloaded at http://www.dragontalkradio.com
Deirdre Murphy
Deirdre M. Murphy is a writer, musician and artist who has spent most of her life squeezing in her creative pursuits into whatever nooks and crannies of "spare time" she could create.
When she was a kid, she wanted to learn everything, and read all the science fiction and fantasy ever written. As an adult, she realizes that's not a realistic goal, but she believes in dreaming big.
This year, in addition to pursuing publication in the traditional fashion, Deirdre has been involved in an online science fantasy shared world. Torn World features a unique world where the ancients misused technology, and brought disaster upon their planet. www.tornworld.net is full of stories, poetry, and artwork. Her blog is www.wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com. She also has stories in issues 12 and 22 of Crossed Genres magazine, in The Best of FridayFlash, Volume One, and upcoming in the Magicking in Traffic anthology.
Jody Lynn Nye
Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as "spoiling cats". When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction.
Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, book-keeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker. For four years, she was a technical operator and Technical Operations Manager at WFBN-TV Chicago.
Since 1987 she has published 40 books and more than 100 short stories. Among her novels are her epic fantasy series, The Dreamland, beginning with Waking in Dreamland, five contemporary humorous fantasies, beginning with Mythology 101, and three medical SF novels, the Taylor's Ark series; and Strong Arm Tactics, a humorous military SF novel. Jody wrote The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern, a companion to Anne McCaffrey's popular world. She collaborated with Anne on four novels, including The Ship Who Won, and wrote its solo sequel, The Ship Errant. Jody co-authored the Visual Guide to Xanth with Piers Anthony, and edited an anthology of humorous stories about mothers entitled Don't Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear! She wrote eight books with the late Robert Lynn Asprin, License Invoked, a contemporary fantasy set in New Orleans, and seven of Asprin's Myth Adventures, including the latest, Myth-Fortunes.
Her newest books are Dragons Deal (Ace Books), third in the Dragons series begun by Robert Asprin, and View From the Imperium (Baen Books), a humorous military SF novel. Over the last two decades, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and participated on hundreds of panels about writing and being published. In 2007 she taught fantasy writing at Columbia College Chicago.
Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer and book packager, and one cat, Jeremy.
Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce was drawn to books from a young age. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, the child of a "long, proud line of hillbillies," her family never had much. "We were poor, but I didn't know it then. We had a garden where my folks grew fruit and vegetables and our water came from a well," she explains. But one thing they did have was plenty of books. So Tamora read.
A self-proclaimed "geek," she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. "He overheard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down," Pierce says.
But Tamora's novels had one major difference: unlike the books she was reading, her stories featured teenaged girl warriors. "I couldn't understand why the writers I loved had no girl adventurers, so until I could talk them into correcting this small problem, I wrote about those girls, the fearless, bold, athletic creatures that I was not, but wanted so badly to be."
Seventeen years later, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, a brief career in teen social work, some time spent writing for radio, and a job as assistant in a literary agency, Tamora Pierce held true to her childhood crusade, and published Alanna: The First Adventure, the first in a quartet about a valiant, young, *female* warrior. Pierce's heroine struck a chord with readers across the country and quickly earned her a loyal following.
Pierce is now a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has written more than two-dozen books, including her newest, TORTALL AND OTHER LANDS: A COLLECTION OF TALES. She is also co-author with her husband Timothy Liebe of White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion from Marvel Comics. Her books are translated into over fifteen languages and available in English worldwide, which brings her wonderful fan mail. "It's a pretty good life. Struggling as a kid and through my twenties and thirties, it's the life I dreamed of but never believed I would get. Yet here I am, after a lot of work, a lot of worry, a lot of care for details, and with a massive chunk of luck, the kind that brought me such strong friends and readers. Pretty good for a hillbilly, yes? And I never take it for granted," she says.
Pierce lives in Syracuse, New York with her husband Tim, eleven tame and two semi-feral cats, two parakeets, a rotating cast of stray and feral outdoor cats, and various other freeloading wildlife.
Herika Raymer
Herika R. Raymer grew up consuming books, literally. Her father's science fiction collection, reference books, and notebooks were all victim to her appetite. First by eating them, later by reading them. Her mother taught her the value of keeping focused while her father taught her more about the appreciation of reading, writing, and drawing than any English teacher or art teacher; so she has been writing and doodling off and on for over 30 years. Finally, after much encouragement from both parents, Herika published a few short stories, developed a taste for it, and plans to do more. Currently, she lives with her husband of over 10 years and their two children.
Herika's short stories appear in 'Dragons Composed' and 'WTF Mysteries' (slated to be released in late 2011), both available at Kerlak Publishing, and in 'Infradead', available from Sam's Dot Publishing.
Herika also assisted with editing Jon Klement's 'Trouble With Trulks', available from Black Pigeon Press.
She is the Managing Editor of Imagicopter's Official Magazine - Imagyro, which debuted in August of 2010. Check out Imagyro at its main site at http://www.wix.com/imagyro/ and also on its FaceBook Page.
Kimberly Richardson
After being found as an infant crawling among old books in an abandoned library, Kimberly Richardson grew up to be an eccentric woman with a taste for listening to dark cabaret or jazz music while drinking tea, reading books in every genre, and writing stories that cause people to make the strangest faces. Her first book, Tales From a Goth Librarian, was published through Kerlak Publishing in March 2009 and was named a Finalist in the USA Book News Awards for Fiction: Short Story for 2009. Tales was also named a Finalist in the 2010 International Book Awards for Fiction: Short Story. Kimberly is also the Editor of the Steampunk anthology Dreams of Steam, published through Kerlak Publishing. Her family, albeit normal, loves her as much as she loves them. She currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee.*
Angelia Sparrow
Angelia Sparrow is the author of eight novels and more than fifty short stories. She writes everything from dystopian road trips to roaring 20s pulp fiction to erotic horror. When not writing, she drives a semi for a living and crochets while watching movies.
Michel Williams
Michel Williams was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and through good luck and a roundabout journey through New England, New York, Wisconsin, Britain and Ireland, has ended up less than thirty miles from where he began. Over the past 20 years, he has written a number of strange novels, from the early Weasel?s Luck and Galen Beknighted in the best-selling DRAGONLANCE series to the more recent lyrical and experimental Arcady, singled out for praise by Locus and Asimov's magazines. Trajan's Arch is his eleventh novel.
Williams has a Ph.D. in Humanities, and teaches at the University of Louisville, where he focuses on European Romanticism and the 19th century, the Modern Fantastic, and 20th century film. He is married, and has two grown sons.
Of Trajan's Arch, he says:
"This is a story that kept entering other stories, like rooms opening into rooms in some big, unwieldy gothic mansion, both hard and necessary to tell. It takes a press with venture and backbone to bring it forth, and I believe I've found that press in BlackWyrm."
Stephen Zimmer
Award-winning epic Fantasy Author and Filmmaker, Stephen has two active series being published through Seventh Star Press. One is the epic urban fantasy series The Rising Dawn Saga, which features Book One, The Exodus Gate, and Book Two, The Storm Guardians, which was released in June of 2010. His other series is the epic medieval fantasy Fires In Eden, launched in fall of 2009 with Crown of Vengeance (Winner of the 2010 Pluto Award), and continued with Dream of Legends in December of 2010. Other recent work includes the steampunk short story "In the Mountain Skies", which is in the Dreams of Steam anthology from Kerlak Publishing.
Stephen's film work includes the independent feature Shadows Light, a supernatural thriller, as well as The Sirens, a 30 minute horror short included on the Indie Movie Masters Festival of Horrors Vol. 1 DVD. Swordbearer, a short film in the fantasy genre based on the H. David Blalock novel Ascendent, is to be released in early 2011.