Leigh M. Lane has been writing dark speculative fiction for over twenty years. She has ten published novels and dozens of published short stories divided between two genre-specific pseudonyms. She is married to editor Thomas B. Lane, Jr. and currently resides in the outskirts of Sin City.

Tarn Richardson was born in Bristol in 1972 and developed an unhealthy interest in ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night from a very young age. When he was seven, he moved to a remote seventeenth century farmhouse near Taunton, Somerset, rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of a little girl - the news being the icing on the cake as far as Tarn was concerned.

He’s worked for IBM working as a copywriter, writing scripts for CDs and content for the very first web sites, as well as murder mystery dinner party games, including titles for The Whodunnit Murder Mystery Company. 

In 2014, he was offered a three book deal with Duckworth Overlook. THE DAMNED is his debut novel, the first in a trilogy featuring troubled inquisitor Poldek Tacit.

Nathan Ballingrud is an American writer of horror and dark fiction. His first book, the short story collection North American Lake Monsters, was published by Small Beer Press to great acclaim. Awards and honors include a Shirley Jackson Award for his story “The Monsters of Heaven,” as well as multiple reprints in Year’s Best anthologies. His work has appeared in Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy, Lovecraft Unbound, andInferno: New Tales of Terror, among other publications. 

An award winning screenwriter, filmmaker, and educator, I began writing stories in first grade when I still had hair. The short crime film I produced and directed, CASE #5930 is in post-production, and I hope to direct David McDonald’s horror feature, VINDICTA, next summer. An active member of the New Jersey Screenwriter’s Group, I teach English as an assistant professor at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, and my guidebook on business writing will come out later this summer. When not writing, I’m busy co-hosting THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast on iTunes. I enjoy life with my wife, author and editor Ally Bishop, and our two puppies, Suki and Karma. I’m proud of my alternative music and horror movie collections, and the fact that I never leave any sushi behind. The hard-boiled crime thriller, “Bloodletting” is my first novel.

A high school teacher, college instructor and fiction writer living in central Missouri, Kevin R. Doyle has seen his short stories, mainly in the horror and suspense fields, publshed in over twenty-five small press magazines, both print and online. In 2012 he began venturing into the book publication field. First with a mainstream novelette and then, in 2014, with the release of his first full-length mystery novel. A native of Kansas and graduate of Wichita State University, Doyle teaches English and public speaking at a high school in rural Missouri and has taught English, journalism and Spanish at a number of community colleges in both Kansas and Missouri. In the summertime, he can be found either toiling away at the computer or vacationing along the Gulf Coast. You can find out more information at his website, www.kevindoylefiction.com, or contact him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kevindoylefiction.

David Sakmyster is the award-winning author of more than a dozen novels, including Jurassic Dead and The Morpheus Initiative, a series featuring psychic archaeologists (described as “Indiana Jones meets the X-Files”). He also has an epic historical adventure, Silver and Gold, the suspense novels Crescent Lake and Blindspots, and a story collection, Escape Plans. His latest is Final Solstice, and his screenplay, Nightwatchers, has been optioned for production. Visit him at www.sakmyster.com.

Moonlight illuminates her porcelain skin
A black domino betwixt forehead and chin

Lance Barnwell’s Dereliction is a triumphant first step into the publishing world. His collection is full of stark and bold dark poetry that ranges from the supernatural, to the future of our world.

Lance cleverly uses ironic rhyming couplets to portray not a love story, but a dark wondering about the world we live in. He asks questions of it and gives an interesting opinion on its answers, provoking involvement and thought from his audience. His couplets are intelligent, not twee, showing a mastery of the craft.

This thrilling collection boldly steps into the world of dark poetry smoothly and effortlessly. He reveals an honest portrayal of dark thoughts, feelings and emotions that the audience can relate to feeling - even if it is not always admitted.

Followers of dark poetry will love Barnwell's collection, but its appeal stretches further than this. The book is also filled with humour, both black and light; all tastes can be found somewhere amongst his words.

With his evocative style, raw emotions and untamed feeling, Barnwell will take you through a journey unlike any other.