Marco Etheridge is a writer of prose, an occasional playwright, and a part-time poet. He lives and writes in Vienna, Austria. His work has been featured in more than seventy reviews and journals across Canada, Australia, the UK, and the USA. “Power Tools” is Marco’s latest collection of short fiction. When he isn’t crafting stories, Marco is a contributing editor and layout grunt for a new ‘Zine called Hotch Potch. He is the author of The Dark Rain Series, a riveting and original tale of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This post-apocalyptic saga opens with the novella "Clouds Before Rain" and continues in the full-length novel "The Best Dark Rain: A Post Apocalyptic Struggle for Life and Love." Marco's second novel, "Blood Rust Chains," is a stand-alone novel set in Portland, Oregon. Marco's third novel, “Breaking the Bundles,” is an absurdist political thriller set across two continents. All of these fine volumes are available at online booksellers world-wide. Marco's fiction takes the reader on an intricate literary journey through different genres. With attention to detail and thoughtful prose, Marco builds immersive worlds crafted to house distinct and diverse characters. Always character and dialogue driven, Marco's novels captivate the readers with dark charm and unforeseen plot hooks. For more on Marco's work, visit his Author website at: https://www.marcoetheridgefiction.com/ Though born in the USA, Marco considers himself a citizen of the world. Love carried him across the Atlantic Ocean to Vienna, Austria; and love holds him there. The long and winding pathway that has led to writing novels is one of varied experience. Marco has been a soldier, a commercial fisherman, a wanderer, and a jack-of-all-trades. His feet have happily trod the soil of over thirty countries spread over four continents and the odd sub-continent. The world is his playground and his fellow citizens are his playmates. Marco's antidote for everything is to throw some gear in his faithful Deuter backpack and disappear. An avid traveler and a complete street-food junkie, there is nothing he won't try. Munching wok-roasted spiders in Cambodia? Absolutely! How about a four-course meal in Bangkok’s Chinatown, with each course from a different street stall? He is there! If you are interested in tall tales of travel, please check out Marco's travel blog at: https://newland-newtale.blogspot.com/

R.E. Sargent, the author of Relative Terror, One-Star Review and the Fury series, lives in Oregon with his wife, Sandi and their two fur children, Mason, a Bernese Mountain Dog, and Riley, a Chocolate Lab. Born in California, R.E. spent most of his life living and working in Arizona, where he met his wife. Between them, they raised four sons. Talk about a lot of testosterone in the house! An avid reader, R.E. fell in love with books when he was a child and the bug never went away. It was his love for the written word—and his admiration for authors such as Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Gregory Mcdonald, Paul Gallico, Donald Westlake and Roald Dahl—that persuaded him to write novels himself. Currently, he is working on the latest novel in the Fury - Scorned series. When not working or writing, R.E. and his wife enjoy making trips to the coast and taking in the ocean air. Life doesn't get much better than watching the waves crash on the shore as the sun sets below the horizon. Well, maybe one of those drinks with the little umbrellas would make it better. You know what I mean, right?

Once an operating room registered nurse, Bridgett Nelson so enjoyed playing with human organs, she decided to turn her macabre interest into a horror writing career. She loves bubble baths (because nothing says spooooky writer like orange-scented bubbles), hates not knowing what’s swimming in the water with her, lives for Halloween season (but loathes chainsaw-wielding dudes in haunted houses), adores her West Virginia University Mountaineers, is very pro-Oxford comma, and thinks bananas are absolutely disgusting. She was a 2022 Michael Knost "Wings" award nominee, and won second place (out of fourteen contestants) in the '22 Gross-Out contest at KillerCon in Austin, Texas. Bridgett's bestselling, two-time Splatterpunk Award nominated debut collection, A BOUQUET OF VISCERA, is available in all formats. She has also contributed to many anthologies, including DEAD & BLOATED by The Evil Cookie Publishing, A WOMAN UNBECOMING by Crone Girls Press, and the upcoming AMERICAN CANNIBAL by Maenad Press. When Edward Lee read her story "Giggly" which will be dropping soon, he said to her: "Giggly kicked my ass. Outstanding job! I need therapy now." Much more is coming in 2023! More tidbits! Bridgett is a(n)… HWA: WV Chapter co-chair. Editor. Audiobook proofer. Bookworm. Dog lover. Tarantula whisperer. Bra avoider. ENJF. Amaretto Sour obsessor. Check out her website for more info. www.bridgettnelson.com

David Rider is the author of "Tweakers, Crane Girl and the Semi-pocalypse" on Kindle, as well as the novel series We Are Van Helsing. He grew up in Calumet City, Illinois, where the smiley-face water towers never looked the same after a leering stranger in a green sedan invited him for a ride. He now lives with his wife and kids in a small Midwestern town that has no smiling face on the water tower…although the people there are arguably more sinister. He sometimes busts out a costume and Photoshop for pretentious author pictures.