J.W. Alden is fascinated with the fantastic. As such, he's made science fiction and fantasy his literary domain—though some other weird things sneak in from time to time. Growing up along the coasts of Florida, James learned to hate the sun and love the shade. While most kids his age spent their weekends at the beach or on the basketball court, he buried himself in books. He now lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he is trying desperately to understand the difference between a state and a commonwealth. Alden is a 1st Place Writers of the Future winner, a graduate of Odyssey Writing Workshop, and an active member of SFWA. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Nature, Daily Science Fiction, and various other publications. The "J" stands for James.