Joseph R. Lewis enjoys creating worlds in which history, mythology, and fantasy collide in unpredictable ways. He also likes writing about heroines that his daughters can respect and admire. Joe was born in Annapolis and went to the University of Maryland to study ancient novels, morality plays, and Viking poetry. www.josephrlewis.com

MeiLin Miranda is the pen name of Lynn Siprelle. As MeiLin Miranda, she wrote literary fantasy and science fiction set in Victorian worlds. Her love of all things 19th century (except for the pesky parts like cholera, child labor, slavery and no rights for women) consumed her since childhood, when she fell in a stack of Louisa May Alcott books and never got up. MeiLin wrote nonfiction for thirty years, in radio, television, print, and the web. She always wanted to write fiction, but figured she had time. She discovered she didn't when a series of unfortunate events resulted in a cardiac arrest complete with a near-death experience. In December, 2014, MeiLin suffered a massive stroke; she was expected to die, as more than 90% of those struck by similar strokes do. Instead, thanks to an experimental treatment (the CLEAR-III study), she survived, though dramatically altered. Her recovery has been nothing short of spectacular, and still continues. She hopes to return to writing at some point, though it will be under her real name. MeiLin lives in a 130-year-old house in Portland, Oregon with a husband, two daughters, a black cat, a little dog, and far, far too much yarn.