For as long as I can remember, I've loved telling and soaking up stories. At the age of six, I was told somebody got paid for writing books and movies and television shows; I abandoned my previous ambition (beachcomber), and became a writer.

I've had stories in anthologies, on-line and print publications, including Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress anthologies, on coffee cans, and the wall of an Indian restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky.

I'm one-third of Per Bastet Publications, a small publishing house based in southern Indiana.

Small town life agrees with me. I like the interconnectedness of everything and everybody. I try to remember, in my books and stories, that no one exists in isolation, but in a web of connections.

Most of my work is fantasy, science fiction and/or mystery, though I write anything else that suits the story and character.

Gwen Mayo is a history junkie, with a passion for troubled times. Her Nessa Donnelly series is steeped in the violent history of her native Kentucky. Circle of Dishonor, her first novel , is set during the turbulent political upheaval following the American Civil War, at a time when vigilantes and secret societies wielded power, and murder was more common in Kentucky than it was in anywhere else in the United States.

In partnership with humorist Sarah E. Glenn she writes the Three Snowbirds historical mysteries. These Roaring 20s mysteries feature a soon to retire US army nurse, Cornelia Pettijohn and her companion Teddy Lawless. Cornelia's Uncle Percival Pettijohn, a mischievous little old man with a striking resemblance to Santa Claus, "helps the ladies" as they take on gangsters, swindlers, grifters, and murderers.

She currently lives and writes in Safety Harbor, Florida but grew up in a large family in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, a member of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, the Derby Rotten Scoundrels Chapter of Sisters in Crime, the Florida Gulf Coast SiC and the SiC GUPPIES Chapter. Her numerous short stories have appeared in anthologies, at online short fiction sites, micro-fiction collections, and once showed up on the back of a coffee can. She desperately hopes that everyone will buy her books so she can retire and write all day.

Discover more at https://rosalindbarden.com/. For bonus content, fun giveaways, and updates, sign up for Rosalind Barden’s Readers Club newsletter at https://rosalindbarden.com/join-readers-club/.

Rosalind Barden's zany, cozy noir mystery novel set in 1930s Depression-era Los Angeles, SPARKY OF BUNKER HILL AND THE COLD KID CASE, is a Firebird Book Award 1st Place Cozy Mystery Winner, Literary Titan Gold Medal Book Award Winner, Author Academy Top 10 Mystery Winner, and Critters Readers Poll Top 10 Finisher for both Best Mystery and Best Young Adult Books. Over thirty of Rosalind Barden's short stories have appeared in print anthologies and webzines, such as the U.K.'s acclaimed WHISPERS OF WICKEDNESS. Mystery and Horror LLC has selected her stories for multiple print anthologies, including FAPA President's Book Award Silver Medalist HISTORY AND MYSTERY OH MY! She is a regular contributor to the STRANGELY FUNNY anthology series. Ellen Datlow selected her short story LION FRIEND as a Best Horror of the Year Honorable Mention after it appeared in CERN ZOO, a British Fantasy Society nominee for best anthology, part of DF Lewis' award winning NEMONYMOUS anthology series. TV MONSTER is her print children's book that she wrote and illustrated. In addition, her scripts, novel manuscripts and short fiction have placed in numerous competitions, including the Writers Digest Screenplay Competition and the Shriekfast Film Festival. She writes in Los Angeles, California. Photo credit: Guy Viau.

Nathan Pettigrew was born and raised an hour south of New Orleans and lives in the Tampa area with his loving wife. His story "Yemma" was recently awarded 2nd Place in the 22nd Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story competion and appeared in the winnow. Other stories have appeared in Deep South Magazine, Penumbra Online, "The Year" Anthology from Crack the Spine, Stoneboat, Cowboy Jamboree, and the Nasty: Fetish Fights Back anthology from Anna Yeatts of Flash Fiction Online, which was spotlighted in a 2017 Rolling Stone article. His story “The Queen of the South Side” was named Honorable Mention in the Genre Short Story category for the 88th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, while his story "Dog Killer" was named among the Top 4 Finalists of the Writer’s Digest 8th Annual Popular Fiction Awards for the Crime category. Other genre stories have appeared in Thuglit, the bestselling Gone anthology from Red Dog Press, Savage Minds & Raging Bulls from Bristol Noir, and Mirrors Reflecting Shadows from Roi Fainéant Press, Anxiety Press and Outcast Press. Visit Nathan on Twitter @NathanBorn2010.

Essel Pratt is a purveyor of horror and fantasy, conjuring tales that haunt souls and inspire imagination. As a student of psychology and teller of tales, Essel writes to share the complex nature of his imaginings with the world. His ever-expanding catalog of short stories spans multiple anthologies and collections, ranging from whimsical fantasy to bizarre horror, including everything in between. Dedicated fans have praised his creations, labeling his talents as prolific in substance.

Hailing from Mishawaka, Indiana, his passion for writing began in the early years as his imagination taunted from within, begging for a release. Dabbling in art at first, he found that the stories that pleaded to be told could not be imprisoned by ink and paint alone. His most notable and prevalent accomplishments include Final Reverie, Sharkantula, and the multiple short stories that have garnered a following of their own, such as the adventures of Detective Mansfield.

Inspired by C.S. Lewis, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Harper Lee, William Golding, and many more, Essel doesn't restrain his writings to straight horror, instead exploring the blurred boundaries of horror within its competing genres, mixing the elements into a literary stew.

You can follow Essel at the following:

www.facebook.com/esselprattwriting

Esselpratt.blogspot.com

@EsselPratt

http://esselpratt.wixsite.com/darknessbreaks

Harriette Sackler is a longtime member of the Malice Domestic Board of Directors and serves as the Grants Chair. She is a past Agatha Award nominee for “Mother Love,” her short story that appeared in Chesapeake Crimes II.

An avid pet lover, she is vice president of House with a Heart Senior Pet Sanctuary. Harriette lives in the DC suburbs with her husband, Bob, and their 5 pups. She has two married daughters and loves thoroughly spoiling her two grand-babies, Ethan and Makayla.

Paul Wartenberg developed an interest in writing as far back as the first grade, and pursued an interest in creative writing alongside studying for a career in journalism. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1992 with a bachelors in Journalism, but during his studies he worked as a part-time student at the campus library, which redirected his professional interests. He quickly went to the University of South Florida to study librarianship, earning a Masters in Library and Information Sciences in 1993.

His professional career has mostly been in libraries. Working Broward County Libraries from 1994 to 2003. Then at the UF Smathers Libraries from 2003 to 2006. He then worked at Pasco County Libraries from 2006 to 2008. He is currently working as the reference librarian at Bartow Public Library.

He's been a resident of Florida since childhood, which means that, yes he has seen a lot of crazy stuff...

Daniel Moore was born in New York City where he lives and works as a freelance writer and author of short stories and novels.