About this ebook
Eleven writers explore this ragged setting and the wild, unforgettable cast of characters who reside within its borders, weaving tales of adventure, survival, deceit, and intrigue that combine genres and styles to create a thrilling shared universe.
Welcome to Barning, Vermont, where there are only two rules: fear the sun and trust no one.
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About the author
Franklin Ard’s writing blurs many genres, from science fiction, fantasy, and mystery to magical realism and Southern gothic. Over the years, his fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous venues, such as Nightmare Magazine, Tales, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, Suspense Magazine, and Deep Magic. He is a graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop and the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program. Additionally, he holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of South Alabama, where he oversees the university’s Center for Academic Excellence. Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Oracle Fine Arts Review and Managing Editor of Stonecoast Review, he now serves as Editor-in-Chief of Rogue Owl Press and lead copy editor at Headless Hydra Press. He resides in Mobile, Alabama with his wife and son, where they enjoy the humid frog weather. Find him online at www.franklinard.com.
Joseph Carro holds an MFA from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. He is the co-author of The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors anthology and has served as an editor and proofreader for the Glyphs Productions line of comic books since 2015. He has written for itcherMag and can generally be found engaging in some sort of geeky/nerdy activity throughout the day. Oh, and he was also in a movie with Kelsey Grammer (and will say that every chance he gets). He currently resides in Woodford, Vermont inside the infamous Bennington Triangle, although he’ll always be a Mainer at heart.
Paul Carro was born and raised in Maine, where he was published at an early age in an anthology of Maine authors alongside one of his horror icons. After college, he left the lakes of Maine for the oceans of California, where he toiled for years in the film/TV industry before recently returning to his literary roots. A longtime comic book and horror nerd, he now writes novels featuring both his passions. When not writing, he can be found hiking all over California.
Shane R. Collins is the owner of Headless Hydra Press, a tabletop gaming company that creates accessories and supplements for roleplaying games. His work has appeared in The Master’s Review in an issue that won the IndieFab Silver Medal for Best Short Story Collection. Shane lives in rural Vermont with his wife and their assorted pets and children.
Renee S. DeCamillis is a horror editor and the author of the psychological thriller/supernatural horror/bizarro novella The Bone Cutters, published through Eraserhead Press. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the New England Horror Writers, and the Horror Writers of Maine. Renee is also a songwriter, musician, singer, and a tree-hugging hippie with a sharp metal edge. Renee’s short fiction appears in the Wicked Women anthology from NEHW Press, Northern Frights, The Journal of Horror Writers of Maine 2.5—Mud Season 2021, lost, Deadman’s Tome: The Conspiracy Issue, Siren’s Call eZine Issue 37: the 6th Annual Women in Horror Month Edition, and The Other Stories Podcast. Her poetry appears in The Horror Writers Association Poetry Showcase Volume IV. Her first comic book is also forthcoming from Phi3 Comics. Renee earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Southern Maine and her MFA in Popular Fiction from the Stonecoast program. She also attended Berklee College of Music as a music business major with guitar as her principal instrument. Renee is a former model, school rock band teacher, creative writing teacher, private guitar instructor, A&R representative for an indie record label, therapeutic mentor, psychological technician, and preschool teacher. She is also a former gravedigger; she can get rid of a body fast without leaving a trace, and she is not afraid of getting her hands dirty. Renee lives in the woods of southern Maine with her husband, their son, and a house full of ghosts. Visit her online at reneesdecamillis.com.
Devin Gaither lives on the Mar-Lu Ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Jefferson, MD with her dog, Pippa. She is a Business Analyst by trade and is also the Aerial Arts Program Director for Luna Aerial Dance & Performing Arts in Frederick, MD. Additionally, she enjoys making time for creating stained glass artwork (Mar-Lu Glassworks) and laboring over math puzzles. Devin earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. In 2022, she was selected as one of the Top 50 Young Professionals Under 40 by the Frederick County Office of Economic Development.
Derek B. Hoffman is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine. He is a freelance author, editor, and tutor. For over thirty years, he’s authored works ranging from slipstream poetry, to stories supporting abused children, to inspiring young adult and transmedia odysseys. He also leverages his writing skills as CEO of Veracity by Design, LLC, where he composes, edits, and designs award-winning websites, translates technology into understandable user tutorials, and publishes in peer-reviewed medical journals as part of research projects performed at leading universities. During the day, he resides with his wife and three boys in Austin, TX. At night, he ventures into the fifth corner of his mind, crafting an ever-growing collection of multiverse tales and adventures. Find him online soon at www.derekbhoffman.com.
Rebecca McKenna teaches English literature and writing to high school students, whom she finds quite interesting and engaging. She has been a professional mapmaker for almost two decades and has spent a lifetime loving maps and creating them for her enjoyment. A graduate of the Stonecoast MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine and a charter member of the Tiny Chair Writing Cooperative, she lives in eastern Maine with her husband and misses her kids, who have grown up.
Karen Marie Menzel (neé Bovenmyer) earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine in 2013. Her first novel debuted from Dreamspinner Press in 2017. Her novellas, short stories, and poems appear in more than 40 publications, and she is an Escape Artists’ Mothership Zeta and Pseudopod editorial staff alumna. Teaching and mentoring writers at Iowa State University and Western Technical college brings her great joy. Find her online at www.karenbovenmyer.com.
Richard Squires is a writer, editor, and musician living in New Jersey. His fiction has appeared in The MacGuffin, Jewish Literary Journal, and BigCityLit, among other publications, and he has book reviews forthcoming in American Book Review. Richard is the owner of LifeStory (www.LifeStoryMemoir.com), a company that writes people’s memoirs for them, creating legacies their families cherish for generations. A proud member of the Tiny Chair Writing Cooperative, Richard earned his MFA from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine.
Chloe Viner was born in Louisiana and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated from Bates College with a B.A. in philosophy. Chloe attended Vermont Law School, where she graduated with a J.D. and master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy. Her passion for helping others led her away from the legal system and into social work, and she now works as the Executive Director at Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless. In her spare time, Chloe is a poet and artist. She has authored four books of poetry, and two of her murals are on display at the Saint Albans Museum. Chloe lives in Woodford, Vermont with her husband, twin four-year-olds, and assorted pets.
