Our Authors

MICHELE ACKER is the author of the SciFi crime thriller Portal to Murder. She has published short stories appearing in the anthologies A Time To..., The Stygian Soul, Chimera World #2 and the F/SF Anthology. Her work also appears in the the anthology, A Firestorm of Dragons, which she put together and helped edit. She's also a contributing author for The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy and theThe Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction, which features Piers Anthony and Orson Scott Card among others. She has also sold several articles on writing to Writing-World.com and has been published in other newsletters and e-zines.
 

KIM BACCELLIA has a degree in Elementary Education, and was a bilingual teacher for South Whittier School District in Los Angeles County for eight years. As an educator, Kim couldn't find many books for Latinos that were upbeat or dealt with their heritage. During her personal quest to find out more about her own Mexican heritage, she began writing her YA Urban Fantasy Earrings of Ixtumea . Her purpose was to create a protagonist that teenage Latina girls could relate to while also learning about their own rich cultural heritage. Ms. Baccellia's writing credits include numerous poems in a variety of magazines, ranging from Beginnings magazine and Latino Stuff Review to Coil magazine. Her poem, My Father, appears in the Mind Mutations Anthology published by The Sun Rising Poetry Press. Her essay on the adoption of her son, Our Turn, appeared in both Adoptive Families magazine and the Adoptive Families 2003-2004 Adoption Guide. She is also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators ( SCBWI). Ms. Baccellia's second YA paranormal novel, Crossed Out, was released in 2010. She lives in Southern California with her husband and son.

ALICIA BENSON is the author of The First Vampire: A Novel of Sampson & Delilah. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband, Robert, and their dog, Goldie. She considers herself lucky to have lived and worked in some of the greatest places in the country — Boston, Washington, D.C, New York City, California's Bay Area, and her home in rural North Carolina. She has degrees in International Relations, National Security, and law.  For fun, she writes books about vampires, travels and watches sci-fi movies and television.  The First Vampire is her debut novel. You can read more about her work at www.aliciabenson.com.
 
 

IRENE BLACK began her career as a research psychologist working in England, Australia and at Yeshiva University in New York, where she worked on the Apollo Space Program. After her two children were born she began teaching, eventually becoming Head of Languages at a Surrey school. A spinal injury in 1999 forced her to give up this post, enabling her to concentrate on her writing career. Ms. Black was born in the UK but comes from an ethnically diverse background, with family spread across the world. She has been a frequent visitor to India, working for periods of up to eight months in Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka, and holds an MA in South Indian temple architecture. It is no surprise, then, that her works often examine cultural identity and draw upon her Indian research. Ms. Black's short stories, articles and poems have won major prizes, including first prize in the 2003 National Association of Writers Groups annual short story competition. Her works have been published in writing magazines, including Writers' News, Writers' Forum and The New Writer, as well as broadcast on BBC radio. In addition to THE MOON'S COMPLEXION, she has recently completed a second novel about India, DARSHAN. She is currently working on a light-hearted look at eBay selling, a guide to South Indian temples and an allegorical fantasy novella.

DAVID B. COLES is the co-author of the historical fiction novel The Last Free Men. He began writing fantasy and science fiction rather longer ago than he likes to remember. He is also the co-author of a number of fantasy and science fiction stories with Jack Everett, including Fantocine, Merlin’s Kin and the forthcoming medieval mystery, Death and Taxes. A founding member of the international Historical Novel Society, Mr. Coles is proud to have attended workshops run by U.K. writers Terry Pratchett and David Gemmel. Mr. Coles lives with his wife in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, where his only pet is a laptop. In order to support his writing habit, he has been forced into menial day-jobs: designing and writing computer software ranging from industrial control to web-site feeds for U.K. companies and banks and even lecturing at Further Education Colleges. He has also had several electronics projects featured in the amateur press. Find out more at his website.

JACK EVERETT is the co-author of the historical fiction novel, The Last Free Men. He has been a lover of historical novels since childhood when an uncle loaned him a copy of Frank Yerby’s The Foxes of Harrow. This, coupled with a love of Fantasy and Sci/Fi, have shaped today’s writer. Jack has been a Youth Leader, a Training Adviser and a Royal Air Force Dog Instructor in his time and counts among his hobbies: wood turning, cue making, painting landscapes and writing, with writing being more of a passion. He has written for magazines and co-written several novels with David Coles including a WWII story, thrillers and a tribute story celebrating the author Jack Vance. He hopes to live to be two hundred and visit mans outposts on Mars.

JOHNNY FINCHAM is the author of the Science Fiction thriller While the Gods Sleep. He is the UK’s leading palmist and appears regularly in the US and UK media. Mr. Fincham has publishedmany books on the subject, including The Spellbinding Power of Palmistry and Palmistry:Apprentice to Pro in 24 Hours. He holds an MAin the novel, is a winner of the Pulp fiction prize and was a commended writer for the Elevator literary award. He has contributed to various futurology websites as an advisor on the natureof society in the future.

P.S. GIFFORD is the author of three horror anthologies — The Curious Accounts of the Imaginary Friend, The Further Accounts of the Imaginary Friend and Dr. Offig's Lessons from Dark Side, Vol. I, which is a YA horror anthology. He was born in Birmingham, England. He relocated to California in the early 1980s and has cheerfully called it home ever since. He has been completely fascinated with the written word from a remarkably early age and was devouring several books a week by the time he was nine and began his writing career. He wrote a few stories in college, but writing took a back burner to making a living and starting a family for over 15 years. Realizing that an important part of his life was missing (despite a serene, contented existence), he began churning out an abundance of short stories in 2004. He lives in Lake Forest, California with his wife, a son, two dogs, a rabbit and an endless dream...

BETH GROUNDWATER is the author of the SciFi novel The Epsilon Eridani Alternative. Her debut mystery novel, A Real Basket Case, was published in 2007 and was nominated for a 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award. To Hell in a Handbasket, the second in the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, was released in 2009. Both books are also available in large-print and will appear in trade paperback and e-book form in fall, 2011 and fall, 2012, respectively. The third book in the series will be published in fall, 2013. Beth also writes the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures mystery series, which will debut with Deadly Currents in March, 2011, followed by Wicked Eddies in spring, 2012. Eight of Beth’s short stories have been published, including one in Wild Blue Yonder (Frontier Airlines’ in-flight magazine), one that was translated into Farsi, and one that was performed in live theater. Beth lives in Colorado and enjoys its many outdoor activities, including skiing and whitewater rafting. She enjoys meeting with book clubs in person or via Skype or speakerphone to discuss her books. Visit her website or her blog for more information.

KATHLEEN HEADY has had articles published in The Tico Times, The International Educator, and several online publications. She grew up in Illinois where she earned degrees in Psychology and English while raising her  daughter. As a high school teacher, she dabbled with writing and pursued her other love—travel—when she had the opportunity to live abroad in Costa Rica for seven years. Although fascinated with Great Britain, Ms. Heady currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two cats. She travels to Great Britain, Costa Rica, and any other place that calls whenever she has the chance. THE GATE HOUSE is her first published novel. Find out more at her website, www.kathleenheady.com.

ELIZABETH HOPKINSON is the author of My True Love Sent to Me. She comes from Bradford, West Yorkshire (UK), home of the Bronte sisters and the Cottingley fairies. She studied English at Leeds University, where she was first introduced to medieval literature, and has loved it ever since. Her fantasy fiction has appeared in Interzone, Strange Horizons, Byzarium, EOTU and Fables, and another story, "There's Only One Dakon the Mighty," was published in Fantasist Enterprises' humorous anthology, Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy. Her stories have also been featured in Dragons, Knights and Angels, and her story, "A Short History of the Dream Library," won the James White Award in 2005. Her review of The Lais of Marie de France was featured in Mslexia in October 2007. Elizabeth's homepage, www.hiddengrove.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk, has links to all her stories and more.

SID HOSKINS is the author of THERE REALLY WAS AN ELFECO BACA for Virtual Tales. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and received a master's degree from California State University at Long Beach. He spent thirty-four years in the Los Angeles Unified School District and was a principal when he retired in 1984. Sid began his writing career at the age of fifty-seven and has published over sixty articles and short stories, as well as his first novel, How I Covered Sam Bass, which was published by Senior Press in 1994. He has also been involved in television interview work and has had his own show, Long Beach Forum, for over five years. He and his wife, Leslie, live in Long Beach, California and have two children and two grandchildren.
 

JOANN KEDER is a late bloomer who went back to school at the age of 36 and recently completed a Masters Degree in Creative Writing. She lives in a small Nebraska town where she works as the Assistant Director for a community arts center. She has two daughters in college and has been married for almost a quarter of a century.  In addition to The Something That Happened in Pepperville, she has also penned two children’s novels. She is still trying to determine what she wants to be when she grows up.

B.J. KIBBLE (author of Legion, Dry Rain, and Chasing the Wind) comes from a family background steeped in law enforcement and military history, and he followed the tradition and served as a British soldier and police officer. During the course of his duty, he survived three near death experiences; the last occasion was prior to leaving the Police Force, when he walked unscathed from a devastating IRA bomb. Joining the business sector, he became a marketing manager for a well-known computer firm and then a buyer for American, Swiss and British companies. He now runs his own property maintenance business and lives in East Sussex, England. His ruling passion has always been for the written word and of sharing that zeal with those who love to be gripped by a damn good story. Find out more at his website, www.bkibblebjebooks.com.
 
 

BILL KIRTON is the author of the historical fiction novel The Figurehead. His radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC and on the Australian BC. He has published three crime novels, Material Evidence, Rough Justice and The Darkness. Three of his short stories were selected for the CWA’s annual anthologies in 1999, 2005 and 2007 and another has been selected for the 2010 anthology of Best British Crime Stories, edited by Maxim Jakubowski. Kirton has also written children’s stories and science fiction, but his main output is crime/mystery. Bill has also written and performed in revues at the Edinburgh Festival; written, directed and acted in stage and radio plays; and presented TV programs. He has been a visiting artist at an American University on four different occasions, directing stage plays, giving classes on creative writing and theatre and translating three plays by Molière for public performance, one of which, a verse translation of Sganarelle, won a BCLA prize. Before taking early retirement to become a full-time writer, Bill Kirton was a lecturer in French at the University of Aberdeen. He was awarded one of the first of the Royal Literary Fund’s Writing Fellowships in Scotland and spent two years at the Robert Gordon University, two more at the University of Dundee and one at St Andrews. He co-wrote a chapter of Writing Matters, a report specially commissioned by the RLF to examine issues relating to literacy levels in Higher Education. He also co-wrote Just Write, a book aimed at helping students with their academic writing, which was published in 2006. Another non-fiction book on study skills will be published in 2010. Learn more about Bill at his website  and his blog.

BARTON PAUL LEVENSON is the author of the SciFi romance I Will. He has had stories and articles published in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy magazine, Cricket, Cicada, The New York Review of Science Fiction, and many small press markets.  He won First Prize in the 1997 & 1998 Confluence Short Story Contest, which disqualified him from entering again. Mr. Levenson has a degree in physics, and his hobbies include reading novels, watching videos, petting cats and writing radiative-convective models of planetary atmospheres. Happily married to genre poet Elizabeth Penrose, his being both a born-again Christian and a liberal Democrat seems to confuse everybody.

JACQUELYNN LUBEN writes both fiction and non fiction. Her second work of fiction, Tainted Tree, was published in the UK in May 2008, having been awarded Second Prize in the Winchester Writers’ Conference novel competition in 2007. She has also written numerous short stories as well as her published novella, Have Wine, Will Travel, originally  published in the UK as A Bottle of Plonk.  Her prize-winning story Damaged Goods can be read on the BBC radio station, Southern Counties Radio. In addition, Jacquelynn has written  has two  successful non-fiction books and many articles. Her autobiographical book, The Fruit of the Tree, is a touching memoir about the tragedy of cot death (SIDS). Originally from London, Jacquelynn is now based in Surrey and is currently working on her fifth book. Find out more at her website www.freespace.virgin.net/jajackie.luben.
 

PHILIP MCCORMAC is the author of the western Rattlesnake. He has also authored eleven other westerns including Zacchaeus Wolfe, Massacre at Empire Fastness, Hammer of God, Paths of Death and Caleb Blood under his own name and various pseudonyms. He is taking a break from the bloodstained Wild West with his crime thriller MacLean, a hard hitting tale set in Belfast, which is due out in December 2010. Mr. McCormac and his wife live in the East Midlands, England near their two grown children and five grandchildren. Find out more at his website www.philipmccormac.talktalk.net, or you can or join him on Facebook.

Frank Minogue is the author of the SciFi novel Figgy Dowdy. His short stories, poetry, and artwork have been published in a number of literary journals including Atomjack, Wisconsin Review, The Amherst Review, The Sulphur River Literary Review, Aura Literary Arts Review, Poetry Ireland and Aphelion. He has also written a children's novel, Little Horse, which was based in part on his childhood experience of caring for two horses. Mr. Minogue was born and raised in Canada and later moved to Texas in the United States, where he currently resides. He holds degrees in the humanities and fine arts from The University of Texas at Austin.

STEPHEN PAUL has worked as a supervisor in an oil refinery, as a wrangler on a dude ranch, a firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management, and as a police officer.  He  presently lives with his wife, Judy, and their two mixed-breed pups, in southern Wyoming. Stephen's short stories have received several awards and have appeared in numerous print and online magazines. His first novel, Can Horses Cry? was originally released in January of 2004 and was reissued in 2010 by Virtual Tales. His second novel, THE LAST GUNFIGHTER, is also published by Virtual Tales.

LEE PIERCE is the author of the western Rough Justice and Armstrong's War. He was born and raised in north central Texas, grew up with a deep appreciation of the land. Living on small farms and one-horse ranches as a youth taught him the value of hard work. His father was a butcher in tiny Covington, Texas when he decided to move the family twenty miles up the road to Cleburne. Soon the big city of Ft Worth beckoned and the Pierces moved again. Lee finished high school in Ft. Worth, joined the U. S. Army nine months later and never looked back. Lee graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington after attending part and full time for nine years on the G.I. Bill. Over the years, Lee worked as a city park laborer, dishwasher, pizza delivery driver, pizza maker, printing press operator, forklift driver, lumber salesman, hardware salesman, bartender, cook, waiter, wine steward, and more. He has written and performed songs and cowboy poetry for many years. Mr. Pierce owns and operates La Fiesta Grande Mexican Restaurant in Farmington, New Mexico. He lives with his wife, Cathy, three cats, two dogs, and three horses in Dos Caballos, New Mexico.

AARON POLSON is the author of the horror novel The House Eaters. His short fiction has appeared in Reflection’s Edge, Necrotic Tissue, Permuted Press’s Monstrous anthology and other publications. He is a high school English teacher who frequently argues about the definition of irony with his students. In his spare time, he can be found in his basement study, plugging away at some twisted tale. Most of Aaron's work falls in the darker side of the ledger, inspired by a persistent fear of the dark. Many of his stories take place in the fictional town of Springdale, Kansas, a strange place modeled after his own hometown of Clay Center. Mr. Polson currently resides in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife, two sons, and a tattooed rabbit. Find out more at his website.

SHARON POPPEN is the author of HANNAH for Virtual Tales. She grew up in Chicago, and has lived in California and New Mexico. After years in telecommunications, Sharon retired to Arizona. She earned an A.A. in English from the Mohave Community College and is now enrolled in Northern Arizona University working on her B.A. Sharon's first novel After the War, Before the Peace was published December 2002 and is available at local and online bookstores. Sharon's stories and poetry have appeared in Potpourri, Creosote and Desert Treasures. Her work was recognized by the Arizona Authors Association where she was awarded Second Prize in fiction for her unpublished novel, Abby, and the National League of American Pen Women gave Honorable Mention for her story, A Walk in the Desert. Sharon is currently a member of the Lake Havasu City Writer's Group and the Society of Southwestern Authors in Tucson, AZ.

Dan Rafter is a freelance writer and editor who lives with his wife, son and dog in Chicago. His nonfiction work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, BusinessWeek Online, Business 2.0 Magazine, Phoenix Magazine and several dozen trade publications. He has also written scripts for several independent comic book publishers. HERO is his first published fiction novel.

DAVID ROBINSON is the author of THE HAUNTING OF MELMBERBY MANOR for Virtual Tales. He is  a former adult education teacher, trained hypnotist, freelance writer, novelist and humorist. An avid fan of classic science fiction (Asimov, Wells, etc.) he writes in two main genres: dark thrillers and more light-hearted mysteries, bringing an extensive knowledge of the paranormal into most of his works. He is extensively published in small press and on the Internet, and published two comedy novels in 2002. He has an odd, often cynical sense of humor, a passion for classical music, brass bands and 60’s beat music, is married with 4 children and 9 grandchildren, and lives in the North of England where he enjoys walking his dog, a West Highland White named Max, on the moors. When not writing he researches the paranormal, everything from UFOs to ghosts, and supports his favorite football team, Manchester United.

JACK SCOLTOCK is Derry's most published children's writer. He was born in Derry, Ireland, in 1942 and has lived there all his life. He has been married to his wife Ursula for 39 years and they have three grandchildren. Jack has been writing for 35 years. In addition to owning the rights to nine children’s novels, he has fifteen novels of his own published, with another one coming out this year, Patrick's Gift, whose cover is illustrated by renowned Irish artist John Quigley.In addition, many of Jack’s short stories have been published in anthologies, newspapers and magazines. He has written screenplays and stage plays, and he was recently commissioned to write a play for children by the Playhouse/Arts Council, The Lost Magic, which was be performed by four professional adult actors on tour. Jack taught creative writing for the W.E.A. (Workers Education Authority) and is on the Creative Youth Partnership for the Arts Council.
 

JACKIE TRITT is the author of THE BURNING for Virtual Tales. retired science teacher and career counselor, Jackie Tritt has since become a widely published, award-winning writer. She has written articles for the major newspapers around Australia, and has had many stories and articles published in magazines for children. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies and ezines in Australia and the USA and have been successful in many short story competitions, including one in Canada. She won the prestigious $5,000 Herald Sun/Collins Award in 2005. She has completed a second crime novel and is in the early stages of a third. You can also visit her website for more information.
 

DEXTER WANSEL is the author of Shortwave. He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 1950 and spent his childhood moving between Philadelphia and the coastal farmlands of Lewes, Delaware. After high school, Dexter served his country by doing three tours of duty in the army and was stationed in Taiwan during the Vietnam War. Returning to Philadelphia after his service, he started making the rounds in Philly’s highly touted music scene and over the past three decades, Mr. Wansel has become a highly successful songwriter, arranger, and producer, garnering over 50 gold and platinum albums to date, and has had number one records with Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, and Grover Washington, Jr. He shares a Grammy with the late Lou Rawls, who was one of his closest friends and often encouraged him with his writing. Dexter and his wife live in Philadelphia, where he is currently working on the sequel to Shortwave, which is his first novel. Find out more on Facebook, MySpace or Wikipedia.

DANIEL LANCE WRIGHT is a freelance writer and novelist born in Lubbock, Texas. Having spent the first 19 years of his life on a cotton farm on the South Plains and the next 32 in the television industry, Danny has seen the world from two distinctly different angles. This unique perspective adds depth when bringing together characters from divergent backgrounds in his stories. Mr. Wright's fiction has been recognized by the Panhandle Writers League in 2004 and 2010, The Abilene Writers Guild in 2004, The Oklahoma Writers Federation in 2005, 2006 and 2010, Writer's Digest in 2007, and Art Affair in 2007. Published works are all fiction novels that include Six Years' Worth/Father's Press 2007, Paradise Flawed/Dream Books LLC 2009, Where Are You, Anne Bonny?/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010 and the latest is The Last Radiant Heart/Virtual Tales 2010. A lifelong Texan, Danny currently resides in Waco. He invites comments. http://daniellancewright.ning.com      http://daniellancewright.blogspot.com  or email him directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it