Sudden Fictions

Host: R. B. Wood T. L. Emery is a writer of dark fiction and magical realism. He has been published in the "First Light" and "Second Sojourn" anthologies from BlueStone Publishing as well as "Extreme Drabbles of Dread" from The Macabre Ladies as well as others. He is currently putting together a collection of his stories taking place in West Newton, WV, the most haunted area in the world.

Host: R. B. Wood Mary E. Hart is the author of the haunted house novel, “Some Horrific Evening” and the 1980s themed horror tale, “Not Your Barbie Dino,” in the collection “Totally Tubular Terrors.” When she’s not creating memes about warehouse operations and writing about robots in her full-time job, or taking multiple pictures of magnolia trees, she is writing ideas for stories in far too many notebooks. You can learn more about her writing at www.maryehhart.com .

Host: R. B. Wood Suzanne Madron was born in New York City and has lived up and down the east coast. Currently, she resides in a house built over a Civil War battlefield in the wilds of Pennsylvania where she has been known to host some interesting Halloween parties. She has authored several novels and stories under various names including Suzi M, James Glass, and Xircon.

Host: R. B. Wood Melissa Burkart currently lives in downeast Maine with her family and writes in the pauses of parenting two young kids. Her short stories have appeared in The Word Count podcast and the anthologies Fight Like a Girl and What Follows under M. J. King. You can occasionally find her at melissaburkart.com or Instagram @writinginterrupted.

Host: R. B. Wood Huxley Ravenwood (she/they) is a queer, neurospicy author of eldritch and gothic horror from central Massachusetts. She also writes roleplaying game adventures and has edited several anthologies. In their other life, Huxley is a book historian and binder specializing in medieval works.

Host: R. B. Wood Naching T. Kassa is a wife, mother, and writer. She’s created short stories, novellas, poems, and co-created three children. She resides in Eastern Washington State with her husband, Dan Kassa. Naching is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, and various Sherlock Holmes Scions. She is the Talent Relations Manager at Crystal Lake Entertainment and was a recipient of the 2022 HWA Diversity Grant.

Host: R. B. Wood J. Edwin Buja has spent his life surrounded by books. He discovered early on that researching and writing hold the key to happiness. Who else would think scanning through decades of microfilm to index an old newspaper would be a dream job? For almost forty years, he has been married to the most wonderful woman on the planet. Although he lives in a small village somewhere in Canada, his heart and second home reside with his horror family in New England. His novels include The King of the Wood and The Consort. His next novel, Enough Time, will be released in 2025. He has also had more than a dozen short stories published. He is currently working on the final novel of The Wood, and another novel based on concerts he attended in Detroit in the 1970s.

Host: R. B. Wood Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong black tea and single malt whiskey, generally without ice. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at www.firewombats.com.

Host: R. B. Wood Cindy O’Quinn is a five-time Bram Stoker Award®-nominated writer. Author of “Lydia”, from the Shirley Jackson Award-winning anthology The Twisted Book of Shadows, “The Thing I Found Along a Dirt Patch Road”, “A Gathering on the Mountain”, “One and Done”, and “Quondam”. Her poetry has been nominated for the Elgin, Dwarf Star, and Rhysling Awards. She is an Appalachian writer from West Virginia. Cindy currently resides on the old Tessier Homestead in the woods of northern Maine. It’s the ideal backdrop for writing dark stories and poetry.

Host: R. B. Wood Michael Ehart has been at various times all the expected things: laborer, seminary student, musician, shoe salesman, political consultant, teacher, diaper truck driver, stand-up comedian, and the least important guy with an office at a movie studio. He made his first sale to a magazine at age 15, which means he has been writing for over 50 years, with the aforementioned occasional breaks for gainful employment. He lives in the upper left hand corner of the United States with his wife and youngest daughter.

Host: R. B. Wood Michael Burke is a lifelong fan of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, propelled into these realms at a tender age when he discovered his father's cache of pulp novels. A passion for comic books soon followed. In 2000, Michael co-founded the Eisner-award-winning comic and collectible store, Comicazi, in Somerville, MA. When not sorting the comic stacks at work, Michael can be found at home, releasing the hobgoblins of his mind into story form. He has been published in Whetstone:Amateur Magazine of Pulp Sword and Sorcery, The Horror Zine, Witch House, Northern Frights, ResAliens, and the 80s-themed anthology, Totally Tubular Terrors. Healsohas stories in Dan Brereton's Swordplay, Contact 2:Blood and Steel, Monster Fight at the O.K. Corral, and a weird western novella in Crystal Lake's Dark Tide series. A sword and sorcery collection, Fragments of a Greater Darkness, was recently released from Tule Fog Press. Michael lives outside of Boston, MA with his wife, more books than he can possibly read, and continues writing every chance he gets. His inner 11-year-old thinks middle age isn't all that bad.

Host: R. B. Wood Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong black tea and single malt whiskey, generally without ice. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at www.firewombats.com.

Host: R. B. Wood Michael Ehart has been at various times all the expected things: laborer, seminary student, musician, shoe salesman, political consultant, teacher, diaper truck driver, stand-up comedian, and the least important guy with an office at a movie studio. He made his first sale to a magazine at age 15, which means he has been writing for over 50 years, with the aforementioned occasional breaks for gainful employment. He lives in the upper left hand corner of the United States with his wife and youngest daughter. NOTE" The Thumbnail photo is of Michael at the Savoy!

Host: R. B. Wood Mercedes M. Yardley is a Bram Stoker and Stabby award-winning dark fantasist who wears poisonous flowers in her hair. She writes in a lush, lyrical style about current social issues and finding love and beauty in the darkness. She authored such works as Darling, Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love, Little Dead Red, and Love is a Crematorium. Mercedes lives and works in Las Vegas. You can find her at mercedesmyardley.com.

Host: R. B. Wood Cheryl Cantafio works in information technology, and is a podcast co-host (You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)). Her book, My Stay with the Sisters: Poems, is her debut as an author and poet. She lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband and two mischievous mini-dachshunds. Connect with her on Instagram: @cherylc.writer

Host: R. B. Wood Kenneth W. Cain is an author of horror and dark fiction, and a Splatterpunk Award nominated freelance editor. He is also the publisher and editor-in-chief at Crystal Lake: Torrid Waters. Cain is an Active member of the HWA and a Full member of the SFWA. To date, he has had over one hundred short stories and thirteen novels/novellas, as well as a handful each of nonfiction pieces, books for children, and poems released by many great publishers such as Crystal Lake Publishing, JournalStone, and Cemetery Gates Media. He has also edited eight anthologies, with two more coming in 2023. Cain suffers from chronic pain, and as such, likes to keep busy. He lives in Chester County PA with his family and two furbabies, Butterbean and Bodhi. His full publishing history is available on his website at kennethwcain.com.

Host: R. B. Wood A bookworm since childhood, Belinda is passionate about stories and has turned her hand to writing them, with several stories published in a variety of publications. Belinda lives in Australia with her family, two moody, yet oh so loveable, cats and two super cute miniature dachshunds who love annoying said cats and each other. Belinda adores all things spooky, music and travel.

Host: R. B. Wood Michael Ehart has been at various times all the expected things: laborer, seminary student, musician, shoe salesman, political consultant, teacher, diaper truck driver, stand-up comedian, and the least important guy with an office at a movie studio. He made his first sale to a magazine at age 15, which means he has been writing for over 50 years, with the aforementioned occasional breaks for gainful employment. He lives in the upper left hand corner of the United States with his wife and youngest daughter.

Host: R. B. Wood Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low-speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong tea and single-malt whiskey, not champagne. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at www.firewombats.com.

Host: R. B. Wood Karl Dandenell is a graduate of Viable Paradise and a Full Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He and his family, plus their cat overlords, live on an island near San Francisco famous for its Victorian architecture and low speed limits. His preferred drinks are strong tea and single-malt whiskey. Karl’s fiction and poetry have appeared in publications and podcasts in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Follow his occasional posts and read more of his fiction at www.firewombats.com.