Once a Silicon Valley software engineer, Curtis C. Chen (陳致宇) now writes stories and runs puzzle games near Portland, Oregon. His debut novel Waypoint Kangaroo (a 2017 Locus Awards and Endeavour Award Finalist) is the first in a series of funny science fiction spy thrillers. He has written for the Realm original podcasts Echo Park, Ninth Step Murders, and Machina.

Curtis' short fiction has appeared in Playboy Magazine, Aliens vs. Predators: Ultimate Prey, The Sunday Morning Transport, and elsewhere. His homebrew cat feeding robot was displayed in the "Worlds Beyond Here" exhibit at Seattle's Wing Luke Museum. He is a graduate of the Clarion West and Viable Paradise writers' workshops.

Curtis is not an aardvark.

Sonia Orin Lyris's stories have appeared in various publications, including Asimov's SF magazine, Wizards of the Coast anthologies, and Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. She is the author of THE SEER, an epic fantasy novel from Baen Books. Her writing has been called "immersive," "ruthless," and "unsparing."

Her passions include martial arts, partner dance, fine chocolate, and the occasional human critter.

She asks questions and gives answers, but not necessarily in that order. She speaks fluent cat.

Born in Billings, Montana, Tim O’Leary is the author of Warriors, Workers, Whiners, & Weasels, Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face, Men Behaving Badly, and, forthcoming, The Corona Verses, to be released in 2024. He graduated from the University of Montana and received his MFA from Pacific University. Tim and his wife Michelle and their yellow lab Pinchot split their time between the Columbia Gorge in Washington state, and Santa Ynez, California.

I write literary fiction set in the Mountain West. I also write speculative fiction that straddles the line between magical realism, ghost stories, and fairy tales. My first novel, HOT SEASON, was published in 2016 by Harvard Square Editions and was the recipient of a Gold IPPY Award. I share works in progress through Patreon.com/susandefreitas (one of which was published in CITY OF WEIRD, the bestselling anthology by Forest Avenue Press.)

HOT SEASON is the first book of a trilogy based on the real-life fight to save Arizona's Verde River. I'm currently working on the next book in the series, WORLD'S SMALLEST PARADE.

Praise for HOT SEASON:

"Earth-shatteringly good." --Read It Forward

“A brisk read with a potent mix of wit and edge.”

—Arizona Daily Sun

“Steeped in a slow-boil sensuality and the wide-eyed innocence of the young, but also with the suspicion of the status quo, this examination of current climate fears is a must-read.”

—Powell’s Books, 2016 Staff Pick

“From Franzen on down, activist lit is so hot right now. Portland’s Susan DeFreitas gets it right.”

—The Portland Mercury

Official Bio:

Susan DeFreitas has never been able to choose between fantasy and reality, so she lives and writes in both. Born and raised in rural west Michigan, she spent fourteen years in the high country of Arizona before moving to Portland, Oregon, where she has lived since 2009. The author of the novel HOT SEASON (Harvard Square Editions, 2016) and the chapbook PYROPHITIC (ELJ Publications, 2014), her work has been featured in over 30 magazines, journals, and anthologies. She enjoys mysterious books, big trees, strange weather, thinking machines, and sketchy characters.