The strength of any collection is due largely to the contributors whose works appear within its pages. Across each of the anthologies we’ve published since 2017, DPP has been fortunate to have received submissions from many talented authors from across the globe. Here are a few of the brilliant writers whose works have graced the pages of our books…
Bernie Brown is an Iowa farm girl transplanted to Raleigh, North Carolina. She has published nearly 40 short stories and essays, sews well, and plays the harmonica badly. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is a Writer-In-Residence at the Weymouth Center for the Arts, and a Pushcart Prize nominee. In 2019, her short story, “The Best Shot,” set in Iowa, was published as one of the contest winners of the Grateful Steps Publishing contest. Brown’s debut novel, I Never Told You, will be released in October 2019 by Moonshine Cove Publishing. Her Iowa childhood, travels in the States and Europe, and her contemporary life in Raleigh influence Brown’s writing. Brown’s work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. More at berniebrownwriter.com.
Ellie Cooper’s passion has always been the written word–-as a teenager, folk songs and the poetry of Leonard Cohen, and, later, the Southern Gothic writers such as Flannery O’Connor and Carson McCullers. She has written secretly throughout her life—mostly in the early morning hours or late at night—in between the demands of work and family. After being laid-off as an executive assistant a few years ago, Cooper
retired, dusted off old pages and tried to hone new skills. She took creative writing classes at a local college and has since been published in the Rio Review, Mused Literary Review, and 2 Elizabeths. Most of Cooper’s work centers around women and their relationships which are often flawed, sometimes dysfunctional and occasionally dangerous. A native Texan. Cooper and her husband reside in Austin. Besides writing, Cooper enjoys gardening with xeric plants, hiking the greenbelt, ballroom dancing, and exploring state and national parks in a small Casita RV. Cooper’s work can be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store.
William F. Crandell is a Vietnam Veteran. Fighting a dirty war as a rifle platoon leader and then marching for peace afterward gave him a bone-deep understanding of why honor and integrity are life-and-death concerns. Crandell returned home from Vietnam with a zest for adventure, a skeptic’s eye, and a hundred thousand stories. He quickly acquired both an FBI file of his own and a doctorate in American history, but oddly enough, it was the years of spiritual retreat in the mountains that set his infantryman’s feet back on solid ground. The writing came naturally–he’d been a foreign correspondent for an Ohio newspaper before college, and wrote fiction to stay awake in some of the jobs he held.
Still, the years on Capitol Hill and in Federal law enforcement agencies gave him a player’s knowledge of how crime and power operate, along with an appreciation of the dedication and the slime beneath the skin of America’s capital. Awarded a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award for his private detective novel, Let’s Say Jack Kennedy Killed the Girl (available from Hawkshaw Press), Crandell has published short stories, book reviews, scholarly articles, journalism, state and federal reports, political analyses, and congressional testimony that he presented in Washington hearings. Crandell’s short story, The Last Lootenant Wins His Fuckin’ Medal was awarded 1st Place (Short Stories, Single Story) by the NFPW in 2020. An Ohio native, Crandell received all his degrees at Ohio State University, completing his doctorate in American History with a study of the interaction of McCarthyism and Republican politics. After “The Faith-Based Diet” won PRIZM’s Mark Twain Award for Humor/Social Commentary in 2012, Crandell and his writer wife, Judith Speizer Crandell, relocated to Delaware so they could write at the ocean’s edge. Crandell’s work has appeared in the DPP anthologies SOLSTICE, EQUINOX, AURORA, and SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, and WHAT SORT OF FUCKERY IS THIS? available at Amazon and other booksellers. He has a current story in the Spring 2021 issue of Instant Noodles.
David W. Dutton was a semi-retired residential designer who was born and raised in Milton, DE. He wrote many novels, several short stories, and eleven plays. His musical comedy, oh! Maggie, in collaboration with Martin Dusbiber, was produced by the Possum Point Players and the Lake Forest Drama Club. He wrote two musical reviews for the Possum Point Players: An Evening With Cole Porter, in collaboration with Marcia Faulkner, and With a Song in My Heart. He also wrote the one-act play, Why the Chicken Crossed the Road, commissioned and produced by the Delmarva Chicken Festival. In 1997, Dutton was awarded a fellowship as an established writer by the Delaware Arts Council. In 1998, he received a first-place award for his creative nonfiction by the Delaware Literary Connection. His piece, “Who is Nahnu Dugeye?” was subsequently published in the literary anthology, Terrains. Dutton contributed short fiction for several DPP anthologies. His third novel, ONE OF THE MADDING CROWD, was published in October by DPP in 2018. In October 2018 Dutton was a featured guest on WBOC-TV’s Delmarva Life. David lost his battle with multiple myeloma in June of 2021. We at DPP will greatly miss his kindness, warmth, and excellent writing.
Robert Fleming resides in Lewes, DE. He retired from writing television comedy and game shows to write literary works. Robert’s twists bring the reader to the limit to find truth. Robert performed beat-poetry in May 2021 at They-Call-Me-Mitch, an online reading series in San Francisco, CA. In April, his play, The 8th Wonder, had a casted reading at the Playwright’s Collective. Robert co-hosts a local artist share at the Lewes, DE, library. He is a repeat contributor to Local Gems Press, Radical Fairy Diary, Devil’s Party Press, Failed-Haiku, Rehoboth Beach Writer’s Guild, Spilled-Ink Virginia, and Camp Rehoboth art show. In June 2021, his writing appeared in the first issue of The Purposeful Mayonnaise and the Writer’s Journey Blog. His upcoming writing is scheduled to appear in Ethel Zine and Failbetter.
R. David Fulcher is an author of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and poetry. Major literary influences include H.P. Lovecraft, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allen Poe, Fritz Lieber, and Stephen King. Fulcher’s first novel, a historical drama set in World War II, Trains to Nowhere, and his second novel, a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories, Blood Spiders and Dark Moon, are both available from authorhouse.com and Amazon. Fulcher’s work has appeared in numerous small press publications including Lovecraft’s Mystery Magazine, Black Satellite, The Martian Wave, Burning Sky, Shadowlands, Twilight Showcase, Heliocentric Net, Gateways, Weird Times, Freaky Frights and the anthologies Dimensions and Silken Ropes. Fulcher’s work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. A passion for the written word has also inspired Fulcher to edit and publish the literary magazine, Samsara (samsaramagazine.net), which has showcased writers and poets for over a decade. Fulcher resides in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife Lisa, and their rambunctious cats.
James Goodridge has been writing speculative fiction since 2004. After ten years as an artist representative and paralegal, he decided in 2013 to make a better commitment to writing. Goodridge is currently at work on The Passage of Time Saga, a series of short stories in the occult detective genre featuring Madison Cavendish and Seneca Sue, living vampire and werewolf occult detectives. He has written a series of Twilight Zone-style short stories entitled The Artwork (I to V), and runs the Facebook writers’ page: Who gives you the Write. His work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. Goodridge also pens an annual series of blogs for Black Horror His-tory Month at horroraddicts.net He is a member of the Black Science Fiction Society.
Andrea Goyan is a writer, actress, and Master Pilates Teacher. Her short story, “My Neighbor’s a Fucking Monster,” appears in the Devil’s Party Press anthology WHAT SORT OF FUCKERY IS THIS? the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD. Other recent stories can be found in On Loss: An Anthology, Dirty Girls Magazine (May 2019), and Newfound Journal (October 2018). Andrea was shortlisted for the 2019 Anton Chekhov Award for Very Short Fiction. She’s an accomplished playwright who lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a dog, and two cats. More at andreagoyan.com
Robin Hill-Page Glanden has worked as a professional actor, musician, and writer/editor in Philadelphia, New York City, and Los Angeles. Glanden edited books for Los Angeles public relations guru, Michael Levine, and several of her nonfiction articles were featured in two Los Angeles magazines. Family matters brought her back to her home state of Delaware, and she’s now working as a freelance writer, editor, and performance artist. Her short stories have been published in several Rehoboth Beach Reads anthologies, and she has won awards for her fiction from the Delaware Press Association. Her poem, “Change Your Feng Shui, Change Your Life,” was published this year in the Dreamstreets literary magazine. Another poem, “Worry and Wisdom,” was published recently in the anthology, Delaware Bards Poetry Review. Glanden is a regular contributor to two of the Guideposts magazines, Mysterious Ways, and Angels on Earth, where she writes true accounts of curious “coincidences” that have occurred in her life. Her work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. Glanden also conducts workshops for writers, produces cabaret shows, and performs her poetry and original music with her husband, Kenny.
Heidi Lobecker writes short fiction about weird and wonderful characters in uncommon and unusual situations. She majored in English and takes some of her inspiration from her love of Shakespeare. Living in rural New Jersey, she spends her free time outdoors, hiking, biking, camping, and sailing with her husband and two sons. She works as an IT Product Manager. Her go-to question is, “Did you test it?” Her work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store.
Bayne Northern transitioned from business writing to penning works of nonfiction and fiction. She is currently completing her first novel, The Bitch Seat, situated in the financial services industry. An avid short story author, Northern is also an active volunteer with the Village Improvement Association and a resident of Rehoboth Beach, DE. Northern has contributed to the DPP anthologies HALLOWEEN PARTY, SOLSTICE, EQUINOX, SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, and HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD.
Josephine Queen grew up in England and moved to the US in her early twenties. She now resides in the northeast with her husband and daughter, writing flash fiction and short stories in a variety of genres, though a disturbing number end up as scary stories. Her work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. Queen is currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel and a collection of ghost/ horror tales. Queen’s writing has been published online at 101 Words, Nutshell Narratives, and Christopher Fielden’s 81 Word Challenges. More at josephinewrites.home.blog.
J.C. Raye’s stories are found in anthologies with Scary Dairy Press,Books & Boos, Franklin/Kerr, C.M. Muller, HellBound Books, and Death’s Head Press. Other publications are on the way in 2019 with Belanger Books, Rooster Republic, and Jolly Horror. For 18 years, she’s been a professor at a small community college, teaching the most feared course on the planet: public speaking. Witnessing grown people weep, beg, scream, freak out, and collapse is just another delightful day on the job for her, and seats in her classes sell quicker than tickets to a Rolling Stones concert. She also loves goats of any kind, even the ones that faint. Her work can be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEADavailable at Amazon and at the DPP online store.
Russell Reece’s poems, stories and essays have appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies including Blueline, The 3288 Review, Memoir Journal, Crimespree Magazine, Edify Fiction, Under the Gum Tree, The Broadkill Review and others. Reece has received fellowships in literature from The Delaware Division of the Arts and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. His stories and poetry have received Best of the Net nominations, and awards from the Delaware Press Association and the Faulkner-Wisdom competition. He recently won the Pat Herold Nielsen Poetry Prize in Chester River Art’s 2019 Art of Stewardship contest. Reece lives in rural Sussex County near Bethel, Delaware, on the beautiful Broad Creek. His work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. More at russellreece.com.
Linda Rumney started writing after a painful break-up, a near-miss nervous breakdown, and a discovery that she’d spent a lot of time mak-ing others happy while being miserable herself. She has written nine feature film scripts, seven short film scripts (two that she directed and produced were inducted into the National Screen Institute of Canada), two novels (one that took her to the Squaw Valley Writer’s Community in 2018), and a collection of short stories since 2011. Her work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. She has found her joy! Rumney currently works as a palliative nurse clinician, guiding and supporting patients and their families toward a “good death.”
Judith Speizer Crandell has happily landed in Milton, Delaware. Solitary walks along the Atlantic beaches soothe her soul. Shared beach walks with her husband, Bill, a fellow writer, and their rescue dog, Windsor, enliven her soul. Proximity to the ocean fuels her creativity. An award-winning writer and teacher of fiction and nonfiction, she’s received residencies at Yaddo, A Room of One’s Own (AROHO), as well as selection as a semi-finalist in the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards Competition. She attended writers’ conferences at San Miguel Allende, the Joiner Center/University of Massachusetts, Mendocino and Byrdcliffe. The Maryland State Arts Council granted her their Individual Artist Fellowship for her novel, The Resurrection of Hundreds Feldman. Most recently, her new home state chose her to attend the Delaware Division of the Arts and the Delaware Arts Council 2018 Seashore Writers Retreat. Speizer Crandell’s work has appeared in the DPP anthologies SOLSTICE, EQUINOX, AURORA, and SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, WHAT SORT OF FUCKERY IS THIS?, and HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, available at Amazon and other booksellers. The Woman Puzzle, one of her novels, was published in 2019 by Devil’s Party Press. Judith currently has a current story in the Spring 2021 issue of Instant Noodles. More at judithsca.wordpress.com
Carrie Sz Keane is the 2021 Delaware Division of the Arts Fellow in the literary category of memoir. Carrie studied journalism and English at the University of Maryland. She later apprenticed as a midwife in rural Appalachia in Kentucky before studying nurse-midwifery at Yale University. While at Yale, Keane was awarded a humanities honor in creative writing for her piece entitled “Modern Nurse Nancy,” a story about working night shifts as a new nurse on a postpartum unit, which was later published in a Canadian nursing textbook. Upon graduating in 2004, Keane began journaling and writing the stories of her work as a midwife. She is actively writing a journalistic memoir of her career. Keane works at an active obstetrics and gynecology practice in Delaware as a sexual health clinician providing prenatal care, contraception, annual examinations, STD screenings, and birth support for females. Her stories and essays, which have been published in anthologies by Devil’s Party Press, focus on maternal health in America and her role as a witness on the front lines of female healthcare. Keane’s work has appeared in the DPP anthologies SOLSTICE, EQUINOX, AURORA, and SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, WHAT SORT OF FUCKERY IS THIS?, and HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, available at Amazon and other booksellers. Her forthcoming piece, “Navel Gazing” appears in the July 2021 issue of Instant Noodles.
Elizabeth Vegvary studied creative writing at California State University, Sacramento before dropping out to manage the import section of a famous record store and misspend her youth. Years passed and now she lives in a small enclave in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. When she’s not taking long walks in the dark woods with her husband and her dogs, she’s far too often wandering alone with her thoughts. She’s been writing for most of her life, absent a two-decade sojourn to raise her babies, become a certified lactation educator and hang a professional photographer shingle. Currently life is smaller, but the words are bigger. She manages her husband’s business and edits a monthly parenting magazine. Her work has been published by Zoetic Press, Rozlyn Press, and Oberon Poetry Magazine. Her work can also be found in the DPP collection HALLOWEEN PARTY 2019, and the Gravelight Press Collection EXHUMED: THIRTEEN TALES TOO TERRIFYING TO STAY DEAD available at Amazon and at the DPP online store.
Nancy North Walker is a “second act” short fiction writer from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, who took up creative writing following a long career as a business communications executive in Chicago, New York and New Jersey. She’s partial to speculative fiction, especially sci fi, horror and magical realism, but also dabbles in rom com and contemporary fiction. Her short stories and have appeared in several mid-Atlantic anthologies and in Devil’s Party Press’s (DPP’s)online literary magazine, Instant Noodles. Recently, Nancy’s first horror story appeared in Halloween Party ’21, a horror anthology published by DPP’s Gravelight Press. Warning: reading her sci-fi horror story, Insecticide, may cause you to flinch at the sight of any insect. Another of her sci-fi stories won a Judges Award in the 2021 Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest and will be published along with other contest winners by Cat & Mouse Press in their fall 2021 anthology, Beach Secrets. She was a winner of the same short story contest in 2019 and was published in Cat & Mouse Press’s Beach Dreams. Nancy is currently working on a provocative sci-fi short story collection about the many unexpected ways advanced technology will change our lives in the coming decades. For more information about Nancy, and the sources of her sci-fi story inspirations, see nancynorthwalker.com.
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