Leanbh Pearson (Any) lives on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra, Australia. An award-winning artist, LGBTQI and disability author of horror and dark fantasy, her writing is inspired by folklore, fairytales, myth, history and climate. She’s judged the Australian Shadows Awards, Aurealis Awards, is an invited panelist and member of the AHWA, CSFG, Australian Fairy Tale Society, British Fantasy Society, HWA and SFWA. Leanbh has been awarded AHWA and HWA mentorships, the Ditmar Awards nominee and winner of HWA Diversity Grant and AHWA Robert N Stephenson Flash Fiction Story Competition. Leanbh’s alter-ego is an academic in archaeology, evolution and prehistory.

Jade Wildy is a lover of the arts in every form and holds several degrees. A swift change in the direction of her own career saw her return to creative writing after a hiatus of several years.

Through her writing, Jade addresses themes like death, psychological state and being different, and delights in slipping in the unexpected. She believes in the power of storytelling as a motivator for change, and her writing has been included in numerous publications internationally.

A self-confessed wallflower, Jade lives in South Australia on the traditional lands of the Kaurna People. She can be frequently be found writing or drawing in the local cafes.

She is a member of WritersSA, and as a wife and parent, she believes in the power of storytelling as a motivator for change.

To date, she has had numerous short fiction accepted for publication in 2021, including:

“Alices Hope” - Short Story in ‘Stories of Survival,’ Dead Set Press/Aussie Speculative Fiction;

“The Occam’s Razor” a Short Story in ‘Death Ship,’ Breaking Rules Europe;

“The Water Bloom Incident”, a novella included in Field's of Ruin, a fantasy Bundle, Black Ink Fiction.

And numerous Drabbles and other micro-fiction in anthologies by publishers including Black Ink Fiction, Raven & Drake, Ghost Orchid and Black Hare Press.

www.jadewildywordsmith.com

www.facebook.com/jadewildywordsmith

I’m an author of speculative fiction, fantasy and fabulism for adults and young adults. Writing about strong female leads who metaphorically and literally kick butt particularly appeals to me, as does magic…always magic!

My kind of speculative fiction features everything from magical misfits with moxie to fierce and fabulist females.

My writing is influenced by my time living in Japan and Europe and their rich histories. As an Australian writer of European and Aboriginal (Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung) descent, I’m also fascinated by culture and identity.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.

My love of reading and writing started with an early addiction to Grimms’ fairy tales, Arthurian legends and a love of superheroes.

If I hadn’t become a writer, I would be a superhero librarian – conquering the Dewey Decimal System by day and saving the world one book at a time by night. Failing that, I'd work in a doughnut shop...mmm...doughnuts. Instead, I put my superpowers to work as a Queensland Writers Centre Tutor and speaker (I have presented at industry workshops events including GenreCon 2019).

My creative writing has been recognised via several awards including Queensland Writers Centre Flash Fiction (winner), and Australian Writers Centre Furious Fiction (shortlisted out of 1300 entries), as well as second in GenreCon's short story competition 2019.

I have been shortlisted in The Long Way Home's short story competition in 2019 and 2020 with my stories published in their anthologies. I also have a story in Lighthouse – An Anthology. 

My guilty pleasures are watching the Princess Bride, the Labyrinth, Star Wars, Friends or Grease for the zillionth time. 

I live in Brisbane (Yuggera and Turrbal Country) with my husband, son and too many pets.

Connect with me at:

www.kyliefennell.com

KylieFennellAuthor (Facebook)

Kylie_Fennell (Twitter & Instagram)

Nikky Lee is an award-winning author who grew up as a barefoot 90s kid in Perth, Western Australia on Whadjuk Noongar Country. She now lives in Aotearoa New Zealand with a husband, a dog, and a couch potato cat. In her free time, she writes speculative fiction, often burning the candle at both ends to explore fantastic worlds, mine asteroids and meet wizards. She's had over thirty stories published in magazines, anthologies and on the radio.

Her short fiction has been shortlisted eight times in the Aurealis Awards with her novelette Dingo & Sister winning the Best Young Adult Short Story and the Best Fantasy Novella categories in 2020. In 2021, she received a Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. Her debut novel, The Rarkyn's Familiar, won a Sir Julius Vogel Award, three Indie Ink Awards, Bronze in the 2022 Foreward INDIES Book of the Year Awards, and was a finalist in the 2022 Aurealis Awards.

A freelance writer, editor and researcher from Melbourne, Australia, who writes short stories, flash fiction and non-fiction with fiction appearing in anthologies and non-fiction in journals, magazines and occasionally on the web. Having completed a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing in 2015, Louise works as a professional editor for individual authors and publishers.

As a writer, her passions range from untold historical stories to speculative worlds. As an editor, she loves helping authors shape their work. Louise, who likes having many things to do, can also be found on the odd committee and also runs writing retreats for authors.

For more information visit www.louisezeddasampson.com.au

Tim Borella is an Australian author of speculative and other fiction published in print, online and in podcasts. He’s also a songwriter, and has been lucky enough to spend most of his working life doing something else he loves, flying. He lives with his wife in beautiful Far North Queensland, Australia.