Guests

Perry F. Bruns is a voice actor and writer from Tampa, Florida. A 20-plus-year writer and host for Necronomicon and OASIS, he's performed for Tampa Fringe, acted for Westerfield Productions, and hosted the Calm Mystery podcast for two seasons. He performs live shows with the Murder Mystery Company across the state. He also narrates audiobooks and short stories, including Luci: Rhoades to Helland "The Forest" by Anna Rose. He has also guested on the Fandom Entanglement Podcast, hosted by Damon Sugameli and Mike Bloxam, available on all major podcast networks.

Heather Dewey Pettet is an editor, author, and artist. What ties all three together is her love of fantasy and science fiction! Heather has been working with words for over 25 years, and specializes in writing and editing books and short stories in the speculative fiction genres, of all lengths, as well as mystery/thriller, cozy mysteries, and creative nonfiction. Heather occasionally does other editing work. 

For business inquiries, she can be reached at heatherdeweypettet(at)gmail(dot)com

As a content creator, her content is all about writing and creativity, and she loves talking about what freelance copy editors and proofreaders do, how to work with freelance editors, and also about writing mechanics. She likes to show that she makes mistakes, as well, as a writer. We all do. 

Biological Anthropologist and Pop Culture Researcher involved in both contract work for human remains as well.as the many words of pop culture fandom, and fandom culture itself !

Active since 2007 at conventions, schools, and colleges. Author with works focused on Star Trek and Batman, and soon to expand work on their respective fandom cultures.

Betty Genesis, Matron of the Macabre, is a Tampa based burlesque producer known for her fully immersive variety shows. When not running live shows like Death Becomes Them, Betty produces and coordinates horror and sci-fi themed events for all occasions. Disruptively creative and ridiculously resourceful, Betty is a sparkly cocktail blend of Southern Momma charm, dry humor and a double shot of whiskey. Laughing at life through trial and terror, she's the love child of Martha Stewart and Florida Man minus the jail time...allegedly.

Janet Glassey has been sewing for over 30 years and cosplaying for 20, creating costumes ranging from Hamilton and Disney's Cinderella and Belle to Fate/Stay Night's Sabers and multiple RWBY characters. What started as costuming for herself and family has grown into commissioned work for fellow cosplayers. She previously volunteered in the sewing department for Activate Drama, a children's theatre group, helping craft costumes for their productions.

Kat Heckenbach graduated from the University of Tampa with a bachelor's degree in biology, went on to teach math, and then homeschooled her son and daughter while writing and making sci-fi/fantasy art. Now that both kids have graduated, her writing and art time is constantly interrupted by her 96 lb. boxer mix. She is the author of YA fantasy series Toch Island Chronicles and urban fantasy Relent, as well as dozens of fantasy, science fiction, and horror short stories in magazines and anthologies. Enter her world at www.katheckenbach.com. Find her prints and original art at www.JumpingRails.etsy.com.

Will Ludwigsen's short fiction has appeared in places like Asimov's Science Fiction, Weird Tales, Nightmare, Strange Horizons, and The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy. His first collection In Search Of and Others was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. He has taught creative writing (especially in genre) to high schoolers, college students, and adults (including at the University of North Florida). He lives and works in Jacksonville, Florida, with his partner Aimee Payne, who is also a writer.

Elizabeth Schechter has been called one of the top erotica and alternative sexuality writers in the world. Her writing credits include the award-winning steampunk erotic romance House of Sable Locks, the Celtic fantasy Princes of Air, and 2021 VIVIAN finalist Written in Water, the first book of the Heir to the Firstborn serial

She was born in New York at some point in the past. She is officially old enough to know better, but refuses to grow up. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and son.

Elizabeth can be found online at http://elizabethschechterwrites.com, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Elizabeth.A.Schechter. You can also find her on Patreon, at https://www.patreon.com/EASchechter.

Subscribe to Elizabeth’s newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/k4u7k2

Award winning author and artist, H. Gorlitz Scott was born somewhere between orange groves and raised amongst the alligator people of America’s most phallic of states – Australia Lite. There, she and her sentient hair have taken to drawing a land of make believe to live in so that she did not become one of the zombie hoard.

This hobby turned fully-professional after she and her husband spawned a swamp elf that constantly needs to be fed. In addition to creating the world of Sivoa, Scott has provided illustrations for companies such as Rose Portal Games, THGC Publishing, and REDFeather MBS (an Imprint of Schiffer Publishing).

Not wanting to leave the make-believe adventures of her early life behind, she turned to writing them down; a process that was significantly faster, and more effective, than interpretive dance (which she is terrible at).

Scott continues to write, draw, and stare at spaceships from her home in Orlando, Florida to this day.

When I think of the most influential writer as I grew up it would have to be William Shakespeare. I love his tragedies.

Influenced by science fiction, fantasy, fiction and Harlem Renaissance. Love science fiction. Favorite science fiction authors: Ray Bradbury; Isaac Asimov; Robert A. Heinlen; HG Wells; Philip K. Dick; Octavia E. Butler; HP Lovecraft; Mary Shelley; Arthur C. Clarke; Orson Scott Card; William Gibson and Harlan Ellison. Really enjoy fantasy. Favorite fantasy authors: George R. R. Martin; J.R. Tolkien; Piers Anthony and Ray Bradbury. Love fiction. Favorite fiction authors: Walter Mosley; Walter Dean Meyers; Charles Dickens; Herman Melville and Iceberg Slim. Love the Harlem Renaissance authors. Favorite Harlem Renaissance authors: Langston Hughes; Richard Wright; Claude McKay; Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin.

Wish to further the amazing writing experiences through an African American male lens. Wishing to write with passion and desire a varied style of genres with the hopes of being one of the heralded African American authors that others read and enjoy.

Brandy Stark is a Florida resident and a lifelong science fiction fan.  She grew up on cartoons, comic books, and Star Trek which currently manifests in her Humanities teachings for various institutions of higher education.   

When existing in the space/time of Earth Prime, Dr. Stark creates hand-wrapped wire metal sculptures depicting creatures of fantasy.  These have shown and won awards in numerous conventions, including San Diego Comic Con, World Fantasy Con, and Dragon*Con.  She is also an aficionado of the paranormal.

Timothy Zahn is the author of more than forty science fiction novels. He has also written many short stories, as well as Cascade Point, which won the Hugo Award for best novella. His other works include the Dragon back series, of which Dragon and Thief was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and the bestselling Star Wars™ novel, Heir to the Empire. Zahn lives in Oregon.