A love spell gone so right, it must be wrong... A fairy tale hero pursued relentlessly by the undead... An infant son stolen beneath the sea by a cold-hearted witch... An old English theater haunted by a peculiarly thespian ghost... These are some of the mysterious, otherworldly vistas you will encounter in Dark and Dangerous Things-a collection of eight stories of speculative fiction from four up-and-coming writers that will have you wondering if maybe, just maybe, those monsters hiding beneath your bed when you were a child were real after all.
About the Author: M.A. Chiappetta officially began her writing career in the eighth grade with a riveting tale of two robots who fall in love against society's conventions. Published today, "Robots in Love" would no doubt be a blockbuster, if a copy of it existed. Today, she continues her quest to become famous and well-paid through ghostwriting, fundraising, teaching college-level writing, editing, and writing blogs, articles, and books of her own. She has had articles and book reviews published in Blue Shift, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Chat, and Mensa Bulletin. Her musings on writing, creativity, and life in general-colored by her eclectic interests in writing, music, SFF, laughter, God, and geekdom-can be found on her blog, The Chipper Muse (www.thechippermuse.blogspot.com). You can also find her on Twitter as @chippermuse. *** As a child in school, Donna A. Leahey turned her vocabulary homework into short stories. Years later, she is still crafting stories. Geek, gamer, writer, mother, procrastinator, and pet lover, Donna is a practicing veterinarian. She is the mother of one grown son and currently shares her home with her dog Sammy. *** Margaret Perdue is a superhero. She patrols the northeast corner of Oklahoma in her trusty Super-Mom Van, ever on the alert for the cries of forgotten lunch boxes or left behind school projects. She can detect stains on her husband's tie from 100 yards and unauthorized in-between meal snacks on her children's breath. Before the first streaks of dawn have touched the sky, she can be found in her Sanctuary of Solitude, furiously composing yet another fantasy/horror story, her floor littered with journals filled with the soft pencil marks of her flowing handwriting. One fine day, her dream of sharing with the world the greatest gothic romance ever written will be realized. Until then, she strives to make the world a better place by volunteering for every school or neighborhood committee she can find and by ensuring that no one ever leaves her home without partaking of a good meal...and a good story. *** L.A. Smith says: "I write, therefore I am: A thinker, a traveler of space and time, a hero, a villain, a romantic, a cynic, life and death, a friend, an enemy, a criminal, a victim, hope, regret, a tragedy, a happy ending, a creator, a destroyer, a monster, tears and laughter, a psychiatrist, a crazy person, a student, a teacher, a lover, a fighter, a magician, a dreamer...and so much more. I am, therefore I write."