The Back Forty
- Nick Wisseman lives in the woods of Michigan with his wife, kids, ten dogs, sixty cats, and forty horses. (The true number of pets is an order of magnitude smaller, but most days it feels like more.) He’s not quite sure why he loves writing twisted fiction, but there’s no stopping the weirdness once he’s in front of a computer. You can find the complete list of oddities on his website: www.nickwisseman.com.
- Matthew Spence was born in Cleeland, Ohio. His work can be found on Wattpad. He has most recently appeared in Suburban Witchcraft.
- Stephen A. Roddewig is an award-winning storyteller and playwright from Virginia (USA). His story “Fourth Wall” was chosen as a finalist in the 2021 Owl Canyon Press Hackathon. His stories are also featured in Abyss & Apex, Diet Milk Magazine, JOURN-E, and Wintermute Lit as well as the A to Z of Horror: N is for Nautical and The Nameless Songs of Zadok Allen anthologies. When not writing, he enjoys collecting records and running races.
- Charlene Boyce lives at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, where she spends her days trying to change inequitable systems. In 2022, she obtained her MA in Atlantic Canada Studies with a thesis about a bar she frequented as an undergrad, 30 years ago. She has had two short stories published this year, and is polishing a novel loosely based on the Shag Harbour UFO incident. Her next project will be a book collecting stories about Halifax's most iconic bars.
- Jon Lasser lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and two children. His stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Interzone, Kaleidotrope, Underland Arcana, and elsewhere. He’s a graduate of the Clarion West writers workshop. Find him on the Web at twoideas.org and on Mastodon as @disappearinjon@wandering.shop.
- Kai Delmas loves creating worlds and magic systems and is a slush reader for Apex Magazine. He is a winner of the monthly Apex Microfiction Contest, his fiction is forthcoming in Zooscape, and can be found in Martian, Etherea, Tree And Stone, Wyldblood, and several Shacklebound anthologies. Find him on Twitter @KaiDelmas.
- As director of I, Witness to History, an award-winning program that collected and published the life stories of older persons—and now as an author of historical fiction—Dr. Terryl Asla shares his passion for preserving and sharing the values, stories, and lifestyles of yesterday's generations.
- Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author with a degree in elementary education, a fondness for road trips, and a terrible habit of forgetting where she's left her cup of tea. Her short fiction has been published by Analog, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Nature, and elsewhere. Her time travel novella series, beginning with The Continuum, is available from World Weaver Press. For more info, visit wendynikel.com
- Gustavo Bondoni is a novelist and short story writer with over four hundred stories published in fifteen countries, in seven languages. He is a member of Codex and an Active Member of SFWA. He has published six science fiction novels including one trilogy, four monster books, a dark military fantasy and a thriller. His short fiction is collected in Pale Reflection (2020), Off the Beaten Path (2019), Tenth Orbit and Other Faraway Places (2010) and Virtuoso and Other Stories (2011).
- Joshua Gage is an ornery curmudgeon from Cleveland. His newest chapbook, blips on a screen, is available on Cuttlefish Books. He is a graduate of the Low Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing at Naropa University. He has a penchant for Pendleton shirts, Ethiopian coffee, and any poem strong enough to yank the breath out of his lungs.
- Ellis Bray is a science fiction author, poet, and artist who lives in Seattle(ish), Washington, and he really hates the new addition of a Fire Season to the regular Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall lineup. All of his fiction, verbal or visual, focuses on "pathological optimism": finding hope in situations where logically there should be none.
He has a Master's degree in Medieval Scandinavian Studies and if you don't run away fast enough, he will download everything he knows about the Old Norse poem "Völuspá" at you. You can find his writing in F&SF, Eye to the Telescope, NewMyths (under SP Hofrichter), and in the upcoming "Soul Jars" anthology from Forest Avenue Press; you can purchase his art at Flytingnwriting.art.
- Joe Aultman-Moore is a librarian, guide, and writer living in Haines, Alaska. His award-winning essays and stories have also appeared on McSweeney’s, TOLKA, Daily Science Fiction, Sci Phi Journal, and elsewhere. Find his work at: jaultmanmoore.wordpress.com/publications-2/ and on Instagram @joeaultmoore.
- Ethan Hedman is a speculative fiction writer from South Florida, the land of manatees, medianoches, and miscreants. This is his fourth inclusion in a JayHenge Publishing anthology, having previously been published in Grandpa's Deep-Space Diner, Sunshine Superhighway and Unrealpolitik. More of Ethan's stories can be found via EthanHedman.com.
- Mike Adamson holds a Doctoral degree from Flinders University of South Australia. After early aspirations in art and writing, Mike secured qualifications in both marine biology and archaeology. Mike has been a university educator since 2006, has worked in the replication of convincing ancient fossils, is a passionate photographer, master-level hobbyist, and journalist for international magazines. Short fiction sales include to Metastellar, Strand Magazine, Little Blue Marble, Abyss and Apex, Daily Science Fiction, Compelling Science Fiction and Nature Futures. Mike has placed stories on well over two hundred occasions to date, totalling some 1.1 million words. Mike has completed his first Sherlock Holmes novel with Belanger Books, and has appeared in translation in European magazines. You can catch up with his journey at his blog "The View From the Keyboard," mike-adamson.blogspot.com. Visit his website at dream-craft.com/mikeadamson.
- Michael Fowler is a fiction writer in Ohio, USA. He appears in JayHenge Publishing's The Nameless Songs of Zadok Allen anthology, and has recent work online at Half Hour to Kill, The Rumen, and Little Old Lady Comedy. He has stories forthcoming at Tender Fury, The Piker Press, and Adventures to Go.
- Michelle Mellon has been published in dozens of speculative fiction anthologies and magazines. She is the author of two dark fiction story collections and a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. For story links and updates on her work, visit www.mpmellon.com.
- Mathew Russell is originally from Australia but currently lives in Japan where he works as a teacher and freelance writer. When he's not doing these things or writing fiction, he can be found either hiking in the mountains or spending too much time in Japanese video game arcades.
- P. R. O'Leary writes dark stories tinged with humor, or humorous stories tinged with darkness. Dozens of his pieces have been published all over the world. You can find more information on his website www.PROleary.com, and you can find him at his geodesic dome in central New Jersey.
- Rose Strickman is a speculative fiction writer living in Seattle, Washington. Her work has appeared in anthologies such as Sword and Sorceress 32, Runs like Clockwork and Beach Shorts as well as several online e-zines. She has also self-published novellas on Amazon. Please see her Amazon author's page at amazon.com/author/rosestrickman.
- Mike Morgan was born in London, but not in any of the interesting parts. He moved to Japan at the age of 30 and lived there for many years. Nowadays, he's based in Iowa, and enjoys family life with his wife and two young children. If you like his writing, be sure to check out his website: PerpetualStateofMildPanic.wordpress.com.
- Charlotte H. Lee’s current home base is British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, where she gleefully hides from Canadian winters. Her stories have appeared in Little Blue Marble, Metaphorosis, The Overcast, and others. You can find links to her published work at www.charlottehlee.com.
- Bobby Harrell was a finalist in Defenestrationism.net's 2022 Short Story Contest. He lives in Kentucky with his wife and two cats.
- Brad Kelechava is a professional blogger whose writing you might find while searching for topics spanning renewable energy to the history of rats. His short fiction appears in Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror, JayHenge anthologies Sunshine Superhighway and The Nameless Songs of Zadok Allen & Other Things that Should Not Be, and elsewhere. He is a member of Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers (BSFW).
- Author Bio: Previously published in Asimov's, B. J. Thrower has 44 sf/f/df/h short fiction sales/publications to date. She lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband, the mysterious "R". Find her on Facebook (B. J. Thrower), and at her website: bjthrower.osfw.online.
- Mathew Russell is originally from Australia but currently lives in Japan where he works as a teacher and freelance writer. When he's not doing these things or writing fiction, he can be found either hiking in the mountains or spending too much time in Japanese video game arcades.
- S. B. Watson lives in Keizer, Oregon with his wife, five children, three cats, and one dog. His stories have appeared in Spinetingler Magazine, The Five-Two, Mystery Tribune, The Dark City Mystery Magazine, and Mystery Weekly.
- Stephen Myer is a writer and musician in Southern California. His stories and poetry have been published in online and print journals, such as Tales from the Moonlit Path, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, Roi Faineant Press, Grand Little Things, JayHenge Publishing, Figwort Journal, The Avenue Journal, Close To The Bone, Outcast Press/Anxiety Press Anthology, and Blood Fiction, Vol.2, among others.
- Cover Art, Jessica Augustsson
![](the_back_forty_kindle_lower_rez.jpg)