The Never Dead

Dan’s early career included a year and a half-stint drawing political cartoons for Madcap Magazine and illustrating underground projects such as Maximum Rock and Roll. In 1997, after struggling through a violent car crash and a knife fight with a crackhead that severed the tendon on his left thumb, he attended art school. Receiving some commercial and local gallery acclaim for his artwork, he moved to New York City in an attempt to kick-start an art career. Heavily immersing himself in the local hardcore scene, he produced artwork for the bands Shai Hulud, Indecision, Koshari, Unsound, Coalesce, Most Precious Blood, Locked in a Vacancy, Beyond Reason, and Zombie Apocalypse, not to mention various local record labels and venues.

In 2000, he started tattooing, initially working on many musician friends. A year later, in September 2001, he was stricken with brain cancer and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Three months after the surgery, he married fellow tattoo artist Monica Castillo.

Tragedy struck again in 2007, as his wife of 6 years, Monica Henk, was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The culprit was never found.

His first novel, The Black Seas of Infinity, was published by Anarchy Books in 2011. Deadite Press released the first book with a cover by Dan, a novel entitled “The Sopaths” by Piers Anthony.

In 2014 he started columns for TAM, Tattoo Revue, and Skin Art magazines.

A reissue of his debut novel was released by Permuted Press in April 2015, as well as a collection of his short stories entitled “Down Highways In The Dark…By Demons Driven”.

He continued his work for independent magazines, doing art for Red Door Magazine, a slew of books by the imprint Out Of Step, and every issue so far of the British horror zine Splatterpunk. The books “Not Dead”, “Fighting Back”, “Past Indiscretions”, “Insatiable”, “Bloodstains”, “Tales For Dark Hours”, “The Red Death” and “The Flood” all featured his work. His third book, “The End of the World” debuted in March of 2018.

His heavily illustrated anthology entitled “The Never Dead” featuring 14 authors and 16 stories just debuted across all platforms in 2023.

You can keep up with all his work on his website danhenk.com.

Once an operating room registered nurse, Bridgett Nelson so enjoyed playing with human organs, she decided to turn her macabre interest into a horror writing career. She loves bubble baths (because nothing says spooooky writer like orange-scented bubbles), hates not knowing what’s swimming in the water with her, lives for Halloween season (but loathes chainsaw-wielding dudes in haunted houses), adores her West Virginia University Mountaineers, is very pro-Oxford comma, and thinks bananas are absolutely disgusting.

Her first collection, A Bouquet of Viscera, is a two-time Splatterpunk Award winner, recognized both for the collection itself and its standout story, "Jinx." Deadgirl, the novelization of the cult classic film, is now available from Encyclopocalypse Publications and includes forewords from the films actors, Noah Segan and Shiloh Fernandez, a Q&A from screenwriter, Trent Haaga, and a fan fiction piece from noted horror author, Jeff Strand. Her latest collection, Embracing the Profane, includes fifteen extreme stories that play on Bridgett's dark humor and twisted brain. She is also the author of Poisoned Pink, What the Fuck Was That?, Sweet, Sour, & Spicy, and Red Inside, a finalist in the 2025 Books of Horror Indie Brawl.

Her work has appeared in multiple anthologies, including the iconic Deathrealm Spirits, Crystal Lake's Hotel Macabre, Edward Lee's Erotic Horror for Horny Housewives, The Rack, GhabaGhoul, To Hell and Back, Evil Little Fucks, Y'all Ain't Right, Splatterpunk's Basement of Horror, Dark Disasters, October Screams, American Cannibal, A Woman Unbecoming, and the legendary Splatterpunk Zine.

Bridgett is working on her first original novel, a sequel novel to her most popular short story, and a collaborative novel with a very funny writer.

When Edward Lee read her story "Giggly," available in the Poisoned Pink collection, he said to her:

"Giggly kicked my ass. Outstanding job! I need therapy now."

Bridgett is mom to Parker and Autumn, three pugs, a Saint Bernard, and a ball python. She is a 2022 Michael Knost WINGS award nominee, won second-place in the '22 Gross-Out contest at KillerCon in Austin, Texas, and third-place in the ’23 Gross-Out contest.

She's a freelance editor. Audiobook proofer. Bookworm. Dog lover. Tarantula whisperer. Bra avoider. ENJF. Amaretto Sour obsessor.

Bridgett currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with Bram Stoker Award-winning author, Jeff Strand, and their ball python, Indie Hellspawn McFangy Serenity Strand.

eff Strand's bio was funnier when he talked about losing the Bram Stoker Award four times, but he's now a Bram Stoker Award WINNER!

His novels are usually classified as horror, but they're really all over the place, almost always with a great big dose of humor. He's written five young adult novels that all fall into the "really goofy comedy" category.

Several of his books are in development as motion pictures, and he's mostly not allowed to blab any details, which he finds MADDENING.

He currently lives in sunny, warm Duluth, Minnesota with author Bridgett Nelson.

Tim Curran lives in Michigan and is the author of the novels Skin Medicine, Hive, Dead Sea, and Skull Moon. Upcoming projects include the novels Resurrection, The Devil Next Door, and Hive 2, as well as The Corpse King, a novella from Cemetery Dance, and Four Rode Out, a collection of four weird-western novellas by Curran, Tim Lebbon, Brian Keene, and Steve Vernon. His short stories have appeared in such magazines as City Slab, Flesh&Blood, Book of Dark Wisdom, and Inhuman, as well as anthologies such as Flesh Feast, Shivers IV, High Seas Cthulhu, and, Vile Things. Find him on the web at:

www.corpseking.com

Patrick C. Harrison III (PC3, if you prefer) is an author of horror, splatterpunk, and all forms of speculative fiction. His current publications include GRANDPAPPY, 100% MATCH, A SAVAGE BREED, and VAMPIRE NUNS BEHIND BARS, among others. His works can also be found in various anthologies, including AND HELL FOLLOWED and ROAD KILL: TEXAS HORROR BY TEXAS AUTHORS VOL. 4.

PC3 is also an editor, having worked on numerous books for Death's Head Press, D&T Publishing, and Fedowar Press, as well for popular authors like Aron Beauregard and Danel J. Volpe. For editing services, feel free to contact PC3 at [email protected].

Follow PC3's FREE substack--pc3horror.substack.com--for frequent horror and exploitation movie reviews, as well as updates on his fiction.

Christine Morgan divides her writing time among many genres, from horror to historical, from superheroes to smut, anything in between and combinations thereof. She's a future crazy-cat-lady and a longtime gamer, who enjoys British television, cheesy action/disaster movies, cooking and crafts. Which latter two led the Bizzong! podcast to refer to her as "The Martha Stewart of extreme horror," so, make of that what you will!

She is the author of multiple novels, including the Splatterpunk Award Winning LAKEHOUSE INFERNAL. Her short stories have appeared in dozens of anthologies, as well as several collections. An active member of the extreme horror and bizarro communities, she also reviews, and takes on the occasional editing/proofreading gig.

The past few years have seen her through many life-upheavals, including leaving her 30-year residential psych career, moving out of state, serving as her mother's full-time caregiver, and attempting to manage a tangled mess of family estate and probate. She's currently hiding out in the high desert with her quirky recluse father, waiting to see what happens next.

She is always glad to hear from readers, as well as other authors (and hey, agents, publishers, movie people, it's all good!)

Patrick Lacey was born and raised in a haunted house. He currently spends his nights and weekends writing about things that make the general public uncomfortable. He lives in Massachusetts, in a hopefully non-haunted house, with his wife, daughter, and over-sized cat. Follow him on Twitter (@patlacey), find him on Facebook, or visit his website at https://patrickclacey.wordpress.com/.

Ryan C. Thomas is an award-winning journalist and novelist living in San Diego, CA. He is the author of several novels, including THE SUMMER I DIED, BORN TO BLEED, SALTICIDAE, HISSERS, HISSERS 2: DEATH MARCH, THE UNDEAD WORLD OF OZ, RATINGS GAME, ORIGIN OF PAIN, and BUGBOY. When he's not writing, he can be found on the road playing in numerous bands. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two dogs. His website is www.ryancthomas.com

"MacLeod’s fiction is full of traps – some physical, some psychological, none easy to wriggle free of."

~ Terrence Rafferty, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Bracken MacLeod is the Bram Stoker, Splatterpunk, and Shirley Jackson Award nominated author of the novels, is the author of the novels, MOUNTAIN HOME, STRANDED, COME TO DUST, and CLOSING COSTS (available in hardcover and paperback from William Morrow).

His short fiction has been collected in WHITE KNIGHT AND OTHER PAWNS and 13 VIEWS OF THE SUICIDE WOODS, which the New York Times Book Review called, "Superb."

Before devoting himself to full time writing, he worked as a civil and criminal litigator, a university philosophy instructor, and a martial arts teacher. He lives outside of Boston with his wife and son, where he is at work on his next novel.

Robert Essig is the author of twenty books including Baby Fights, Infected Voices, and Secret Basements. He has published over 150 short stories, most recently in The Never Dead and Razor Blade in the Bite Sized Candy. Robert is the editor of three small press anthologies, most recently Chew on This! was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award. Robert lives with his family in East Tennessee.

Nathan Robinson lives in Scunthorpe, England. He's contributed to over twenty different anthologies so far, with lots more on the horizon.

His crime thriller 'Top of the Heap' was adapted in a podcast by www.pseudopod.org to rave reviews.

'Starers', released by Severed Press in 2012 gained much praise, with fans hungry for a sequel.

He is currently completing four anthologies of his own work, the first to be entitled 'Devil Let Me Go' and was released in 2013.

His Novella 'Ketchup on Everything' was released in 2014 to rave reviews.

His novella, 'Midway' was released by Severed Press in 2015, followed by "Caldera" in 2016.

For news, updates and releases check out

www.facebook.com/NathanRobinsonWrites