OUR AUTHORS
Meet the brilliant and talented minds behind our stories.
Meet the folks who make it all happen.
Original thinkers, imaginative and creative world-builders, skilled crafters of short stories, Bear Publications proudly presents our writing team (in alphabetical order):
WENDY BLANTON
Wendy Blanton has been writing since she learned to string words into sentences. She is a U. S. Air Force veteran with a long and eclectic resume. In addition to writing, she tells Celtic folk tales at Scottish festivals and other venues.
When she's not mired in stories of one form or another, she enjoys reading, camping, gardening, and drinking coffee.
She lives in Chicago with her husband and three geriatric cats.

Find out more about Wendy:
https://www.wendyblanton.com
You can also follow her work in her Facebook group: Coffee with Dragons
C.O. BONHAM
"Recalled from the Red Planet,'' Mythic Orbits Vol.2
C.O. Bonham is the pen name for a commonly misspelled first name. When she isn't writing stories of her own she is busy reading stories by others. She loves stories of all sorts but really likes the ones that are weird, or outside the norm.
A homeschool graduate with a degree in creative writing, her goal is to create stories that make people think, feel, and have fun.
Visit
https://cobonham.com/
to read author interviews, book reviews, and to hear about what she's working on next.
WILLIAM BONTRAGER
"They stood still'', Mythic Orbits Vol.2
William Bontrager served as a mechanic in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 05-06 as a Screaming Eagle in the 101 Air Assault Division. His key inspirations to write are Spider-Man comics and Stephen King novels, and he aims to entertain with his stories while also speaking truth.
He's a long-time fan of science fiction and has written numerous unpublished short stories. He's also a visual artist who has a gallery of his works available online at https://williambontragerportfolio.weebly.com
C.W. BRIAR
"The Other Edge,'' Mythic Orbits Vol.2, "As the Prophecy foretold,'' Beatitudes & Woes
C.W. "Chuck" Briar writes fantasy and science fiction with a touch of traditional horror. He loves stories that make him think and smile while also creeping him out. His first book, Wrath and Ruin, is a collection of stories from a variety of genres.
His next book, Whispers from the Depths, is a dark fantasy novel with heavy Viking influences and water magic. It will release in 2019.
Briar is a systems engineer with a background in trains and aircraft. He graduated from Binghamton University and is also a certified apologist through Biola University.
He lives in Upstate NY with his wife, kids, and corgi pack. www.cwbriar.com
LINDA BURKLIN, L.M. Burklin
Linda has been a storyteller and writer since childhood. Raised primarily in Africa, she wrote for and edited her college newspaper for two years while earning her English degree.
For seventeen years, she has taught writing classes to her own and other homeschooled children, and authored the Story Quest creative writing curriculum.
She has written a memoir, several short stories, and five novels.
Her passion is speculative fiction.
Find out more about linda at: http://www.lindaburklin.com
Check out her blogpage: https://steadfastscribe.wordpress.com/
ADAM DAVID COLLINGS
"Lynessa's Curse,'' Medieval Mars; "For King and Planet,'' Victorian Venus.
Adam makes his home in Austrailia's Island state of Tasmania with his wife and two children. When he's not working as a software developer you'll find him dreaming up stories of the fantastical.
He has a keen interest in video--hosting his own YouTube show about books, movies, and games, and mixing the live video feed at his local church.
Find out more about Adam at: http://www.adamdavidcollings.com
DONALD CRANKSHAW
"Her Majesty's Guardian,'' Mythic Orbits Vol.2
Donald S. Crankshaw has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from MIT, which was more useful for writing fantasy than he had expected, though less helpful for writing science fiction than he had hoped.

He has previously published stories in Nature Futures, Daily Science Fiction, and Black Gate.

Donald lives in Boston with his wife and fellow writer, Kristin Janz. Together, they edit and publish Mysterion, a webzine of Christian-themed speculative fiction at www.mysteriononline.com
RJ CONTE
"The tears of the Emperor,'' Beatitudes & Woes
RJ Conte, author of “The Tears of the Emperor,” has kissed only one boy in her entire life - and she married him - inspiring her to write about sweet and powerful love stories ever since.
She writes issue-driven fiction that explores human nature and the depths of the soul while pointing readers to their Creator.
She writes a blog on parenting, publishing, painting, and decorating at http://blonderj.wordpress.com/
PARKER J COLE
"The Door to Wishes,'' Beatitudes & Woes
Parker J Cole, author of “The Door to Wishes,” is an off and on recovering Mountain Dew and marshmallow addict, with a fanatical obsession with the Lord, Star Trek, K-dramas, anime, romance books, old movies, speculative fiction, and knitting.
She writes to fill the void the sugar left behind
In her free time, she is executive of PJC Media Network. She writes Christian romance novels. For speculative fiction, she writes under the name Parker Payne.
As a radio show host, Parker showcases Christian authors worldwide on Tuesdays at 7 pm Eastern time. From Detroit to England to Pakistan, Parker loves to interview authors from all over.
Enjoy her blogg at: https://thewritestuffradio.wordpress.com
HILLARI DESCHANE
"Cinema bendiga,'' Beatitudes & Woes
Hillari DeSchane is author of “Cinema Bendiga” and a journalist and speaker.
Her ‘Fatally Fun’ 2018 debut cozy novel A Christmas Tail received a
Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers Association of America.
Her next historical cozy, When In Rome, releases in July, 2019.
Hillari lives in California with her ‘FurRensics Team’ Jocko the Black Lab and Ambrose the Siamese.
Find more of her work at: https://www.hillarideschane.com/
JILL DOMSHOT
"Liar's Paradox,'' Medieval Mars; "The Disembodied Hand,'' Mythic Orbits 2016
Jill is a writer consumed with ideas. Although these ideas often spawn absurd and/or dark and twisted stories, they are just as likely to compel her to creat collations and catalogs.
She's a wife, a mom of four, and currently the author of two books: a collection of fantasy, sci fi, and magical realist shorts, The Jaybird's Nest and other Stories; and a metaphysical tale about a woman, a man, a dragon, and a child, Anna and the Dragon.
For work that actually pays, she edits and formats books for a wide variety of authors.
J.L. ENDER
"The Meek shall inherit,'' Beatitudes & Woes
J.L. Ender, author of “The Meek Shall Inherit,” had his first published novel, Portal World come out last year. He has also released several short stories, including The Rocket Game.
His next series, Steel Fox Investigations, is coming soon. Ender has worked as a dishwasher, a beef jerky labeler, a warehouse worker, a shelf stocker, a greeter, a traveling technician, a laser engraver, a package handler, a copywriter, a graphic designer, a librarian, an editor, a dispatcher, and a phone operator.
He lives in Ohio with his dog Bear.
LELIA ROSE FOREMAN
Writing Speculative Fiction series, A Shatterworld (the trilogy), "Blessed are the merciful,'' Beatitudes & Woes, Un Mundo Quebrantado (Shattered World Spanish Edition)
When she was in the fifth grade and working her way through the long row of Reader’s Digest Condensed Books on her mother’s shelf, she ran across A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke. It was though a fuse had been lit and fireworks went off.
Next she read every speculative fiction book in her small town library. (There were a lot fewer then.)In high school she discovered J. R. R. Tolkien and fell in love with fantasy as well. As for horror, she’s still working on appreciating the genre.
She obtained a B.S. in Medical Technology, raised and released five children, all of whom survived, and followed her husband in the U.S.A.F to bases in Japan, Texas, and Alaska. She is the author of A Shattered World and a number of short stories in anthologies. http://leliaroseforeman.blogspot.com/
GEN GAVEL
"Wondermind and the Almost King,'' Beatitudes & Woes
Keen observer of life and humanity, Gen Gavel, author of “Wondermind and the Almost King,” writes to make sense of her days in light of an incomprehensible God.
She edits for a similar reason: to make sense of authors’ ramblings in light of the mighty Chicago Manual of Style.
When she’s not moving words around on a page, she’s either embarrassing her kids by badly belting Broadway beats, con- versing with her overly opinionated springer spaniel, Jessica, or catching a bus downtown to hang with her favorite kind of people: hipsters.
LISA GODFREES
"Dental Troll,'' Mythic Orbits 2016
Lisa Godfrees is fascinated with creatures that don't exist, especially Jackalopes. She was a forensic scientist for over a decade and still testifies as a technical expert in the courtroom.
She is a light programmer extraordinaire, incredibly punny, an oxford comma enthusiast, mom of two, wife of one, hybrid homeschool parent and self-proclaimed data junkie.
She's also the author of about a half dozen great short stories featured in anthologies as well as the co-author of Mind Writer.
ANDREA J. GRAHAM
"Creator of Avatars of Web Surfer universe; author of four stories in the AWS anthology.
Andrea studied creative writing and religion at Ashland University. She's been envisioning fantastic worlds since age six and has been writing science fiction novels since she was fourteen. In addition to creating the Web Surfer anthology, she has written an additional four novels in the same universe.
She is married to author Adam Graham and edits his novels, including Tales of the Dim Knight and Slime Incorporated. Their short story "Chosen of God" was featured in Light at the Edge of Darkness with her own short story, "Frozen Generation."
Andrea lives with her husband, Adam, and her cat, Joybell, in Boise, Idaho.
ANDREW HAMLET
"The Heartsone,'' Beatitudes & Woes
Andrew Hamlet, author of “The Heartstone,” is a gifted storyteller and teacher who uses his skills to further the truth of the gospel through his stories.
He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife and five children.
Andrew sang and told stories through 80 songs and countless stories as well as spoken word.
He wants to engage culture and influence change. He wants to ensure the marketplace is filled with strong stories that challenge people to seek out God, not just pleasure.
Andrew completed a 4-year degree at Cornerstone University with a Communication Arts major. He completed film school at Compass Arts Film Academy where he focused on creating compelling stories and characters.
RACHEL KIMBERLY HASTINGS
"Hopefire,'' Beatitudes & Woes
Rachel Kimberly Hastings is the author of “Hopefire.”
She grew up on a farm in Minnesota, where her love of the fantastic was born through adventures in her grandpa’s woods and reading far too many books.
She penned her first novel as a teenager during National Novel Writing Month, and she loved the experience so much that she repeated it every year since.
She now resides in Burbank, California, and works in the TV animation industry.
To survive city life, she often hikes in the mountains and imagines she’s on a quest to save Middle-Earth.
KAT HECKENBACH
"The Power from the Past," Medieval Mars; "Clay's Fire," Mythic Orbits 2016; "Secrets Kept", Victorian Venus;"Mark the Days", Mythic Orbits Vol.2
Kat grew up in a small town, where she spent most of her time either drawing or sitting in her "reading tree" with her nose buriend in a fantasy novel...except for the hours pretending her back yard was an enchanted forest that could only be reached through the secret passage in her closet.
She never could give up on the idea that maybe she really was magic, mistakenly placed in a world not her own--but as the years past, and no elves or fairies carted her away, she realized she was just going to have to create the life of her fantasies with words.
Her characters always find a secret world--whether it be real, imaginary, or in the pages of a book. http://www.katheckenbach.com
KRISTIN JANZ
"The Workshop at the End of the World,'' Mythic Orbits Vol.2
Kristin Janz was born in Vancouver, Canada, and since then has moved across the continent three times, ending up in the Greater Boston area for the last 20 years. Her short stories have appeared in 2 dozen different publications, including Escape Pod, On Spec, and NewMyths.com.
"The Workshop at the End of the World" was first published in Daily Science Fiction in December 2015. Kristin is also a 2008 graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop, and the current secretary-treasurer of SF Canada, Canada's professional speculative writers' organization.
She is married to fellow author Donald S. Crankshaw, with whom she co-edits and co-publishes online magazine Mysterion, devoted to fantasy, science fiction, and horror that engages meaningfully with Christianity, though not exclusively from a Christian perspective. Mysterion can be found at mysteriononline.com; Kristin's own website is at kristinjanz.com
CINDY KOEPP
"The Dragon's Bane," Medieval Mars; "Interference," "Jewel Among Stones," "The Fall of the Invincible Man," and "Hard Knocks," Avatars of Web Surfer; "Chasing the Sun", Victorian Venus; "Seeking What's Lost", Mythic Orbits Vol.2, Animal Eye: A Gamelit Adventure, Worlds of Weinbaum (Editor)
Originally from Michigan, Cindy Koepp combined a love of pedagogy and ecology into a 14-year career as an elementary science specialist. After teaching four-footers – that's height, not leg count – she pursued a Master's in Adult Learning with a specialization in Performance Improvement.
Her published works include science fiction and fantasy novels, a passel of short stories, and a few educator resources. When she isn't reading or writing, Cindy is currently working as a tech writer, hat collector, quilter, crafter, and strange joke teller.
Visit her website: https://ckoepp.com/
KETURAH LAMB
"Unerella", Mythic Orbits Vol.2
Keturah Lamb is a young woman learning how to both live in and embrace God's reality. The written and verbal words help this process. She likes to call herself a realistic idealist. She has many passions in life, the first being her ideas concerning friendship {love}, the second being laughter {smile}.
She grew up in Missouri and currently lives in Montana but travels several times a year to visit friends who live too far away. Though her first love is writing, she cleans houses as she strongly believes artists shouldn't starve.
You can read more of her work at keturahskorner.blogspot.com where she posts every Wednesday
L. JAGI LAMPLIGHTER
"HMS Mangled Treasure," Mythic Orbits 2016; "Gaslight Jungle", Victorian Venus.
Jagi is the author of the YA fantasy series: The Books of Unexpected Enlightenment. She is also the author of the Prospero's Daughter series: Prospero Lost, Prospero In Hell, and Prospero Regained.
She has published numerous articles on Japanese animation and appears in several short story anthologies, including Best Of Dreams of Decadence, No Longer Dreams, Coliseum Morpheuon, Bad-Ass Faeries Anthhologies (where she is also an assistant editor) and the Science Fiction Book Club's Don't Open This Book.
When not writing, she switches to her secret identity as wife and stay-home mom in Centreville, VA, where she lives with her dashing husband, author John C. Wright, and their four darling children.
REBEKAH LOPER
“The Path of Mercy,” Beatitudes & Woes
Rebekah Loper, author of “The Path of Mercy,” began creating fictional worlds and magical stories as a child and never stopped. Now she also helps inspire others to write their stories through her volunteer work as a NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison, and with her workbook, The A-Zs of Worldbuilding: Building a Fictional World From Scratch.
Rebekah lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband, a dog, two formerly feral cats, a flock of chickens, and an extensive tea collection. She is often found battling the elements in an effort to create a productive, permaculture urban homestead on a shoestring budget.
She blogs about writing and urban homesteading at rebekahloper.com, and has been a contributing writer for Fantasy-Faction.com. You can follow her on Facebook (facebook.com/RebekahLoper), Instagram (rebekah.loper), and Twitter (rebekah_loper)
ANDRA MARQUARDT
“The Promise,” Beatitudes & Woes
Andra, author of “The Promise,” writes both science fiction and fantasy and is an associate editor for Havok Magazine (goHavok.com).
Her day job is as a registered professional land surveyor in North Dakota.
She’s been happily married for 25 years and counting, and they have a son who loves to keep them on their toes.
They also own a yellow lab named Ruckus who suits her name perfectly.
DONNA MCFARLAND
"Sam and the Dragon,'' Medieval Mars
Donna developed an early love for literature and writing. She also dreamed of becoming an astronaut and her first "chapter book," written when she was in the fifth grade, was a story about a family who moved to Mars.
Donna later contributed to her high school and college newspapers while working in book stores and libraries.
After earning a degree in piano performance from Wheaton College and a master's degree in piano pedagogy from the University of Oregon, she taught at New Hope Christian College and currently teaches music theory at Northwest Christian University.
See more of her work at: https://duckandfriends.com/
A.K. MEEK
"The memory dance,'' Mythic Orbits Vol. 2
A mild-mannered management engineer by day, a mild-mannered writer by night. A.K. writes speculative, slipstream science fiction and fantasy.
He has penned alternate realities where robots are treated as gods fallen to earth, built cities filled to the brim with artificial animals, and crafted stories of alien invaders that can see human thought.
He has also dipped his hand in “Jericho” style post-apocalyptic fiction and birthed a fantastic world where truth and lie can occupy the same space. He lives in the Deep South, among the mosquitoes and magnolias, with his wonderful wife and menagerie of dogs and cats, and a wild rabbit that occasionally strays into the back yard for a visit.
See what he’s up to on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authorakmeek/, and Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/akmeek/.
Join his reader group to get new and free stuff. Who doesn’t like free stuff? You can’t lose! http://www.akmeek.com/newsletter
RICHARD NEW
"Escapee,'' Mythic Orbits 2016
Richard is a believer in Jesus Christ and a long time reader of science fiction. After thirty-five plus years, Richard is still married to the love of his life, Carle. They have a son and daughter, and are the proud grandparents of two grandsons.
He has been published in Lines South, the quarterly publication of the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads Historical Society magazine (Vol 32, No.1, pages 34-38). Splickety Publishing's Lightning blog of December 22, 2015 has his story "Patrol Duty."
Check out his projects and posts at: http://www.richardnewauthor.com
KERRY NIETZ
Kerry Nietz is a refugee of the software industry. He spent more than a decade of his life flipping bits, first as one of the principal developers of the database product FoxPro for the now mythical Fox Software, and then as one of Bill Gates's minions at Microsoft.
He is a husband, a father, a technophile, and a movie buff. He is the author of several award-winning novels, including A Star Curiously Singing, Freeheads, and Amish Vampires in Space.
Know more about this award-winning Science Fiction author at:
https://www.nietz.com/
