Authors

Poppy Z. Brite
http://www.poppyzbrite.com/
Is renowned for her horror novels “Lost Souls”, “Drawing Blood”, and “Exquisite Corpse”, among others, as well as her short story collections “Wormwood” and “Are You Loathsome Tonight?”.  Her most recent books include “The Value of X”, “Liquor”, “Prime”, and “Soul Kitchen”, which all explore a new cast of characters, the culinary world, and her ongoing love affair with new Orleans. I am a huge fan.
 
Emma Bull
http://shetterly.googlepages.com/home
is probably best-known for “War for the Oaks”, one of the pioneering works of urban fantasy. She's written novels, screenplays, a children's book and short stories, and has participated in Terri Windling's Borderland shared universe, which is the setting of her novel “Finder”. Her 1991 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel “Bone Dance” was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. She and her husband, Will Shetterly, are members of the Interstate Writers' Workshop, aka The Scribblies, and they both conduct writing workshops now and then.
Emma sang in the rock-funk band Cats Laughing, and both sang and played guitar in the folk duo The Flash Girls.
And it’s just a guess, but I believe she has a thing for coffee.
 
Charles de Lint
http://www.sfsite.com/charlesdelint/
Charles de Lint is credited as having pioneered the contemporary fantasy genre. His ground-breaking 1984 urban fantasy novel, “Moonheart”, remains in print to this day, and enjoys the privilege of being Tor's best-selling trade paperback for their Orb line.
With 60 books published to date , including but certainly not limited to “The Newford Stories”, “The Onion Girl”, “Waifs & Strays”, “Tapping The Dream Tree”, “Widdershins”, “The Blue Girl” and “The Wild Wood”, he has gained a reputation as a master in his field. His non-fiction has included entries to encyclopedias, critical essays, book reviews, music reviews and opinion columns. A respected critic in his field, de Lint is currently the primary book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. He’s taught creative writing workshops in Canada and the United States, and served as writer in residence for two public libraries in Ottawa.
Charles has also been a professional musician for over 25 years, writing original songs and performing traditional and contemporary music with his wife, MaryAnn. His main instruments are flute, fiddle, whistles, vocals and guitar.
 
Neil Gaiman
http://www.neilgaiman.com/
Neil Gaiman’s books include the “Sandman” series, “Neverwhere”, “Coraline”, “Stardust” (which has just been made into a wonderful film), “American Gods”, “Smoke And Mirrors”, “Good Omens” (with Terry Pratchett), Mirrormask, as well as several short story collections (including “Smoke And Mirrors”, “Fragile Things” and “M Is For Magic”), poems and graphic novels. Too many to mention here, really. He’s won many prestigious awards, too. Like the stories, too many to mention here. Neil’s friendship and kindness helped get The Hidden Variable started, and I am eternally grateful.
He also makes a mean salsa.
 
Shelley Jackson
http://www.ineradicablestain.com/
is most widely recognized for an electronic text, “Patchwork Girl”, a hypertext reworking of the Frankenstein myth, and for SKIN, a story published in tattoos on the skin of volunteers. Her printed work has appeared in “Conjunctions”, “Fence”, “Grand Street”, “Guernica Magazine”, “The Brooklyn Rail”, “The Paris Review”,  and on many restaurant napkins. Her books include “The Melancholy of Anatomy” and the Tiptree Award winning novel “Half Life”. She also illustrates children's books, including two of her own, “The Old Woman and the Wave” and “Sophia, the Alchemist's Dog”.
 
Harvey Jacobs:
I discovered the marvelously comic and surrealist prose of Harvey Jacobs in “Black Swan, White Raven”, a collection of re-imagined fairy tales edited by Terri Windling & Ellen Datlow.  And then I immediately made a point of finding all of his books.  They include “The Egg Of The Glak”, “American Goliath”, Beautiful Soup, and the recently released “My Rose & My Glove: Stories (Real and Surreal)”. I highly recommend that you do the same.
 
Caitlin R. Kiernan
http://www.caitlinrkiernan.com/
Author, paleontologist and musician, Caitlin R. Kiernan has won International Horror Guild Awards for her novels “Silk” and “Threshold”, her short story “Onion” and her novella "La Peau Verte".  Her other novels are “Low Red Moon”, “The Five of Cups”, “Murder of Angels”, and “Daughter of Hounds”. Her short story collections include “Tales Of Pain and Wonder”, “Wrong Things” (with Poppy Z. Brite), “From Weird and Distant Shores”, “To Charles Fort, With Love” and “Alabaster”. She’s also written numerous chapbooks and scientific papers, as well as publishes and contributes to the Sirenia Digest. Her comic and graphic novel work includes “The Dreaming”, “The Girl Who Would Be Death”, and “Bast: Eternity Game”. Her work amazes me, and it will you, too.
 
Gregory Maguire
http://www.gregorymaguire.com/
is the author of “Wicked”, “Mirror Mirror”, “Confessions Of An Ugly Stepsister”, and “Son Of A Witch” as well as numerous books for children. Mr. Maguire is also a contributor to “Am I Blue?: Coming Out From the Silence”, a collection of short stories for gay and lesbian teenagers.
He received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University and he is a founder and co-director of Children's Literature New England, Incorporated, a non-profit educational charity established in 1987. His books are magic, and “Wicked” has been adapted into a captivating and highly entertaining stage musical.
 
China Miéville
A British author of wonderful and dark “Weird Fiction”, China Miéville’s work attempts to move fantasy writing away from commercial genre clichés, particularly that of J.R.R. Tolkien. He’s won several awards in the process, including a couple of Arthur C. Clarke Awards, and a British Fantasy Award, as well as nominations for Nebulas, Hugos and World Fantasy Awards. His books include the novels “King Rat”, “Perdido Street Station”, “The Scar”, “Iron Council” and “Un Lun Dun”, and the short story collection “Looking For Jake and Other Stories”. His short fiction has also appeared in “Neonlit Vol. 1”, “Britpulp”, “The Children of Cthulhu”, “McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories”, and Conjunctions: 39.
 
Lemony Snicket
http://www.lemonysnicket.com/
Is the author of the celebrated “A Series of Unfortunate Events” books featuring the trials of the Baudelaire children. It’s highly unpleasant stuff, and you should approach all of these books with the utmost caution. For some reason, Mr. Snicket never bothered to show up for any of our appointments, but his able and affable assistant Daniel Handler has assured me that this was probably for the best.
 
Martha Soukup
is a Nebula award-winning and Hugo award-nominated science fiction author, and playwright for the Monday Night PlayGround emerging playwrights group. The 1994 short film “Override”, directed by Danny Glover, was based on her short story "Over the Long Haul".
Her books include “Rosemary’s Brain: And Other Tales of Wonder” and “The Arbitrary Placement of Walls”, and her stories have appeared in “Amazing Stories”, Asimov’s Science Fiction”, Analog”, and “The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction”.
While she is rumored to be elusive, I remember having the time of my life with her at a certain Guy Fawkes Day party a couple of years ago. Seek out her books…you will be handsomely rewarded.
 
Peter Straub
http://www.peterstraub.net/
Is, quite simply, a giant in the world of horror fiction. A multiple Bram Stoker and International Horror Guild Award winner, he’s also, I’m proud to say, a dear friend with a  love and encyclopedic knowledge of music, and an instrumental force in bringing The Hidden Variable to life. Peter’s books have entranced me for years. They include (but are by no means limited to) “Ghost Story”, Shadowlands”, “The Talisman” (with Stephen King), “Koko”, “Mystery”, “The Throat”, “Mr. X”, “The Hellfire Club”, “Lost Boy Lost Girl” and “In The Night Room”. 
 
Gahan Wilson
http://www.gahanwilson.com/
has been horrifying me for years. Most people know him primarily as the sharp-witted, often macabre cartoonist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, National Lampoon, Playboy, and other magazines. Wilson is also a talented writer whose sharp-witted, often macabre fiction has graced the pages of Playboy, Omni, and the original Dangerous Visions.
Sometimes amusing, sometimes frightening, Wilson's short fiction is as eclectic as his cartooning. I urge you to find his amazing short story collection “The Cleft And Other Odd Tales”.