AUTHOR: J.P. Barnett grew up in a tiny Texas town where the list of possible vocations failed to include published author. In second grade, he worked harder than any other student to deliver a story about a tiger cub who singlehandedly saved the U.S. Military, earning him a shiny gold star and a lifelong appreciation of telling a good story. Fast forwarding through decades of schooling and a career as a software engineer, J.P. Barnett stepped away from it all to get back to his first real passion. Years of sitting at a keyboard gifted him with some benefit, though, including blazing fast typing hands and a full tank of creativity. As a child, J.P. consumed any book he could get his hands on. The likes of Stephen King, Michael Crichton, and Dean Koontz paved the bookshelves of his childhood, providing a plethora of fantastical and terrifying tales that he read way too early in life. Though the effect these books had on his psyche could be called into question, these masters of storytelling managed to warp his mind in just the perfect way to spin a fun yarn or two. J.P. currently resides in San Antonio with his wife and hellion of a cat, both of whom look at him dubiously with some frequency.

EDITOR: A writer since age six and a professional one since nineteen, my initial editing experience came in the swarms of prose I pumped out into the world, only occasionally into the world of actual magazines, anthologies or e-zines. Soon, as I began selling more regularly, and as publishers took note of my longer works, I began freelance editing. I've edited screenplays, memoirs, novels, children's books and, would you believe it, epic narrative poetry. One of the novels I edited, "Under the Tamarind Tree," was shortlisted among nine others for the 2014 Dundee International Book Prize. A charter member of The Greater Los Angeles Writers Society (GLAWS), I am also the managing editor of the organization's official publication, Literary Landscapes, which features stories, excerpts, articles and poetry (see issues here). In addition, I belong to the editing collective Write For Success, for which I perform manuscript critiques and consultation. As an author, I have published nine novels and almost fifteen short stories.