Author Description

From horror to fantasy to science fiction and beyond, the authors associated with the Paradise Icon Writers Workshop offer a compelling selection of speculative fiction works. A man-shaped mollusk. A certain well-known dragon come to life. A look at a terrifying, but perhaps preventable future. An office romance with a creepy twist. A former hockey player with a surprising special talent. A woman battling a disturbing truth about herself. These are just a few of the story scenarios based on writing prompts generated at the 2021 Paradise Icon Writer’s Workshop. When a group of writers are locked in a room for two days, it’s not surprising our analysis of each others’ work included thoughtful insights such as: “Maybe he’s a serial killer and maybe I should be concerned about that.” “It’s bad to kill the dragon unless you’re a real estate developer.” “He’s gonna die, so why do I care about what his relationships are like?” “I want more of the creepy voice.” “There’s the heretic chained up in the refractory, and that’s it.” “Goddamn Walt Disney.” “I love Meeran’s character and I wonder how many men she killed.” The talented writers represented in this anthology accepted the challenge of writing stories based on these prompts. And now we challenge you to read them.