A Colorado native, Sam Knight spent ten years in California's wine country before returning to the Rockies. When asked if he misses California he gets a wistful look in his eyes and replies he misses the green mountains in the winter, but he is glad to be back home.

His grandfather and mother are avid readers and Sam says his own passion started when he pressed his grandfather about what was so interesting. His grandfather handed him a book and he has been an avid reader ever since. He claims to have finished the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy in fourth grade and says he can still remember the look, feel, and smell of some of those early books. (He has been spotted sniffing books as he ruffles the pages.)

While doing research for a Western novel, Sam was not surprised to find out that, once upon a time, half of his family had been on the wrong side of the law. It stands to reason that when your great-great-grandfather was a marshal in Cripple Creek, Colorado, someone in the family had to be a horse thief. Sam was, however, surprised to find the family name had originally been McKnight and that the thieves had taken the 'Mc' part of the name with them. (Or the lawmen let them have it to distance themselves from that side of the family.) Having served a stint working in a correctional facility, he has often wondered if being a lawman runs in the blood. His great grandfather upheld the law in Mooreland, OK, as well as Springfield and Florence CO, among other places, with his grandfather occasionally deputized to assist.

When asked why he would want to become a writer, Sam recounts a time when he was in fifth grade. Illness stuck him in bed for two weeks with only books for companions. (This was a bit before video game phone implants were in common use.) He burned through the Xanth trilogy (back before it expanded into thirty some books), the Riddle of Stars trilogy, a couple of John Carter of Mars books, and several Pip and Flinx novels, relishing the moments when he would become so engrossed he would forget the ills of the physical. A thought floated through his mind at that time, about being able to return the favor to the authors who were providing so much to him. That thought never left and now he sincerely hopes anyone picking up one his stories can find something they were looking for.

As well having been Distribution Manager for WordFire Press, Senior Editor for Villainous Press, and doing miscellaneous things for various other small publishers, Sam is the author of six children’s books, four short story collections, three novels, and over five dozen short stories, including two media tie-ins: a Planet of the Apes story and a Wayward Pines story, both co-authored with Kevin J. Anderson. In 2017, based upon his experiences curating and editing five anthologies and numerous other stories, as well as being involved in the publication of over 400 titles in some way, Sam released Blood from Your Own Pen: A Practical Guide on Self-Editing and Common Mistakes.

Drop in and see what he is up to at SamKnight.com. If you have something you want to say, leave a comment, or contact him at Sam@SamKnight.com.

When Julie is not writing she’s often out riding horses, or working sheep with her dogs. She lives in Colorado with a handful of cats, some sheep, Kira and Bran her border collies, her Arabian endurance horses Triska and Cavalier, and her Irish Sailor. She is the author of many Vampire and Ghost-Hunting Dog stories the Tales of the Travelers series, and many other young adult books. her passions include horses, writing about horses, dogs and writing about dogs. She writes fantasy, sci fi, horror, and all related genres. She’s a member of the Horror Writers Association, Science Fiction Writers of America, and the Dog Writers of America Association and the editor for Story Emporium fiction magazine. Find out more at http://www.writerjacampbell.com

The Bio:

Julie was born in Iowa in a pumpkin patch next to the Duck Creek mall. Her parents were out Christmas shopping one day and stopped by. Somehow she managed to fool them into taking her home. They put her under the Christmas tree where she turned into a baby. Baffled, her parents have never since bought a pumpkin for Christmas, though she does have one other sibling, a younger sister who was born in the spring 6.5 years later.

She moved to Ohio with her family when she was young where she met one of her BFF's and spent the better part of 14 years. She grew up around boats and spent as much time with horses as she could. She doesn't remember learning to ride and has since concluded that she probably learned to ride before she was born.

She learned to be a voracious reader after she and her BFF hated each other for a summer. Her BFF spent the summer reading, and once they were BFFs again the next school year, Julie picked up the habit.

Her first masterpiece was a picture book about Willy the Bookworm. Amazingly enough, this masterpiece survives today, and she even thinks she knows where it is. This was followed by many Nancy Drew style mysteries in elementary school, followed by a longer science fiction piece in high school. She never intended to be a writer, she was going to be a paleontologist. Her 6th grade reading teacher was the first person that planted the seed in Julie's head that she was going to be a writer some day. Thanks Mrs. Fox... it's not all your fault, but you sure helped the process along. Julie didn't believe her at the time, but she believes her now.

In college Julie studied Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines until she found out she could get a degree in horses. Firmly set on that plan, she moved to Fort Collins and got her BS in Equine Science. After she graduated, she naturally got a job working in the computer/internet industry.

She's had many jobs over the last few years but a few things have remained consistent in her life: her love for horses and her passion for writing.

Julie has several critters in her life. Her first cat Tux, a polydactyl black and white barn cat, claimed her when he was a kitten. He allowed her to bring him home when he was 8 weeks old from the barn she later bought her horse from. Six months later he decided he wanted a playmate and Sabaska (Julie's horse) was just a little to big for him so he sent Julie to the pet store. She thought she was going for fish food and came home - a bit confused - with an adopted kitten from a local rescue. Tux was pleased. Solstice, the crazy calico, was also pleased and they began to plan for world domination.

Several years later Julie was again claimed by another cat. Sophie, a beautiful tabby, worked her way into Julie's life. Tux and Solstice were not pleased, but over time they grew used to her, and while they don't include her in their plans for world domination, they do play with her now and again.

The last member of her furry family came to live with them in June of 2010. Kira, a border collie puppy arrived in her home with the intent of foiling the world domination that was brewing from the cat trees. She has succeeded in disrupting those plans, but only time will tell if her mission was successful.

Julie now lives in northern Colorado with her horde and her significant other, the Irish Sailor.

Lena M. Johnson is a scientist with a writing problem. Holding a master's degree in biology, she has a keen interest in exploring science through the lens of fiction. She has been published in various anthologies, including Cat Tails: Warzone and previous Midnight Writers’ anthologies, of which she is a founding member. You can find her online for cat pictures and horrible puns. She lives in Colorado with as many cats as possible.

14er Climber

Rocket Scientist

Published Novelist

Movie Connoisseur

Stock Photographer

Benjamin M. Weilert was born in Colorado in 1985. While he went to school for Mechanical Engineering (eventually earning a Master's Degree), he has found science to be interesting enough to write fiction about it. He likes to classify his novels as "science fantasy," wherein the science is real and (semi) accurate but portrayed in a fantasy setting to make it accessible to non-scientific readers. If you want stories that are surreptitiously educational, he's your man.

Before 2009, Benjamin wrote a collection short stories that he had hoped to combine into a novel. While this never happened, he has used the experience to his benefit. One of these short stories, as well as a few poems of his, were published in the Colorado School of Mines' creative anthology known as High Grade.

During his time in Alabama, he wrote a personal blog of his adventures entitled AlabamAdventures. Upon his return to Colorado, he ended the blog and began a new one, Cinema Connections, where he discusses the connections between a variety of movies.

Every novel he has ever written has been during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). He has won the challenge eleven times in a row and plans to win for many more years. Currently, he is the Municipal Liaison for the Colorado Springs region: helping other novelists find their stories and write them down.

With his years of experience, he joined with fellow Colorado Springs authors as part of The Midnight Writers. Their goal is to help authors become better writers.

Adam Zaleski is a Washington native, and has always loved the paranormal. Adam is always ready to tell a compelling story about anything, from Bigfoot to the Slenderman. When he is not immersed in a video game, or running around in the rain, Adam can be found slumped over his computer, typing away.

J.L. Zenor is an author of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Christian Living, and Christian Fiction works. He regularly writes for the Christian Blog Eternal Truth Ministry and has written short stories including Rite of Passage.

J.L. Zenor has participated in (and won) NaNoWriMo since 2013 when he started getting serious about finishing a novel. He was later inspired by watching other authors succeed in the realm of self-publishing which allowed him to start writing and publishing out of a love of writing rather than spending years trying to find an agent or publisher.

Jon and his wife live in the beautiful state of Colorado with their son, and regularly enjoys hiking, website programming, and leads the Star Trek fan group USS Zebulon Pike.

Read more at the author's website, http://JLZenor.com

Ferrell Rosser has lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, since the early '90's, currently with his wife, oldest daughter and a very bossy cat.

Finished a new project! New collection, "Tales of Death and Wonder" is available, just not here.