Meet The Authors

Anastasia Barbato is a multi-hyphenate creative who loves anything to do with fantasy. As a working professional in video games and armed with her Narrative Studies degree from USC, you can find her juggling anywhere from 2-3 creative projects at any given moment—from game design to novel writing, to publishing the book you’re reading right now. She’s eager to bring the workshops, contests, and publication opportunities of Dreambridge Publishing to as many aspiring writers as possible. Most days you’ll find her galavanting around Los Angeles or playing with her spooky cat, Lilith. Connect with her @dreambridge.pub on Instagram.

Tara Mann grew up in Monterey, California, continually getting confused with her identical twin sister. She studied Creative Writing with a minor in Computer Science at Chapman University and loves finding ways to combine the two. Her work has been published in various magazines, including Chapman’s Calliope and Ouroboros, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith’s Applause, and Dreambridge Publishing’s 2024 anthology Trouble in Paradise. She is currently querying Starfall, a YA fantasy novel about finding your strength in a world that believes you have none. When she isn’t writing, Tara works as a librarian and loves performing live theatre. https://taramann23.wixsite.com/official-website.

Maryam is a training manager by day and an aspiring fantasy author by night. With a passion for storytelling, she draws inspiration from her love of reading and real-life adventures, often blending the two into imaginative tales filled with magic, mystery, and heart. Maryam is currently working on her debut fantasy novel, hoping to one day share her worlds with readers everywhere. Whether hiking through nature or getting lost in a good book, she’s always gathering sparks of creativity for her writing.

Bob Wentzel loves hiding subtext in plain sight, be it historical satire in a horror story (Postmortem Galvanism) or linguistic badinage in children’s books. You’re never quite certain what you are going to get. Growing up with two classically trained con artists for parents, they would take him on vacation and then force him to survive two weeks on his own through thievery and deception. Only later did he learn they always stayed at all-inclusive resorts. His latest children’s book, The Broccoli Cheats at Checkers and Other Reasons to Not Play with Your Food, is available from Amazon.

Bud Robertson is a lifelong storyteller who survived twenty-five years in the movie business as a screenwriter, producer, director, and assorted hyphenate. His produced screenplays include Spectres, Prey of the Jaguar, The Great Year, A Pageant for the Ages, and episodes of the superhero series Ultraman. Many other scripts remain mired in Development Hell. “If Only the Mice Could Talk” is his sixth published short story, and his second for the Dreambridge anthology series. When not writing and enjoying life with his awesome wife and family in Lake Las Vegas, Bud serves an executive in the glasses-free 3D technology industry.

Haley Bulen is an author, screenwriter, and video game writer based in Los Angeles, California. Her comedy pilot “Puckers,” which is inspired by her real-life experiences as an ice hockey player for 14 years, is a quarterfinalist for the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition and ranks in the top 5% of discoverable projects on Coverfly. She is also currently the Director and Narrative Lead on “Red Rain,” a pixel RPG game produced by Small Loan Studios. “The Sun Will Rise Again” is her first published short story.

Ann Boehmer grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia. She graduated with a degree in physics from Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, then went on to spend thirty-five years as an engineer and manager in the aerospace industry in Los Angeles. Now having added a writing career to her engineering experience, she particularly enjoys crafting short stories that twist the laws of nature. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, who spends his retirement contemplating physics from odd perspectives.

Grace exists at the many intersections of life and work – she is a producer, writer, casting professional, and more. Raised in Silicon Valley, she spent her formative years at an all-girls’ school where she was molded into a feminist and became dedicated to telling stories about complex women. Educated at Northwestern University, she holds a B.S. in Radio/Television/Film, a certificate in Design Innovation, and a module in Media and Creative Markets. Based in Los Angeles, outside of her professional work, Grace enjoys rock climbing, searching for the best matcha in the city, and hosting double-feature movie nights.

Jack is a writer, runner, brewer and dadder…or just dad. He’s run in eight marathons, countless trail runs, and occasionally a 5k. He’s currently training to summit Mt. Whitney this fall.

Katariina Ruuska is originally from Helsinki, Finland, and now lives in Southern California with her saint of a husband, a yucca named Peter, and a recently acquired areca palm named Olivia. Her fiction has appeared in Eunoia Review, Drunken Pen Writing, and Dreambridge Publishing’s Trouble in Paradise anthology. An earlier version of "The One You Feed" was shared on her Reedsy profile. She's been writing fiction for as long as she can remember and still finds it oddly surprising when characters do exactly what she wants.

Mara Ingham grew up in a small coastal town in rural Australia. She spent her childhood reading and writing, and recently rekindled that passion after a short (15-year) break. Mara loves bringing all sorts of stories to life and has been doing so as an enthusiastic member of the video game and software industry for the past decade. She shares her life with a brilliant husband and a loudmouth black cat.

Jade Scardham is an artist and writer focusing on fantasy, horror and sci-fi. She particularly enjoys writing creepy stories and designing creatures and characters. You can find her on Bluesky: @arcanepixels744.bsky.social

Seeking sacred spaces of all kinds, Benjamin Turensky is a Librarian who lives and writes out of Phoenix, Arizona. He is currently working for Arizona State University while he continues to develop his craft in hopes of future publications and acquiring an audience all his own. 

Despite what the name may suggest, Kale is not just everyone's favorite leafy superfood. She is also a writer, costume designer, and theater artist originally from Seattle and currently based in Hollywood. Kale's multi-hyphenate creative interests center on her passion for non-traditional storytelling and narratives highlighting underrepresented voices. When Kale isn't writing, rehearsing, or sewing, she can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends or trying to keep her cat Riz from eating her scrapbooking supplies. For more information about what Kale is up to, you can visit her website at www.kalehinthorn.com.

Liviera is a lifelong learner, collector of stories, and jack-of-some-trades. A Bay Area Native turned Angeleno, they have a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Southern California and an M.S. in Education from California State University, Fullerton. Liviera is a full-time educator, but often moonlights as a part-time theatre-kid. They spend their free time rock climbing, playing recreational soccer, reading, writing, singing karaoke, hosting themed parties, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. Liviera enjoys long walks on the beach and romantic candlelit dinners.

Tom lives and writes in northeast Ohio under the watchful eyes of two cats, one corgi, and the love of his life. All he wants is to find the right words.

Jess is a coffee lover and witchy woman living in Los Angeles with her partner and two cats, Moonbeam and Peppercorn. She is very thankful for the opportunity to work with the Dreambridge team again and appreciates the support they have shown for her and her story.

Ariana Frost, born and raised in Texas, is a writer, artist, and avid fantasy reader who has drawn inspiration from her Greek roots from an early age. She believes stories can bring a broader understanding to the world around us and to ourselves. When her nose isn't buried in a book, you’ll often find her painting or swimming, regardless of the season.

Heather Oxley is a fantasy writer based in California, USA. While her days are spent as a run-of-the-mill receptionist, she spends her nights preoccupied with storytelling. She is notorious for using her English Literature degree to delve way too far into media and launching into impromptu lectures. Regardless of the medium, she gravitates towards stories about community, humanity, and what it means to be on the fringes of both.

Erik Engman lives in Las Vegas where he is a clown, clown and improvisation teacher, theater critic and, of course, author. You probably saw his past short stories in last year's Dreambridge Publishing anthology, and the previous two NaNoWriMo anthologies. Currently he is working on a new book and performing with the Las Vegas Improvisation Players and 1230 Clowns. You can read his theater reviews at EatMoreArtVegas.com . He'd like to thank the Quill & Pint and Sin City Writers Group.

G.J. Barbato is an entrepreneur and writer currently living in Santa Barbara, California. He is CEO of Best Ever Channels and committed to bringing stories that uplift and inspire people to mainstream television audiences through his two channels MORE U and COMMUNE. "The Ultimate Challenge" is his fourth published anthology story, and is working to publish his first novel, Hacking Paradise. You can find more of his work on Substack and see his photography @jonathonbarbato on Instagram.