A Thank You to Fantasycon Contributors

Every year Fantasycon has a raffle and book bags, but we couldn’t do them without the generosity of writers, editors, artists, publishers and fans. This year is no exception, except it sort of is. Your kindness has been overwhelming and we have an amazing list of raffle prizes and goodies for our bags, including books, pin badges, bookmarks, postcards and colouring books. Just amazing!

Below is a long list of people we want to thank (in alphabetical order). As they’ve been so kind as to support Fantasycon and the British Fantasy Society, please consider supporting them in whatever way you can. Again, thank you.

Alchemy Press: An award-winning based in the West Midlands but has tendrils spreading across the country – indeed, across the world. (Across the universe?) They began in the late 1990s publishing a range of (mostly) fantasy and horror anthologies and collections, including award-winning (Where the Bodies are Buried by Kim Newman) and award-nominated (Rumours of the Marvellous by Peter Atkins) titles. They continue to produce affordable books in both print and eBook formats to suit the fantasy connoisseur’s reading tastes. Find them here.

Android Press: Android Press publishes science fiction, fantasy, and horror and is based in Oregon, USA. Books published by Android Press have won the Nommo Award, and have been finalists for the Nebula, British Science Fiction, British Fantasy, Bram Stoker, and other awards. You can check out Android Press publications at their bookstore. You can find out more on their website.

Marve Michael Anson: Marve has been writing for over a decade and has self-published a thriller, His Dark Reflection, to critical acclaim. Her debut fantasy novel, Firstborn of the Sun, is the first in a trilogy being published by Penguin Michael Joseph in October 2025. This novel also placed her as a finalist in many competitions, including the 2023 Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy Writers of Colour. Marve is an award-winning filmmaker, and when she’s not weaving fantastical tales, you can find her exploring life as a serial hobbyist, delving into everything from obsessing over myths and histories, collecting books and passionately assembling her own personal library to indulging in an unapologetic obsession with all things Christmas. Find out more here.

Justin Lee Anderson: Justin was a professional writer and editor for 15 years before his debut novel, Carpet Diem, was published, going on to win the 2018 Audie award for Humor. His second novel, The Lost War, won the 2020 SPFBO award, leading to a four-book deal with Orbit for The Eidyn Saga. Two short animations Justin scripted and produced were shortlisted for Scottish Creative awards, and he also writes TV and film scripts with his wife, Juliet. Their children’s audio story, The Great Bumpkin King, was produced by BBC Scotland in 2019. Justin and Juliet live with their family in East Lothian, near Justin’s hometown of Edinburgh. Find out more about Justin here.

Caroline Astiago: Inspired by anything supernatural, historical, and the myths and legends of Europe, Caroline writes fantasy and supernatural stories that pack an emotional punch. Her work has been featured in Liverpool’s Royal Court’s 2023 new writing night. When she’s not writing, Caroline spends her time helping to bring other people’s stories to live on stage, screen and radio. Find out more about Caroline on her website or follow her on Instagram.

AuthorTax: AuthorTax is a specialist accountancy firm dedicated to serving authors and creatives. With over 18 years of experience at top UK accountancy firms, they focus on the unique tax challenges faced by individuals in the creative sector. Their clients range from emerging authors to international best-sellers, broadcasters, actors, and social media influencers. AuthorTax aims to simplify the financial aspects of their clients’ lives, allowing them to concentrate on their creative work. They offer a range of services including personal and corporate tax returns, company accounts production, bookkeeping, VAT returns, and comprehensive tax advice. Their approach is friendly and approachable, ensuring that clients feel comfortable asking any questions they might have. Find out more here.

Laura Bennett (Liverpool Literary Agency): Laura developed a love of writing early, attending her first Creative Writing course at college. She then decided to study Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, obtaining a BA before pursuing a career in teaching. She began work at a college for young adults with special needs, and then moved to a vocational college while studying for a post-compulsory PGCE. Laura taught English for a few years, and also ran several Creative Writing courses before returning to LJMU to obtain an MA in Writing. She then worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school, before leaving that job to pursue a career in editing. The combination of teaching and writing works extremely well for editing, and for providing encouragement and guidance for writers. Laura also works as a freelance writer, and she is currently the writer and loremaster for a video game, in addition to writing for various roleplaying games. Find out more about Laura and the Liverpool Literary Agency here.

Silas A. Bischoff: Silas A. Bischoff is the author of A Crow Named Torment. “After a perfectly normal bird is captured by a perfectly deranged alchemist, and her soul is remade in torment, she rots in a cage, dreading her doom, awaiting the perfect moment …” Perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett and Edgar Allan Poe, lovers of Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Otfried Preußler’s Krabat, for those who would like to see Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland meet Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in a modern dark fantasy. Find out more here.

The Book Guild: The Book Guild is an independent publishing company based in Leicestershire, with over 35 years of experience in publishing both fiction and non-fiction across a wide range of genres. We take pride in offering an eclectic collection of titles from our wonderfully talented authors, including commercial fiction, literary fiction, general non-fiction, and children’s fiction. All of which can be found in our bookshop. We are excited to include some incredible debut fantasy authors in our 2025 title catalogue, including Ellie Tilley, author of Blackthorn and Beyond – The Sorcerer’s Redemption; E.A. Underwood, author of Isles of the Earthbound; J.J. Marr, author of The Cards You’re Dealt; and Danny Beeson, author of The Origin of the Wolf. All of these titles are included in the exclusive discount code for FantasyCon attendees.

Lindsey Byrd: Lindsey began writing stories at a young age, enjoying the escapism of fantasy worlds where anything could happen. When she writes, she focuses on creating complex characters who are neither perfectly good or bad. She grew up in New York, but moved to Europe to complete her doctoral studies in History. Shy by nature, Lindsey does not spend much time on social media. Instead, she can be found taking long walks and looking for new birds to add to Merlin ID. Her new book, The Sun Blessed Prince, comes out in May 2025. You can see the cover reveal here. Oooooohhh! Find out more about Lindsey here.

Liz Cain: Liz has loved reading her whole life and becoming an author is a dream come true. She was born in East Yorkshire in the UK and grew up near the sea with her parents and two sisters. She graduated from Leicester University with a degree in Physics, going on to complete an MSc in Medical and Radiation Physics. She love books with magic and adventure, and writes romance with her coauthor. She’s working on some new projects to delve into urban fantasy. Liz’s new book, A Kingdom of Air and Duty, is available here. And you can find out more about her here.

Calque Press: Calque Press is a small and occasional publisher of pamphlets, short-length books and anthologies. We work at the intersection between languages, ideas, different crafts and genres. Fiction, poetry, essays, ekphrasis, and art, that often emerge from the margins, creating unexpected connections and experimental visions/versions of our world. In November, Calque Press is publishing Marian Womack’s first collection of short fiction in six years, since her British Fantasy Award shortlisted Lost Objects. Out of the Window, Into the Dark is written with Womack’s characteristic crossing of genres, places and moods. The threat of generative AI, the meaning of authorship, nostalgia and its dark ghosts, power, legacy, and the looming threat of extinction … all of these are brought together with Womack’s unflinching and yet poetic style. It is a collection for our and future times, movingly demonstrating the devastating consequences of our collective actions. Find out more here.

Canelo: Canelo, an independent publisher based in London, publishes across the entire fiction market, with a bespoke horror list, Canelo Horror, having been set up in 2023. They already boast multiple Bram Stoker finalists and award winners, including John Langan’s bestselling novel The Fisherman. You can find out more about their publications on their website here.

Eliza Chan: Eliza Chan is a Scottish-born speculative fiction author who writes about East Asian mythology, British folklore and reclaiming the dragon lady. Her Sunday Times bestselling debut novel Fathomfolk – inspired by mythology, East and Southeast Asian cities and diaspora feels – was published by Orbit in 2024. The sequel Tideborn will be published in 2025. Harbour of Hungry Ghosts, a historical fantasy set in mid-Opium War era Hong Kong, was announced for 2026. She has been a medical school drop-out, a kilt shop assistant, an English teacher and a speech and language therapist, but currently spends her time tabletop gaming, cosplaying, crafting and toddler wrangling. Find out more on her website or follow on Instagram.​

Lyndsey Croal: Lyndsey is an Edinburgh-based author of strange and speculative fiction. She is a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awardee, British Fantasy Award Finalist, Ladies of Horror Fiction Writers Grant Recipient, and former Hawthornden Fellow. Her short fiction and essays have been published in over eighty magazines and anthologies, and have placed or been shortlisted in several competitions including with Mslexia, British Fantasy Society, Apex Magazine, the Cymera Fest Prize for Speculative Fiction, Escape Pod, and Fractured Lit. Her debut two-part audio drama Daughter of Fire and Water was released in 2021 with the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities podcast and was a BFA-finalist for Best Audio in 2022. Her novelette Have You Decided on Your Question was published by Shortwave Publishing in 2023 and she has two short story collections forthcoming: Limelight from Shortwave Publishing in 2024 and Dark Crescent from Luna Press Publishing in 2025. Find out more on her website.

Claire Cronshaw: Claire Cronshaw of Cherry Edits is an indie fiction specialist who line and copy edits SFF, romance, and women’s fiction. Claire lives in northern England with her husband, author Jon Cronshaw, her son, and their dog. When she’s not editing, she’s reading or listening to audiobooks, baking, stretching (Pilates!), or walking along the prom. Find out more about Claire on her website.

Gary Couzens: Gary Couzens has had stories published in F & SF, Interzone, Black Static, Midnight Street and other magazines and anthologies, with the collections Second Contact and Other Stories (Elastic Press, 2003) and Out Stack and Other Places (Midnight Street Press, 2015). “The End of All Our Exploring” was reprinted in Best of British Science Fiction 2021 (Newcon Press, 2022). Film and book reviews have been published in The Digital Fix, Black Static, ParSec, Interzone Digital and Cine Outsider. Gary was Chair of the BFS between 2000 and 2003. Find out more about Gary here or follow him on Twitter.

Gabby Hutchinson Crouch: Gabby Hutchinson Crouch is an author specialising in comedy fantasy adventure series. She has written the Darkwood Trilogy, The Rooks Trilogy and the first book of her new fantasy romcom series, Cursed Under London, is out now. She is also a comedy writer for TV, radio and stage, with credits including CBBC’s Horrible Histories, Radio 4’s The News Quiz, The Now Show, Elephant in the Room and Homeschool History. You can buy all her books here.

Kat Day: Kat Day is a PhD chemist who was once a teacher and is now a writer and editor. By day she mostly works as a freelance editor and proofreader of scientific materials, with bits of article and book-writing thrown in. By night she… mostly does all the stuff she hasn’t managed to do during the day. She’s had articles published in Chemistry World, has written science content for DK and has produced scripts for Crash Course Organic Chemistry. Her fiction can be found at Daily Science Fiction and Cast of Wonders among others. You can follow her on Bluesky or check out her blogs, The Chronicle Flask and The Fiction Phial. She lives with her husband, two children and cat in Oxfordshire, England. She thinks black coffee is far superior to tea. The purple liquid on the stovetop is none of your concern. Kat joined the PseudoPod team in 2019, and became assistant editor in 2021.

Genoveva Dimova: Genoveva grew up on the coast of the Black Sea in Varna, Bulgaria⁠, but moved to Glasgow, Scotland, for university over a decade ago – and never left. In her day job, she’s an archaeologist, specialising in archaeobotany. When it comes to writing, she’s a fantasy author, specialising in books about witches, monsters, and murder. Find out more here.

T.H. Dray: T.H. Dray is a writer of speculative fiction, whose short work has appeared in Shoreline of Infinity, BFS Horizons, The Best of British Science Fiction, and was also nominated for a British Fantasy Award. She is from Glasgow and still lives there in a house where humans are outnumbered by dogs.

Stephanie Ellis: Stephanie Ellis writes dark speculative prose and poetry. Her novels include The Five Turns of the Wheel, Reborn, The Woodcutter, and The Barricade, and the novellas, Bottled and Paused. Her short stories appear in the collections The Reckoning and Devil Kin. She is a Rhysling and Elgin Award nominated poet and has written the collection Foundlings (with Cindy O’Quinn), Lilith Rising & Mason Gorey (both with Shane Douglas Keene) and Metallurgy, as well as appearing in the HWA Poetry Showcase. She can be found supporting indie authors at HorrorTree.com via the weekly Indie Bookshelf Releases. Stephanie is also a graduate of the Open University – BA(Hons) First Class in Humanities. This is effectively a history degree as at the time, degrees were not ‘named.’ She started studying when a technical author with no children and completed the course with 2 children to add to the mix of full-time work and part-time study. This, she regards as the epitome of multi-tasking! You can connect with her on Bluesky or find out more here.

E. M. Faulds: E.M. Faulds is a science fiction and fantasy author who lives in Scotland. She knew she was a writer for as long as she could write and, early on, decided speculative fiction would be her weapon of choice. Her first novel, Ada King, came out in 2016 and since then she has had short stories published in various SFF magazines, including Shoreline of Infinity and Strange Horizons. She loves how speculative fiction can be a mirror for our own lives or an escape from them. They can show us the best and worst of ourselves, or help us to exceed the boundaries of our own experiences. At their heart, the best speculative fiction stories are about people, the choices they make, and how they live with them. Find out more here.

Flame Tree Press: Flame Tree Press is the trade fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. They publish globally in the English language, in print and ebook formats, with a focus on excellent writing in horror and the supernatural, crime and mystery thrillers, and science fiction and fantasy. Their aim is to explore beyond the boundaries of the everyday, finding new pathways for the imagination, with tales from both award-winners and original voices. Find out more on their website.

Jan Foster: Jan lives in the North West of England, where it rains too much for her liking. However, despite a busy household filled with children, dogs, several businesses and books, she retreats into her writing world as much as possible. Time permitting! History has always fascinated Jan, and she revels in being left alone in ruins to ponder the ‘What If’s.’ Her passion is the Tudor Age, a rich tapestry of events and people which formed the foundations of modern British society. She also loves the idea that there may be something as yet undiscovered about the world as we know it – what if there was a parallel world where magic happens? How would it impact the lives of ordinary people? And extraordinary people… Find out more in the Naturae Series where fantasy and reality collide with surprising consequences.

Genki Gear: Genki Gear produces original t-shirts that stand out amongst the crowd! They have a number of influences from Japanese culture, Dungeons and Dragons, tabletop games, and science fiction, adding to it a dash of unique humour. Their sense of fun and offbeat humour has given them the tagline of “weird but still rather nice.” All designs by Genki Gear are all silkscreen printed in the UK and each design is created across a full range of styles so there’s always a Genki Gear t-shirt to choose. Plus every range is ethically produced and of the highest quality so you can wear your Geek with Pride! Check them out here.

Ghost Orchid Press: Established in January 2021, Ghost Orchid Press is an independent publisher of horror, Gothic, and dark fantasy fiction based in Cambridgeshire, UK. They are dedicated to championing new and emerging authors in these increasingly popular, versatile genres. They’re on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or check out their website.

Glasgow Science Fiction Writers’ Circle: The Glasgow SF Writers’ Circle is a critique group that has been a staple of the Glasgow speculative fiction scene for almost 40 years. Gallus, the second anthology they’ve launched at Glasgow Worldcon, is a celebration of the writers who are now a part of that history. Find out more at their website.

HarperVoyager: The home of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and YA at HarperCollins, they are one of the world’s greatest genre lists. They publish giants such as George R.R. Martin, Raymond E. Feist, and Robin Hobb, bestsellers such as Peter V. Brett, Mark Lawrence, Jay Kristoff, and Sabaa Tahir, and classic fiction by all-time greats such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, and Ray Bradbury. They are also incredibly proud of their commitment to developing the brightest new talents such as S.A. Chakraborty, Tessa Gratton, Anna Stephens, Anna Smith Spark, Peng Shepherd, R.F. Kuang and many more. Find out more on their website.

C.J. Henderson: C.J. Henderson is a Scottish writer and teacher who never knowingly walks past a bookshop without going in. A co-founder of @EdinburghSFF and member of @GSFWC, she can be found on Bluesky. You can find her most recent story in the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers’ Circle anthology, Gallus, which you can buy here.

CL Hellisen: CL Hellisen is a South African writer living in Scotland. Their stories and poems have appeared in The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Tor.com, Apex, Shimmer, Daily Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, Shoreline of Infinity, and others. Their novel Cast Long Shadows was shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award in 2023. They are represented by Caro Clarke at Portobello Literary. Find out more at their website.

E. C. Hibbs: E. C. Hibbs is an award-winning author and artist, often found lost in the woods or in her own imagination. Her writing has been featured in the British Fantasy Society Journal, and she has provided artworks in various mediums for clients across the world. She is also a calligrapher and live storyteller, with a penchant for fairytales and legends. She adores nature, fantasy, history, and anything to do with winter. She lives with her family in Cheshire, England. You can buy her new book, The Shade Between Shadows here. Find out more about E. C. here.

JF Holland: JF Holland is a British author who writes books based in and around the UK, mostly in fictitious places, but she still writes in UK English. She was born at home in a small town on the border of Manchester and Cheshire in the UK in January 1968. Now a wife and mother of 6 children, she lives a fairly quiet life with her family and a small menagerie of animals in the same small town she was born and raised. Her passion has always been reading, so when I’m not making up her own stories, she’s usually got her head stuck in a good book. You can find her books here.

Verity Holloway: Verity Holloway lives in East Anglia. She is the author of novels The Others of Edenwell, Pseudotooth, and Beauty Secrets of The Martyrs, the graphic novel Gore, and The Mighty Healer, a biography of her quack doctor ancestor. She writes folklore features for Hellebore Zine and her short fiction has appeared in British Fantasy Society Horizons, The Flame Tree Book of Horror series, and The Ghastling, among others. Find her on her website and on Twitter. You can find her short story collection here.

Dan Howarth: Dan Howarth is writer from the North of England, a place that drenches his fiction. He is the author of Dark Missives, a collection of short horror fiction. He’s also independently publishedTerritory, a novella set in the snowbound wilds of Finland. His stories have featured in numerous publications, including The Other Stories podcast andWeird Horror #5 from Undertow Publications. When he’s not writing he enjoys craft beer, German football and barbecue food. His new book Last Night of Freedom can pre-ordered here. And you can find out more about Dan on his website.

Dave Jeffery: Dave Jeffery is the author of 18 novels, two collections, and numerous short stories. His Necropolis Rising series and yeti adventure Frostbite have both featured on the Amazon #1 bestseller list. His YA work features critically acclaimed Beatrice Beecham supernatural mystery series. His screenwriting credits include award winning short films Ascension and Derelict. Before retiring to write full-time, Jeffery worked in the NHS for 35 years specialising in the field of mental health nursing and risk management. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Studies and a Master of Science Degree in Health Studies. His novel Finding Jericho is an amalgamation of his experiences of working with service users who have experienced stigma and social exclusion due to their mental illness. Jeffery is a member of the Society of Authors, British Fantasy Society (also as a regular book reviewer), and actively involved in the Horror Writers Association where he is a mentor on the HWA Mentorship Scheme and recipient of the HWA Mentor of the Year Award, 2023. He is also co-chair of the HWA Wellness Committee. Jeffery is married with two children and lives in Worcestershire, UK. Find out more about him on his website.

Brennig Jones: Brennig Jones is a Welsh guy, and a former member of the armed services. He’s travelled around the world a few times, and lived in four different countries. He would love to spend much more time in the Far East, particularly China and Vietnam. Brennig began reading serious work at ten years old; he loves all genres but his favourites are science fiction and action/adventure. Hooked by truly great authors, he started writing short stories, for fun, in his 20s. After a decade of shorts his first novel was published in 2005. Over the years Brennig has corresponded with and received encouragement from terrific authors who played a huge part in shaping his reading tastes and writing styles. Brennig tries to steal a little of everything he’s seen and learned, and incorporate these things into his writing. He spends his time sailing, reading, writing, and being walked by his dogs. Brennig’s ambition is to reduce his ‘to be read’ list. You can find out more on his website.

Rebecca Kaur: Rebecca Kaur is a Punjabi fantasy author and award winning poet who currently resides in the West Midlands. By day she teaches primary school children and by night she is a mother to her 4-year-old. Rebecca is currently writing on her first book in a three part series which is based on South Asian folklore and features POC characters. Her published work includes Celestial Bodies, a collection of poetry which explores spirituality and our connection with the world. You can find out more about Rebecca on her website.

Shona Kinsella: Shona Kinsella is a multiple-award-nominated Scottish fantasy author. Her works include The Heart of Winter, The Vessel of KalaDene series, The Flame and the Flood, and non-fiction Outlander and the Real Jacobites: Scotland’s Fight for the Stuarts. She was the editor of the British Fantasy Society’s fiction publication BFS Horizons for four years and is now the Chair of the Society. She lives with her husband and 3 children on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. Find out more about Shona on her website. Or you can follow her on Bluesky. Buy her latest book, The Heart of Winter, here.

Chris Limb: Chris Limb is a writer and designer based in Brighton, UK. After many years hovering on the periphery of the music industry – originally just going to gigs but graduating to selling T-shirts and badges plus operating the lighting rig, running fan clubs and eventually playing in bands – in 2011 Chris published a pop memoir I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan, which captured the imagination of its core audience, received good reviews and continues to sell at a steady rate. A number of Chris’s short stories have been published over the past few years. Thirteen of these tales have been gathered in the collection The Demon Face. You can find out more on Chris’s website.

PS Livingstone: PS Livingstone writes contemporary fantasy with lashings of romance and intersecting worlds. She is a Page Turner Award finalist and the author of Awakening, as well as numerous short stories. Suiting her reputation as a renowned grammar fiend, Pamela works as a ghostwriter and editor. As someone who can’t say no, she is also an Area Head for Glasgow 2024 and Online Event Co-ordinator for the BFS. She is a member of the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers’ Circle, Society of Authors, and the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders. Pamela lives in Glasgow with her partner and three cats, and can often be found in her allotment, usually covered in mud. Find out more about PS Livingstone at her website.

Luna Press: Luna Press Publishing™ is an award-winning independent UK press, founded in 2015 by author and translator Francesca T. Barbini. They deal with Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Dark Fantasy, in both fiction and academia. They are also a proud member of Publishing Scotland. They work with agents, published authors and new writers. They take pride in the Luna family and work hard to promote and support it. They are very keen to create writing opportunities and to promote inclusiveness in the publishing industry, working with worthy partners to give back to the community. Some of their books are affiliated to charities, so when you buy a book in their store you are also giving to charity. Discover more on the Luna Charity page. Check out Luna Press here.

Juliet E. McKenna: Juliet E. McKenna is a British fantasy author living in the Cotswolds, UK. Loving history, myth and other worlds since she first learned to read, she has written fifteen epic fantasy novels so far. Her debut, The Thief’s Gamble, began The Tales of Einarinn in 1999, followed by The Aldabreshin Compass sequence, The Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution, and The Hadrumal Crisis trilogy. The Green Man’s Heir was her first modern fantasy inspired by British folklore in 2018, and The Green Man’s Quarry in 2023 is the sixth title in this ongoing series. Her 2023 novel The Cleaving is a female-centred retelling of the story of King Arthur, while her shorter stories include forays into dark fantasy, steampunk and science fiction. She promotes SF&Fantasy by reviewing, by blogging on book trade issues, attending conventions and teaching creative writing. She has served as a judge for major genre awards. As J M Alvey, she has written historical murder mysteries set in ancient Greece. Find out more about Juliet here.

Premee Mohamed: Premee Mohamed is a Nebula, World Fantasy, and Aurora award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has also been a finalist for the Hugo, Ignyte, Locus, British Fantasy, and Crawford awards. Currently, she is the Edmonton Public Library writer-in-residence and an Assistant Editor at the short fiction audio venue Escape Pod. She is the author of the Beneath the Rising series of novels as well as several novellas. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues and she can be found on her website. You can support her work on Patreon.

Nefarious Bat Press/TC Parker: TC Parker is Editor-in-Chief at Nefarious Bat Press. The author of 13 books (… and counting…) including Saltblood, Salvation Spring, the Long Con trilogy and the Hummingbird series, she’s worked in editorial in various capacities for almost 20 years: freelance, and in-house as lead copywriter and editor for a UK comms agency. For the last decade, when not otherwise occupied with writing and publishing things, she’s been the Managing Director of a semiotics, discourse analysis and cultural insight consultancy: a job that mostly entails her asking, “what does [x] mean, and how is it changing?” And then going off into the world to find out. She has two kids, an audiobook habit and a PhD in media, politics and cultural studies; she likes critical theory, Terry Pratchett and the Ancient Near East, and dislikes conservatism in almost every form. Hers is a salted caramel cheesecake. Find out more here.

Yen Ooi: Dr Yen Ooi is a Hugo Awards finalist writer-researcher whose works explore East and Southeast Asian culture, identity and values. Her projects aim to cultivate cultural engagement in our modern, technology-driven lives. Her PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London looks at the development of Sino science fiction and its contribution to zoefuturism through the writing and philosophy of rationality. Yen is narrative director and writer on Road to Guangdong, a narrative-style driving game. She is author of Rén: The Ancient Chinese Art of Finding Peace and Fulfilment (non-fiction), Sun: Queens of Earth (novel) and A Suspicious Collection of Short Stories and Poetry (collection). She is also co-editor of Ab Terra, Brain Mill Press’s science fiction imprint. When she’s not got her head in a book, she lectures, mentors and plays the viola. Find out more on her website.

Orenda Books: Orenda Books is an award-winning independent publisher based in South London, publishing literary fiction, with a heavy emphasis on upmarket genre fiction, including SciFi, speculative and historical fiction, and crime/thrillers, and roughly half the list in translation. Orenda Books was shortlisted for the IPG Nick Robinson Newcomer Award in 2015 and 2016, winning the CWA Crime & Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger in 2020 and a regional finalist for the Small Press of the Year Award in the British Book Awards in 2021 and 2022. Follow them @OrendaBooks and visit them at their website.

Phil Parker: Phil hasn’t stopped writing since his parents bought him a typewriter as a teenager. That is a long time ago (think fossils). He’s written books for Drama teachers (he used to be one) and journalistic articles on education. Now he’s an indieauthor who writes fantasy novels where British folklore, inter-dimensional portals and broken characters in search of redemption play a big part. Phil is also an avid reader of speculative fiction and a keen bookblogger, part of the SFFInsiders team. He’s also a the social media co-ordinator for the BFS. Phil’s other passion is pizza and he plans to be reborn an Italian for that reason. You can find everything about Phil on his Linktree.

Quercus Books: Quercus means ‘oak’ in Latin. And an oak tree is a great metaphor for publishing in general, and for Quercus in particular: we help authors to plant acorns that become mighty trees under which readers might sit for a while, step outside of their everyday lives, and escape. If we do our job right, those books will outlast us all. Founded in 2004, Quercus has already won the prestigious ‘Publisher of the Year’ award and built a reputation as a hit-maker: daring, ambitious, socially conscious and collaborative. Find out more here. Quercus publish SFFH under Arcadia.

Otto Redman: Otto’s fascination with horror started from a young age with television series such as the Addam’s Family, the Munsters and the Twilight Zone. He sought out horror and gothic literature from authors including Mary Shelly, Bram Stoker, H P Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe and developed a love for the classic Hammer Horror and B-movies of the 1960s and 1970s. Otto revelled in the worlds created by Wes Craven, Jess Franco and Jean Rollin and the charismatic acting of Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. During the COVID pandemic he made the decision to redirect his career into writing horror stories of his own centred around his hometown. His first novel The Vampire of Portsmouth was released in 2022 and having enjoyed the process, Otto decided that his next novel would be far longer and focus on witchcraft. Otto lives near Portsmouth in the South of England with his numerous cats. Sarah’s Cats is his second horror novel. Find out more here.

Josh Reynolds: A professional author since 2007, Josh has over thirty novels to his name, as well as numerous short stories, novellas, and audio scripts. In addition, his work has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Russian, Korean, and Japanese. Born and raised in South Carolina, he now resides in Sheffield with his wife and daughter, as well as a highly excitable dog and something he hopes is a cat. A complete list of his work can be found on his website. 

Donna Scott/The Slab Press: The Slab is a brand new publishing press, specialising in quirkier sorts of books. Established in 2023 by Donna Scott. The latest publication from The Slab Press is Laughs in Space – an anthology of humorous science fiction stories, including stories by Lavie Tidhar, Ida Keogh, Ian Watson, Fiona Moore, Gary Couzens, David Gullen and Andrew Wallace. Check them out here.

Shadow Dragon Press: Shadow Dragon Press is the science fiction, fantasy, and horror imprint of Artemesia Publishing, a small independent publisher located in the Land of Enchantment. (That’s the state of New Mexico in the United States for those of you unfamiliar with U.S. state nicknames.) They’ve been publishing award-winning science fiction and fantasy titles since 2013. All of their titles can be found at their website and are available online from major retailers. 

Priya Sharma: Priya Sharma’s fiction has appeared in venues such as Interzone, Black Static, Nightmare, The Dark and Tor.com. Fabulous Beasts (Tor.com) was a Shirley Jackson Award finalist and won a British Fantasy Award for Short Fiction. Priya is a Shirley Jackson Award and British Fantasy Award winner, and Locus Award finalist, for her short story collection All the Fabulous Beasts (Undertow Publications). Her novella Ormeshadow (Tor.com) won a Shirley Jackson Award and a British Fantasy Award. It was a 2022 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire finalist. Her latest novella Pomegranates (PS Publishing) is a finalist for a Shirley Jackson Award, a British Fantasy Award, and a World Fantasy Award. Her work has been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Czech, and Polish. Find out more on her website.

Jane Spencer: Jane first trained as a proofreader in 1996, and used those skills through several roles, including running non-profit indie press for eight years. She became a full-time freelance editor in 2018. Her specialisms are fantasy, sci-fi and RPGs, but she’s open to many other genres and subgenres. Most of her work is with independent authors, and her focus is on collaboration while retaining voice and style. One of her favourite aspects about editing is that there is very often more than one right answer. It’s an art rather than a science! Services include developmental, line and copyediting, and proofreading. She also offers interior book design and bespoke self-publishing services. She is a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. You can find out more here.

Anna Stephens: Anna Stephens is a UK-based writer of epic fantasy, as well as being an editor and mentor with The Write Advice, and an online writing course provider. Find out more about Anna here. Her Magic and Mayhem Author Academy worldbuilding courses are designed to help you craft your world in glorious detail. The Worlds Apart course (available to win in the Fantasycon raffle) starts from the ground up to build a vibrant, cohesive, and grounded reality with a sense of history and civilisation (or otherwise!), including considerations of physics, geology, and weather patterns, as well as society and culture. Find out more here.

Liv Strom: Liv Strom is a Swiss-Swedish writer of stories often featuring the impossible, strong women, mythology and, according to some, humour. When not writing she reorganises things and companies, drinks copious amounts of tea, and reads (almost) anything she can get her hands on. You can follow Liv on Instagram or find out more on her website.

Ella Summers: Ella Summers is a bestselling author of over thirty books. She writes fantasy fiction that blends magic and romance with lots of action. Ella has been writing stories for as long as she could read; she’s been coming up with tall tales even longer than that. One of her early year masterpieces was a story about a pigtailed princess and her dragon sidekick. She has lived in various cities all over the world. Many of those places have featured in her books. When she’s not busy writing or hanging out with her family, she makes the world safe by fighting robots. She also spends way too much time cleaning up after her two sweet (but spoiled!) Ragdoll cats. Find out more about Ella here. And support her Kickstarter here.

Tenebrous Press: Tenebrous Press aims to drag the malleable Horror genre into Newer, Weirder territory with stories that are provocative, intelligent and terrifying, delivered by voices diverse & unsung. TRVE CVLT by Michael Bettendorf is out September 25th! Tenebrous Press’ first gamebook is a New Weird Horror meta-exploration of religious trauma, arrested adolescence and anxiety…and it’s Metal as F$%k. The debut issue of The Skull & Laurel arrives October 15th, just in time for Halloween. Tenebrous’ quarterly magazine features the finest in Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and more from the Weirdest corners of speculative lit. Story over star power. You can find both titles here and more about Tenebrous Press here.

Tor: Tor Books, the flagship imprint of the Tor Publishing Group, publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single house. Tor’s mission is to publish out-of-this-world genre fiction and bring readers books that fuel the imagination. Find out more here. Tor author Peter F. Hamilton is currently on tour for Exodus. You can pre-order the book and see the tour dates here.

Brad Towers: Brad Towers is a storyteller. He writes epic fantasy series with strong and motivated heroes, end-of-the-world stakes, fast-paced action, and a touch of humor. Sometimes the heroes clash against each other, and not all of them survive. Brad’s latest book, War of the Seven, is out now. You can find out more about Brad on his website.

Wild Hunt Books: Wild Hunt Books is an independent publisher founded in South London in 2020. They focus on books by new and emerging writers, alongside established authors. Their mission is to foster strong and distinct literary voices and those that experiment with narrative, plot and structure. They are also a home for authors dabbling in the darker genres and liminal spaces. Bear Season by Gemma: Fairclough Jade Hunter, a PhD student from Manchester goes missing in Alaska in 2016, and all suspicion turns to reclusive survivalist Ursula Smith. No body has been found but Ursula is convicted of murder, nonetheless. Two years later, Jade’s doctoral thesis is leaked online and investigative journalist Carla Young digs into Jade’s disappearance. Follow Wild Hunt Books on Twitter or Instagram. And check out their website here.

Frances White: Frances White is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned, a fantasy murder mystery at sea. Born in Leicester and now a Nottingham resident, Frances is a creative writing graduate from Royal Holloway University of London. She has a soft spot for writing unlikely, flawed, messy heroes and loves mixing humour and heartbreak. Frances is passionate about bringing more LGBTQIA+ representation and fat positivity into fantasy. When not writing, she can be found sewing costumes for comic conventions or researching obscure historical facts. She also loves to perform on stage, with a fondness for musicals and Shakespeare. You can find out more here.

Jason Whittle: Jason is a multi-genre author and editor specialising in crime fiction and SFFH. He will be reading in the Arcane Archives at noon on FantasyCon Sunday, and the event will be covered in his non-fiction book Conventionista Volume 2, released in November 2024. You can find his books here.

World Anvil: World Anvil is a worldbuilding platform, novel writing software and RPG campaign manager with 3 million users and counting! World Anvil organizes your world, helping you create more efficiently and finish your projects. Market your work to the world and build your reader-base, or keep everything secure and private. Try it for free at www.worldanvil.com.

The Write Advice: The Write Advice a group of mentors and editors who also happen to be seasoned SFF authors with more than 20 novels to their names – so far. They have many years’ experience in both self- and traditional publishing, navigating self-promotion, querying literary agents, and working with a variety of publishing houses. Made up of Justin Lee Anderson, Stephen Aryan, and Anna Stephens, they have a wealth experience to help you through your publishing journey. Check them out here.

Susan York: Six of Susan York’s short stories have been published in various anthologies and a journal. Two of her poems have appeared in BFS Horizons: Papa Said (13), and, Guilt (14). Her article, Voice Acting for
Mods: A Retrospective View can be found in the newly released BFS Journal #24 Fantasy and Gaming. Midnight Street Press published Susan’s novelette, On the Cusp of Sleep (2021), and her story
collection, Starless and Bible Black (2022), which was shortlisted for the Best Newcomer Award by the British Fantasy Society in 2023. Her flash fiction story, We All Scream for Ice Cream, appears in Flash
Frontier’s December 2023 edition. Sein und Werden published A Wheat Field in England in their 2023 Spring/Summer journal, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. You can find out more about Susan here.