Sagittarius

Helena McAuley loves trees and hates paper. That is why, when she finds paper, she must constantly desecrate it with her “writing”.

Lover of whisky, social justice, and the Oxford Comma, McAuley’s aim for her writing is to produce memorable characters and enjoyable stories that lure the unsuspecting reader into introspective thought.

A former student of archaeology and anthropology, McAuley has been published in the Williamstown Writers anthology ‘On the Edge’; the complaints section of her local newspaper; and her mother’s bi-annual letters home to family.

‘This is the Dawning’ is a serialised debut that will be published throughout the ASF Zodiac series. So if you want to know what Capricorn does next—har har—you have to read Aquarius.

She can be found twit-ing, insta-ing, and occasionally facebooked under the handle @thathmc

No goats or fish were harmed during the making of this anthology.

Brianna Bullen is a Deakin University PhD creative writing candidate writing about memory in science fiction. She has had work published in journals including LiNQ, Aurealis,  Voiceworks, Rabbit, Multiverse: An anthology of international science fiction poetry, and Woolf Pack Zine. She won the 2017 Apollo Bay short story competition and placed second in the 2017 Newcastle Short story competition.​ Her manuscript was previously a finalist in the 2018 Subbed In Poetry Chapbook competition. In 2018, she was part of Nexus, an Arts Access Victoria collective for artists with mental health recovery lived experience.​

Nikky grew up as a barefoot 90s child in Perth, Western Australia, before moving to New Zealand in 2016. By day she works as a professional content writer and by night authors speculative fiction, often burning the candle at both ends to explore fantastic worlds, mine asteroids and meet wizards. Her creative work has appeared in magazines, on radio and in anthologies around the world. She is currently writing a dark fantasy trilogy, routinely sacrificing literary darlings to the editing gods in the hopes of seeing it published.

You can find her online at W: nikkythewriter.com | T: @NikkyMLee | F: nikkythewriter

Sasha Hanton grew up in the tropics of Darwin, Northern Territory. From a young age, she devoured books and iced coffee, both of which she continues to intake on an almost daily basis. Now living on beautiful Bribie Island in Queensland her time is split between writing and spoiling her puppy Miley.

Sasha, who has a Bachelor of Journalism from Bond University, has dabbled in the journalistic profession but finds fiction far more fascinating. Her first published work The Short Story Press Collection draws on her love for a diverse range of genres and passion for short stories. Coming from a multicultural background (Eurasian) she aspires to make her writing inclusive for people from all walks of life and to bring a unique blend of eastern and western culture to her writing.

Throughout her life, she has been a lover of history and mythology, and at any time will find some way to worm one or the other into her storytelling. When she’s not writing or reading she can be found walking her dog and volunteering. You can keep up with her writing over on www.theshortstorypress.wordpress.com

Zoey Xolton is an internationally Best Selling Australian Speculative Fiction Author, and Award-Winning Poet, with a penchant for the Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Horror genres. Her works have appeared in dozens of themed anthologies, with many more due for publication. She is especially fond of short fiction and is working on future story collections, as well as a series of novelettes and novellas. She is a proud mother of two, and is fortunate enough to be married to her soul mate.