ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Jack Stoumbos is a speculative fiction author, disguised as a believably normal teacher, living with his wife and their parrot.
Mike grew up with three brothers and over forty first cousins, who he enlisted as test audiences (and participants) for his imagined adventures, often reenacted with cardboard props or Star Wars action figures. His love of storytelling brought him to the stage as a musical theater actor, the role-playing table as a game master, and a career trajectory to teach English and theater. In the summer of 2019, however, Mike shifted his writing passion into a priority, and once again became a student: attending workshops, practicing daily, and braving the story submission gauntlet.
Mike’s work has since appeared in several collections, including his first pro sale in Galactic Stew and a publication alongside a personal hero in Hold Your Fire: Stories Celebrating the Creative Spark. Shortly after he was named a Writers of the Future winner, Mike’s space-opera series, This Fine Crew, was picked up by Chris Kennedy Publishing, for many continuing adventures.
The idea for “The Squid Is My Brother” emerged as a curiosity: how to take something from cosmic horror and make it as endearing as a family member. Even more importantly, Mike wrote this story shortly after the schools had closed due to COVID in 2020 as a young student’s first-person account of transferring into a bizarre new environment, fearing the unknown, and learning about humanity.
You can find his publications at MikeJackStoumbos.com and updates on Twitter @MJStoumbos
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Natalia Salvador was born in 1985 in Granada, in the south of Spain. She grew up reading, watching adventure films, and playing classic adventure video games that inspired her drawings.
She always liked art and admired book covers and interior illustrations, so it wasn’t surprising when she decided to approach that world by studying fine art and graphic design. Her mother always encouraged her and was the one who gave her the final push to pursue a career in illustration.
Influenced by fantasy art and the Golden Age of Illustration, she enjoys creating beautiful images that tell a story.
To see more of her work, go to www.nataliasalvador.es