Doug C. Souza grew up in a home with a playful love for the arts. His early memories include recording skits on cassette tapes with his brother and sister. That evolved into motion videos using He-Man toys. All the while, his parents sat down and enjoyed every creative endeavor as if it were a night at the movies.
For years, Doug only shared his stories with family. About seven years ago, he ventured out to a local writing group to seek a way to improve his craft (or grasp some understanding of it). He was so nervous about sharing his work that he almost used an alias so he could hightail it outta there if need be.
Sharing his work with others was a huge step in Doug’s writing adventure. There was still plenty to be fixed within his writing, but the fire was sufficiently stoked. (That first group was also where he heard of the Writers of the Future.) To this day, the best advice Doug ever received was to “Read, read, read, and write, write, write.” Well, that and the link to William Shunn’s formatting website.
Doug C. Souza hopes you enjoy his story in the anthology, but if you’re a writer, he hopes you read a couple more and then get back on the crazy train. He lives in Modesto, California with his lovely wife Nicole and their mini-tornado of a daughter. (She’s a mini-tornado in a good way.)
Christopher Kiklowicz was born in 1995 and grew up in Lakewood, California. After his parents took him on a trip to the San Diego Zoo, he fell in love with the animals, especially the tigers and big cats. Christopher felt the need to take them home with him somehow, so he began drawing them almost obsessively.
Later, he found science fiction and superheroes after accidentally seeing the first Spider-Man film. It also led him to gain a strong interest in the comic book industry. After his second year of high school, he began taking classes at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, where he learned about concept art. He discovered that he did not just want to illustrate or draw, but to tell stories and design worlds. Also, he wanted to bring good messages of love and hope through those stories.
After his high school years, he went on to study illustration entertainment at Laguna College of Art + Design. He has designed characters, written stories, and done world building.
Christopher currently attends Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where he studies entertainment design and continues to polish his craft and pursue his passion.