John Haas is a Canadian author living in Ottawa with his two wonderful sons. Since the early days of elementary school, John has been an avid storyteller, though mostly only told those stories to closest friends, family, and the occasional pet. Once the above-mentioned wonderful sons entered his life, the need to write kicked into high gear, fuelled by a desire to be something his boys could be proud of. In the past eight years or so he has had fifteen short stories published in various excellent publications, and seen his first novel, The Reluctant Barbarian, a humorous fantasy tale released by Renaissance Press. Since the sales were made to small presses that don’t pay professional rates, he was still eligible to enter the contest at the time. The sequel, The Wayward Spider, will be released in 2019. John’s goal remains to become a full-time writer (rich and famous would be nice too, but one step at a time). www.johnhaas.weebly.com
Allen Morris was born in 1991 in the Mississippi Delta, growing up surrounded by endless horizons.
Long hours with books and role-playing games after school with friends solidified his love for exploring foreign worlds. Art, since a young age, would offer a different avenue to fulfill that explorative need through creation. He continues to travel and practice his craft daily. www.allenmorrisart.com