Authors Featured In The Monsters In Masquerade Anthology
Ann K. Reeves - She Blooms At Night
Ann K. Reeves (she/her) is a middle school English teacher that grew up wrestling with her mixed-race identity. Like many of her students, she turned to writing at a young age as a way to cope with all of her complex emotions. Today, she lives in Arizona with herfiancé, their three little doggies, and one alpha-cat. When she’s not passionately convincing thirteen-year-olds to love reading, she’s usually drafting a paranormal project. Her short story, “She Blooms at Night,” is her first published work.
Vanessa Molina - The Botanist’s Daughter
Vanessa Molina (she/her) is a Mexican American writer of gothic horror inspired by her heritage. She lives in Los Angeles and Mexico in alteration and loves scribbling ideas on napkins, post-its, the back of gum wrappers, you name it. When she is not scribbling on every random surface, she can be found getting lost in museums and daydreams. You can also find her at @vanessaisokay. “The Botanist’s Daughter” is her first published work.
Megan LaCroix - Absinthe House
Megan LaCroix (she/her) is an award-winning author of immersive and atmospheric fantasy for YA and Adult. Born and raised in New England, she now resides in Virginia. When not writing, you can find her in the woods with her doggy sidekick, adding to her collection of homemade coffee mugs, and raising the two best kids a person could ask for. She has spent two decades as a survivor of severe brain encephalopathy.
Robin Alvarez - The Misery Games
Robin Alvarez (she/her) is the author of the #1 New Release When Oceans Rise. She is the editor and author of OwlCrate’s anthology Monsters in Masquerade. Emotive characters, monsters, and a multiracial perspective are staples in her work. While she's spent the majority of her life in beach towns, having almost drowned several times, she currently resides in a desert where the waters are less likely to kill her. Robin’s work has been featured on EpicReads, the New Orleans Review, OwlCrate, ABC, NBC, and CBS News affiliates.
Sarah Mughal Rana - Juniper Crown of the Fae
Sarah Mughal Rana (she/her) is a Muslim author and student pursuing an MPhil at Oxford University at the intersection of policy and human rights. Her YA debut novel Hope Ablaze released 2024 from Macmillan US, her fantasy trilogy Dawn of the Firebird debuts from Bloomsbury UK and Harper Collins in 2026. She is the co-host of On The Write Track podcast spilling tea with her favourite authors. Outside of writing, Sarah frequently falls down history rabbit holes, and trains in traditional martial arts.
Angela Montoya - Forget Me Not
Angela Montoya (she/her) has been obsessed with the magic of storytelling since she was a little girl. She hasn’t seen a day without a book in her hand, a show tune in her mind, or a movie quote on her lips. Her debut novel, Sinner’s Isle, received multiple starred reviews. When she isn’t lost in the world of words, Angela can be found hiding away on her small farm in Northern California, where she’s busy bossing around her partner and their two children, as well as a host of animals.
Isabel Cañas - Eva and the Devil
Isabel Cañas (she/her) is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer and the author of The Hacienda and Vampires of El Norte. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, Turkey, and New York City, among other places, she has settled in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage
Hayden Stone - A Terrible Beauty
More animal than mineral, Hayden Stone (he/him) is a writer of queer fiction, especiallywith kissing. He currently lives in Victoria, Canada, and has previously lived in Vancouver, Canada and London, UK. He knows which is the business end of a trowel, the horror of the wrong kind of leaves on the track delaying trains, and a bit about ancient ruins.
Fatima Taqvi - Go and Ask The Dead
Fatima Taqvi (she/her) is a fantasy and horror writer from Karachi living in London who has words appearing in places like F&SF, Strange Horizons, Flash Fiction Online, and Nightmare Magazine. She is an alumnus of Clarion West 2023 and was shortlisted for the Future Worlds Prize in 2021. She can be reached at www.fatimataqvi.com and on X @FatimaTaqvi.
Sami Ellis - This is a Witch Hunt
Sami Ellis (she/her) is a queer horror writer who’s inspired by the horrific nature of Blackfears and the culture’s relation to the supernatural. When she’s not acting as the single auntie with a good job, she spends her time not writing. You can follow her @themoosefon Twitter, or check out her words in the Black horror anthology, All These Sunken Souls. Dead Girls Walking is her debut novel.
Jordan Fleming - A Little Death
Jordan Fleming (they/them) is OwlCrate Press' Head of Publishing and the visionary force behind The Nest. With eight years of leadership experience in the book community, they have been a steadfast advocate for both established and emerging talent. Their journey began with the Words & Whimsey Book Club where they built strong connections with authors and fostered a vibrant literary community. When not working, they can be found horseback riding and searching for alien life among the stars."A Little Death" is their first published work.
Cat Rector - The Draw of Luminous Things
Cat Rector (she/her) grew up in a small Nova Scotian town and could often be found simultaneously reading a book and fighting off muskrats while walking home from school. She devours stories in all their forms, loves messy, morally grey characters, and writes about the horrors that we inflict on each other. After spending nearly a decade living abroad, she returned to Canada to resume her war against the muskrats. When she’s not writing, you can find her playing video games, spending time with loved ones, or staring at her To Be Read pile like it's going to read itself.
Amanda M. Helander - My Heart With You
Amanda M. Helander (pronounced “HELL-ander”) (she/her) is a romantic fantasy author and paralegal from Seattle, Washington. She likes to write about mental health struggles and hot wizard boyfriends. When she’s not writing, Amanda can be found watching horror movies, learning to crochet, or eating entire blocks of parmesan in one sitting.
Gabi Burton - The Last NIght of Mourning
Gabi Burton (she/her) grew up reading and writing in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in 2021. Now, she works as a paralegal and author in the Midwest. When she’s not working or writing, she’s probably watching Netflix, mindlessly scrolling on TikTok, or finding beautiful places to walk—preferably near a body of water. Her debut novel Sing Me to Sleep came out with Bloomsbury in 2023.
A. Y. Chao - Venetian Sunrise
A. Y. Chao (aka Alice) (she/they) is a Taiwanese Canadian fantasy writer whose stories explore the intersections of identity and belonging. She is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Shanghai Immortal, the first in a trilogy following charmingly profane half-fox spirit, half-vampire Lady Jing; its sequel, Paris Celestial, is out early 2025. A recovering lawyer and xiaolongbao enthusiast, she lives in London, UK with her family. Find her online at aychao.com.
Carolyn Ivancic - Portrait of the Arcane
Carolyn Ivancic (she/her) has been spinning stories ever since she picked up a book about faeries at thirteen. She is a graduate from the University of Arizona and lives in Illinois with her overflowing bookshelves and her menace of a cat. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she’s probably out buying books or making tea blends with herbs from her garden.
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