Krista Clark Grabowski's Blog, page 6

Meet the Authors - Christopher S. Nelson and John De Herrera

Christopher S. Nelson Christopher S. Nelson's contribution to In the Trenches is a short story titled "Snap TCP!" The story is a tension-shot of soldiers returned from an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment and their inability to reintegrate into society. It's about military interpreters and the hardships their families face from both sides of a prejudicial war. Finally, it's about the lasting impact of war and the changes it causes. SNAP TCP! is based loosely on actual events near Fort Hood, TX (his personal experience as a platoon sergeant) and Fort Lewis, WA.

CS Nelson serves as US Army Cavalry Scout and former Tanker, with multiple deployments to the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, and Iraq. He is a Bronze Star recipient for actions performed during Operation Iraqi Freedom 07-09 while serving as a Scout Platoon Sergeant in Mosul, Iraq. Currently, Sergeant First Class Nelson trains Scout and Infantry Recon Platoons at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin. He lives with his wife, son, and Queensland Heeler;  and spends his free time adventuring as far from the Mojave with his family as possible. His second craft is music and when not hiking or exploring, can be found in his library, playing guitar. His only other interest at this time is raising scorpions and tarantulas, though he is currently on orders for Alaska and this arachnid rescue fixation is now on hold. As a writer, CS Nelson has works published in US and Canadian presses. He also edits for Booktrope’s Forsaken Imprint and enjoys working with writers on projects in an editorial and plot-to-destroy-the-world capacity. You can find a list of many of his works on his website, www.nelsoncs.com. In addition to the works listed there he has had three stories published in anthologies by J. Ellington Ashton Press - "Bloat" ( Axes of Evil II: Rise of the Metal Gods), "Plug" (Chunks: A Barfzarro Anthology), and "Markets" (Suburban Secrets: A Neighborhood of Nightmares). You can also find him on Twitter at csnelson_ext849. 
John De Herrera's contribution to In the Trenches is a prose poem, "Untitled Prose Poem." Untitled Prose Poem is a mashup of translated lines from Hamlet where the subject is humanity itself and its battle to conquer the current status quo. 

John is a writer/artist/activist who lives and works in Santa Barbara, California. He is the author of The Kingsnake in the Sun, Hamlet/Macbeth: Translations, and is currently working on his second novel. 

Meet the Authors - Strider Marcus Jones and Lemmy Rushmore

Strider Marcus Jones In the Trenches includes three poems written by Strider Marcus Jone - "In Gaza, "In the Name of Profit and Prophet," and "Nuclear Toys for Nuclear Boys." "In Gaza" is a look at the entanglement of religious beliefs and politics in war. "In the Name of Profit and Prophet" carries this a step further and examines the grief of family whose loved ones gave their lives for such a war. His third poem, "Nuclear Toys for Nuclear Boys" is about those few who experience war as a game.

Strider Marcus Jones is a poet, law graduate and ex-civil servant from England with deep Celtic roots in Ireland and Wales. A member of The Poetry Society, his five published books of poetry (http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/stridermarcusjones1) are modern, traditional, mythical, sometimes erotic, surreal and metaphysical. When not writing, he can be heard playing his saxophone and clarinet (just ask his neighbours). 
 
His poetry has been published most recently in The Screech Owl, Catweazle and The Gambler magazines; Vagabonds: Anthology Of The Mad, mgv2 Publishing Anthology, Killer Whale Journal, The Huffington Post USA and Writer’s Ezine.  Lemmy Rushmore Lemmy Rushmore's contribution to In the Trenches is a poem titled "this soldier" that deals with one soldier's internal reaction to his orders to kill. 

Lemmy is a mechanic by trade and father of three who occasionally dares dabble in the world of words. Until recently unpublished, his pieces touch on many topics, but tend to lean toward the darker side of those things encountered daily. Ranging from emotionally dark to horror, some of his work can be seen in the anthologies We are Dust and Shadow, Demonic Possession, and No Sight for the Saved, which features the superbly dark art of Niall Parkinson. All have been released by James Ward Kirk Publishing and are now available. His newest published work appears in Between the Walls, the result of a collaboration with artist Niall Parkinson. All of Lemmy's works can be found on Amazon. 

Halloween Project

Verto Publishing will be celebrating Halloween the entire month of October. 

Of course, there will be the release of Gothic Tales of Terror. But I'm also working on organizing a project that will run the full month. It will be a lot of fun and I'd love lots of creativity in it. 

If you're a creative type and would like more information on this project, sign up for the newsletter at www.vertopublishing.com. The next issue will go out next weekend and will include, among other things, details on the project. Let's have some fun!