We at Inked are excited to introduce a new anthology to hit the shelves in 2023! Tentatively titled Locale: An Anthology of Time and Place, this collection features 18 tales where the locale is the main character.
This anthology collection is brought to you by Lauren T. Davila, a Pushcart-nominated Latina writer whose poetry and short fiction has appeared in multiple different publications such as The Paragon Journal, Ghost Heart Literary Magazine, and Voyage Journal. She has multiple short story anthologies including WHEN OTHER PEOPLE SAW US, THEY SAW THE DEAD (May 2022, Haunt Publishing) and two Latine genre anthologies from Bee Infinite Press and Flower Song Press: WHERE MONSTERS LURK AND MAGIC HIDES and PLACES WE BUILD IN THE UNIVERSE.
Setting and location can have a dramatic effect on the tone of a story. A dark and dreary night in an old Victorian home has a much different feel than a well-lit garden in the middle of a bustling downtown. So much so, that the setting seems to take on a persona of its own, it itself becoming an integral part of the story.
But in Locale: An Anthology of Time and Place, the setting will be the primary focus. This collection will be a mix of contemporary and speculative fiction, with stories that take place in the Grand Canyon, Florida swamps, orange groves in California, a research space station, an airport, a haunted spillway, and a ship called the Argus, and many more.
Locale: An Anthology of Time and Place is currently in production and will feature 18 talented authors. Almost every contributor identifies with a marginalized community, including BIPOC, queer, or neurodivergent/chronic illness representation and uniquely examines tropes through the lens of the author’s own community.
Please join us in welcoming the authors to the Inked fam! Please check out their works and their socials. If you’d like to be notified when this collection is on sale, sign up for our newsletter!
Lauren T. Davila
Contributing Editor and Author
Lauren T. Davila is a Pushcart-nominated, Latina writer currently pursuing her Ph.D. in English at Claremont Graduate University in California, USA. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from George Mason University and dual BAs in English and Creative Writing from Pepperdine University. After completing her studies, she plans to teach at the collegiate level while publishing poetry and fiction.
She has edited multiple short story anthologies. WHEN OTHER PEOPLE SAW US, THEY SAW THE DEAD is a BIPOC gothic anthology from Haunt Publishing (May 2022). Two Latine genre anthologies are forthcoming from Bee Infinite Press and Flower Song Press in September 2022– WHERE MONSTERS LURK AND MAGIC HIDES and PLACES WE BUILD IN THE UNIVERSE, respectively. She recently announced a Locale anthology through Inked In Gray Press and an Eco-Horror anthology through Outland Entertainment.
She is currently working on a YA novel, picture book, and both poetry and short story collections. Besides her personal creative work, she is a member of the Board of Advisors for CatStone Books, a judge at NYC Midnight, and the Editor-in-Chief for Foothill Poetry Journal. She lives in the Los Angeles suburbs where you can find her drinking decaf rose lattes and swimming.
“The Trail Out” by Mary Winsor
Mary Winsor lives in the American Southwest, the setting for most of her short stories and a novel in progress. Her writing appears or is forthcoming in Threepenny Review, Northwest Review, Blue Mesa Review, Atticus Review, Ploughshares and elsewhere. You can find Mary on Twitter.
“Misread Signs” by Christian H. Morales
Christian H. Morales is a Honduran writer and his work has appeared in Maudlin House and Latine Lit Magazine. He focuses his writing mostly in literary fiction, but from time to time he likes to play with genres. Christian writes about everyday people, their routines, the things they love and the ones they struggle with; Christian writes about things he would like to read about. You can find Christian on Twitter.
“Pulp” by Jocelyn Vazquez
Jocelyn Vazquez is a Latina writer and a UC Berkeley graduate currently living in the San Francisco Bay area. During the day, she can be found building regression models in front of an outrageously large monitor, and at night she can be found playing Dungeons & Dragons in front of a comically small monitor. Her creative works center around topics such as the fragility of ethnic identity, the social determinants of health, and finicky magic. You can find Jocelyn on Twitter and Instagram.
“Soiled Tears in the Mangrove” by Sara Kapadia
As an author of South Asian descent, Sara Kapadia grew up on folktales from India and Bangladesh. As a child she would have loved to read more books featuring South Asian female characters. She is a writer, artist, and academic with three degrees in Education: a Bachelor’s from University of Cambridge, a Master’s from University of London, and a PhD from Claremont Graduate University. She is the founder and editor of an online, peer-reviewed, art-science publication called The STEAM Journal. Sara is represented by Naomi Davis at BookEnds Literary. You can find Sara on Twitter and on her website.
“A Dark and Lovely Wood” by Casie Bazay
Casie Bazay is a freelance writer and editor and the author of the young adult contemporary novel, Not Our Summer (5/11/21). In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors as much as possible, spending time in nature or with her menagerie of farm animals. Casie also has an affinity for sappy romance movies, chocolate, and a hot cup of tea and considers a combination of the three to be an evening well spent. You can find Casie on Twitter.
“Alligator Queen” by Emily Gray
Emily Gray was never really able to kick her childhood addiction to fiction. After earning a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of South Florida, she spent several years working with abused and neglected youth. When the world shut down and her son was born, she picked up her old childhood story habit and wrote her first book with a sleeping baby in her lap. She recently traded the beaches and swamps of Florida for the forests and mountains of North Carolina, and is currently seeking representation for her adult sci-fi novel. She can be found lurking on Twitter.
“The Most Distracting Place on Earth” by Alexandra Z. Lazar
Alexandra Z. Lazar is an author, animal lover, and fairy tale aficionado. She writes fiction for kids, middle-schoolers, and young adults, including multiple projects for Disney Publishing (a dream come true for a huge Disney fan like her!). Her published works include Aladdin: Beyond the Palace Walls and the Big Hero 6 Read-Along Storybook and CD. She also contributed to Ridley Pearson’s best-selling Kingdom Keepers series. Alexandra has an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Whether she’s working on freelance projects or her own books, she adds a dash of pixie dust to stories for the young and young at heart. Alexandra lives in Vermont with her family and many pets, including her cat/mascot/overlord Zooey. She is currently working on her first original novel, a fairytale reimagining about the Fairy Godmother’s sister. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and her website.
“Budapest to Berlin” by Elizabeth Holden
Elizabeth Holden writes light-hearted young adult contemporary fiction. She’s represented by Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio. She’s had short stories published in literary magazines such as Punchel’s and Every Day Fiction. An avid roller derby player, she’s skated with Madison Roller Derby since 2015 and leads “physics of roller derby” workshops for schools and other community groups. She teaches physics at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and, along with her husband, is the co-founder of a travel company specializing in quirky European vacations, Leaping Hound Travel. Her tattoos are numerous and colorful, her laugh is loud, and her heart belongs to her pet greyhounds. Find Elizabeth on Twitter or on her website.
“Amarillo Heights” by Angela M. Sanchez
Angela M. Sanchez is a Los Angeles native and a 2018 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow. Working at the nexus of higher education, policy, and the nonprofit sector, Angela focuses on narratives that have been typically underrepresented in children’s literature. She has written and self-published a children’s book, Scruffy and the Egg, about single-parenthood and homelessness. Angela was a 2018 finalist for the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Diverse Writers/Worlds Grant. Her writing has appeared in SOLRAD, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Hechinger Report, and LAist. Her work-in-progress is a YA urban fantasy centered on grief and gentrification, receiving SCBWI’s 2017 Work in Progress Award. Find Angela on Twitter.
“The Library” by Stacy Wells
Stacy Wells is an author of middle grade and young adult novels. She is a youth librarian by day and novelist by night. A Choctaw Nation member who lives in Texas and loves chocolate, tea, and dry shampoo. She is represented by Savannah Brooks at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary agency. You can find Stacy on her website as well as Twitter and Instagram.
“The City of the Silent” by C.M. Leyva
C.M. Leyva is an adult fiction writer and registered nurse who enjoys writing character-driven stories that provide representation for women in science. Her work can be found in upcoming anthologies from Haunt Publishing and Bee Infinite Press. When she’s not working on her next short story or manuscript, you can find her attempting home improvement projects, losing herself in a good book, or playing video games. Find C.M. on Twitter, Instagram, or her website.
“Down the Blacken River” by Kapri Moon
Kapri is a Black writer, born and raised on the east coast. She is currently pursuing a degree in liberal studies and literature at Wilmington University while dreaming about leaving her mark in the publishing industry. When she isn’t creating horror-fantasy stories about queer Black girls and the feral monsters who fall for them, Kapri spends her time doomscrolling on the bird site while listening to the Twilight soundtrack on repeat. Kapri can be found on Twitter.
“Queen Bee” by Lauren T. Davila
Lauren T. Davila is a Pushcart-nominated, Latina writer currently pursuing her Ph.D. in English at Claremont Graduate University in California, USA. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from George Mason University and dual BAs in English and Creative Writing from Pepperdine University. Lauren can be found on Twitter and Instagram.
“Lost on the Argus” by Amanda Bender
Amanda Bender is a creative writer who’s worked for several publishing outlets, including St. Martin’s Press, Stillhouse Press, Shreve Williams Public Relations, and So to Speak Literary Journal. She holds an MFA in Fiction from George Mason University. Currently, she works on a creative marketing team for a digital fabrication manufacturing company in New York and is a contributing writer at LitReactor. Aside from books, she enjoys Olympic lifting, coffee, Star Wars, gaming, and yelling at the Yankees. You can read more of her work in Rune Bear Magazine and on her blog Live by the Shelf. Amanda can be found on Twitter.
“Party at Qoroth Station” by Gerardo Mercado Hernandez
Gerardo J Mercado (He\They) is a Puerto Rican writer and poet. Currently working as a math tutor, he enjoys making art, learning about world history, and different spiritual beliefs. Gerardo’s recurring subjects are the Caribbean, individuals and their community, and undefined, ever-protean, creatures. He is currently working on his first poetry book, and other stories. Gerardo lives in Northern Puerto Rico while permanently catching up on physics and music. Gerardo can be found on Twitter.
“If Walls Could Talk” by Nico Vazquez
Nico Vazquez, also known under the stage moniker Stiles, is an author, performance artist, and content creator based in Jacksonville, FL. As a queer, trans BIPOC, Nico advocates for equality and diversity something that often comes through in their art and storytelling. They are best known for their poetry performances and work with local GSA Jasmyn as a panelist. A mostly self-taught artist, Nico spends most of his time creating and furthering his craft. When he isn’t working on art he can usually be found taking advantage of Jacksonville’s local haunts to live a ghost story of his own. Nico can be found on Twitter and Instagram.
“Grown-ass Witches” by Shelli Cornelison
Shelli Cornelison lives in Austin, Texas and can confirm it is not a dry heat. Her short fiction has appeared in Hunger Mountain, Smokelong Quarterly, The Forge Literary Magazine, The First Line, and The Saturday Evening Post, among others. She has authored four middle grade titles for Arcadia Publishing’s Spooky America series, with a fourth coming soon, under the pen name of Shelli Timmons. Shelli can be found on Twitter and on her website.
“The Great Indoors” by Jennifer Kaul
Jennifer Kaul is a children’s and young adult author and freelance education writer. Her published works include one young adult short story and four nonfiction children’s books. She is currently revising her first novel, an upper middle-grade science fiction adventure that explores the relationship between humans and technology. Many of Jennifer’s pieces stem from the happenings in our world and the what-ifs that swirl around her head as a result. Her hope is, through her writing, to encourage thought, spark conversation, and make the world a better place. Jennifer can be found on Twitter.