Author: Michael Merriam

Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #12 – Worst Friends Forever by Rob Callahan Writer, spoken-word performer, snazzy dresser, and all-around great guy. This is how I describe Rob Callahan. I first met Rob at some convention or another, maybe 4th Street Fantasy, and found myself enjoying his company quite a bit. He’s smart, calm, and knows his… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #12 – Worst Friends Forever by Rob Callahan

Conrad is one of MinnSpec’s tech people and one of the people responsible for our podcasts. He’s a hard working assistant organizer for the group, and a lot of fun to hang out with at conventions and book festivals. He likes dark things and he writes dark things, but… But this story isn’t one of… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #10 – Pinky the Invisible Flying Pony vs. the Giant, Carnivorous, Poisonous, Exploding Spider-Leeches by Conrad Zero

I haven’t really gotten a chance to get to know Holly, which is probably too bad, because seems like a pretty neat person. I can tell you that besides writing some wonderful fiction, she also has written or co-written several non-fiction books, including one I own and use a lot. “The Haunting” was one of… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #9 – The Haunting by Holly Day

Sam is one of the MinnSpec members who I’m pretty sure I’ve meet at various things, but I’m not sure what? I’m think we met at Minicon in 2010, but my memory is hazy. What I won’t forget is “Ratatosk.” The tension in this SF/H story builds and builds until the ending crashes over the… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #8 – Ratatosk by Sam Hirte-Runtsch

Cynthia and Roy Booth are two MinnSpec’s most active members, both deeply involved in the group on the discussion board, at conventions, and at readings. The Booths are both clear-eyed about the business end of writing and highly talent on the artistic end of writing, which is the not-so-secret to their success. “Trespassers” is dark… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #7 – Trespassers by Cynthia Booth and Roy C. Booth

Jo Robson has been a fine addition the MinnSpec. Always a pleasure to be around, she is hardworking and serious about her craft. I had the pleasure to hear her do her first public reading and found her a joy to listen to. “Broken Up” is one of the shortest stories in the anthology, a… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #6 – Broken Up by Jo Robson

John is one of our overseas members, a former Minnesotan now residing in the United Kingdom. He is still active on the group message boards, offering his thoughts and opinions on a variety of matters important to writers. “Unbelieving Jaxx” is one of the longer pieces in the anthology, a twisting turning tale of an… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #5 – Unbelieving Jaxx by John F. Montagne

Joel Arnold is another of our returning contributors. In the last year, Joel has been highly successful marketing his previously published short fiction on Amazon. Always a pleasure to talk with, Joel is a mainstay at various book festivals around the Twin Cities. “The Starlite” is both a dark fantasy and a wonderful bit of… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #4 – The Starlite by Joel Arnold

Tyler Tork is an emerging young adult writer with full command of his writing skills and the firm grasp on the voice of a young adult protagonist. Tyler is also a deep thinker about the craft of writing and gifted with a wicked sense of humor. Humor was what drew me to publish “Misprint.” I… Continue reading Sky-Tinted Waters ToC #3 – Misprint by Tyler Tork