Sheldon Woodbury worked for some of the top advertising agencies in New York City then returned to school to get an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University where he also taught screenwriting and playwriting. He’s an award winning writer (screenplays, plays, books, short stories, and poems). His book “Cool Million” is considered the essential guide to writing high concept movies. His plays have been produced in New York City and his short stories and poems have appeared in many horror anthologies and magazines. His novel, The World on Fire, has been called a cult classic.

Karen Bayly is the author of several novels, novellas and short stories. She began telling stories as a child when she wrote soap operas for her dolls to perform under her creative direction. These days it’s her zoology PhD, research background, and general dismay at the state of the world that informs her writing, an eclectic mix of speculative fiction, alternative history, noir and mystery. Her tales are often garnished with a touch of horror. She also writes the occasional dark fantasy story for younger folk.

Born in Australia, she works in IT and resides in Sydney with two cats, two ukuleles, two guitars and a DSLR camera.

Larry Hinkle is the least famous writer you’ve never heard of. A copywriter living with his wife and two doggos in Rockville, Maryland, when he's not writing stories that scare people into peeing their pants, he writes ads that scare people into buying adult diapers so they’re not caught peeing their pants.

"The Eris Ridge Trail," his new cosmic horror road trip novella (with dogs!) was released in March 2025, while his debut collection, “The Space Between,” came out in February 2024.

His work has also appeared in "October Screams: A Halloween Anthology," "The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks," and The NoSleep Podcast, among others.

He's an active member of the HWA (his short stories made the preliminary Stoker ballot in 2020 and 2022); a graduate of Fright Club and Crystal Lake’s Author’s Journey program; an HWA mentee; and a survivor of the Borderlands Writers Bootcamp.

Since its founding in August 2012, Crystal Lake Publishing has quickly become one of the world’s leading publishers of Dark Fiction and Horror books in print, eBook, and audio formats.

While we strive to present only the highest quality fiction and entertainment, we also endeavour to support authors along their writing journey. We offer our time and experience in non-fiction projects, as well as author mentoring and services, at competitive prices.

With several Bram Stoker Award wins and many other wins and nominations, Crystal Lake Publishing puts integrity, honor, and respect at the forefront of our publishing operations.

We strive for each book and outreach program we spearhead to not only entertain and touch or comment on issues that affect our readers, but also to strengthen and support the Dark Fiction field and its authors.

Not only do we find and publish authors we believe are destined for greatness, but we strive to work with men and woman who endeavour to be decent human beings who care more for others than themselves, while still being hard working, driven, and passionate artists and storytellers.

Crystal Lake Publishing is and will always be a beacon of what passion and dedication, combined with overwhelming teamwork and respect, can accomplish. We endeavour to know each and every one of our readers, while building personal relationships with our authors, reviewers, bloggers, podcasters, bookstores, and libraries.

We will be as trustworthy, forthright, and transparent as any business can be, while also keeping most of the headaches away from our authors, since it’s our job to solve the problems so they can stay in a creative mind. Which of course also means paying our authors.

We do not just publish books, we present to you worlds within your world, doors within your mind, from talented authors who sacrifice so much for a moment of your time.

There are some amazing small presses out there, and through collaboration and open forums we will continue to support other presses in the goal of helping authors and showing the world what quality small presses are capable of accomplishing. No one wins when a small press goes down, so we will always be there to support hardworking, legitimate presses and their authors. We don’t see Crystal Lake as the best press out there, but we will always strive to be the best, strive to be the most interactive and grateful, and even blessed press around. No matter what happens over time, we will also take our mission very seriously while appreciating where we are and enjoying the journey.

What do we offer our authors that they can’t do for themselves through self-publishing?

We are big supporters of self-publishing (especially hybrid publishing), if done with care, patience, and planning. However, not every author has the time or inclination to do market research, advertise, and set up book launch strategies. Although a lot of authors are successful in doing it all, strong small presses will always be there for the authors who just want to do what they do best: write.

What we offer is experience, industry knowledge, contacts and trust built up over years. And due to our strong brand and trusting fanbase, every Crystal Lake Publishing book comes with weight of respect. In time our fans begin to trust our judgment and will try a new author purely based on our support of said author.

To date we’ve published around 100 books, and with each launch we strive to fine-tune our approach, learn from our mistakes, and increase our reach. We continue to assure our authors that we’re here for them and that we’ll carry the weight of the launch and dealing with third parties while they focus on their strengths—be it writing, interviews, blogs, signings, etc.

We also offer several mentoring packages to authors that include knowledge and skills they can use in both traditional and self-publishing endeavours.

We look forward to launching many new careers.

This is what we believe in. What we stand for. This will be our legacy.

Welcome to Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Francesca Maria writes dark fiction surrounded by cats near the Pacific Ocean. She is the creator of the Black Cat Chronicles, a true horror comic book series narrated by a mystical black cat. Her short story collection They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark from Brigid Gate Press debuted as an Amazon #1 Best Seller. Her short stories and essays can be found in various anthologies and publications including Crystal Lake Publishing's Shallow Waters, Death’s Garden Revisited and Under the Stairs. You can find her at francescamaria.com.

Matt Bliss is a writer living and working in Las Vegas, Nevada with his family and way too many pets. He is an avid reader who writes about almost everything, but prefers to focus on the eerie things that keep him up at night. When he is not haunting the used book section of the local thrift store, you can find him on twitter at, @MattJBliss.