Our Authors
Ben Fitts
Ben Fitts is a writer, musician, and zinester from New York City. He is the author of the books My Birth And Other Regrets (NihilismRevised, 2019) and Snailbutter (Hybrid Sequence Media, 2021), over forty published short stories, and is the creator of numerous zines. He currently lives in Brooklyn, where he plays guitar in the indie rock band War Honey and puts too much hot sauce on everything.
Planet Bizarro Press is honoured to be producing the reprint of Ben’s novella, Snailbutter, as well as his collection, My Birth and Other Regrets, late 2023.
John Chambers
John Chambers is a software developer in the affordable housing industry. He’s also a horror and bizarro author who explores themes of power and exploitation. He’s a firm believer in the color orange, sonar, the power of just a moment ago, foxes, and Thursdays. His work has appeared in Cracked, and in the anthologies Unspeakable, WTF, and in the forthcoming ‘Ike Pāpālua: Science Fiction & Fantasy from the Hawaiian Islands.
John’s novella, Cold War, is releasing late 2023.
Douglas J. Ogurek
Douglas J. Ogurek is the pseudonymous and sophomoric founder of the unsplatterpunk subgenre, which uses splatterpunk conventions (i.e., transgressive/gory/gross/violent subject matter) to deliver a positive message. His short story collection I Will Change the World . . . One Intestine at a Time (Plumfukt Press), a juvenile stew of horror and bizarro, aims to make readers lose their lunch while learning a lesson. Ogurek also guest-edits the wildly unpopular UNSPLATTERPUNK! “smearies,” published by Theaker’s Quarterly Fiction. These anthologies are unavailable at your library and despised by your mother. Ogurek reviews films and fiction for that same magazine.
Publications have rejected Ogurek’s work nearly 2,000 times. However, some of the world’s leading literary journals thanked him for submitting manuscripts in (form) letters. One highly respected publication even said, “We want to thank you for your kindness in letting us see your work.” Thus, Ogurek is a kind author. More at www.douglasjogurek.weebly.com. Twitter: @unsplatter
John Baltisberger
John Baltisberger is the award-winning author of speculative and genre fiction that often focuses on themes of body horror, socio-political issues, and Jewish mythology. Beyond his writing career, John is the Publishing Editor of Madness Heart Press, a press focused on transgressive and experimental horror. He also runs the Jewish Speculative Fiction press Aggadah Try It, and the game company Madness Heart Games, where he works as the Creative Director. He lives in Austin, TX with his wife and his daughter.
John’s novella, All I Want is to Take Shrooms and Listen to the Color of Nazi Screams, is available NOW!
Mike James Davis
Mike James Davis is an author of the weird and absurd. He grew up and currently lives in the idyllic Chicagoan suburbs of Illinois. As a father of two and a man of the routines that surround his life, his stories escalate the seemingly mundane into absurd, sometimes grotesque, sometimes humorous horrors. His work has been featured in “Counting Bodies Like Sheep” and “Best of Bizarro Fiction Vol. 1”. Twitter: @MikeJamesDavis1.
Mike’s mind-bending tale, STRAWBERRY JELLY DONUT CREEM BETWEENS: A FULL REVIEW, is quite unlike anything we’ve ever read. You can check it out for yourself later in 2023!
William Higgs III
William Higgs III is a writer from the Midwest. He enjoys fiction that crosses genre boundaries. His publication history includes crime fiction and surrealist flash. When not writing fiction, Higgs writes nonfiction essays on politics, culture, and religion. He's written for a few zines and newspapers. Higgs also writes comedic material. His work includes scripts for humorous lifestyle channels on YouTube. He also enjoys sound design and music.
William’s writing is absolutely bonkers and we’re exciting to announce SCANLON’S OVERPASS is available NOW!
Elias Van Zimmer
Elias Van Zimmer is a writer and film maker born 1997 in East Germany. He has lived and worked in Prague and is based in Berlin for the time being.
Two of his stories won him Honourable Mentions of the Writer's Of The Future Contest.
His writing expresses his faith that all this will add up to more than an advert at a bus-stop or a cloud-cusp in a zip-lock bag.
He has currently no intention of ever dying.
Elias’ novel, FATE IS FUZZY, will release in 2023.
Shawn Wayne Langhans
Shawn Wayne Langhans is a Midwestern author of slipstream, new weird, and dark fiction currently residing in the Pacific Northwest portion of the United States, where he lives with his fiancé Jeliza Rose and their stinky cat, Sylvie. His previous works include, but are not limited to, “Newborn Pink”, "Beyond the Howls of Mountain Dogs" and “Mother’s Secret Stomach”
Shawn’s novel, Interviews with the Temporally Displaced, is available NOW!
Riley Odell
Riley Odell is an autistic writer of horror, comedy, and bizarro which explores the absurdity of the human condition. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife Jamie, and their two pet children. Their daughter is Sadie, a dog, and their son is Ares, a pigeon. In addition to writing, Riley enjoys reading, video games, and eating cheese.
Riley’s Novella, My Weird Nightmare Baby, is available NOW!
Kevin Stadt
Kevin Stadt holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, a master’s degree in teaching writing, and a doctorate in American literature. He teaches in the School of International Studies at Hanyang University. His fiction has appeared in anthologies and magazines such as Stupefying Stories, Spring into SciFi, and Dark Lane Anthology. Kevin lives in the suburbs of Seoul with his wife and sons, who are interdimensional cyborg pirates wanted in a dozen star systems. You can visit him online at kevinstadt.com.
Kevin’s novel, Warped Brood, is available NOW!
Chris Meekings
Chris Meekings is a writer from Gloucester.
Several of his works have appeared on Bizarro Central’s Flash Fiction Friday.
His bizarro novellas, Elephant Vice (released in 2015 via Eraserhead Press), and Moon Mayor (released 2022 by Hybrid Sequence Media) are unquestionably things that he wrote .
His novel, Ravens and Writing Desks, (released in 2016 by Omnium Gatherum) is also a thing that he wrote.
He is a founding member of the British Bizarro Community who recently released the anthology The Bumper Book of British Bizarro, all profits of which go towards the Mermaids Trust.
None of his works have appeared on toilet walls.
He is currently 58 weasels in a trench coat, just looking for love.
Chris’ novella, Cthulhu Fishing off the Iraq Nebula is available NOW!
G. G. Gilt
G. G. Gilt’s novel, BACKDOOR CARNIVORE is available NOW!
G. G. Gilt is a recovering Irishman living in Boston with his much smarter wife and their three cats. His work has appeared in publications such as Koalas in Smoke: An International Bizarro Bushfire Relief Anthology, Anthology of Bizarro, Writing the Bones Anthology from J. Ellington Ashton Press, to name a few. G.G has also published non-fiction in British horror magazine, We Belong Dead. His first novel Titty Kitties was published in 2020 by Thicke and Vaney. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing and really weirds his wife out with the material he writes. His cats don’t appreciate his vulgarity, either.
Mark Zirbel
The latest legend to land on our planet is Mark Zirbel!
Mark's novel, SHITHOLE USA, is a wild and messy adventure that you can sink your teeth into later this year. Keep a sick bag handy for this one!
Mark Zirbel is the Wonderland Award-nominated author of Cyberpunk Zombie Jihad, which BiffBamPop.com calls “an absurdist, industrial, horror, sci-fi short story collection of doom.” Mark’s bizarro, cyberpunk, and horror fiction has been published in dozens of anthologies and magazines and was most recently featured in The Blind Dead Ride Out of Hell (St Rooster Books), Zombie Punks Fuck Off (CLASH Books/Weirdpunk Books), and Strange Behaviors: An Anthology of Absolute Luridity (NihilismRevised). Mark has self-published two chapbooks: Notes on the Propagation of Angels (A User Guide) and Double Maim Event: Two Tales of Mat-Slamming Horror. His story “Bags” received an honorable mention in the 20th edition of The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror (St. Martin’s Press). Shithole USA is Mark’s debut novel.
Carl Fuerst
We're ecstatic to have published Carl Fuerst's mind-melting novel, THE FALLING CRYSTAL PALACE.
𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑎 𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚. 𝐸𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡. 𝐸𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦. 𝑁𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝑁𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒.
Carl Fuerst's fiction has appeared in F(r)iction, Entropy, Necessary fiction, and many other publications. His is the author of the experimental novel-in-stories The Upright Dog, and he is one of the co-creators of the Deadfall, Wisconsin podcast. He teaches writing and literature at Kishwaukee College, and he lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Justin Hunter
Welcome to Planet Bizarro, Justin!
Justin Hunter is an author from Missouri, USA. Justin writes for every genre and his work has been published from Morbidbooks to Chicken Soup for the Soul. He loves cross stitching, pipe tobacco, and screen-printed occult candles. His bizarro influences include Garrett Cook, Danger Slater, and Emma Johnson.
Justin’s novella, Dad Jokes, is available now! Grab it HERE.
Dustin Reade
Dustin Reade lives and breathes in Port Angeles, Washington. He writes weird stories and books, and some of them are Bad Hotel, Grambo, and The Canal. His short stories have appeared in over one hundred anthologies and ezines, and have recently been translated into Polish. He has a degree in Funerary Services Education, and he mostly eats junk food. When not writing weird stories, he creates experimental music in all genres under the moniker, "Call Me Dusty." He can feel it when you Google him, so please don't do it after 2 a.m Mountain Time.
Dustin’s novella, The Secret Sex Lives of Ghosts, is available HERE
Dustin’s collection, Songs About My Father’s Crotch, is available HERE.
Charles Chadwick
Charles Chadwick is an author, software developer, and all around weird-o-phile who has spent the bulk of his 46 years in the Pacific Northwest. This is his first book. Enjoy it. Or don't. He can't tell you how to live your life.
Charles’ debut novel, Selleck’s ‘Stache is Missing! is available HERE.
Robert Guffey
Robert Guffey is a lecturer in the Department of English at California State University – Long Beach. His most recent books are Operation Mindfuck (OR Books, 2022), Widow of the Amputation and Other Weird Crimes (Eraserhead Press, 2021), and Bela Lugosi’s Dead (Crossroad Press, 2021). Guffey’s previous books include the darkly satirical, apocalyptic novel Until the Last Dog Dies (Night Shade/Skyhorse, 2017), the journalistic memoir Chameleo: A Strange but True Story of Invisible Spies, Heroin Addiction, and Homeland Security (OR Books, 2015), which Flavorwire called, “By many miles, the weirdest and funniest book of [the year],” the novella collection Spies & Saucers (PS Publishing, 2014), and Cryptoscatology: Conspiracy Theory as Art Form (2012). A graduate of the famed Clarion Writers Workshop in Seattle, he has written for numerous publications, among them The Believer, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, The Evergreen Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Mailer Review, Phantom Drift, Postscripts, Rosebud, Salon, The Third Alternative, and TOR.com. His website is Cryptoscatology.com. (Photo Credit: Melissa Guffey)
Robert’s novel, Dead Monkey Rum, will be released early 2023.
Gregory L. Norris
Raised on a healthy diet of creature double features and classic SF TV, Gregory L. Norris writes regularly for numerous short story anthologies, national magazines, novels, and the occasional episode for TV or film. Gregory novelized the NBC Made-for-TV classic by Gerry Anderson, The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity (as well as a sequel and a forthcoming third entry into the franchise for Anderson Entertainment in the U.K.), a movie he watched as an eleven-year-old sitting cross-legged on the living room floor of the enchanted cottage where he grew up. Gregory won HM in the 2016 Roswell Awards in Short SF Writing. He once worked as a screenwriter on two episodes of Paramount’s Star Trek: Voyager. Kate Mulgrew, Voyager’s “Captain Janeway,” blurbed his book of short stories and novellas, The Fierce and Unforgiving Muse, stating, “In my seven years on Voyager, I don’t think I’ve met a writer more capable of writing such a book—and writing it so beautifully.”
Gregory’s novella, A Quaint New England Tale, is available HERE.
Leo X. Robertson
Leo X. Robertson is a Scottish process engineer, writer and filmmaker, currently living in Stavanger, Norway. He has work published by Year's Best Hardcore Horror, Best of British Science Fiction and Flame Tree Publishing, among others. Be on the lookout for his feature films The TrutherNet Apocalypse and Burnt Portraits, hopefully available later this year!
Leo’s collection of novellas, Weird Fauna of the Universe, is available HERE.
Kevin Shamel
Kevin Shamel lives and writes stories. He’s getting to be one of those old people that’s been all over the place and seen a lot and is a weirdo. And that’s fine with him. Currently spending a good deal of time doing as much art as he can, Kevin also freelance edits and writes about himself in third-person as little as possible. He hopes it’s okay when he does, and kind of becomes a character to himself while it happens, and thinks about who reads this and how it’s sorta like he’s talking to them about someone else. And then he wonders how much of him is real. He’s had several books published, and you can find them by looking up his name. But he’s likely not very real—both living and writing stories, and talking about himself like he’s not the one doing it.
Kevin’s novel, Porn Land, is available HERE.
Kevin’s novel, Russells in Time, will be available in 2023.
Matthew A. Clarke
Owner of Planet Bizarro Press.
Matthew A. Clarke started out writing horror, but since discovering the wacky world of bizarro, has never looked back.
Matthew’s novel, Sons of Sorrow, is available HERE.
Matthew’s novel, DEAD HARD, is available HERE.
Matthew’s collection, Ebola Saves the Planet, and Other Wholesome Tales! is available HERE.
Matthew’s Novella, Troll, is available HERE