Tag Archives: military monster fiction

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, Cool stuff, publishing, SNAFU, Writing

SNAFU: LEVEL UP AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT –  NICK MANNING

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For today’s Author Spotlight from Cohesion Press, we’re heading back Down Under and a little north to the sunshine state to catch up with Nick Manning. Does he know we’re coming? Probably not. But we have suitcases and caffeine and sunblock – we’re good.  

While we settle in (ie take over, as we’re wont to do), I’ll invite Nick to the stage to talk about all things Nick. He’s funny, succinct, and has absolutely outdone us when it comes to travelling.

Nick Manning is a Brisbane-based LitRPG author and gamer. He’s travelled to 40+ countries, holds four Guinness World Records, and once got a letter from the Queen.

He’s also a former officer in the Royal Australian Navy. His story in this anthology has kick-ass undersea mechs and monster encounters – two things his actual time in uniform was sadly lacking.

He puts the discrepancy down to an administrative oversight.

For SNAFU: Level Up, Nick dove deep into the depths with NEW HEBRIDES: When a deep-sea rescue goes wrong, an elite naval clearance team must pilot alien mechs through a gauntlet of giant sea monsters to reach the surface.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, Cool stuff, Editing, publishing, SNAFU, Writing

SNAFU: LEVEL UP AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT –  MALORY

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Aaaaaand we’re boarding another plane on Cohesion Press’ Author Spotlight, and this time we’re heading over to the UK (we’re truly globe-trotting) to have a wee antipodean chat with Malory. There could be tea. There could be coffee (it’s definitely coffee). But there are always TimTams.

While I clean chocolate from my face (you eat biscuits your way, I’ll gorge them mine), I’ll hand the sparkly mic over to Malory and let him tell you a little sumpin’ sumpin’ about himself.

Malory’s the 2026 winner of the Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award and a PhD researcher exploring men’s reading habits. He writes LitRPG, sci-fi and progression fantasy, including the Morgan & Merlin and Soar Chronicles series. He’s based in Birmingham, UK.

For SNAFU: Level Up, Malory levelled-up the snark and hit-points with EXPERIENCE POINTS ARE FOR VIRGINS: A British field operative gets a combat HUD bolted to his eyeballs, a squad of streamers for backup, and a Class 4 Reality Breach to clear. The monsters are real, but the experience points are not.

You can find Malory at his website, Substack, Insta, TikTok, Facebook, and on X.

Malory also has some work coming out, which you should definitely get in your eyeballs: Arcane Galaxy Book 3, Disavowed (working title) from Aethon Books should be coming before the end of the year. Book 2, Swashbuckler, out 29 July 2026.

And if that isn’t enough for you? Here’s a free novella link.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, Cool stuff, Editing, publishing, Reading, SNAFU

SNAFU: CONTAGION AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT – ROBERT MAMMONE

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We’re Aussie-ing again with this Author Spotlight for SNAFU: Contagion – we’re like a plague (see what I did there?).  Cohesion Press is stumbling to the end of our Author Spotlight series (okay, I’m stumbling; there’s never enough caffeine), and while this isn’t the last of our authors, Robert Mammone does round out the ToC for SNAFU: Contagion.

And a cracker of a tale it is!

But I’ll let Robert introduce himself, because I think that’s likely to best for all involved… especially Robert…

Not to be confused with the Australian actor of the same name, Rob has been writing since the mid-80s, got serious in the mid-90s and was published in Doctor Who Magazine, then received an absolutely brutal (in hindsight, deserved) rejection letter soon after and went dark until 2009.  Since then, he’s been published in places like Midnight Echo, Pseudopod podcast, No Sleep Podcast, Swords and Sorceries 10, Die by the Sword 2, and had novels published with Candy Jar Books.  When he isn’t chasing his dogs around the neighbourhood, he can be found doing very little else.

As I said earlier in this piece, Robert wrote us a cracker of tale for SNAFU: Contagion –  GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG: Mercenaries bite off more than they can chew in the frontlines of the Ukraine-Russian meat grinder.

You can find Robert on Twitter.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, Cool stuff, Editing, publishing, Reading, Reviews, SNAFU

SNAFU: CONTAGION AUTHOR BIO – MICHAEL WEGENER

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Taking another step over the halfway mark for Cohesion Press’ Author Spotlight for SNAFU: Contagion, we’re dragging Michael Wegener with us! Michael isn’t an Aussie per se, but we’d most happily welcome him for his dark mind, dark humour, and even darker story.

With just eleven days to go until the print release of SNAFU: Contagion (Audible and ebook are already available), we’re really counting down the days and the authors we’d like you to get to know.

So, without further ado…. MICHAEL WEGENER!

Michael is a former chemist (if there is such a thing) and senior medical writer in the area of health technology assessment (because bills and stuff). Considering himself first and foremost a writer of crime/noir fiction, making his fiction debut with a short story in Mickey Finn Vol. 3: 21st Century Noir (edited by Michael Bracken) in 2022, he’s also been dabbling in horror fiction, with crime/horror hybrid stories recently published in Unnerving Magazine and the Starlite Pulp Review. He considers the all-out horror and action of his story in SNAFU: Contagion somewhat of a culmination of those recent efforts, and writing it had been such a blast, it certainly won’t be his last foray into horror. He lives in Brunswick, Germany.

I can absolutely concur that Michael is correct about the all-out horror for his SNAFU: Contagion story – BLACK HELL RISING: Two AWOL Marines discover that the hell of war is a cozy evening by the fire compared to the hell awaiting them in the desert.

You can find Michael on Instagram and Bluesky.

Michael’s upcoming publications include both crime and horror stories in Mickey Finn Vol. 6 and Schlock! Webzine.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, Cool stuff, Editing, publishing, Reading, SNAFU

SNAFU: CONTAGION AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT – AARON BEARDSELL

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Well, lookee here! Another Aussie kicking back on Cohesion Press’ Author Spotlight stage for SNAFU: Contagion! Maybe we’re the contagion… it’s been said. Yeah-nah, we’re too laid back for all that nonsense. Seems too much like hard work. No? Just me?

Aaanyway, moving on.

TEN! That’s where we’re at with the Author Spotlights, so let’s have Aaron tell you more about himself, it’ll likely make much more sense than my intro!

Aaron Beardsell fell in love with writing at a young age, starting out with a totally-not haunted typewriter obtained from a church yard sale. Since then, Aaron’s stories have been published in a wide variety of anthologies.

For SNAFU: Contagion, there’s a high probability that Aaron used his totally-not haunted typewriter for FUNGICIDE – Special delivery: tactical nuke.

You can find Aaron on Instagram.

Additionally, Aaron’s debut novel, Dead Station, is available now. Full of sci-fi horror, you won’t be able to put it down. And if you enjoyed Fungicide, keep your eyes peeled for the first ever novel set in the same universe! Discover how the War began…

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, Cool stuff, Editing, publishing, SNAFU, Writing

SNAFU: CONTAGION AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT – MARCUS FIELD

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Roll up! Roll up!

Cohesion Press’ next Author Spotlight is here in the form of Marcus Field! It’s an interesting form, filled with much horror, a touch of terror, and a sprinkling of malevolence. There could be tentacles. Where unsure of his original form at this stage…

Still, he’s completely lovely and most excellent to work with. Just don’t stick your fingers in the cage. You’ve been warned.

Now that I have likely embarrassed us both, I’ll let Marcus tell you a little somethin’ somethin’ about himself.

Marcus Field lives with his partner, son, and dog in Sacramento, California, where he spends too much time doing math and not enough time writing.

For SNAFU: Contagion, Marcus put the math aside (yay!), and penned THE ZOO: Desperate and on the run in this new apocalypse, can sanctuary be found in the zoo?

Once you read this tale, I’m sure you’ll agree that Marcus should give a touch more weight to wordsmithing than mathsmithing (wow, that sounded better in my head)…  

PEN ALL THE WORDS! (yeah, that sounded better in my head too. I’ll just go.)

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, Cool stuff, Editing, publishing, Ramblings, Reading, SNAFU, Uncategorized

SNAFU: CONTAGION AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT – DYLAN DEMASI

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Brrring! Brrring!

Brrring! Brrring!

This is Cohesion Press calling for the next in our SNAFU: Contagion Author Spotlight!

(Stop rolling your eyes. As much as I love onomatopoeia, sometimes it reads ridiculously, but let me have this! There’s method to my madness! I swear.)

Moving on…

Today, we’re up to Author Spotlight #5, and dialling it in with Dylan Demasi! So, rather than me trying to pun my way through the rest of his intro, I’ll hand you over to the man himself…

Dylan Demasi is a US writer and digital marketer based in Los Angeles. A lifelong storyteller, he began his writing career in comics, first as a proofreader, then as a ghostwriter, and eventually as a credited author for Kickstart Entertainment/Kickstart Comics. His professional work includes leading digital marketing campaigns in the entertainment industry for brands such as Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, HBO, and America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Outside of writing, Dylan is a lifelong horror fan, a frequent visitor and supporter of big cat sanctuaries, and a brief, accidental voice actor in late-night cult favorites like Sharknado 2.

He is currently at work on his debut novel.

Dylan’s most excellent sacrificial offering for SNAFU: Contagion is: THE RED PHONE: The outbreak was a nightmare. The military response was worse.

(The beginning of this post makes sense now, yeah? Doesn’t make it good, just has it make sense… right? Right?)

 You can find Dylan on Facebook and Instagram.

As you noticed at the end of Dylan’s intro, he’s working on his debut novel, and if The Red Phone is anything to go by, then watch that space!