Barbara Friend Ish
Barbara Friend Ish is Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, and Wild-Eyed Visionary for Mercury Retrograde Press. After earning a Bachelor's in English from Rice University, Barbara divided her time between working with small groups of entrepreneurs who didn't know any better than to start their own companies and swimming against the current of the publishing industry, eventually co-founding Be Mused, an author services company devoted to helping authors and small publishers develop books. She founded Mercury Retrograde Press in 2007.
Books edited by Barbara have been covered by Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Locus Magazine, The Midwest Book Review, SciFiDimensions, Fantasy Book Critic, American Freethought, Baby Got Books, SFScope, SFSignal, The Internet Review of Science Fiction, January Magazine and Green Man Review. She has been featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and on Baby Got Books and SF Signal, and has appeared at The Atlanta Book Show, RavenCon, Faerie Escape: Atlanta and Opus Fest.
Barbara believes in Story the way some people believe their religions; she believes that, in writing, every tool of plot, rule of characterization, and convention of grammar cannot add up to the mystical whole that a story becomes when it is honored on its own terms. She believes that Art beats Craft every time; but that art cannot truly soar unless it is supported by excellent craft. Current projects include a garden entirely bereft of nutritional value and a search for the perfect bottle of champagne.
Death, Inc. by Edward Morris--Editor |Flutter by Zachary Steele--Editor | Guardians of the Desert by Leona Wisoker--Editor | Secrets of the Sands by Leona Wisoker--Editor | Shorn by Larissa N. Niec--Editor | There Was a Crooked Man by Edward Morris--Editor
Anna M. Branscome
Editor Anna M. Branscome comes from a planet whose denizens need books to survive exactly as much as they need oxygen, food, and water. After five years in the toils of higher education, she fled academia in the dead of night, taking with her only a Master’s and ABD (All But Dissertation) in medieval literature and three cats, to become an editor with White Wolf Publishing. While at White Wolf, she experienced the gamut of sff/horror/speculative fiction, from working with Harlan Ellison, Michael Moorcock, Barry Longyear, and James Gunn, among others; to editing vampire game fiction and wading through fanfic slush piles.
When her tenure with White Wolf ended, Anna spent a number of years wandering in the desert and doing free-lance editing. Eventually it dawned on her that free lancing is stressful and uncertain, and not a reliable source of income for financing her book-buying habit. (She’s perhaps a little slow when it comes to practicalities.) Anna received her Master’s of Library Science from UNC-CH in 2009, specializing in reference, and archives and special collections. She is currently employed as a reference librarian for the DeKalb County Public Library System. Editing remains one of her true loves.
Anna will never, ever edit another book about vampires, however, no matter what wiles Barbara Friend Ish employs.
(ed: Please do not throw gauntlets in front of BFI. She finds them nearly irresistible.)
But if you ask her nicely, she’ll show you the gleefully lunatic, one-full-page, single-spaced, typed letter of reference Harlan Ellison wrote for her.
Brett Shanley
Editor Brett Shanley, although claiming the Pacific Northwest as his permanent home, was born and raised in Southern California and has lived in eight states. He has served in the U.S. Army, been a bartender, and played guitar in many of Seattle's nightclubs. Brett became a fantasy and science fiction geek at age nine, when he first read The Hobbit, followed soon after by George Orwell's 1984. Brett has been known to cry in the face of true Story, bad films, and fantastic guitar riffs. He loves to spend time backpacking, biking, and camping with his wife, Jenelle.
Anointed by Zachary Steele--Editor | The Shadow of the Sun by Barbara Friend Ish--Editor
Mark Ish
CFO Mark Ish has had a long career as a computer scientist, but publishing is in his bloodline. A series of positions in upper management with start-up high-tech companies have fortified him for the daunting task of transforming creative vision into financial sanity. Our accountant praises his name on a daily basis. We do, too.
Rachael Murasaki Ish
Rachael Murasaki Ish is Assistant to the Publisher and Sales Diva for Mercury Retrograde Press. When not handling the myriad details of publishing events or challenging the wills of unsuspecting con-goers who pass by Mercury Retrograde's table, Rachael takes great pleasure in messing with people, devouring fabulous novels, and breaking the rules.
Zachary Steele
Editor Zachary Steele has been sleeping with Strunk & White under his pillow lately. You would not believe the dreams he's been having. As a novelist and a sometime bookseller, he brings an amazing wealth of expertise to the development and marketing of books. But don't just take our word for it. Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness and NPR have been known to ask his opinion, too.
