DreamForge Magazine First Line Readers

At DreamForge we are proud to have created a cloud-based story review system which allows us to work with First Line Readers from both across the country and around the world. Thank you to our entire FLR team.

Brandi Dixon

The highlight of Brandi’s writing career was being accused of plagiarism in high school because the alternative ending she submitted for ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ sounded too much like Heinlein. Brandi now feeds her Spec Fiction addiction through freelance editing – you can find her at Charcoal and Brass on Facebook or hanging out at her favourite independent bookstore. She firmly believes that books change lives and is on a mission to help writers bring more of them into the world.

Alecia Flores

As a former military 'brat' I moved a lot & learned to adapt & enjoy new people & places. I have a BA in Gothic Art History with a minor in Medieval History from UC Davis (Go Ags!) but worked in hi tech as a quality expert/project manager & got to clear up problems all over the world. I've written training manuals, & created & taught courses on quality standards & techniques, data warehousing, & other hi techy things. Happily married, my husband & I have traveled to more parts of the world than we haven't. I've been reading SF/F since the 60s & reading these submissions has been crazy fun.

Rita Florez

Coming soon

Kelly Fox

Kelly Fox is a writer based in Perth, Australia. A new writer, that is—so far having just one short story published in Aussie Speculative Fiction’s ‘Beginnings’ anthology in 2018. Kelly has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and Creative Writing and she works part time in social media marketing and business admin. The final draft of Kelly’s first novel is just about ready to go to editing. It’s YA urban science fantasy which is destined to be a four-book saga when complete. It is about a girl who gets struck by lightning, discovers a covert human genetic experiment and meets an alien god all in the same day. My plan at this stage is to self-publish to start with and see how that goes

Henry Gasko

Henry is also our newest editorial assistant and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Henry reads more of our submissions than anyone could expect him to. He is an inspiration to the Editor, and that's meant to be a high compliment.

Henry Gasko was born in a displaced persons camp in Yugoslavia after World War Two. He was raised on a vegetable farm in Canada, and emigrated to Australia more than forty years ago. He has recently retired from a career in data analysis and medical research.

Henry has had stories published in the anthologies "Dreamworks", “Alternate Apocalypse”, “On Time”, in Australia's Aurealis magazine, and in the SciPhi Journal . He is a two-time semi-finalist in The Writers of the Future and he won first prize in Positive Writer's "Why I Write" essay contest. He also won the 2018 Sapiens Plurum short story competition, and came third in the 2020 competition.

When he is not writing, he enjoys cycling, kayaking, swimming and playing bridge.

Anja Hata

Anja Hata loves to lose herself in fantastical worlds far away between the stars, filled with magic and wonder. She also writes and draws when her head is not stuck in the clouds. Her short stories and poetry have been published in various anthologies and online publications under the pen names A.S. Charly and A.K. Hata. Visit her at https://www.facebook.com/A.S.Charlydreams .

S.M. Isaac

S.M. Isaac has always loved books and writing. She circled her calling for years, gaining a BA in Literary Studies and Children’s Literature, then becoming a qualified automotive parts interpreter which she worked as for eight years before becoming a wife and mother and settling into writing fantasy and science fiction. Her first novella was published in January 2020.

She lives on the Surf Coast in Australia with her husband, son, and two cats. She loves reading adventure fantasy, eating sushi, and watching action movies—all at the same time. You can find her at www.smisaac.com and on Facebook.

Nicole Kosar

Nicole graduated from Ursinus College last year and currently works for the National Braille Press. She was so excited to work with DreamForge, and so happy to have had a hand in putting this year's issue together!

Anna Madden

Anna Madden is a fantasy writer living in Fort Worth, Texas. She graduated from the University of Missouri–Kansas City with a Bachelor of Arts: English Creative Writing Emphasis in 2013. A few of her favorite authors include Ursula K. Le Guin, Judith Tarr, and Jane Lindskold.

Jamie D. Munro

Jamie D. Munro is our number one fan, first Patreon Supporter, and a Kickstarter supporter too! It seems Jamie found us the minute we came online and sometimes I think he understands our mission better than we do. That’s why he became our initial First Line Reader and our official Editorial Assistant too. Jamie is an aspiring speculative fiction author from Western Australia.

Jessica Rahden

Jessica is a serious bookworm with a Bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature. While she enjoys 19th century French and Russian novels, Sci-fi, and Fantasy stories are her first love. She worked in a Chicago area library for 6 years in acquisitions, before moving to rural Illinois to raise her family, and work on her own projects.

Indiana Tilford

Indiana Tilford is an aspiring Dragon, settling for being a fantasy writer. When not voraciously reading or banging his head against a creative brick wall, Indi can be found wandering the desert landscapes of this home in New Mexico.

Rachel Unger

Rachel is a Canadian writer living in California, where she learned that you always flip the rock sample over first to check for scorpions. When not writing, she spends way too much time riding her bicycle. Her recent publications include Asymmetry Fiction, Blood Tree Literature, and Digitally Disturbed. You can find her online at www.fictionbuffet.com.

Inactive FLRs

Inactive FLRs that have helped us in the past, to which we are grateful and whom we hope to work with again one day include: