Back in high school in the 1970s, I weaned on Dracula and Dark Shadows, and enjoyed a good horror or science fiction flick. I attempted my first short story in 1990, when a college professor encouraged me to try writing to process my grief over my mother's death. A Stephen King fan, I went with horror fiction, and work through my grief I did, for many of my protagonists were grieving over deceased parents. My horror and science fiction short stories have appeared in The Vampire's Crypt, Alien Worlds, Detective Mystery Stories, The Ultimate Unknown, and other small press magazines. Night to Dawn published my work before the former editor retired. I've been editing the magazine for the last twelve years.My first novel, Twilight Healer, has gone through five printings. I then collaborated with Tom Johnson on three short story collections: Blood Moons and Nightscapes, Starship Invasions, and Alien Worlds, all now out of print, but the stories continue. My interests led me to Life Raft: Earth; Close Liaisons, which features a city filled with balloons; and Steel Rose and City of Brotherly Death with their horde of flesh-eating zombies. Infinite Sight details a woman's chance encounter with an injured alien, a meeting which catapults her into war between two alien armies. When Blood Reigns, the sequel to Steel Rose, will come out soon, and of course, Night to Dawn magazine sees publication every six months. Life Raft: Earth and Close Liaisons come in a Kindle format, but my other books are available in eBook and paperback.I've worked full time as a respiratory therapist over thirty-two years. In all of my writing, I bring my medical background to the printed page, blending it with supernatural horror. Happily, the hospital where I've worked treats patients much better than the ones featured in my stories. That goes for most of the nursing homes too. Sad to say, some of the abuses described have happened, although I've taken artistic license to conceal identities.I now publish books through Night to Dawn Magazine & Books LLC. Novels by Tom Johnson, Michael De Stefano, Rod Marsden, Leah Labat, and a few others have gone to print through the NTD imprint, and most of their books enjoyed four-star or better reviews. I've been active in the authors' online and in-person communities such as Horror Writers Association, Facebook, Writers' CoffeeHouse, and others.I live in Pennsylvania. When I'm not working on my projects, I'm chasing Mylar balloons or enjoying a great fright flick.To learn more about the books, stop by my website www.bloodredshadow.com. You can reach me at either ntdsubmissions@gmail.com or barbaracuster@hotmail.com. Put Night to Dawn on the subject line. My snail-mail address is: Barbara Custer, P. O. Box 643, Abington, PA 19001Read more about this authorRead less about this author