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August Derleth (1909–1971) was an American writer, editor, and publisher best known for his contributions to fantasy, horror, and detective fiction. A prolific author, Derleth wrote more than 150 books and hundreds of short stories across a wide range of genres. Born in Sauk City, Wisconsin, Derleth drew deep inspiration from the landscapes and small-town life of the American Midwest. Many of his stories are set in the fictional Sac Prairie, a literary version of his hometown that appears throughout his novels and short fiction. Derleth is also widely recognized for his close friendship and literary collaboration with H. P. Lovecraft. After Lovecraft’s death, Derleth co-founded Arkham House, a publishing company dedicated to preserving and publishing Lovecraft’s work as well as other authors of weird and supernatural fiction. Through Arkham House, Derleth played a major role in ensuring Lovecraft’s lasting influence on modern horror and fantasy literature. In addition to his supernatural tales, Derleth wrote mystery stories, historical fiction, regional literature, and the well-known Solar Pons detective series—an affectionate homage to Sherlock Holmes. Today, August Derleth is remembered as a key figure in 20th-century speculative fiction and as an important champion of the weird fiction tradition.

Raluca Narita MBA, was born in Romania and grew up in Southern California and West Texas. She currently resides in College Station and loves to travel in her free time. Raluca is the author of The Chronicles of the Underworld Series. She is an aspiring physician, passionate about medicine and the healthcare field. When she was younger, she loved reading retellings of fairytales and stories about Greek gods and goddesses. Opening a book to the first page was like casting off and sailing to an unknown land. As she immersed herself in an imaginative world through reading, she discovered a passion for writing stories. As a full-time MD student at Texas A&M University, Raluca writes fantasy novels as one of her favorite hobbies.

Herman Melville (1819–1891) is the author of several classic works of literature, including the iconic Moby-Dick. Other Melville's Popular Works to Consider: Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life (1846) Bartleby, the Scrivener (1853)