Look and Listen

Biography

Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for over a decade. She has used her talent and her passion for writing to expand her knowledge of the rich mythology of her Celtic heritage and to make her mark in the world of fantasy. She holds Bachelors Degrees in both English and Communications from Kean College of NJ; she is currently employed as a Production Manager. In the past she has shared her time and talent with various literary publications, including The Cantilever; The literary journal of Florida Southern College; The Grubstreet Writer, the literary journal of Kean College of NJ; The Taj Mahal Review, published by Cyberwit; and The Amazing Instant Novelist, an on-line writing area that used to be sponsored by America Online. Her work has also appeared in the November 2002 and February 2003 issues of Sabledrake Magazine (www.sabledrake.com) and is included in the anthologies Through a Glass Darkly (released by Lite Circle Publications), Voyages - An Anthology of World Poetry, Passion - An Anthology Of The World's Great Short Stories, and The Postmodern Temperaments: Fifteen Poets published by Cyberwit. Her published works include the urban fantasy, Yesterday's Dreams (Mundania Press, www.mundania.com, August 2006), its sequel, Tomorrow's Memories (Mundania Press, August 2008), the chapbook, Children of Morpheus (Lite Circle Books, www.litecircle.org, 2004), an edited anthology, No Longer Dreams, (Lite Circle Books, 2005), and contributions to numerous anthologies and collections worldwide, including The Fantasy Writer's Companion: The Author's Grimoire (Dragon Moon Press, www.dragonmoon.com, 2007), For Better or Worse and Passings (Poets Work Press, 2005 and 2006), Dark Furies (Die Monster Die! Books, www.diemonsterdie.com, 2005), and Hear Them Roar (Spyre Books, 2006). She has also been published by Nth Degree Magazine (online and in print), Sabledrake Magazine, and Darkwalls.com. Currently, she is working on the upcoming anthology Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad (Marietta Publishing), which is will launch Memorial Day Weekend at Balticon, as well as several other anthology projects. She is also quite into crafting and costuming, the results of which can be viewed on her website at www.sidhenadaire.com/crafts.htm. Danielle lives in the Tri-State area with husband and fellow author, Mike McPhail, mother-in-law Teresa, and three extremely spoiled cats.

Inspiration

My writing, as Shrek would say, is like an onion, you peel away one layer and there is another one just beneath, adding depth of meaning. Something of a treasure hunt for the reader, with references to popular culture, history, and mythology all woven in to the story, no matter the genre.