James Aquilone was raised on Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, sitcoms, and Cap'n Crunch. Amid the Cold War, he dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot but decided against the military life after realizing it would require him to wake up early. He had further illusions of being a stand-up comedian, until a traumatic experience on stage forced him to seek a college education. Brief stints as an alternative rock singer/guitarist and child model also proved unsuccessful. Today he battles a severe chess addiction while trying to churn out stories and anthologies.His first novel, Dead Jack and the Pandemonium Device, was optioned for film and TV by Tony Eldridge, producer of The Equalizer movies starring Denzel Washington and the upcoming War Magician starring Benedict Cumberbatch.His short fiction has appeared in Nature: Futures, The Best of Galaxy's Edge 2013-2014, Weird Tales, Flash Fiction Online and Unidentified Funny Objects 4.He's the managing editor of Weird Tales magazine and the editor of the upcoming anthologies Classic Monsters Unleashed (Crystal Lake Publishing and Black Spot Books) and Kolchak: The Night Stalker - 50th Anniversary Graphic Novel (Moonstone Books).