OUR AUTHORS – Cultistorm: The Board Game

THE AUTHORS OF CULTISTORM

The anthology features short stories by many talented writers who follow Lovecraftian traditions and his heritage. We asked them to illustrate the world of our game with their words and stories. Every short story presented in the volume was written with Cultistorm in mind. This book is a gift, a special bonus. Instead of short descriptions on the cards, we wanted to create real backstories and atmosphere to show our gratitude for your support! We also want our anthology to be worthy of Lovecraft’s heritage as a literary work.

It is our great honour to present to you the authors of Cultistorm!

József Balogh

My name is József Balogh and, like many others, I discovered Lovecraft’s writing by chance, on the pages of an old Galaktika magazine. Then “Call of Cthulhu” was published and I read it in one night, first not understanding why people thought it was scary. Then I turned off the light. I’ve been writing for a long time, but I don’t write a lot, I mostly think about writing. Of course, it’s not a very efficient working method, but sometimes I find the motivation to put my thoughts on paper. Recently Black Aether magazine inspired me to finish an old idea, and then I found the call for submissions for Cultistorm. I’ve always considered myself a “sleeping writer” who is still inactive at the moment, but who can rise again any time!

Katalin Bella

The love for reading and literature has always had a prominent place in my life. I have a humanities degree and I’ve been writing short stories since I was in high school. I’ve always liked strange and scary stories with a peculiar atmosphere, so it’s no surprise that I discovered the works of Lovecraft for myself. His writing always has a great impact on me, his stories inspire me, and I learn a lot from them.

Iván Bojtor

I was born in Szombathely, now I live in Veszprém. I’ve worked as a chemist for decades. I write short stories, and most of them, eleven to be exact, have been published in Galaktika, the same magazine which brought out the first Hungarian Lovecraft translations in the 1980s. In the beginning my favourite Lovecraft story was “In the Walls of Eryx”, which was more of a science fiction piece. Later when I got to know his works a bit more, I was fascinated by the stories from the Dreamland-cycle. I’ll confess that they’re my favourites to this very day. I’ve also tried my hand at similar stories and ended up writing weird stories which were published in Black Aether magazine, a new venue for stories of this kind. Besides science fiction and weird, I’m drawn to mysteries and history, but what piques my curiosity the most is scientific mysteries, as my numerous articles published in Hihetetlen! magazine demonstrate. Some of my short stories and essays are available online on the websites of Comitatus, Héttorony, and Magyar Irodalmi Lap.

Britpropper

I discovered Lovecraft’s work when I was around 14-15 when I plucked up the courage to borrow some of his books from the half-hidden horror / sci-fi section of my local library. I read them before going to bed, and sleep avoided me that night because I thought I saw deformed monstrosities moving through the darkness, but their voices were muffled by the murmur of trees and the howling of the wind. I like Lovecraft’s style so much because he leaves enough space for mystery and he provokes visceral fear by abandoning us in the haunting phantasmagorias of our own imagination. I have written a few short stories in homage to him, some of which were published on the pages of Black Aether magazine.

Krisztina Czinkóczi

I entertained my friends with made-up stories already as a child, but I wrote my first serious short story quite late, when I was twenty-eight. Since then I’ve published numerous stories. The genres closest to my heart are magical realism, sardonic urban and noire fantasy as well as mystical and weird stories. Sometimes I also venture into sci-fi. As a short story writer, most of my stories have been published in anthologies and magazines through competitions and invitations, but in 2014 my first short story collection bearing the title “Átjárók” (Passages) was published by SpiritArt. Lovecraft has been one of my favourites as a child; I borrowed his first books in secret, sneaking over to the adult section of the library and hiding them among children’s books. In my short story, scientific elements meet the traditional Lovecraftian mood.

Lídia Fedina

I journeyed to the world of literature from the area of science. I obtained a degree as a pharmacologist from the Semmelweis University. The formative literature of my adolescence were Poe and Lovecraft, and although my writing journey started with the children’s book I wrote from the cartoon “Vili a veréb” (Vili the Sparrow) in 1989, my true love has always been sci-fi, especially the likes of the masterfully blood-curdling world created by Lovecraft. I’ve published fifteen books and one ebook in as diverse genres as children/young adult literature, sci-fi, and fantasy. I have a tight bond with Hungarian animation and I’m the creator of two feature animation films. I regularly publish in anthologies, in Galaktika Magazine, Új Galaxis and more recently in Black Aether magazine, but also in children’s periodicals. I’ve also translated numerous scientific and literary works. In 2017 I won second place in the novel category of the Zsoldos Péter prize with my sci-fi/catastrophe novel “Virokalipszis” (Virocalypse).

Ákos Körtvélyes

I’ve been a lover of the fantastical since I was a boy, so I also met Lovecraft’s work prematurely. His influence can be felt in my work to this day. I’ve been publishing since 2010, been a member of multiple writing groups, and I’ve won prizes and publication opportunities on writing competitions. My writing has been published in various magazines and anthologies. In 2016 my novel entitled “Sziréndal” (Siren Song) was published by Delta Vision. As a sign of my dedication to Lovecraft’s work I do the formatting of Black Aether magazine as a volunteer.

Bence Mikházi

A friend of mine introduced me to the works of Lovecraft. After reading “The Call of Cthulhu” I bought all his other works. I’m far from having read them all, but I think that once you’re touched by Lovecraft’s style, you can never break free from him. I’ve been writing regularly for around three years. My very first was a book about Native Americans I wrote in a notebook when I was 10. Since then I have had some more serious publications, for example on the electronic pages of FÉLonline and SzegediLap.

Galina Polevyk

My writing is in sort of a middle-ground between the two poles of dream and death: there is darkness haunting the depth of my stories, but there is also the possibility to get to the perfect dreamland. However, sometimes the latter loses and hopelessness devours it. This duality was perfected by Lovecraft, but I’m not so bold as to liken myself to him, since his works are among the most important pieces of fantastic literature; he is essential reading for anyone who wants to write in this genre.

Andor Réz

The genre of horror has always had an important role in my life. By now Lovecraft, the weird, and cosmic horror have also carved out their special place. I first met Lovecraft’s name in the films of varying quality which were inspired by his works, then, as my interest grew stronger, I delved deeper into his work and I became a devoted fan. His world view and stories had a great impact on me, and they fit into the style which could get to me even in the genre of horror: the world of mysterious, supernatural, unusual, sometimes dreamlike weird stories that question reality. I’ve had the desire, even from the very beginning, to express my own imagination, vision, and stories, and later on I’d like to actively devote my time to these things, be it in the form of visual art, film, or literature. From these art forms literature is the one which has been in the centre of my interest recently. I consider myself a complete beginner, a fledging author who is trying to find their own style. One of my short stories has been published in the 6th issue of Black Aether magazine and I also have a round-robin short story published in the same place. At the moment I’m working on multiple smaller projects, some of them in the early stages of planning.

Katalin Sill

My name is Katalin Sill, 26-year-old horror fan and knowledge seeker. Dark topics and unusual stories have fascinated me since I was a child, but now I want to be more than a reader. Writing became really important for me when I was thirteen, the time when my emotions were at their most intense. They have quieted down since then, but luckily the love of literature and writing stayed with me. I find Lovecraft’s work so fascinating because he is a master of not only showing strangeness but also using it for maximum effect in a story.

Tamás Sólyom

My name is Tamás Sólyom, I’m a screenplay writer. I think that in stories, writing is just putting thoughts into an organised form, it’s great fun. I write because I love doing it. I first discovered Lovecraft when I was at university, and I got immersed in the atmosphere of his stories right away. I find his style exceedingly elegant; he can create fear and tension at the same time by only hinting at the horrors. The reader can feel that every sentence had been carefully thought out and edited, and that a whole world hides behind every phrase.

Zoltán Szabó “Zoo_Lee”

I’ve been a fan of horror since my adolescence, thanks to different publications aimed at young adults. I discovered Lovecraft when I was fourteen; he was the first author whose work kept me from sleeping at night. Since then I’ve become a devoted fan, and I can say without exaggeration that he is one of my favourite authors. I started writing my own short stories at roughly the same time, hoping that one day I could also create something lasting and have the same effect on people as my favourite writers. Many of my short stories have ended up in the drawer of my desk, but in the past few years I started publishing a few of them. I’ve been writing reviews of horror movies, books, and video games for CineGore.net, PlayDome, and Borzongás Magazine since its launch. I’ve been translating horror short stories for Azilum for one and a half years.

Sándor Szűcs

I’ve been writing short stories, poems, lyrics, scientific essays, reviews, and articles for as long as I can remember — I translate, proofread, edit: words are essential parts of my life. I’ve discovered Lovecraft at a quite tender age: I was 13. Since then I’ve re-read his oeuvre many, many times. The idea of Cultistorm was born after I finished my short story “A Window into Infinity”, and during the process of game development and the creation of this huge cultural project I continuously drew inspiration from reading Lovecraftian stories and “thinking them further”. I’m infinitely grateful to all the writers with whom I could work on this wonderful collection!