NOVEMBER 2004 FIRST CHAPTER AUTHOR
Justin Gustainis

Justin Gustainis grew up in the coal country of Northeast Pennsylvania, where he attended the University of Scranton, earning Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Over the years he has held a number of jobs, from the mundane (busboy, telephone solicitor) to the more exotic (speechwriter, professional bodyguard). Following military service, he earned a Ph.D. at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and has been toiling in the groves of academe ever since. He is currently Professor of Communication at Plattsburgh State University in Plattsburgh, New York. He lives in Plattsburgh with his wife, Patricia Grogan, and Marty, the Hamster from Hell. He began writing fiction seriously in the mid-1990s, although it took him more than five years to find a publisher for his first novel, THE HADES PROJECT, which was published in 2003. He has also written a number of short stories, five or which have either been published or are in press. He has a web site at www.thehadesproject.com . Please read his winning entry below: BLACK MAGIC WOMAN (Chapter One) Read