About the Author

Matt looking at the camera with a surprised monster doodle screaming over his shoulder.

Matt Athanasiou tells tales of monsters that creep and dream, of lands that move and speak, and of things stranger, darker, and more fantastic still for adults and children alike.

He began writing beneath the quaking aspen of the Northwoods, continued into the tilting mountains of South Korea, and carries on among the skeletal skyscrapers of Chicago. His work has appeared in print and online publications, has been nominated for the storySouth Million Writers Award, and has won high honors in the Writers of the Future Contest. He has also designed products to help people explore the world and vote for their hearts, and he has scratched many a monster doodle onto many a napkin.

Should you spot him cruising on his skateboard or bike, hunting for pizza, haunting New Orleans or Scotland, or wandering the wilderness, say hi and share your own doodles, stories, or cat pics with him.

Awards and Recognition

Top 10 winner in Ulysses’s Short Story Contest celebrating Disney’s Flora & Ulysses, with writers Kate DiCamillo and Brad Copeland as judges.

Silver Honorable Mention in The Writer’s of the Future Contest.

Badge for Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Contest. It shows a quill pen and feather creating a world.

Nomination for the storySouth Million Writers Award.