Skyler Rankin

The graveyard overlooking Skyler Rankin’s hometown is visible from everywhere, like an ever-present reminder of mysterious forces beyond the veil. The town had been a station on the Underground Railroad and wasn’t far downriver from Mothman country. It was against that backdrop that Skyler discovered her love of writing and all things creepy. She garnered inspiration from local legends told in hushed whispers, creepy comic books, and thrillers and mysteries from the town’s library. Skyler typed her first novel on a broken manual typewriter that was missing a few keycaps. She had to keep moving the remaining caps around to type. "It was a gift from a friend, and yes, it was a pain, but I kept at it despite the frustration. That’s the crazy kind of thing you do when you’re obsessed with writing.” Urged by her perennially practical parents to “grow up” and get a “real job,” Skyler worked in broadcasting as an announcer, an electronic graphics operator, a master control switcher, an audio producer, and a voiceover personality for local affiliates for local ABC and NPR affiliates, House of Commons Film Video and Multi-image Productions, and The Learning Channel (TLC). She later pursued a career in education and worked as a school psychologist and administrator for more than twenty years. Through it all, she never lost the nagging itch to write and tell stories. Despite having a crooked path to publication, Skyler was “born to be a writer,” and she is delighted to finally have the time to do it. She also independently narrates and produces audiobooks. “There's nothing more exciting," she says, "than creating great stories and finding that people enjoy them."