What we really do?
We really love stories, and we want to make a name for ourselves so that readers know if they want to find a story about a monster that is more than a monster, or a hero that is more than a hero, we’re the place to find it.
How did you choose your name?
Grendel is fascinating as a character study. The epic Beowulf is a story about Beowulf, this greater-than-life hero who boasts about saving the world all the time. It’s his ‘thang’, but who kept reading after Grendel and his mother were killed? Not many, and that’s because Beowulf couldn’t be a hero without a monster to slay, but what makes these creatures monstrous? What makes Beowulf a hero?
Our Vision
We just want to shine a light in the dark and see what stares back at us… then we want to print it so you can see it too.
Attending Events & Conferences
- November - Author Nation (Formerly 20 BOOKS VEGAS)
- More coming soon
Meet Team GP
Susan Russell, Editor-in-Chief
Hello! I'm Susan, and Grendel Press is my brainchild. Like many eternal students, I put my degree in English and creative writing to the side, thinking I would never have the chance to use them. I worked on my IT degree instead.
In 2020, bank layoffs made me realize the worst had already happened. Why not change careers and do what I've loved since high school and utilize some of that costly college education?
I started editing with an international crew of writers working on a gaming website while freelance editing on the side. I fell in love with looking at the beautiful bones of a story and knowing... I can fix that.
I sat down and looked at the facts. Self-publishing was on the rise, and I was reading more and more books that desperately needed an editor. I started small and offered my services until I built a client base of authors who have become some of my biggest fans. Now, I want to take the next step toward elevating the quality of our favorite genres while cultivating a catalog of books that you will love.
Rachael Swanson, Editor
Hello! My name's Rachael, and I've been an editor for a little over a year now. I've always been a big reader, but it wasn't until July of 2021, after I'd been beta reading for a while, that I realized how much I loved helping authors with their books.
Getting to be part of the process was exciting, and I'd very quickly decided that I wanted to make that my career. So I found some classes online, signed up, and have been working as an editor ever since. On top of being a freelance editor, I work part-time at an editing company and spend the rest of my time with my husband, kids, and two cats, Pippin and Arwen. When I have free time, I love to read, play video games, go on hikes, and play D&D.
A few additional things about me: my favorite genres to read are fantasy, horror, and romance, my favorite video game is Red Dead Redemption 2 (I could talk about that game forever), and my favorite kind of food is Mexican.
Kasey Kubica, Editor
Kasey has been a copy editor for three years, though it was a lifetime ago that she decided it was where she wanted to be; it just took fifteen years to get there. She works in all genres, but especially loves fantasy and sci-fi.
She is an author herself, having opted for self-publishing a short stack of books, including a nonfiction travelogue, three smutty romances, and one romance novella, with a supernatural thriller on the way.
She spends her free time playing video games, traveling, reading, cooking, fiber arting, and spending time with her partner.
LL Garland, Editor
LL Garland enjoys gaming, writing dark fiction and exploring forbidden woods. She’s been called ‘disturbingly competitive’ at all three. She lives in a house with three dogs and two libraries – a fancy one for show and a hidden one for the weird stuff.
Her horror and dark fantasy short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies such as MetaStellar, Deathcap & Hemlock and Dragon Gems. She is also a member of the Horror Writers Association and a managing editor of the The Maul magazine.
Clay Vermulm, Editor & Media Assistant
Born on the frigid, windswept plains of Cut Bank, Montana, Clay has now set down proverbial roots in the Pacific Northwest where he likes to climb rocks on the days it's not raining. For the other ninety-eight percent of the year, he enjoys writing, reading, and playing board games with his partner Deanna as his cat criticizes his every life decision from her carpeted tree palace.
David S. Pittsenberger, Assistant Editor
Hello! I’m David, the resident peon. Through my work here, I seek to improve my craft and help the editors achieve their vision. In addition to submitting work to various contests and publications, I am writing my first full-length novel, Temple of the Dragon God. In my writing, I am devoted to bringing back the stories of old: the heart-pounding adventure, the high, personal stakes. My characters aren't interested in saving the world, but sometimes that happens anyway.
I write mostly fantasy, often dark, with the occasional sci-fi or horror story thrown in. I live in Arizona with my wife, two teenagers, and Winston, a loyal companion with a single brain cell bouncing around in his noggin.
Anthony Goodwin, Editorial Assistant
Anthony is a freelance writer from Washington, Missouri. As a card-carrying father, LGBTIA+ member, and creator, he enjoys being asked to make decisions, being unable to make decisions, and just making something up on the spot instead.
Stuart Docherty, Editorial Assistant
Stuart is a British writer, poet, and editor based in Tokyo, where he writes, eats too much, and pretends to speak Japanese. You can find his work at ergot., Maudlin House, and Black Hare Press.
He has been volunteering at Grendel Press since 2023 and previously worked as a first reader for The Dread Machine.
Sabrina Hunter, Editorial Assistant
Sabrina is a 2023 graduate from the University of California, Riverside. She aspires to become an editor full-time, and in the meantime is gaining work experience, her aspirations bringing her to volunteering for Grendel Press. She enjoys writing poetry and hopes to publish some in the future.