Peter A BalaskasBorn in Brooklyn from Italian/Greek descent, Peter is indeed a man of many professions - including a microfilm clerk, an environmental and pharmaceutical chemist, a theatre actor, a freelance news camera operator, an NBC Page for The Tonight Show, a amera technician for NBC/Universal Studios, and, from 2004-2009, Owner/Managing Editor of Ex Machina Press, LLC, the proud parent of Silent Voices: A Creative Mosaic Of Fiction, until he finally discovered his niche: speculative fiction writer, playwright, freelance journalist, SEO web content copywriter, and copyeditor. His early literary influences include Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Edgar Allen Poe, Rod Serling, and many others. His theatrical influences include Neil Simon, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Donald Mergulies, David Mamet, Brian Friel, and Shakespeare, of course. His fiction and poetry have been published internationally. His gothic horror novella, "The Chameleon's Addiction" was a semi-finalist in the 2004 Glacier Press Writing Contest and is now published in Bardic Tales and Sage Advice, Volume Two by Bards and Sages Publishing, who also published his short novel, The Grandmaster, a supernatural thriller that takes place during the Holocaust. Originally his graduate master's thesis, The Grandmaster ranked second in Bards and Sages nationwide Speculative Fiction Novel Contest, and has been awarded 2007 Best Science Fiction Novel by the Hollywood and New England Book Festivals. It is now on sale at amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. His short story collection, the PUSHCART PRIZE NOMINATED In Our House, has also been published by Bards and Sages and is now available on amazon.com. His short story, "Chamber Music" was awarded 2012 Best Short Story by the Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition(EPIC). Peter has also transitioned into playwriting. His short play, "Call These Delicate Creatures Ours, and Not Their Appetites," was a finalist at Theatre Odyssey's Eleventh Annual Ten-minute Play Festival. His other short play, "Confessions at the Avenue P Barber Shop," was a finalist at the Weathervane Playhouse's 8X10 Theatrefest. Because of this success, he is exploring more playwriting in the near future. He also often serves as a freelance journalist for Montage Magazine, Newport Beach Magazine, Bespoke Magazine, Laguna Beach Magazine, and LA Splash Magazine. Peter is now living in Florida. Read More Read Less