Justin Alcala is a published author, poet and freelance writer—He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 12, 1982, raised in a working-class district of South Chicago. 
 
 Justin attended class at Roosevelt University, studying English with a specialization in creative writing. He entered his first short poem, "The Ocean Sisters Three," on a writer’s community board in 2008 and received remarkable praise. This would be the spark that ignited Justin’s writing career. Throughout his early twenties, he continued to pen short stories for online communities, entering in several competitions, national contests and web-galas. Many of these were later gathered and copyrighted.
 
In the summer of 2008, Justin began his first supernatural thriller, “Consumed.” In late 2013, Zharmae Publishing contracted the horror novel, and released a due date of October 2014. Justin is also working on several other manuscripts, including "The Devil in the Wide City," a fictional piece about a fallen angel who started the Great Chicago Fire.
 
When asked why he writes, Justin replied simply: " I would do it for free for the rest of my life. It's just what I was made to do.” When asked what inspires his more terrifying tales he answered, “I’ve always been the kid who gets excited for Halloween and ghost stories. It just comes natural for me. Maybe that makes me macabre, but I kind of like it.”
 
His influences include authors Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and modern writer, Christopher Moore and Jim Butcher. His favorite poets include Robinson Jeffers and Shel Silverstein. In his writings, Justin relies on first person perspective, and tends to integrate multiple point of views throughout different chapters. He also tends to make the location, season and time of story reflect the protagonist’s conflict, emotions and demeanor.
 
Justin currently lives in downtown Chicago with his wife Mallory, their Great Dane, Poseidon, and their black unlucky cat, Misery.