Midnight Meadow is an indie publisher of LGBTQIA+ fiction. We are neurodivergently owned and (at least partly) operated. We are doing things a little differently here, and we think that is a good thing.
Midnight Meadow was founded on the belief that there can never be too much LGBT+ literature in the world. We firmly believe in fostering relationships with our authors like a found family. Which means we are dedicated to helping our authors succeed.
Check out our staff below for more information!
E.J. Astrophel (She/her)
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Elizabeth Jeannel is a sapphic ace author of queer stories she wishes she’d had in her yesteryears and insistent that all of them end happily. Elizabeth has been writing actively since the age of ten. She first self-published in 2015, a novel and sequel (published 2016), which have now been removed from sales distribution. Her writing switched to f/f romance in 2017, and queer stories have been her main focus ever since. She is the founder of Midnight Meadow, an artist, a photographer, and a gamer when she can squeeze in the time. When not writing, she can usually be found wrangling her small farm, hyperfixating on the wrong thing, or consuming just shy of too much caffeine. She currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri with her partner.
Ashley Senesac (She/her)
Administration
Kathy Hoehl (she/her)
Administration
Kathy is a bisexual/pansexual teacher turned librarian living in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Before joining us, she operated a successful book blog for a number of years and writes poetry and fiction in her free time. She also loves reading anything and everything, especially if it involves relatable characters and complex storylines. She lives with her wife, dog, and rapidly growing TBR collection in an apartment that always has ice cream stocked in the freezer.
Cal Fable (He/Him) ft. Mika
Acquisitions Team
Cal Fable is an editor by day and security guard by night — and a writer when he can find the time. He has seven years of experience editing fiction, nonfiction, academia, and research, working with a broad clientéle base from indie authors to university students to database directors. Specializing in heavy worldbuilding and fantastical elements, he loves stories that sate his bisexual, polyamorous desire for novelty and chaos. He also works as a sensitivity reader for transgender or neurodivergent characters, with a sprinkling of beta-reading for fanfiction writers on the side.
When actively procrastinating on revising his own novels, Cal enjoys rollerskating, videogaming, and making more D&D characters than he could ever play. Born in North Carolina and lured to Virginia by VCU’s forensic science classes, he has his sights set on Quincy, Massachusetts where he plans to lay down roots for a cattery-library-greenhouse with his nesting partner and their three cats.
Desiree Stafford (She/her)
Acquisitions Team
Desiree R. Stafford is a biracial Filipina-American who has been writing since a young age, starting with short stories and moving to novels that take you out of this world. She has experimented in all sorts of genres from a poetry collection and a short story collection to sci-fi/dystopian novels to historical fiction and loves to explore all sorts of characters, stories, and experiences. She has worked in many fields like teaching, ghostwriting, management and more, but editing and writing is her main passion.
If she is not writing or reading, you can find her working on her coursework for her Master’s in Arts degree or spending time with her boys.
Dr. Samantha Baugus Ph.D. (she/her)
Editorial
Dr. Baugus has over 10 years of experience editing fiction, nonfiction, and academic writing, as well as over 5 years of experience teaching at the collegiate level. In 2015, Dr. Baugus earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative,
her Master of Arts in English Education from Old Dominion University in 2017, and her Ph.D. in English and Women’s Studies from the University of Florida in 2022. She also serves as the Director of Creative Programming for the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts. Her expertise is in science fiction, fantasy, environmental literature, and feminist and queer literature. Her research focuses on animals and the environment. She is the co-editor (along with Dr. Ayanni C. H. Cooper) of the forthcoming volume Creature Redux: Considering the Pasts, Presents, and Future of Chimera in Fiction and Popular Culture. She also serves as the language and copy editor for a number of academic journals.
Dr. Baugus lives in Springfield, MO, with her husband and three cats. When not working, she spends an inordinate amount of time on Discord, chatting with her book club friends instead of actually reading the books for said book club. She also enjoys puzzles, cross-stitching, D&D, and video games.
Kadan Astrophel
Acquisitions Lead
Kadan is a writer and musician living in Southeast Kansas. He has a background in sales, but a larger background in unfinished manuscripts.
Likely this position is a means to avoid finishing his book, but you didn’t read that here. You can usually find him on his phone reading up on his next hyperfixation, playing video games, or reading a good book.
Okay…okay. It’s probably a fanfic.
