Jeffery Hess served six years in the U.S. Navy aboard the fleet's oldest and newest ships before going on to earn a BA in English from the University of South Florida and an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte. He is the editor of the award-winning anthology, Home of the Brave: Stories in Uniform (Press 53) and the recently-released follow-up, Home of the Brave: Somewhere in the Sand. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in print and online publications such as Red, White and True: Stories from Veterans and Families, World War II to Present; Midway Journal; O-Dark-Thirty; Noir Nation; Needle: A Magazine of Noir; Shotgun Honey; r.kv.r.y.; Plots with Guns; The MacGuffin; Prime Number Magazine; The Tampa Tribune; Writer's Journal; and others. He lives in Tampa where he writes and leads the DD-214 Writers' Workshop for military veterans.