Our Team

Lisa Diane Kastner, Founder & Executive Editor

Lisa Diane Kastner is the Founder and Executive Editor of Running Wild Press. She’s been a writer and editor for more than twenty years. Featured in Forbes, she has her MFA in Creative Writing with concentrations in Fiction and Nonfiction from Fairfield University, her MBA from Pennsylvania State University, her undergraduate from Drexel University, and is also an alumni of Moorestown Friends Upper School. Lisa began Running Wild with the belief that we can change the world through storytelling. She is also the author of the CURE series, a thriller/magical realism/dark fiction world featuring Luna Metis and nefariously mischievous lycanthropes.

Likes: Great stories, great writing, writing in-between genres, laughter, joy, a collaborative effort, great food, great drinks, great music, art, travel, dancing from the heart, singing like no one is around, great friends and family.

Dislikes: Negativity for negativity sake, offering problems without possible solutions, days so hot that she’d turn into a piece of burnt toast within moments of walking into the sunlight, okra.

Chat with Lisa on Bluesky at @runningwildllc.bsky.social or Instagram at 60shadesofred or Twitter at @LisaDKastner or FaceBook  or TikTok @lisakastner843 or LinkedIn

James Aquilone, Owner of Monstrous Books & Acclaimed Author

James Aquilone is the owner of Monstrous Books, writer of the Dead Jack Zombie Detective series, and editor of the anthologies Classic Monsters Unleashed, Shakespeare Unleashed, and the 50th anniversary Kolchak: The Night Stalker graphic novel. He’s won the Bram Stoker Award and the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, and he’s been nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award. jamesaquilone.com

Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett & Acquisitions Editor

Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett is an acclaimed writer, activist, and storyteller whose work has been recognized for its innovative approach to storytelling. His debut book, Dark Corners, was named Best Fiction of 2019 by Kirkus Reviews. His forthcoming novel, Orbital Bebop, is slated for release in March 2026. Hayslett’s writing has appeared in esteemed publications, including The Surreal South Anthology, Oregon Literary Review, and Splinter Generation.

In addition to his literary accomplishments, Hayslett brings years of experience producing oral storytelling shows in New York City and a background in political activism, where he has fought for economic equality, workers’ rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and digital privacy rights.

Benjamin White, Acquisitions Editor & Acclaimed Poet

When Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Ben White retired from the United States Coast Guard, he defended his doctoral dissertation, letting the Coast Guard keep the “LC” while he kept the “DR.” Then, when Dr. Ben White was earning his third Master’s degree – an MFA from the University of Tampa – he somehow thought he was a poet. But he is not a poet at all. He is a witness. What he writes is testimony.  Ben is the author of The Kill Gene, Buddha Bastinado Blues, a Running Wild Press Novella, The Cuban, and poems that have appeared in So Say We All, The Purple Breakfast Review, Proud To Be, and various online journals.

Peter A. Wright, Acquisitions Editor & Editor

Cody Sisco, Editor & Acclaimed Author

Cody Sisco is an author, editor, publisher, and literary community organizer. As an author, his speculative fiction straddles the divide between plausible and extraordinary. In 2017 Cody co-founded Made in L.A. Writers, an indie author co-op dedicated to the support and appreciation of independent authors. His startup, BookSwell, makes the LA literary landscape easier to navigate, introduces readers to new writing, and interweaves digital and real-life literary experiences.

Likes: Surprises in fiction. Organizing literary events. The fruits of unbridled imagination. Helping authors realize their full potential.

Dislikes: Surprises in real life. Contextless assertions. Preventable disasters. Flying termite season.

on Twitter: @codysisco

Resa Alboher, Editor

Resa Alboher, after living for many years in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, has come full circle and is living in Los Angeles, The City of Angels, her city of birth. She misses real winter and deep snow but loves the jacarandas and the warmth of the desert and ocean breezes. She is a founding editor of the International literary journal St. Petersburg Review, on the board of Springhouse Journal, coaches and consults on writing independently, and with both WriteByNight and LA Writers Group, and was lucky enough to have been a lecturer for nearly a decade for the famed Summer Literary Seminars, St. Petersburg. She holds an MFA from the University of Tampa and has studied poetry at the Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire.

Likes: Jacarandas, coffee, books, bookstores, mourning doves, all dogs, most cats, long walks in deep snow, all the names for the full moons such as Strawberry Moon, Wolf Moon, Sturgeon Moon etc., Russian/Armenian tea with thyme, Georgian khachapuri, halva, tacos, Thai Food, the Neva River and the Pacific Ocean, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, kindness, compassion, peace, gentle humor and deep conversations that go all night long….

Dislikes: War, racism, suffering, cruelty, violence, poverty, despair, death, and most reality TV…

Rebecca Dimyan, Editor

Rebecca Dimyan is an award-winning writer whose nonfiction essays and short fiction have appeared in national and international print and online publications. She teaches writing and literature at several universities in Connecticut. An experienced editor who specializes in long & short fiction projects, creative nonfiction, health and wellness writing, and cultural narratives, Rebecca is excited to join the team of talented editors and impressive authors at Running Wild Press.

Likes: Drinking hot tea all year round, driving with the windows down and radio on, and writing that inspires, provokes, and surprises 

Dislikes: Traffic, folding laundry, hiccups, and run-on sentences

Aimee Hardy, Editor & Acclaimed Author

Aimee Hardy is a writer and editor based in Birmingham, AL. She was born and raised in the South (Forever I love Atlanta!), and absolutely loves the richness that comes with storytelling. She has a B.A. and M.A. in English through National University and helps run monthly writer’s workshops and professional development sessions for teachers who want to infuse more writing into their classrooms. She has been published in Stonecoast Review, Running Wild Press, Havik2020, Bluntly Lit Mag, Adelaide Literary Magazine, and Lost Pilots Lit. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for Short Fiction in 2020. When she’s not writing or editing, she is going on adventures with her husband and two kids.

Likes: interesting stories, unique perspectives, anything spooky, diving into projects, hot tea, hiking, long runs

Dislikes: crowds, being hangry/sleepy/cold, the words snuggle and moist

Website: www.aimeehardy.com

Instagram/Twitter: @aimeenhardy

Henry L. Herz, Editor & Publisher

Henry Herz earned degrees from Cornell, Georgetown, and George Washington University. He is the traditionally published author of 11 children’s books and eight children’s short stories. Henry’s adult fantasy, sci-fi, and horror short stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction and numerous anthologies. He edited the anthologies BEYOND THE PALE (adult dark fantasy), COMING OF AGE (middle grade, Albert Whitman & Co.) and THE HITHERTO SECRET EXPERIMENTS OF MARIE CURIE (YA horror, Blackstone Publishing).

Likes: author panels at San Diego Comic-Con and other events, animals (especially dogs), trees (especially birch), astronomy, succulents, humor, word play, worldbuilding, kindness, lox, gherkins, and Boston Creme pie (but not together)

Dislikes: Lima beans, hatred and intolerance, licorice, putting politics ahead of democracy, nonpareils, argument not based on facts, incompetence, and homeowners associations

Website: https://www.henryherz.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henry.herz/
Twitter: @HenryLHerz

Cecilia Kennedy, Editor

Cecilia Kennedy is an editor for Running Wild Press. She earned a PhD in Spanish literature at The Ohio State University and taught English composition/literature and Spanish language/literature in Ohio for 20 years before moving to Washington state with her family, which includes a very demanding cat.  Currently, she also trains online writing tutors part-time for an education publishing company. Since 2017, she has published her stories in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and England. Her work has appeared in Maudlin House, Coffin Bell, Idle Ink, Open Minds Quarterly, Headway Quarterly, Flash Fiction Magazine, and others. The Places We Haunt (2020)is her first short story collection. Additionally, she thoroughly enjoys being a volunteer adult beverages columnist for The Daily Drunk and an editor and proofreader for Flash Fiction Magazine. 

Likes: Running in virtual 5Ks (and collecting the participation medals), writing, cooking, dark tales, funny stories, sea stars, music of all kinds (especially live), and seeing theatrical performances or comedy on stage. 

Dislikes: Traffic, snow, sore feet, comma splices (unless there’s a super good reason to use them).

Twitter: @ckennedyhola

Barbara Lockwood, Editor

After leaving a satisfying career in medicine, Barbara Lockwood embraced her love of the well-written narrative and joined Running Wild Press to help their amazing authors birth their books and send them out into the world. She lives with her husband, cat, and bunny in a reconstructed church in the boondocks.

Likes: Brilliant writing, new ideas, different perspectives, communing with nature, creating art, sharing expertise, but most of all learning, learning, learning, and bunnies and kitties.

Dislikes: People whose minds are so closed that no new ideas can squeeze in and people whose minds are so open their brains have fallen out. Bad grammar except when purposefully used in creative ways, which is rare!

Lisa Montagne, Editor

As the Director of Education for Running Wild Press, Dr. Lisa Montagne is the administrator of the learning management system, oversees curriculum development, and trains and guides instructors. Dr. Montagne brings many years of experience in the arts and in education to this position. She is a visual and performance artist, a writer, a college English professor, and former director of educational technology and online learning at Fullerton College in Orange County, California. She is active in distance education leadership at the local and state levels, and she keeps up-to-date with current federal and California state standards for distance education for accredited higher education institutions. She has 20 years of experience teaching college English, and 17 years of experience teaching writing classes in an online environment. She has taught composition and literature at University of California Irvine, Irvine Valley College, and Long Beach City College. She has B.A. in English with a drama minor, an M.A. in English literature, and a doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in online learning. She was a Carnegie Foundation Research Fellow, and she is an alumna of the Yale Writer’s Workshop. Her creative non-fiction and personal narrative essays have been published by Running Wild Press and Boomer Reviews. Her blog “Talking Out of My Pie Hole” is at lisamontagne.com. She has performed her poetry all over Los Angeles for Linda Kaye Presents, at the Beyond Baroque literary center, and for Lummis Day 2016.