Where to find me & how to contact me

I can reached by e-mail or by comments posted at my online accounts.

Biography

Official bio: Dusk Peterson writes historical speculative fiction on hope in dark times. Peterson's stories are set in alternative worlds inspired by late antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the gaslamp era, and the Atomic Age. Within dark settings, transformation occurs through the bonds of love: family affection, friendship, comradery, platonic life-companionships, and romance (queer and not queer).

Work life: A writer since age eight, I began releasing my fiction in 2002, in the form of serializations at m/m fiction e-mail lists. I founded my e-book press, Love in Dark Settings Press, in 2007. In 2018, I turned the press's mission toward subscription e-books. In the past, I've worked as a history writer, a newspaper reporter and copy editor, an e-zine publisher and editor, a historical researcher for other authors, an editorial assistant to history editors, a library assistant, a college archive assistant, a bookstore clerk, an office supplies store clerk, and a 5&10 clerk who lusted after the contents of the stationery section.

Personal life: Born in 1963, I was initially raised in a university community just outside the rural village of Berrien Springs, Michigan. I mainly lived from ages eight to fifty-one in the New Deal planned community of Greenbelt, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, D.C.). A graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis (which has a Great Books curriculum), I lived in Annapolis for five years, in Baltimore for five years, and in England – primarily Oxford – for an accumulated total of two years. Since 2014, I have lived in northern Maryland with my platonic life-companion. A homebody (even before the pandemic!), I divide most of my time between reading, writing, housework, family life, and other aspects of simple living.

Pronouns: they/their/them.

Honorific: Mx.

Memberships: SFWA and fandom.

Award-winning stories

Click on each title below for more information about the story and the honor it received.

Rainbow Awards

An awards contest for LGBTA literature.

• 2020–2021: The Awakening (Turn-of-the-Century Toughs: Dungeon Guards).
• 2018–2019: Danger (Turn-of-the-Century Toughs: Dark Light).
• 2017: Sweet Blood (Turn-of-the-Century Toughs: The Eternal Dungeon).
• 2016: Risk (Turn-of-the-Century Toughs: Dark Light).
• 2014: Mercy's Prisoner (Turn-of-the-Century Toughs: Life Prison).
• 2013: Master and Servant #1: The Abolitionist (Turn-of-the-Century Toughs: Waterman).
• 2012: Law of Vengeance (Chronicles of the Great Peninsula: The Three Lands).
• 2011: The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus (Turn-of-the-Century Toughs: The Eternal Dungeon).

Story lists

Chronicles of the Great Peninsula timeline, with stories linked in chronological order.

Turn-of-the-Century Toughs timeline, with stories linked in chronological order.

Story tags.

List of published fiction.

Content warning for my stories

Most of my stories are speculative fiction set in worlds inspired by historical settings. Many forms of bigotry and oppression are fought against by characters in my stories. Other societal evils await reform at a future date and may be countenanced by sympathetic characters. In addition, bigotry that occurs in our world may not be present in these worlds.

If there are any specific topics you're seeking, or are seeking to avoid, feel free to e-mail me with your questions.

For my online fiction posted at archives, these are the ratings I use:

T = References to sexuality, brief onscreen violence, and/or sensitive topics.

M = Onscreen sex, extended onscreen violence, and/or extended treatment of sensitive topics.

Regarding my e-books, all of the stories in Chronicles of the Great Peninsula fall into the T category. Turn-of-the-Century Toughs contains a mixture of T and M stories, the latter mainly due to extended treatment of sensitive topics.

AI policy

My AI policy.

Fanworks and commissioned art of my writings

Shared Universes. Stories and art set in my worlds by other writers and artists.

See also this information: My fanworks blanket permission.

Links

Links. Authors I especially like, and websites I visit for historical research.