Heroic Adventure Fiction is a travelogue of alternate timelines and shining worlds in splendor throughout the far-flung Empyrean, by author Michael A. DiBaggio and author/illustrator Shell ‘Presto’ DiBaggio.
We write in a variety of genres, from science fiction and urban fantasy to more classic fantasy like steampunk and fairy tales, and ranging from men's adventure fiction to romance — planetary and otherwise. Here you will (eventually) find not only all of our published stories, but new ones as we write them. It will also be the Internet home of Dauntless: the Heroic Adventure 'zine.
Why subscribe?
We write for fun, but financial support is always appreciated. While most of our stories will be free to read, we will offer bonus content exclusive to our paid subscribers, including story appendixes, artwork, and behind-the-scenes looks at our creative process, including concept sketches and design notes.
We also have several published novels and short story collections in both paperback and ebook format, most of which include those generous extras mentioned above. You can also support the site with a one-time donation on Paypal.
About the Authors
The stories are written and illustrated by a husband-and-wife team. We started writing together way back when we were dating, and were married six years before the Lord started blessing us with children. We both spend a lot of time with our two kids, homeschooling them and teaching them to share in our appreciation of Flash Gordon and 1960s Marvel comics, old Rankin-Bass and Marvel Studios (G.I. Joe, Dungeons and Dragons) animation, and building lots and lots of Legos.
We live in Pennsylvania, where we all share a home with two dogs and a one-eyed cat named Winky.
Michael A. DiBaggio
In addition to his duties as husband, father, and writer, Michael is a professonal software engineer. Whatever time is left over he devotes to the more humane and sophisticated interests of painting toy soldiers, devising alternate histories, and organizing RPG and wargame campaigns.
His favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Tim Powers, and Manly Wade Wellman.
Michael is a founder of the In Hoc Signo Society, a Christian tabletop gaming fellowship, and edits their online magazine, The Splendor of Fire. He also has a YouTube channel, Attention Span Labs that covers everything from wargaming to comic books to reading our stories and others in a convenient and entertaining audiobook format.
Shell "Presto" DiBaggio
Shell’s nickname ‘Presto’ made perfect sense until she swapped her cumbersome Italian maiden name (Prestileo) for her new Italian married name. Shell does most of the Ascension Epoch’s artwork. She also handles some of the writing responsibilities, and a good chunk of the editing. The English major in the family, she has worked writing software user manuals and, before that, worked in journalism. Now she's a homeschooling stay-at-home mom, and is grateful for the opportunity to spend so much time with her kids.
Shell tries to fit in as much writing and drawing as she can. When she’s not writing or drawing, Shell enjoys watching anime; reading comic books; and reading a mix of classic and new indie sci-fi, fantasy, or horror stories. Before she started pouring most of her free time into Ascension Epoch stories, she was an avid video gamer, tearing through Capcom fighters and any RPG with the word “Fantasy” or “Phantasy” in the title.
Shell’s favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, Richard Matheson, Peter S. Beagle, Anthony Burgess, and Mary Shelley.
Her favorite artists are John Byrne, Pat Broderick, Chris Bachalo, Charles Schulz, Nobuteru Yuki, and Ai Yazawa.
You can watch Shell draw on her YouTube channel. She does have a Twitter/X account at @ShellPresto , but warning: she checks it infrequently.
