Charlie Cottrell is a social studies and special education teacher in Northern Virginia by day and a novelist, cartoonist, and musician by night. His first novel, The Invisible Crown, was self-published in mid-2017. Charlie likes characters with flaws and impulsivity issues, smart-mouthed protagonists and haughty antagonists. He uses the term “speculative noir” to describe his stories: a bit of science-fiction, a bit of mystery, and a healthy dose of humor go into each piece. He takes his inspiration from writers like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Dashiel Hammett, and Ellery Queen. Charlie occasionally writes a daily webcomic, Sketches From Memory, and records lots of music.  He likes cardigans, puns, and the Oxford comma, in that order.