We Mostly Come Out at Night

M

y name is Rob Costello (he/him). Before I discovered writing, I cleaned toilets and flipped burgers for a living. I dealt cards in a casino. I processed trade documents for an international bank. I dispatched police and emergency services, and answered 911 calls. I’ve been a receptionist, a secretary, and a chief of staff. I was a social media manager for a while and even a speechwriter.

In 2012, I earned my MFA degree in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’m proud of that. But it doesn’t mean I know how to write any better than anybody else. It just means I tried really hard and did my best. 

I’m also an alumnus of the Millay Colony for the Arts, a beautiful and secluded retreat for artists and writers located on the former estate of the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. It’s an amazing place. I highly recommend it!

In addition to writing short stories and novels, I also teach.

In June of 2023, I launched R(ev)ise and Shine! (with co-founders Lesa Cline-Ransome, Jo Knowles, and Jennifer Richard Jacobson), an online writing community where passionate writers come together to learn, grow, & thrive.

My husband and I live on top of a wide and windy hill in the countryside of upstate New York, where we dutifully take orders from our four-legged overlords who graciously allow us to live with them. And feed them. And walk them twice daily. And pick up their poo. 

Want to know anything else? Just ask. I answer most questions, and I generally don’t bite!

I am an active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) and a full member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

I am represented by Marie Lamba at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.