Cliff Starks

Cliff Starks grew up on the West Side of Chicago, where imagination was survival and art was a weapon. Accepted into the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Young Artist Studio at fourteen, he earned a scholarship to the Chicago School of Fine Arts before continuing his studies at Mt. San Antonio College. Today, Starks fuses his background as a painter and illustrator with a lifelong passion for high-voltage storytelling. Creator of Athia Evangeline Pahl as The Dark Virago, his influences span Stan Lee's cosmic scale, Bruce Lee's philosophy, Rod Serling's shadowy suspense, and classic Heavy Metal magazine pulp. Starks writes supernatural thrillers where the eerie meets the human, crafting stories full of grit, monsters, and visceral conflict. His worlds read like they crawled straight out of a dark sketchbook and onto the screen—bold, cinematic tales where the supernatural walks right alongside the living, designed to leave a lasting mark.

• ATHIA EVANGELINE PAHL As The DARK VIRAGO — When tragedy strikes, destiny awakens. Dark Virago at Amazon Books