Syn McDonald

Syn McDonald was born in Richmond, Virginia, and spent most of his childhood moving around the country before settling in Wisconsin, where he raised two children. Despite being disabled for much of his adult life, he enjoyed a long career as a Respiratory Therapist, culminating in a Supervisory position before being diagnosed with primary grade II brain cancer. After losing his career, Syn decided to become the writer he always wanted to be, starting with nonfiction. In 2020 he moved to Portland, Oregon to be near his son and grandson and found himself free to be who he always was. A lifelong fan of speculative fiction, Syn writes adult horror and other short stories. He has stories published in eleven anthologies. In March 2026, his first horror novella was published. A nonfiction memoir of his cancer diagnosis is planned, followed by an anthology of short horror stories and other speculative fiction this summer.