Meet TL Hutton: Founder and Senior Editor

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Meet : The Artist Behind the Abyss

Every story has a texture. Every world has a design. For our founder, TL Hutton, crafting a tale is never just about arranging words on a page; it's about building a universe. As a Mexican Cherokee artist, graphic designer, and seasoned author of dark fiction, TL doesn't just write stories—he designs them.

With over thirty-five years in the speculative fiction trenches, he approaches narrative with a designer's eye. He sees pacing in the same way a visual artist uses negative space. He sculpts character arcs with the precision of an architect drafting a blueprint. For TL, a story must look right, feel right, and have a structure that is both beautiful and terrifyingly sound.

This unique philosophy—that visual art and literary craft are two sides of the same obsidian coin—is the bedrock of Obsidian Skull Press. It’s a press built not just on a love for horror, but on a deep, foundational understanding of what makes a story resonate, haunt, and stick with you long after you’ve turned the final page.

A Story Forged in Fire and Culture

Born under the Cherokee sign of the Wolf on March 4, 1978, and adopted on the eve of his Mexica ancestors' Dia de los Muertos, TL Hutton’s life is a narrative in itself. His story winds from the sun-scorched deserts of his birthplace, Phoenix, Arizona, to the ancient, rolling hills of the Ozark Plateau—lands once walked by his Iroquoian forebears—and finally to the vibrant, humming heart of Roma Norte in Mexico City.

His path hasn't been a straight line. After a twelve-year pilgrimage away from the page, navigating the world as a retired landscape architect, TL felt the undeniable pull of his first loves: the Arts and storytelling. He returned to university not just to relearn his craft, but to master it. Now a full-time student pursuing a BA in Graphic Design and Media Arts, with plans for an MA in English and Creative Writing, he is on a mission to reclaim a lost passion and merge his artistic worlds into something entirely new.

This journey of rediscovery fuels his writing. TL is the architect of his Darkness Writhing Mythos and the A Man Who Followed Hell series, and the mind behind over seventy short stories, many of which you’ll find here for the very first time. His work delves into the soul-searching darkness of those caught between cultures, battling against the crushing weight of social norms, political guile, and the eternal search for identity, faith, and purpose.

A story is only as strong as the voices that tell it. TL is a fierce advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, not just as a buzzword, but as a core principle. He founded Obsidian Skull Press to be a sanctuary for the compelling, the challenging, and the unheard. Under his guidance, the press is a home for narratives that tackle the issues others shy away from, sparking conversations that provoke thought and inspire change.

This commitment extends beyond the written word with Yōcoya Design, a dedicated division of Obsidian Skull Press focused on injecting the rich, vibrant, and often overlooked influences of Latinx, Mesoamerican, and Native American art into the contemporary landscape. It’s more than a business venture; it’s a cultural reclamation project.

When he’s not wrestling with scholarly articles, conjuring new nightmares, or obsessing over vector graphics in the Adobe Creative Cloud, TL is a man of diverse and delightful obsessions. You might find him:

Defending the Realm: Standing firmly against cultural imperialism and fighting for the rights and equality of Latinx, Native American, and all marginalized communities.
Chasing Tacos & Tamales: Enjoying street tacos and a cold cerveza at a local cantina, or hunting for the perfect Mesoamerican coffee deco.
Geeking Out: Getting his nerd on in MMOs and MMORPGs. Find him conquering digital worlds on Steam as @AztecNerd.
World-Building in Pixels: Designing vast, intricate landscapes in Unreal Engine.
A Pack Leader: Spoiling his Gummy Bear-addicted canine companions, Maya and Aries.
Pondering the Great Mysteries: He firmly believes in aliens (and often wonders why they seem to only abduct drunken Hill Folk). He’s genuinely curious if Sasquatch actually likes beef jerky. And yes, owning a zombie for a pet and a wallet made of chupacabra leather are both very high on his bucket list.

TL Hutton is a creator, a scholar, an advocate, and a storyteller who believes a well-designed world can change everything. He invites you to join him on this journey into the beautifully dark, the artistically profound, and the authentically human.

“I am no great artist. I am no Alighieri, no Milton, no Cervantes, no Dickens, Payno, King, nor Moreno-Garcia. I have always felt compelled to write. It is the gift bequeathed to me by the Viejos Dioses. So, I have always written."

- TL Hutton

“Writing has always been my means to live in relative harmony with mis demonios. Obsidian Skull Press is no different; like the ruler of the Mexica Triple Alliance, who placed his living bestiary of animal and human monstrosities on public display for all to see, Obsidian Skull Press was given nascence to share mis demonios with you, Dear Reader. It is the Menagerie to my Montezuma II.”

- TL Hutton

“As a niño I had a vision. A vision that, over time, evolved into a dream. And that dream is to build an inclusive online, as well as international brick-and-mortar, presence within the Arts and Literary communities, where all can share, hear, and celebrate the Arts and those unsung voices who, like the Old Gods, breathe into them life.”

- TL Hutton

Meet : The Artist Behind the Abyss

A Story Forged in Fire and Culture

When he’s not wrestling with scholarly articles, conjuring new nightmares, or obsessing over vector graphics in the Adobe Creative Cloud, TL is a man of diverse and delightful obsessions. You might find him:

“I am no great artist. I am no Alighieri, no Milton, no Cervantes, no Dickens, Payno, King, nor Moreno-Garcia. I have always felt compelled to write. It is the gift bequeathed to me by the Viejos Dioses. So, I have always written."

- TL Hutton

A Mission with Purpose

The Man Behind the Skull

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