2024 Gold Conference Presenters

Veronica R. Calisto (she/her) is an alto, a writer of speculative fiction, and a big nerd. One of those rare Colorado natives, she has a degree in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and is a two-time American Idol reject. She is the author of several books, including Diary of a Mad Black Witch and the first two in the SparkleTits Chronicles series. She is also the co-editor of Bizarre Bazaar, a finalist for the 2023 Colorado Book Awards in the anthology category.

A 40-year television, film, and education veteran, Kevin Campbell started his career as a TV news journalist. He produced hundreds of news stories as well as TV commercials, marketing videos, and education/training content. He also taught video production for high school and college students. He wrote and produced his first feature film, Cheerleader Ninjas, which sold to Lionsgate Entertainment and is now streaming on Tubi, Apple, Amazon Prime, and Philo. In 2008 he worked with “Save the Cat” author Blake Snyder at the Creative Screenwriting Expo in Los Angeles. Kevin was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s Gold Rush Literary Awards in 2021 for his rom-com novel, “Kamikaze GIrl,” and was a Semi-Finalist in the 2022 Emerging Screenwriters competition for his horror-comedy Blood Rush.

Jacquelin Cangro worked at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster for more than twenty years. Now, as an independent developmental editor and book coach, she’s reviewed hundreds of novel manuscripts, providing writers with feedback to revise their stories. Her areas of interest include historical, YA, women’s fiction, romance, and upmarket. She teaches creative writing at GrubStreet and The Loft, and she’s presented workshops at writing conferences around the world.

Caitee Cooper is an author, mom, and chocolate enthusiast who loves all things artsy and outdoorsy. She studied psychology, music, and business management at the University of Wyoming and, together with her husband, has helped start and manage several small businesses, including her author business. Caitee currently lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming with her husband, their two young sons, and a mostly feral barn cat.

Z.J. Czupor is immediate past president of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and an active member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. In addition to writing monthly columns for Rogue Women Writers, his latest thriller, “Cut Right Through Me,” and mystery, “When The Fog Rises” are published at zjames.substack.com. He’s also the author of “THE BIG WEIRD: Haikus in Times of Pandemic and Chaos.” Z.J. is represented by Terrie Wolf, founder and owner of AKA Literary Management.

Miranda Darrow is a freelance editor, #RevPit board member, and writer. After graduating with a degree in English (and then a law degree), she became a practicing attorney but never lost the urge to read and write fiction. Taking an in-house counsel position fifteen years ago allowed her the time to develop her writing and editing skills. She’s a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, the Professional Editors Network, has a certificate in developmental editing from Jennifer Lawler’s Club Ed, and is a frequent presenter to writing groups. Her logic skills honed as an attorney are an asset in detecting and remedying timeline issues, plot inconsistencies, as well as pacing and story arc concerns. Miranda loves forced proximity, ‘80s music, obscure sports, Schitt’s Creek, crochet, reality TV, and road trips (through history, space, or to someplace new to discover). She works with most fiction genres and age categories.

Rachel Dempsey* is a writer of horror, mystery and thrillers living in Denver. Her short fiction has been published by Shacklebound Books, Brigids Gate Press, Timber Ghost Press and Twenty Bellows (Pushcart nominated, 2023). She holds a BFA in Drama and English from NYU’S Tisch, a Master’s in Journalism from Georgetown and an MFA in Creative Writing from Regis.

Z.S. Diamanti* is the award-winning author of the Stone & Sky series, an epic fantasy adventure and the result of his love for fun and fantastical stories. His short works have been published in magazines, literary journals, newspapers, and books. He went to college for a very long time and has far too many pieces of paper on his wall. He is a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and worked in ministry for over 10 years before pursuing creative endeavors full-time. He and his wife reside in Colorado with their four children where they enjoy hikes, camping, and tabletop games.

Linda (LV) Ditchkus is the award-winning author of The Sasquatch Series and was published in the 2022 Bizarre Bazaar anthology. She was a team leader and judge for the 2022 Self Published Science Fiction Competition (evaluating 50 of 300 submitted novels) and a judge for the 2022 CCWE Youth Writing Contest. Linda conducted developmental and substantive editing for two of the noncompetitive anthologies published by the Speculative Fiction Writers critique group. Through self-publishing her own books, she is intimately familiar with marketing and set-up with Amazon and Ingram.

Jason Evans has been an active member in the Colorado Writing community for over ten years. He has published four novels, including his debut, the Gallowglass, which was released in July of 2019 to much acclaim. He has had a dozen short stories published and has taught writing classes at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Denver Pop Culture Con, and the Colorado Gold. His collection of short stories, entitled “Stories I tell my Friends,” will be published later this fall. He is married to The Fetching Mrs. Evans, and together they have one cantankerous cat.

Tom Farrell is RMFW’s 2024 Writer of the Year. He has worked as a golf course starter, a chemist and clerked at City Hall in Chicago while attending law school. He is the author of The Wager Series, including Wager Tough (Book One), WagerEasy (Book Two) and Wager Smart (Book Three). Each book has received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. Wager Tough was selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best Indie Mystery Thrillers of 2021. Wager Smart was selected as an Editor’s Pick by Kirkus Reviews. Indies Today Book Reviews called Wager Smart “The best of Tom Farrell’s books so far,” and selected Wager Smart as a Finalist for its book award. Each book is available as an audiobook and narrated by Josh Innerst, an Earphones Award Winner.

Kerrie Flanagan (Crave Books) is an accomplished author, writing consultant, instructor, and freelance writer with over 25 years of experience in the publishing industry. As the Event & Outreach Manager for CraveBooks, Kerrie works to connect authors with their readership and organizes CraveBooks writing events, including the Book Ninja Summit. Kerrie is the author of The Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing and creator of the online course, Magazine Writing Blueprint. She has also published twenty-three other books, including three sci-fi/fantasy series’ co-authored under the pen name C.G. Harris and two romantic comedies with S.E. Reichert. Her expertise and passion for teaching writers has led her to present at writing conferences across the country and teaching continuing studies classes through Stanford University.

Sydnee Fullmer is a professional actor and voice-over artist who specializes in audiobook narration. She has been narrating for just over five years and has produced over 300 audiobooks with over 1 million copies sold. Her emotive, full-voiced narrations have made her one of the most sought after narrators in many romance genres. She is on the rosters of many production companies and publishers and is also the founder and CEO of Bordeaux V.O. and Entertainment INC. Last year she produced over 1000 finished hours of audio for Indie Authors. She is a huge proponent of “Own Voices” and “Human Voices Only” Initiatives and strives to provide Indie Authors with affordable, professional, and exceptional audiobooks.

Nanette Gamily’s debut Native American crime fiction novel, CRY FOR THE CHILD, is represented by Josh Getlzer at HG Literary. She’s an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, a Tin House Finalist, a Regis University MFA graduate, and a guest blogger for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She is a self-professed true crime junkie who lives in Denver with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog.

John Gilstrap is the New York Times and Thriller Award-winning author of over two dozen thrillers. A frequent speaker at literary events, he has taught writing seminars at dozens of venues, including the Smithsonian and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

Ryanne Glenn started writing short stories when she was ten and was first published in Fruita’s local newspaper. She took her first creative writing class in high school, and was inspired to expand her writing into poetry and longer stories. After struggling with depression in her first year at college, she turned back to writing as a healthy outlet for her emotions. She wants to write strong female role models and is excited to share her stories with the world. Ryanne Glenn works in Denver for a digital pathology company. She loves to golf, though after playing for twelve years, her handicap should be much lower than it is. Between writing and classes, she often visits her hometown of Fruita, Colorado to spend time with her family and dog, Captain Carl.

Andre Gonzalez* is the author of all things thriller and horror. He and his wife run M4L Publishing, bringing other authors’ books to life in the same genres. Andre has been a member of RMFW since 2016, and has served as the liaison for the Professional Authors Alliance since 2019. He oversaw the merger of the former PAL and IPAL groups into the now united PAA. He is the recipient of RMFW’s 2021 Independent Writer of the Year Award.

Andre enjoys connecting with other authors and is always happy to talk about writing and publishing. You’ll likely find him buried under a long to-do list or his three young (and energetic) children.

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong is a Literary Agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, and is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). With eight years of industry experience and a published author herself, Cathie has been on both sides of the querying process and takes special care to remember how frustrating the agent search can feel. For that reason, she responds to every query.

A prolific reader of many genres, Cathie is especially drawn to Romance in all categories, and Domestic Suspense is the vein of Heather Gudenkauf, B.A. Paris, and Ruth Ware. She is also new to Fantasy Romance, and enjoys Bookclub Fiction, Courtroom Drama, Cozy Mysteries, and the occasional creepy/non-gory Horror. Cathie is especially interested in stories by authors from traditionally marginalized communities (i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and those with Neurodiverse experiences).

A 1992 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Cathie holds a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in History and is, unsurprisingly, a rabid OU Sooners Football fan. She currently lives in Southeastern Minnesota where she and her husband of 32 years recently joined the ranks of the “Empty Nest Club.”

Amber Herbert* is a (mostly) speculative fiction author living in Colorado Springs. She holds a BA in English Literature and has worked as a freelance editor for seven years. Lipstick Covered Magnet was her first novel. She is also the current RMFW technology chair and conference admin.

When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys baking, playing board games, and watching and critiquing TV and film.

Beverly Jenkins* is the recipient of the 2018 Michigan Author Award by the Michigan Library Association, the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance. She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature and was featured in the documentary Love Between the Covers and on CBS Sunday Morning. Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has led the charge for inclusive romance and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, NPR, and the New York Times.

In addition to serving as current RMFW Conference Co-Chair, Kate Jonuska* is a freelance writer, indie author, and part-time yoga teacher based in Boulder, CO. Her novel, Transference, was a finalist for the BookLife Prize and a Denver Post Staff Pick, and she often teaches workshops based on her non-fiction book, The Dictionary of Fiction Critique at Cons and conferences.

Melissa Koons has a passion for books and creative writing. She has won the Editor’s Choice Award for both her novel, Orion’s Honor, and her poetry. Melissa writes in various genres but primarily publishes historical fiction, short story horror, and poetry. Melissa works as a communications professional, tutor, relationship coach, grief coach, tarot reader, and ordained minister. When she’s not working, she’s taking care of her cats and turtles, and exploring the adventures of life.

Kim Lajevardi is a former teacher who traded the insanity of middle school science for that of working all day, every day with her family. What could go wrong? She’s written two upmarket books, both of which have either won or been recognized in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s Gold, Pikes Peak’s Zebulon, Pacific Northwest Association’s contest, and more recently, by the Tucson Festival of Books. Her dragon fantasy book was also recognized by both Pikes Peak’s Zebulon and Pacific Northwest Association. She’s an active part of both her local writing community and the online writing community, and she is fueled almost completely by coffee.

Mira Landry* is an associate literary agent with Corvisiero literary agency, currently acquiring upmarket and literary YA and Adult fiction. After a decade building her own business as a photographer, she’s eager to help authors turn their art into a career. As a chair on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ board of directors, she’s dedicated to building writing and literary communities through events and educational programming, and was co-chair for their Colorado Gold Conference. She has a Bachelors from the University of British Columbia and a Certificate of Creative Writing from Simon Fraser University. She also co-hosts a podcast called Writers Who Read, analyzing recently published books using Literary Forensics.

Karen Lin is a pitch and writing coach for award-winning and bestselling authors. She teaches for cruise lines and writers conferences. Many of her stories are inspired by her experience marrying into a Taiwanese family. Food is often a subplot. Mu Shu Mac & Cheese and American Moon: A Chinese Immigrant Story came out in 2020. She’s an award-winning author of shorts, poetry, essays, novels, and for years a monthly column for BTS Book Reviews. One of her stories is featured in the anthology Fresh Starts. She’s also a produced screenwriter. In her “spare time” she’s a hopeless foodie dragging her husband and their two sons around the world as she researches recipes for a literary cookbook. She was honored to be awarded the Pen Award in 2023 (thus PAA membership) and the Golden Nugget Award in 2016.

Kelley J. P. Lindberg writes award-winning fiction for adults and young adults, with stories appearing in literary magazines such as The Baltimore Review and The Citron Review, anthologies such as RMFW’s Bizarre Bazaar and Pikes Peak Writers’ Journey into Possibility, and in the Tellables app for the Amazon Alexa platform. She loves talking about writing with other writers and book lovers, and she leaves her audiences with plenty of “take away” information and tips they can use the very next day. When she isn’t writing from her home in Colorado, she’s traveling as far and as often as she can.

Laura Manuel was a law enforcement officer (LEO) for 21 years in Virginia & Colorado. She was a patrol officer and later an investigator in Person’s crimes. Her B.A. was from the University of Michigan, M.A. and Ph.D. from UNC in Psychology. She taught Psychology and Criminal Justice in her 23-year teaching career. Prior to retirement, she established and then directed the first police academy at FRCC.

Laurie Marr Wasmund has worked as an editor, community college instructor, and writing workshop presenter. Her short stories have appeared in magazines such as CIMARRON REVIEW and WEBER STUDIES. She is the author of MY HEART LIES HERE, a novel of the Ludlow Massacre; CLEAN CUT, A Romance of the Western Heart; and the WHITE WINTER TRILOGY. The third book of the Trilogy, To WALK HUMBLY, was a 2020 finalist for the Mainstream/Literary award from the Colorado Authors League. It also received a 2020 EVVY third place award in Historical Fiction from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Laurie is currently the Vice President and Membership Chair of Colorado Authors League.

Paul Martz has been an RMFW member since 2018 and was published in the 2020 Wild: Uncivilized Tales anthology. His past presentation skills include leading corporate training sessions and technology conference workshops.

Gary McBride produces Writers Who Read, a podcast based on the novels covered at Writers Who Read LIVE!, a monthly workshop for writers in Boulder that Gary founded in May 2018. WwR applies Literary Forensics analytical reading on novels published within the past 18 months in order to learn as much as possible about how they were constructed so that attendees can apply those techniques to their own writing. By September 2024 Gary and his group will have analyzed 62 novels and counting.

Laurel McHargue—a West Point grad raised near Boston—lives and laughs and publishes and podcasts in the breathtaking beauty of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. After years as an Army Officer, a mother of two sons, and an English teacher, Laurel abandoned paid employment to concentrate on her creative Muses. She does her best to keep her darker ones hidden, releasing them only when they scream to tell their tastier tales. A multi-genre author, Laurel writes about life, real and imagined, and hosts the podcast Alligator Preserves.

Sharon Mignerey is one of the founding members of RMFW, which has been her writing home since the beginning. She is the author of thirteen novels in romance and women’s fiction, and one non-fiction title. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. A frequent presenter at local and national writing groups, she loves sharing what she has learned about the art and craft of writing.

Sandra Murphy is an award-winning actress who has narrated over 100 audiobooks across a wide range of genres, authors, and accents. She is sought-after for embodying uncomfortable topics, such as human trafficking, mental health issues and domestic violence. On the lighter side, Sandra has a strong sense of comedic timing and a fierce sarcastic wit, which makes her perfect for quirky sleuths, empowered female heroines, and irreverent non-fiction. Listeners enjoy her “flawless” character work where she “adds just the right amount of flair and drama” to the story. In medical narration and e-learning, Sandra acts as your most beloved college professor with her innate sophistication that makes dense language accessible. As an improvisational actress, she embodies believable characters in crisis for first responders. This first-hand experience informs her performances in mystery, thriller, and suspense narrations. She loves saying “yes and” to an author’s intent and to life in general.

Cindi Myers became one of the most popular people in eighth grade when she and a friend wrote and illustrated their first romance novel. It would be another couple of decades before Cindi saw her first novel published, but since then she has published over 100 novels — historical and contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and romantic suspense. A popular speaker and teacher, Cindi is a former RMFW WOTY, and has won a Colorado Book Award. Over half a million copies of her books have been sold in 17 countries and 16 languages.

Sarah Reichert (S.E. Reichert) is a novelist, poet, blogger, writing mentor, and herder of cats. She’s the Youth Coordinator for the Writing Heights Writers Association. She is also the webmaster for WyoPoets and a member of Wyoming Writers, Inc. Her Sweet Valley Series, a contemporary western romance trilogy, was recently published by 5 Prince Publishing. She also has a well-received paranormal romance series published (The Southtown Harbor Series). Her other work has been featured in Poetry Ireland Review, “Scars” Anthology from Pixie Press Publishing, “Rise: An Anthology of Change”, The Fort Collins Coloradoan, Ravens Quoth Press’ “Evermore 3”, and Twenty Bellows 2023 Anthology. Sarah enjoys hiking, gardening, napping on the couch with her pit bull rescue, and practicing martial arts. She is also the mom of two busy teenagers and is a floundering crossword enthusiast.

Bestselling and award-winning author Stephanie Reisner has a B.A, in English from MSUD in English-Creative Writing (1995) and is both traditionally and independently published. She has been a professional author since 1996 when she landed her first column in a national trade magazine. With over 100 books published, both fiction and nonfiction, under various pen names, she makes her living writing and teaching. She taught classes and sat on panels at her first writing conference in 2005, and has been teaching writers both in person and online ever since. She has taught for RMFW, Pikes Peak Writers,and in an independent capacity. She was the 2019-2020 RMFW Independent Writer of the Year and her independently published novel, Thirteen Covens: Bloodlines Part One was a 2018 CIPA EVVY award winner.

Andrea Rexilius is the author of Sister Urn (Sidebrow, 2019), New Organism: Essais (Letter Machine, 2014), Half of What They Carried Flew Away (Letter Machine, 2012), and To Be Human Is To Be A Conversation (Rescue Press, 2011), as well as the chapbooks, Séance (Coconut Books, 2014), To Be Human (Horseless Press, 2010), and Afterworld(above/ground press, 2020). She earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2005), and a Ph.D. in Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Denver (2010). Andrea is the Program Director for Regis University’s Mile-High MFA in Creative Writing. She also teaches in the Poetry Collective at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, Colorado.

Rebecca Rowley, Colorado author and paralegal, has published five books in humor and women’s fiction through her own imprint (Bexly, LLC) and has had multiple short stories featured in anthologies, including two through RMFW. She has worked in law firms and government offices in the areas of contract and business law for over 20 years. She’s a contract nerd and comedy enthusiast through and through.

October K Santerelli is a local author from Denver, Colorado. He identifies as queer and disabled, and writes characters that share his life experiences. His works are primarily fantasies, ranging from dark to epic and everything in between. His debut novel, City of Day (Nightfall, Book 1) was named GoIndieNow’s Cover of the Year 2023. His other works include a YA science fiction in David Brin’s Out of Time series (Storm’s Eye), a historic romance short story (Mi Jaculpo, Hold Your Fire anthology), and more. Outside of novels, novellas, and short stories, October writes comic scripts for both Webtoon Canvas and Featured Webtoons. He has worked as an LGBTQ+, neurodivergency, and chronic illness sensitivity editor for six years for both traditionally and indie-published authors.

Way back when shoulder-pads were in style, Susan Schooleman (pen name Cepa Onion) wrote for Roseanne Barr, was a member of the Denver Center Theatre’s Playwrights Group, was published by Self magazine and Samuel French. She then chucked it all for adventures in parenthood. Three grown kids and a retired math teacher husband later, she has begun inching her way back into the business. Her short stories have been included in three Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) anthologies. She was also a winner in the 2019 RMFW Gold Contest.

David R. Slayton (He/Him) grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver and writes the books he always wanted to read. His debut, White Trash Warlock, was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. In 2015, David founded Trick or Read, an initiative to give out books along with candy to children on Halloween as well as uplift lesser-known authors or those from marginalized backgrounds. His latest release is Dark Moon, Shallow Sea, an epic fantasy. David has taught workshops for Writers Digest, the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, the League of Utah Writers Quills Conference, the Seymour Agency Winter Retreat, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, multiple colleges, schools, and libraries.

Mark Stevens is the author of The Fireballer and five books in The Allison Coil Mystery Series. Short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, two RMFW anthologies, and others. Host of the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast. RMFW Writer of the Year (2016 and 2023). Previous RMFW President. Previous president and current board member with Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America.

Calvin Studzinski is an award-winning aerospace engineer, amateur historian, role-playing game designer, and aspiring author. As a child, Calvin was an avid reader, consuming the works of Jules Verne and J.R.R. Tolkien with equal voracity, before reading everything he could get his hands on. It seemed only natural to turn his reader’s inquisitiveness into a writer’s industriousness, and he’s finished several full-length novels which he and his agent hope will be published soon. Calvin’s novel-writing is shaped by his career as an aerospace engineer and his passionate study of history. He has a Masters in Systems Engineering and 12 years of experience as a full-time engineer working on rockets and satellites, while in his free time, he is an avid historian who loves researching life in prior eras, going so far as to participate as a historical reenactor for many years. The science in Calvin’s novels reflects his knowledge of technology and space exploration, and he often finds knowledge of a historical period can help him build deep, realistic worlds, even in a land of magic or on a faraway planet.

A.Z. Sultana has been writing for ten years. She has a bachelor’s in marketing and a master’s in library science. She is a PMP-certified IT project manager. She has years of experience teaching basic IT instruction to corporate employees in an online group class setting, including seven years of experience in lead and support project management roles, using her knowledge and hands-on experience to create, facilitate, and implement projects for a Fortune 500 company affecting over 30,000 employees.

Cynthia Swanson is the Denver-based author of the psychological suspense novels The Bookseller (an Indie Next selection, New York Times bestseller, and winner of the WILLA Literary Award), The Glass Forest (USA Today bestseller and noted in Forbes as being one of “Five Novels with a Remarkably Strong Sense of Place”), and Anyone But Her, forthcoming in September 2024. Cynthia’s work, which often features historical settings, has been translated into 18 languages. Cynthia is also the editor of the Colorado Book Award-winning anthology Denver Noir, which features dark, morally ambiguous stories set in and around Denver, written by 14 notable literary and mystery authors.

Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes speculative fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, Frost Bite, a ‘90s sci-fi horror comedy, and her debut short story collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls are out now. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in or on over fifty anthologies, magazines, and podcasts, including Southwest Review, Apex, and The NoSleep Podcast. She lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with her sweetheart and three creepy cats.

Mariko Tatsumoto emigrated from Japan at the age of eight and was detoured from her love of books by becoming the first Asian woman attorney in Colorado. But she found her way back to writing historical novels. AYUMI’S VIOLIN, her Middle Grade novel, and her YA novel, SWEPT AWAY, garnered a total of seven literary awards, including the RMFW’s Gold Award, and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. After learning to write for young people through the school of hard knocks, she published HOW TO WRITE A MIDDLE GRADE BOOK KIDS WILL LOVE so others wouldn’t have to. Her adult novel, BLOSSOMS ON A POISONED SEA, is based on the same true events that inspired Johnny Depp’s film, Minamata.

Rebecca Thorne has published both traditionally and independently, and uses her social media platform to educate about publishing and writing. She is best known for her sapphic cozy fantasy novel “Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea.”

Laura VanArendonk Baugh writes award-winning fantasy of many flavors as well as non-fiction. She has summited extinct, dormant, and active volcanoes, but none has yet accepted her sacrifice. She lives in Indiana where she enjoys Dobermans, travel, fair-trade chocolate, and making her imaginary friends fight one another for her own amusement.

#1 Amazon bestselling author Peggy Waide entered her first book in the Colorado Gold. The editor offered a contract. She has published four romances with Dorchester. Montlake now publishes her books. She is shopping an amateur sleuth and a romantic suspense. She’s also been a trainer, personal coach and speaker.

J. Warren Weaver lives in small town Colorado, where he enjoys the bountiful great outdoors with his wife, daughter, and three dogs. When his infant child isn’t demanding his complete and undivided attention, he enjoys writing edge of your seat thrillers with thought-provoking twists. J. Warren is the author of the award winning, international bestselling In the Shadow of a Spy trilogy.

Chuck Wendig* is the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers, The Book of Accidents, Black River Orchard, and over two dozen other books for adults and young adults. A finalist for the Astounding Award and an alum of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, he has also written comics, games, and for film and television. He is known for his popular blog, terribleminds, and books about writing such as Damn Fine Story and Gentle Writing Advice. He lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his family. 

Jennifer S. Wilkov is a multi #1 international best-selling award-winning author, producer, an award-winning freelance writer, The Literary Agent Matchmaker™ and a respected book, business and entertainment creative consultant for nearly 20 years. Jennifer was selected as the  Top Motivational Speaker, Business Consultant and Best-Selling Author of the Year for 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). She supports first-time writers and creators and seasoned authors, screenwriters, scriptwriters and playwrights with the essentials to become a bestseller: a great project, a strong platform and a well-polished pitch, presentation and hook for their book, television project, film, or theater project. She passionately teaches and educates writers as a speaker and program producer at writers conferences including Writer’s Digest Conferences, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Crimebake, ThrillerFest, Women in Publishing Summit, California Creative Writers Conference, and others and for groups such as the Writers Guild of America – East, Motion Picture Association and New York Women in Film & Television where she leads the Writers Group as a platinum member and teaches online for writers’ resources such as Writer’s Digest. She is a member of Women In Film in Los Angeles and the creator and producer of The Next Bestseller™ Workshop (virtual), a safe space that provides writers with exclusive access to the dream team to help writers learn to talk effectively with industry professionals about their projects. Her keen eye for stories that sell for both books and in Hollywood is trusted by industry professionals who appreciate her savvy in seeing the many possibilities a subject can lend itself to.

Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre, tie-dye-wearing author, voyager, and damn fine human being! Trained in literary criticism and cultural studies, he writes upmarket fiction, long and short, mentors others where he can, and teaches writing at the University of Utah. His best-selling science fiction series beginning with OF KINGS, QUEENS & COLONIES, and now with OF CIVILIZED, SAVED & SAVAGES is an epic tale in the vein of Frank Herbert’s DUNE. It is available from Flame Tree Press. Like Johnny’s many other titles these are available wherever better books are sold.

J.E. Zarnofsky is a writer, costumer, larper, and devotee of dark and heartfelt fantasy. Her debut novel, Tides of Blood, will be published in 2024 by Raven Canticle Press. Apart from her day job in software, she can be observed in her natural habitats of coffee shops, ice rinks, or medieval(ish) battlefields—armored and ready with her sword or bow.