2025 Colorado Gold Conference Presenters

A 40-year television, film, and education veteran, Kevin Campbell started his career as a TV news journalist. He has produced hundreds of news stories and commercials, marketing videos, and educational/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 reviews novel manuscripts in many genres, including historical, YA, women’s fiction, romance, and upmarket, providing writers with feedback to revise their stories. She teaches creative writing at GrubStreet and The Loft, and she’s presented workshops at writing conferences around the world.

Dan Chiras is a songwriter, novelist, short story writer, and a skilled, enthusiastic, and engaging presenter. Dan has published nearly 40 nonfiction books on a wide array of topics from solar energy and natural building to raising children who care for the earth. He studied creative writing as an undergraduate and has written four novels, one of which was published by The Public Press, Here Stands Marshall. Dan has also penned numerous short stories and over 100 songs. He is a frequent workshop presenter at the Four Corners Writers (southwest Colorado) and will be presenting at the upcoming Mesa Verde Literary Festival. One of Dan’s most recent books, The Finer Points of Fiction, is an analysis of hundreds of novels, short stories, and plays that reveals the many elements that make great fiction truly great.

Tasha Christensen, also known as Natasha Watts, is a writer, teacher, and researcher based in Colorado. She co-edited the short story anthology Wild, and her fiction has been featured in award-winning collections and journals. Christensen’s Itaska High book series chronicles the romantic shenanigans of a high school marching band in Minnesota. The first in the series, As You Were, was a 2023 Indie Author Project winner, and Marking Time was longlisted for the 2024 Best Book Awards by American Book Fest. She recently received her MSc in Digital Anthropology from University College London. In her free time, she enjoys playing D&D, perfecting her volleyball serve, and exploring the Rocky Mountains with her husband and two daughters.

Rachel Craft writes speculative fiction for children and teens. Her short stories have appeared in publications such as Cricket, Ember, Uncharted, and Cast of Wonders, and she edited the anthology Wild: Uncivilized Tales from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Her most recent novel won the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Award and was shortlisted in the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards and Voyage YA First Chapter Contest. She lives and writes in Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a succulent collection that is slowly taking over her house. Find her on Twitter @RDCwrites or at racheldelaneycraft.com.

Elizabeth Copps* is a literary agent and founder of Copps Literary Services based in Denver, Colorado. With 15 years of industry experience, Elizabeth began her publishing career in 2010 when she moved from Florida to New York City and discovered her passion through a literary agency internship. Her business philosophy centers on building equitable, transparent, and long-lasting relationships throughout the publishing industry.

Deb Courtney has more than 20 years of project management, editing and writing experience she brings to the table. She has a degree in Fiction/Creative Writing from the University of South Florida. She teaches a popular monthly craft class called Write Drunk, Edit Sober which focuses on micro-skills in fiction writing. Deb has worked as a freelance journalist and has published multiple short stories. From 2011 to 2015, she ran a small print-on-demand publishing company and brought 15 original titles and 4 reprints to market. She is the author of 21 Day Challenge: The Anti-procrastination Workbook for Writers.

Z.J. Czupor publishes episodic mysteries and thrillers on Substack at zjames.substack.com and is the author of THE BIG WEIRD: Haikus in Times of Pandemic and Chaos. He writes a monthly column “On Tour With Dead Writers” for Rogue Women Writers. He is immediate past president of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. He is represented by Terrie Wolf, founder and owner of AKA Literary Management. His mystery “Elrod” is out on submission as well as a nonfiction book about famous mystery writers.

Meagan Dallner received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from University of Colorado at Denver after completing an Associates Degree in the Applied Sciences of Diesel Technology. She is an ARC reader, author, and nerd enthusiast. Meagan mentored for WriteMentor in ’20 and ’21.

Rachel Dempsey is a writer of dark fiction living in Denver. Her prose appears in anthologies by Shacklebound Books, Brigids Gate Press, Timber Ghost Press, Twenty Bellows (Pushcart nominated 2024), and others. She teaches writing workshops for RMFW, Boulder Writers Alliance, and the Creative Colorado Writer’s Retreat. She holds a BFA in Drama and English from NYU, a Master’s in Journalism from Georgetown, and an MFA from Regis University in Denver where she currently lives with her family.

Z.S. Diamanti is the award-winning author of the Stone & Sky series, an epic fantasy adventure and Guard in the Garden, the first book in the Fables of Finlestia cozy fantasy series. He attended college forever and has far too many pieces of paper on his wall. He’s a USAF veteran and worked in ministry for over 10 years before pursuing creative endeavors full-time. He and his wife live in Colorado with their four children where they enjoy hikes, camping, and tabletop games.

Karen Dropps holds a master’s degree in Heritage Studies for a Global Society and a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts. Karen has followed adventurous careers in academia, museums, and cub scouts. Her first novel, My Elbert, has begun her next journey into the world of writing.

Sue Duff has been writing since high school but never became serious about it until a skiing accident laid her up for a few months and she turned on the word processor to combat the boredom. A couple years later, her first SciFi/Urban Fantasy novel, Fade to Black, was a finalist in the RMFW Colorado Gold Writing Contest. Since then, Sue has published the entire Weir Chronicles novel series, contributed to 4 published anthologies, including RMFW’s False Faces, and has written and published several short stories. Most recently Fade to Black has been marketed by a literary agent in Hollywood as a SciFi, limited television streaming series. She has been a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers for well over a decade and has served as President, Secretary, Volunteer Chair and founded the Youth Writers chapter of RMFW. Her creativity extends into her garden and her culinary skills.

Bowen Gillings writes to keep fiction fun. Known for his thrillers and fantasy fiction laced with snark, wit, and characters you could share a beer with, Bowen’s quirky, offbeat style “boggles the genre mind.” He loves giving back to fellow writers through media engagement and by leading workshops on the craft, business, and lifestyle of writing. He holds a Master of Education, five martial arts black belt certifications, and is an Army veteran. Travel enthusiast, lover of the outdoors, and habitual volunteer, Bowen’s secret joys include quiet moments by the fireplace and cooking big meals for family and friends.

Ryanne Glenn started writing short stories when she was ten and was first published in her hometown’s local newspaper. After struggling with depression in her first year at college, she turned back to writing as a healthy outlet for her emotions. Her debut novel, Descent of Shadows, is a middle-grade fantasy, and she hopes young readers will look up to her characters and realize that with friends and perseverance, you can overcome anything.

Andre Gonzalez is the international bestselling author of the Wealth of Time Series, and co-owner of M4L Publishing. After surviving the Aurora Theater Shooting in 2012, Andre was inspired to chase his lifelong dream of pursuing a career as an author. This tragedy gave him a new appreciation for life along with a drive to make the world a better place by publishing books readers all around the world can enjoy.

He has written over twenty time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Keeping readers up late and their hearts pumping faster than normal is his ultimate goal. Andre was the recipient of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Independent Writer of the Year award. When he’s not writing, you can find Andre buried underneath a long to-do list or chasing around his three hyper children. He and his wife are raising their family in their hometown of Denver, CO.

Natasha Gonzalez is a Colorado native, children’s author, and independent publisher dedicated to amplifying diverse voices in literature. After 12 years in structural engineering, she transitioned to publishing in 2016, co-founding an indie publishing house in 2019 that helps authors bring their stories to life. In 2022, she debuted her first children’s book, blending her Colombian and Venezuelan heritage with her American upbringing in a bilingual format. Passionate about storytelling, inclusivity, and cultural representation, Natasha works to create books that inspire and connect readers of all backgrounds. When she’s not publishing or writing, she enjoys outdoor adventures, traveling, and making memories with her family.

Michael F. Haspil is a science fiction/fantasy author and Air Force veteran. His novel from Tor, Graveyard Shift, an urban fantasy about an immortal pharaoh out to stop an ancient vampire conspiracy in modern-day Miami, was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. His Warhammer 40,000 stories are currently available from Games Workshop’s Black Library and he wrote the lore for the Season VIII Battlepass for the “World of Tanks” computer game. Other short stories have made anthology appearances including in “Gunfight On Europa Station” and “No Game For Knights” from Baen. He also hosts the “Quantum Froth Dispatches” podcast which examines storytelling through pop-culture classics—part-time amateur Egyptologist, tabletop general, miniatures painter, antiquarian, and vampire hunter.

LS Hawker is the author of the thrillers The Drowning Game, Body and Bone, End of the Road, and The Throwaways. The Drowning Game is a USA Today bestseller and finalist in the ITW Thriller Awards in the Best First Novel category. Her novels have been translated into eight languages. Visit LSHawker.com to view book trailers, listen to her podcast with daughter Chloe, The Lively Grind Cafe, and read about her adventures as a cocktail waitress, traveling Kmart portrait photographer, and witness to basement exorcisms.

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong* is a literary agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency with nine years of industry experience. a life-long lover of books, Cathie enjoys vivid memories of the exact day she unlocked the secret code behind the letters that combine to form words. Since then, it’s the rare occasion when you’ll find her without a book in her hand, a Kindle in her purse, or a pair of AirPods in her ears while she devours the works of whatever author she’s selected as her new favorite of the month.

Cathie’s journey in publishing began in 2014 when she wrote her first book, The Edge of Nowhere, a work of adult historical fiction inspired by her grandmother’s life as a widow raising fourteen children during the one-two punch of the 1930s Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. Three years later, she followed up with her sophomore novel, Roam, a young adult title inspired by the unhoused community in a small Minnesota town. The release of this second book coincided with Cathie’s first job as a literary agent where she spent eight years learning the industry before joining the team at Marsal Lyon in May 2024.

Amber Herbert is a (mostly) speculative fiction author living in Colorado Springs with her husband and two gremlins. She holds a BA in English literature and worked as a developmental and copy editor for eight years. She recently quit that gig to pursue writing full time. Lipstick Covered Magnet was her first novel.

When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys baking, going to emo/punk/post-hardcore gigs, playing board games, and watching and critiquing TV and film.

Kate Jonuska is an author, freelance writer, and yoga teacher based in Boulder, CO. Her short fiction was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first novel, Transference, was a finalist for the BookLife Prize. She’s also the author of The Dictionary of Fiction Critique, now in its second edition. Details: http://katejonuska.com.

Mira Landry is an author and an associate literary agent with Corvisiero Literary Agency. As a past board member and conference chair for RMFW, she is dedicated to building writing communities and sharing knowledge. She also co-hosts a podcast analyzing recently published books using Literary Forensics called Writers Who Read.

CJ Leede* is a horror writer, hiker, and Trekkie. She is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture. Her debut novel Maeve Fly won the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award and Splatterpunk Award, and earned a Bram Stoker Award nomination. When she is not driving around the country, CJ can be found in LA with her boyfriend and rescue dogs.

Karen Lin is an award-winning and produced screenwriter, published novelist, and devoted foodie and traveler. She teaches for cruise lines, conferences, retreats, MeetUp Groups, and numerous on-line venues such as Scribophile, paid blog column, and RMFWU. 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 can be found on Amazon. She, her husband, and their two boys have traveled the world as she researches recipes for a literary cookbook. She’s a pitch and writing coach for award-winning and bestselling authors.

Kelley J. P. Lindberg writes YA and adult fiction, but her writing history is littered with dozens of how-to books (including several bestsellers) and hundreds of articles. Her fiction and essays have appeared in literary magazines such as The Baltimore Review and Wilderness House Literary Review; in anthologies including This Isn’t the Place, Bizarre Bazaar, Journeys into Possibility, and Chicken Soup for the Wine Lover’s Soul; and in the Tellables app for Amazon Alexa. When she isn’t writing from her home on the high plains of Colorado, she’s traveling as far and as often as she can.

Stant Litore is the author of Ansible, The Running of the Tyrannosaurs, The Zombie Bible, and Dante’s Heart. Besides science fiction and fantasy, he has written the writers’ toolkits Write Worlds Your Readers Won’t Forget, Write Characters Your Readers Won’t Forget, and 0 to 60: Write Pacing Your Readers Won’t Forget, as well as Lives of Unstoppable Hope and Lives of Unforgetting, and has been featured in Jeff Vandermeer’s Wonderbook: An Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction. He has served as a developmental editor for Westmarch Publishing and holds a Ph.D. in English. He lives in Aurora, Colorado with his three children and is currently at work on his next novel.

Jonathan Maberry* is a New York Times bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, editor, and comic book writer. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-Wars, was a Netflix original series; his post-apocalyptic YA zombie series Rot & Ruin is in development for film by Alcon Entertainment; and his Joe Ledger thrillers are being developed for TV by Chad Stahelski (director of the John Wick movies). He writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, and action; for adults, teens and middle grade. He is the editor of many anthologies including The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Don’t Turn Out the Lights, Nights of the Living Dead, and others. His comics include Black Panther: Doomwar, Captain America, Pandemica, Highway to Hell, The Punisher, and Bad Blood. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.

Attracted to words at an early age, Rod Martinez’s first book was created in grade school, his teacher used it to encourage creativity in her students. His high school English teacher told him to try short story writing, he listened, and the rest – as they say, is history.

Paul Martz is an award-winning science fiction author, technology blogger, and former punk rock drummer. He published programming books, received a data encryption patent, and was co-recipient of an R&D 100 award. Like all true nerds, he runs a web server. Paul is blind from retinitis pigmentosa. His non-fiction has appeared in the Braille Monitor, and he blogs for AppleVis.com, a website for vision-impaired Apple users. His poem, “The Thompson River Flows,” placed first in the 2018 National Braille Press poetry contest. You’ll find Paul in Colorado, sipping coffee while the snow sublimates. He is still trying to teach his cat to play drums.

Gary McBride is the author of Literary Forensics: How Reading Can Make You a Better Writer, coming out in 2026. He also produces the Writers Who Read podcast, which features the novels analyzed at Writers Who Read LIVE!, a monthly workshop for writers in Boulder, CO, that Gary founded in 2018 and leads today. Writers Who Read apply Literary Forensics analysis to novels published within the past 18 months to gain insights into craft with the goal of becoming better writers. By September 2025 Gary and his group will have analyzed 72 novels, all published since 2017.

Andrew D. Meredith’s journey has taken him to many fantastical places. From selling books in the wilds of western Washington to designing and publishing board games in the great white midwest. He’s now committed to the quest he was called to so long ago: the telling of fantastical tales, and bringing to life underestimated characters willing to take on the responsibilities no one else will.

Meghan Molin is an Amazon and Audible best-selling author who lives in Colorado with her husband, sons, and a veritable zoo of animals. She’s a fervent corgi enthusiast, avid equestrian, and has permanent wanderlust. Her degrees in Opera and Architecture serve as excellent fodder for her books. Her series, The Golden Arrow Mysteries (SFF/Mystery crossover), have sold over 100,000 copies and has over 5,000 5* reviews on Amazon! She is represented by Joanna MacKenzie of Nelson Literary.

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. 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.

Johanna Parkhurst is the author of multiple young adult romance novels and adult contemporary romance novels. The majority of her works feature LGBTQ+ characters, as she considers herself to be primarily a writer of LGBTQ+ romance. Her most recently published ghostwritten work was a YA romance that received a Kirkus-starred review. She has been traditionally published, published by small presses, and she currently self-publishes her own works; she is the owner and operator of Maple Mountains Press, LLC. Her novel Booklover, which was published by Heart Eyes Press under the name J.E. Birk, was a bestseller in several Amazon categories upon its release. ILYBSM, a novel she penned with two co-writers, spent multiple weeks in the top 100 Gay Romance novels category on Amazon. Her novella The Worst Bad Thing was a Rainbow Romance award winner.

Chelsea Pennington is a romance author with two published books. She holds a degree in English/Creative Writing from Samford University and previously worked as a freelance editor. She shares the lessons she has learned from writing and editing in the hundreds of articles on her website and on her thriving Instagram page. When she’s not writing or reading, you can probably find her listening to podcasts or birding.

Jackie Peveto is a passionate writer, artist, and enthusiast for anything involving imagination and paper. She has a master’s degree in creative writing and a bachelor’s in English literature. She studied writing craft at the University of Oxford and has called England and Japan home at various times. Though she writes by night, she is a full-time editor by day, supporting independent authors and traditional publishers with her work at Ground Crew Editorial, which she co-founded with her twin sister.

Sarah Reichert (S.E. Reichert) is a writer, novelist, poet and blogger. She is the author of the Sweet Valley Series (nominated for the Colorado Book Awards in 2024) and is the Director and the Youth Coordinator of the Writing Heights Writers Association. Her work has been featured in The Fort Collins Coloradoan, Haunted Waters Press, Sunrise Summits: A Poetry Anthology, Rise: An Anthology of Change, Poetry Ireland Review, and We Are The West: A Colorado Anthology among other journals across the country. Her novella, Saturn Rising, was produced as a five-part audiocast from Ngano Press Studios, and she has two other books out through 5 Prince Publishing with another set to release in 2025.

She maintains a blog about writing on her website (sarahreichertauthor.com) about fostering a creative and balanced life which aims to help new writers get their start. Reichert lives in Fort Collins with her family. In her non-writing hours, she is a mother to two teenage girls, loves being outdoors, and is a 2nd degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate JuJitsu.

Laura Resau is the author of The Alchemy of Flowers, her debut novel for adults coming summer 2025 with Harper Muse, and eleven acclaimed books for young people. Her books have won five Colorado Book Awards, spots on “best-of” booklists from Oprah, the American Library Association, and more.

Trilingual, she’s lived in Provence and Oaxaca, and studied cultural anthropology and languages. She teaches graduate creative writing at Western Colorado University. You might find her writing in her cozy vintage trailer in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lives with her rock-hound husband, musician son, wild husky, and a hundred house plants.

Kirsten “Kiki” Ringer is the founder of KLR Literary Management and brings 30+ years of experience in publishing and entertainment, including roles at The Walt Disney Studios, Penguin Putnam, and Russell & Volkening Literary Agency, where she worked with Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.

Through KLR, she helps writers navigate traditional, hybrid, and author-publisher paths with clarity, strategy, and heart—offering an accessible, author-centered approach to publishing and marketing. She’s passionate about demystifying the process and empowering authors to take control of their publishing journey.

Amy Rivers is an award-winning novelist. She was named 2021 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project. Her psychological suspense novels incorporate important social issues with a focus on the complexities of human behavior. Amy was raised in New Mexico and now lives in Colorado.

David Rodeback started fourth grade in Boulder, Colorado, as the middle child in a family of squares among the hippies. He finished the year in southeast Idaho, a city boy in farm country. He taught writing, Russian language, and Russian literature at Cornell and BYU, before landing in software development and digital marketing. His two published short fiction collections, The Dad Who Stayed and Other Stories and Poor As I Am and Other Stories at Christmas, won 2024 Silver and Bronze Quill awards from the League of Utah Writers. He and his wife live in American Fork, Utah, and have four children and two grandchildren.

Rob Samborn is the award-winning author of six novels, including the Painted Souls dual-timeline thriller series and the upcoming spy thriller series, Diplomatic Security. In addition to being a novelist, Rob is a screenwriter, entrepreneur, and avid traveler. He’s been to forty-two countries and lived in five of them. As a restless spirit who can’t remember the last time he was bored, Rob is on a quest to explore the intricacies of our world and spin them into gripping tales. Originally from New York City, Rob lived in L.A. for twenty years before moving to Denver with his family. He falls squarely in the hybrid category, having had a three-book deal with TouchPoint Press, has self-published, and has a current three-book audiobook deal with Tantor Media. Five of his ten screenplays have been optioned. Rob is represented by Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management.

October K Santerelli is the imaginative author behind the Nightfall series and The Book of the Witch’s Son. Primarily a dark fantasy author, he has also dabbled in sci-fi and historic fiction. His latest work, City of Night, continues the Nightfall series. He is a writer on Primoral Descent on Webtoon. Other works include Storm’s Eye and City of Day.

Angela Sylvaine is a Bram Stoker Award nominated author and self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes speculative fiction and poetry. Her novel, Frost Bite, a ‘90s sci-fi horror comedy, and her retro ‘80s YA mall slasher novella, Chopping Spree, embody her cheerful side. Her short story collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls is fully goth and heartbreaking. Angela’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in over sixty 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.

Travis Tougaw grew up in a military family. As a perpetual “new kid,” he quickly learned the value of sharing stories to connect with others. Having settled down after his own stint in the Air Force, Travis stopped relocating, but he’s never stopped telling stories. He’s always on the lookout for characters and storylines that will grab readers’ attention and keep them turning pages. Travis lives in Colorado with his wife and children and an enormous dog. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, outdoor activities, playing musical instruments, and trivia competitions.

Amy Trent is a long time fan of happily-ever-afters, cookies, and staying up late to write happily-ever-afters and eat cookies. She writes novels and short stories that explore identity, whimsy, and love through the lens of fairy tales and folklore. A woman, a mother, a reader, and a devoted stan of her cat, Amy can think of nothing better than an afternoon of connecting with others over books and creature comforts. Her brand is cozy; her point of view is a slow-burning ember of hope. Amy has been publishing novels since 2021. She is a 2024 Praiseworthy Award finalist and a 2024 Once Upon a Pen Book Award nominee, and a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Her short stories have appeared or will soon appear in The Fairy Tale Magazine, Corvid Queen, and various anthologies. Amy currently lives in Colorado with her family, but the Trents have also called California and Mississippi home.

Laura VanArendonk Baugh is an award-winning writer of fantasy, non-fiction, and a few other things. She’s a professional instructor with a weakness for fair-trade chocolate and the lure of the far horizon.

#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 is an award-winning international bestselling author. J. lives in small town Colorado where he enjoys the bountiful great outdoors with his wife, daughter, and one of his three dogs. When his baby girl isn’t demanding his complete and undivided attention, he writes edge of your seat thrillers with thought provoking mysteries at the center.

Marie Whittaker is an award-winning essayist and novelist. She created The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch, Legendary Roots, and many of her stories appear in anthologies, including Weird Tales. She enjoys teaching about project and time management for creatives. She’s worked as a truck driver and raft guide and is now Associate Publisher at WordFire Press and Executive Director for Superstars Writing Seminars. Marie is a Colorado native, mom to two adult children and Grammy to one who is made of pure magic. Marie enjoys hiking, gardening, and renovating her historic Victorian home. She’s an advocate against animal abuse, a dog mom, cat mom, and bunny mom.

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.

Jennifer Wilson is a #1 bestselling YA author and the creator of the acclaimed New World Series, comprising Rising, Ashes, and Inferno. Featured in OwlCrate and the BookWormBox, the New World trilogy has sold over 17,000 copies. Her YA short story, “The Vanished,” was published in Colleen Hoover’s Two More Days Anthology, and she is the creator of Write Your Novel – The Writer’s Workbook. In addition, Jennifer has two new romance novels coming out in 2025 under the pen name Kay Rockland. Where her writing is a fiery cocktail of witty banter and sizzling romance. When not writing, she can be found dreaming up new bookish boyfriends, crafting snarky dialogue, and guzzling French press coffee while snuggling her cream retriever.

J.E. Zarnofsky is an award-winning author and devotee of dark and heartfelt fantasy. She lives in Utah with her equally nerdy husband and their dog. Apart from writing and her day job in software, she collects hobbies like larping, costuming, skiing, and dozens more. She can often be observed in her natural habitats of mountains, coffee shops, ice rinks, or medieval(ish) battlefields armored and ready with her sword or bow.