Fiction - General
SALAR ABDOH is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and of the Creative Writing program at City College of New York. Born in Iran, he now lives in New York where he is an Associate Professor and co-director of the MFA Program at CCNY, CUNY. He is the recipient of the NYFA prize and a National Endowment for the Arts award. His essays and short stories have appeared in various publications, including the New York Times, The Atlantic, BOMB, Callaloo, Guernica, La Règle du Jeu, The Drawbridge, and the BBC. He is the author of The Poet Game: A Novel (Picador), Opium (Faber and Faber), TEHRAN AT TWILIGHT, the editor of TEHRAN NOIR, a collection of noir fiction by Iranian writers, and OUT OF MESOPOTAMIA (named one of PWs best books of the year) all from Akashic books. His most recent novel, A NEARBY COUNTRY CALLED LOVE, is published by Viking Penguin.
LAURA BARROW grew up in northwest Louisiana but now lives in the Dallas area. As one of four sisters and the mother of three young daughters, she wanted to explore the dynamics that exist within a family of women. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Laura Barrow is the bestselling author of CALL THE CANARIES HOME and her second novel, IF WE EVER GET THERE, will be published by Lake Union in June.
REEM BASSIOUNEY is a professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University. A native of Alexandria, Egypt, she obtained her BA from Alexandria University and her MA and PhD from Oxford University in the UK. She is the author of numerous highly acclaimed novels in Arabic, all of which have been bestsellers in Egypt. Two, PROFESSOR HANAA and THE PISTACHIO SELLER, have been translated into English.
PHILIP BEARD is a partner in a law firm and an English teacher. He has studied fiction writing with Frederick Busch. His first novel is DEAR ZOE and his latest is titled LOST IN THE GARDEN, a family drama about a man who is losing his wife to golf.
www.philipbeard.net
KRISTEN L. BERRY is a writer and communications executive. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Kristen graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language & Literature. She has provided PR and communications expertise to leading consumer brands for nearly 20 years, all while writing in her spare time. Kristen co-founded a critique group that has gathered monthly since 2019. When she isn’t reading or writing, Kristen can be found lifting heavy at the gym, hiking in Malibu, eating her way through Los Angeles with her partner, or shouting at the latest Formula 1 race. We Don’t Talk About Carol is her debut novel and was selected as a finalist for the 2023 Reese’s Book Club LitUp Fellowship.
DANIEL BLACK is professor of African American Studies at Clark Atlanta University. He is author of 6 novels, among them PERFECT PEACE--the story of a black male child raised as a girl--and THE COMING--the story of an enslaved African group during the treacherous Middle Passage. A new title, DON'T CRY FOR ME, is forthcoming as is his nonfiction debut, the essay collection BLACK ON BLACK. Daniel is a much-sought-after public speaker and corporate trainer in race and gender relations. His newest short story, "Miss Loretha's Last Stand," appears in Viral Literature: Alone Together in Georgia (2020).
HELEN BRYAN is an American who has made her home in Britain for many years. She is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller WAR BRIDES, following the stories of five young women whose lives are about to collide as Britain prepares for war with Germany. Her latest title, also on the bestseller lists, is THE SISTERHOOD, which connects an unlikely present-day heroine to the events of the Spanish Inquisition.
DEB CALETTI is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over sixteen books for adults and young adults, including HONEY, BABY, SWEETHEART, a finalist for the National Book Award; A HEART IN A BODY IN THE WORLD, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; GIRL, UNFRAMED, which received seven starred reviews; THE EPIC STORY OF EVERY LIVING THING, which was named a best book of the year by Amazon, Kirkus, Booklist, BookPage, and the Bank Street College of Education, and received five starred reviews; and PLAN A, which was named a YALSA 2024 Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten Selection, was named a best book of the year by School Library Journal, Kirkus, Amazon, and Bank Street College of Education, and received for starred reviews. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She is also the author of the Tales of Triumph and Disaster series for middle grade readers. Her new young adult novel, TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY, is about a girl living a lie in order to find the truth about herself and her family. http://debcaletti.com
MICHAEL CALLAHAN is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of the novel SEARCHING FOR GRACE KELLY, which People magazine called "a delight." A former deputy editor of Town & Country and Marie Claire, he has written for Departures, The Hollywood Reporter, Real Simple, Men's Health, and the New York Times, among others. He has appeared on numerous television-news and features broadcasts, including CBSNews in New York and the syndicated Entertainment Tonight. His second novel, inspired by a true story and titled THE NIGHT SHE WON MISS AMERICA, will be published in Spring 2017.
LORENE CARY is the celebrated author of BLACK ICE, a memoir of her experiences as a black student at the predominantly white St. Paul’s prep school; THE PRICE OF A CHILD, a stunning first novel about slavery in the pre-Civil War South; and PRIDE, an exuberant tale of lifelong friendships. She is also the founder of Art Sanctuary in Philadelphia, an African-American arts and letters organization devoted to presenting regional and national talent in the literary, visual, and performing arts. Her first children’s book, FREE!: GREAT ESCAPES FROM SLAVERY ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, is a collection of slave escape narratives. Her latest is IF SONS, THEN HEIRS, the story of a family striving to remain whole in the face of racial tensions, inequality, and violence in 1930s and 40s North Carolina and New York.
SARAH MCCRAW CROW is a New Hampshire-based writer who’s written fiction and nonfiction for a range of publications. Her short stories have run in Calyx, Crab Orchard Review, Good Housekeeping, So to Speak, Waccamaw, and Stanford Alumni Magazine (online). She’s also monthly book reviewer for BookPage, and her articles, essays, and reviews have run in Family Circle, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parents, Parenting, Prime Number, The Christian Science Monitor, Working Mother, and more. Her debut novel THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN is forthcoming from Mira Books.
LIBBY CUDMORE worked at video stores, bookstores, and temp agencies before settling down in upstate New York to write. Her short stories have appeared in PANK, The Stoneslide Corrective, The Big Click, and The Collapsar. The Big Rewind is her first novel.
SARAH DAMOFF won a 2022 Flash Prose Prize from Ruminate Magazine, and her work has also appeared in Porter House Review and Open Global Rights. She contributed to the anthology “A War on My Body” (DiAngelo Publications, 2022) and co-authored “The Gospel Advent Book” (Lucid Books, 2018). She holds a degree in Family Studies and a Child Protection Certification from Harvard University. A member of the Writers’ League of Texas, Sarah lives in Dallas with her husband and children, where she is also a social worker. Her debut novel, THE BRIGHT YEARS, is forthcoming with Simon & Schuster in 2025.
MASON DEAVER is an award-winning and bestselling author of books like I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST, which was named an NPR Concierge Pick and a Junior Library Guild selection; and their novel THE GHOSTS WE KEEP. They contributed an essay to THE (OTHER) F WORD: A CELEBRATION OF THE FAT & FIERCE, edited by Angie Manfredi. Their horror debut is ANOTHER NAME FOR THE DEVIL, released in 2021. Their 2022 YA romance debut is THE FEELING OF FALLING IN LOVE, and they are also writing several science fiction and fantasy short stories which will be included in anthologies. The YA romance OKAY, CUPID is their latest novel. Their adult romance debut will be THE BUILD-A-BOYFRIEND PROJECT. Born and raised in a small North Carolina town, on the rare occasion they aren't writing, they usually fill their time by watching horror movies, or worsening their bad posture by playing too many video games.
JACQUELINE DE MONTRAVEL has been the editor of Hamptons and Country magazines. She held the position of style editor at Self and co-authored 21st CENTURY ETIQUETTE with Charlotte Ford. She is the author of the novel THE FABULOUS EMILY BRIGGS and its sequel ESCAPE FROM BRIDEZILLA.
HAYLEY DEROCHE holds an MLS from the University of North Texas, and a BA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work has appeared in McSweeney's, MUTHA Magazine, and various local news and blog columns. She lives on a farm outside Richmond, Virginia. Her debut novel HELLO LOVELIES is available from Audible Originals.
ELISSA GROSSELL DICKEY is a former journalist who now works as the communications and marketing director for her local public school district. Stories have always been a big part of Elissa’s life—from getting lost in a book as a child to reading to her kids at bedtime. She has shared her personal story of living with multiple sclerosis through blog posts for the National MS Society. Though she grew up among the lakes and trees of northern Minnesota, Elissa now lives on the South Dakota prairie with her husband and children. She is the author of two novels, The Speed of Light and Iris in the Dark. Learn more at elissadickey.com.
MARIA DONG’s short fiction, articles, and poetry have been published in over a dozen venues, including Apex, Apparition Literary Magazine, Augur, Fantasy Magazine, Fusion Fragment, Kaleidotrope, Khoreo, Lightspeed, and Nightmare, among others. Currently a computer programmer, she has had a diverse career, and has worked as a property manager, English teacher, and occupational therapist. She lives with her partner and a potato-dog in southwest Michigan, in a centenarian saltbox house that is almost certainly haunted, and loves watching K-Dramas and drinking Bell's beer. Her debut novel, THE CONFIGURATIONS OF KATRINA KIM, will be published by Grand Central Publishing in 2023. She can be reached via Twitter @mariadongwrites or her website, mariadong.com.
RICHARD DREYFUSS is an Academy Award-winner for his work on The Goodbye Girl, which is just one in a long line of popular and critically acclaimed films in which he has starred. He was also nominated for his role in Mr. Holland’s Opus. Having found success as a stage actor, director, and social activist, Richard has displayed his remarkable talents in JOURNEY WEST, a historical novel, written with Matthew Kalash.
KELLY ELLIOTT is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series, Kelly continues to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots and giving readers stories rich with hot protective men, strong women and beautiful surroundings. Her bestselling works include, Wanted, Broken, The Playbook, and Lost Love, to name a few. Kelly lives in Texas with her husband, daughter, two pups, four cats, and endless wildlife creatures. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family. To find out more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website: www.kellyelliottauthor.com
LAYNE FARGO has a background in theater, women’s studies, and library science, so it’s only fitting that she now writes deliciously dramatic, unapologetically feminist stories for a living. She’s the author of psychological thrillers THEY NEVER LEARN and TEMPER, as well as co-author on the bestselling YOUNG RICH WIDOWS series, and her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. Her next novel THE FAVORITES is women’s fiction forthcoming from Random House. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner, their pets, and an ever-expanding collection of books she’s definitely going to read before she dies.
TARRYN FISHER is the #1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of fifteen novels. She is best known for her best-selling novels Never Never, The Wives, and The Wrong Family. Born in South Africa, Tarryn now calls Seattle, Washington home, where she resides with her husband and children. She writes primarily in the romance, thriller, and new adult genres and specializes in writing villains.
CAITLIN FORBES holds an M.A. in American Literature and, as a marketing professional in the healthcare space, she has written over hundreds of published articles primarily focused on women’s health. Her fiction debut, WHAT COMES NEXT?, will be published with Lake Union in Fall 2025.
HESTER FOX is a full-time writer and mother, with a background in museum work and historical archaeology. A native New-Englander, she now lives in rural Virginia with her husband and their son.
DAVE FROMM is an attorney and the author of the memoir EXPATRIATE GAMES: My Season of Misadventures in Czech Semi-Pro Basketball. He lives with his wife and children in western Massachusetts. His first novel THE DURATION is a love story about the bonds we form in childhood and the ways they both encumber and sustain us set in the haunted hills of Berkshire County.
TRACEY GARVIS GRAVES is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, ON THE ISLAND, spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-five languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of UNCHARTED, COVET, EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU, CHERISH, HEART-SHAPED HACK, WHITE-HOT HACK, THE GIRL HE USED TO KNOW, and HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG. She is hard at work on her next book.
G.D. GEARINO has been with the Raleigh News & Observer for over ten years and writes a biweekly column for the Life Etc. section. He is the author of WHAT THE DEAF-MUTE HEARD, which was turned into a hugely successful Hallmark Television movie. He is also the author of COUNTING COUP and BLUE HOLE. His latest novel is THE WRONG GUY, a darkly comic look at racism in the South.
BILL GEERHART co-founded the respected Cold War popular culture website CONELRAD.com where he continues to write the majority of the content, and he is also a producer for Bear Family Records. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, NPR’s Morning Edition, BoingBoing, and more. He wrote the 292-page book that accompanies the 2005 Bear Family Records box set release Atomic Platters: Cold War Music from the Golden Age of Homeland Security (which he also co-produced). He is the author of the hilarious LITTLE BILLY’S LETTERS: AN INCORRIGIBLE INNER CHILD'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE FAMOUS, INFAMOUS AND JUST PLAIN BEWILDERED, a collection of letters between fake 10-year-old "Billy" and famous and infamous personalities like Charles Manson and Justice Clarence Thomas.
www.conelrad.com
AMY GENTRY is a writer and critic with a doctorate in English from the University of Chicago. She has been a regular book reviewer for the Chicago Tribune since 2012, and her work has also appeared in in Salon, Fusion, The Rumpus, LA Review of Books, Austin Chronicle, Gastronomica, The Best Food Writing of 2014, and many more. Her book on Tori Amos was published as part of the 33 1/3 music criticism series. Her debut novel GOOD AS GONE is a twisty upmarket thriller about what happens when a girl returns eight years after her kidnapping with a story that doesn’t add up, followed by thrillers LAST WOMAN STANDING and the forthcoming THE HABIT OF RISING EARLY. Amy holds a doctorate in English from the University of Chicago and lives in Austin, Texas.
AMY HARMON is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Her books have been published in more than two dozen languages around the globe. Amy has written eighteen novels, including the USA Today Bestseller, MAKING FACES. Her historical novel, FROM SAND AND ASH, was the Whitney-Award winning Book of the Year in 2016. Her novel, WHAT THE WIND KNOWS, topped the Amazon Charts for 13 weeks and was on the top 100 bestsellers chart for six months. Her novel, A DIFFERENT BLUE, is a New York Times Bestseller and her USA Today bestselling fantasy, THE BIRD AND THE SWORD, was a Goodreads Best Book of 2016 finalist. For updates on upcoming book releases, author posts and more, join Amy at www.authoramyharmon.com
TIFFANY CLARKE HARRISON graduated from Salisbury University with a BA in English, Creative Writing concentration, and holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from Queens University of Charlotte. Writing is a whole-body experience, and her intuitive writing process has helped shape the raw honesty of her stories, and the stories of other authors she’s coached. Tiffany lives with her husband and two children in North Carolina. BLUE HOUR is her forthcoming debut novel.
H.B. HEINZER is the author of the Blessed Tragedy and bestselling Back to Brooklyn series, which starts off with BENT, following a newly divorced woman to Brooklyn, Wisconsin, the hometown she swore she’d never see again, and into the arms of the high school sweetheart who drove her away.
hbheinzer.com
NANCY HERKNESS is the award-winning author of the SECOND GLANCES, WAGER OF HEARTS, and WHISPER HORSE series, published by Montlake Romance, as well as several other contemporary romance novels. She is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. Nancy has received many honors for her work, including the Book Buyers Best Top Pick, the New England Readers’ Choice award, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award. She graduated from Princeton University with a degree in English literature and creative writing. A native of West Virginia, Nancy now lives twelve miles west of the Lincoln Tunnel in suburban New Jersey with a goofy golden retriever. For more information about Nancy and her books, visit www.NancyHerkness.com.
RAMSEY HOOTMAN is an author of quirky, character-driven fiction. Her critically celebrated debut novel is COURTING GRETA.
COLLEEN HOOVER is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
LEE HOUCK is the author of YIELD, the winner of Project QueerLit 2008. His writing appears in anthologies published in the U.S. and Australia. He is currently at work on a new novel, and blogs at www.GrammarPiano.com.
MARK JOHNSON is a health and science reporter for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA TODAY network. He shared the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting and has been selected as a Pulitzer finalist on three other occasions. He is the co-author of the non-fiction book, ONE IN A BILLION: THE STORY OF NIC VOLKER AND THE DAWN OF GENOMIC MEDICINE. His stories have been selected three times for inclusion in Best American Newspaper Narratives, an annual anthology.
New York Times best-selling author, TAYARI JONES, is the author of the novels LEAVING ATLANTA, THE UNTELLING, SILVER SPARROW, and AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE. Her writing has appeared in Tin House, The Believer, The New York Times, and Callaloo. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, she has also been a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship and Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. Silver Sparrow was added to the NEA Big Read Library of classics in 2016. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is a Professor of Creative Writing at Emory University.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, NANCY JOOYOUN KIM is a graduate of UCLA and the University of Washington, Seattle. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Guernica, NPR/PRI’s Selected Shorts, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, Asian American Writers’ Workshop’s The Margins, The Offing, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, THE LAST STORY OF MINA LEE, will be published by Park Row Books/HarperCollins in Fall 2020.
LARRY KIRWAN was born in Wexford, Ireland and lives in New York City. He was leader of Black 47 for 25 years during which the political rock band played 2,500 gigs, released 16 albums, and appeared on every major US TV show. He has written three novels, Liverpool Fantasy, Rockin' The Bronx, and Rockaway Blue, a memoir, Green Suede Shoes, and A History of Irish Music. He has written or collaborated on twenty-one plays and musicals and conceived Paradise Square, nominated for ten Tony Awards on Broadway, including one for Kirwan as co-book writer. A political activist, he is an Irish Echo columnist and a celebrity host/producer of Celtic Crush on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. He was president of Irish American Writers & Artists for five years and received the 2022 Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.
French by birth, but educated in the United States, ALEXANDRA LAPIERRE is a graduate of the Sorbonne and the University of Southern California. Novelist and biographer, she is the author of many international bestsellers. She was elected “Donna per la Cultura,” by the City of Rome, Italy, and awarded the prestigious “Grand Prix des Lectrices de ELLE” for her biography Fanny Stevenson, wife of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Her novel Artemisia on the first Italian woman painter from the Renaissance, Artemisia Gentileschi, was voted “Book of the Week” by the British BBC and “Best Book on the Seventeenth Century” by the Sorbonne University. Tout l’Honneur des Hommes, on the adventures of a Chechyan prince in Imperial Russia, was been awarded the “Prix des Romancières”, and the English translation is forthcoming from Amazon Crossing. Alexandra Lapierre has been nominated Chevalier in the “Order of Arts and Letters” by the French government.
The late KRISTIN HUNTER LATTANY was an award-winning novelist, playwright, essayist, and children’s book author. Her titles include GOD BLESS THE CHILD; GUESTS IN THE PROMISED LAND; and THE LAKES TOWN REBELLION. More recent novels are KINFOLKS and DO UNTO OTHERS, and her last book was BREAKING AWAY.
HELEN ELAINE LEE is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She is a novelist and short story writer. Helen was on the board of PEN New England for 10 years, and she served on its Freedom to Write Committee and volunteered with its Prison Creative Writing Program, which she helped to start. She has written about the experience of teaching creative writing in prison in a New York Times Book Review essay, “Visible Men.” Her stories about prisoners have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Callaloo, Hanging Loose, Best African American Fiction 2009 (Bantam Books), and Solstice Literary Magazine. Her newest novel, POMEGRANATE, will be published by Atria in 2022. Her other novels include THE SERPENT’S GIFT and WATER MARKED. Helen’s short stories have appeared in Ploughshares and Callaloo. Helen is Professor of Comparative Media Studies/Writing at MIT and Director of MIT’s Program in Women’s & Gender Studies.
PRUE LEITH is a renowned food writer and editor in the U.K. She has also been a restaurateur, caterer, telly-cook, and broadcaster, and has written many cookbooks. In addition, she is an acclaimed novelist and the author of LEAVING PATRICK; SISTERS; A LOVESOME THING; CHORAL SOCIETY; A SERVING OF SCANDAL; andGARDENER. Her forthcoming memoir, RELISH, relates her incredible appetite for life.
www.prue-leith.com
LORRAINE M. LÓPEZ is an associate professor and Interim Director of the Creative Writing department at Vanderbilt University. Her first book, Soy la Avon Lady and Other Stories was selected by Sandra Cisneros as the winner of the inaugural Miguel Marmól Prize for Fiction. López’s work has also appeared in Prairie Schooner and Alaska Quarterly Review. She was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her short story collection THE HOMICIDE SURVIVORS’ PICNIC and is the author of the novels THE GIFTED GABALDÓN SISTERS, THE REALM OF THE HUNGRY SPIRITS, and THE DARLING, about Latina bibliophile Caridad who falls out of love again and again, with much help from Anton Chekhov, Gustave Flaubert, Theodore Dreiser, D. H. Lawrence, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas Hardy, and other deceased white men of letters.
lorrainelopez.net
NATHAN MAKARYK’s debut novel NOTTINGHAM was a retelling of the Robin Hood story. It was followed by the sequel LIONHEARTS. Nathan is a theater owner, playwright, director, actor and improv comedian, living in southern California. None of these pay very well, so he also has a real job teaching audio systems networking software to people who have no idea he's also a novelist and theater guy. https://www.nathanmakaryk.com/
KIMMERY MARTIN is an emergency medicine doctor whose works of medical fiction have been praised by The Harvard Crimson, People magazine, Newsweek and The New York Times. She completed her medical training at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she honors her passion for public libraries by serving on the Board of Trustees of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and chairing the management committee of the flagship children’s library. Additionally, she teaches Narrative Medicine at the local medical school and authors a column on Substack covering medical disinformation, parenting, humor, and social topics. She is a frequent speaker at libraries, conferences, medical schools, and bookstores around the United States. Her most recent novel, DOCTORS AND FRIENDS, received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist.
T.J. Martinson is an Assistant Professor of English at Murray State University. His debut novel, THE REIGN OF THE KINGFISHER, was published by Flatiron Books, and his short fiction has appeared in [PANK], Heavy Feather Review, Midwestern Gothic, and others. He holds a Ph.D. in English from Indiana University.
CHRISTINE ELISE MCCARTHY has been acting professionally for 25 years and is recognized primarily for her roles as U4EA-popping bad girl, Emily Valentine, on Beverly Hills, 90210, and as Kyle, the gal who killed Chucky in Child’s Play 2. She maintains an irreverent food porn blog (www.DelightfulDeliciousDelovely.com) for which she provides recipes, photographs and sometimes shares details of the triumphs and, more frequently, the humiliations of her own life. Her directorial debut, Bathing & the Single Girl, was accepted into over 100 film festivals and won 20 awards. Inspired by the short film, BATHING & THE SINGLE GIRL is her debut novel.
bathingandthesinglegirlbook.com
CHARLOTTE McCONAGHY is an Australian author living in Sydney. She has a Masters Degree in Screenwriting from the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and a number of published SFF works in Australia. Her novel MIGRATIONS is her first foray into adult literary fiction, published in North America by Flatiron Books, and by Penguin Random House in Australia and the UK. It is being translated into over 20 languages, and adapted to film. Fuelled by her love of nature and her interest in stories of fierce women, McConaghy's newest novel, ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES, is about a biologist charged with reintroducing wolves to the Scottish Highlands in order to rewild the landscape and bring a forest back to life. It will be released in August 2021.
GAIL MCHUGH is the New York Times bestselling author of COLLIDE and PULSE, about an unexpected encounter that compels a young girl to question her decisions, forcing her to make a choice that will destroy friendships, shatter hearts, and forever change her life. Her next book will be AMBER TO ASHES.
www.gailmchugh.net
ANNA-MARIE MCLEMORE (they/them) writes magical realism and fairy tales that are as queer, Latine, and nonbinary as they are. Their books include THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS, a 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist; 2017 Stonewall Honor Book WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature and was the winner of the James Tiptree Jr. Award; WILD BEAUTY, a Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist best book of 2017; BLANCA & ROJA, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice; MISS METEOR (co-authored with Tehlor Kay Mejia); DARK AND DEEPEST RED, a Winter 2020 Indie Next List selection; THE MIRROR SEASON, which has recently received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and School Library Journal; LAKELORE, which has received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Shelf Awareness; SELF-MADE BOYS: A GREAT GATSBY REMIX, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature; and VENOM & VOW, co-authored with Elliott McLemore. Most recently, they contributed to the 2023 Printz-winning anthology THE COLLECTORS: STORIES, edited by A.S. King. Their newest young adult novel is FLAWLESS GIRLS, a tense and evocative novel about a girl who enrolls in a prominent finishing school to discover what happened to her sister, who vanished upon returning, disturbingly changed, from the school. Also forthcoming is THE INFLUENCERS, Anna-Marie’s debut adult novel about two generations of a social media influencer family whose many secrets lurking behind the Instagram veneer come to light when the matriarch’s home mysteriously burns down with her murdered husband inside. http://author.annamariemclemore.com/p/welcome.html
JUDY MELINEK, MD is an American Board of Pathology board-certified forensic pathologist practicing forensic medicine in San Francisco, California, and CEO of PathologyExpert Inc. Dr. Melinek trained in pathology at University of California, Los Angeles and then as a forensic pathologist at the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office from 2001-2003. She has consulted and testified in criminal and civil cases in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. She is the co-author of the NYT bestselling book WORKING STIFF: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, as well as the forthcoming debut novel FIRST CUT.
HEATHER B. MOORE is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than seventy publications. She is the author of THE PAPER DAUGHTERS OF CHINATOWN. She has lived on both the East and West Coasts and attended school abroad at the Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican School of Journalism in Israel. She loves to learn about history and is passionate about historical research.
PATRICK MOORE has worked extensively on gay issues both as an activist and author. He is the author of two novels, IOWA and THIS EVERY NIGHT, and he was the founding director of the Estate Project for Artists with AIDS in New York City. Patrick's first nonfiction book is BEYOND SHAME: RECLAIMING THE ABANDONED HISTORY OF RADICAL GAY SEXUALITY, and his latest is the Book Sense pick TWEAKED, a memoir about his crystal meth addiction.
The late THOMAS MORAN was the former managing editor of W magazine and a founding editor of M magazine. A gifted writer with a captivating prose style, he is the author of THE MAN IN THE BOX, which won the Book-of-the-Month Club’s coveted first fiction award and has been optioned for film by Dan and Nuria Wicksman. Other critically acclaimed novels include THE WORLD I MADE FOR HER; WATER, CARRY ME; and WHAT HARRY SAW. His most recent is ANJA THE LIAR, about survivors of WWII who became executioners in order to live.
RAY MUNGO is a '60s counterculture icon whose first book, FAMOUS LONG AGO, has become a cult classic and is currently being made into a feature film. His other titles include PALM SPRINGS BABYLON; QUESTIONS THAT DEFINE YOU; and SAN FRANCISCO CONFIDENTIAL. His latest is an update of his financial classic, NO CREDIT REQUIRED.
RASHEED NEWSON is a television drama writer and producer. He has worked on several shows such as “The Chi,” “Narcos,” “Animal Kingdom,” “Shooter,” and “The 100,” among others. His debut novel, MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME, is forthcoming. Rasheed was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and he is a graduate of Georgetown University. Currently, Rasheed lives in Pasadena, California, with his husband and their two children.
ADORAH NWORAH hails from Anambra State in South-East Nigeria but grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. Her stories have been published in AFREADA and ADDA. Her short stories, The Bride and Broken English made the shortlist for the Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize and the longlist for the Short Story Day Africa Prize respectively. Her debut literary horror is forthcoming from Unnamed Press (US) and Borough Press (UK).
HEATHER AIMEE O'NEILL is the co-author of the poetry collection "Obliterations," published by Red Hen Press, and her poetry chapbook, "Memory Future," was selected by Carol Muske-Dukes as the winner of the University of Southern California's Gold Line Press Award. She has worked with hundreds of novelists and memoirists as the Assistant Director of the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop and as an independent editor. Her debut novel THE IRISH GOODBYE is forthcoming from Holt. To learn more about Heather and her work, visit www.heatheraimeeoneill.com.
ANTHONY OLIVEIRA is a writer, pop culture critic, and PhD living in Toronto. He can be found on Twitter at @meakoopa, where he tweets about the arts, politics, and LGBT culture, or on his podcast, The Devil’s Party, which explores the classics of Christian literature from a queer scholarly perspective. He is a five-time nominee and three-time winner of the National Magazine Awards—awarded gold once for his short story “Dayspring” (Best Fiction 2020), and twice for his work "Death in the Village" (Best Essay and Best Long-Form Feature 2019), which chronicles the aftermath of the Bruce McArthur murders. He is a writer of comics whose work has appeared in Marvel’s Young Avengers, X-Men, and Captain Marvel series and the ongoing inifinity comic series Avengers Academy. His work for Marvel has won a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Comic Book. He also wrote for Steven Universe: Fusion Frenzy #1, and the Shout Out Queer Anthology. His first full-length graphic novel is APOCRYPHA, pitched as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Paradise Lost, in which a teen guided by an angel and another possessed by a demon find themselves at the center of a terrible cosmic war—and their own confusing queer awakenings. His debut prose novel is the 2024 Writers Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize-winning DAYSPRING, a hybrid work weaving stories of queer love, grief, destruction, and survival into a narrative unmoored in time that reexamines Biblical characters even as it casts its eye on contemporary life. www.anthonyoliveira.com
RENA OLSEN is a writer, therapist, teacher, sometimes singer, and eternal optimist. By day she tries to save the world as a school therapist, and at night she creates new worlds in her writing. She is the author of the debut THE GIRL BEFORE and the forthcoming WITH YOU ALWAYS, both novels of psychological suspense.
EUGÉNIE OLSON is a former toy developer whose first novel, BABE IN TOYLAND, was about a young woman who works for a toy company and is looking for love in all the wrong places. She is also the author of THE PAJAMA GAME, about a young woman who works in a lingerie store, and LOVE IN THE TIME OF TAFFETA about an aspiring photographer who lands a job working for a cute (taken) photographer doing the prom circuit. Her first nonfiction is a funny collection of poems entitled PREGNANCY HAIKU, which will be followed by BRIDE HAIKU.
DORI OSTERMILLER received her MFAin fiction from the Universityof Massachusetts, and has taught writing and literature at U Mass, Westfield State College and HolyokeCommunity College. She is the founder and director of Writers in Progress, a prominent local literary arts center that offers workshops, retreats, editing services and a reading series. Her fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals, including The Bellingham Review, Alligator Juniper, BellowingArk, the Massachusetts Review, Aura, The Roanoke Review, Flint Hills Review, Calliope and Chautauqua Literary Journal, among others. OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD is her first novel.
ALICE LECCESE POWERS is a freelance writer and editor who also teaches writing. She is a co-editor, with Andrea Wyatt Sexton, of THE BROOKLYN READER. She also edited the anthologies ITALY IN MIND; IRELAND IN MIND; FRANCE IN MIND; TUSCANY IN MIND; and SPAIN IN MIND.
STEPHANIE RAFFELOCK graduated from Naropa University’s program in Creative Writing and Poetics and acted as President and co-Founder of Sound Formulas, taught a weekly creative writing class for incarcerated women at the Jefferson County Detention Center in Golden, and blogs at somanyblogssolittletime.com. She enjoys writing and hiking in the Oregon WOODS. Her debut novel, THE SISTER BETWEEN is a story about twins who share a bond that is stronger than death.
STEVEN RAICHLEN is a multi-award-winning author, journalist and cooking teacher, and currently hosts the popular PBS show Primal Grill. He has won five James Beard awards for his cookbooks, has written for the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Food and Wine, and Bon Appetit, and has appeared on numerous television programs including Good Morning America, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and The View. His first novel, set in Chappaquiddick, is ISLAND APART, a wonderful story of love and the healing power of food.
ABIGAIL REYNOLDS is a lifelong Jane Austen enthusiast and a physician. She is the author of several novels, including a modern-day tale inspired by Pride and Prejudice, THE MAN WHO LOVED PRIDE & PREJUDICE, and one inspired by Persuasion, MORNING LIGHT. She also writes a series of Pride and Prejudice variations including MR FITZWILLIAM DARCY: THE LAST MAN IN THE WORLD, MR DARCY’S OBSESSION, TO CONQUER MR DARCY, WHAT WOULD MR DARCY DO?, MR DARCY’S UNDOING, BY FORCE OF INSTINCT, MR DARCY’S LETTER, and a collection of stories entitled A PEMBERLEY MEDLEY.
www.pemberleyvariations.com
JEWELL PARKER RHODES is the author of the modern classic VOODOO DREAMS, a novel about famed voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, as well as VOODOO SEASON, YELLOW MOON, and HURRICANE: A NOVEL, which follow Marie Laveau’s modern day descendant. She is also the author of MAGIC CITY, a novel about the race riots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the early 20th century. DOUGLASS’ WOMEN is a fictional account of Frederick Douglass and the two women who loved him. Her nonfiction works include FREE WITHIN OURSELVES and PORCH STORIES: A GRANDMOTHER’S GUIDE TO HAPPINESS. Her first middle grade novel, NINTH WARD, set against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina, was a Coretta Scott King Book Honor winner, and she’s written seven other critically acclaimed novels for young readers: SUGAR; BAYOU MAGIC; TOWERS FALLING; GHOST BOYS, which is a New York Times, IndieBound, and Publishers Weekly bestseller, received four starred reviews, and is a #1 Kids’ Indie Next List pick; BLACK BROTHER, BLACK BROTHER, which received three starred reviews, was a YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers selection, and has been nominated for over a dozen reader’s choice awards; PARADISE ON FIRE, which was a Kids’ Indie Next List pick and was lauded for doing “heroic work in connecting global forces to local reality” by the New York Times; and TREASURE ISLAND: RUNAWAY GOLD, a reimagining of the classic novel Treasure Island set in modern-day Manhattan, which was named a best book of the year by Kirkus and Booklist. Her most recent book for middle grade readers is WILL’S RACE FOR HOME, a thrilling adventure story about a boy and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush—if they can survive the journey. She is also the co-author, with her daughter Kelly McWilliams, of SOUL STEP, a picture book illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu about the joy and history of step dancing. The driving force behind all of Jewell’s work is to inspire social justice, equality, and environmental stewardship. jewellparkerrhodes.com
SARAH RUIZ-GROSSMAN is a writer whose debut novel, A FIRE SO WILD, comes out in Spring 2024. Previously a reporter at HuffPost, and proud HuffPost union member, she covered the climate crisis and other social justice issues. She lives in California with her partner and their dog.
MARY DORIA RUSSELL is a paleoanthropologist with specialties in bone biology and biomechanics. She is the author of THE SPARROW, a remarkable first novel about a failed Jesuit mission to another planet, and CHILDREN OF GOD, its sequel. She has also written A THREAD OF GRACE, a historical novel that tells the little-known but true story of the network of Italian citizens who saved the lives of 43,000 Jews during WWII. She is the author of DREAMERS OF THE DAY, which begins with the 1918 flu pandemic and follows a fascinating cast of characters through some of the most pivotal events of the last century. Her latest book, DOC, a novel about Doc Holliday, the famous gambler and gunfighter of the American Old West, has been optioned for television by HBO. She is currently at work on a new novel, EPITAPH, the sequel to DOC.
LYNDA RUTLEDGE has crisscrossed both literary and geographic boundaries in her writing career. As an animal-and-travel-loving freelance journalist, she petted baby rhinos, snorkeled with endangered turtles, strolled with a tower of giraffes, hang-glided off a small Swiss mountain, and dodged hurricanes to write dozens of articles for national publications such as the Chicago Tribune and Houston Post, along with eclectic book-length nonfiction for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the San Diego Zoo, before beginning her career as a novelist. Since then, she's won awards and residencies for her fiction from the Illinois Arts Council, Ragdale Foundation, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Writers League of Texas, and Squaw Valley Community of Writers among others, as well as earning an MA in American literature and MFA in creative writing. Her debut novel was Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale, which won the 2013 Writers League of Texas Novel of the Year and has been adapted into a major French film starring Catherine Deneuve to be released this December. She, her husband, and dog, live outside Austin, Texas where the deer and the roadrunners play.
PATMEENA SABIT was born in Kabul a few years after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. When she was a month old her family fled the conflict and became refugees in Pakistan, joining the millions of other Afghans that had sought refuge there. They later moved to the United States and she grew up in Virginia. She currently lives in Toronto and works within the field of refugee protection. Her debut novel GOOD PEOPLE is forthcoming from Crown.
SARAH SCHULMAN is the author of novels, nonfiction books, plays and movies. Her latest book, LET THE RECORD SHOW: A Political History of Act Up New York, 1987-1993, was named a New York Times Notable Books of 2021 selection, an NPR Best Book of 2021, and a Guardian Best Book of 2021; a finalist for the 2022 Lambda Literary Award and the 2022 John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction; and longlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize. Her other recent works are MAGGIE TERRY, THE COSMOPOLITANS, which was picked as one of the "Best Books of 2016" by Publishers' Weekly, and a nonfiction book CONFLICT IS NOT ABUSE: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility and the Duty of Repair. Previous novels are THE CHILD, SHIMMER, EMPATHY, RAT BOHEMIA, PEOPLE IN TROUBLE, AFTER DELORES, GIRLS VISIONS AND EVERYTHING, THE MERE FUTURE, and THE SOPHIE HOROWITZ STORY. Her nonfiction titles are TIES THAT BIND: Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences, THE GENTRIFICATION OF THE MIND: Witness to a Lost Imagination, STAGESTRUCK: Theater, AIDS and the Marketing of Gay America, ISRAEL/PALESTINE AND THE QUEER INTERNATIONAL, and MY AMERICAN HISTORY: Lesbian and Gay Life During the Reagan/Bush Years.
JONATHAN SELWOOD was born and raised in Hollywood, California. He received an MFA in fiction from Columbia University in New York and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. His first novel is THE PINBALL THEORY OF THE APOCALYPSE.
www.jonathanselwood.com
GEORGE SHAFFNER is a consultant specializing in sales strategy for technology companies in the Silicon Valley. He is the author of THE ARITHMETIC OF LIFE. His first novel is IN THE LAND OF SECOND CHANCES, introducing traveling "salesman" Vernon Moore, who tries to sell hope to the residents of Ebb, Nebraska. In the second book in the series, ONE PART ANGEL, Vernon is peddling charity. His newest book is THE WIDOWS OF EDEN, where once again, Vernon makes his rounds; this time he's selling faith.
MANSI SHAH is a writer and entertainment lawyer who lives in Los Angeles. She was born in Toronto, raised in the United States, has spent significant time in India, and studied at universities in Australia and England. THE TASTE OF GINGER is her first novel, and her second novel is 2023’s THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND.
ZOE SIVAK is currently pursuing both her Juris Doctorate and Master of Public Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a focus on women's health. She continues to advocate for women in her writing, focusing on BIPOC and LGTBQA narratives in historical fiction. Her debut novel, MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION, is forthcoming in August 2022, and follows a biracial woman's tumultuous journey through the Haitian and French Revolutions.
EMMA SLOLEY’s fiction and creative non-fiction has appeared in Catapult, Literary Hub, Joyland, The Common, CRAFT, and The Masters Review Anthology, among many others. She is a two-time MacDowell fellow and Bread Loaf scholar, and her debut novel, DISASTER’S CHILDREN, was published by Little A books in 2019. Her next novel THE ISLAND OF LAST THINGS is forthcoming from Flatiron Books. Born in Australia, Emma now divides her time between the US and the city of Mérida, Mexico. You can find her on Twitter @Emma_Sloley and www.emmasloley.com
MADELINE KAY SNEED holds a BA in English Literature from Baylor University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. A native Texan, she often writes about the idiosyncrasies and landscapes found in the Lone Star State, as exemplified in her debut novel, THE GOLDEN SEASON. When she's not writing, Madeline enjoys cheering on Houston’s sports teams and curating various Spotify playlists. You can learn more about her at www.madelinekaysneed.com
PETER STENSON received his MFA from Colorado State University in 2012. His first novel, FIEND, was an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and his follow-up, THIRTY-SEVEN was one of Booklist’s Best Horror Novels of 2018. His stories and essays have been published in The Bellevue Literary Review, The Greensboro Review, Confrontation, Blue Mesa Review, and elsewhere. He lives with his wife and daughter in Denver, Colorado.
Former journalist ELIZABETH THOMPSON writes contemporary and historical women’s fiction. As an Air Force brat, she lived in France and England and was fortunate to travel all over Europe. Later, she returned to the states where she studied art and writing. Now, she lives in Tennessee with her husband and Pembroke Welsh corgi. She loves to hear from readers. You can reach her through her website: www.ElizabethThompsonAuthor.com; Instagram: @elizabeth_thompson_author and Facebook.
JEAN TROUNSTINE is an author, activist, and professor who has published six books including SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS: THE POWER OF DRAMA IN A WOMEN’S PRISON (St. Martin's) and BOY WITH A KNIFE: THE STORY OF MURDER, REMORSE, AND A PRISONER’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE (Ig Publishing). She has written numerous articles on prison issues, been the subject of many features, radio broadcasts (NPR, The Connection), and TV shows (The Today Show) and spoken around the world on incarceration for more than thirty years. She has won several grants for her work, literary awards, and in 2018 was invited to Italy and awarded the Gramsci International Award for writing, literature and theatre. Her new manuscript is a collection of short stories, HER ARMS SO HEAVY, debut fiction called “gritty, moving…like jolts of electricity…so incredibly moving, you’ll rethink everything you ever thought about our justice system,” per best-selling novelist Caroline Leavitt. Find her @justicewithjean or at jeantrounstine.com. She is currently working on a novel.
VALERIE TRUEBLOOD is a Contributing Editor to the American Poetry Review, and her short stories and essays have been published in One Story, Northwest Review, Iowa Review, and the Seattle Times, among others. Her first book, SEVEN LOVES, was a Barnes & Noble Discover pick and a Target Breakout Book. Her second book, MARRY OR BURN, a collection of short stories that explore the theme of marriage, was a finalist for the Frank O’Connor Prize. Her next collection, SEARCH PARTY was short listed for the PEN/Faulkner award, and her newest collection CRIMINALS: LOVE STORIES, is forthcoming from Counterpoint.
TABATHA VARGO is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple adult series, including Wicked, Chubby Girl Chronicles, and Blow Hole Boys.
tabathavargo.blogspot.com
NEENA VIEL has a Bachelor’s in Communication from Arkansas State University, and a Master’s in Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. She is the Director of Development & Communications at Northwest Education Access, a Seattle-based nonprofit, and has over eight years of experience in philanthropy. Her debut novel LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER is forthcoming from St. Martin’s Press.
ELLIOT WAKE (formerly known as Leah Raeder) is a transgender author of four novels: UNTEACHABLE, BLACK IRIS, CAM GIRL and BAD BOY. His work has earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and hit the USA Today Bestseller list. Aside from reading his brains out, Elliot enjoys video games, weightlifting, and perfecting his dapper style. He lives with his partner in Chicago.
SOPHIE WAN is a Bay Area native who currently lives in Philadelphia. Her debut novel, WOMEN OF GOOD FORTUNE, is set against a high-society Shanghai wedding, and follows a reluctant bride and her two best friends, each with their own personal motives and fed up with the way society treats women, who launch a heist to steal all the gift money on the big day. https://thesophiewan.com
TAMMARA WEBBER is the New York Times bestselling author of the deeply romantic and utterly gripping New Adult novel EASY and the companion novel BREAKABLE. She is also the author of the popular Between the Lines series about the entanglements of a young group of Hollywood stars, which began with BETWEEN THE LINES.
www.tammarawebber.com
SHARON J. WISHNOW loves all aspects of writing. For more than two decades, she has written and edited short stories, and managed content for books, magazines, websites, and marketing materials on behalf of her many clients. Sharon holds an MFA from George Mason University and a BA from Clark University. A transplanted New Englander, Sharon resides in Northern Virginia where she also teaches editing and nonfiction writing. Her debut novel, THE PELICAN TIDE, will be published by Lake Union in June. www.sharonwishnow.com