Lance LoRusso, is a law enforcement officer turned attorney and author. In his fiction writing, he creates stories of engaging and realistic police cases that feature true-to-life characters, whether they are street cops, detectives, chiefs, or the criminals they pursue. Lance’s non-fiction books are written to educate public safety about legal issues as well as critical incident and media response. He’s the author of Hunting of Men, a fictional detective book featuring Detective Johnny Till.

Minette Norman is an award-winning author, speaker, leadership consultant, and former Silicon Valley software executive who spent decades leading global teams. 

Keynote speaker, best-selling author, communications expert, Podcast host & Emmy award-winning journalist. Liz Brunner’s television career spanned 28 years. Along with co-anchoring the #1 rated 6pm newscast at ABC-TV in Boston, she conducted exclusive one-on-one interviews with prominent figures: professional athletes, global political leaders including President Barack Obama & cultural icons such as Oprah Winfrey. In 2013, Liz embarked upon her next chapter as CEO and Founder of Brunner Communications helping people find their authentic voice, tell their story and lead with presence. Liz is also the host of the award-winning podcast, “Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner," guiding guests to share their stories of re-creation. In 2023, Liz's highly acclaimed book, Dare To Own You, was a winner in the “memoir” category from Book Excellence Awards. And in the Feathered Quill Book Awards, placed Silver/ 2nd Place category for "Self-Help" and Finalist in the "memoir/ biography” category.

My name is Cheryl Tyler, I am a Black American Woman. I was fortunate to have lived my dream at the age most just find a job to bring home a paycheck to take care of their family. I am now living my ideas, other things I wanted to do in life. I became a US Secret Service Agent, retired and started my own security logistics consulting company. I love traveling domestically and internationally, learning about other cultures and eating really good food. I recently wrote my first book and had an unbelievable first book signing in my 60’s .

David W. Berner is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, author, and teacher.

He is the best-selling, award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, short stories, and poetry. His work includes the novels A Well-Respected Man, The Islander, Night Radio, Sandman, and Rainbow Man, and the nonfiction books Accidental Lessons, Any Road Will Take You There, Walks with Sam, The Consequence of Stars, and Daylight Saving Time. He has won an Eric Hoffer Book Award, Book Excellence Award, NYC Big Book Award, National Association of Independent Writers and Editors Award for Literary Fiction, and the Book of the Year Award from the Chicago Writers Association. He's also been recognized by the Paris Book Festival, the London Book Festival, The Society of Midland Authors, the Hawthorne Prize, the Royal Dragonfly Awards, and the Readers' Choice Awards.

Kristin Tenor finds inspiration in life's quiet details and believes in their power to illuminate the extraordinary. She is the author of the flash fiction chapbook, This Is How They Mourn, which won Thirty West Publishing House's 8th Wavelengths Chapbook Contest. Her fiction has appeared in Best Microfiction 2024, Wigleaf, Bending Genres, X-R-A-Y, 100 Word Story, and various other literary journals and anthologies. Kristin's work has been nominated for Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, and the Pushcart Prize as well as longlisted for the Wigleaf Top 50. She currently serves as a contributing editor at Story.

Roger Marum, PhD, is a seasoned clinical psychologist with fifty years of experience treating clients. Currently based in Vermont, Roger has a thriving private psychotherapy practice with offices in Middlebury and North Ferrisburgh.

Nicole Bokat's first novel, Redeeming Eve, was published by The Permanent Press. It was nominated for both the Hemingway Foundation/PEN award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction. What Matters Most, her second novel, was published by The Penguin Group. Her third novel, The Happiness Thief, was published by She Writes Press. It was a 2021 Foreword Indie Awards Finalist.

Brandi Dredge is a mom, encourager, and author. She shares her story with the hopes that what she went through will bring encouragement to victims and/or individuals who could benefit from knowing about God’s favor and blessings in their lives. She enjoys swimming in the deep end of mystical thoughts, wading in emotions to pen poetry, and sipping a strong cup of coffee. She is a member of The National Association of Memoir Writers and resides in St. Joseph, Missouri.

A native of Los Angeles, Kes Trester is a veteran of the film and TV commercial industry. Her debut novel, A Dangerous Year, is currently being developed for film/television. The Nine, the first entry in a multibook, contemporary YA/NA romantasy series published by Owl Hollow Press, hit shelves October 2022, with the sequel, Alder House, released September 2023. The third book, To theNines, comes out October 22, 2024.

Stephanie Vasquez has recently published essays on Refinery29 and The Opal Club. She has also reported for the Tombstone Epitaph in Southern Arizona. As a bi-racial Mexican American who grew up sixty miles north of the US–Mexico border, she was inspired to major in journalism and minor in Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona. Stephanie currently lives in Goodyear, Arizona.

Robert E. Eliot is the author of Nolanverse: Exploring the Greatest Illusion in Movie History: An Unauthorized New Analysis of The Dark Knight Rises and Mi Negro Amigo: An Unauthorized New Analysis of Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. He lives and works in the state of Washington and looks forward to writing additional nonfiction books in the future.

Dr. Donna Marks is a best-selling, multiple award-winning author, educator, and licensed psychotherapist and addictions counselor in Palm Beach, Florida for more than thirty years.

Phillip W. Price began his law enforcement career with the City of Canton, Georgia, Police Department in late 1974 at the age of 19. On January 1, 1976 Price was hired as a Radio Operator for the Georgia State Patrol assigned to the Headquarters Communications Center. On January 8, 1978 Price transferred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) as a Special Agent. Price retired as a Special Agent in Charge (SAC) in 2006.

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes contemporary fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

In her first career, Zelly was a social worker in the adoption and foster care field. From there, she owned an online retail store specializing in hand-painted children’s gifts and party favors. Along the way, Zelly volunteered and raised funds for several non-profit organizations. In an alternate universe, she is probably an event planner. But once she moved to New York City, Zelly gave in to the compulsion to write women’s fiction spiced with suspense about motherhood, relationships, loss and love. Her debut novel, Not Yours to Keep, comes out October 2024 with She Writes Press.

Elom K. Akoto immigrated to the United States from Togo (West Africa). He earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages). He is the founder of Learn and Care, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote Literacy and Adult Education, not only among immigrants but also among Native Americans who missed the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. The program offers ESL, literacy, GED preparation classes, and more. He self-published two ESL workbooks: Ideal Companion, ESL level 1 and Ideal Companion, ESL level 2. He teaches French in a high school and ESL at a community college in Omaha, Nebraska, where he lives with his family. Akoto’s debut novel, BLINDSPOT IN AMERICA, will be released by Red Hen Press on October 1, 2024.

Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.

Stephen Harrison is an accomplished writer and tech lawyer. His fiction and nonfiction pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, and Slate magazine. For the past five years, he has penned the column “Source Notes” about Wikipedia and the world of facts on the internet. He is based in Dallas, Texas.

Born in Washington, D.C., Joy Jordan Lake grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee outside Chattanooga. Much to her sweet mother's bafflement, Joy always preferred dogs, horses and the woods to dolls and playhouses. A shy kid who was sick a lot, she learned to love reading and creating her own stories--and avoiding wearing shoes at all costs. Living all over the country as an adult, including in New England for years, she still avoids footwear whenever possible.​