Asha Nyr: I’m an accidental author of fantasy romance who writes to process unspeakable trauma from childhood sexual, verbal, and physical abuse. When I became disabled from medical conditions and lost my job, I focused on my DBT therapy and wrote a novel as an exposure therapy exercise. I had no intention of ever publishing, but I also didn’t want to go through the process alone. Confronting trauma is a painful and risky endeavor, so much that I had to put distance between it and myself with a medieval fantasy setting. I posted chapters online and readers came flooding in, including survivors who also said they found healing in the story. Shortly after, readers started asking for sequels and physical copies, and I realized that maybe this was how I could find meaning to my life again. Since then, in October 2021, I’ve written 11 fairly hefty novels, each one focusing on a different aspect of my trauma. I am gradually publishing them all in an attempt to restart my life and have many more books waiting for me to write them. [Brief bio comes from the website of Awesome Gang.]

Drawing upon a vast range of personal experience, travel, and distinct philosophical perspectives, Amory Patrick Blaine's writing weaves a fascinating tale of raw discovery collected from the realms of espionage, foreign policy, mystery, and true crime. Questioning and weighing in on everything from how Western identity evolved to how AI and the IOT are changing our planet’s future economy and the cultural legacy we will pass on to the next generation of leaders. Raised in a U.S. Foreign Service family with a lifetime experience in international travel and graduate cultural study, Amory Patrick Blaine holds an MFA in Art Criticism and Writing. He attended Marine Corp OCS in Quantico, Virginia, in the 1990s, after which his military record was expunged without characterization. The complete story of American Renaissance comprises Book 1: Missions Dangerous (December 10, 2024), Book 2: An Identity Left on the Rue de la Clignancourt (2025), and Book 3: A Theocratic History of Lost Peoples & Romantics (2025), all set in Paris. American Renaissance Volumes 1, 2, and 3 were completed in several stages while the author lived in Europe and New York City.

Jen Marie Wiggins's first book, the gifty nonfiction title Married AF: A Funny Guide for the Newlywed or Bride, was published with Sourcebooks in 2022. She has a background in advertising and public relations, and her writing has appeared in Southern Coastal Weddings, Savannah Magazine, Savannah Homes, and elsewhere. The Good Bride draws much of its inspiration from the devastation and rebuilding struggles of Mexico Beach, Florida, a place near and dear to Jen's heart.

Lynn Santer is an internationally acclaimed film producer and best-selling author. 

Her debut novel, “Sins of Life” became the #1 selling title for its publisher and was optioned by Zygi Kamasa, involved in the “Kingsman” franchise, “Olympus has Fallen”, “The Expendables 2”. Since then, she has authored or ghosted over fifty titles. Her documentary films exposing the brutal truths behind the trophy hunting industry have received international acclaim and won at film festivals worldwide. 

Brooke Randel is a writer, editor and associate creative director in Chicago. Her memoir ALSO HERE is forthcoming from Tortoise Books. Her writing has been published in Hippocampus, Hypertext Magazine, Jewish Fiction, SmokeLong Quarterly, and elsewhere. She is a prose editor for Chestnut Review. The granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, she writes on issues of memory, trauma, family and history.

Mary E. McKnight is an avid observer of people, a teacher of young children, a co-owner of an herb garden (Split Stone Farm LLC), a painter, and a lover of cats. She lives for kindness, creativity, and her amazing daughter. Her writing is the creative expression that feeds her soul, and she enjoys writing in a variety of genres. If she wasn’t her, she would probably be the Lorax. She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her partner and their tortie, Abbey Rhodes.

Nancy Christie has been making up stories since she learned how to write, and she plans to continue as long as her fingers can work the keyboard. She’s the award-winning author of six books including Reinventing Rita, her most recent book and first novel. Nancy is the host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and founder of the annual "Celebrate Short Fiction" Day, and is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Women's Fiction Writers Association, and the Florida Writers Association.

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.