Thriving Authors Podcast

In this solo episode, I’m reflecting on a magical night I had last week at my author event at Banter Bookshop. I've published three books in the last three years, but this was my first in-person book event because of the pandemic and pregnancy, and it was amazing to be in conversation and celebrating my books out in the world.

I share:

My personal transformation along my writing journey and some examples from my clients.

What to remember when a vision for your life feels impossible.

How connecting to readers through your book can grow your business.

The first thing Kate Northrup said recently when introducing herself, when she could have focused on her successful company and coaching business.

How committing to something can shift your identity.

I cannot wait for you to have a night like I had on Tuesday. A night where you are celebrating your book, signing your book, connecting with your readers. So for those of you who have that little voice in your head, that little inkling in your heart, to write your book… I encourage you to commit to it and to get started now! 

In this episode, it was such a joy to talk with Mimi Herman about her debut novel, The Kudzu Queen. It was a book I just could not put down and found myself thinking of the characters in between reading sessions.

She shared so much wisdom and practical advice including:

How she came to write this historical fiction novel.

The way that poetry has influenced her prose and the different reasons she has for writing poetry and fiction.

How she first fell in love with writing and knew she wanted to be a writer.

How to find your way back to writing after you’ve gotten away from it.

I think you’ll really enjoy hearing about her writing process and what she does with any writing she takes out of a book or poem. She also shared some great insights about how to make a scene or a character or a setting really come to life.

In this solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain around what I do as a book coach and sharing three reasons why having a book coach is a game-changer in getting your book written.

You’ll hear about:

The hardest part of writing your book and how I will help you move through it.

The amazing shifts that happen when you have clarity on your writing project.

Who the biggest enemy is when it comes to writing a book and how I support my clients with this.

How my new program will set you up for continued success and why I structured it the way I did.

I hope this episode gives you a sense of what a book coach is, what I do with my clients and how a book coach can really help you move forward in your journey.

And remember, your book is a whole new beginning in many ways. It's the first step of a really exciting new chapter for yourself, for your business, for your authority and your expertise. It creates so many ripples and you have no idea how far those ripples will go!

In this episode, it was such a pleasure to talk with Kristin Akerele about how our natural inner femininity nurtures our creativity and how it is SO important in giving birth to our ideas in a way that feels aligned and sustainable.

In our conversion, Kristin shared:

Her three-pillar strategy of embodying feminine energy.

A mindset shift to understand you are inherently worthy and that your worth isn't attached to being productive.

The relationship between energetics and the nervous system.

How to get in the right energetic space to be able to access your intuition.

And so much more!

I think you’ll gain so much insight from this episode on how you can unleash your feminine magic and how you can approach your writing time and creativity in a way that changes from pressure to pleasure –  so that you don’t burn yourself out.

About Kristin:

In this solo episode, I’m sharing a little love note from my heart to yours. I’m also reflecting on my daughter's namesake, my Grandma Auden, and how so many of us have no idea how far our legacies extend, the ripples that we create, the ways that we touch other people's lives.

I touch on: 

Why being a book coach is so important to me.

How I’m trying to show my children the power of building a life around my creative energy. 

The huge shift that happens when we start to put ourselves, put our joy, put our creativity first in our lives.

What feedback I received from people in my Facebook community and on my newsletter list that helped me create a new program.

And if you’re looking to write a book as part of your legacy, I hope you’re as excited as I am to hear me explain my new program called Your Book Roadmap happening this summer over the course of 8 weeks. It will just be a small group with limited spots.

In this episode, it was such a treat to interview Stephanie Cotta whose debut Young Adult Fantasy book, The Conjurer's Curse, was recently released!!

It was really interesting to hear how real events in her life, and in the world, inspired her fantasy books. So if you are interested in writing fantasy, I think this conversation is going to be especially useful for you. 

We chatted about world building as a fantasy author as well as:

Where to find inspiration and ideas.

How she sets the ambiance for her writing sessions.

Her simple advice to people who are wanting to write a book.

What she does when she gets writer's block and more!

She shared so much good advice! Congratulations to Stephanie on her debut book!

About Stephanie:

In this solo episode, I’m talking about some epiphanies I had last summer on my way home from getting my blood drawn (my least favorite thing) and, yes, they relate to the writing process!

So listen in to hear 3 tips that will help you recharge your writing routine so you can write more consistently now and into the future!

I share my thoughts about:

What to do when you have a lot of resistance around doing something that’s important to you.

How you can set yourself up to write consistently.

Ways to move beyond stories from your past to create a healthier narrative for yourself around writing.

How being in community with others can help you figure out what works best for you!

After you listen, I think you’ll feel less pressure to perform or prove yourself to anyone when it comes to your creative process - and instead, you’ll remember that your creativity is a gift that you're giving yourself.

In this solo episode, I’m diving into two common objections that I hear over and over from the women who are considering joining Thriving Authors Academy. These objections might resonate with you, too, so I wanted to talk about them and pose some questions for you to think about.

If you’re feeling resistant to committing to write your book, this episode will help you figure out if now is the right time to jump in AND how you can guarantee that this investment is going to pay off.

After listening to the episode, if you’re still wondering “Can I really do this?”, let's hop on a call and we can talk through it together. There's no pressure and you're not wasting my time. During our call I’ll be a mirror for you, reflecting back to you the truth that you are sharing, so that you are able to go after your dream of becoming a published author in whatever is the best way for you to do that.

In this episode, I’m excited to interview my dear friend Courtney Caldwell. She is a writer across genres! She's a poet, a playwright, a novelist, a flash fiction writer. AND she has been with me for three rounds of Thriving Authors Academy! 

Listen in to hear her experience going through Thriving Authors Academy and enjoy her calm, gentle presence as she shares:

What convinced her to join even though she already had so much going on in her life.

The challenges she had to overcome along the journey of getting her debut novel down on paper.

How going through Thriving Authors Academy has changed her.

And what the experience of being part of a community of writers was like.

If you're struggling with many different ideas or projects that you haven't been able to complete, or maybe you're wondering about what it's like to be empowered as part of a writing community, I think this conversation is exactly what you need to hear!

In today’s episode, I am excited to interview Life Coach Nicole Baker! 

Nicole shares actionable tips you can implement TODAY to help you 1) notice the sneaky ways that perfectionism comes up in the writing process and 2) overcome perfectionism in these moments to get back into the juicy flow of creativity. 

In this solo episode, I’m excited to talk about deciding when to share your book with others and what the overall editing process looks like.

Listen in to find out details like:

I am here with you in the trenches working on the edits to my books right now, too, and think that you’ll get a lot of value out of the insights I’m sharing.

In today’s episode, I am excited to have branding expert RuthAnn Rafiq here to talk with us about how to grow your brand as an author. If you’re anything like I was a few years ago, you might be thinking, “Wait, what is a personal brand as an author? What does that even mean?” I have learned a thing or two about the importance of branding as I have published more books and grown my business.

In her signature simple and welcoming style, RuthAnn teaches us why it's important to establish a personal brand, as well as HOW to do so with quick tips for getting started.

Listen in to hear:

I think you’ll find so many parallels to branding and writing and walk away with some great ideas that you feel good about implementing!

About RuthAnn:

In this solo episode, I’m celebrating a very special milestone – 100 episodes! I have gleaned so much from the process of creating this podcast and doing 100 episodes and I’ve narrowed them down into ten lessons that I want to share with you!

These lessons are super relevant to writing, to creativity, and to any big dream that you have that you might be pursuing.

Listen in as I share what I learned about:

In today’s episode, I am actually in the interviewee seat! Coach and author Emily Grabatin interviewed me for a series that she did on Instagram live and gave me permission to share our conversation with you.

We talked about how and when to get visible as a new author and she asked such insightful questions!

Listen in to hear:

I think you’ll find a lot of actionable gems in this episode!

In today’s episode, I spoke with my lovely writer friend Jen Milius. Jen is a talented multi-genre author, developmental editor, podcast host, and all-around wonderful human and I was delighted to have her join me for a wonderful conversation about writing, editing, and really finding your voice.

She shared so many golden nuggets you can take into your own life, including:

I think you’ll really enjoy the playfulness and curiosity that Jen brings to the writing process!

About Jennifer:

In today’s episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I spoke with trauma-informed, certified life and success coach and clinical hypnotherapist professor Megan Kuhar.

In my fascinating conversation with Megan, she teaches how your subconscious mind will help you overcome stress, overwhelm, and imposter syndrome in the creative process. If you have ever wished that you could find answers to writer’s block or plot holes in your dreams – it IS possible!

Megan also explains a simple way to begin dreaming answers to your struggles. She certainly inspired me to bust out my old dream journal and begin jotting down my dreams again!

About Megan:

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I’m diving into two simple but mighty questions to ask yourself every single week to really move forward in your writing project.

This practice can be especially powerful if you're working on a big writing project - like a book!!

I dive into:

I have seen time and time again the POWER in these questions and now I want to share them with you!

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I share what I’m doing to really soak up these final hours of 2022 and looking ahead to 2023. I don't know about you, but New Year's Eve just might be my favorite day of the whole year!

But I know that a lot of people have different feelings coming up and lots of ‘shoulds’ in their brain - I should have done more of this. I should have done more of that. In some ways, those can be helpful signals!!

Listen in as I chat about:

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I share my top tips to get someone in the industry to care about your book and want to read and publish it.

No matter what stage you are at in your writing journey it is common to wonder – What if I pour all this time and energy into writing my book and then I can't get a publisher for it or nobody wants to read it?

In this very practical episode I share:

Both of my book deals last year were the result of a cold query so I’m sure these tips will be super useful for you, too!

In today’s episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I spoke with my dear friend and former client Elaine Clark Aldrete. She’s the founder of Teaching Life Choices Inc & author of the debut middle-grade novel G-R-E-E-N-E.

It was such an interesting conversation that included:

She also shared what it was like being part of my Thriving Authors program and being part of a community of other writers who are also working on books!

About Elaine:

In this solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast, I share three stories from my own writing life of ways that gratitude has helped me.

Gratitude has been the number one thing that has helped me sustain my writing career! Leaning into gratitude in all different seasons has brought feelings of purpose, contentment, excitement and joy. From my journey I’m sharing:

Tune into this week’s episode to hear ways you can incorporate gratitude into your writing and life, wherever you are along the journey.

I have a brand new solo episode of the Thriving Authors Podcast coming at you today, where we talk about ways to transition in and out of your writing time.

My 3-year-old has a hard time with transitions – getting in and out of her car seat, stopping play to come up for dinner, going from inside to outside, etc – and it struck me that transitions can be tough for all of us.

Transitions are emotional and uncertain. We don’t know what is waiting for us on the other side. So resistance, fears and doubts often pop up around transition.

Transitioning into our writing time – or, more specifically, the discomfort of this transition – is often what holds us back from hitting our writing goals. It is so common to feel that discomfort and give up for the day. When really, what you might need is to build in some simple transitional cues for yourself to help you ease into the creative process.

I like to surprise my clients in Thriving Authors Academy with bonus sessions where I bring in experts to talk about various topics. Last month, two amazing cover designers, Rebecca Barney & Lenore Stutznegger, spoke to the group about…

I’m excited to share an excerpt of this expert panel on cover design with YOU as this week’s podcast episode. Enjoy this behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it is like to be part of Thriving Authors Academy!

In this solo episode straight from my heart to yours, I talk about three important ways you can invest in your writing AND six reasons you should do so – not later, but NOW.

(Spoiler alert: you deserve it. You deserve to be a writer, pursuing the projects in your heart. And when you pour into yourself, you have so much more capacity to pour into others around you.)

Risa Nyman was born and lived in Boston until a move to the Ocean State two years ago. She proudly carries her Boston accent with her wherever she goes. Risa has worked as Executive Director and President of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and served as Chair of the Diversity Implementation Task Force for the national organization. She has moderated candidates’ debates, organized voter registration drives, and get-out-the-vote campaigns to promote participation in our democracy.  

Risa’s deep dive into creative writing started after finding three pennies in a neat stack on a windowsill in a completely empty apartment that belonged to her mother. She assumed those pennies were a message that it wasn’t too late to follow her dream. After taking classes, attending workshops, and conferences, Risa found her writing voice in middle grade fiction.  

About Tobey:

A graduate of Florida State University, Robert Gwaltney resides in Atlanta, Georgia. By day, he serves as Vice President of Easter Seals North Georgia, Inc., a non-profit organization that strengthens children and their families during the most critical times in their development. Through his non-profit work, he is a champion for early childhood literacy. Robert also serves as Fiction Editor for The Blue Mountain Review. In all the hours between, he writes. The Cicada Tree is his debut novel.

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

✨how Robert makes time for his passion for writing even with a busy life and demands of a day job

✨the importance of finding support and community

✨leaving room for your intuition to speak to you throughout the writing process

✨behind-the-scenes of Robert's award-winning debut novel THE CICADA TREE

RESOURCES:

For the past decade and a half, Angie K. Love has had a rewarding career as an Acupuncturist, finding deep fulfillment in helping people heal in body, mind, and spirit. Through her writing, she hopes to bring healing to people's hearts and souls.  From an early age, Angie has been an avid reader and prolific writer, and it’s been her lifelong dream to be a published author. Awakening Hearts is her debut novel, and she looks forward to writing many more (her second book is in the works, and she's already mentally plotting the third).

Welcome to the Thriving Authors Podcast, where we delve into all aspects of what it takes to get your dream book out of your heart, onto the page and into the world and connecting with a wide audience of readers.

On this podcast, you will find behind-the-scenes lessons from my own book-writing and publishing journey, interviews with successful published authors, and tips and advice you can start using today to move you forward in your writing life.

We're shifting from Overflowing Bookshelves to now the Thriving Authors Podcast, and this is my first solo episode, all about how to use your book cover to create buzz prior to your book launch!

I am excited to share a brand new episode of Overflowing Bookshelves, featuring the talented multi-genre novelist Rebecca Bischoff! If you like to write in many different genres, or if you ever struggle with the push-pull between creativity and promotion of your books, Rebecca has some wisdom and permission to share with you! You will definitely come away inspired from this episode.

Rebecca Bischoff is the author of a contemporary young adult book titled "The French Impressionist"; a middle grade historical fiction mystery set in the Civil War era titled "The Grave Digger"; and her most recent book, a humorous middle grade novel titled "Hole in the Rock," which was released last year. Rebecca is an avid reader, Netflix binge-watcher and chocolate eater. She lives in Idaho with her family.

Alison Kimble began writing because she loves stories and believes in their power to shape our world and ourselves. Her writing blends the real and the fantastical and crosses genres of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. She has written one novel, Strange Gods, and is working on her next. She lives in the Greater Seattle Area with her husband and spends her time walking in the woods, going to the movies, and seeking adventures large and small.

Multi-award winning YA author Melanie Hooyenga writes about strong teen girls learning to find their way in the world. Her time travel series, The Flicker Effect, tells the story of Biz, a 17-year old who uses sunlight to travel back to yesterday, and her sports romance series, The Rules Series, follows three girls in Boulder, Colorado who navigate their struggles with life and love while skiing, biking, and snowboarding in the great outdoors. Her newest series, The Campfire Series, features dual-POV stories about love, life, and making the most of sleeping under the stars.

Lenore Stutznegger is the author of the award-winning debut novel BLUE SHADOWS FALL. She grew up running barefoot in the woods of Mechanicsville, Virginia with a dog at her side, five crazy siblings, and creative parents. She learned from a young age to hone her talents in art, trust in her voice, and compete for the most marshmallows in Lucky Charms. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Fine Art, married the love of her life, and lived in North Carolina for many years and considers the South to be her happy place. She now resides in Northern California with her four spirited children, a pug, two cats, and backyard chickens in a new kind of crazy paradise.

This is a special episode: a recording of my virtual book launch for my new novel Thanks, Carissa, For Ruining My Life! My amazing sister & librarian extraordinaire Allyson McAuley chatted with me about the ten years it took to bring this book into the world, crafting multidimensional characters, giving yourself permission to write and read a variety of genres, planning out book structure, and more! I also give a little reading from the book – a part I’ve never shared publicly before. 

Lisa Czarina Michaud is a novelist and translator. Her debut novel, SLANTED & DISENCHANTED, came out last year to rave reviews. Born and raised in Chelsea before a family relocation to Long Island, she has been writing her New York stories her entire life. Wanting to see the left coast, she attended The Evergreen State College before stumbling through adulthood in Hollywood, then back east to Brooklyn and eventually Paris. Lisa's work has been featured in various publications. She currently lives in France with her husband, son, and cat, Le Tigre.

Author and Certified Coach Cynthia Morris is the founder of Original Impulse, helping people become the writers they’ve always wanted to be. Cynthia has published seven non-fiction books and a Paris historical novel. Her most recent book is The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book. She speaks globally on writing and the creative process and leads retreats, and hosts the podcast Stumbling Toward Genius.

Elise Arsenault is the amazingly talented voice actor who narrated the audiobook of my novel The Best Week That Never Happened. She is a classically trained actor, singer, and voice-over artist. She has worked throughout the country with various regional theaters, including Merrimack Rep, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Ivoryton Playhouse, Imagination Stage, and the Discovery Theater at the Smithsonian Institute. She has narrated more than 130 audiobooks in a variety of genres, from nonfiction to cozy mystery to sci-fi. She is also a career coach for actors!

Joan Steinau Lester is an award-winning commentator, columnist, and author of critically acclaimed books, including Mama's Child and Black, White, Other. Her writing has appeared in such publications as USA Today, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, and Huffington Post. Her latest book Loving Before Loving: A Marriage in Black and White chronicles her marriage to the Black writer Julius Lester, and tells the story of a writer and activist fighting for love and justice before, during, and after the Supreme Court’s 1967 decision striking down bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia. Speaking candidly about every facet of her life, Lester illuminates her journey to fulfillment and healing.

Ruth Mitchell is the author of the award-winning novel Deleted, described as "Inception meets 50 First Dates." She was born and raised in Salt Lake City and grew up writing plays for the neighborhood kids and “exploring” the woods near her home. In high school, she founded a Dead Poets’ Society, as well as successfully campaigning to make the school’s all-male service club accept female students. She met her husband, Bill, on their first day of classes at the University of Utah, where she graduated with a BA in journalism. Working for the Deseret News, she reported on wildfires, shootings and human interest stories. When her husband finished medical school, they moved with their two small daughters to Texas. In Dallas they learned to love good barbecue, bluebonnets and Texans. With a little Texan in tow (a boy!) they moved to San Diego. In California, they welcomed another son and put down roots. In addition to dreaming up new book ideas, Ruth loves long rambling conversations, baking, hiking, party-planning and running (slowly) along the coasts and canyons of Southern California.

Rachel grew up in the middle of a wheat field where she found plenty of time to read and dream. Her mom paid her a dollar per classic novel
she read so, in a quest to amass a small fortune, Rachel read over 200 classic novels before junior high. After dabbling with writing novels
and stage plays, she ran to the BYU bookstore for her first job. She sat behind the register, voraciously reading Shannon Hale novels while
Brandon Sanderson and other internationally-selling authors held book signings in front of her. That was when she began dreaming up plots of
her own.

Rachel's debut novel SHATTERED SNOW was a Whitney Award finalist, Swoony Award winner, and Deep Magic E-zine highlighted novel. She is
also the author of SPINNING BRIAR and GRANTED: CURSE OF THE EMERALD JINN. In addition to writing novels, Rachel works as the marketing
manager for Immortal Works Publishing. She currently lives in Southern California where she enjoys sand at its finest: the beach and the
desert. She loves to play board games with her kids, browse Pinterest for tasty recipes, and read a bedtime story to her husband every night.

As a thriving professional in the tech industry, Sonya Judd's life was interrupted by a premature baby and spontaneous twins less than a year later. Having three children born within a year of each other, often referred to as Irish triplets, she speaks and writes about becoming your best you when life throws you curveballs. She studied Finance and Economics at NYU and Columbia, and works as a business strategist in the tech industry. Her debut book Rest in the Nest was released earlier this year. 

Katya Cengel is an author and freelance writer. Her work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post among other publications. She has reported from North and Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa and was based in the former Soviet Union for half a decade. She is the author of Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) 2020 winner and Foreword Indies 2019 winner From Chernobyl with Love: Reporting from the Ruins of the Soviet Union (Potomac, 2019); Exiled: From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back (Potomac, 2018) and 2013 Kentucky Literary Award finalist Bluegrass Baseball: A Year in the Minor League Life (Nebraska, 2012).

Mary Potter Kenyon graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Psychology, and is a certified grief counselor. She is the Program Coordinator for the Shalom Spirituality Center. Mary is widely published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies, including ten Chicken Soup books. She conducts writing workshops and does public speaking on the topics of writing, utilizing your creativity in your everyday life, and finding hope and healing in grief. She is the author of seven books including the award-winning Refined By Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace and Expressive Writing for Healing. Her book on creativity, Called to Be Creative, was released in August 2020.

Kiley Roache is the author of FRAT GIRL and THE DATING GAME, two young adult novels published by Inkyard Press, a division of HarperCollins. Kiley grew up in the suburbs outside Chicago, and has been writing since the 7th grade. She signed with a literary agent days before graduating high school. She is a graduate of Stanford University where she studied Political Science. She authored both her books while she was still a college student, and once got up early to look at copyedits before painting her face for a tailgate.

Kiley has also worked as a journalist, and her bylines are in The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Chicago Tribune’s teen publication The Mash, among others. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.  In 2018, she wrote an op-ed for The New York Times’s “On Campus”  series entitled “The Future of Frats” arguing that fraternities should go co-ed. It was the lead story in the Times’s “The Edit” newsletter that week.

Maggie Reyes is the author of the Questions for Couples Journal, and is also a blogger and podcast host. She is a Life Coach and Modern Marriage Mentor who specializes in helping driven, ambitious women create the marriages of their dreams. Her innovative, playful and practical approach to love and marriage takes the principles of cognitive psychology and luxury hospitality service and uses them to teach her clients the most effective ways to break destructive patterns and develop the mindsets and habits that make relationships thrive. 

Gabi Justice is the author of Dog Girl, her young adult contemporary romance debut which just released on November 17, 2020. She is the mom to three dogs and one stray cat named Luna Buna. She lives in Florida with her husband and children. You’d be hard-pressed to find a tennis court in the state that she hasn’t visited, having three competitive junior players in the family. Gabi spent most of her adult life writing editorial copy for local magazines after graduating from the University of South Florida. Florida provides the settings for all her coming-of-age stories that highlight bullying, misjudgment, acceptance, and teen anxiety. Her main characters are goal-oriented teenage girls with a drive that can be fierce and dangerous. 

Shana Lynn Schmidt is the author of the award-winning memoir Over Our Hearts: a mother's journey learning to listen in, about her experience listening in to her heart during teen daughter's pregnancy and beyond. She is a licensed counselor, parenting coach, infant & early childhood mental health specialist, Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor, writer, and Nana. She lives in a small Kansas town with her husband Brian, not far from where they grew up, with their two dogs and an empty nest. 

Samantha Vitale has an insatiable hunger for two things: big challenges and amazing stories. When not working at her highly technical day job, she can be found devouring books or writing new ones of her own. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two small humans. She is the author of the debut YA novel THE LADY ALCHEMIST. 

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is the author of two middle grade book series, each published by HarperCollins Children's Books, THE GUARDIAN HERD (a quartet) and RIDERS OF THE REALM (a trilogy). Before this, she self-published a middle grade fantasy called THE PET WASHER.  She received a B.A. in English from the University of California at Berkeley. In addition to literature, she studied philosophy and sociology, and is fascinated by underdogs and power dynamics between groups of people. She is the current Literary Laureate for The Healdsburg Literary Guild. When she is not writing, you can find Jennifer galloping her little black mare through the foothills of Sonoma County or teaching free creative writing workshops to kids and adults at various branches of the local library system. She lives in Northern California with her husband, three children, and many pets!

Karen Strong is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novel Just South of Home, which was selected for several Best of Year lists including Kirkus Reviews Best Books, CCBC Choices, and Bank Street Best Books. Her short fiction appears in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back and A Phoenix First Must Burn. Born and raised in the rural South, she is a graduate of the University of Georgia and an advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). An avid lover of strong coffee, yellow flowers, and night skies, Karen lives in Atlanta.

Lisa Moore Ramée was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in the Northern California, with her husband, two kids, two obnoxious cats and more yard than she can control. She earned a BA in Speech Communications from San Francisco State and a MA in English Literature (focusing on Creative Writing) from Cal State East Bay. She worked for several years in publishing for the Walt Disney Company, first in comics, and then with licensed publishing. While there, she co-penned The Little Mermaid, Jr. Graphic Novel and the writing bug took up permanent residence. She is a devotee of Top Chef and Project Runway and often tries to work the shows in her plots. A Good Kind of Trouble, her first novel, received critical acclaim, garnering three starred reviews (PW, Kirkus and SLJ). Something to Say has received two starred reviews (Kirkus and SLJ). 

Caitlin Horrocks is author of the novel The Vexations, named one of the Ten Best Books of 2019 by the Wall Street Journal. Her story collection This Is Not Your City was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Another story collection, Life Among the Terranauts, is forthcoming from Little, Brown in 2021. Her stories and essays appear in The New Yorker, The Best American Short Stories, The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, The Pushcart Prize, The Paris Review, Tin House, and One Story, as well as other journals and anthologies. Her awards include the Plimpton Prize and fellowships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the MacDowell Colony. She is on the advisory board of the Kenyon Review, where she recently served as fiction editor. She teaches at Grand Valley State University and in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her family.

After a career in undergraduate counseling, Laura Sibson pursued an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing in a local coffee shop, you can find her running the neighborhood streets or hiking with her dog. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and their two sons. Her debut YA novel, THE ART OF BREAKING THINGS, has received wide acclaim and was one of my favorite books of last year. 

Mark Gottlieb is a highly ranked literary agent both in overall deals and other individual categories. Using that same initiative and insight for identifying talented writers, he is actively building his own client list of authors. Mark Gottlieb is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources that are available at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group. During his time at Trident Media Group, Mark Gottlieb has represented numerous New York Times bestselling authors, as well as award-winning authors, and has optioned and sold books to film and TV production companies. He previously ran the agency’s audiobook department, in addition to working in foreign rights. Mark Gottlieb is actively seeking submissions in all categories and genres and looking forward to bringing new and established authors to the curious minds of their future readers.

Tara Lynn Masih has won multiple book awards in her role as editor of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction and The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays. She is also author of Where the Dog Star Never Glows: Stories and Founding Series Editor for The Best Small Fictions annual anthology. Her award-winning fiction, poetry, and prose has been heavily anthologized. Her debut novel, My Real Name Is Hanna, won a Florida Book Award, a Foreword Book of the Year Award, a Skipping Stones Honor Award, and the Julia Ward Howe Award for Young Readers, and was recognized as a finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards.

Nathan Leslie won the 2019 Washington Writers' Publishing House prize for fiction for his collection of short stories, Hurry Up and Relax. Nathan’s nine previous books of fiction include Three Men, Root and Shoot, Sibs, and The Tall Tale of Tommy Twice. He is also the author of a collection of poems, Night Sweat. Nathan is currently the series editor for Best Small Fictions, the founder and organizer of the Reston Reading Series in Reston, Virginia, and the publisher and editor of the new online journal Maryland Literary Review. Previously he was series editor for Best of the Web and fiction editor for Pedestal Magazine. His fiction has been published in hundreds of literary magazines such as Shenandoah, North American Review, Boulevard, Hotel Amerika, and Cimarron Review. Nathan’s nonfiction has been published in The Washington Post, Kansas City Star, and Orlando Sentinel. Nathan lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Julie. He teaches at Northern Virginia Community College.

Parker Peevyhouse is the author of the YA science fiction thrillers Where Futures End, The Echo Room – which Kirkus called “a thrilling ride” in a starred review -- and Strange Exit, which was just published by Tor Teen. Parker is likely trying to solve a puzzle at this very moment, probably while enjoying In-N-Out fries, admiring redwood trees, and quoting movies about sentient robots. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Stephanie Kuehn is a psychologist and an author. She has written five novels for teens, including Charm & Strange, which won the ALA’s 2014 William C. Morris Award for best debut young adult novel. Her second novel, Complicit, was named to YALSA’s 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults list, and her third, Delicate Monsters, won the 2016 Northern California Book Award. In 2015, Stephanie was awarded the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship for The Smaller Evil and in 2017, her fifth novel, When I Am Through With You, received a starred review from Kirkus and was also named an Amazon Best Book of the Month. Booklist has praised her work as “Intelligent, compulsively readable literary fiction with a dark twist.”

Jim and Stephanie Kroepfl are a husband-and-wife team who write novels and stories of mystery and adventure from their rustic cabin in the Rocky Mountains. They regularly speak at writers conferences, universities and high schools to help others achieve their writing dreams. Their debut YA novel, MERGED, received a starred review from Kirkus as well as other rave reviews. The science-fiction story centers around seven of our country’s most gifted teens who will become Nobels, hosts for the implantation of brilliant Mentor minds, in an effort to accelerate human progress. But as the line between what’s possible and what’s right draws ever blurrier, the teens discover everything has a cost.

Jennieke Cohen writes historical fiction for young adults inspired by real people and events because life is often stranger than fiction. Her debut YA novel, DANGEROUS ALLIANCE, is The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in a witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery! DANGEROUS ALLIANCE has garnered rave reviews from Publisher's Weekly, The Nerd Daily, Book Riot, Barnes and Noble, and is a featured pick on Book of the Month Club. Jennieke studied English history at Cambridge University and has a master’s degree in professional writing from the University of Southern California. She loves exploring new locales but always returns home to Northern California where the summers are hot, the winters are mild, and life is casual.

Andrew Buckley attended the Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television program. He pitched and developed several screenplay projects for film and television before completing his first two novels, DEATH, THE DEVIL AND THE GOLDFISH and STILTSKIN, both published by Curiosity Quills Press. Andrew's foray into writing for a younger audience resulted in the HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES series, published by Month9Books.