Romantic suspense author Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling author of 60 novels, including Present Danger, Cold Light of Day, and the Rocky Mountain Courage and Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold 1.5 million copies. In 2011, she won the prestigious Carol Award for her romantic mystery, The Camera Never Lies. She also received the Reader’s Choice Award and her novel Deception was a finalist for the 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award in Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense category. www.elizabethgoddard.com
Melissa Hart’s articles and essays have appeared in Smithsonian, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Real Simple, The Advocate, Orion, and numerous other publications. She’s the author of two middle-grade novels, two memoirs, and Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens. She’s an instructor for Southern New Hampshire University’s MFA program in Creative Writing.
Valerie Ihsan, Story Analyst and Book Coach, is the author of You Can’t Dance a Lie: A Memoir of Stepping into My Truth; The Scent of Apple Tea; and Smell the Blue Sky: Young, Pregnant, and Widowed, winner of a B.R.A.G. Medallion for Top Indie-Published Books. She co-chaired the Eugene Chapter of Willamette Writers for ten years, diagnoses manuscripts as a Certified Three Story Method Editor, and helps authors write memoirs. She podcasts at the Writer Craft Podcast, loves dogs, and aims to live in Costa Rica and run writing retreats. She lives in Oregon with her husband and three dogs.
Scott Eagan opened Greyhaus Literary Agency in 2003 with three goals in mind: 1) To remain a small agency focusing only on romance and women’s fiction; 2) To provide educational opportunities for writers in these genres and to make efforts to enhance the romance and women’s fiction genres; and 3) To assist with increasing communication between the professional publishing community and the writers. He earned a bachelor’s in English literature, a master’s in literacy and a master’s in creative writing. Scott is an active member of the Romance Writers of America and still dabbles in writing as a hobby outside of the agency. He is also an instructor with the UCLA Extension Program teaching courses in developmental editing, marketing in publishing, and networking as an agent.
Jon Drury has published more than 500 devotionals, and articles, and for twenty-one years directed the Christian Writers Seminar. His book BOU Pilot tells of his flying in Vietnam. Jon’s writing journey led from devotionals to articles then books. At Mount Hermon, Jon received the David Talbott Special Recognition award.
Lindsay Schopfer is the award-winning author of five novels and two collections of short stories. His steampunk-flavored fantasy series, The Adventures of Keltin Moore, received an OZMA Award from the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Lindsay’s workshops and master classes on the craft of writing are top-rated in writing conferences across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. He teaches creative writing for Centralia College and South Puget Sound Community College. He’s also an active member of the Northwest Editors Guild.
Jan Bono wrote a six-book cozy mystery series set on the Southwest Washington coast. She’s also published five collections humorous personal experience, three poetry chapbooks, nine one-act plays, a collection of twelve “murderous” short stories, and one serious novel. Learn more about her at www.JanBonoBooks.com.
Nell Stamper is an editor and publishing professional, with both academic and practical experience with small press publishing. She is the founder/owner of Sea Change Wordcraft Services and a graduate of the Portland State University Book Publishing master’s degree program. She coordinates content, book launches, marketing, and author engagement for Ooligan Press. She lives and works on the Oregon Coast.
Sonja Anderson is a published author with two middle-grade novels (the first, Sophie’s Quest, has recently been re-released in an illustrated second edition), a contract for her debut picture book, and articles and devotional pieces in magazines, newsletters, and anthologies. She co-authored Mount Rainier’s Historic Inns and Lodges with her husband, Jeff, and she is an elementary school librarian assistant in Seattle. She has master’s in education from Harvard University.
When Julie Bonn Blank is not writing, she designs websites, works a day job with ARMS/Abuse Recovery Ministry Services, and loves to garden and walk the beach. She is a Certified Domestic Abuse Advocate in the State of Oregon, an expert in domestic violence, and an abuse recovery coach. She is the Facilitator of the Washington County Survivor Voices Committee and also provides training in abuse as well as on many marketing and writing topics. She serves as president of Oregon Christian Writers and facilitates North Coast Christian Writers. She and her husband have four children, one granddaughter, one fur-child and live in Forest Grove, Ore. Visit Julie at https://juliebonnblank.com. Download TWO free w eBooks at: https://www.innocentjourneys.com
Christina Suzann Nelson is an inspirational speaker and award-winning author of six books including More Than We Remember, What Happens Next, and the Christy Award winning The Way It Should Be. She is the mother of six children, an advocate for children in foster care, a substitute teacher, a conference director, and the wife of her partner in this crazy adventure.
Writing fiction is Melanie Dobson’s excuse to explore abandoned houses, travel to unique places, and spend hours reading old books and dreaming up new stories. The award-winning author of almost thirty novels and co-author of the writing resource A Split in Time, Melanie enjoys researching and then weaving together historical and time-slip fiction including The Winter Rose, Catching the Wind, and her upcoming Gilded Age story, The Wings of Poppy Pendleton. Her novels have won five Carol Awards, the ForeWord Book of the Year, an Audie Award, and two Christy nominations. More information about her journey is available at melaniedobson.com.
Sue Fagalde Lick’s books include Stories Grandma Never Told, Childless by Marriage, Love or Children: When You Can’t Have Both, the novels Up Beaver Creek and Seal Rock Sound, and two poetry chapbooks, Gravel Road Ahead and The Widow at the Piano. She blogs about childlessness at https://www.childlessbymarrige.com and life on the Oregon coast at https://www.unleashedinoregon.com. When not writing, she is a Catholic music minister. She lives with her dog Annie in the woods on the Oregon Coast.
Clare Lilliston, a writer and editor based in Seattle, received a master’s in fine arts in creative writing from Mills College and a bachelor’s in literary arts and critical theory from Evergreen State College. Clare’s poetry and reviews have been published in The Encyclopedia Project; May Day Press; MARY: A Journal of New Writing; sPARKLE & bLINK; The Tiny; Action, Spectacle; BOMB Magazine; Cleveland Review of Books; and Full Stop. As a writer, Clare has a particular interest in hybrid and cross-genre forms and took a graduate-level course on flash fiction. Clare has experience with planning and facilitating generative creative writing workshops at The Evergreen State College, Mills College, and Richard Hugo House.
Connie J. Jasperson is a published poet and the author of nine fantasy novels. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies. A founding member of Myrddin Publishing Group, she blogs regularly on both the craft of writing and art history. You can find her blog and sign up to receive her posts by email at Life in the Realm of Fantasy: http://www. conniejjasperson.com.
A retired librarian, author, and speaker, Judy Gann served as the librarian for Library Insider™, a program to assist authors, publishers, and publicists in marketing to public libraries. She received the Oregon Christian Writers 2014 Trailblazer Award for her efforts to connect the publishing industry with the public library community. The author of The God of All Comfort, Devotions of Hope for Those Who Chronically Suffer, Judy lives near Tacoma where she enjoys spending time with her honorary granddaughters, taking long walks, and collecting vintage children’s books.
Alan E. Rose is the author of three published novels and one novella. His novel about the AIDS epidemic in the Pacific Northwest, As If Death Summoned, won the 2021 Foreword INDIES (small independent publishers) Book of the Year award for the LGBT category. Book reviewer for the Columbia River Reader and host of KLTV’s “Book Chat” program, Alan also coordinates WordFest, a monthly gathering of writers and readers in Southwest Washington State. He also has conducted numerous writing workshops and classes. More information can be found on his website at www.alan-rose.com.
Gretchen Staebler is a longtime blogger and the author of Mother Lode: Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver (2022, She Writes Press). She created an enormous self-published book of her family’s WWII letters and experiences. She has been a legacy writing circle facilitator and is a workshop presenter on the subject of self-care for caregivers. She maintains a website in support of family caregivers (www.gretchenstaebler.com). She lives with her cat, Lena, in her childhood home— which provides endless legacy writing inspiration—and solo hikes as often as possible.
Joshua Mohr is the author of five novels, including Damascus, which The New York Times called “Beat-poet cool.” He’s also written Some Things that Meant the World to Me, one of O Magazine’s 10 Terrific reads of 2009, and All This Life, winner of the Northern California Book Award. Termite Parade was an editor’s choice on the New York Times Best Seller List. His latest book is a memoir, Model Citizen, and it wasan Amazon Editors’ Pick. In his Hollywood life, he’s sold projects to AMC, ITV, and Amblin Entertainment. He has taught in master’s in fine arts programs for the last fifteen years.
