Virtual Festival Program

Kat Flannery’s love of history shows in her novels. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense, paranormal, and romance. A member of many writing groups including the National Romance Writers of America (RWA), Kat enjoys promoting other authors on her blog. When she’s not busy writing, or marketing Kat volunteers her time to other aspiring authors.
She’s been published in numerous periodicals throughout her career, and continues to write for blogs and online magazines. A bestselling author, Kat’s books are available all over the world. The BRANDED TRILOGY is Kat’s award-winning series. With seven books published, Kat continues to write two novels a year.
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Website: https://www.katflannerybooks.com/

Barbara Fradkin is a retired child psychologist with a fascination for why we turn bad. Although she has been writing since she was six, her first published short story appeared in 1995 in the inaugural Ladies' Killing Circle anthology. Since then, her work has been nominated four times for the Arthur Ellis Best Short Story Award, and three times for the Best Novel Award, winning this award twice. Her dark, compelling short stories haunt numerous magazines and anthologies, including the Ladies' Killing Circle series. She also writes an easy-read series for the Orca Rapid Reads imprint, which feature country handyman Cedric O'Toole. The second in that series, Evil Behind that Door, was released in September 2012.
However, she is best known for her gritty, psychological detective series featuring the quixotic, exasperating Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green. The series debuted with Do or Die in 2000 and won back-to-back Arthur Ellis Best Novel Awards for Fifth Son (2004) and Honour Among Men (2006). There are currently nine novels in the series, including The Whisper of Legends, available from Dundurn Press in April 2013 and set mostly in the wilderness of Nahanni National Park Reserve. Website: http://www.barbarafradkin.com/

James Alan Gardner got his B.Math and M.Math with a thesis on black holes, then immediately began writing science fiction instead. He has published ten novels and numerous short stories, including finalists for the Nebula and Hugo, and winners for the Aurora, the Asimov's Readers' Choice award, and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. His most recent novels are All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault and They Promised Me The Gun Wasn't Loaded, both from Tor. In his spare time, he plays a lot of table-top role-playing games, and has recently begun writing material for Onyx Path's Scion line. In his other spare time, he teaches Kung Fu to six-year-olds. Website: https://jamesalangardner.wordpress.com

Mark Leslie Lefebvre's lifelong passion for writing and his love of reading led him to the book industry as a bookseller. His journey began in 1992, the same year he sold his first short story. Twenty-five years later, he has published books in print, ebook and audio formats and has worked in virtually every aspect of the book industry, and has been the Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations at Rakuten Kobo since 2011. A hybrid author, Mark self-published his first book One Hand Screaming, a collection of previously published short fiction, and he continues to firmly embrace both indie and traditional publishing. He has edited the anthologies Campus Chills, Tesseracts Sixteen and Fiction River: Editor's Choice and writes a series of non-fiction paranormal books for Dundurn Press that include Creepy Capital, Tomes of Terror and the August 2018 release (co-authored with Rhonda Parrish), Haunted Hospitals: Eerie Tales About Hospitals, Sanatoriums and other Institutions. Website: https://markleslie.ca/

Erin Lindsey has lived and worked in dozens of countries around the world, but has only ever called two places home: her native city of Calgary and her adopted hometown of New York. She is the author of the Rose Gallagher series of historical mysteries, the Bloodbound series of fantasy novels and the Nicolas Lenoir series of paranormal detective novels. Her latest Rose Gallagher mystery, A Golden Grave, hits shelves September 2019. She divides her time between Calgary and Brooklyn with her husband and a pair of half-domesticated cats. Website: http://erin-lindsey.com/

Aviation adventures are featured in eight of Shirlee Smith Matheson’s 21 published books (14 nonfiction books for adult readers and seven young adult novels), as well as short stories and stage plays. She is an alumnus of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and has participated in (and instructed) writing courses and workshops at various schools and organizations. She is a member of The Writers Guild of Alberta, CANSCAIP and Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) as well as several aviation museums and organizations.
Awards include The 99’s Canadian Award in Aviation; Athabasca University Distinguished Alumni; Emerald Award finalist (environmental writing); and Alberta and BC nonfiction awards. Shirlee was employed for a number of years at The Hangar Flight Museum, and also completed a project as Historian for Calgary International Airport.
This Was Our Valley, the ongoing saga of hydro-electric dams on the Peace River, was published in 2019 by Frontenac House). Photo credit: John Chalmers. Website: http://www.ssmatheson.ca

Robert Runté, PhD, . Dr. Runté took early retirement as a professor to become a full-time editor so he could work with authors for longer than a semester. He has edited over 30 traditionally published SF&F novels and collections. His own short fiction has been published in Exile Literary Quarterly, Pulp Literature, On Spec Magazine, Tesseracts, Imaginarium, Strangers Among Us, Prairie Starport, Playground of Lost Toys, Polar Borealis, Alberta Unbound, The First Line, and other venues. He has won three Aurora Awards for his literary criticism and promotion of Canadian SF, and in 2017, one of his own stories was shortlisted for an Aurora. The late Dave Duncan called him "the best editor I've ever worked with", and willed Robert all his incomplete manuscripts to finish. The Traitor's Son is the first of these, due out from Five Rivers, August, 2021. Website: http://EssentialEdits.ca

Jonas Saul is the bestselling author of the SARAH ROBERTS SERIES and has written and published over thirty thrillers. After selling more than two million books, he signed with the Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary and Dramatic Rights Management. His recent releases are, The Future is Written, published by pioneering media company Adaptive Studios, and The Immortal Gene, published by Vesuvian Books.
Saul has traveled extensively throughout the world to scout settings for his thrillers, spending several years between Greece, Italy, Denmark, and Hungary. He is regularly invited to be a guest speaker, teacher, or workshop presenter at international writing conferences. Website: http://jonassaul.com/

Robert J. Sawyer, a member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario, is the bestselling author of Hugo-winner Hominids and Nebula-winner The Terminal Experiment, plus Starplex, Frameshift, Factoring Humanity, Calculating God, Humans, Rollback, and Wake, all of which were Hugo finalists. According to the Locus, he has won more awards for his novels than anyone else in the history of the SF&F field. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg and Laurentian University, and was one of the nine initial inductees into the Canadian SF&F Hall of Fame. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his Aurora Award-winning novel of the same name. Website: https://sfwriter.ca/

JE (Jayne) Barnard is a Calgary-based crime writer, author of the popular Maddie Hatter Adventures (Tyche Books), and The Falls Mysteries (Dundurn Press). Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge is the 2018 Alberta Book of the Year for Children/Youth. When the Flood Falls won the Dundurn Unhanged Arthur Award. Her works have been shortlisted for the Prix Aurora (2x), the UK Debut Dagger, the Book Publishing in Alberta Award (2x), and three Great Canadian Story prizes. Her newest novel is Where the Ice Falls, a Christmas novel of paranormal suspense set in the Alberta foothills west of Calgary.

Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She is a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. Nancy has presented at the Surrey International Writers Conference, at the Writers Guild of Alberta Conference, When Words Collide, and Word on the Lake. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Recently her work has been included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century and Vistas of the West Anthology of Poetry. Her poetry is also being included in the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program. Her latest book Dead Dogs Talk will release in September 2020. Website: http://www.nancymbell.ca

Dorothy Bentley is an author and works with the Writers' Guild of Alberta, in Calgary. She is published in feature articles, columns, cartoons, humour, poetry, short stories, and a picture book. She continues to learn, to experiment with new forms, and irritate others with her creative energy. Website: http://www.DorothyBentley.ca

Shawn L. Bird lives in the beautiful Shuswap region of BC. She is the author of YA novels in her Grace Awakening series, the noir-vella Murdering Mr. Edwards that Diana Gabaldon called “Clever, funny, and totally engaging,” the Nikki Knox short story chapbooks, some poetry books, and assorted non-fiction publications including 123 Prompts for Poets and Novelists. Website: http://www.shawnbird.com

Rebecca Brae lives in Canada with her partner, daughter, and growing pack of animal companions. Her background in Criminology and Classical Studies informs her writing in unexpected and occasionally horrifying ways. She has three published novels, Chaos Bound, Curse Bound, and The Witch’s Diary (Tyche Books), and a short story in the furr-tastic anthology Swashbuckling Cats: Nine lives on the Seven Seas (Tyche Books, edited by Rhonda Parrish). Connect with her on Twitter @RebeccaBrae and her web site. . Website: http://www.braevitae.com

After a half century of experience, Jane began writing short stories, winning the Bony Pete at Bloody Words with Slow Death and Taxes in 2001. Careers in journalism, teaching, and Bay Street finance gave her many ideas, but she writes primarily about respectable women who find a murderous way to get rid of an impediment. She is an enthusiastic Mesdames of Mayhem, and a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime. Among the anthologies she has been in, n’Evermore, a homage to Edgar Allan Poe, is one of her favorites. Her interests include theatre, archeology, bridge and travel, but finding a devious method of murder is always a pleasure. .

Finnian Burnett is a professor, a writer, and a lifelong learner. They’re a doctoral student at Murray State University and an MFA instructor with Southern New Hampshire University. Finn has run the Golden Crown Literary Society’s Writing Academy since 2015 and has served as the Director of Education for several years.
Under their former name, Beth Burnett, Finn published several books with Sapphire Books Publishing, including two Rainbow Award winners and self-published book, Coyote Ate the Stars, won first place in fantasy in the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. They have also published works in various anthologies and journals including the esteemed feminist journal, Sinister Wisdom, The Herstry Project, and the Resiliency Journal through the Calgary Arts Development.
Finn is currently working on a queer Shakespeare retelling and a collection of essays and stories exploring the intersection of fatphobia and gender identity-based body dysphoria. Website: http://www.finnburnett.com

Dave Butler is an author, photographer, forester and biologist from Cranbrook, BC. He is author of the Jenny Willson mystery series (Dundurn Press), the first of which won the Arthur Ellis award in 2018 for the “Best First Novel.” Dave is now working on a stand-alone ecothriller, and the first novel in a new series.
Dave is a member of Free Range Writers, the Crime Writers of Canada, the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and is represented by Sam Hiyate at The Rights Factory. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Website: http://www.davebutlerwriting.com/

Susan Calder is a Calgary writer who grew up in Montreal. She is the author of three mystery and suspense novels, To Catch a Fox (BWL, 2019), *Ten Days in Summer (BWL, 2017) and A Deadly Fall* (BWL, 2019, 2nd edition). Susan has also published short stories, poems and articles, and taught fiction writing courses and workshops at the Alexandra Writers Centre Society. She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and serves as the Writers’ Guild of Alberta liaison for When Words Collide. When Susan isn’t occupied with writing, she is likely to be travelling or hiking. Website: http://www.susancalder.com

Called the "Queen of Comedy" by the Toronto Sun, and the "Canadian literary heir to Donald Westlake" by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Melodie Campbell has connections in low places. Don’t dig too deep. You might find cement shoes. Melodie has shared a literary shortlist with Margaret Atwood, and was seen lurking on the Amazon Top 50 Bestseller list between Tom Clancy and Nora Roberts. She’s won the Derringer, the Arthur Ellis, and eight more awards. She didn’t even steal them. Melodie’s publications include 16 novels and over 50 short stories, but she’s best known for The Goddaughter mob caper series. Website: http://www.melodiecampbell.com

Rowan Canterbury is the mother of two incredible women. They are the base of her soul and the inspiration for all her works. Her passion for writing grew from the love of her grandfather, John George Canterbury and the wonderful spiral his silly stories sent her young mind on. Her influences started with J.R.R. Tolkien, Jeanette Winterson, Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore and Douglas Addams, to name a few. She cried when she saw Star Wars the first time, and knew from that moment on, she wanted to be a part of escorting imaginations to beyond the programmed.
Rowan lives with her Blacksmith husband and two large dogs in the simple life of a 40 hour work week. She has been writing since sometime in the 1970s and has kept writing through life, kids, divorces, illness and general chaos. Website: https://www.rowancanterbury.com

Tammy Lyn Carbol is the current President of the Alberta Romance Writers' Association and has been a member since 2000. Since 2017, she has used her administrative talents as a Virtual Assistant for several authors. In her spare time she is a belly dance teacher and performer. Website: http://www.tammylyncarbol.com

Chris Patrick Carolan is an author, editor, and hovercraft enthusiast whose stories have appeared in the Enigma Front anthology series (Analemma Books, ExitZero Books), 49th Parallels: Alternative Canadian Histories and Futures (Bundoran Press), and Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Coffin Hop Press). He is Managing Editor of ExitZero Books and is currently working on revisions to his first novel, a paranormal mystery set in 1880s Halifax, Nova Scotia. You can find him on Twitter as @cpcwrites but–consider this fair warning–it’s mostly just nonsense and Simpsons memes. Website: http://www.cpcwrites.com

Donna Carrick is a Canadian crime author, an editor and Indie publisher (Carrick Publishing), a founding member of the collective The Mesdames of Mayhem and host of the Crime Video/Podcast Dead to Writes, which features weekly interviews with a wide variety of crime fiction and true crime authors. Her novels include: The First Excellence, The Noon God and Gold and Fishes. Her stories appear in a number of anthologies, including all of the Mesdames’ Thirteen series. Her story Watermelon Weekend was nominated for the CWC Best Short Story Award. Website: http://www.CarrickPublishing.com

Swati Chavda is an author, editor, illustrator, map-artist, and a former neurosurgeon. After years of repairing people’s brains, in 2010 she left her thriving neurosurgery career to follow her passion to become a full-time writer. She has published a self-help book: Ignite: Beat Burnout & Rekindle Your Inner Fire, and two illustrated poetry books. Her poem, At the Edge of Space and Time is a 2020 Aurora Award finalist.
She also writes speculative fiction, where her characters tend to seek answers to questions ranging from “Is there life after death?” to “Should there be life before breakfast?” She uses too many commas, too few coffee breaks—and there’s a constant battle waging in her head between British and American spelling. http://www.swatichavda.com Website: http://www.thewritingvault.com

Dwayne Clayden combines his knowledge and experience as a police officer and paramedic to write crime thrillers. His first novel, Crisis Point, was a finalist for the 2015 Crime Writers of Canada Unhanged Arthur Ellis award. Outlaw and Wolfman’s Back continue the Brad Coulter Series. His short story, Hell Hath No Fury, was published in AB Negative, an anthology of short stories from Alberta Crime Writers.
His vast experience working with emergency services spans over 40 years and includes work as a police officer, paramedic, tactical paramedic, firefighter, emergency medical services (EMS) chief, educator, and academic chair.
Dwayne is a popular speaker at writing conferences and for writing groups, providing police and medical procedures advice and editing to authors and screenwriters. The co-author of four paramedic textbooks, he has spoken internationally at EMS conferences for the past three decades. He is on the Board of Directors for the Crime Writers of Canada and the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society. Website: http://www.dwayneclayden.com

Paul Coccia has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC. His debut novel, Cub, was published by Orca Book Publishers in 2019. He is the coauthor of an upcoming novel with Eric Walters and his second YA novel will release in Spring 2021. Paul can be found on social media (@pauljcoccia), but is most often found baking or drawing silly faces on volleyballs. Website: http://www.paulcoccia.com

J.L. Cole lives on an acreage in Alberta with her husband and two young daughters. When she isn’t busy chasing her children, she can be found helping on the family ranch or writing at her kitchen table. Her debut novel, Silver Heights, was recently published by Black Rose Writing and won the Romance Runner-up 2020 Maxy Award. Website: http://www.jl-cole.com/

Joe Compton is an Indie Author, Publisher, and filmmaker who has worked in the music business, been in tossed around in the Hollywood system, and experienced both sides of publishing Traditional and Independent. He is the author of 2 novels AMONGST THE KILLING and it’s sequel WE THE MORAL MAJORITY. Joe also runs the media Online Network GoIndieNow which covers, supports, and promotes Indie Artists of all artforms through a series of regularly scheduled shows broadcasting all over social media and website blogs and interviews. Website: http://goindienow.com

B.G. Cousins has travelled the World, sort of. His engineering career takes him to many places around world, although not to the touristy spots. He started writing novels in 2015 to kill time during layovers in airports and on planes. His first novel, The Locket, was published in 2016. He makes his novels as historically accurate as possible, weaving history’s anomalies into stories of love, conflict and adventure. Since The Locket, he has written The Great Celt, Dark Before Light, and The Tachi.
B.G. Cousins is a member of ARWA and resides in Calgary, Alberta.

Steve Davidson is the publisher of Amazing Stories. A long time fan of the genre, Steve has previously been involved in hosting Hugo Award banquets, publishing fanzines, attending and working on conventions, as well as: designing games and edutainments, working for AT&T and Bell Labs; collaborating on the development of less lethal weapon systems, gafiating for a career in paintball (a Top 100 Player of All Time) and generally avoiding having anything resembling "a career."

Chase F. Degenhardt is a writer, entrepreneur, and former professional fighter from Edmonton, Alberta. After several years of writing and enjoying literary conferences, Chase wanted to help other people find the writing community that had become so important in his own life, so he created LitWorld, the events app for readers and writers. Outside of work and writing, Chase enjoys hiking, weightlifting, and woodcarving, among other Website: http://litworldevents.com

Craig DiLouie is an American-Canadian author of speculative fiction. Published by big publishers, small presses, and self-published, Craig has written in many genres from dark fantasy to WW2 thrillers. His work has been translated into multiple languages and optioned for screen adaptation. He is a member of SFWA, HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA. Website: http://www.CraigDilouie.com

Sandra Fitzpatrick is bilingual in financial and English. She's been helping artists, writers, actors and other Creative People with their taxes, both Canadian and US, since 2006. Many have not known the deductions available as self-employed people and she does several seminars each year to bring this information and more on the basics of financial planning to them. Coming soon is Financial Sh*t for Creative People. She has been writing fantasy and science fiction for over ten years and is a long-time member of IFWA. As Lee F. Patrick, her novel Alter Egos and several short pieces came out in 2017. Her thriller The Alanyo Heir was published in 2018. Website: https://leefpatrick.ca

Susan Forest is a science fiction and fantasy writer, and an award-winning fiction editor for Laksa Media. Her novel, Bursts of Fire, came out in 2019, with Flights of Marigolds to be launched at WWC this year. She has published over 25 short stories in Canadian and international publications, including Asimov's, Analog, and Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. She was an Aurora Award finalist four times for her short fiction, SFWA's Secretary for four years, and has appeared at many international writing conventions. Susan loves travel and has been known to dictate novels from the back of her husband's motorcycle. Website: http://speculative-fiction.ca/

Jen Frankel is the Amazon-bestselling author of Undead Redhead (the “Zom Rom Com” tale of an adorable red headed vegan zombie). Some of her recent publications include short stories in the anthologies Canadian Dreadful (Dark Dragon Publishing), Futuristic Canada (Dark Helix Press), and Robotica (Pop Seagull Press) and another in Amazing Stories Magazine. She also co-edited the spec fiction anthology Trump: Utopia or Dystopia (Dark Helix Press). She is a fixture on panels at genre conventions in Canada including Ad Astra, Anime North, and Genrecon with over 100 appearances as a guest. Her supernatural thriller series Blood & Magic is available on Amazon along with a collection of short fiction (Feral Tales) and YA sci fi novel Leia of Earth. Jen’s focus is on creating diverse and engaging female characters in all her work, and expanding the roles available for women and BIPOC performers to better reflect a broader audience across North America and the world.

Ron S. Friedman is an award-winning science fiction author from Calgary. His novel, TYPHOON TIME, #1 Best Seller in Time-Travel and his collection, ESCAPE VELOCITY, is Calgary Herald #1 Best Seller.
Ron is a Best Short Fiction finalist in the 2016 Aurora Awards, Canada’s premier Science-Fiction and Fantasy awards. Ron’s short stories have appeared in Galaxy’s Edge, Daily Science Fiction, Neo-Opsis, Polar Borealis, Enigma Front and in other magazines and anthologies. Ron co-edited three anthologies and he received ten Honorable Mentions in Writers of the Future Contest.
In his day job, Ron is a senior Information Technologies analyst. He is an alumni of the Launchpad Astronomy workshop: Improving Science Literacy through Words and Media. His Quora blog had been nominated for the 2018 Aurora Awards, Best Fan Publication, after Ron become a Quora most viewed author in Astronomy and Planetary Science who has attracted over two million views.
Winner of the Aurora Awards—Fan Related Other category, Ron is on the board of directors of When Words Collide festival, a former board member of the Canadian Science-Fiction and Fantasy Association, a member of SFWA, SFCanada and IFWA.
Ron is living with his loving wife and two children in Calgary, Alberta. Ron is currently working on his second novel. Website: https://ronsfriedman.wordpress.com/ron/

Cait Gordon is a humorist and feisty disability advocate who likes cake. She is the author of space operas Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers. Her short stories have appeared in Alice Unbound Beyond Wonderland (Ed. Colleen Anderson, Exile Editions), We Shall Be Monsters (Ed. Derek Newman-Stille, Renaissance), and Space Opera Libretti (Eds. McNett and Rossman). Cait also founded The Spoonie Authors Network and joined Talia C. Johnson to co-edit Nothing Without Us, a collection of 22 stories whose authors and protagonists identify as disabled, Deaf, neurodiverse, and/or they manage mental illness. You can connect with Cait at spoonieauthorsnetwork.blog, or on Twitter (@CaitGAuthor). Website: http://caitgordon.com/

Jenna Greene is a YA fantasy author from Lethbridge, Alberta and the co-host of the podcast Quill and Ink. Her most recent book,Reborn, won the Moonbeam Children's Book award. Website: https://www.jennagreene.ca/

M. H. Callway’s debut novel, Windigo Fire, was a finalist for the 2015 Arthur Ellis Best First Novel Award. Her stories and novellas have won or been short-listed for several awards, including the Arthur Ellis, Bony Pete and the Derringer.
In 2013, she co-founded the Mesdames of Mayhem to promote Canadian women crime writers through social media. The Mesdames have published four critically acclaimed anthologies: Thirteen, 13 O’clock, 13 Claws and In the Key of 13. They are now a national organization of 23 leading Canadian crime writers, both Mesdames and Monsieurs.
In 2019, the Mesdames were the subject of a CBC documentary, which can be viewed on YouTube and GEM. Website: http://www.mhcallway.com

Dawn Harvey is an actress, singer, voiceover artist, and writer with extensive training in singing, acting for film and stage, and voiceover. Dawn has been narrating audiobooks since 2011, training with many of the industry’s best narrators and coaches. She has narrated over 50 audiobooks and is the recipient of both Earphone and SOVAS Awards for her work. Additionally, Dawn spent several years in the oil industry and holds Bachelors and Masters of Law Degrees. Dawn has been teaching for many years, previously in the areas of law and oil & gas and, most recently, voice acting and audiobook narration.
Website: http://dawnofvoice.com/

Julie Hiner spent endless hours during her childhood lost in the pages of books. She could tune out anything and immerse herself in the worlds of fictional characters for an entire day. The only thing that took precedence over a book was her Walkman. To this day, Julie is a hardcore 80s rocker at heart. In high school, her favorite classes were science, math and English. During this time, her love for writing surged.
After securing a solid education in computer science at the University of Calgary, Julie spent over a decade working on large scale network systems. On a break between contracts, Julie followed her longing to finish a book she had been writing in bits and pieces. After finishing her non-fictional book portraying her personal story of facing fear and anxiety on a bicycle in the European mountains, she did some deep soul searching. This is when she decided to write a novel.
For a long time, Julie has been fascinated with the complexity of the dark mind of the serial killer and obsessed with trying to understand how murder can occur. Finding inspiration at a talk given by a local homicide detective, Julie surged down her new path to writing a dark, serial killer novel. She continues to write, focused on dark crime and horror. Her favorite parts of her new found writing process are the detailed research, creating an in-depth character and digging deep into his, her or its mind, and unleashing her inner artist on photos to create the cover and marketing material. Website: http://JustAGirlAndABike.com

Elizabeth Hirst is a Canadian horror author, graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop Class of 2006, and an Assistant Editor of Amazing Stories Magazine. Her writing on LGBT themes in horror fiction has appeared on Tor.com and The Scariest Part, and her most recent novel, The Face in the Marsh, is available from Renaissance Press. Find her on Twitter and Instagram as @hirst_author. Website: http://elizabethhirstblog.wordpress.com

Faye Reineberg Holt has authored 12 nonfiction books concerning western Canada as well as publishing a mid grade book. She has written articles, short stories and poetry for all ages and co-authored a travel book. Faye is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, Writers Guild of Alberta, Young Alberta Book Society, Alexandra Writers’ Society and Canadian Authors Association, and she is a friend of CANSCAIP. A Calgarian with experience as editor, writer-in-residence and manuscript reviewer, she gives feedback on manuscripts for individuals and organizations. Too, she offers writing-related readings and workshops. Website: http://www.wordsandhistory.ca

Author, speaker and gentleman Jim Jackson is a Calgary Herald bestselling author, vintage leather jacket enthusiast and dabbler in the dark arts of blues music. Jim’s mission is to show how the stories we all grew up with – the heroes, the monsters, the adventures – are still solid, muscular realities that shape our lives.
He’s the creator of the storytelling guide How to Tell a Really Good Story about Absolutely Anything in 4 Easy Steps, a handful of pulp mythology books and the blues record Flypaper Motel.
Website: http://www.reallygoodstory.com

Paula Johanson is an active member of SF Canada. Before completing an MA in Canadian literature, she has worked as a security guard, a short order cook, a teacher, newspaper writer, and more. As well as editing books and teaching materials, she has run an organic-method small farm with her spouse, raised gifted twins, and cleaned university dormitories. In addition to novels and stories, she is the author of forty-two books written for educational publishers. Her new publishing project is releasing three new books this summer through Doublejoy Books.

Sarah L. Johnson lives in Calgary where she wrangles literary events at an indie bookstore, runs ultra marathons, and does daily battle with curly hair. Her short fiction has appeared in Room Magazine, Plenitude, Shock Totem, Year's Best Hardcore Horror Vol. 2 (Red Room Press), the Bram Stoker nominated Dark Visions 1 (Grey Matter Press), and Christopher Golden’s forthcoming Twisted Book of Shadows (Haverhill Press). She’s the author of Suicide Stitch: Eleven Tales (EMP Publishing) and Infractus (Coffin Hop Press). Website: http://sarahljohnson.com/

Some authors just love to write. James happens to love writing and business. James Kademan doesn't write for everyone. He aims his writing at people that are looking to improve themselves and their businesses. He has started, ran and sold a number of companies. He currently coaches clients in business and owns a call center geared towards small businesses. In his free time, he talks to people about business while doing something besides pounding on his keyboard. Website: https://drawincustomers.com/

Sarah Kades Graham is an archaeologist, Indigenous Knowledge facilitator and author of action adventure romantic fiction (writing as Sarah Kades) and creative nonfiction (writing as Sarah Graham). She studied in the United States, Canada and Scotland and is passionate about natural landscapes, cultures and interdisciplinary collaborations. Sarah has presented internationally on the effectiveness of arts-based approaches and was selected as one of the storytellers for the Energy Futures Lab Banff Summit 2020. Website: http://sarahkades.com

Pamela Kenney is a Calgary writer who likes to incorporate humour into her books, short stories and non-fiction. Her latest books Mile High Murder, Victim in Victoria, Body in the Bay and Terror from Toronto are cozy mysteries featuring Meg Spencer, a recently retired homicide detective, who just can’t seem to stop finding dead bodies. Pamela also has stories published in anthologies such as Knucklehead Noir by Coffin Hop Press. Her non-fiction humorous essay Post Traumatic News Disorder was published in the Globe and Mail.http://PamelaKenney.com

Ariel Kroon is a PhD candidate in the department of English & Film Studies at the University of Alberta. She is studying post-apocalyptic Canadian science fiction published between 1948 and 1989, examining the ways in which Canadians have historically imagined disaster, and what happens next. Her latest academic article is called Imagining Action In/Against the Anthropocene, and is about solarpunk and feminist post-humanism; she also writes poetry from time to time (some of which manages not to be mortifying). You can find her at Academia.edu

Konn Lavery is a Canadian author whose work has been recognized by Edmonton’s top five bestseller charts and by reviewers such as Readers’ Favorite, and Literary Titan. He started writing stories at a young age while being homeschooled. After graduating from graphic design college, he began professionally pursuing his writing with his first release, Reality. He continues to write in the thriller, horror, and fantasy genres.
He balances his literary work along with his own graphic design and website development business. His visual communication skills have been transcribed into the formatting and artwork found within his publications supporting his fascination of transmedia storytelling. Website: https://konnlavery.com/

Lucas K. Law is a Malaysian-born award-winning editor and author who divides his time and heart between Calgary and Qualicum Beach. With Susan Forest, he co-edited Strangers Among Us, The Sum of Us, Shades Within Us, and Seasons Between Us. Lucas is the co-editor of Where the Stars Rise with Derwin Mak. When he isn't editing, writing, or reading, he is a corporate and non-profit organization consultant in business planning and development.

Amy LeBlanc is an MA student in English Literature and creative writing at the University of Calgary and Managing Editor at Filling Station magazine. Amy's debut poetry collection, I know something you don’t know, was published with Gordon Hill Press in March 2020. Her novella Unlocking will be published by the UCalgary Press in their Brave and Brilliant Series in 2021. Her work has appeared in Room, PRISM International, and the Literary Review of Canada among others. She is a recipient of the 2020 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award.

Calgary writer, Sue LeBreton has worked in corporate communications for many years. During her time at home with her children, she wrote for health and parenting publications. Her challenging parent journey sparked her interest in the memoir genre.
Her essays have appeared in The Globe and Mail, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Inner Strength, and Mamas Write: 29 Tales of Truth, Wit, and Grit. She has published a book about parenting a child with Type 1 Diabetes and has completed a draft about how using gratitude as a trauma tool helped her cope with her baby’s cancer diagnosis. Website: http://suelebreton.com/

Brenda is a Calgary author. Her debut Young Adult historical novel, The Art of Rebellion, was published by Rebelight Publishing in 2016. It spent four weeks on Calgary’s bestselling lists. Her short story, Robin Hood of the Prairies, was published in an anthology by Frontenac House in 2020. She is a current member of SCBWI, CANSCAIP, and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. She also hosts a local critique group for YA and MG writers. Website: http://www.brendajoyceleahy.com/

Karen Lee is a retired psychologist and management consultant and is a lover of different forms of writing – she leans definitely on the non-fiction side but has been known to stray. Her first book was Consulting into the Future (2002) Hodder & Stoughton, and her second was The Full Catastrophe: A Memoir (2016) She Writes Press. She has many non-fiction essays published, some academic, some journal pieces, some history. She has been teaching memoir writing at the Alexandra Writers’ Centre for seven years and is presently working on personal essays and is part-way through a new memoir based on the country village where she grew up. Website: http://karenelee-author.com/

Mark’s first short story appeared in print in 1992, the same year he started working in the book industry. He has published more than twenty books under the name Mark Leslie that include thrillers and fiction (Evasion, A Canadian Werewolf in New York, One Hand Screaming), paranormal non-fiction (Haunted Hospitals, Spooky Sudbury, Macabre Montreal) and anthologies (Campus Chills, Tesseracts Sixteen, Fiction River: Feel the Fear). As Mark Leslie Lefebvre he is the author of The 7 Ps of Publishing Success, Killing it on Kobo, and An Author's Guide to Working with Bookstores and Libraries.
His industry experience include: President of the Canadian Booksellers Association, Board Member of BookNet Canada, Director of Author Relations and Self-Publishing for Rakuten Kobo, Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital, and Professional Advisor for Sheridan College’s Creative Writing and Publishing Honours Program.
Mark lives in Waterloo, Ontario.

Lacy Lieffers is an editor, strategic marketer, and brand developer. She has a degree in marketing, and provides editing and marketing services to authors through her business, One Leaf Editing.
Lacy has a passion for building strong brands, understanding consumer behaviour, and helping her clients shape and share their story with their audience.
It’s her belief that your brand is the storytelling portion of your journey, and a well-defined brand will highlight who you are as an author, establish your voice, identify your ideal reader, and serve as a guide for your words and strategic direction. Website: http://www.oneleafediting.ca

Halli Lilburn has many stories published with Leap Books, Tesseracts 18 and 22, We Shall be Monsters, and many others. She is an editor for The Dame was Trouble by Coffin Hop Press. She teaches art and creative writing classes at CASA in Lethbridge. She doesn't like talking about herself. Website: https://hallililburn.blogspot.com

Bobbi Lintner has been in the indie and self-publishing world for 5 years as an editor, language creator, and world artist, and currently works at Quill & Pounce in Calgary, Alberta. As an avid reader, mythology nerd, and writer herself, Bobbi’s love for words and worlds not her own is endless. She takes special interest in works that include POC / LGBT+ characters, and believes that diversity is critical in all fiction. When not at her computer, she spends her time singing, raising 2 kids, reading tarot, gardening, and sacrificing wine to the Fae and Old Gods.

Josephine LoRe is a Calgary poet and teacher whose words have been spoken on the stage and interpreted through painting, music, and dance. Her work has been featured in print and online in Canada, the US, England and Japan.
Two collections of her poetry have been published, Unity and the Calgary Herald Bestseller Cowichan Series as well as the short story Cornflower. Josephine contributed The Art of Writing to the 2019 publication Writing Better Fiction.
Josephine completed a Maîtrise en Arts at l'Université de Rouen (France), a bilingual BEd from Laurentian University and an Honours BA from the University of Toronto. She is a member of the AWCS, the WGA, Haiku Canada and the League of Canadian Poets. Website: https://www.josephinelorepoet.com

Janice MacDonald is probably best known for her Randy Craig Mysteries series set in Edmonton, Alberta. Writing professionally for more than 40 years, she began as a songwriter. In between, she has written a children’s book, a couple of histories, a smattering of short stories, several plays, the music for two musicals, a travel memoir, a long-running review column, and a killer thesis on detective fiction. She is presently working on a stand-alone thriller. During the week, she keeps the Province safe from dangling modifiers. Website: http://www.janicemacdonald.ca

Charlotte is an author and writing coach from Red Deer, Alberta. She is the author of the Red Fever trilogy, and has several published short stories, including a third prize win in the Writer’s Digest Short Short Story contest. She hosts theWritable blog and the Story Coaching podcast, teaching the craft of storytelling to writers all over the world.
Website: https://www.thewritable.com/

Born and raised in Toronto, Arlene F. Marks began writing at the age of 6, and she can't seem to stop. A veteran teacher of the craft, she is the author of two literacy programs for the classroom, as well as From First Word to Last: The Craft of Writing Popular Fiction, The Accidental God, and (from EDGE Publishing) Sic Transit Terra, a series of sf novels set at the turn of the 25th century, including Book 5: The Cockroach Crusade (a spring 2019 release). She is currently hard at work on Book 6, among other writing projects. Website: http://www.thewritersnest.ca

Chris Marrs lives in Calgary, Alberta with her daughter, Haywire the cat, and Mocha the ferret. She’s had numerous short stories published in various anthologies, including the Bram Stoker award winning The Library of the Dead and the Bram Stoker award nominated A Darke Phantastique. Novellas include Everything Leads Back to Alice (Bad Moon Books, Fall 2013), Wildwoman (Journal Stone Double Down #7, October 2015), Entangled Souls (Collaboration with Gene O’Neill, Thunderstorm Books, Fall 2016).
You can find her at Facebook, or on Instagram as hauntedmarrs. Website: http://www.hauntedmarrs.com

Aviation adventures are featured in eight of Shirlee Smith Matheson’s 21 published books (14 nonfiction books for adult readers and seven young adult novels), as well as short stories and stage plays. She is an alumnus of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and has participated in (and instructed) writing courses and workshops at various schools and organizations. She is a member of The Writers Guild of Alberta, CANSCAIP and Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) as well as several aviation museums and organizations.
Awards include The 99’s Canadian Award in Aviation; Athabasca University Distinguished Alumni; Emerald Award finalist (environmental writing); and Alberta and BC nonfiction awards. Shirlee was employed for a number of years at The Hangar Flight Museum, and also completed a project as Historian for Calgary International Airport.
This Was Our Valley, the ongoing saga of hydro-electric dams on the Peace River, was published in 2019 by Frontenac House). Photo credit: John Chalmers. Website: http://www.ssmatheson.ca/

RANDY MCCHARLES is a full-time author of crime and speculative fiction. He is the recipient of several Aurora Awards (Canada's most prestigious award for speculative fiction) and in 2013 his short story Ghost-B-Gone Incorporated won the House of Anansi 7-day Ghost Story Contest. Randy's most recent publications include the Peter Galloway soft-boiled detective series, as well as the 2016 Aurora Award shortlisted novel Much Ado about Macbeth from Tyche Books, and the 2017 Aurora Award shortlisted novel Day of the Demon. Upcoming books include A Connecticut Gumshoe in King Arthur's Court from Tyche Books. In addition to writing, Randy organizes various events including the award-winning When Words Collide Festival for Readers and Writers. Website: http://www.randymccharles.com

Elissa McColl writes fast-paced YA novels featuring unconventional girls. Her first novel is about ancient Amazon women warriors. Her WIP is a contemporary YA about a white-water kayaker. She spent her twenties traveling to 40+ countries and working as an Exploration Geophysicist. She has snorkeled surrounded by jellyfish, cage dived with sharks, stalked lemurs and been chased by pirates. She is an avid alpine skier and white-water kayaker and lives in Canmore, Alberta.

Born and raised in Montreal, Rosemary McCracken has worked on newspapers across Canada as a reporter, arts writer and reviewer, editorial writer, and editor. The focus of her journalism work in recent years—on personal finance and the financial services industry—sparked the creation of her Pat Tierney protagonist.
Safe Harbor, the first novel in the Pat Tierney mystery series, was a finalist for Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger Award in 2010. It was published by Imajin Books in 2012. Its sequel, Black Water, was published in 2013, followed by Raven Lake in 2016. The Sweetheart Scamster, a Pat Tierney short story in the crime fiction anthology, Thirteen, was a finalist for a 2014 Derringer Award.
The Toronto Star’s Jack Batten calls Pat Tierney "a hugely attractive sleuth figure."
Rosemary’s short fiction has been published by Room of One’s Own Press, Kaleidoscope Books, Sisters in Crime Toronto, the Mesdames of Mayhem, Down & Out Books, Darkhouse Books, Wildside Press, Mystery Weekly Magazine, Superior Shores Press, and Kings River Life Magazine.
Rosemary now lives and writes in Toronto, and teaches novel writing at George Brown College. She is a member of Sisters in Crime Toronto, Crime Writers of Canada, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She has a master’s degree in English literature, thesis on the Canadian novel, from the University of Calgary. Website: https://www.rosemarymccracken.com/

Sue is a counsellor and educator with over twenty years of experience working with children, families and professionals through her animal assisted therapy and training centre, Healing Hooves. She works "one-step-removed" through interactions and relationships with animals, and through a series of therapeutic stories featuring the animals she works with. Grounded in attachment theory and developmental psychology, each book addresses an important theme, such as boundaries, anxiety, or relationship conflict, in an engaging and emotionally safe manner. The animals' antics provide lots of opportunity for humour and adventure, while gently exploring the areas of concern.

Murray Moore (Ontario) (CSFFA Secretary January 2016 - October 2019) succeeded Clint Budd as President of the Board of Directors of CSFFA (Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association) in October 2019. Murray's role as Deputy Division Head, Exhibits, of CoNZealand, the first virtual Worldcon, will finish the weekend before When Words Collide.

Joanne Morcom is a Calgary poet, book reviewer, poetry contest judge and self-publisher. She’s also a social worker, as well as a Certified Laughter Leader and Joyologist with the World Laughter Tour. Website: http://www.joannemorcom.ca

Nina Munteanu is a Canadian ecologist / limnologist and internationally published author of award-nominated speculative novels, short stories and non-fiction. She currently teaches writing at the University of Toronto. Her latest book Water Is...—a scientific study and personal journey as limnologist, mother, teacher and environmentalist—was recently picked by Margaret Atwood in the NY Times as 2016 ‘The Year in Reading’. Website: http://www.NinaMunteanu.ca

Lynne Murphy's short stories appear in a number of anthologies, including all four from the Mesdames of Mayhem. She is a retired journalist who was born in the West (Saskatchewan) and still cheers for the Roughriders but has lived in Toronto for many years.

Dr. Irene Naested, full professor and professor emerita from Mount Royal University (MRU), is an author, visual artist, and educator. She has authored numerous books, chapters, journal articles, and teacher resources on teaching and learning. Her poetry, prose, and art have been published nationally and internationally. Recent publications include: Light as it Falls (2020) and Art-Making: A Companion in Solitude (2021) Friesen Press. Irene’s visual art and writing in her artist’s books have become multi-layers of exploration of ideas, insights, meditative moments, and principles of composition gleaned from nature to tell her story.
Website: https://irenenaested.com

Ira Nayman is the author of 10 (or 11, depending upon how you count these things) collections of Alternate Reality News Service articles, with two (or possibly three, depending upon...you know) new books in the series due out in 2021. He has also had six novels published by Elsewhen Press in his Transdimensional Authority/Multiverse series; Bad Actors, the second book in the Alien Refugees Trilogy, is also scheduled to be out in 2021. For two and a half years, he was the editor of Amazing Stories magazine. Website: http://www.lespagesauxfolles.ca

Joy Norstrom (she/her) is a contemporary fiction writer and social worker residing in Treaty 7 territory. Her novels, Flying the Nest (Dixi Books Ltd, 2020) and Out of Play (Crooked Cat Books, 2016) feature quirky characters and emotional arcs that are every bit as humorous as they are poignant. Her short story, Salt, will appear in the 40th Anniversary Anthology for the Alexandra Writers’ Centre (Calgary, Alberta) in fall, 2021. Joy enjoys hiking with family, chatting with friends over cold cider, and reading late into the night when she should be asleep. Website: https://www.joynorstrom.ca/

Virginia is a stand-up comic, playwright, founder of Bundoran Press, editor for OnSpec Magazine, and freelance editor. Website: http://www.brilliantfiction.com

Joshua Pantalleresco writes stuff, and podcasts too. Joshua has written the Watcher series (composing The Watcher, Stormdancer, and The Wandering God) for Mirror World Publishing. His current works are Alice Zero - the start of the Greek Alice Saga and his first novel, The Cloud Diver. He writes for First Comics News as a columnist. His podcast, Just Joshing is a 2018 Aurora Award winning podcast in which he interviews authors and other creative people about life, the universe and everything. He lives in Calgary. Website: http://jpantalleresco.wordpress.com

Celeste A. Peters is a dreamer and schemer of speculative fiction. Her work has been published in Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy’s Urban Green Man anthology, Solarwyrm’s Amok: Anthology of Asia-Pacific Speculative Fiction, Issue 30 of Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, and in every issue of the Enigma Front anthology series to date. She was twice a finalist in the Robyn Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest, and also received an Aurora Award nomination in 2017 as editor of the Enigma Front: Burnt anthology. Celeste resides in Calgary, Alberta, where she benefits greatly from the help and encouragement of her friends in the Imaginative Fiction Writers' Association. Website: http://www.celestepeters.com

David Peyto is a retired elementary school physical education teacher. In 2002 he self-published his first book (Banff Town Warden). This is the first book in a four volume set of his grandfather’s journals as a warden in Banff National Park. Since then David has self-published twelve other books. These include the other three books of the Warden Journals, four Calgary walking guide books, three books about Calgary parks and green spaces and two books of Canadian Rockies Trivia.

Marie Powell’s adventures in castle-hopping across North Wales to explore her family roots resulted in the YA Fantasy series Last of the Gifted. Spirit Sight will launch this summer, and Water Sight will be released this fall thanks to funding from Creative Saskatchewan.
Marie is the author of more than 40 traditionally published children’s books, and her award-winning short stories and poetry appear in such literary magazines as subTerrain and Room. Among other degrees, she holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Marie lives on Treaty 4 land in Regina, Saskatchewan, and gives popular writing workshops across the region. Website: http://mariepowell.ca

Before transitioning to writing, Barbara Radecki was an established Toronto-based actor, probably best known for voicing Sailor Neptune. Her screenplay, Modern Persuasion, is a film starring Alicia Witt and Bebe Neuwirth. Her debut novel, The Darkhouse, came out to acclaim, including a Kirkus star, a spot on CBC Books’ Great Reads for YA Readers, and shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Her second novel, Messenger 93, came out in April 2020, and is a CBC Books pick, as well as a pick by the Forest of Reading, Red Maple, Kids Committee.

Jack Richardson is the author of two books, Circles of Influence and Circles of Humanity. He is also the founder of a Social Enterprise, based in Calgary, that focuses on uniting our local, regional and global societies through the promotion of positivity, commonality, and understanding. Website: http://www.circlesofhumanity.com

Michaela Ritchie is a storyteller, poet, and recovering journalist from Calgary, Alberta. She is currently the Social Media and Digital Content Specialist for the Calgary Public Library, a prose editor for FreeFall Magazine, and serves on the board of the FreeFall Literary Society. Say hello to her online at @wordsbyritchie.

Simon Rose is a Calgary author of sixteen novels, eight guides for writers, and more than 100 nonfiction books for children and young adults.
Simon served as the Writer-in Residence with the Canadian Authors Association and is a member of the Calgary Association of Freelance Editors. Simon also provides services for writers, including editing, coaching, and ghostwriting and offers programs for schools. He is an instructor for adults with the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, and Chinook Learning Services and offers online workshops and courses for children and adults. Website: http://www.simon-rose.com

Jonas Saul is the bestselling author of the SARAH ROBERTS SERIES and has written and published over thirty thrillers. After selling more than two million books, he signed with the Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary and Dramatic Rights Management. His recent releases are, The Future is Written, published by pioneering media company Adaptive Studios, and The Immortal Gene, published by Vesuvian Books.
Saul has traveled extensively throughout the world to scout settings for his thrillers, spending several years between Greece, Italy, Denmark, and Hungary. He is regularly invited to be a guest speaker, teacher, or workshop presenter at international writing conferences. Website: http://www.jonassaul.com

Holly Schofield travels through time at the rate of one second per second, oscillating between the alternate realities of city and country life. Her speculative fiction has appeared in many publications including Analog, Lightspeed, and Escape Pod, is used in university curricula, and has been translated into several languages. She hopes to save the world through science fiction and homegrown heritage tomatoes. Website: http://hollyschofield.wordpress.com

Ottawa author Madona Skaff-Koren writes the Naya Investigates series (Renaissance Press), about a marathon runner recently disabled by multiple sclerosis, who turns sleuth to search for her friend in Journey of a Thousand Steps. Then in the sequel, Death by Association, our intrepid sleuth tracks a murderer. Madona’s most recent short stores include a supernatural murder mystery in In the Key of 13: An Anthology of Music and Murder, from the Mesdames of Mayhem. Also one in the anthology Nothing Without Us (Renaissance Press), which features disabled characters as the heroes—not the sidekicks. Website: http://madonaskaff.com

Bob Stallworthy has been active in the Alberta writing community since 1985. He has 5 books of poetry published by a recognized publisher. His work has been short-listed for the W.O. Mitchell City of Calgary Book Prize twice and the Stephan G. Stephansson Poetry prize once. He is co-recipient of the 2002 Calgary Freedom of Expression Award, Lifetime member of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta (1988) and recipient of the 2019 Golden Pen Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. He is a full-time caregiver for his wife who suffered traumatic kidney failure in 2013.

P.L. Stuart, was born in Ontario Canada however his parents have roots in both Barbados and Ghana. He has worked in security / public law enforcement for almost three decades. He has a Bachelor's Degree in English, with a minor in History, from York University in Toronto where he specialized in medieval literature. His diverse life experience as a husband, father, law enforcer, community volunteer, and racialized person in Western society as well as his educational background give him a unique perspective as a writer and a credible source for many of the themes explored in A Drowned Kingdom. Website: https://www.plstuart.com/

DAVID SWEET is an active-duty homicide detective with a large, western Canadian police service with twenty years on the job. He has worked in the Drug Unit and the Organized Crime Section, and he teaches new recruits and presents at law enforcement conferences and various community groups. In addition to a Distinguished Service Award in 2010, Detective Sweet received the Chief’s Award for Excellence in Investigation in 2017. He co-authored the bestselling police memoir Skeletons in My Closet, Life Lessons from a Homicide Detective with Sarah Kades Graham. Website: http://unconventionalclassroom.ca

Diane Terrana is the Executive Editor at The Rights Factory—a Toronto literary agency—an award-winning instructor in the University of Toronto’s SCS Creative Writing program and the author of a debut YA novel, The World on Either Side. Diane spends a lot of time in her head and sometimes needs to get out of it. To that end she went skydiving with her son on his twenty-first birthday: an experience that seemed out of body as well.

Editor, writer, and translator Tania Therien has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, as well as degrees in history and linguistics from the University of Calgary. Her experience in the world of literature and words includes peddling wares for an independent bookstore, acquiring textbooks for a publishing house, and editing everything from textbooks and corporate reports to fiction and nonfiction. Tania’s writing and translation has appeared in Ask, The Calgary Herald, and TransLit 12 (forthcoming). She is currently working on polishing her first novel and is always looking for new editing projects.

Hayden Trenholm is an award-winning playwright, novelist and short story writer. His short fiction has appeared in many magazines, including Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and anthologies such as The Sum of Us and Strangers Among Us, and on CBC radio. His first novel, A Circle of Birds, won the 3-Day Novel Writing competition in 1993; it was recently translated and published in French. His trilogy, The Steele Chronicles, were each nominated for an Aurora Award. Stealing Home, the third book, was a finalist for the Sunburst Award. Hayden has won five Aurora Awards—three times for short fiction and twice for editing anthologies. He purchased Bundoran Press in 2012 and is its managing editor. He lives with his wife and fellow writer, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, in Ottawa, having retired in 2017 after 15 years as a policy adviser to the Senator for the Northwest Territories. . Website: http://www.haydentrenholm.com

Suzy is a Book Coach, Editor, Public Speaker and the Calgary Bestselling Author of The Fountain Series (The Fountain, The West Woods, Wall of Wishes). This fantastical Young Adult Series has received two Aurora Nominations for Best Young Adult Novel, as well as Five Stars and a bronze medallion from Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She is represented by Naomi Davis of Bookends Literary Agency.
Suzy is a Program Manager for Calgary’s When Words Collide (WWC), teaches writing at Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, and is a touring member of the Young Alberta Book Society.
Her book coaching business grew from the number of writers coming to her for writing tips, editing, marketing advice and motivational support on their projects. She loves working with writers at all stages in many genres, including Non-Fiction, Memoir, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, Picture Books and of course, Young Adult. Suzy is currently completing her Advanced Book Coach Certification from Jennie Nash’s Author Accelerator. Website: https://suzyvadori.wordpress.com

Laura VanArendonk Baugh is an award-winning writer of speculative fiction, mystery, and non-fiction. Her works have earned numerous accolades, including 3-star (the highest possible) ratings on Tangent's "Recommended Reading" list and praise from Publishers Weekly. Laura speaks professionally on a variety of topics throughout the year—in her day job she's a professional animal trainer and behavior consultant, and for a hobby an award-winning costumer—and admits a mental turning point in her career when she realized she could buy that sexy red Tesla with her books! Website: http://www.LauraVAB.com

P. J. Vernon writes psychological suspense and is "a name to watch in the thriller genre" (Booklist). Library Journal and Book Riot compare his critically-acclaimed Gothic debut When You Find Me (Crooked Lane Books) to Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. His debut has sold in multiple countries, languages and formats, including the re-titled *Une Certaine Annie* in French (La Martiniere) and French-Canadian (Guy Saint-Jean). He is represented by CookeMcDermid Literary Mgmt and United Talent Agency (film). Website: http://pjvernonbooks.com/

Richard Weiser began his working life in broadcast journalism after which he studied creative writing at York University with Governor General’s Award winner Don Coles. After university, Richard tripped and fell into a career in advertising, winning a Cannes Lion (advertising’s Oscar). Richard worked with Olive Senior at the Humber School for Writers on his most recent book. He is a member of the League of Canadian Poets and his poetry has been published internationally in journals such as HCE, Acumen and Gravel.

Liz Westbrook-Trenholm has published or aired mainstream and speculative short fiction on radio, in online and print ‘zines and a number of Prix Aurora-winning or nominated anthologies. Her recent stories appeared in Shades Within Us (Laksa Media), Over the Rainbow (Exile Press), Tesseracts 22 (Edge) and Amazing Stories (August 2019). Her story, Gone Flying, was long-listed for the Sunburst Award and won the Prix Aurora for best short form in 2018, and her stories Critical Mass (Shades Within Us, Laksa Media) and Blindside (Amazing Stories) were nominated for the Prix Aurora in 2019 and 2020, respectively. She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her husband, writer, editor and publisher, (and frequent inspiration) Hayden Trenholm.

Zachry Wheeler is an award-winning science fiction novelist, screenwriter, and coffee slayer. He is an active presence on the convention circuit where he gives presentations on the business of writing. He is the author of the Immortal Wake and Max and the Multiverse series, both of which are currently in development for film adaptations. Learn more at Website: http://ZachryWheeler.com

Elizabeth Whitton’s Houses of the Old Blood won the Aurora Award for Best YA Novel, 2018, and her short story, The Calling, (written as Elizabeth Grotkowski) was an Aurora Award finalist. Three of her short stories have appeared in the Enigma Front anthologies. Elizabeth does promotional work for When Worlds Collide and is the festival’s Science Fiction/Fantasy Program Lead. She manages the prejudge readers for the Robin Herrington Memorial “In Places Between” short story contest. She is an active member of IFWA and ARWA.
The Gold Flame of Senica, the second book in her award winning HOUSES OF THE OLD BLOOD urban fantasy YA series, will be released this year. Website: http://www.elizabethwhitton.com/

ELLE WILD grew up in a dark, rambling farmhouse in the wilds of Canada where there was nothing to do but read Edgar Allan Poe and watch PBS mysteries.
Her debut novel, Strange Things Done, won the Arthur Ellis Award for “Best First Novel” and was a winner in Women in Film’s “From Our Dark Side” genre writing competition in 2017. Previously, Strange won the Arthur Ellis for “Best Unpublished Mystery” and was on multiple shortlists for other awards internationally.
Wild has published several award-winning short stories and has written, directed and co-produced two award-winning short films. She is currently working on her second novel, a literary thriller set in Victorian London and Dorset. Wild resides on an island in the Salish Sea named after the bones of dead whales.
Website: https://www.ellewild.com/

Lisa has been crafting stories for over 35 years. She dabbles in multiple genres, though her first two novels (due to be released in 2021) are both fantasy. She was a participant at the Clarion Writers Workshop for Science Fiction in 1984 and that experience helped shape how she approaches the process of writing and workshopping. Helping other writers with their own writing journeys has become part of that process, as well as something she enjoys very much. Something new to her is her presence on social media, through Facebook and a website. Though only just starting out on her social media journey as an author, she is eager to connect with readers and writers of fantasy, sword and sorcery, science fantasy and science fiction, as well as those who enjoy mixing genres as much as she does! Website: http://www.lisadwilde.ca

Edward Willett is the Aurora Award-winning author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction. His most recent novel is Worldshaper (“a rollicking contemporary fantasy”—Publishers Weekly starred review), Book 1 in the Worldshapers series from DAW Books. Book 2, Master of the World, comes out in September. His short-story collection Paths to the Stars(Shadowpaw Press) was shortlisted for two 2019 Saskatchewan Book Awards. His YA dark-fantasy novel Changers comes out in 2020 from ChiZine Publications. Ed hosts The Worldshapers podcast (), featuring conversations with science fiction and fantasy authors about their creative process. Website: https://www.edwardwillett.com

Talena Winters is addicted to stories, tea, chocolate, yarn, and silver linings. She writes page-turning fiction for teens and adults in multiple genres, coaches other writers, has written several award-winning songs, designs knitting patterns under her label My Secret Wish, and is lead writer for Move Up magazine. She currently resides on an acreage in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, with her husband, three surviving boys, two dogs, and an assortment of farm cats. She would love to be a mermaid when she grows up. Website: http://www.talenawinters.com/

Born to two artists, Roy and Suzy Woodall, Kermit Woodall today is the Creative Director for Amazing Stories and a professional web developer.
He has a Bachelors in Fine Arts and many certifications in various computer fields. He is married to his patient wife, Shealor, has a brilliant daughter Madeline who is married and had three children, and current he has three dogs and a foster dog. His son Haydn died in an auto accident in April of 2015. Website: http://kermitwoodall.com/

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author P.D. Workman writes riveting mystery/suspense and young adult books dealing with mental illness, addiction, abuse, and other real-life issues.
Workman started publishing in 2013. She has won several literary awards from Library Services for Youth in Custody for her young adult fiction. She currently has over 50 published titles.
Website: http://pdworkman.com