Alexandra Diaz is the author of several award-winning books for children and
teens, including The Only Road (Pura Belpré Honor and Américas Award), The Crossroads (New Mexico’s Great Read at the National Book Festival), and Santiago’s Road Home (ALA Notable Children’s Books). Her latest book, Farewell, Cuba, Mi Isla, has received two starred reviews. She is a native Spanish speaker and the above titles are all available in Spanish as well.

Ricardo Fayet is one of the four founders of Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors to the world’s top publishing talent—from editors to cover designers, book marketers, or literary translators. He’s the author of two books on marketing: How to Market a Book: Overperform in a Crowded Market and Amazon Ads for Authors: Unlock Your Full Advertising Potential, and a regular presenter at several prestigious writers’ conferences: NINC, 20Booksto50k, and The Self Publishing Show Live, among others.

Dawn Alexander is a developmental editor and story coach who collaborates with both emerging writers and accomplished authors to strengthen their stories and refine their voices. Her clients have appeared on the *New York Times* and *USA Today* bestseller lists, as well as the Amazon Top 100. Leveraging her two decades of experience in education, she designs and teaches writing courses that offer comprehensive insights and practical strategies that can be applied across genres to create compelling plots and authentic characters. She’s been a featured speaker at Inkers Con, MWA MidAtlantic, and Washington Romance Writers, in addition to providing one-on-one coaching to numerous successful authors. When she’s not analyzing plot structures or crafting characters., you can find her hanging out with her two college-age kids or off-roading in her Jeep Wrangler with her husband and their dog, Teddy.

Christina Allen (publishing as C.W. Allen) is a Midwestern transplant to rural Utah where she serves as the President-Elect of the League of Utah Writers. She writes long stories for children and short stories for former children. She is also a frequent guest presenter at writing conferences, which helps her procrastinate from knuckling down to any actual writing. Her award-winning middle grade fantasy series The Falinnheim Chronicles is out now, with many more stories waiting in the wings. Follow her latest projects at cwallenbooks.com.

Lou J Berger lives in Denver, Colorado with his high-school crush, three kids, a rescued Sheltie dog and a brilliant rescue mutt with a nefarious agenda. H A member of SFWA, h e has been published in a variety of venues, including Clarkesworld, Galaxy’s Edge magazine, and a host of anthologies. He is STILL working on his first novel.

Although a fan of science fiction since he was a small boy, reading Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, and of course the Heinlein juveniles, Lou also enjoys good mysteries and has a special fondness for noir environments. His favorite authors are Ray Bradbury, John D. MacDonald, and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Follow him on the following social media platforms:
His author website can be found at LouJBerger.com.
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/loujberger.bsky.social
Facebook: https://facebook.com/AuthorLouJBerger/

Deb Courtney holds a degree in Fiction from the University of South Florida, where she was a Saunders Scholar in Fiction. She has had numerous short stories published and has worked as a freelance journalist, creativity coach and freelance editor. Her background also includes more than 20 years in Technical Project Management.

Deb hosts the popular “Write Drunk, Edit Sober” improv writing series monthly online, and her debut book, “21 Day Challenge: The Anti-procrastination Workbook for Writers” was released in April 2023. She is Immediate Past President of Pikes Peak Writers, a non-profit in Colorado Springs, CO.

H.Y. Gregor was born in Portland, Oregon, but will always call the mountains of Colorado home. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science but put it down often enough to narrowly avoid law school. Now she spends her free time weaving fantasy tales and battling plot gremlins. Her short fiction has earned Silver Honorable Mention awards from the Writers of the Future contest and published in a number of anthologies. These include contributions to Chris Kennedy Publishing’s 4HU, William Alan Webb’s Last Brigade, and a multi-genre spread of stories with Knight Writing Press, CKP, and Three Ravens Publishing. H.Y.’s novels include both epic and urban fantasy. Her debut, Stonewhisper, was published in June 2023. The first three books in the Vechnoye Saga—Reka’s Grasp, Tugarin’s Revenge, and Chernobog’s Wrath—release from Chris Kennedy Publishing October-December 2024. When not writing, she can be found at writer’s conferences and retreats with an overstuffed bag and too many pens.

Kevin Ikenberry is a life-long space geek and retired Army officer. As an adult, he managed the U.S. Space Camp program, two Challenger Learning Centers, and served on active duty in space operations before Space Force was a thing. He’s an international bestselling science fiction author and renowned writing instructor which is pretty cool because he never imagined being either one of those – he still wants to be an astronaut. 

Kevin’s debut novel, Sleeper Protocol, was hailed by Publishers Weekly as “an emotionally powerful debut.” His twenty-five science fiction novels include The Crossing, Vendetta Protocol, Eminence Protocol, Runs In The Family, Peacemaker, Honor The Threat, Stand or Fall, Fields of Fire, and Harbinger. He is core author of the mega-bestselling Four Horsemen Universe, with more than a dozen works spawned by his novel Peacemaker. Kevin is an Active Member of the International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors, International Thriller Writers, and SIGMA – the science fiction think tank. Kevin continues to work with space every day and lives in Colorado with his family.

Jenny Kate has been a communicator, marketer and public relations professional since 2001. She has party-planned for US ambassadors, written speech inputs for the President (of the United States), eaten Taco Bell with Jimmy Kimmel and danced with Willy Nelson. She has been quoted by the New York Times, CNN, FoxNews, and Time Magazine, and wrote her first novel in the second grade. She is a member of Washington Romance Writers, Sisters in Crime, and judges contests for the Utah League of Writers and freelanced for New York literary agent Ethan Ellenberg.  With her husband, she co-founded Writer Nation, an online collaboration space for authors to network and share marketing ideas. She envisions a world where every writer is an author first, and a smart, savvy marketer second, and . Jenny is the author of the “Marketing for Writers Who’d Rather Write” book series to help authors market in a way that gives them more writing time in their day.  A born Alabama girl, Jenny Kate bleeds crimson and white. When she isn’t writing or teaching about fiction marketing, she travels the world looking for the world’s best vegan sandwich. So far, tofu banh mi in Hoi An, Vietnam, is winning that race.

A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her short stories can be found in over sixty anthologies and magazines in addition to her collections. Her nonfiction title, The Business of Short Stories, and debut urban fantasy novel, Myth Stalker: Wendigo Nights, are available now. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem and a writer for Rocky Mountain Reader. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there’s always a place to hide a body or birth a monster. Find her at www.thewarriormuse.com.

Kelley J. P. Lindberg writes award-winning YA and adult fiction, and sometimes admits to having written several best-selling how-to books. Her fiction and essays have appeared in literary magazines, in anthologies including PPW’s Journeys into Possibility, and in the Tellables app for Amazon Alexa. When she isn’t writing from her home on the high plains of Colorado, she’s traveling as far and as often as she can. She blogs about the writer’s life and writing craft on her website: www.KelleyLindberg.com. Follow her on X-Twitter and Instagram at @KelleyLindberg1.

Chris Mandeville is an unrepentant coffee drinker, night owl, and binge writer. She can write anywhere, but her usual spot is a comfy chair at home in the Rocky Mountains with her service dog, Oski, snoozing by her feet. When she isn’t writing, she loves to cook, travel, and teach writing workshops. Her published works include Quake, Shake, and Break (IN REAL TIME time travel trilogy), Seeds: a post-apocalyptic adventure, Oski Becomes a Service Dog, and 52 Ways to Get Unstuck. She’s been involved with Pikes Peak Writers for more than twenty years and is proud to have served on the PPW Board of Directors as President, among other roles. Learn more about Chris, and her current projects and appearances, at chrismandeville.com.

Jennie Marts is the USA Today Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.” She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet who loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends. Her books range from western romance to cozy mysteries, but they all have the charm and appeal of quirky small-town life. She loves genre-mashups like adding romance to her Page Turners cozy mysteries and creating the hockey-playing cowboys in the Cowboys of Creedence. The same small-town community comes to life with more animal antics in her latest Creedence Horse Rescue series. Her sassy heroines and hunky heroes carry over in her heartwarming, feel good romances from Hallmark Publishing. And more fun abounds in Take the Honey and Run, the first book in her new Bee Keeping cozy mystery series. 

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, Twitter at @JennieMarts, and at jenniemartswriter on Instagram. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

AJ Metzger retired from the Navy in 2023 and now plans Wargames for US Space Command. She has been writing all her life and in the last few years published multiple academic papers for law enforcement. She is branching out into fiction writing using some of the more comical and unique situations from real life as inspiration. She currently lives in Colorado Springs where she grew up hunting, fishing, and off-roading with her dad. When she isn’t writing she can be found riding or hiking with her dog or buried in a book. AJ became a PPW Volunteer in April 2022. She is not only the board Vice President, she started out as the PPW Newsletter editor and has contributed to both non-conference and conference events.

Susan Mitchell embraces folklore, ghosts and monsters. She tunes into that wavelength to write dark fiction, horror and thrillers. Her work has appeared in literary magazines and can be found in the upcoming anthology Open-Hearted Horizon from University of New Mexico Press. Originally from the East Coast, Susan calls the Southwest home and has degree in English from Northern Arizona University. She works at New Mexico PBS and served on the PBS Marketing Advisory Council. As a Multi-Media Producer, she has written, produced and directed projects for TLC, ABC, NBC, CBS and Telemundo affiliates. Susan is currently completing work on a supernatural thriller and literary horror project. She really likes books, music, road trips, thrift stores and horror movies.

Kim Olgren is a Book Fest award-winning, internationally-selling author and author of the cozy mystery, Flipped – A Jillian McElroy Flipping Mystery (written as Kimberly Olgren). Flipping houses can be murder. As Jillian soon finds out when she buys her first house for renovation, setting off a powder keg of murder, kidnapping, and worst of all, the necessity to hire infamous womanizer, Nathan Strong as her general contractor. When not writing Kim can be found in her local community renovating houses with her husband, volunteering with her local writers’ organization, or camping somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

Caris Pasch-Cooper was voted “Most Dramatic” in her high school class, so it only made sense for her to become a writer. Originally from Denton, Texas, she holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of North Texas. She now works as a writer, editor, and researcher specializing in narrative non-fiction podcasts. Caris has written over 150 podcast scripts, including episodes of “The MrBallen Podcast” (2023 Webby Award Winner), “MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries” (2024 Webby Award Honoree), “Disappearances with Sarah Turney” (2022 Clue Award Nominee), and “Supernatural with Ashley Flowers” (2021 Ambie Award Nominee). In 2022, she piloted Spotify Podcasts’s Cold Cases, which premiered as the #1 True Crime podcast on Spotify USA. She is currently a staff writer at Ballen Studios, where she writes and edits strange, dark, and mysterious stories for audio, YouTube, and TikTok. Caris lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with her husband, their cat, and their bearded dragon. She would really like to see a ghost, if anyone knows where to find one.

James Persichetti is a writer, freelance editor, and rock climber who enjoys writing about queer characters going on adventures. He earned an English degree at Regis University and studied Arthurian legends, where he drew inspiration for his debut graphic novel, A Tale of Two Knights (2024). He lives with his husband in Denver, Colorado.

David “Shady” Shadoin is a trouble-making, corn-fed Nebraska boy the United States Air Force managed to turn into a somewhat decent pilot of whirly birds. An avid reader from a young age, he has always found inspiration listening to rock music while reading Fantasy and Sci Fi novels, and drinking single malt scotch. This love of written adventure set up Shady to moonlight as a new author trying to find a good outlet for creative ideas that start with nothing more than a misplaced pop culture reference and some DnD dungeons.

Jessica Snyder is an editor, author coach, and the host of The HEA Club, a community for romance authors. As the owner of HEA Author Services, she specializes in romance fiction and her clients range from best-selling authors like Pippa Grant and Lucy Score to new authors who are writing their first book. She worked with Entangled Publishing for four years, first as an intern then editorial assistant, where she acquired manuscripts by authors such as Kelly Jamieson and Carol Pavliska (currently writing as Carly Bloom). She has been an independent editor for indie authors since 2016. Jessica is helping romance authors happily ever after at www.heaauthorservices.com

Callie Stoker is an editor with almost two decades experience. Her business The Manuscript Dr offers coaching and editing services. We believe that writing is a skill that can be taught through the application of individual tools. We love helping our clients elevate their abilities and reach their publishing goals. Callie has three children on the Autism Spectrum and ADHD and is a champion for neurodiverse representation. She was a guest on Brandon Sanderson’s podcast Writing Excuses and is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, League of Utah Writers, and DFW Writers Workshop. She currently resides in the Dallas, TX area.

Jennifer S. Wilkov is a multi #1 international best-selling award-winning author, an award-winning freelance writer, and a respected book business and Hollywood story consultant in her business called “Your Book Is Your Hook.” She supports first-time writers and seasoned authors with the essentials for writing a bestseller: a great project, a strong platform and a well-polished pitch, presentation and hook for their book or screenplay. She provides guidance for the writing, editing, getting published/produced and marketing of their book ideas and projects as well as the building of their platform to raise their visibility to readers/viewers, Hollywood, and the media. She is a platinum member of New York Women in Film & Television where she leads the Writers Group, a storytelling member of Women In Film in Los Angeles, Women’s Media Group, and has spoken at the Writers Guild of America, East, New York Women in Film & Television, ThrillerFest, and has taught classes and produced programs for the School of Visual Arts, Writers Guild of America, East, New York Women In Film & Television, Writers Digest, ThrillerFest, American Society of Journalists & Authors, Chelsea Film Festival, and more. Jennifer is also the creator of The Next Bestseller™ Weekend Workshop (now virtual), a safe space where writers learn to talk effectively with industry professionals about their projects. Her keen eye for stories that sell for both books and in Hollywood is trusted by industry professionals who appreciate her savvy in seeing the many possibilities a subject can lend itself to.

Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre author of novels and short stories. His best-selling science fiction series Coronam beginning with Of Kings, Queens & Colonies, then Of Civilized, Saved & Savages and now complete with Of Heroes, Homes & Honey, is an award-winning epic tale in the vein of Frank Herbert’s Dune. It is available from Flame Tree Press. Also from Flame Tree Press comes Johnny new horror thriller, The Gaia Chime. Find it wherever better books are sold. 

Trained in literary criticism and cultural studies, Johnny writes upmarket fiction, long and short, and mentors others where he can, and is famous for wearing his tie-dyed shirts. He grew up in the high desert snows and warm summer winds of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. At one time, he opened a bakery in Eugene, Oregon. 

He is a Utah Writer of the Year, past president of the League of Utah Writers, and founding member of the Utah Chapter, The Horror Writers Association and a current member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, SFWA. He holds a degree in English and a master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Utah where he now teaches writing since 2016. 

He married his junior prom date and supports two cats, one nice named Roy and one ungrateful asshole hell-beast called Poppy.