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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Yasmin Angoe is the Anthony-nominated author of the critically acclaimed thrillers Her Name Is Knight and They Come At Knight of the Nena Knight series. She is a first-generation Ghanaian American and, in 2020, received the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime. 

Yasmin’s books were an Amazon Best Book of the Month for Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, and an Editor’s Pick. Her work has received numerous recognitions, was on a billboard in Times Square, Best Of lists, and a Library Journal Starred Review. Her Name Is Knight has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, OprahDaily.com, POPSUGAR, Nerd Daily, the Washington Independent Review of Books, The Guardian, and other platforms.

The Nena Knight series has been optioned for a TV series by Ink Factory and Fifth Season and is currently in development.

Yasmin is a proud member of several prestigious organizations, such as Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and the Women’s National Book Association. 

Yasmin is a former educator, and she and her blended family of six live in South Carolina.

Kevin Ikenberry is the international bestselling author of The Protocol War series featuring Colorado Book Award finalist Sleeper Protocol, which Publisher’s Weekly called “an emotionally powerful debut,” and the sequel Vendetta Protocol. Kevin is also the author of nine bestselling Peacemaker novels in the Four Horsemen Universe as well as the military science fiction novel Runs In The Family and the thriller Super-Sync. Kevin has also contributed to the Nebula-award nominated Caine Riordan series by Charles E. Gannon and his alternate history novel, The Crossing, written with Eric Flint debuts in 2022. His short fiction has appeared internationally across various publications and anthologies. He regularly teaches classes for aspiring writers.

USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. Nancy's 2021 release of The Shell Collector debuted in the top #20 on the ECPA Bestseller list, and was adapted for television in a book-to-movie deal with Fox Nation. Several of Nancy's books have also been made into television movies. Christmas Joy, Sand Dollar Cove, and The Secret Ingredient aired on Hallmark Channel and Hope at Christmas can be seen on Hallmark Movies & MysteriesNancy also wrote the novelization for the first three Hallmark Original Movies in the popular Christmas in Evergreen series.

Now happily retired from an eighteen-year career in technology with one of the largest financial institutions, this Virginia gal now devotes her time to writing full-time, antiquing, travel and the occasional spa day with friends.