Matt Abraham

Contemporary / General Fiction

Awarded Pulp Detective’s Best Newcomer of 2015, Matt Abraham currently lives in Stockton, California where he splits his time between being a father, husband, and author. Currently he’s finishing his series, The Black Cape Case Files, which follows Dane Curse, a former villain turned PI, as he navigates the powered underbelly of Gold Coast City, and Northland Mysteries which stars Detective Jake Carter and his partner Dr. Nafissa Rayan.

Alysse Adularia

Self Help

Alysse Adularia is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In her first book, I Wish You’d Tell Me—Answers to the question, “What can I say to help?” when the one you love has bipolar disorder, she works to meet the expanding need for insight into, and support for, those impacted by mental illness. She is currently working on a romantic-fantasy.

Gideon D. Ashe

Historical Creative Non-Fiction

Dan grew up outside the US, in Europe and Asia, attending private British schools. He served two enlistments in the US Army before being recruited in 1979 by a NATO human intelligence group operating in Eastern Europe. In October of 1987, Dan was compromised and arrested. He spent the next five months as the unwilling guest of soviet security services. After a negotiated release, Dan chose to return to the US, and then, when his 30-year Security Blackout Period ended, Dan put his team’s story on paper. This is the subject of Dan’s first t book, JINNIK – The Asset, published under the pseudonym Gideon D. Asche – Muddy Boots Press 2018. He now lives quietly in the Sierras with his wife and his mountains, devoting his time to writing, avoiding humanity, and converting cheap wine into urine.

K.D. Blakely

Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Romance

I am a lover of coffee, cats, chocolate, and compelling fiction. I have been writing most of my life, but got serious in 2011. I write romantic paranormal/urban fantasy involving Secrets, Prophecies, and Quests. Touched by mysteries, adventure, and suspense. Searching for found family and true friends. Sprinkled with darkness and danger, humor, and a cat or two.

Shelley Blanton-Stroud

Historical Mystery

Shelley grew up in California’s Central Valley, the daughter of Dust Bowl immigrants who made good on their ambition to get out of the field. She recently retired from teaching writing at Sacramento State University and still consults with writers in the energy industry. She served as President of the Board of 916 Ink, an arts-based creative writing nonprofit for children, and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies at Claremont McKenna College. She recently stepped down from co-directing Stories on Stage Sacramento, where actors perform the stories of established and emerging authors.

Shelley sets her historical mystery Jane Benjamin Novels—Copy Boy, Tomboy, and Poster Girl, in 1930s and 40s Northern California, where a cross-dressing, tomato-picking, San Francisco gossip columnist spends her off hours investigating crime stories that never make the front page.

Shelley’s novel An Unlikely Prospect comes out in August 2025.

Her writing has won a gold medal in the Readers’ Favorite Awards for historical mystery and has been a finalist in the Sarton Book Awards, IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Award, the American Fiction Awards, and the National Indie Excellence Awards. She and her husband live in Sacramento, California.

Bonnie B Blue

Memoir

Coming soon.

Brian C. E. Buhl

Science Fiction, Fantasy

Hailing from sunny Sacramento, California, Brian C. E. Buhl is trying to save the world. Formerly enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, Brian now spends most of his time writing software for the solar industry. When he’s not engineering technical solutions, he can sometimes be found playing saxophone with local community bands. Also, he writes science fiction and fantasy.

Melissa M. Buhl

Fantasy

As one of seven children, it’s little wonder that Melissa Buhl’s first story concerns itself with witches and witchcraft. Melissa is a voracious reader. When her nose isn’t in a book, she works as a sales assistant in the health insurance industry. Melissa quilts, and has been known to play clarinet from time to time. With her husband, Brian, she has raised two beautiful and intelligent children, Bryanna and Christopher.

Lois Butcher

Biography / Autobiography, Fantasy, Science Fiction

For the past twenty years, Lois Buchter has searched the world for unknown adventures. With each journey, she sought to capture untold stories—tales that stirred a deep appreciation for life’s fleeting beauty and hidden wonders. Buchter has honed her craft in the art of screenwriting, rising to the level of Master Screenwriter.

Stepping into novel writing, she published GERTI’S WAR, a gripping and poignant recount of her cousin’s harrowing experiences in Germany during World War II, a deeply person story rooted in history, and one rarely told.

Recently, she broke new ground with the release of ROPEN ISLAND, an action-adventure novel infused with a cryptid twist, marking the start of her new identity as a writer of monsters and mysteries. That same year, she unveiled LOST CITY OF QUATRIA, a thrilling tale set in 1900, where a British expedition to Antarctica uncovers not only an ancient civilization, but a deadly predator lurking in the icy waters—a megalodon, threatening to tear them apart. Her work in progress, A TOUCH OF MAGICK, is a romance-fantasy set in the eerie Everglades, touching on the heart-warming set of lovers trying to break an ancient curse that has kept them apart. She has also completed a cryptid-themed coloring book, MONSTERS and MYTHS: A Cryptid Coloring Journey, inviting readers to explore the strange and supernatural.

Throughout her work, Lois’s keen eye sought the unknown, the mysterious, and the weird, always following the reluctant hero’s journey into realms where danger and discovery collide.

Anne Chehak

Contemporary / General Fiction

Ann Chehak is the author of two mysteries that weave together her love of nature and penchant for wandering the trails and streams of California. Ann’s book, The Flying Horse Caper, captures the reader’s eye with the appeal of a wooded path along a majestic mountain and a wild horse forging its way through a raging river. The reader’s imagination is set alive with Ann’s book, The Seaside Painting Caper, with the allure of a one-hundred-year-old missing masterpiece and the terrifying search for the rogue in the catacombs of the old cathedral.

Growing up, family vacations offered inviting and scenic backdrops for her stories. Ann launched into her professional writing career drafting information technology (IT) fiscal manuals and managing IT projects. Her work took her to many of California’s counties—to meadows, along beaches, over the mountains, and through the forests. Ann donated many hours in her community to worthwhile services so readers won’t be surprised to see a touch of inspiration shining through her books.

Now retired, Ann Chehak is working on her third book—a mystery involving a yacht that transports grandmasters to a chess tournament in a town along California’s coast. A famous chess set with jewels stolen in an 1898 exhibition game is on display for the guests. Is one of the chess players somehow linked to a mysterious death in the past?

Ann is a member of the California Writers Club in Sacramento and the Project Management Institute.Contact Ann Chehak at her website: annchehak.com or at annchehak@hotmail.com

J. Scott Coatsworth

Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Magical Realism, Sci-Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Writing

Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.

He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, Liminal Fiction and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and was the committee chair for the Indie Authors Committee at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for almost three years. www.jscottcoatsworth.com.

Anne S. Da Vigo

Mystery

Anne Da Vigo is a journalist and novelist whose mysteries are inspired by real-life events. During her career as a prize-winning newspaper reporter, she wrote about scams, murders, and other mayhem on the court and police beats. Her newest thriller, “Night Flight,” is set in Denver in 1955. Inspired by a real mass murder, the crime was one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th Century, largely forgotten today.

Her 2020 thriller, “Bakersfield Boys Club”—based on a long-ago murder series—was a a finalist in the Killer Nashville contest and received an honorable mention in the Writers Digest Self Published Book competition.

Jill N Davies

Science Fiction, Young Adult

Jill N. Davies (She/They) writes Dystopian Thrillers. Her current series, the Kara Mason Story is a coming-of-age story about Kara Mason, a young scientist working in the world of disease and control for a dishonest government. While the stories themselves feature imperfect worlds, they explore the avenues toward community, empowerment, and hope for a better future.

Jill spent several years as a laboratory chemist in the pharmaceutical industry working on development and validation for drug testing. The labs were dark, isolated places where stories bloomed amongst protocols for cytotoxic and highly energetic materials. Upon leaving the laboratories, Jill found a home teaching high school science and engineering. Though a deeply rewarding career, the sojourn into science education ended upon the premature birth of her first child.

When not writing, raising little humans or shouting into the void, Jill spends her time running local trails, hiking, camping, and practicing photography.

Jill lives in California’s Sacramento Valley, sandwiched between the Eldorado National Forests of the Sierras and the San Francisco Bay. Both have better weather, but the hills get pretty steep.

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http://jillndavies.com

BJ Davis

Literary, Poetry

Coming soon.

Glenn Allen Ditman

Biography / Autobiography, Childrens, Middle Grade, Poetry

Glenn Allen Ditman works in Tuolumne County as a substitute teacher. The children he meets inspire his work. He enjoys living in Sonora, CA and exploring its woodland and shops. He has been a member of the Sonora Writer’s Group for the past eight years. His published works include Riverbank published by Arcadia Press, Glenn Allen’s Anthology published by Amazon Kindle and Spoiled Rotten Reggie published by Austin McCauley

Jo Donahue

Romance, Cozy Mysteries

Jo Donahue’s roots trace back to Vinita, Oklahoma, where her early years were enriched by time spent between her family’s Tulsa home and her grandparents’ farm near Afton, Oklahoma. She flourished during extended stays at the farm, often spending weeks immersed in rural life. These formative experiences included exploring the countryside, tending to the fields and gardens, and mastering essential homemaking skills. Jo developed core values that would shape her character through her dedication to daily farm responsibilities: a strong work ethic, unwavering dependability, and steadfast integrity. Following a fulfilling 44-year career in nursing, Jo has embraced her lifelong passion for storytelling—a gift inherited from her father. Her creative spirit, which once entertained friends and family, now finds its expression through her engaging works of Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Cozy Mysteries. Readers are invited to experience the worlds she creates through her carefully crafted narratives.

Liz Faraim

Contemporary / General Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance

Liz has a full plate between balancing a day job, parenting, writing, and finding some semblance of a social life. In past lives she has been a soldier, a bartender, a shoe salesperson, an assistant museum curator, and even a driving instructor. She focuses her writing on strong, queer women who don’t back down.

Liz transplanted to California from New York over thirty years ago, and now lives in the East Bay Area. She enjoys exploring nature with her wife and son.

Liz can be found at www.lizfaraim.com,

https://www.facebook.com/liz.faraim.9, or on Instagram at @liz.faraim

Pronouns: She/Her

Kim Fielding

Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Romance, Science Fiction

Kim Fielding is pleased every time someone calls her eclectic. Her books span a variety of genres, but all include authentic voices and unconventional heroes. Winner of the 2021 BookLife Prize for Fiction, she is also a Rainbow Award and SARA Emma Merritt winner, a LAMBDA finalist, and a Foreword INDIE finalist. She has migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States and after a long exile, recently returned to Portland, Oregon. A university professor who dreams of being able to travel and write full-time, she also dreams of having two daughters who think she’s cool and a husband who isn’t obsessed with football. Some dreams are more easily obtained than others.

Mary O Flournoy

Romance

When Mary O Flournoy isn’t plotting murders (on paper, of course), she’s busy writing steamy romance novels from her Northern California home. Her unique blend of heart-pounding suspense and contemporary romance keeps readers guessing until the very end. Drawing from her firm belief that the best stories, like life itself, come with unexpected twists, Mary crafts tales where danger and desire walk hand in hand. Her novels feature determined characters navigating both treacherous scenarios and tricky relationships, often finding love in the most surprising places. Just don’t ask her why she knows so much about alibi creation—she’ll tell you it’s all for research.

Gloria Galloway

Young Adult

Gloria Galloway is a member of the Authors Guild and the Sacramento chapter of the California Writer’s Club. She has enjoyed storytelling since early childhood. She grew up in Sacramento, California, within driving distance of the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains, which provided inspiration for writing Amber’s Way. Gloria enjoys traveling and spending time at home with family and friends. She is often found curled up with a book next to her rescued cat, Summer.

R. A. Gates

Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Young Adult

I am a single, working mom who writes what she loves to read, magical fantasy stories of the urban variety. I love to write strong, yet flawed, female protagonists with adorable sidekicks, usually cute, human, and male. And because I never matured past the age of 16, there is plenty of humor and snark in my stories.

June Gillam

Childrens, Contemporary / General Fiction, LGBTQ+, Poetry, Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller

June Gillam writes award-winning crime fiction probing the shadow side of humanity. Her books explore topics like women’s empowerment, racism, greedy land development and intergenerational trauma. A native of Sacrmento, June lives cradled between California’s Coastal Range and the Sierra Nevada mountains. A co-founder of Gold Country Writers and CWC San Joaquin Valley Writers branch, she also belongs to Capitol Crimes, Sacramento Chapter of Sisters in Crime; Northern California Publishers & Authors; and Town Square Writers. June loves it when her readers post Amazon reviews and follow her, and she invites everyone to visit her website and sign up for her monthly emails. https://www.junegillam.com/

Bill George

Biography / Autobiography

Bill has enjoyed a 50-year career in journalism, politics and business as a writer, marketer and filmmaker. He began his career as a reporter at KOMU-TV and KBIA Radio in Columbia Missouri. He moved to Sacramento in 1982 to work at KCRA-TV. After ten years he transitioned to public relations and marketing and served as Communications Director for the California Manufacturers Association, and later appointed by Governor Pete Wilson as Assistant Secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency. In 1995 Bill joined Ford Motor Company, where he served in several positions including West Coast Public Affairs Manager, Broadcast News Manager and Global Marketing Communications Manager.

Bill founded Nimbus Films & Books in 2011 and has produced seven films that have aired on PBS. An accomplished author, Bill has written books about the Central Pacific Railroad and Victory in the Pool about swimmers from Sacramento’s Arden Hills swim club that won twenty Olympic Gold medals. He is past president of the Sacramento Historical Society and served on the Board of directors for the Placer County Historical Society.

He is president of the Valley Broadcast Legends, a group of current and former news broadcasters that raises money for journalism scholarships and is treasurer for the Placer County Art Trail. He is an accomplished public speaker and makes several appearances a year talking about California history and Olympic swimming.

Michael R. Gorman

Biography / Autobiography, LGBTQ+, Poetry, Celtic History and Culture

Michael R. Gorman, MA is the Lambda Award Winning author of The Empress Is A Man: Stories From the Life of Jose Sarria, a former high school and college writing instructor, a former journalist and newspaper/book editor, a performance poet, a life-long social justice activist, an ordained Druid, and amateur folklorist, a musician, and the author of six books, including biography, Celtic history, poetry, a short story anthology, and a play. His interests are eclectic and his writing diverse. He is currently working on an autobiography and a book of philosophy based on indigenous cosmologies. It is perhaps his Irish love of storytelling that is the glue that holds together the genres and styles in which he writes. All the world’s a storybook. A lover of people, one of his sayings is, “Some of my best friends are rough drafts.”

Anara Guard

Contemporary / General Fiction, poetry, historical fiction

Anara Guard is author of the prize-winning novel, Like a Complete Unknown, a collection of short stories, and two poetry collections, Kansas, Reimagined and Hand on My Heart. Her writing has been published as a New York Times Tiny Love Story, in “Persimmon Tree,” “On the Seawall,” “Gold Man Review,” “Under the Gum Tree,” and elsewhere. Kansas, Reimagined began when she learned that L. Frank Baum visited the state only once and vowed never to return. Her poems remedy the impression that the Midwest is a gray place of dust and poverty, giving new life to familiar characters from The Wizard of Oz, as well as to prairie entities such as blizzards, cows, and railroads. Her novel, Like a Complete Unknown, won Book of the Year Honorable Mention from the Chicago Writers Association, as well as other accolades. It draws upon her memories of Chicago and the music that provided a soundtrack to the late 1960s.

George Hahn

Science Fiction

On a visit to old Sacramento with my family, an exhibit on the influence of the Wells Fargo wagon on the frontier made me think about how it would be for colonists in another star system without faster-than-light travel. After retiring from my engineering career in 2009, I used that inspiration and published the Tau Ceti trilogy: “A Ship From Earth,” “The New Colonists,” and “The Immortality Conspiracy.” That effort spawned new ideas for the universe I had created, and the two Methuselah novels, the Capek novella, and the Ambassador novels followed. www.tauceti2.com

Kelly Haworth

Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction

Kelly Haworth is a nonbinary artist and writer. They grew up in San Francisco and have been reading, writing, drawing and singing since they were a little kid. Kelly loves to create art with bright colors through painting or sculpting with polymer clay. Kelly’s books are unashamedly queer, and explore love in speculative landscapes. Kelly has degrees in both genetics and psychology, and works as a project manager at a genetics lab. When not working, writing, or creating art, they can be found wrangling their two kids, or curled up on the couch with a good TV show or book.

Pat Henshaw

Contemporary / General Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance

Retired teacher, editor, costumer, and book reviewer, Pat Henshaw believes in the power of love to unite people. As her motto says, every day is a good day for romance. Find out more about Pat at www.pathenshaw.com.

Lynda Smith Hoggan

Memoir

Lynda Smith Hoggan is a Philadelphia/Los Angeles/Sacramento transplant, a mostly retired professor of health and human sexuality, and an amateur martini taster. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Westwind UCLA Journal of the Arts, and elsewhere. Her first book, Our Song: a Memoir of Love and Race, was published in 2022. She blogs at www.lyndasmithhoggan.com.

Eileen Hook

Biography / Autobiography

Eileen M. Hook has been actively researching and portraying California pioneer women since 1980. Her study of Eliza Gregson’s life has taken her to England, Rhode Island, along the California Trail, and the areas of California where Eliza lived and died. Eileen’s own portrayals of pioneer women take place at the California Trail Center in Elko, NV, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park in Sacramento, CA and Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma, CA.

Ryan Hoyt

Fantasy, Horror

Ryan Hoyt grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Writing called to him from an early age, which led to some abandoned projects in his early 20s. It was another decade later when his first fantasy novel started to take shape, and another five years before it was ultimately written and published. Since 2021, he’s published a four-book fantasy series, two horror novels, and a short story collection under his publishing company Machete & Quill Press. With an upcoming horror duology and a new fantasy series in the works, Hoyt’s catalog continues to expand from his new homebase in Placer County, California. Outside of writing, he hangs out with his wife and two daughters and works full time as a cybercrime investigator.

For signed books and more information on the author, please visit his website at MacheteAndQuill.com.

Nick Hugues

Contemporary / General Fiction

Nick Hugues generally writes about the restless or the unshaven. His work has appeared in Manzano Mountain Review, Popshot Quarterly (UK), and Door = Jar. Having lived in Kansas, Idaho, and Kentucky, he currently lives in Jamestown, CA, where he can work flexible hours and has reliable transportation. KANGAROO, his first novel, was published in 2022. His short story, “Mjorgonlar, Class of ’88,” was recently performed by Stories On Stage Sacramento. He has two new stories – “A Lifetime, Once” and “The Sagalevich Object” – featured in the 2024 Sonora Writers Group anthology, WHEN RAIN WILL COME. His author page: nickhugues.us

Brenda Gaines Hunter

Poetry

Coming Soon

Mari-Lynne Infantano

Coming soon.

Coming Soon

Michael Johnston

LGBTQ+, Science Fiction

Born in California’s Bay Area and raised in Napa, California, Michael R. Johnston discovered Science Fiction and Fantasy at a young age and never looked back.

After graduating from high school, he took “a year” off college. In the following decade, he worked as a sandwich maker, a process server, a data entry clerk, and an IT Manager. Then he decided to go back to school, earning his degree in English. In 2006, he became a high school English teacher.

In 2012, he finally broke through his fear and took up writing again. In 2019, his debut novel The Widening Gyre was heralded by Publishers Weekly as a “promising debut.” The second part of the trilogy, The Blood-Dimmed Tide, was released in 2020; Analog called the two books “fine thrillers with many resonances for today’s world.” What Rough Beast, the trilogy’s finale, was released in June 2022. He’s got plenty more where those came from.

He currently lives in Sacramento, California, with his wife, daughter, and three cats. When he’s not writing or teaching, he spends time with his family, plays video games, and daydreams of flying starfighters.

Kymberly Kaslar

Contemporary / General Fiction, Romance, Drama

Originally from Northwest Arkansas, but been calling California my home for over 34 years. Dedicated state worker decided to put my passion for writing and telling stories to paper. I do a lot in my spare time most importantly, besides spending it with the people that I love I run and operate a local charity car club, Dreams and Drivers. Our admission for the last 12 years has been to raise funds for various charities, particularly pancreatic cancer awareness, and leukemia and lymphoma society.

V.S. Lawrence

Horror, Paranormal / Supernatural

V.S. Lawrence grew up in Utah being scared of everything. As an adult, she started putting her fears to paper and crafting spooky tales. When not writing, she can be found reading a good horror novel, wandering aimlessly, or cuddling her dog, Rigby. She is still scared of everything.

G.B. Lindsey

Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+, Sci-Fi

G. B. Lindsey was born and raised in California, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Literature and Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz. Her first love has always been writing: as a child, she cultivated such diverse goals as becoming “a cowgirl and a writer” or “a paleontologist and a writer.”

Aside from her salacious ongoing affair with the horror genre, she loves to write sci-fi, romance, historical fiction, and short stories. When not working in transplant, she spends her time voraciously reading, communing with prog metal, and bothering her cat.

She is a proud member of QSAC, the Queer Sacramento Authors Collective.

Phillipa Lodge

LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Romance

All beings—whether human, vampire, Sidhe, or were-creature—have a guardian angel.

Lily is one of the rare few who can see hers. Having qualified as a slayer to defend the ordinary from the supernatural, Lily believes she will now be able to unlock the secrets of her hidden past. However, battling werewolves and mages, she soon finds herself pitted against a seemingly invincible enemy. To make matters worse, the once unshakable bond with her guardian angel, Adrian, begins to crumble as he refuses to reveal the truth about her origins.

Amid a whirlwind of events, Lily teams up with a member of the secretive Order of Tenebrae. She grows closer to him as they embark on a desperate quest for the truth and go on to uncover an intricate web of intrigue rooted in her cryptic past.

Belinda McBride

Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Romance, Science Fiction

By the time she hit the sixth grade, Belinda was pretty sure she wanted to be an author. Her first published piece was a news bit about Debby M. getting stuck on the top of the bookshelf in Room 6, and her subsequent rescue by her heroes, Pat and Brett.

From there, it was a bit of a haul…school, kids, school again, play writing, poetry, a head injury and then a lot more school. Then in 2007 the Muse knocked at her door and Missing You was written, followed by Leather, Belle Starr, and An Uncommon Whore.

Belinda doesn’t always follow the rules, bouncing between genres, or mashing them together. But in romance, there is one rule that must be followed: Falling in Love Forever. After a long hiatus, Belinda realized a few of her couples were still waiting, and it was time to give them their happy endings. Whether it’s werewolves in space, vampires with insomnia, or wayward gods…happiness will be part of the journey.

Sharon McDonell

Science Fiction

Sharon A McDonell, like her AI protagonist has started a new adventure. Our found family can be counted on to help while we keep Surviving Sentience – especially during 2025! Or is it 2040?

Betsy Miller

Nonfiction, Health/Disability, Children’s Fiction, Speculative Fiction

Betsy Miller writes books on health and disability topics including The Parents’ Guide to Perthes, The Parents’ Guide to Clubfoot, The Parents’ Guide to Hip Dysplasia, and the picture book Hip, Hop, Hooray for Brooklynn!. She co-edited the award-winning nonfiction anthology Clubfoot Connections. Though she mostly writes about health and disability topics, she sometimes writes speculative fiction. Betsy is one of the founders of Thinking Ink Press, where she is a publisher and interior book designer.

Betsy also runs Thinking Ink Press, an independent publisher based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a focus on amplifying disabled, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent voices. We publish traditional books in fiction and nonfiction genres, as well as limited edition small-format books and literary postcards.

Jennifer K. Morita

Mystery

Former newspaper reporter Jennifer K. Morita believes a good story is like good mochi – slightly sweet with a nice chew.

Her debut mystery, GHOSTS OF WAIKĪKĪ released by Crooked Lane Nov.19, is about an out-of-work journalist who reluctantly becomes the ghost writer for a controversial developer. When she stumbles into murder – and her ex – she discovers coming home to paradise can be murder.

Jennifer was a runner up for the Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland Award in 2022.

She serves on the board for her local Sisters in Crime chapter Capitol Crimes, and is a member of Crime Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.

Jennifer writes for a university in Northern California, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. When she isn’t pushing Girl Scout cookies, she enjoys reading, experimenting with recipes, leisurely hikes, Zumba and Hot Hula.

You can reach Jennifer at www.jenniferkmorita.com

Ann Naimark

Biography / Autobiography, Self Help, spirituality

Ann Naimark earned a BA in psychology, was a massage therapist, an RN and then earned an MA in counseling. She has been an MFT (licensed marriage and family therapist) since 1993, working in mental health agencies and her own private practice. She began incorporating spirituality into her practice when clients told her no one was talking about this subject with them.

She has explored her own spirituality since her 20’s. She was raised by two atheist parents but wondered if they knew all there was to know about the subject. She feels that attending to and integrating body, mind, emotions and spirit are all important and all spiritual. She has led many meditations and taught classes in varying spiritual subjects. Honoring our human diversity, Ann adheres strongly to the fact that there are many ways to our spiritual evolution. She honors everyone’s experience and inclinations and supports each person in their unique style.

Years ago, her father suggested that she write the story of her life. She couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to read about her ‘average’ life! But a few years ago, she felt the inner nudge to do so, and the result is this book!

“A Touch of Light” (the title appeared in her head at 2am one morning!) is a chronicle of the spiritual and emotional journey that changed the trajectory of her life.

In graduate school she began her personal therapy. The book highlights some of the key aspects of this and invites the reader to search out their own healing journey.

Throughout the book she sprinkles quotes and ideas from some of her meditations. This book encourages the reader to pursue their own passion, trust their inner instincts and connect to the love that is them at their core.

Sandra S. Navarro

Childrens, Creative Nonfiction

Sandra S. Navarro holds a doctorate in Anthropology. Her narratives are informed looks at people and places in the United States over time. Inspired by a collection of documents from five generations of her family, Sandra writes about the impact of historical events and societal change on family members and collective family lore. The author is an active member of the California Writers Club, one of the nation’s oldest professional organizations for writers. Sandra’s works for children and adults are published by Cornsilk Press (www.cornsilkpress.com) and are available on Amazon.com/books.

Cheryl Nelson

Fantasy

Cheryl Mahoney lives in Sacramento and dreams of other worlds. She is the author of the Guardian of the Opera trilogy, exploring the Phantom of the Opera story from a new perspective. She also wrote the Beyond the Tales quartet, retelling familiar fairy tales, but subverting expectations with new twists to the tales. Her current series is the Thorns Saga, a fantasy series of romance and political intrigue exploring what might happen after Sleeping Beauty comes home.

Cheryl loves exploring new worlds in the past, the future or fairyland, and builds her stories around characters finding their way through those worlds—especially characters overlooked or underestimated by the people around them. She has been blogging since 2010 at Tales of the Marvelous (http://marveloustales.com), and has been a member of Stonehenge Writers since 2012.

Cheryl has looked for faeries in Kensington Gardens in London and for the Phantom at the Opera Garnier in Paris. She considers Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness Quartet to be life-changing and Terry Pratchett books to be the best cure for gloomy days.

D.L. O’Neill

LGBTQ+, Mystery

D.L. O’Neil spent a lifetime thinking creatively, but her foray into writing follows more than thirty years using the analytic side of her brain. A retired educator, she includes a bit of herself in each book, weaving an event or experience from her non-literary life. When not writing she can be found near a golf course, on a hiking trail, or in her wood shop.

Adele Nova O’Neill

Biography / Autobiography, Childrens, Contemporary / General Fiction, Literary, Young Adult, Nonfiction

Adele Nova O’Neill is a retired teacher who has a master’s degree in Curriculum from San Diego State University, California. She taught Art History in community college and high school Art, Art History, Psychology, and English in California public schools. She has been a hiker, backpacker, and traveler. She loves to read, listen to music, visit museums, write, paint, and garden. With her mother, she wrote and illustrated several children’s books—some are bilingual. Since retiring, she enjoys traveling, camping, and spending time with her extended family. She lives with her husband, dog, and cat in Stockton, California.

Madeline Olson

Romance

Madeline Olson writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction. Her novels feature smart and resilient women and the strong and noble men who are worthy of them. She believes each of us deserves a happily-ever-after, even if it’s just between the pages of a book. She’s lived on both US coasts and now calls Sacramento home.

M.D. Neu

Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+, Sci-Fi

M.D. Neu is an international award-winning inclusive queer Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.

Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.

When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of twenty plus years.

Michael Panush

Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal / Supernatural, Science Fiction

Michael Panush is a lifelong writer and Sacramento native.

A born storyteller since childhood, Panush is the author of over a dozen books in numerous different genres. He’s crafted Weird Westerns such the El Mosaico and Mark Justice’s The Dead Sheriff: A Cold and Lonesome Grave, Urban Fantasies like the Stein and Candle and Clay Shamus series, Woodland Medieval Fantasy with the Dark Forest series, and numerous stories that play with history in unique and wild ways such as the talking animal mystery Ape’s Honor and The Stone Law, the tales of a Stone Age caveman detective.

With Charles Santino, he’s created his newest novel, Metropolis: Resurrection—a prequel to the famous German Expressionist Sci-Fi Classic.

He lives and teaches in Sacramento.

Lally Pia

Biography / Autobiography, Contemporary / General Fiction

Lally Pia is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and an author. Her debut memoir, The Fortune Teller’s Prophecy: A Memoir of an Unlikely Doctor won a publishing award with She Writes Press in April 2024. It received first place in the 2024 Chanticleer International Book Awards, a bronze medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards and silver in BookFest.

She was a finalist in the 2022 nationwide talent search for America’s Next Great Author. Her article about recovery from a stroke featured in The Davis Enterprise and on Doximity’s Op- Med. Her video interview, A Day in the Life of a Psychiatrist, landed over 70,000 views. On TikTok @theunlikelydoctor amassed more than half a million views. Lally ran the third-year medical school psychiatry clerkship program for California North State University and she currently gives lectures to medical students.

Lally lives in Davis, California with her husband, Tim. When she is done conjuring up ideas for her next projects, she plays piano, spoils her two granddaughters, and is an avid Scrabble and Wordle player. She is currently completing a novel, Andorea, psychological suspense.

Karen A. Phillips

Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

Karen A. Phillips writes humorous, fun, action-packed mysteries. Her characters are engaging and fearless. The Rocky Nelson Boxing Mystery series features an amateur sleuth who boxes . . . and yes, she does take boxing lessons. Visit her at www.KarenAPhillips.com.

N.A. Ratnayake

Fantasy, Science Fiction

Nalin Ratnayake writes fiction as N.A. Ratnayake, primarily in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. His works tend to explore layered identities, connection to the natural world, asymmetric power struggle, colonialism/imperialism, humanism, and gritty sense of veiled optimism.

Brian Reisinger

Narrative Nonfiction and History

Brian Reisinger is an award-winning writer who grew up on a family farm in Sauk County, Wisconsin. His book “Land Rich, Cash Poor” has won critical acclaim and helped fuel a national conversation about our food, with the Associated Press calling it “an anthem to the family farm in America.” Reisinger worked with his father from the time he could walk, before entering the worlds of business journalism and public policy, then going on to work as a columnist and consultant. He lives to tell the hidden stories of rural America that affect us all, and has been published by USA Today, Newsweek, Yahoo News, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, PBS/Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life,” The Daily Yonder, RealClearPolitics, The Hill, and elsewhere. He’s given a TEDx talk on risks to our food supply, and appeared on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” CNN, public radio, farm radio, and other outlets across the political spectrum. Reisinger’s writing has won awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, first place in the Seven Hills Literary Contest, a Solas Award, and more. He lives with his wife and daughter, splitting time between northern California and the family farm in Wisconsin.

Dorothy Rice

Biography / Autobiography, Literary

Dorothy Rowena Rice is a writer and editor from Sacramento, California with two memoirs published by independent presses (The Reluctant Artist, Shanti Arts, 2015, and Gray Is the New Black, Otis Books, 2019). She is Managing Editor at Under the Gum Tree, a nonfiction and fine arts journal and a Board Member with a youth literacy nonprofit in the Sacramento area (916 Ink). More information, including links to many of her published stories, essays and reviews can be found at www.dorothyriceauthor.com.

Dr. Amy Rogers

Contemporary / General Fiction, Science Fiction, Popular Science

Dr. Amy Rogers is a Harvard-educated scientist, author, and educator with a passion for real science, effective communication, and great stories. Amy’s science thriller novels Reversion, The Han Agent, and Petroplague about microbes and mayhem have won awards and critical acclaim. Her nonfiction articles about science and engineering behind the scenes of everyday life first appeared in the Inside Arden newspaper and are now collected in her book Science in the Neighborhood. In early 2020 she prepared readers for COVID-19 with her treatise The Coming Pandemic, and she calmly explained coronavirus science and policy at her blog for two years. Amy is a sought-after speaker on a wide range of topics for a variety of audiences. A member of International Thriller Writers, she served as a judge for ITW’s Thriller Awards and has twice been a panelist at ThrillerFest in New York; a panel moderator at Left Coast Crime and Great Valley Bookfest; keynote speaker at Livermore National Laboratory, the University of the Pacific Conference on Creative Writing, and the Renaissance Society Forum. Visit AmyRogers.com for details.

Jenifer E. Rowe

Contemporary / General Fiction, Literary, Juvenile Non-Fiction

Jenifer Rowe has written and published numerous short stories, essays and memoir. She published her first novel, Unexpected Findings, in 2020. Her juvenile non-fiction, Madam Pantaloons: Gold Rush Pioneer, followed in 2021. She will soon publish her second novel, with the working title of Timberlands.

Cindy Sample

Mystery

Cindy Sample is a former corporate CEO who decided plotting murder was more entertaining than plodding through paperwork. Her nine-book Laurel McKay Humorous Mystery series is primarily set in the California Gold Country, unless Cindy feels like traveling. Then the characters tag along with her on trips to Hawaii, the Caribbean and Las Vegas. Cindy loves researching her books, especially when it involves sampling daiquiris or donuts. Cindy is a six-time finalist for the LEFTY Award for Best Humorous Mystery and a three-time finalist for the SILVER FALCHION Award for best traditional mystery. BIRTHDAYS ARE MURDER is the first book in her new Spindrift Cove Mystery series set in Washington state. The sequel, ALL’S FAIRE IN LOVE & MURDER, will be released in October, 2025. https://cindysamplebooks.com/ www.facebook.com/cindysampleauthor www.instagram.com/cindysampleauthor www.twitter.com/cindysample1

Tim Schooley

Historical

Retired from a career as an attorney and law school lecturer, Tim Schooley is a novelist, writing historical fiction. His novel, The Wool Translator, won the University of Pacific Creative Writing Conference’s Jameson Award and was shortlisted for the 2021 Chaucer Book award. Tim’s forthcoming novel, The Circus of the Vanishing Elephant, is based (very loosely) on his employment many years ago as a clown with Ringling Bros., and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Tim lives with his wife in Fair Oaks. His website: www.timschooley.com

Betsy Schwarzentraub

Self Help, Christian Seasons

Author Betsy Schwarzentraub is a writer, pastor, and consultant in stewardship and generous-hearted living. An award-winning stewardship educator and preacher, she has published five books and has been a contributing author in twelve others. She also has published more than a thousand articles in newspapers and magazines within the U.S. and Canada.

Betsy will have two of her latest books on hand at this book festival. Her “Tossed In Time Expanded Edition: Steering by the Christian Seasons” introduces people to the ancient worship seasons and Daily Hours to help them reshape their sense of meaningful time in these disruptive, post-pandemic days. “Growing Generous Souls: Becoming Grace-Filled Stewards” invites readers to explore an inclusive, holistic way of being that reflects our true, God-given identity.

See Betsy’s posts on Facebook personal and author pages, and her blogs and other resources at www.generousstewards.com.

Kathryn May Shields

Middle Grade

Kathryn May Shields has written textbooks and video scripts for Mosby Publishing Company. She was their Technical Advisor on numerous nursing videos, winning an Academy of Medical Films award for creative excellence in educational media.

She is a lifelong musician, who plays several instruments and has performed most styles of music. Her enjoyment of photography and writing motivated her to start the venture, Wonder All Around, creating inspirational photos, videos, and books which encourage us to find beauty and magic in this world. Her website may be accessed at www.wonderallaround.net.

Kathryn is a Masters Degree R.N., living in rural Northern California. Her book, On the Point of a Star is a 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist winner in the category of First Novel under 50,000 words.

B.J. Sikes

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Sci-Fi

BJ Sikes is a 5’6″ ape descendant who is inordinately fond of a good strong cup of tea, Doc Marten boots, and fancy dress. I live with one large cat, two sweet teenagers, and one editor-author, plus an array of chickens in a place very unlike my homeland. My fave genre is historical fantasy with themes of a woman’s struggle for agency.

Judith Starkson

Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Best-selling author Judith Starkston writes historical fantasy set in the Bronze Age of the Greeks and Hittites. Her five novels bring women to the fore—whether the Trojan War captive Briseis or a remarkable Hittite queen whom history forgot, even though she ruled over one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. Her titles include Hand of Fire, Priestess of Ishana, Sorcery in Alpara, Of Kings and Griffins, and Flights of Treason. Come by for a visit, and you might even meet a mythic beast or two.

Wren Valentino

Horror, LGBTQ+, Literary, Paranormal / Supernatural, Poetry, Romance, Young Adult

As a bestselling author, Wren Valentino (he/him/his) writes in multiple genres, primarily romance, thriller, young adult, and horror. He is the author of the novels Fast Beat, Gollan Grove, Motel Queen, and Sophomore (Blue Dasher Press), the novelettes Miss Nothing and Snap Shot, and several short stories including the award-winning Halloween romance Pumpkin Love Charm, the holiday romance Warming Up, and the cozy mystery Just a Little Haunted. His literary work has appeared in Atomic Flyswatter (Long Shot Books), Disquiet Arts, Halfway Down the Stairs, Powders Press, Regency Reflections (Wingless Dreamer), and Wicked Gay Ways. He received a Pushcart Prize nomination for his poem Cherry Drop. For his short story Home, Wren was named an international finalist in the Jane Austen Writing Contest. Wren graduated with honors from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and English. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. He is a graduate of the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA. He has been an educator for twenty years. He is the founder and instructor of Workshops with Wren, a series of virtual writing workshops for writers of all levels of experience, genres, and form. Wren is a proud member of Contemporary Romance Writers, Disney’s D23, the International Screenwriters’ Association (ISA), and the Romance Writers of America, who presented him with a 2024 Volunteer Service Award. He lives in Sacramento, California.

Pam Van Allen

Fantasy, Science Fiction

Pam Van Allen is a retired psychologist living in Northern California. She enjoys writing, drawing, and music. Her books often feature references to the Electric Light Orchestra.

Dr. Van Allen grew up in the Southern United States. She obtained her doctoral degree from the University of Memphis. She practiced in Memphis for almost 20 years before realizing California was the place to be and moved to Stockton to work for Kaiser Permanente.

Besides writing, Dr. Van Allen also rescues cats. She lives with one she rescued named Tasha.

Andrew Van Wey

Horror

Andrew Van Wey is the author of seven horror novels, including Head Like a Hole, Forsaken, and By the Light of Dead Stars. Known for weaving supernatural chills with complex, flawed characters, his stories take readers into the darkness—both within and beyond. When he’s not writing, Andrew collects rare fountain pens and explores the strange corners of the world. Come for the scares, stay for the depth.

Justine Villanueva

Childrens

Justine Eva Li Villanueva traces her ancestral roots to Bukidnon, Philippines where she was raised until she immigrated to the United States when she was sixteen years old. She is now learning to dwell and belong in Davis, California, the unceded Wintun-Patwin homeland. Justine’s creative work focuses on decolonization, indigenization, and social justice. She is an attorney, author, mother, and founder of Sawaga River Press, a nonprofit that publishes books on the experiences of Filipinos in the diaspora and that celebrate our relationships with ourselves, our human and more-than-human kin, and the land.

Clara Ward

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Hopepunk, Environmetal, LGBTQIA+

Clara Ward lives in Silicon Valley on the border between reality and speculative fiction. Their latest novel, Be the Sea, features a near-future voyage across the Pacific, chosen family, and sea creature perspectives, while delving into our oceans, our selves, and how all futures intertwine. A passion for environmentalism and diverse worldviews extends to their shorter works featured in The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters, Small Wonders, and Tales & Feathers by Augur. When not using words to teach or tell stories, Clara uses wood, fiber, and glass to make practical or completely impractical objects. More of their words along with crafted creations can be found at: https://clarawardauthor.wordpress.com

Dover Whitecliff

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery, Coloring Books

Dover Whitecliff is an author, an artist, a retired analyst, and a jack-of-all-trades that creates fiction and art in a multiverse of fusion. Her work includes mashups of different genres: sleuthing and superheroes (the upcoming Murder by Spandex), cybersteam and spies (She-Wolf in Shorts), haiku poetry and coloring pages (Haiku Hedgehogs), and a steampunk take on the Hardy Boys mysteries with kick-ass girls (The Stolen Songbird). Dover was born in Japan, raised in Hawaii, and lives in California.

Nancy Woody

Contemporary / General Fiction, Literary

Nanci Woody wrote the novel, “Tears and Trombones,” and the accompanying pilot for a streaming series. It is available on Amazon in soft cover and Kindle versions.

Her short stories and poetry have been published in, among other places, The California Writers Club Literary Review, a CWC Anthology, the October Hill Magazine, The Fault Zone, the Sacramento Poetry Society’s Tule Review, Your Daily Poem, The Monterey Poetry Review, and the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal.

Nanci is also an artist and photographer. Her work has been shown in many local venues.

Bernard Wozny

Sci-Fi, Military Fiction

Bernard Wozny has progressed in the literary world, with 2 award-winning novels, and more on the way. Since 2022, Bernard has served as President of the California Writers Club, Sacramento Branch. This role has allowed him to guide the membership on their writing journey. Bernard primarily writes Science Fiction and is actively promoting his Girl Electric series of novels. American born, but British educated. After his misspent youth, Bernard attained a B.Eng., (Bachelor of Engineering) in Electronics, and Computer Engineering from the University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK. During this time, he also set up the prototype web site for the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford. After traveling the world on a high-flying career developing digital TV technology, Bernard now lives in California. He divides his time between writing and doing very odd jobs.