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.

All DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Alysse Adularia

Self Help

As a writer, I consider myself a rolling stone—always moving, always smoothing. I’ve written all my life, as a poet growing up, a published journalist early on, years of academic writing, and ten more years in marketing. One of CWC’s Literary Reviews holds a favorite poem of mine. My current non-fiction book, in its second edition, has been a labor of service. In it, I’ve worked to meet the expanding need for insight into, and support for, those impacted by mental illness. Now retired, I’m learning to be a storyteller and expect my first romantic fantasy to be finished soon. I have a ten-pound, wet-nosed companion/therapist who sits between me and my keyboard. I long for longer arms.

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Gideon D. Asche

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.

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Kimberly Austin

Children’s Books, Poetry

Kimberly Austin grew up in Los Angeles, she and her husband have lived in the same house in Rancho Cordova CA for almost 30 years where they raised their 3 children. She is an artist and enjoys painting and creating rock creatures. She has a true passion and love for gardening and kids, for many years she volunteered teaching kids how to read. She always encourages her friends and family to find positive ways to deal with their problems. She says, “Kids need this valuable lesson just as much.” All of her passions are joined together in her first book Little Glory and the WHAMDEMIC!. She hopes it will lift the spirits of her readers and help someone through a difficult time.

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Bryan Patrick Avery

Children’s Books, Poetry

Bryan Patrick Avery is an award-winning poet and author of more than twenty books for children including two chapter book series, MR. GRIZLEY’S CLASS, illustrated by Arief Putra, and MILO GRAY’S IMAGINATION ADVENTURES, illustrated by Sabrina Filieri. He is also the author of the bestselling middle grade collective biography, BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE, illustrated by Nikita Leanne. He is a past recipient of the SCBWI Work in Progress Award for his chapter book mystery THE ROBOT IN THE LIBRARY and was a fellow in the inaugural Amplify Black Stories Cohort. Bryan lives in Northern California with his family.

11:30 AM-1:30 PM: Reading in the Kids Zone

Cara Black

Mystery

Cara Black is the NYTimes and USA Today bestselling writer of twenty-one mysteries featuring Aimée Leduc a female Paris-based private investigator, as well as the WW2 thrillers Three Hours in Paris, a national bestseller, and Night Flight to Paris. She lives in San Francisco and gets to Paris when she can. Her website is http://www.carablack.com

1:30 PM: Panel – Mystery/Crime

12:00-1:20 PM: Book Signing Table 2
2:10-2:40 PM: Book Signing Table 2

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.

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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.

2:20 PM: Panel – Historical Fiction

3:00-3:30 PM: Book Signing Table 3

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Bonnie B Blue

Memoir

I picked up writing since I retired from my profession as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I love writing memoir; revisiting my life experiences and squeezing an insight or two from them. Stories of nature, stories of family, strange sightings and challenging events, all meant to entertain but also to share with my readers the magic that lies in every encounter. 

My published memoir, Finding My Soul, is about the five years I spent at the Findhorn community in Scotland. I emphasize the lessons I learned in the crucible of the community. 

My booklet of nature stories includes a previously published story about a year my family spent living with a raccoon.  Also included are some very surprising experiences I’ve witnessed as a gardener. 

For those fascinated by the military, I have an essay describing my brother’s life, a tough warrior-type who fought in the Vietnam war, then spent about fifteen years in the French Foreign Legion. 

To round out my writing journey, I am presently working on a post-apocalyptic novel set in the Sacramento area. 

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Claire Booth

Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Claire Booth is a journalist-turned-author whose writing career has taken her from Missouri to Washington, D.C., South Florida, the Seattle area, and the Bay Area. She’s reported on many high-profile cases, including the Laci Peterson murder and the San Francisco dog mauling case. The case of a deadly cult leader became the subject of her nonfiction book, The False Prophet: Conspiracy, Extortion and Murder in the Name of God. After spending so much time covering crimes so strange and convoluted they seemed more like fiction than reality, she had enough of the real world and decided to write novels instead. Her acclaimed Sheriff Hank Worth mystery series takes place in Branson, Missouri, where small-town Ozark politics and big-city country music tourism clash in – yes – strange and convoluted ways. The sixth in the series, Home Fires, is out now. Claire is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Mystery Writers of America, and is president emeritus of Capitol Crimes, the Central Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Northern California. Visit her at www.clairebooth.com.

1:30 PM: Panel – Mystery/Crime

2:10-2:40 PM: Book Signing Table 3

Ana Brazil

Historical Mystery

Ana loves to write and read historical fiction about curious, ambitious, and totally bodacious women. Many years ago, Ana inherited the scrapbooks, recordings, and theatrical ephemera of vaudeville songstress Elsie Clark, and used this treasure trove to create Viola Vermillion, the smart, sassy, and (what else?) totally bodacious vaudeville heroine of her latest release THE RED-HOT BLUES CHANTEUSE. Ana’s debut historical mystery FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER won the IBPA Gold for Historical Fiction, and her multiple historical short stories appear in both crime and historical anthologies.

Ana lives in Northern California and is a founding member of the Paper Lantern Writers.

2:20 PM: Panel – Historical Fiction

3:00-3:30 PM: Book Signing Table 2

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Lois Buchter

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.

www.LoisBuchter.com

Lois is the Fundraising Coordinator for the festival.

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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.

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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.

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Robin Burcell

Police Procedurals, Thrillers

New York Times Bestselling author Robin Burcell moonlighted as a cop for nearly three decades, while working as a mom fulltime. She wrote police procedurals and international thrillers, until Clive Cussler asked her to co-write with him in the Fargo series (where the good guys sometimes skirted the law, but always saved the day).  More info can be found at: www.RobinBurcell.com.

Robin is the Event Room Coordinator for the festival.

10:50 AM: Panel – Thrillers
1:30 PM: Panel – Mystery/Crime

12:20-1 PM: Book Signing Table 1

Candice Burney

Business, Memoir

We all have a story. If people are willing to listen to the stories of others and be open to learning different perspectives, we can create less judgment with more understanding and mutual respect. Dr. Burney earned her Ph.D. to show her daughters that stereotypes are simply opinions waiting to be shown a new perspective and that we write our own story. She first wrote and published the memoir #MOMDAD, then went on to publish The unconventional Leader, a leadership book that helps provide the perspective that anyone can be a leader, regardless of rank or title.

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Rebecca Calisi-Rodríguez

LGBTQ+, Young Adult

Dr. REBECCA CALISI-RODRÍGUEZ, author of the book WILD PRIDE, grew up in Texas, surrounded by her vibrant Mexican-American family. After earning her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, she became an accomplished wildlife biologist. She now resides in Davis, where she serves as an Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and teaches Animal Behavior at the University of California, Davis.

Calisi-Rodríguez has published over 70 scientific and popular science articles and was inducted as a National Geographic Explorer for her contributions to science communication and for hosting Nat Geo’s web series I CAN SCIENCE. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, LA Times, CBS, KQED, Capital Public Radio, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Nature, Science, and more.

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Russell Carroll

Fantasy

Russell Carroll was born and raised in Sacramento, California, where he still lives with his wife, Stefanie, and their two daughters, along with their German shepherds, August and Luna, an ackie monitor and a blue-tongue skink.

His passion is writing. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Sacramento. His hobbies include watching Isabel’s horseback riding lessons and Sofie’s taekwondo, playing video games, working out, and watching movies.

In 2020, he fulfilled a lifelong ambition when his short story, The Purple Heart, was published as part of the Days of the Dead fanthology, Nevada Necromance edition.

Relentless Blades: The Prophecies of Zarune, Volume I is his love letter to his teenage-self and all those who enjoy epic fantasy. Never stop dreaming!

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Debra Castaneda

Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal / Supernatural, People of Color / BIPOC

DEBRA CASTANEDA is the author of the Dark Earth Rising series of standalone eco-horror books that can be read in any order. Her debut novel, The Monsters of Chavez Ravine, is an International Latino Books Awards gold medal winter. This year, Castaneda will publish several books in the new Maddy Madrigal urban fantasy series. The former TV and radio journalist lives on the central coast of California.

TIME: Panel – PANELTITLE

TIME: Book Signing

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Sharon E. Cathcart

Romance, Historical Fiction

Award-winning author Sharon E. Cathcart (she/her) writes heart-warming romance and historical fiction with a twist!

A former journalist and newspaper editor, Sharon has been writing for as long as she can remember and always has at least one work in progress. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Sisters in Crime.

Sharon lives in the Silicon Valley, California, with her very patient husband and several rescue cats.

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Edie Cay

LGBTQ+, Literary, Romance, Historical Fiction/Historical Romance

Edie Cay writes award-winning historical romance. Her When the Blood Is Up series about historical women’s boxing has won the Golden Leaf Best First Book, the Next Generation Indie Book Award, the Best Indie Book Award (twice!), and has been a finalist for the HOLT Medallion, Chatelaine Award (twice), and Lambda Literary Award.

Edie obtained dual BAs in English and in Music, and an MFA in Creative Writing. She is a member of The Regency Fiction Writers, the Historical Novel Society, and a founding member of Paper Lantern Writers. Her latest series, The Ladies Alpine Society, is about Victorian era women mountaineers. Connect with her at ediecay.com

3:10-3:50 PM: Panel – Romance

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Ann 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

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Chance Christopher

LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Romance, Young Adult

Chance Christopher is a writer who specializes in bringing fantasy to life. He grew up in Sin City and still currently lives there. He married the man of his dreams and settled down, but his imagination never quit. Visit his Facebook page to learn more about him and get exclusive details about his upcoming work.

3:10 PM: Panel – Romance

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Jessica Arden Cline

Fantasy, Paranormal / Supernatural, Cozy Mystery, Non-Fiction for Writers

Jessica Arden Cline is an author, educator, and tarot enthusiast with a passion for helping writers bring their stories to life. She writes paranormal mysteries, romance, and other fiction as Jessica Arden and non-fiction for writers, including her latest, Tarot for Fiction Writers, as Jessica Arden Cline. Jessica is a fan of all things spooky and crafty. Her short fiction has been featured in Woman’s World as well as several anthologies.

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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.

Scott is the Event Director for the festival.

12:40 PM: Panel – Sci-Fi/Fantasy

1:20-1:50 PM: Book Signing Table 1

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

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.

10:50 AM: Panel – Thrillers

11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Book Signing Table 3

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

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.

Instagram @JillNDavies_Books
Tiktok @jillndavies_Books
Facebook JillNDaviesBooks
http://jillndavies.com

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BJ Davis

Literary, Poetry

Bee Jay Da-vis is a poet, a flash fiction storyteller, an attorney, and an advocate for self-realization. She’s a lover of action movies, live theater, and all genres of music, except heavy metal. Joining Black Women Write six years ago inspired her to pick up the pace on the writing she’s been doing since she was a thirteen-year-old growing up in Baton Rouge, LA. Her debut collection, True…At First: Poems, Musings & Flash Fiction, was published in 2020 and is available to buy on Amazon. Her latest publication is My Only Friends Are Pirates, an epic poem styled as an action/thriller. It is available on Amazon Kindle and in paperback. Her forthcoming book of guided meditations speaks to her deep faith and her desire to guide others towards inner peace.

She draws inspiration from a variety of places and spaces, including science fiction, her New Orleans birthplace, Mississippi and North Carolina ancestors (especially her grandfather,) and the Navajo Indian Reservation on which she lived and worked for a goodly spell. She currently resides in Sacramento, CA with her husband and the ghosts of two sweet cats.

10:00 AM: Panel – Black Women Write

10:40 AM: Book Signing Table 2

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Melody DeBlois

Romance, Women’s Fiction

Award-winning Melody DeBlois writes romantic novels that focus on past mistakes, love, and new beginnings. She’s partial to poetry, sun, rain, strong coffee, and her writing room surrounded by books. Besides California, she and her late husband lived part-time in a condo in Oregon overlooking the Pacific. That gave her a love for beach towns and whale-watching and sunsets—all the things that inspire the Love is a Beach series. The writing process fascinates her, the alchemy of layering and developing characters, the tinkering with language. There’s so much to treasure in the world: family, friends, and those random, everyday moments that make life grand. She hopes to give her readers all of that.
Website: https://melodydeblois.com/

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Donna Del Oro

Science Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Crime fiction

Donna Del Oro has had eleven novels published over the past 17 years, has won three awards including the International Latino Book Awards and the Silver Falchion Award from Killer Nashville.

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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.

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Michele Drier

Paranormal / Supernatural, Romance, Traditional Mystery

Michele Drier is a fifth generation Californian. During her career in journalism at daily newspapers in California, she won awards for investigative series. She is the past president of Capitol Crimes, a Sisters in Crime chapter; the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime; current president of NorCal Sisters in Crime, and co-chaired Bouchercon 2020, the world’s oldest and largest convention for mystery fans and authors.

Her Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries are Edited for Death, (called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review), Labeled for Death and Delta for Death. A stand-alone, Ashes of Memories was published May 2017.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, named the best paranormal vampire series of 2014 by PRG are: SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, PLAGUE: A Love Story, DANUBE: A Tale of Murder, SNAP: Love for Blood, (Best paranormal book 2013, PRG reviewers); SNAP: Happily Ever After?, SNAP: White Nights, SNAP; All That Jazz (best paranormal vampire book of 2014, PRG reviewers), SNAP: I, Vampire, SNAP: Red Bear Rising, SNAP: Pandemic Games. She’s currently working on the twelfth book in the series.

Her new series is the Stained Glass Mysteries, Stain on the Soul, Tapestry of Tears, and Resurrection of the Roses.

She lives in Sacramento with her cat, Malley.

Visit her webpage, www.MicheleDrier.me, or her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier, or find her on her author page at http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

3:10-3:50 PM: Panel – Romance

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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

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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.

12:40 PM: Panel – Sci-Fi/Fantasy

1:20-1:50 PM: Book Signing Table 2

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

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.

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R.A. Frick

Contemporary / General Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult

R. A. was born and raised all over Northern California. They started telling stories to make friends as a child, and never stopped. Their favorite things are romance novels, champagne, and dark chocolate, preferably at the same time. When not writing, teaching, reading, or raising two gremlins, they are visiting friends and playing with their corgi.

3:10-3:50 PM: Panel – Romance

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson

Children’s Books

Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson is the author-illustrator of THE MOCHI MAKERS and SHELL SONG. In THE MOCHI MAKERS, a girl and her grandmother make mochi together in a gentle and joyous “storytelling treat” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) celebrating family, tradition, and the memories that matter most. SHELL SONG is a story of finding and collecting pieces of hope, big or small, even in the darkest of times and is inspired by the shells Sharon’s grandfather collected in a Japanese American incarceration camp in Hawai’i during World War II. Sharon is a fourth generation Japanese American who grew up in both America and Japan. She now lives in California in a house filled with three generations, two languages, and countless books and art supplies.

10:00-11:30 AM: Reading in the Kids Zone

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.

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Jeff Galvin

Poetry, Philosophy

Jeff worked for 35 years in every aspect of the IT industry despite starting college as a music major and ending as a philosophy student. He began his career programming something called a “personal computer” for a friend and ended up becoming the lead engineer in two major areas of California’s largest government data center. Before retiring, he was winding down with five years of mentoring. In his lifetime, he has directed a church choir in the recording studio, groups of boys at summer camps, and many USA Swim meets. He is proud of his youthful accomplishments: class III whitewater kayaking, SCUBA diving Northern California on a Coast Guard warning day, and skiing double-diamond in a blizzard. During high school, he was even a guitarist in a rock and roll band. On the artistic side, he is the creative force behind a professionally produced CD of his own music (“Dancing on the Water”) and a published collection of his own poetry (“Many an August”). Along the way, he spent many years studying ballroom dance, achieving a Full Silver certification. When at home, he may be installing a new clutch in his old truck, building a deck, or rewiring his WWII era house. His main loves include camping by a calm mountain lake in the Sierra Nevada or hanging with his kids, bonus kids, grandkids, and fiancée. For distraction, his house is equipped with a room full of Legos, a backyard laden with outdoor model trains, a closet full of toy soldiers and slot cars, hundreds of old movies, and lots of history books. Throughout all the varied experiences, he remained an armchair philosopher and keen observer of wherever he found himself. His main book, “Suicide as Ontology”, is the result of those ponderings.

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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.

ALL DAY: Table # Coming Soon

June Gillam

Mystery/Thriller, Childrens, Contemporary / LGBTQ+, Poetry

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 Sacramento, 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/

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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.

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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.”

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Hannah Rebekah Graves

Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+

Hannah Rebekah Graves (she/they) is sighted only when trinkets are promised. Her most precious trinkets include moss and more moss. She lives in the redwoods with her wife and their adult child. She has too many animals to list, but what must be mentioned is He Who Rules the Nest, her baby boy and constant nuisance, a cockatiel by the name of Bananakin. (Yes, he knows the Imperial March.)

Hannah has been writing and refusing to publish her work for as long as she’s been alive. Clearly, she’s doing it now. Why? Because she’s older, probably dumber, and seeing all the amazing work she reads as Graveside Press’s Acquisitions Manager just inspires her to type out her own little stories. She’s co-authored several books under the penname Rowan Altwood, and her short stories have appeared both solo and in anthologies. The Damnedest Thing, a dark fantasy novella packed with chaotic queer vampires, is now available.

https://creepshannah.com/

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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.

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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

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M.L. Hamilton

Mystery

In 2010, ML Hamilton made her first New Year’s resolution – to get serious about her writing. That same year she found a publisher, Wild Wolf Publications, in England and became a traditionally published author. After five years with Wild Wolf, she decided to venture into the exciting world of independent publishing. Since that time, she’s published 75 novels, written an award-winning screenplay, and sold more than half a million books.

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Erik Hanson

Horror

Erik Hanson has been a lifelong fan of the horror genre. Growing up in the middle of the 1980s Satanic Panic, Erik lived and breathed horror, much to the dismay of his parents, who thought it was just a phase (note: they have since accepted the fact that it was not just a phase.) Over the years, his love for the genre has continued to grow, which has led to him finally deciding to write his first novel, Death Machine, as well as starting up his own horror movie podcast, Cradle to the Grave (available wherever you get your podcasts! – shameless self-promotion). Born in Berkeley, California, Erik has made Northern California his home ever since and currently resides in the lovely city of Sacramento with his wife and kids.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Loy Holder

Romantic Thriller

Loy Holder is a Retired Information Technology Project Manager with a latent desire to write and a BA Degree from the University of San Francisco. She lives in Elk Grove with her husband, James Holder.

Soon after retirement, Loy entered a battle for her life. Years later, cancer-free, she published her first novel, “Dancing Up the Ladder,” available on Amazon.

September, 2020, her story, “Wilma,”was included by Northern California Publishers and Authors (NCPA) in their 2020 Anthology, “Destination: The World,” a collection of short stories about travel/vacations, available on Amazon. Loy is also working on her second novel, “Cat and Mouse,” a story of Love, Terror, Addiction, and Choices.

In 2019, Loy, with three other writers, founded the Nonprofit, Elk Grove Writers Guild. It’s mission is to help writers through education, and networking. Their next Writers Conference will be in Elk Grove in the fall of 2025. A formal announcement is coming soon.

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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.

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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.

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Rebecca Inch-Partridge

Science Fiction

Rebecca Inch-Partridge started writing stories of the Paraxous Star Cluster when she was in High school and never stopped. She loves telling stories about people doing the right thing when it’s hard or even deadly. She received her bachelor’s degree from William Jessup University in Management and Ethics—which she swears is not an oxymoron. After years of working in human services, she now loves being an author, editor, and fulltime science fiction fan. She is a frequent panelist at writers’ conferences and science fiction conventions. Rebecca lives in Auburn, California with her husband, their dog McKraken, two cats, four chickens, and one turkey.

She also writes paranormal mysteries under R.I. Partridge. Discover more about Rebecca and her fictitious universe at ripartridgedotcom

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Mari-Lynne Infantano

Suspense, Crime, Cozy Mystery, Humor, Romance, Elder Mystery

Mari-Lynne Infantino has been writing fiction stories since she could hold a pencil. She thrives when writing character stories for all ages, from the laughter and sorrows of seventy-four-year-old identical twins to the irrepressible curiosity of a five-year-old child. 

Mari-Lynne is a native Californian, raised in Los Angeles and Orange County. Retired after more than fifty years in administration, she lives in Sacramento surrounded by family, where she finds her imagination challenged with questions, adventure, and sometimes tears, the perfect combination for storytelling.

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Angelica R. Jackson

Fantasy, Literary, Young Adult, Women’s fiction

Angelica R. Jackson, in keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, has published articles on gardening, natural history, web design, travel, hiking, and local history. Other interests include pets, reading, green living, and cooking for food allergies (the latter not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it). Ongoing projects include short fiction, poetry, novels, art photography, and children’s picture books.

She’s also been involved with capturing the restoration efforts for Preston Castle (formerly the Preston School of Industry) in photographs and can sometimes be found haunting its hallways. ​

She shares a home in California’s Gold Country with a husband, a Miniature Pinscher/Nibblonian mix, and far too many books (if that’s even possible). She is the author of the award-winning Faerie Crossed young adult urban fantasy series, and her photos are collected in Capturing The Castle: Images of Preston Castle (2006-2016). Her latest book is Stay, Girl, a literary coming-of-age novel about an abused girl and a dog finding healing in each other.

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Ronald Javor

Childrens, Young Adult, Action, Mystery

Ronald Javor lives in Sacramento and worked as an attorney assisting people with income and other barriers to access safe and affordable housing. Since “retirement”, Ron volunteers his time continuing the same work.

Ron has written seven children’s books on young people confronting and overcoming the same barriers, several of which earned NCPA awards. Each book addresses negative stereotypes and shows that all children, despite their handicaps, have the same goals and desires. His 2021 Young Adult book, Our Forever Home, features Loneome Geroge, the extinct Galapagos tortoise, and Dodo exploring the past and present worlds of extinct animals now living in Our Forever Home, the perilous effects of climate change, and what these animals could do to stop climate change and save today’s animals, including humans. He currently is near publication of an adult mystery-thriller novel, Murders and Mayhem at Muscle Beach, sited on and near the Santa Monica Pier and involving homeless veterans and others searching for and fighting over valuable hidden Vietnam War contraband. His website is ronaldjavorbooks.com.

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Michael R. 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.

12:40 PM: Panel – Sci-Fi/Fantasy

1:20-1:50 PM: Book Signing Table 2

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Jennifer Junghans

Childrens, Self Help

Jennifer Junghans is a children’s writer and a science and environmental journalist. She creates children’s workbooks focused on the well-being of people, animals and the planet through her imprint Kindest Owl Press, develops environmental youth education materials for organizations and contributes to publications, including those for children. She specializes in environmental and ecosystem health, agriculture and food systems, climate change, wildlife, nature and conservation.

Her writing has been featured in numerous publications including TIME magazine (as a contributing reporter), Capital Public Radio, Highlights for Children, Science News Explores, Comstock’s, Orion online, Fodor’s Travel, E-The Environmental Magazine, Parents magazine, the anthology “The Contemporary Reader” and more. Her essays have also aired on PRX’s “Living on Earth” and “The World.”

Her latest workbook for children, “My Parents’ Divorce Through My Eyes: A Workbook for Children” is available on Amazon. Simple, thoughtful prompts and charming graphics help children (ages 8-17) understand and process their emotions while maintaining love and respect for both parents as they develop their inner strength. The workbook is designed for all family structures.

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Kymberly Kaslar

Contemporary / General Fiction, Romance, Drama

Originally from Northwest Arkansas, but I have been calling California my home for over 34 years. A dedicated state worker, who 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 manage and operate a local charity driven 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. Took me 13 years to tell the story in Faith Heal Love, and I am hoping others escaping domestic violence, or trauma can find healing in the words.

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Bitsy Kemper

Childrens, Spiritual

Bitsy Kemper has appeared on CNN and CBS This Morning, as well as radio, newspapers, magazines, and podcasts across the nation. A former syndicated newspaper columnist, she is the author of soon-to-be 25 traditionally-published children’s books, and a new type of interactive prayer book for moms and kids titled “Mommy and Me Micro-Moments: Nurturing Faith and Sharing Laughs.” Happy to have her corporate marketing days behind her, she now puts her energy into writing and presenting, fully enjoying rocking author visits and workshops from California to New York. She is an accomplished speaker, mother of three (four if you count her husband), and according to her business card, a really nice gal. www.BitsyKemper.com.

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Nafisa Zareen Khan

Historical Gothic Romance

Nafisa Zareen Khan was born and raised in the vibrant and bustling city of Suva, nestled in the picturesque Fiji Islands. From a young age, she was captivated by the vibrant colors, exotic smells, and lively sounds of her island home.

At the age of 13, Nafisa’s life took an unexpected turn as she and her family made the brave decision to start a new life in the United States of America.

Settling down in the golden state of California, Nafisa’s heart was torn between longing for the familiar and excitement for the unknown. As she navigated her way through the challenges of adapting to a new culture, Nafisa discovered a deep passion for literature and the arts. It became her escape, her solace, and her way of expressing the complex emotions that swirled within her.

Nafisa served in the US Army and obtained a degree in Business Management. After a challenging live experience Nafisa found comfort in her reading and crafts and Nafisa’s love for storytelling and cultural diversity only grew stronger. As an author, she intricately weaves captivating tales of adventure, friendship, and self-discovery, drawing inspiration from her own background as a Fiji Indian. Beneath the surface of her stories lies a powerful message – one that promotes understanding, empathy, kindness, and connection.

Nafisa firmly holds the belief that stories have the power to spark imagination and bridge the divides between diverse cultures and generations. With the rise in immigration from politically unstable countries in recent decades, many families have been forced to abandon their cultural heritage in pursuit of a better life. While crucial for survival and development, this displacement has created a void within families that can be filled by sharing tales of places and experiences that have become an integral part of our very being.

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Joanne Kwan

Paranormal / Supernatural, People of Color / BIPOC, Romance

Artist, Author, and Comic Creator, Joanne Kwan has a background in art
and design but ultimately, telling stories is their greatest passion.
They have created webcomics, Demon House and Heavy Horns, and novels Secunda, Copula, and Shifting Lanes among other works.

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James L’Etoile

Mystery/Crime

James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. Served Cold and River of Lies are his most recent novels. Look for Sins of the Father and Illusion of Truth, coming in 2024. You can find out more at www.jamesletoile.com

10:50 AM: Panel – Thrillers

10-10:40 AM: Book Signing Table 2
11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Book Signing Table 2
12:00-1:20: Book Signing Table 2

Brittney Lauren

Romance

Brittney is a Northern California native where she still lives with her husband, son and various cats. A lover of romance novels, history and period dramas, she spends her days working an office job counting down the minutes until she can write her next story.

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Nancy Leek

Biography / Autobiography, Childrens, History

Nancy Leek is a retired librarian and the author of books on California history. Her first book was John Bidwell: The Adventurous Life of a California Pioneer (2010), a biography for all ages. In 2015 she started Golden State Biographies, a series of picture book biographies for young readers. The series includes books on John and Annie Bidwell, Nancy Kelsey, and Peter Lassen. Her most recent book is Alvin Coffey: The True Story of an African American Forty-Niner. These books have full-color illustrations by Steve Ferchaud. Each book is deeply researched, historically accurate, and visually appealing. She also co-edited The Miner Poet: The Poems of Pres Longley (2013) with John Rudderow.

Nancy serves on the boards of the Bidwell Mansion Association and the Chico Friends of the Library. She is a member of the Association for Northern California Historical Research (ANCHR) and assists in publishing ANCHR’s yearly book on local history. She writes about northern California history on her blog, www.goldfieldsbooks.com.

Nancy and her husband Jim live in Chico where they have a little family orchard, a large garden, and a flock of chickens. She volunteers at the Chico Library and at Bidwell Mansion.

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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.

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Philippa Lodge

LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Romance

Philippa Lodge is an office worker by day, reader by night, and author on the weekends. She lives in California (though not one of the cool parts) with her husband, whatever kids (maximum of three) as haven’t yet gone to college and/or moved out and/or are home for a pandemic, and two cats who probably don’t turn into humans, but who argue like hangry toddlers.

She can be found on BlueSky as @plaatsch.bsky.social or at her website https://www.philippalodge.com/ which is probably in desperate need of an overhaul.

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Frank Luna

Sciernce Fiction

Frank Luna is an Emmy award-winning television director/producer with forty years of experience in broadcast news and independent freelance projects. His fascination with space exploration was fueled by his dad’s early wake up calls to watch the launches of Alan Shepard and John Glenn. Mars is the setting for his first novel, Red Storm, about eight scientists and engineers who lose complete contact with Earth. His second book in the Mars series, The Community, is the parallel story of what’s happening on Earth as Red Storm unfolds on Mars. Born in San Bernardino, California, Frank is a longtime Sacramento resident and a member of Northern California Publishers and Authors. Now retired, he is an avid golfer and enjoys swimming and hiking with his wife in beautiful Northern California.

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T-Mac

Biography / Autobiography, Literary, Science Fiction

My name is Terol McCullar – Pen Name T-Mac.

I grew up in the tumultuous 60’s and graduated from Richmond Union High School. As most of us from that time, I was part of a garage band. Over the years I worked about every type of job there was and I studied law for a year. I got married in 1975 and lastly in 2019.I began writing my first novel in about 1978 as I pondered how humanity would react if there was actual proof of extraterrestrial existence. However, life had different paths for me to follow. Numerous jobs led to a 26-year career as an instructor for the California Department of Corrections which drove me to publish two other books, HOGGS; PRISON JOURNALS and its sequel HOGGS II, of 29 non-sequential chronicles of daily “real” prison life through the eyes of various prison staff and their interactions with other staff and inmates. Eventually I finished writing S.I.C.Q and a sequel, SOS, and currently I am writing the trilogy, DNA: Alien Legacy. My books overflow with characters that I use to carry the storyline. I purposely do not describe the characters as hopefully their actions and words will create their own vision by the reader.

My website TMAC-ENT.COM will give you some more insight into me and my music.
Google tmac mccullar

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T.E. MacArthur

Paranormal / Supernatural, Science Fiction, Mystery / Thriller

T.E. MacArthur is an award-winning author, artist, historian, amateur cat whisperer, and parapsychologist wannabe living in the San Francisco Bay Area with her cat and far too many books.

She has written for several specialized publications, anthologies, and was even an accidental sports reporter for Reuters News.

Her storytelling dramatically shifted direction to Retro-Futurism and Mysteries, as well as the Supernatural – one of many lifelong obsessions. Her published works are now found in the Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Historical, and Paranormal subgenres of Mystery and Thrillers.

If you want to talk ghosts, Raymond Chandler slang, steam locomotives, and Elizabethan insults? She’s your girl.

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Kathy Lynne Marshall

Genealogy, Historical Nonfiction, Short Story Fiction

Kathy Lynne Marshall isn’t just a genealogist; she’s a historical detective, giving voice to the forgotten. Through meticulous research and a touch of creative empathy, she unearths the stories of women, African Americans, and other unsung heroes who shaped America. Imagine experiencing history through the eyes of those who lived it–that’s the power of Kathy’s “speculative nonfiction.” But she doesn’t stop there. Kathy empowers others to reclaim their heritage, leading workshops and sharing her successful research and self-publishing secrets so anyone can become the author of their family story.

Kathy’s books are available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kathy-Lynne-Marshall/author/B07PNLWJRY

Books and art are also available on her website: KathyLynneMarshall.com

10:00 AM: Panel – Black Women Write

10:40 AM: Book Signing Table 2

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Jason Logan Maxwell

Fiction Genre-Blender

During college I took a short story writing class to broaden my literary horizons. Until then, I was more of a visual artist, using traditional and digital mediums to express myself. However, in that class I learned a lot. Including that I have absolutely no thirst for writing short stories. Novels on the other hand, that is different matter.

My writing style stems from my ability to visualize narratives in three dimensional space. Put simply, I play a scene of my book in my mind like a movie then pause it, flip it around to find the right angle, add background music, and sound effects, then write it. I take my time and never force my writing. Such things I believe lead to subpar literary compositions.

My debut novel D.O.L is as testament, albeit an ambitious one, to breaking the limitations of genres. I intend to tackle all the major genres in one seamless, ever-evolving and dynamically escalating saga. From coming of age to thriller, from horror to sci-fi, from action to romance and beyond. I hope you come a long for the ride, but be sure to wear a helmet, because I don’t want to make a mess when I blow your mind.

“The Jack of all trades is the master of none, but oftentimes better than the master of one.”

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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.

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Karen McCoy

Middle Grade

Karen B. McCoy is an author and librarian. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and two very opinionated cats. When not answering research questions or writing, she’s usually reading, listening to music, or drinking tea. She also maintains a blog where she interviews other authors. Her debut middle grade novel, THE ETIQUETTE OF VOLES, will release on June 10, 2025.

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Catriona McPherson

Mystery

Catriona (she/her) was born in Scotland and lived there until 2010, then immigrated to California where she lives on Patwin ancestral land. A former academic linguist, she now writes full-time. Her multi-award-winning and national best-selling work includes: the DANDY GILVER historical detective stories, the LAST DITCH mysteries, set in California, and a strand of contemporary standalone novels including Edgar-finalist THE DAY SHE DIED and Mary Higgins Clark finalist STRANGERS AT THE GATE. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, The Crimewriters’ Association, The Society of Authors and Sisters in Crime, of which she is a former national president.

2:20-3:00 PM: Panel – Historical Fiction

3:00-3:30 PM: Book Signing Table 1

Richard Meredith

Crime/Spy Thriller

Raised on episodes of Sea Hunt and Jacques Cousteau documentaries, I dreamed for a life at sea. The Navy assisted me by moving me from my home town of Flint, Michigan to California. I remained after my discharge to finish college. My career as a marine scientist and wildlife biologist has provided rich fodder for my writing. My latest novel, Maskirovka—The Russian Science of Deception, which received a Starred Review from Kirkus Reviews and made its list of 100 Best Indie Books of 2022, draws heavily on my work as an analyst in the petroleum industry. Maskirovka was also a finalist for the Readers’ Choice Award at the 2023 Killer Nashville Conference and a finalist in the Best Thrillers Book Awards in 2023. My years on commercial fishing boats in the Pacific formed the backdrop of my thriller, The Crow’s Nest, which won the Silver Falchion Award for the Best Action-Adventure novel in 2021 at Killer Nashville. My current manuscript, The Double Cross of Brigid, was a finalist in the Action-Adventure category for the Claymore Award in 2023 at Killer Nashville. I am the Vice President of Capitol Crimes, the Sacramento area chapter of Sisters-in-Crime. When not writing, I enjoy travel, bird and wildlife watching, scuba diving, guitars, rock concerts, and most sports. I am married with two adult sons and four grandchildren.

10:50 AM: Panel – Thrillers

11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Book Signing Table 2

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

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.

ALL DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Lisa Montanaro

Contemporary / General Fiction, LGBTQ+, Literary, Family Drama

Lisa Montanaro is part no-nonsense Italian American New Yorker and part sunny Californian. She has a unique background as a performer, teacher of deaf students, lawyer, coach, speaker, and author. Lisa writes book club fiction featuring complex characters breaking barriers and fighting to truly be themselves despite obstacles in their way—including the time they live in and societal stigmas. 



Lisa’s debut novel, Everything We Thought Was True, released in January 2025 by Red Adept Publishing. Her chapter, “The Brand Called You! Personal & Professional Branding for Authors,” was featured in Launch Pad: The Countdown to Marketing Your Book, published by Red Penguin Books in 2023. She is also the author of the book, Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, published by Peter Pauper Press in 2011.



Lisa coaches writers (and those who provide services to writers!) on branding, business, and productivity and mindset. She serves as webinar host for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and is a member of its diversity and inclusion committee. She is also the facilitator of the Retro COLAGE group for adult children of LGBTQ parents. 



Her blog and newsletter, Prosecco & Prose, are where she shares writerly musings, book recommendations, and virtual bubbly—both the liquid kind that goes in a champagne glass and the infectious enthusiasm kind of an eternal optimist! Subscribe at www.ProseccoandProse.com.



When not writing, Lisa enjoys cycling and hiking with her veterinarian husband, tending to her garden, and chasing after her rescue dogs. Lisa has enjoyed living snow-free since 2012 in Northern California, where she’s made it her mission to sample the wines of the region.

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Ingrid Moon

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science for Writers/Creators

I’m an award-winning author, editor, and educator. I write action-packed sci-fi with a dash of heart, weird and historical fantasy, and pocket science for writers and creators. I’ll be visiting from Los Angeles.

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Kate McCarroll Moore

Childrens, Poetry

Kate McCarroll Moore is a life-long educator and the former Poet Laureate for the City of San Ramon, California. She is the author of two novels for children, Elinormal and New Girl: The Further Adventures of Elinormal. Her debut picture book, Chelsea Skye, Nature Spy was recently published. Kate also has published poetry collections for adults; her most recent collection is Alphapoetica: A Poetry Primer for the Everyday Poet. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, and she continues to promote poetry as a tool of transformation and healing. She never grows tired of people-watching and eavesdropping, using her writer’s imagination to turn ordinary events into unique characters with interesting stories to tell. She lives with her family in Northern California.

2:30-3:00 PM: Reading in the Kids Zone

Josh Morgan

Nonfiction, 1903 Folsom Prison Break

Josh Morgan lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California with his wife, and two daughters. You’ll often find him running trails through the gold country, and exploring the great state of Northern California where his family has lived since the 1860’s. Josh earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of the Pacific. He works in public higher education.

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RoseMary Covington Morgan

Character-Driven Fiction

RoseMary Covington Morgan left a successful career as a transit planning and development executive manager to accept a new challenge as an author. She has been writing character driven fiction for almost six years.

Since beginning this new adventure, RoseMary has published the short story, “The Song” in the anthology Storytellers-Tales from the Rio Vista Writers’ group. She also has 3 short stories, “My Big Red Shadow”, “T’was” and “School Shopping” and two poems published in the Northern California Publishers Anthologies. Her short story, Minnow Mildred, appeared in the California Writers Club publication,Visions.

She has published novel, Swimming Through Mud, and one novella, The Dancer. Her collection of short stories, Slices of American Lives will be available in February 2025.

She currently lives in Sacramento, CA.

10:00-10:40 AM: Panel – Black Women Write

10:40-11:10 AM: Book Signing Table 1

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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

1:30-2:10 PM: Panel – Mystery/Crime

2:10-2:40 PM: Book Signing Table 1

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Nellie K. Neves

Romance, Romantic Suspense/Mystery

Nellie is a self-proclaimed country girl from Northern, California, USA. When she’s not writing or reading, she can typically be found baking up a new culinary delight in the kitchen, possibly barefoot while singing show tunes. Sometimes she’s even on key. Nellie loves kickboxing, dancing and jogging, and all of these tend to weasel into her writing one way or another. Most evenings are spent as a wife and mother, watching the sunset and dreaming of a character’s next adventure.

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D.L. O’Neil

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.

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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.

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Chivaun Oldes

Childrens

Chivaun Oldes is a children’s picture books author and illustrator and owner of the inclusive indoor playground Space to Play. She spends most of her time in the delightful company of humans under age 10. She creates stories to help children with their everyday battles and differences.

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Luanne Oleas

Literary

Luanne Oleas was born in Steinbeck’s Salinas Valley, the setting for her novel, FLYING BLIND, A CROPDUSTER’S STORY. Her novel, A PRIMROSE IN NOVEMBER is a family saga set in England and France. Her upcoming novel, SHEDDING CATS, is about a technical writer in Silicon Valley who thinks re-homing her ten cats will help her find a soulmate.

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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.

http://www.MadelineOlson.com

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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.

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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.

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Mark Paxson

Domestic Thriller, Legal Thriller, Literary, YA

Mark Paxson is an almost retired attorney who started writing a little over 20 years ago. He writes novels, novellas, and short stories (One Night in Bridgeport, The Irrepairable Past, The Dime, The Basement, Killing Berthold Gambrel, A Little Bit of This). His published work is available at just about every on-line book retailer. While he slowly works through a handful of half-completed works in progress, he also bicycles, hikes, cooks, bakes, and most important of all … naps. He lives in Sacramento with his wife, two dogs, and watches his two sons navigate the challenges of adulthood.

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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.

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Karen A. Phillips

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.

1:30-2:10 PM: Panel – Mystery/Crime

2:10-2:40 PM: Book Signing Table 1

REST OF THE DAY: Table # Coming Soon

Sharon Provost

Horror

Sharon Marie Provost is the chief operating officer of Dragon Crown Books Ltd., publisher of more than 50 books. Her first novel, “Dark Arts: Love Me Tinder,” was released in the fall of 2024, following her collection of horror short stories, “Shadow”s Gate,” earlier in the year. “Christmas Nightmare’s Eve,” was coauthored with Stephen H. Provost. That work includes seven of her short stories and her novella, “The Last Train to Clarksville.” The pair also collaborated on a Halloween-themed horror collection, “All Hallows’ Nightmare’s Eve,” released in the summer of 2024. Her newest release is Shades of Love Volume 2.

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Stephen Provost

History, Non-Fiction

Stephen H. Provost writes historical nonfiction and fantasy adventures. A journalist with more than 30 years of experience and a former educator, he is the author of 55 books. From 1986 to 2018, he worked as an editor, reporter, and columnist at four daily newspapers in California, including as news editor at The Fresno Bee and managing editor of The Cambrian.
The author’s nonfiction works include numerous historical and travel books on the nation’s highways. Among these are his three-volume “America’s Historic Highways” series, his five-volume “Highways of the West,” two books on “California’s Historic Highways,” and his three-book series “Roadside Illustrated.”

Other nonfiction titles include “Fresno Growing Up,” “Fresno Century,” and “Chinese Camp.” His works of fiction include “The Talismans of Time” and its sequel, “Pathfinder of Destiny”; the dystopian science fiction novel “Crimson Scourge”; the fantasy novels “Memortality” and its sequel, “Paralucidity”; the alternative history thriller “Meteor Ridge”; and the six-volume “Nightmare’s Eve” collection of short horror stories co-authored with his wife, Sharon Marie Provost.

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Melissa Rakestraw

Fantasy, LGBTQ+

Born and raised in rural Northern California, books became the window with which I was able to view a larger world. I now live in the Northern California mountains with my four children, and I write the books I wanted to read as a child. When I’m not writing I’m spending time with my kids, taking my dog for a walk, or working full time as a maternal health educator.

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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.

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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.

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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.

12:40-1:20 PM: Panel – Sci-Fi/Fantasy

1:20-1:50 PM: Book Signing Table 1

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James Rollins

Thriller

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with two furry companions, Echo and Charlie. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.

11:40 AM-12:20 PM: Keynote Speech

12:20-1 PM: Book Signing Table 1
2:30-3:30 PM: Book Signing Table 3

ayreÁnna Ross

Poetry, Environment & Spiritual

for most of her life, ayreÁnna has been writing from her deep passion for the human experience and wonder about the more-than-human world. as a poet, writer, musician and community organizer, she offers her words, voice and heart to honor the wonder, grief, joy and magic of Life in these Uncertain Times. she loves reading paper books (especially on rainy days), cups of hot tea (any time) and deep conversations with all kinds of beings.

she published her first book of poetry, mandala of words: a book of invocations, blessings and meditations, in 2023 and her second, Kansas is gone: poems of grief, rage and love for these Uncertain Times, in October, 2024. she is also deeply honored to be part of the Sonora Writers Group anthology, When Rain Will Come which was also published in 2024. ayreÁnna is dedicated to supporting other artists and creative people to hear and follow their own soul callings to what is real and true for them through her Co-Navigation counseling and intuitive guidance work.

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Jeyzel F. Rossi

LGBTQ+, Poetry

Jeyzel has been writing since she could formulate words together. Published in a book of collective kids poetry since first grade, she grew up in a small cow-town called Lemoore, CA. From driving tractors to riding horses, her journey took her across the country in Virginia Beach, VA, where she learned how to fly, teach yoga, and paddleboard. She’s taught yoga in 7 different countries around the world, and now lives a life ready and awaiting love in the beautiful city of West Sacramento, CA. You can probably catch her paddleboarding on the water, connecting with nature on her hikes, teaching yoga in the community, or sipping coffee at a local coffe shop. Follow her on Instagram and Tiktok at jeyzelyoga.

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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.

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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

1:30-2:10 PM: Panel – Mystery/Crime

2:10-2:40 PM: Book Signing Table 2

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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.

Tim is also the Volunteer Coordinator and Promo/Marketing Coordinator for the festival.

2:20-3:00 PM: Panel – Historical Fiction

3:00-3:30 PM: Book Signing Table 2

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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.

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Terry Shames

Mystery

Terry Shames is the award-winning, best-selling author of eleven Samuel Craddock mysteries. As well as winning the Macavity Award for Best First novel, her first book, A Killing at Cotton Hill, was also shortlisted for the Strand Critics Award. The eleventh in the series, The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson, October, 2024, was an Amazon Editor’s Pick. In April 2024, she debuted the Jessie Madison thriller series, with Perilous Waters. In March, 2025, she published Out of Control, her first domestic suspense novel. Terry lives in Southern California with her husband, her dog Monty and her cat Max. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, ITW, and the Texas Institute of Letters.

10:50-11:30 AM: Panel – Thrillers

10:00-10:40 AM: Book Signing Table 1
11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Book Signing Table 1

12:00 PM-1:20 PM: Book Signing Table 3

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.

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B.J. Sikes

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ+, 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.

Bel is also the Newsletter & Social Media Coordinator for the Con.

12:40-1:20 PM: Panel – Sci-Fi/Fantasy

1:20-1:50 PM: Book Signing Table 3

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Judith Starkston

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. Her website is https://www.judithstarkston.com/.

Judith is also the Events Co-ordinator for the festival.

2:20-3:00 PM: Panel – Historical Fiction

3:00-3:30 PM: Book Signing Table 1

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Linda Townsdin

Contemporary / General Fiction, Traditional Mystery

Linda Townsdin writes the Spirit Lake Mystery series inspired by her childhood in northern Minnesota—called “complex murder mysteries with bone-chilling thrills and a bit of romance.” The fifth book in her series was published in 2024. Her short fiction has been published in several anthologies. Most recently, her short story Hyde and Seek was selected for SinC NorCal’s Invasive Species 2024 Anthology. Re-entry was selected for the 2020 Bouchercon Anthology, California Schemin’ and received an honorable mention in the 2021 Best American Mystery and Suspense anthology. She is a member California Writers Club and Sisters in Crime—NorCal and Sacramento Chapters. She lives in Sacramento, adores her family, friends, and pets and believes the true measure of success in life is your joy. http://lindatownsdin.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/LindaTownsdinAuthor

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Steven P. Unger

Contemporary / General Fiction, Travel, Photojournalism

The author published three books in three years: “In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide” in 2010 (World Audience Publishers); “Before the Paparazzi, 50 Years of Extraordinary Photographs” in 2011 (World Audience, Inc.); and “Dancing in the Streets” in 2012 (Anaphora Literary Press). In September 2011, flaier.net ranked “In the Footsteps of Dracula” ahead of the Lonely Planet and National Geographic Traveler guides in its “The Best Romania & Moldova Travel Guides.”

“Black as Hell, Strong as Death, and Sweet as Love: A Coffee Travel Guide,” was published by Robert D. Reed Publishers in January 2025.

ALL DAY: Table # Coming Soon

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.

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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.

ALL DAY: Table # Coming Soon

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.

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Clara Ward

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Hopepunk, Environmental, 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

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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.

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Simon Wood

Thrillers

USA Today bestselling author Simon Wood is a California transplant from England. He’s a former competitive racecar driver, a licensed pilot, an endurance cyclist, an animal rescuer, and an occasional PI. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. Their lives are dominated by a longhaired dachshund and five cats. He’s the Anthony Award winning author of The One That Got Away, Paying the Piper, Terminated, Deceptive Practices and the Aidy Westlake series. He’s a regular contributor to Writer’s Digest and other writing magazines. He also writes horror under the pen name of Simon Janus. People can learn more at http://www.simonwood.net 

10:50-11:30 AM: Panel – Thrillers

11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Book Signing Table 1
12:00 AM-1:20 PM: Book Signing Table 3
1:20-1:50 PM: Book Signing Table 3

Mel Woodburn

Paranormal / Supernatural, Science Fiction, Young Adult

I’m Mel Woodburn—your friendly neighborhood author crafting young adult superhero novels with a side of geeky charm.

My journey into the superhero realm started back in the first grade, where the Ninja Turtles captured my heart. As much as I wanted to be rad like Michelangelo, I’m more of a Donatello: stay home and tinker with a dozen projects and build all the cool things. Yep! That’s me.

While I write about Geek Fire, I’ve evolved into Super Mom, and now my superpower includes expertly juggling writing adventures while dodging LEGO landmines. If you crave superheroes with an extra dose of geekiness, my books are for you!

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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.

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Kelley York

Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+, Paranormal / Supernatural, Young Adult

Kelley York (she/her) is a cryptid hiding in the depths of the redwoods of the Northern California coast, only ever spotted on overcast, foggy days. With an Anthropology degree she technically doesn’t use, not enough caffeine to get her through the day, and entirely too many to-do lists, she savors the rainy weather and ocean views with her long-time friend, Executive Dysfunction. When she’s not writing, she’s running a successful book cover design business as Sleepy Fox Studio and is co-founder of the new horror imprint Graveside Press. She’s an author of dark queer fiction spanning several genres, from contemporary to fantasy to historical paranormal, including Made of Stars, Into the Glittering Dark, and the Dark is the Night series co-authored with Hannah Rebekah Graves.
https://graveyardgames.carrd.co

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