Michelle has been an avid reader since a young child. She began writing for personal enjoyment in college, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in accounting. Deciding sitting in a cubical all day was cruel and unusual punishment, she decided to do what she really wanted to—share her passion for reading and writing with others.

Born and raised in Michigan, Michelle now resides outside Houston, TX with her husband, four children, a 125-pound lap dog, and a very grumpy cockatiel.

She is the author of PODs.

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Kim O’Brien grew up in an old Victorian house in Bronxville, NY. Her mother loved telling her bedtime stories, especially ones about the ghost in their attic. Kim not only believed the house was haunted but also fell in love with books and the art of storytelling.

At Emory University in Atlanta, Kim earned a B.A. in psychology. She then attained a M.F.A in writing from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. She worked for many years as a writer, editor, and speechwriter for IBM before becoming a full-time fiction writer.

She lives in Texas with her husband, daughters, and four-legged friend Daisy.

She is the author of Bone Deep.

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Jennifer Murgia writes Young Adult Fantasy and Contemporary novels. She has long loved the dark and speculative–and it’s from these dark places that she weaves fantastical stories, often hoping to find truth in them. She is the co-founder and coordinator of YAFest: an annual teen book festival in Easton, PA. She currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, her two children, and a very spoiled cat.

She is the author of Forest of Whispers (2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Bronze Medal for YA Horror/ Mystery) and Castle of Sighs.

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DK Mok is a fantasy and science fiction author whose novels include Squid’s Grief, Hunt for Valamon (BookGateway Booky Award for Best Fantasy Novel) and The Other Tree.

DK has been shortlisted for four Aurealis Awards, two Ditmars, and a Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award.

DK graduated from UNSW with a degree in Psychology, pursuing her interests in both social justice and scientist humor.

DK lives in Sydney, Australia, and her favorite fossil deposit is the Burgess Shale.

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Award-winning author Darby Karchut has long been fascinated by mythology and hero stories from around the world. Drawing from extensive knowledge of world cultures, she blends ancient myths with modern urban life to write stories that relate to young teens today—snark and all.

She currently lives in Colorado Springs with her husband, where she teaches at a junior high school. She enjoys running, biking, and skiing the Rocky Mountains in all types of weather, and owns more backpacks than purses.

She is the author of The Adventures of Finn MacCullen series and The Bannerman Boru series.

The Adventures of Finn MacCullen series includes:
Finn Finnegan
Gideon’s Spear
The Hound at the Gate
Finn’s Choice

The Bannerman Boru series includes:
The Stag Lord
Unholy Blue

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Andrea Schicke Hirsch has been a bookseller, editor and copywriter, teacher and paralegal. She studied Theatre and English at Fordham University and has a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Bridgeport.

A Connecticut native, she lives in Wilton with her husband, son, daughter, mother and two dogs.

When not writing, reading, or cooking, she is either watching an old movie or a reality television show chronicling the search for the existence of the supernatural.

She is the author of Sasquatch.

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Kelly Hashway grew up reading R.L. Stein’s Fear Street novels and writing stories of her own, so it was no surprise to her family when she majored in English and later obtained a masters degree in English Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg University. After teaching middle school language arts for seven years, Hashway went back to school and focused specifically on writing.

When she isn’t writing, Hashway works as a freelance editor for small presses as well as for her own list of clients. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and volunteering with the PTO. Hashway currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets.

She is the author of the Touch of Death series and The Monster Within series.

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Amy Harmon is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of ten novels. Her books are now being published in 12 countries around the globe.

She knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story.

She is the author of Making Faces and A Different Blue.

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Sarah Guillory has always loved words and had a passion for literature. When she’s not reading or writing, Sarah runs marathons, which she credits with keeping her at least partially sane. Sarah teaches high school English and lives in Louisiana with her husband and their bloodhound, Gus.

She is the author of Reclaimed, which has won the GOLD 2013 Foreword Book of the Year in Young Adult Fiction and the SILVER 2014 IPPY Book Award in Young Adult Fiction.

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Though Diana Gallagher be but little, she is fierce. She’s also a gymnastics coach and judge, former collegiate gymnast, and writing professor. She holds an MFA from Stony Brook University and her work has appeared in The Southampton Review, International Gymnast, and on a candy cigarette box for SmokeLong Quarterly.

She is the author of Lessons in Falling, which was released February 7th, 2017.

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Danielle Ellison spent most of her childhood reading instead of learning math. It’s probably the reason she can’t divide without a calculator and has spent her life seeking the next adventure. It’s also probably the reason she’s had so many different zip codes and jobs.

When she’s not writing, Danielle is probably drinking coffee, fighting her nomadic urges, watching too much TV, or dreaming of the day when she can be British.

She is the author of Follow Me Through the Darkness.

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After a lifelong obsession with books, Erica Cameron spent her college years getting credit for reading and learning how to make stories of her own. Erica graduated with a double major in psychology and creative writing from Florida State University and began pursuing a career as an author.

Erica is many things but most notably the following: writer, reader, editor, asexual, dance fan, choreographer, singer, lover of musical theater, movie obsessed, sucker for romance, Florida resident, and quasi-recluse. She loves the beach but hates the heat, has equal passion for the art of Salvador Dali and Venetian Carnival masks, has a penchant for unique jewelry and sun/moon décor pieces, and a desire to travel the entire world on a cruise ship. Or a private yacht. You know, whatever works.

She is the author of The Dream War Saga Series.

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Kathleen Bullock is the author-illustrator of ten picture books for children, a winner of the ABA Before Columbus Award for Illustration, and a first place winner in the 2011 Surrey International Writing Contest.

She works as a free-lance author/illustrator and lives with her boisterous, extended family in beautiful Southern Oregon.

She is the author of Almost Magic.

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After earning her MFA in screenwriting at the University of Southern California, Wendy Brotherlin wrote scripts for shows such as Nickelodeon’s “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and Discovery Kids’ “Mentors” series. This earned Brotherlin the reputation for writing edgy youth drama with unpredictable plot turns. Her high-concept plots and fast action are paired with heartfelt characters that bring her imaginary worlds to life.

Now a wife, mother, and literacy volunteer living in Maine, Brotherlin’s young adult novels reflect her enjoyment at discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary; the fantastical within the mundane.

She is the author of Freaks of Nature.

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Lucy D. Briand lives in Ottawa, Canada with her comic book fanatic husband and her nonchalant Siamese cat. By day she works full time as a public servant for the Government of Canada, but by night her creative mind takes over and conjures up young adult gearhead romance stories with supernatural twists.

When not working, reading, writing, or watching way too much TV, Lucy likes to cosplay, attend ComicCons, go on road trips to Walt Disney World, and play ridiculous amounts of board games. She’s a geek to the core but is also a huge NASCAR Cup fan. Lucy is represented by Brittany Booker Carter of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

She is the author of the recently released Magnetic Shift.

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Isabel Bandeira grew up surrounded by trees and lakes in Southern New Jersey, right on the edge of the Pine Barrens. Her summers were always spent in Portugal, where the cathedrals, castles, and ancient tombs only fed her fairy tale obsession. Between all those influences and her serious glitter addiction, it wasn’t a surprise when she started writing stories of her own.

In her free time between writing and her day job as a Mechanical Engineer who designs and develops medical devices, she reads, dances, figure skates, and knits.

Isabel lives in New Jersey with her little black cat, too many books, and a closetful of vintage hats.

She is the author of the Ever After series, which includes:

Bookishly Ever After

Dramatically Ever After

Practically Ever After

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Lisa Aldin enjoys reading, blueberry muffins, and old romantic comedies. She received her BA in English from Purdue University and now lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and two cats.

She is the author of One of the Guys.

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Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot.

When she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure.

On leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from her kitchen window.

Lisa has been a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.

Her Spencer Hill Press books include: Fractured, Vision (won a 2014 Gold Moonbeam Award for Young Adult Horror/Mystery), and Until Beth.

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