Kathryn Purdie is the #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of The Forest Grimm duology, the Bone Grace duology, and the Burning Glass series. Trained in classical acting, she studied in England and met her husband when they were cast opposite each other in a Shakespeare play. They now live in Utah with their children and a tiny dog. Kathryn loves writing songs on her guitar for her characters and was inspired to write her first novel while recovering from donating a kidney to her older brother. You can find Kathryn at www.kathrynpurdie.com and on Instagram: kathrynpurdie

Reading and writing has been a passion of mine for most of my life and it's an absolute dream to work in the publishing industry. I am Senior Acquisitions Manager for Shadow Mountain Publishing where I work directly with authors on their novels and lead the process for each book's development from manuscript to print. I previously worked in marketing for Shadow Mountain, primarily creating content for social media, and networking with bloggers and influencers to generate reviews and buzz for new releases. 

David Rodeback writes mostly contemporary realism, long and short, but occasionally strays into historical fiction, near-future dystopia, and magic realism. His first novel appeared just a few weeks ago. He has published two award-winning collections of short fiction and is the League of Utah Writers 2025 Writer of the Year.

John Belk is an Associate Professor of English at Southern Utah University where he also directs the Composition Program. His poetry has recently appeared in Deseret Magazine, Sugar House Review, and Menagerie among others. 
His poetry collection, The Gardens of Our Childhoods, was featured in Poets & Writers Magazine and was selected as one of the best new poetry books of 2023 by the New York Public Library. His chapbook, The Weathering of Igneous Rockforms in High-Altitude Riparian Environments, is available from Cathexis Northwest.

JOHNNY WORTHEN is an award-winning, multiple-genre, hybrid, tie-dye-wearing author, voyager, and damn fine human being! Trained in literary criticism and cultural studies, he writes upmarket fiction, long and short, mentors others where he can, and teaches at the University of Utah.

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“I write what I like to read,” says Johnny. “That guarantees me at least one fan.”

Megan is an experienced educator, writer, consultant, and writing coach striving to make the world a better place through language, whether it’s helping students share their ideas in written and multimodal projects, composing my own creative works, working with non-profits on marketing & communications, or helping clients reach their goals. She holds a PhD in Composition and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University. 

Award-winning author and editor, John Olsen's work spans
multiple genres, and he loves stories about ordinary people stepping
up to do extraordinary things. His short stories have appeared in
dozens of anthologies. His novels include the Polecat Protocol science
fiction series, the Riland Throne fantasy series, High Hopes, a
historical military fantasy set in the JTF13 universe, and Foiled
Ambitions, a military SF novel set in the Four Horsemen universe.