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CLAIRE WINN Since graduating from Northwestern University, Claire has worked as a technical/content writer, freelance editor, and an editorial intern for Filles Vertes Publishing. On the creative side, she builds props and armor for cosplay and writes storylines for LARP games—in addition to battling with boffer swords. Her primary artistic ambition is crafting science fiction and fantasy novels with vivid worlds and powerful female leads. A gamer at heart, she writes books that are fast-paced, immersive, and driven by fierce, flawed characters. Books: CITY OF SHATTERED LIGHT (Flux, 2021) |
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B.C. MATTHEWS B.C. Matthews spent her childhood writing about the epic wars between clans of sentient feral cats and untamed mutant dogs. Now, she pens character driven stories of nightmare creatures with charming smiles, friends who become found family, and robots with all the feelings. When she's not tending to her expanding reptile horde, you can find her taking pictures of any cute animal she comes across, singing mash-ups karaoke-style, or beatboxing (poorly) in elevators. |
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KEALA KENDALL Keala Kendall (pronounced: kay-ah-luh) was born and raised in Hawaii, splitting her time between a remote Molokai farm and urban Oahu. She went to school for screenwriting and surprised everyone—herself included—when she finished a novel instead. She's a gym-obsessed runner, gamer, and baker. Her secret powers include messing up idioms, learning pop culture references two years too late, and watching franchise movies out of order. But her biggest secret is that she peaked in college when she was crowned her major's "video game expert". Truth be told, she's been seeking that level of validation again, but knows lightning never strikes twice. After graduating, she married her best friend and now lives in Los Angeles writing mixed-race characters like herself. |
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JESSICA KARA Jess is a professional author and artist. She holds a BFA in Technical Theatre with a focus in Stage Management, and worked in theatre for a decade before leaving that life to focus on writing. She has published an indie fantasy series (under Jess E. Owen) and is now diving headlong into contemporary YA! She currently resides in the mountains of northwest Montana with her husband and their good doggo, Sparks. Jess drinks a lot of coffee, loves music, live theatre, nature and travel and Renaissance art. Her stories, whether fantastic or contemporary, are Noblebright at their core, with a belief in the power of kindness, and the faith that good will overcome. Books: A FURRY FAUX PAW (Page Street, 2022) |
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TANYA PELL Tanya Pell is a professional dream chaser. After spending a decade as a high school teacher, she left the classroom to write and edit academic pieces on everything from fairy tales to video games. At some point, she joined the circus and spent some time as an aerial arts instructor. Now, she writes stories filled with trauma, hope, and puns. And maybe magic and monsters… Tanya lives just across the South Carolina border from the city of Charlotte where you can catch her performing aerial or emceeing from time to time. She drinks bougie coffee and loves video games, logging upwards of 3000 hours on the Dragon Age franchise alone, so she clearly cannot be shamed. When she isn’t writing or hanging from her lyra or contortion loops, she is focused on her family: raising two Hobbits to be kind people, helping her husband find what is right in front of him, and acting as emotional support human to their rescue dog. |