•
Diane L. Andersen
(top row, left)
is the author of two novellas (
Papa’s Portrait; Ben’s Christmas Treasury
) and an upcoming novel series based on the historic 1820 Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House in Edwardsville, Ill. The first book in the series titled,
Across Unstill Waters
, is soon to be released by Amika Press of Chicago. Diane is currently working on the next book in the series. She lives in Southern Illinois where she is an avid supporter of living history and historical preservation.
•
Sela Carsen
(top row, center)
is an award-winning author of paranormal and sci-fi romance — with or without sex and dead bodies. Your pick. She maintains a permanent nerd-on for fairytales and mythology, and openly hoards reference books about obscure folklore. Born a wanderer, she and her family have finally settled in the Midwest. Until they move again, at least.
• Elizabeth Donald
(top row, right)
is a dark fiction writer fond of things that go chomp in the night. She is a three-time winner of the Darrell Award for speculative fiction, finalist for the Prism Award and has been a frequent speaker and contributing essayist on fiction writing and journalism ethics for more than a decade. She is the author of the
Nocturnal Urges
and
Blackfire
novel series, founder of the Literary Underworld author cooperative and chairman of the Eville Writers, as well as president of the St. Louis Society of Professional Journalists and a member of the SPJ Ethics Commission. She is currently pursuing a masters in media studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she is a teaching assistant. She is also a freelance journalist, editor and photographer. In her spare time, she has no spare time.
•
Jimmy Gillentine
(row two, left)
is a horror-romance author born and raised in Memphis, lending a southern flavor to his creatures of the night. His debut novel,
Of Blood and the Moon
, was first runner-up for the Darrell Award in 2009. His most recent release is
Heart of the Beast
, published in 2018 by Pro Se Press. He is currently completing a bachelor’s degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in English literature and philosophy with a minor in creative writing.
•
Ticia Rani
(row two, center) is the proud mother of two amazing daughters, the blessed wife of a man she still can’t resist, a veteran of the USAF, and a lover of words. She finds peace in the stories she tells and looks forward to sharing more with you.
• Adrienne D'nelle Ruvalcaba
(row two, right)
is
from southeast Texas. After high school, she joined the U.S. Army and served four years at Fort Campbell, Ky. Following her army days, and one failed attempt at marriage, she and her two children relocated so she could enroll in the engineering program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. While there, she completed her bachelor's degree in civil engineering with a concentration in structural analysis. Also while at SIU, she was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. This diagnosis significantly changed her life. Since the onset of SLE, she has learned a lot about those close to her and even more about herself.
After a few years of struggling to accept lupus as part of her life, she has come to a more peaceful place and no longer lets her disease define who she is. Adrienne has a love of writing that dates back to grade school, and she often takes solace in the many worlds she creates in her imagination. She writes women's fiction and romance, and her books are meant purely for emotional fulfillment, enjoyment, and sweet escapism. Real life is difficult enough, and she believes we all need a little break from it sometimes.
•
Charles Schwend
(row three, left)
is the author of Home Made Cordials, Better Than Bought, The Keys and Other Short Stories, The Palace of Virtual Reality, Dragon Dreams, The Magical Switch, Words to Read, and Gulag #7: The Authorized Biography of Karl Heinz Lawrenz. His work is available from the author, Amazon, Quill to Book Publishing and major bookstores.
•
Ruth E. “I can write about anything!”
®
Thaler-Carter
(row three, center)
is a successful, award-winning writer/editor/proofreader who also owns a company that hosts an annual conference for freelancers and one that helps aspiring authors get published. She is the author/publisher of
Get Paid to Write! Getting Started as a Freelance Writer
, author of
Freelancing 101: Launching Your Editorial Business
for the Editorial Freelancers Association, and author of the short story “Sometimes You Save the Cat …” for the
Cat Tales 4
anthology. Thaler-Carter provides articles, editing, proofreading, website critiques and updates, and more to publications, associations, businesses, not-for-profit organizations and individuals.
She has received awards for her writing and editing skills, contributions to the Rochester, NY-area literary community, and support of fellow freelancers. She is a popular presenter at organization conferences and in webinars about freelancing, websites, editing and proofreading, grammar, and other topics related to the world of writing, editing/proofreading and publishing.
