My name is Kimberly Van Sickle, a retired educator and plot junkie. Books, movies, short stories, television programs, even poetry...if it has a compelling storyline, I'm in! I attempt to write that which grabs my attention when I read.

Fatima Pimienta got her degree in English Literature from Seattle University and completed her PMP from Cornell. She lives in San Diego, CA, where she loves her cubicle 9-to-5 job, the community theater scene, and the quick commute to visit her family in Mexico.

I draw inspiration from the temperate rain forest and people who interact with its varied range and depth. We are on the threshold of changing the environment in ways we have not imagined. The negativity of not only the politics of the world but the implications of climate change have caused us to abandon our commitment to people in our lives in favor of defending our perception of a world that has been created to question facts and truth.

I was born in Sri Lanka, moved to England at the age of 18, and studied Nursing and Midwifery. Later, I studied Classical Homeopathy and Hakomi Therapy. My interest in Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta brought me in touch with the Spirit.

Cammy Marble grew up on a farm and in the woods listening to what God and Nature had to say. She currently lives on a two-acre country property in Missouri with her husband, Ken, and their young granddaughter. A graduate of the University of Central Missouri, she has been a homeschooler and tutor for 20 years. She enjoys teaching, gardening, drawing, volunteering, and plays several musical instruments. The Holidays in Trees series came to her in a vivid, nighttime dream. The creativity and humor in her artwork and writing are a reflection of her approach to life.

As an author whose formative years were spent as a hippie in San Francisco, Howchi Kilburn continues to chart the course of those who experienced dramatic and simultaneous openings to the sensual/sexual and spiritual sides of human nature. His themes include explorations of gender identity, the ongoing discovery of True Self, and new understandings of relationship and sexuality. Sacred pleasure is a concept which provides a departure point for a long exploration of the potential for ecstatic reverential unity in human relationships and communities.

Tamara Anderson is a pediatric speech language pathologist, education specialist, and consultant with a passion for language and literacy. From an early age, she was captivated by stories, especially those that were set in various places around the world. She is originally from Saint Andrew, Jamaica and lived in Miami, Florida for many years. She now resides in the metro Atlanta, Georgia area.

Barbara de la Cuesta taught and worked as a journalist in South America. Out of this experience came her two prize winning novels, The Spanish Teacher, winner of the Gival Press Award in 2007, and Rosa, winner of the Driftless Novella Prize from Brain Mill Press in 2017. Fellowships in fiction from the Massachusetts Artists’ Foundation, and the New Jersey Council on the Arts, as well as residencies at the Ragdale Foundation, The Virginia Center, and the Millay Colony, have allowed her to complete these novels. Her story collection, The Place Where Judas Lost His Boots, has recently won the Brighthorse Prize.

Diane is an award-winning essayist, memoirist, and poet. She served as Westport, CT’s inaugural Poet Laureate from 2019-2022. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Brain, Child and Brevity Blog, and she writes a regular column, Everything’s an Essay. Her first memoir, Nothing But Blue, was published in 2018, and her latest, The Undiscovered Country: Seeing Myself Through Shakespeare’s Eyes, was published in September 2023.

Shanita Liu, MPA, CPC, is a mom of three warriors, veteran spouse, salsa dancer, TEDx speaker, and Fulbright Scholar. She created Coach Shanita, Inc. so that she could use her skills as a transformational coach, reiki master, mystic, and speaker to help folks live victorious lives.