Mike Norris lives in County Durham with his wife Kayleigh, their daughters Eleanor and Imogen, and their three needy cats. This is his first novel. When Mike isn’t pondering the inner workings of the AfterLife, he presents the popular podcast ‘My Classic Album’, where musicians share their love for their all-time favourite album.
Madeline has contributed to books and documentaries about music including Stardust: The David Bowie Story (1985), The Wild One – The Story of Iggy Pop (1988), Mick Ronson: The Spider with the Platinum Hair (2003), and The Nomi Song (Klaus Nomi documentary, 2005). Madeline was a staff writer at CMJ from its inception in 1978. She has contributed to a variety of magazines including Mojo, Dazed & Confused, and Goldmine.
Katherine Briggs crafted her first monster story at age three. Since graduating from crayons to laptop, she continues to devour and weave fantasy tales while enjoying oolong or chai tea. She, her co-adventurer husband, and their rescue dog reside outside Houston, where she classically educates amazing middle school students, teaches ESL to adults, and studies other languages.
I have been married to my wonderful husband for ten years (as of 2023) and we have two beautiful daughters. I work part-time at my daughter’s school while being a stay-at-home mom as well. I also am a shop owner on Etsy and my shop name is SarahsPoeticPrints. I sell some digital prints of my poems since I do write for special occasions too. I have two self-published books on Amazon. The first one is called In Between the Lines and the second and most recent one is called Seasons of Change. I am also a mental health advocate on social media because I want to help as many people as I can by spreading awareness and positivity through my writing/poems.
Aylish Dowsett is an award-winning writer, tutor, and copywriter. She teaches creative writing at The Writers’ Studio, The Writing Quarter, Creative Writing Ink, and SGSCC. Her work has been published in Mythrill Fiction, Collider, Grapeshot, The Quarry, and many others. She loves cats and all things weird and British.
I’d love to say I head to a cozy little cafe I know and write there each day, with a coffee and fresh baked pastry, because that’s how I’d like to write…but actually most of my writing takes place in my bed each day, with my morning cuppa by my side, before the demands of my day take over…
J. Rose Black weaves stories about obsession, redemption, and the transcendental power of love. From her early days writing fanfiction for a passionate following of international readers, to crafting novels with her own characters, Rose has always been drawn to broody protectors and plucky, no-nonsense women ready to fight for what they believe in.
Marlene M. Bell is an eclectic mystery writer, artist, and photographer from beautiful East Texas. She and her husband Gregg have over 40 years of raising sheep together and currently have a flock of Katahdin Hair Sheep.
Over the last year, coming back to writing after a long health and caring forced break, I have had a poem, articles and letters printed in The Writers’ Forum Magazine, before its closure, and short stories shortlisted. I have entered various competitions with NYC Midnight and took part in Mary Adkins’ 10,000 Words in 10 Days Challenge. I am currently doing a creative non-fiction course with Nicole Breit.
Matthew Moody is an imaginative storyteller and a passionate advocate for fostering a love of reading in young minds. With a flair for mystery and an understanding of the curious minds of children, he captivates young readers with an engaging detective book series designed specifically for children aged 7 to 11.
Sherry Buckley-Brown is a resilient survivor, an inspiring life coach, and an emerging force in the world of motivational speaking. She found her strength through the most challenging circumstances, transforming a traumatic event into a powerful message of hope and empowerment. Born into a life marked by domestic violence, Sherry experienced unimaginable loss at the tender age of 12 when she tragically lost her mom to domestic violence. In her book, Who Will Take Care of Me Now?, Sherry shares her journey through the depths of despair, detailing the emotional turmoil and struggles she faced.
Helen Summer is the author of three sports books: Running Crazy (true stories from people who have run over 100 marathons), Are You Tough Enough? (featuring the toughest sporting challenges in the world), and The Man Inside the Machine (approved biography of Steve Edwards, one of the World’s most successful multi-marathon runners). More recently turning to fiction, she has now completed a romcom entitled Semi-Detached—a light-hearted tale of two divorced couples whose pasts won’t let go of them—or is it them who can’t let go of their pasts?
I’ve tried my hand at poetry, short stories, and screenwriting. I’m currently working on my first novel while taking the Ultimate Novel Writing Course at Jericho Writers. I am a member of the London Writers’ Salon writing community and find it supportive and empowering. I plan to publish under the penname Tiana Dunbar.
Ingrid received a BFA in Creative Writing and BA in English Literature at the University of Evansville before going on to earn a BA and MSci in Natural Sciences (Physics) at the University of Cambridge. At the University of Evansville, she served as Non-fiction Editor, then Editor-in-Chief of the Evansville Review. Ingrid currently serves as Co-Director of the UK’s National Flash Fiction Day, Editor-in-Chief of FlashFlood, and a consultant for The Prose Poem.
Amanda Waters is a former journalist-turned-librarian, and author of the feel-good romance novels You Again and With You. She’s a midwestern girl currently living in Houston, Texas, with her husband and their two children. When she’s not writing or hiding from the humidity, you can find her reading, drinking way too much coffee, or playing endless games of UNO and Exploding Kittens.
Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the Book Magic mysteries, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, and the Bread Shop Mysteries, written as Winnie Archer. A former secondary English/Language Arts teacher and Creative Writing teacher with Southern Methodist University’s CAPE program and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institution with North Carolina State University, she has applied her love of teaching to the creation of WriterSpark Academy, an online school for aspiring and new writers seeking to hone their craft.
Stephanie always intended to write a novel but it wasn’t until 2004 when she was shortlisted for the BBC End of Story Competition that she believed it might be possible. That was the motivation to develop The Memory of Wood, which she self-published in 2011.
Under her own name, Sue Eaton has had work broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as well as winning a Millennium Award for work with scriptwriting for people with ASD. In addition to stories in The Corona Book of Horror Stories series, her story The Tasc Band appears in The Corona Book of Science Fiction. Her debut novel The Woman Who Was Not His Wife was published in 2018 followed by a psychological horror novella The Boyfriend published in 2021 as an e-book. She has also edited The Corona Book of Ghost Stories.
Scott lives and writes in a small village an hour north of Inverness, where he is encouraged daily by his wife Rachel. He has self-published six novels, two collections (both containing both poems and short stories), a malt whisky companion, and a book on cocktails. He is currently writing three more novels (all in separate genres), alongside a book on literary criticism and an Ancient Greek Theogony in the creative form. He is also completing the final semester of his honour’s degree in Creative Writing; works full-time; and sleeps less than the average giraffe. He plans to work on his Masters in Comparative Literature come the fall.
Ryan Jo Summers is an author who writes across the genres. She pens romance novels, blending elements of sweet contemporary with inspirational, suspense, mystery, paranormal, and time travel in any combination, like blending a fruit and yogurt smoothie. Currently, she has about two dozen published novels and novellas, as well as contributions to anthologies. She covers non-fiction, fictional short stories, and poetry of these and many have appeared in trade journals and magazines. In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her pets, bake, paint, go to the nearby forest and river, or gather with friends.