I was a member of the Tafelmusik Orchestra, Toronto, for over thirty-five years. At first, I was the principle second violin, then a section player and occasionally a violist. Tafelmusik and the Lumieres Quartet were the core of my performance career in music.
Born into a racially mixed military family, raised in a Catholic orphanage and adopted later on.
Carly Kaye is a Tennessee-based single mom and romance author. When not playing with her kids, Carly wears many (chic) hats: author, copy editor, and travel agent. She was inspired by her tenure as an English teacher and research as an English major/ reader of the classics, to write a balance of humor, angst, spice, the different faces love wears, and yearning. Her debut is a redemption arc for an infamous female character, and for all women given a label. For more information on A Lady of Means, book recs, and previews of what’s next, she is on social media: @carlywritesandreads.
Tended by the green thumb of Andrea Jones, the Neverland grows ever more gripping. Like Mr. and Mrs. Darling, Mrs. Jones raised three children. Author of the Hook & Jill Saga – a series of literary Neverland novels intended for adult readers – Jones is also the editor of a classics restoration program. In tribute to J.M. Barrie, she returned the story that will never grow old to its 1911 origins in Peter and Wendy: The Restored Text (Reginetta Press). Jones studied literature at the University of Illinois and worked in television production at CBS and PBS affiliates. With her additional training in theatre, Jones garners a rich harvest as a storyteller extraordinaire.
L’Travia Crawford is an author, currently living in NC, who writes from the raw edges of the heart, exploring the beauty and ache of love, the quiet devastation of heartbreak, and the strength found in healing. When not writing, L’Travia finds comfort in baking delicious baked goods, or spending time with her pet Simba, always seeking the small moments of softness that make life worth savoring.
Miranda Serra is an Army veteran and an aspiring television and film screenwriter. She resides in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband of thirty-five years, Juan Serra. She was blessed with four beautiful children and currently has five grandchildren, with a sixth on the way. Miranda draws on authentic global issues and thought-provoking narratives as a springboard for creating compelling characters for her books, pilots, and features. The belief in celebrating the uniqueness of all individuals and cherishing the human spirit is an integral part of who she is.
I’m an indie author who focuses on dark romance, mythology, and poetry words. My first book, and currently only book, is Dear Nobody. It’s a collection of letters I’ve never sent, just as the title appears! I’m working on a trilogy series right now based around Norse mythology.
Heini Talip is a Texas-based Finnish author and poet. She has been published in several anthologies and three solo books, the latest being her poetry book Burn and Pronounce Your Name. She also enjoys writing fiction, currently testing out her storytelling skills on various online platforms like Inkitt. Heini lives in Texas with her husband and cat. She publishes her work regularly on her poetry account on Instagram @missfinnpoet.
I was born in Staffordshire in 1959 and spent over forty years in the insurance industry, ten years of which were as a loss adjuster. For those who are unfamiliar with the role, a loss adjuster is a professional claims specialist appointed by an insurance company to assess an individual’s or company’s claim from an impartial viewpoint.
J.B. Bozie is a Ghanaian author, storyteller, and creative strategist whose work blends African mythology, futuristic science, and intimate human emotion. She is the mind behind MISFIT, a multi-era, time-bending novel that threads together 699 AD Binju lore and the raw coming-of-age journey of a mysterious girl on the verge of a spiritual awakening.
Scott Crain was taught in Broward County, Florida public schools and educated in South Florida bars and stages. As a singer-songwriter, he has long been drawn to stories of the struggle, of love and pay checks that are not enough; of families that work like families should, to a point; of triumph and failure as it is lived in humid, sticky circumstances. Now, he is turning that eye to poetry. A familiar face on the South Florida music scene, Scott has been part of a number of bands. He also runs independent record label Unfiltered Southern Grit. His writing mixes humor and indignation, cold-eyed realism and hard-won optimism. He is an exciting young voice whose words thrive on the page as well as they have when coming from a microphone.
L.B. McGrimm is an American space fantasy author who lives a quiet life in Indianapolis with his wife and dogs.
Brian Martin has a long love of and fascination with medieval history. He studied history at The University of Texas at Austin with the intent to become a history professor, but life took a different course. Although he spent thirty-five years working in the software industry, Brian never lost his love of medieval history and studied it as a hobby while also enjoying medieval reenactment. Brian still lives in the Austin area and has been happily married to the love of his life, Pam, for thirty-two years. They have one son, Trevor, and a rescue dog.
I grew up in Hampshire, in the south of England. I have always loved reading and books, as my father is an avid reader and every house I grew up in had literally thousands of books! I studied German at university, which opened up German literature to me; however, like many other people, upon graduating, I had nothing more to do with my degree, although I like to keep up my language skills by reading German when I can.
Breezy Grooms is a fantasy author with a passion for mythology, dragons, and epic storytelling. She weaves tales of gods, warriors, and destiny, bringing rich worlds and unforgettable characters to life. When she’s not writing, she’s diving into folklore, dreaming up new adventures, or getting lost in a good book. She also shares her creative space with her cat Natalie, who oversees all writing sessions with regal indifference.
Nick Clement is an educator, children’s author and founder of Chi Education and Confident Healthy Active Me CIC. A former primary school teacher, he now creates movement-rich, mindful stories that help children build confidence, emotional wellbeing, and a love of active learning. Drawing on his background in sport, coaching, and child development, Nick’s books are designed to get young children moving, imagining, and feeling good about themselves. His mission is simple: To help every child feel confident, healthy and active through joyful, accessible storytelling.
I’m an independent author with a lifelong love for storytelling. Before writing books, I trained as a performer in NYC at a prominent acting academy and later worked in Disney’s entertainment department. Both experiences strengthened my passion for bringing characters, emotions, and entire worlds to life.
Not far from here, there have been sightings of a strange silhouette roaming the night using a jar of lightning bugs as a lantern. These sightings suggest that he paces back and forth and only stops when he finds a fallen animal at his feet. On this occasion, this man can be seen kneeling down and reciting a eulogy for the roadkill before beginning to pace again. There are rumors that this odd fellow is none other than Alec B. Hood, the author of this collection. However, the only firsthand account of this man’s face offers a chilling revelation; that this man has no face at all. The eyewitness describes a skull with scattered freckles instead of some skin and a smile. If this account is to be believed, this could not be Mr. Hood, and as a result, this small story is completely irrelevant.
Deborah Jennings is an environmental lawyer, retired from a global law firm. She was a partner for thirty-four years. The author is the mother of adopted twins and herself an adoptee who didn’t learn she was adopted until she was thirty-two years old. She wrote this memoir about the discovery of her adoption and ensuing international search for her origins. She grew up in very modest circumstances but discovered an illustrious biological family, including a grandfather who was a political figure and John Kennedy appointee and a grandmother who was from the Yucatan and graduated from Cambridge University. She is a former board member of Adoptions Together, now named Paths for Families, in Washington, DC.
Elizabeth Eastwood is a retired editor, developer, writer, and publisher of curriculum materials and textbooks for elementary school students. A former teacher, she produced teaching guides and authored articles and newsletters about best practices. In the early 1990s, she adopted two Peruvian children as a single woman and raised them in a suburb of San Francisco. This is her first trade book.