Bella Mahaya Carter

Bella Mahaya Carter is a creative writing teacher, empowerment coach, speaker, and the author of an award-winning memoir, Raw: My Journey from Anxiety to Joy as well as a collection of narrative poems. She has worked with hundreds of writers since 2008 and has degrees in literature, film, and spiritual psychology. Her poetry, essays, fiction, and interviews have appeared in Mind, Body, Green; The Sun; Lilith; Fearless Soul; Writer’s Bone; Women Writers, Women’s Books; Chic Vegan; Bad Yogi Magazine; and several anthologies, among other works.

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John Galligan

John Galligan is the author of three books in the Heidi Kick mystery series: DEAD MAN DANCING, BAD AXE COUNTY, and the newest installment, BAD MOON RISING, as well as five other novels. In addition to his fiction writing, he has also worked as an award-winning journalist, a feature-film screenwriter, a house painter, an au pair, an ESL teacher, a cab driver, and a freezer boy in a salmon cannery. He teaches writing at Madison College, where his experience is enriched by students from every corner of the world.

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, John is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Policy and a masters in English Literature.

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Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is an international bestselling author whose novels have risen to number one on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list, making him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved that milestone. His books are published in 38 languages and he has sold over 500 million copies.

The New York Times has called his writing “psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying” and Rolling Stone has hailed him as “America’s most popular suspense novelist.” His latest collection of stories, entitled /Nameless Season Two/, is available now on Amazon and is sure to both delight his current fans and attract new ones.

Dean lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

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Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson

Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson are the writing team behind the #1 bestselling Tier One series. Brian is a nuclear engineer who served as an officer on a fast-attack submarine and Jeff is a trauma vascular surgeon who conducted combat operations with an East Coast-based SEAL team. Along with their newest book, SONS OF VALOR, their other novels include the Shepherds series and installments in W.E.B. Griffin’s Presidential Agent series.

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Don Bentley

Don Bentley spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot during which time he was stationed in South Korea, Germany, and Texas. While deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Don was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with “V” device for valor. Following his time in the military, Don worked as an FBI Special Agent and was a member of the Dallas Office SWAT team. 

Since leaving the FBI, Don has worked for a number of companies that develop technology for the U.S. Special Operations Community. He holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University, and an M.F.A in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Don is the author of the Matt Drake thriller series including WITHOUT SANCTION, THE OUTSIDE MAN, and two forth coming titles, as well as TARGET ACQUIRED, a Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. novel.

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Lisa Cron

Lisa Cron is a story coach, speaker, and the author of Wired for Story, Story Genius, and Story or Die. She has previously worked as a literary agent, a television producer, and a story consultant for Warner Brothers and The William Morris Agency, among others, and has served on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative. Since 2006, she has also taught in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Lisa lives in Santa Monica, California and currently advises writers, nonprofits, educators, and journalists on the art and craft of story.

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Liv Constantine

Liv Constantine is the pen name of sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Together, they are the bestselling author of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Last Mrs. Parrish, The Last Time I Saw You, The Wife Stalker, and The Stranger in the Mirror (coming July 2021). Their critically acclaimed books have been praised by USA Today, The Sunday Times, People Magazine, and Good Morning America, among many others. Lynne and Valerie are national and international bestselling authors and their books have been translated into 28 languages, are available in 33 countries, and are in development for both television and film.

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Zena Dell Lowe

Zena Dell Lowe has worked professionally in the entertainment industry for over 20 years as a writer, producer, director, actress, and story consultant. She has won numerous awards for her work as a writer, and she also has several feature film projects in development through her independent production company, Mission Ranch Films. In addition to her work as a filmmaker, Zena hosts “The Storyteller’s Mission with Zena Dell Lowe,” a podcast designed to serve the whole artist, not just to focus on craft.

In 2021, Zena launched The Storyteller’s Mission Online Platform, where she offers advanced classes and other key services to writers. Zena loves story and supporting storytellers. Her passion is to equip artists of all levels to achieve excellence at their craft, so that they will truly have everything they need to change the world for the better through story.

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Simon Gervais

Simon Gervais was born in Montréal, Québec, and joined the Canadian military as an infantry officer, later commissioning as a second lieutenant. During his time in the military, Simon received extensive training in advanced reconnaissance and small-unit tactics. In 2001, he became a federal agent, and over the next eleven years served as both a drug investigator and a close-protection specialist tasked with guarding foreign heads of state visiting Canada. Among many others, he served on the protection details of Queen Elizabeth II and United States President Barack Obama. In 2012, Simon was transferred to his organization’s counter-surveillance unit, but in May 2014 he returned to his former unit to serve as a bodyguard for the American and Israeli ambassadors to Canada until his retirement in September 2014.

Simon is now a full-time New York Times and #1 Amazon bestselling author and a member of International Thriller Writers. He, his wife, and their two children divide their time between Ottawa, Miami, and The Bahamas. He’s an avid skier and boating enthusiast.

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Mike Maden

Mike Maden grew up working in the canneries, feed mills, and slaughterhouses of California’s San Joaquin Valley. A lifelong fascination with history and warfare ultimately lead to a Ph.D. in political science focused on conflict and technology in international relations. Years later he earned a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary. Like millions of others, he first became a Tom Clancy fan after reading THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. He began his published fiction career in the same techno-thriller genre, starting with DRONE and its sequels, and in 2017 joined “The Campus” as a writer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Jr., series starting with POINT OF CONTACT. LINE OF SIGHT, ENEMY CONTACT and FIRING POINT followed, each hitting #3 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Mike is currently working on an exciting new franchise that has yet to be announced…

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