Once Upon a Dance
Terrel is a dance educator and storyteller who believes in the transformative power of movement. Through her passion project, Once Upon a Dance, she’s published 42 interactive children’s books that weave whimsical stories with joyful movement.
With her daughter—a former Pacific Northwest Ballet Professional Division student—as the featured ballerina, Terrel brings movement into storytime, encouraging creativity, confidence, and self-expression in young readers.
Each book invites kids to stretch, twirl, leap, and imagine alongside positive characters—from dancing cats to ballerina zombies. Whether reading with a caregiver or moving along in the classroom, children are gently guided to explore feelings, movement, and connection through play.
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Roxie Fiste
Horses and ponies have always fascinated me. At least since I was old enough to walk. I began drawing them as soon as I could hold a crayon. Today, I enjoy not only creating new characters, but also helping children expand their imaginations through art and storytelling.
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I created my “Ali” character during my junior year in high school.
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Philip Reari
Philip Reari is a Washington, D.C.-based writer and editor working by day to reduce industrial pollution and enforce environmental laws and by morning and evening to compose fiction and raise children. Previously a climate reporter, his work has been published by Dissent, Grist, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, n+1, Wired, and many others. His first book, “Eat Your Damn Vegetables,” was shortlisted for the Santa Fe Literary Awards. His second book, “Earth Jumped Back,” will be published by Black Rose Writing on July 18, 2024.
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Nicholas James Wagner
Nicholas James Wagner is a writer and independent filmmaker from Virginia. His notable works include the short story collections Bedlam Trances and Razor Country, as well as the novellas Tout, A Ruin of Mercies and Her Soft Hours. He wrote and directed the films Shelter for the Bloodstained Soul and The Holy Sound. His stories have also appeared on The No Sleep Podcast and in publications such as Frontier Tales Magazine.
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Kurt D. Springs
Kurt D. Springs is presently an adjunct professor teaching anthropology, archaeology, and geography in New Hampshire. He holds a PhD. in anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as a Master of Literature in archaeology from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a Master of Liberal Arts in anthropology and archaeology from the Harvard University Extension School. His main area of interest is megalithic landscapes in prehistoric Ireland.
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Jennifer Ward
Jennifer Ward is the author of more than 25 award-winning nonfiction and fiction books for children and adults.
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Her books have been translated into many languages and featured in Martha Stewart's Living, Ranger Rick, on NPR, television's Animal Planet network, and on many popular blogs such as Soule Mama.
Most of Jennifer's books are inspired by science and nature and artfully combine elements of STEM & literacy.
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Deborah Heiligman
Deborah Heiligman has been writing for children since she worked at Scholastic News soon after college. Since then she has written more than thirty books for children and teens. Her books include picture books, both fiction and nonfiction, and young adult nonfiction and fiction. Some titles: Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, a National Book Award finalist; The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos, a Cook Prize Winner and Orbis Pictus honor; Intentions, a Sydney Taylor Award winner, and a picture book series about Tinka the dog. Her latest book is Vincent and Theo: The van Gogh Brothers. For more information please visit www.DeborahHeiligman.com
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Rob Scotton
Rob Scotton is the bestselling author and illustrator of "Russell the Sheep," and "Russell and the Lost Treasure." His latest book, "Splat the Cat" is the story of a young cat facing all the wonders and worries of his first day at cat school. Rob's work can also be found on greeting cards, ceramics, textiles, prints, stationery, and glassware. An honors graduate of Leicester Polytechnic, Rob now lives in Rutland, England, with his wife, Liz, who is also an artist.
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Aaron Zenz
Aaron Zenz is the author and illustrator of The Hiccupotamus. He is the illustrator of 9 additional children's books as well.
Aaron lives in West Michigan. In addition to writing and illustrating, he also frequently visits schools and libraries where he inspires kids to read and write through fun, interactive programs."
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Janice Garden Macdonald
I'm a Canadian mother and grandmother with a passion for writing. I've been lucky enough to receive a number of awards in different genres including the Zoetrope short fiction award and the Moondance Film Festival award for an animated screenplay.
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I'm a recipient of a Canada Council Grant for my efforts in the short story genre.
Years ago, I was the happy owner of a modest bookstore, where I spent endless hours reading on the slow days, (of which there were far too many) and writing my own stories on the other slow days!
I love to entertain children and I believe there is nothing so fine as a book that can make you smile.
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Adrian Deans
Adrian Deans is a lawyer, journalist and novelist. He has been writing seriously for 30 years and in that time has seen his darkly comic speculative fiction stories gradually morph into darkly comic crime - then back to spec fiction. His novels, Mr Cleansheets (Vulgar Press, 2010) and Straight Jacket (High Horse, 2013) received some critical acclaim and Straight Jacket was optioned by Ealing Studios in the UK. The Fighting Man was his debut historical novel (High Horse, 2017), but in 2020 he blended offbeat crime with spec fiction to produce Welcome to Ord City. His latest novel, Asparagus Grass (2023), sees Adrian on the edge of science fiction and firmly entrenched among Australia's more original storytellers.
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V. Moua
V. Moua is the author and illustrator of the SAMMY BIRD series, which is comprised of over 200 books. He is constantly adding more stories to the series and his goal is to publish over 500 books in his lifetime. Visit his website at vmoua.com to see the latest updates and new releases.
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Craig Leener
Despite being relatively earthbound most of the time, Craig Leener has long maintained a keen interest in space travel. He’s also a big fan of basketball, having immersed himself in the game since his youth as a player, coach, referee, fan and, later in life, as a sportswriter.
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Craig has an above-average ability to go to his left and maintains a solid perimeter jumper. His free-throw percentage on his backyard home court is an implausible 87% — and to this day, that number remains 100% officially unverified. And what the author lacks in foot speed, leaping ability, and defense, he makes up for in court smarts and postgame snacks.
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Joey Acker
Joey Acker is an award winning and #1 best selling author and illustrator. He created 'The Worst Book in the Whole Entire World' and is the co-author and illustrator of the Thoughtful Bots and Wonder Who Crew series. He loves writing read-aloud books for the classroom and educators in 'The Wonder Who Crew Series'. He also enjoys creating beyond silly and "non-educational" books for children and parents who just want to have a good laugh in the 'Entire World Books' series!
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Cheryl DaVeiga
Award-winning author and songwriter, Cheryl DaVeiga loves making people laugh through her Biff Bam Booza books and sing-along songs.
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Her stories are packed with humor, rhyme, and pun-filled wordplay—fun for the whole family!
A former business executive from New Jersey, Cheryl’s true passion was always music. A late-night songwriting habit inspired by her then seven-year-old nephew turned into a full creative shift. She began writing and recording children’s songs as the cartoon character CADi Grace, and she was hooked! That playful beginning led to award-winning adult songs—including an ASCAP honor for a veterans’ anthem, the featured song for Alabama’s Bicentennial, the theme for the Where Angels Play Foundation, and a top summer pick by NJ -
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Valinora Troy
Valinora Troy is a Children’s Fantasy writer, living in Ireland.
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She recently completed an MA in Creative Writing specialising in Children’s & Young Adult fiction. She has published short horror stories for adults.
She has recently served as a round 1 judge in the CYBILS award, elementary/middlegrade speculative fiction. -
Robert Rivenbark
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It’s perhaps a cliché to say one person can make a huge difference in your life—except in the case of someone like Mrs. Lee, my sixth-grade homeroom and English teacher at Sagamore Hills Grammar School in Atlanta. She changed mine, profoundly, by making me the class playwright and short story writer. In my clumsy but passionate initial attempts at writing, I discovered my calling. Now that I’ve published my speculative fiction novel The Cloud (details at www.thecloudnovel.com) I hope I can find my beloved teacher. I’d like to hug and thank her with tears of gratitude in my eyes.
My passion for writing eventually landed me in Oxford and London, England, where I earned a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Antioch University, on the stren -
Lloyd Jeffries
Lloyd Jeffries enjoys dark comedies, philosophy, clever turns of phrase, religious studies and thought experiments involving the esoteric and legendary. A decorated veteran of numerous conflicts, he served in the U.S. military and has practiced Emergency, Trauma and Wilderness medicine for more than twenty years. He hides out in Florida with his family and Buck the Wonder Dog.
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Tristen Kozinski
Keegan and Tristen Kozinski, and their two sisters, were homeschooled. They were encouraged to try many things, but not television, online gaming, social media, and the other various technology devices. Their mother read aloud to all of us extensively and encouraged us to read, read, read, and then read some more. They played family boardgames at least one day a week, (playing board games with the family is still one of their favorite things to do) occasionally went to the movies, spent hours at book stores just reading, we hiked, we swam, tried camping but nobody really liked it.
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Keegan spent hours building knex, but never got into legos. He has taken online drawing classes with Glenn Vilppu and CGMA academy.
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Lee Orlich Bertram
Biography of Novelist and Poet Lee Orlich Bertram
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June 2024
American novelist and poet Lee Orlich Bertram hails originally from Los Angeles coming from a family with deep roots in the former Yugoslavia and Germany. She currently makes her home on the beautiful Palouse in Moscow, Idaho. Lee earned her BA, MA, and PhD from the University of California, Irvine and her JD from the University of Idaho.
Lee began her professional life originally in K-12 education, holding positions from teacher to superintendent of schools. She moved to Idaho to attend law school and set up her law practice in the states of Idaho and Washington. She still practices law while writing and for the last several years has taught business law and the law of international -
Chris Coppel
Chris Coppel was born in California. His family moved to Europe, living in Spain, France, Switzerland and mainly England. He has written numerous screenplays but Far From Burden Dell is his first novel. He taught advanced screenwriting at U.C.L.A.
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Chris is also an accomplished drummer and guitarist. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Clare, and their very own scaredy-cat, Samantha. -
Donna Sundblad
Donna Sundblad is a gifted author of young adult fantasy, celebrated for weaving captivating tales filled with prophecies, quests, and the timeless struggle between good and evil. With a rich background as a freelance writer, editor, and ghostwriter, Donna now devotes her energy to crafting imaginative novels that highlight themes of friendship, adventure, and meaningful life lessons.
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Her recent works, published through Next Chapter Publishing, include The Inheritance (a Christian fantasy allegory), Beyond the Fifth Gate, and Windwalker.
Donna is also immersed in her Dragon's Oath series—an epic saga currently comprising Drake Ascendant, Shadowalkers, and Sages of Tachnir, with more book 4 in the works.
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Paul Lubaczewski
Author of numerous horror comedy novels, along with the novella "A New Life" on St. Rooster Books, In addition he has two collections of short stories, "What Is A Paddywack?" and "3 Hits From the Holler" as well as over 80 short stories that have appeared in publications like Weirdbook, Hellfire Crossroads, Schlock, Devoltuion Z, Disturbed Digest, and numerous other publications and anthologies.
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It took Paul 5 major cities to realize, he didn't like living in major cities, not even his own birthplace of Philadelphia, so now he lives with his wife and son in a fairytale little town in Appalachia instead. His adult daughters both live in PA, which is havoc on vehicles.
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Morgan Shamy
Morgan Shamy is a former ballerina and concert pianist whose transition to writing has made her a standout voice in Young Adult fiction. With a lifelong foundation in the arts—beginning at age four—Morgan danced professionally, performing solo at iconic venues like Carnegie Hall and training hundreds of students, some of whom went on to receive full scholarships to world-renowned ballet institutions including the School of American Ballet, Kirov Academy, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Harid Conservatory.
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Morgan’s artistic depth and emotional storytelling were born from a deeply personal journey: she discovered writing as a creative lifeline when her three-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. Determined to bring art and magic to young reade -
Robert Rivenbark
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It’s perhaps a cliché to say one person can make a huge difference in your life—except in the case of someone like Mrs. Lee, my sixth-grade homeroom and English teacher at Sagamore Hills Grammar School in Atlanta. She changed mine, profoundly, by making me the class playwright and short story writer. In my clumsy but passionate initial attempts at writing, I discovered my calling. Now that I’ve published my speculative fiction novel The Cloud (details at www.thecloudnovel.com) I hope I can find my beloved teacher. I’d like to hug and thank her with tears of gratitude in my eyes.
My passion for writing eventually landed me in Oxford and London, England, where I earned a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Antioch University, on the stren -
Jonathan David Walter
Jon's debut novel, THE TOWPATH, about a group of teens who are targeted by a time-traveling killer and her band of warriors from the past, was published by Collective Ink Books on November 1, 2024.
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By day, Jon is a senior User Experience (UX) design professional and leader with more than 20 years of experience in his field. A degreed visual designer, his career has included roles at U.S.-based Fortune 500 companies in insurance and industrial automation. Additionally, Jon has earned 18 patents on industrial software applications and worked for small startups in the commercial security and real estate technology industries.
Jon often spends his “downtime” speaking and writing on User Experience and related topics. His thought leadership has be -
Ronald McGuire
Ronald McGuire writes smart, high-stakes science fiction with heart, mystery, and adventure - stories that explore what it means to face the unknown and find your place in it.
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Judith Jackson-Pomeroy
A professor of gender studies and sociology for over 20 years, Judith Jackson-Pomeroy retired her academic regalia to write women's fiction. When she's not writing, she earns her keep working as the Acquisitions Editor for an Academic Press and Research Collaborator/Senior Editor at Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College. Her fiction is described as a take on modern womanhood, with themes of sexual politics, mental health, and addiction that pushes back with humor on the redemptive narrative trope. Her writing features tartly funny, unapologetic, complicated female characters who will make you laugh, facepalm, and cry. Weight of a Woman is her debut.
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Shaune Lafferty Webb
Shaune’s father was an amateur astronomer and her eldest brother an avid science fiction reader, so perhaps it was inevitable that she developed an early enthusiasm for writing speculative fiction.
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After obtaining a degree in geology from the University of Queensland, Shaune subsequently worked in geochemical laboratories, exploration companies, and, while living in the United States, at a multinational scientific institute involved in exploration beneath the ocean floors. A decade after returning to Australia, armed with a life-long addiction to SciFi and a broad scope of real-world research and editing experience, Shaune returned to her original passion, the writing of speculative fiction. Her short stories have appeared in AntipodeanSF, T -
Colin W. Sargent
On the 2023 U.S. release of Red Hands
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Hunt them down!
Heedless, headstrong, and headlong love. Who knew it would doom her country, too? Intelligent, stylish Iordana wasn’t interested in communist strategies while she enjoyed spectacular privilege–unimaginable to the 20 million souls living under the iron fist of a dictatorship ruled by a murderous family she chose to marry into.
But as a member of the elite Nomenclatura during Romania's cool 1960s, she had to have her Valentin. Just as she rose in the Ceausescu clan over her parents’ objections, so she fell when the murderous dictator and his criminal partner were taken down.
“Death to the Dracu grandson” rang through the subways. An angry world chased her and her son in an effort to wipe the -
Indy Perro
Indy Perro is a novelist and recovering academic. When he's not at his desk, he loves to hike, run, and read the masters: Michael Connelly, Raymond Chandler, Dennis Lehane, Elmore Leonard, and James Sallis. Central City is his debut thriller and the first book in the hard-boiled Kulpa and Bayonne series. The second, Journeyman, is also out now. Book 3 will be published in the Spring of 2024. Find out more about Central City at https://centralcitybooks.com.
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A.R. Alexander
I’m an Italian-born writer now living in the south of England with my husband, our three kids, and a dog who thinks he’s the boss (and, honestly, he might be right).
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Once upon a time, I worked as a psychologist. These days, I write Young Adult fiction in both English and Italian, mixing mythology, adventure, fantasy, and a sprinkle of sci-fi, basically all the stuff I wish had been in my school textbooks.
I’ve lived with dyslexia and ADHD my whole life, which means my brain has always been running on “hard mode.” For years, I felt like I wasn’t good enough or had to work twice as hard just to keep up. Turns out, those challenges gave me exactly the toolkit I needed: resilience, creativity, and a knack for thinking outside the box. Now, all th -
Colleen M. Story
Colleen M. Story is a novelist, freelance writer, and speaker who loves animals, music, and the great Pacific Northwest.
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"The Curse of King Midas," her newest novel, was recognized as a top-ten finalist for the Claymore Award prior to publication. Her previous novels include "The Beached Ones" and "Loreena’s Gift," which was a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner.
Colleen has written three books to help writers succeed. "Your Writing Matters" was a bronze medal winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards (2022).
Her previous release, "Writer Get Noticed!," was a gold-medal winner in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards and a first-place winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards. "Overwhelmed Writer Rescue" was named Book by B -
J.V. Hilliard
Born of steel, fire and black wind, J.V. Hilliard was raised as a highlander in the foothills of a once-great mountain chain on the confluence of the three mighty rivers that forged his realm’s wealth and power for generations.
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His father, a peasant twerg, toiled away in industries of honest labor and instilled in him a work ethic that would shape his destiny. His mother, a local healer, cared for his elders and his warrior uncle, who helped to raise him during his formative years. His genius brother, whose wizardly prowess allowed him to master the art of the abacus and his own quill, trained with him for battles on fields of green and sheets of ice.
Hilliard’s earliest education took place in his warrior uncle’s tower, where he learned his -
Sean O'Leary
Website:https://seanolearywriter.com/
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Sean O’Leary is a writer of crime and literary fiction from Melbourne, Australia. He has published five short story collections, two novellas, and four novels, as well as over forty-five individual short stories in journals. He walks through cities, along coasts, and on bush tracks. He takes photographs like a madman, does some drawing, and thinks test cricket is the greatest game of all. -
Lanysha T. Adams
Dr. LaNysha T. Adams is a mother of two young boys and a survivor of sudden cardiac arrest, a life-changing experience that strengthened her mission to help others activate their ME POWER. After nearly a decade in Washington, DC, she’s now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she activates ME POWER in early-career professionals, helping them step into leadership and navigate career uncertainty. Through her award-winning bestseller, ME POWER, Dr. Adams offers actionable strategies to help individuals shape their futures.
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Interested in booking Dr. Adams for public speaking or workshops? Connect on social media @edlinguist. DMs welcome! -
Adrian Deans
Adrian Deans is a lawyer, journalist and novelist. He has been writing seriously for 30 years and in that time has seen his darkly comic speculative fiction stories gradually morph into darkly comic crime - then back to spec fiction. His novels, Mr Cleansheets (Vulgar Press, 2010) and Straight Jacket (High Horse, 2013) received some critical acclaim and Straight Jacket was optioned by Ealing Studios in the UK. The Fighting Man was his debut historical novel (High Horse, 2017), but in 2020 he blended offbeat crime with spec fiction to produce Welcome to Ord City. His latest novel, Asparagus Grass (2023), sees Adrian on the edge of science fiction and firmly entrenched among Australia's more original storytellers.
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Adrian is represented by Gol -
Craig Leener
Despite being relatively earthbound most of the time, Craig Leener has long maintained a keen interest in space travel. He’s also a big fan of basketball, having immersed himself in the game since his youth as a player, coach, referee, fan and, later in life, as a sportswriter.
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Craig has an above-average ability to go to his left and maintains a solid perimeter jumper. His free-throw percentage on his backyard home court is an implausible 87% — and to this day, that number remains 100% officially unverified. And what the author lacks in foot speed, leaping ability, and defense, he makes up for in court smarts and postgame snacks.
Craig is a lifelong opponent of the instant replay in sports. He maintains this contrarian point of view because o -
Valinora Troy
Valinora Troy is a Children’s Fantasy writer, living in Ireland.
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She recently completed an MA in Creative Writing specialising in Children’s & Young Adult fiction. She has published short horror stories for adults.
She has recently served as a round 1 judge in the CYBILS award, elementary/middlegrade speculative fiction. -
JoDee Neathery
JoDee Neathery, drawing from her Southern California and Texas roots,
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plucked a few personalities off the family tree, encasing their world inside fictional
events to create her debut award-winning literary novel, Life in a Box published July 2017. Her latest work - a 2022 finalist in the 16th annual National Indie Excellence Awards - A Kind of Hush - is a literary mystery full of intrigue and unforgettable characters exploring whether there is a gray area between right and wrong as a moment in time changed a family forever. Follow the Mackie's journey toward growth and recovery and embrace the insight, innocence, and wisdom of a seven-year-old boy who is instrumental in pulling the family forward.
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Andrew J. Harvey
Andrew spent his high-school years in the school’s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norten, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. His first commercially accepted series of novels (the Garden Adventures) was originally completed to read to his two sons at night. Now his children have left home he lives in Perth, Western Australia, with his wife, one dog, and sixty four gold fish.
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In addition to writing, Andrew is also the Principal of Hague Publishing. Established in 2011 as an independent publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Hague Publishing is registered in Western Australia, and publishes original work by Australian and New Zealand authors.
Previously Principal for the Davies Literary Agency, Andrew was also editor and publisher of The -
Mark Richardson
Mark Richardson is the author of the novels Malibu Burns, The Sun Casts No Shadow, and Hunt for the Troll.
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His short stories have appeared in numerous crime and literary publications, including Hobart, Fugue, Segue, Crime Factory, Switchback, and Nth Position.
Born in the Chicago area, he graduated from the University of Iowa, and promptly escaped the midwestern winters for sunny California, first living in Los Angeles and then San Francisco. He spent thirty years working as a writer and marketer for tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Mark now lives in the East Bay with his wife, two children, and the world’s cutest dog. He spends his time writing fiction, obsessing about the Chicago Cubs, attending his daughter’s softball games, and reading st -
Grant Price
Grant Price is a writer of climate fiction. His debut novel, By the Feet of Men (Cosmic Egg, 2019), was submitted for consideration to the Arthur C. Clarke Award. His second novel, Reality Testing (Black Rose, 2022), is part of the Sundown Cycle and was listed in Kirkus's Top 100 Books 2021. Published in December 2023, Pacific State (Black Rose, 2023) is his latest release and the second book in the Sundown Cycle. Grant is currently based in Athens, Greece.
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