Kathleen Gerard grew up in the same town where Mary Higgins Clark raised her family—before she became “Queen of the Suspense Novel.” The intrigue of having a best-selling author living a few blocks away piqued Kathleen’s interest in writing fiction—Mary Higgins Clark actually named a character for Kathleen in her novel, AS TIME GOES BY. Kathleen credits her love of storytelling to her mother, a reading teacher specialist with the “gift of gab,” and her love of writing to her older sister, Patricia, who always had an insatiable reading habit and kept a journal (under lock and key!) that kept Kathleen chronically curious. Kathleen writes across genres. Her stories, essays, stage plays, and novels are serio-comic—and often spun from the absurdities of life. Kathleen is the author of three novels: IN TRANSIT, COLD COMFORT and THE THING IS. To learn more about Kathleen, visit: www.kathleengerard.blogspot.com

Amy Lou Jenkins is a writer, speaker, nurse, and educator from Wisconsin.

Her writing has been honored by the USA Book Awards, X.J.

Kennedy Award for Nonfiction, Wisconsin Jade Ring Award, Florida Review Editor Award in Creative Nonfiction, Flint Hills Review Nonfiction Award, and Literal Latté Annual Essay Award. She is the recipient of a Mesa Refuge Writing Fellowship and has taught writing at Carroll University and in many writing workshops, conferences, and classes. Every Natural Fact Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting is the winner of the 2011 presented Ellis / Henderson Award for Outdoor Writing and the Gold Medal winner of the Living Now Outdoor Activities Award.

Her work has appeared in multiple magazines, newspapers, and anthologies

including Wisconsin Trails, Wisconsin Academy Review, Flint Hills Review, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Shepherds Express, Florida Review, Inkpot, Earth Island Journal, Generations, Consequence, Rosebud, Big Apple Parent, MetroParent, Washington

Families, Sport Literate, Chicken Soup and Cup of Comfort books, Women on

Writing, Wild with Child, The Maternal is Political and more. Amy Lou lives in

the Milwaukee area Follow

her at www.AmyLouJenkins.com.

Elan Barnehama’s second novel, Escape Route, Running Wild Press, May 2022, is set in NYC during the late 1960s. His writing has appeared in Rough Cut Press, Red Fez, Boston Accent, Jewish Fiction, Drunk Monkeys, Writer’s Digest, HuffPost, the New York Journal of Books, public radio, and elsewhere.

At different times I have taught writing and literature, was the fiction editor at Forth Magazine LA, worked with at-risk youth, was a ghostwriter for a university president, coached high school varsity baseball, had a gig as a radio news guy, and did a mediocre job as a short-order cook. I am a New Yorker by geography. A Mets fan by default.

More info at elanbarnehama.com and @elanbarnehama.