Speaker Bios for 2008 Conference

To assist you in your marketing efforts Alice B. Acheson draws on decades of working with large and small publishers, negotiating book contracts, selling subsidiary rights, and editing (at a major NYC publisher) and publicizing books. Her work as publicist was recognized with numerous New York Times bestsellers (four simultaneously) and the Literary Market Place Outside Services Award for Advertising, Promotion and Publicity. After Jean Auel made her initial contact with her agent at a previous Willamette Writers Conference, Alice managed the publicity for her Clan of the Cave Bear.

Mary Andonian is the former agents and editors coordinator for the Willamette Writers conference, one of the largest writing events in North America. In past years she was also their program coordinator and co-chair. She is represented by the Reece Halsey North Literary Agency (www.reecehalseynorth.com). Mary is a monthly columnist for the hit eZines, Writers on the Rise (www.writersontherise.com) and WriterMama (www.writermama.com). She has completed two books: Mind Chatter: Stories from the Squirrel Cage and Bitsy's Labyrinth. She is currently at work on her first screenplay, a romantic comedy. Please visit Mary at her website: www.maryandonian.com

Leslie Adkins is a fiction writing instructor at numerous locations around the Seattle area. Her students frequently comment on the fun and understandable format for her workshops. Leslie has written eight novels, six of them mysteries. Her non-fiction has appeared in many local and national publications including Rosedog.com, "Women Writing the West", "International Association of Administrative Professionals" newsletter, "Northwest Family", and "The Enterprise Newspapers". She serves on several writing conference planning committees and is the co-leader of the Northwest Writing Retreat at the South 47 Farm in Redmond, WA. In addition to single parenting a teenager, Leslie continues working on writing novels and sharing her passion for writing with others.

Dale Basye's debut novel, Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go, was published by Random House. Though born in Dallas, Texas, Dale was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. After attending San Francisco State University, he went to work for the San Francisco Chronicle while concurrently studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, majoring in Neon Sculpture and Avant-garde Film. The next book in the Heck series, Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck, will be available in July, 2009.

Jackie Blain is a Writer's Guild of America, West, screenwriter with over 40 hours of produced network television, a short film in production, and a feature in development. She most recently spent 4½ years on the faculty of the Art Institute of Portland, has taught for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program, and is Program Director of the Portland Film Workshops at Indent Studios in Portland. She also does script consulting work through her firm Yellow Lab Ltd. and is associate producer on her Yellow Lab client Susan Hess Logeais' independent feature Not Dead Yet (in production). In addition, she is pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting at Goddard College and coordinates the Pitch Practice Room at The Willamette Writers Conference. Her student's films have been accepted by and won awards at numerous film festivals, including the New York Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Festival, the Longbaugh Festival, and the Salem Film Festival.

Larry Brooks is the author of four critically-acclaimed thrillers, including a USA Today Bestseller and a Publishers Weekly "Best Books of 2004" lead entry (mass market). His workshops deliver a nuts and bolts understanding of story architecture and how to infuse it with passion, tension and meaning.

Advanced Manuscript Critiques

Nancy Christie is the author of the inspirational book "The Gifts of Change" and a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. A professional journalist whose articles work appears in a wide range of print magazines and informational web sites, she has also written, edited and/or ghostwritten materials for custom publishers corporations, marketing firms, ad agencies and non-profit organizations. Her fiction and essays have appeared in publications such as "Wanderings", "The Chaffin Journal", "Tai Chi", "Experience Life", "Woman's Day" and other markets, and she is currently working on her second self-help book. Christie was also the host the weekly Internet radio show "Take Charge of Your Life" on the VoiceAmerica network, and travels widely presenting writing and motivational workshops. Visit her sites at www.nancychristie.com and www.communityofchange.com.

Sage Cohen is the author of "Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry" from Writer's Digest Books and the poetry collection "Like the Heart, the World." She writes four monthly columns about the craft and business of writing and serves as Poetry Editor for VoiceCatcher 3. Curator of a monthly reading series at Barnes & Noble, Sage teaches the online class Poetry for the People. Sage is publisher of the Writing the Life Poetic blog and newsletter; drop by and join in the conversation at www.writingthelifepoetic.typepad.com! To learn more about Sage, visit www.sagesaidso.com.

Charlotte Cook, President of Komenar Publishing, co-founded this mainstream house in 2005 to bring attention and opportunity to remarkable first-time novelists. Writer's Digest featured Charlotte and Komenar in the February 2008 "Ask The Pro" column. Komenar's talented and nimble team has published four titles that have earned many awards, reviews, and sales. (My Half of the Sky was a Book-Sense Pick. Charlotte teaches public writing workshops/ classes, as well as the industry-oriented workshop entitled "Author Boot Camp" at writers conferences and adult schools.

Gary Corbin has been a freelance writer and consultant since July, 2005. His published work has appeared in Brainstorm Northwest magazine, The Oregonian, the Portland Tribune, and Global Envision, among others. Contract clients include HDR Engineering, the Portland Development Commission, the Oregon Department of Transportation, Trilogics Corporation, the City of Portland, Innovative Growth Solutions, Nyquist and Associates, and Oregon PERS. Gary lives and work in Vancouver, WA, with the world's most expensive free dog. His novel, "Lying in Judgment," seeks a willing and brave agent.

Craig English, M.F.A., is an award winning author with extensive experience in both fiction and nonfiction. He is the co-author of "Anxious to Please: 7 Revolutionary Practices for the Chronically Nice," Sourcebooks, 2006 (4th printing) (Spanish/Greek translations).
Other publications include numerous short stories and recent articles in The Writer Magazine and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published. His current project is a novel, "The Anvil of Navarre," a gender-bending political thriller and swashbuckler. For twenty-five years Mr. English worked as a professional actor. He has done more than 50 commercials and CD ROM game voice-overs, and more than 20 productions of Shakespeare.
Craig is a sought after teacher and speaker at conferences. He brings 25 years of experience to his dynamic workshops, most recently "Nonfiction: Writing Seminar and Portfolio" at the University of Washington.

Julie A. Fast is the bestselling author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner (over 65,000 copies sold. New Harbinger, 2004), Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder (Time/Warner, 2006-17,000 copies in the first year) and her latest book, Get it Done When You're Depressed (Penguin, 2008). She is the recipient of the Mental Health America Excellence in Journalism award for her magazine writing. Julie's weekly KTRO AM 910 radio show can be heard by podcast on www.juliefast.com/radio. Her web site is at www.juliefast.com.

Jane Friedman is editorial director at F+W Publications in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she oversees the publication of more than 50 titles each year, under the imprints of Writer's Digest Books, HOW Books, Betterway Books, and TOW Books. Her editorial resume includes turns at Writer's Digest magazine, North Light Books, and The Evansville Review. In addition to her acquisitions work at F+W, she also serves as contributing editor at IdentityTheory.com and teaches composition at the University of Cincinnati. She holds a BFA in creative writing and a master's in English.

David Greenberg, Reed College graduate, is author of many poetry picture books (from such companies as Little, Brown, Bantam, Farrar Strauss, Dutton), including "Slugs", "Bugs!", "Skunks!", "Snakes!", "Crocs!", "Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty?", "Don't Forget Your Etiquette", "The Book of Boys for Girls-The Book of Girls for Boys", and "Enchanted Lions". He has also recently published his first novel, "A Tugging String", about the 1960s civil rights movement.

Melissa Hart is the author of two memoirs: "The Assault of Laughter" (Windstorm, 2005) and "Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood" (Seal, 2009). Her essays have appeared in "The Washington Post," "The Los Angeles Times," "The Advocate," "Orion," "High Country News," and "Fourth Genre." She's a contributing editor to "The Writer Magazine," with a monthly column highlighting literary journals. Hart also writes children's resource books for Teacher Created Resources, including "101 Ways to Love a Book." She teaches Journalism at the University of Oregon and Memoir Writing for U.C. Berkeley's online extension program. She lives in Eugene with her husband and daughter, plus three dogs and five cats.

Deborah Levine Herman joined the Jeff Herman Literary Agency, LLC, in 1990 as an agent primarily focused on project selection and development. She co-authored with Jeff Herman Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 Proposals that worked and Why. (Wiley) Deborah has authored or collaborated on nine other books including: The Complete Idiots Guide to Motherhood (Alpha), and Spiritual Writing from Inspiration to Publication (Beyond Words). Herman is an intuitive and often uses her gifts to help writer's discover their authentic selves.

Jeff Herman founded The Jeff Herman Literary Agency, LLC, in 1987 while still in his twenties. The agency has sold many hundreds of titles to publishers, and is one of the most dynamic and innovative agencies in the business. Herman's agency has a strong presence in general adult nonfiction, including business, general reference, commercial self-help, technology, recovery/healing, and spiritual subjects. Herman's own publications include Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents (more than 350,000 copies sold), and Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 Proposals That Sold and Why! His books are considered to be among the best tools available to writers. He's also the co-founder of his own indie house, Three Dog Press (3dp).

Pamela Smith Hill is the author of the award-winning biography "Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer's Life" and three young adult novels. At 18, she sold her first story to her hometown newspaper and has been writing professionally ever since. She's also taught professional and creative writing classes at universities in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.

Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant is a humor writer and speaker who lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband, her giant wiener dogs and the voices in her head. She is the author of fifteen published books, including Life is Funny: A Riveting Tale of Comedy, Hairdressing, and Texas Politics, I'm Not Getting Older (I'm Getting Better at Denial), Bedtime Stories for Cats, and Bedtime Stories for Dogs. She has a new humor gift book, Not Guilty by Reason of Menopause, due out with Ten Speed Press in September. For eight years, she was a humor and inspiration columnist for Family Circle Magazine, and has written for more than a dozen other national magazines. Her first play -- a comedy about friendship, betrayal, and reincarnation was produced last year, and her musical, Yes Mamm!, is scheduled for production. For a year, she was the host of Women Under the Influence of Laughter, a radio show on KOPT AM 1600 in Eugene. Her website is www.accidentalcomic.com.

Bill is author of A Story is a Promise & Deep Characterization, a writing workbook that explores how to create dramatic, engaging stories. He is a skilled story analyst and teacher and has taught writing workshops around the United States. He currently reviews screenplays and novels. He is also the backbone of Willamette Writers, serving as Office Manager and on the Conference Committee in charge of registration. His web site is at www.storyispromise.com.

Jill Kelly, PhD, is a Portland-based freelance editor who has helped scores of writers of fiction, memoir, and nonfiction move their work into print and web. A former college professor of writing and grammar, she coaches groups and individuals through all related processes: writing, rewriting, self-editing, and publishing. Her memoir, "Sober Truths: The Making of an Honest Woman," was a finalist for a 2008 Oregon Book Award in creative nonfiction. Her first novel, "Witnessing the Creation," is in the final editing stages.

Media Consultant and freelance journalist Elisa Klein holds a Masters Degree in Journalism and Public Affairs from America University in Washington D.C. She has distinguished herself in the field of Journalism as a broadcast reporter, and weekend anchor, in New York State, Pennsylvania and finally Portland Oregon. Broadcast career highlights include producing stories that appeared on CNN Headline news and a documentary on Throwaway Kids, which aired on the CBS affiliate, KOIN-TV. Creating a business called Media Management, Klein and a Partner consult with some of the region's most notable organizations. The diverse group of clients has included Kaiser Permanente, the Portland Fire Bureau, Electric Lightwave LLC, Gardenburger and Hoffman Construction. Klein has been published in Redbook and Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul.

A native of the Northwest, Clark Kohanek is a freelance illustrator, storyboard artist and commercial director. Weiden and Kennedy, Anonymous Content, Dark Horse and Universal Studios are only a few of the ad agencies, studios and production companies Clark has worked withover the last 10 years. Clark has illustrated commercial spots for clients Nike, Microsoft, Coca Cola, Miller Beer, Toyota, AT&T, Sony PSP, and Konami. Clark is also the co-creator and co-author of the comic book "The Wound" with Dr. Ryan Coon Psy.D. The experimental comic series was recently presented to the 2006 American Psychological Association National Convention, as an alternative narrative therapy for troubled teens. In 2005 Clark's horror/comedy "The Undertakers" was a Nicholl Fellowship Quarter Finalist. In November 2006, Clark was tapped for conceptual and promotional art on a major motion picture for Disney. Clark currently lives in Los Angeles.

Danny Manus is the Creative Executive for Clifford Werber Productions (Cinderella Story, Sydney White, Just Add Water) an in- dependent production company. CWP recently sold a larger budget, family fantasy/adventure project to United Artists, and a MOW pitch to ABC Family, both which are currently being developed. Manus is attached to co-produce both of these projects. Daniel was previously the Director of Development for Sandstorm Films (The Covenant, 8MM2), an independent production company with a first look deal at Sony Screen Gems and a development deal with Top Cow Comics. Daniel has written articles on the development process published in Script Magazine and is currently writing a book about pitch- fests, which will serve as a "No B.S. Guide for Writers."
Raised on Long Island, NY, he holds a BS degree in Television with a concentration in Screenwriting from the Ithaca College Park School of Communications.

Phil Margolin was a Peace Corps volunteer and a criminal defense lawyer for 25 years, appearing before the United States Supreme Court and handling many murder cases.
Since 1996, he has been writing full-time. All of his novels have been best sellers; one was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Two were made into movies, all have been sold to foreign publishers and many were Literary Guild and Book of the Month Club selections. Phil has been nominated for an Oregon Book Award and had a short story selected for the anthology "1999, The Best American Mystery Stories".
Since 1996 Phil has been the President and Chairman of the Board of Chess for Success, a non-profit charity that uses chess to teach elementary and middle school children in Title I schools study skills.

Jessica Page Morrell is surrounded by writers. She is the author of Thanks, But This Isn't For Us; Bullies, Bastards & Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys in Fiction; The Writer's I Ching: Wisdom for the Creative Life; Voices from the Street; Between the Lines: master the subtle elements of fiction writing, and Writing Out the Storm.. Morrell works as a developmental editor where she has learned how to quickly size up a story's merits, as a writing coach, and teaches a series of workshops. She hosts a web site at www.writing-life.com and she's been writing a monthly column about topics related to writing since 1998 which currently appears in The Willamette Writer, writes a monthly newsletter, The Writing Life, a web log, and has contributed articles to newspapers and The Writer and Writer's Digest magazines.

Jennifer Omner is a book designer and owner of ALL Publications, which she established in 1994. Her passion is helping writers become published authors. She is a member of the Northwest Association of Book Publishers, Publishers Association of the West (PubWest), Willamette Writers, and Women in Portland Publishing. Jennifer was a judge for the 2008 PubWest Book Design Awards. She studied Book Design and Production at Portland State University. Jennifer authors an e-newsletter of book and marketing tips, sign up for free at www.ALLPublications.com.

Gibran Perrone was a development executive at Shinbone Productions, working to acquire and develop material for writer/producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Eye For An Eye and upcoming Cesar). She also worked as a reader for New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features as well as in production on the movie Heartbreakers for producer Clayton Townsend (Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Funny People).

Paulann Petersen's books of poetry are "The Wild Awake" (Confluence Press), "Blood-Silk" (Quiet Lion Press), and "A Bride of Narrow Escape" (Cloudbank Books), which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. A fourth collection, Kindle, is just out from Mountains and Rivers Press. A former Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and the recipient of the 2006 Holbrook Award from Oregon Literary Arts, she serves on the board of Friends of William Stafford, organizing the annual January Stafford Birthday Events. She's been on the faculty for Summer Fishtrap, and has given workshops for Oregon Writers Workshop, Oregon State Poetry Association, Mountain Writers Series, OCTE and NCTE Conferences, and the Northwest Writing Institute at Lewis & Clark College.

James Rapson, M.S., LMFT, is a veteran therapist and teacher whose writing combines hard-won personal insight with clinical experience and scholarship. He is the co-author of Anxious to Please: 7 Revolutionary Practices for the Chronically Nice, which was released nationally by Sourcebooks, Inc. in 2006 (fourth printing) (Spanish and Greek translations). James and Craig English bring 27 years of experience to their dynamic workshops.
Mr. Rapson has been cited for his expertise on parenting and chronic niceness in recent articles by the Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Times and Atlanta Journal Constitution. He has been featured on such shows as The Jill Spiegel Show, Women's Watch, The Beat, and Health Marks on the nationally syndicated Health Radio Network. Television appearances include FOX & Friends and Geraldo at Large.

Gigi Rosenberg is an acclaimed teacher and insightful speaking and writing coach. Her writing has been published in the Seal Press anthology The Maternal is Political, Parenting, Writer's Digest, The Writer and heard on Oregon Public Radio. She has performed her monologues at On The Boards in Seattle and teaches grant writing and presentation skills in Chicago, NYC, Seattle and throughout Oregon. For more information: www.gigirosenberg.com.

Advanced Manuscript Critiques

Mary Rosenblum has been publishing SF, mystery, and mainstream fiction since 1990, with eight novels and more than sixty short stories, published by major publishers. In addition, her work has been collected in countless anthologies. She won the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel for 'The Drylands' and has been short listed for most of the major awards in the speculative fiction universe. She also teaches writing workshops, was an instructor for the prestigious Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2008 and is a writing instructor for Long Ridge Writers Group. When she's not writing, she lives and trains dogs on her small, rural acreage.

Advanced Manuscript Critiques

Elizabeth Rusch writes both fiction and nonfiction for children and adults in the areas of science, art, humor, child development, health, the environment, sports, outdoors, travel, and social issues - anything that catches her fancy. She is the former managing editor of "Teacher" magazine and former contributing editor to "Child" and has be published in "Smithsonian," "Portland Monthly," "Muse," "Read," "American Girl," "Harper's," "Mother Jones," "Parenting," "Backpacker", and "The Oregonian," among others. Rusch is the author of five children's books including "A Day with No Crayons," "The Planet Hunter," "Will It Blow?", and "Generation Fix." Her books have garnered awards from "Smithsonian," the International Reading Association, "Natural History" magazine, Washington Reads, and the Oregon Book Award, among others. Rusch teaches Children's Literature at the Attic Workshop for Writers and enjoys freelance editing and critiquing.

Luke Ryan arrived in Hollywood in 2000 and has had a diverse career, working as a screenwriter, producer, instructor at UCLA extension, and studio executive at New Line Cinema and MTV Films before arriving at MGM in 2008 as Vice President of Production. He is currently overseeing a varied slate of films including Robocop with Darren Aronofsky, The Three Stooges with the Farrelly Brothers, Poltergeist with Vadim Perelman, and, quite possibly the most important film of all time, Hot Tub Time Machine, starring John Cusack, Craig Robinson, and Rob Corddry.

Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the innovative Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Red Hot Internet Publicity which has been called the "leading guide to everything Internet" AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, micro-blogs, blogs, and book videos to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic. In 2008 AME had nine books top the bestseller lists including New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal.

Starting in 1982, with the Edgar-nominated "Red Diamond, Private Eye," Schorr drew on his many experiences as a bouncer, private investigator, a newspaper reporter, press secretary, and an international courier to create 11 mysteries/thrillers. He has worked for CBS, NBC, USA Today, New York Magazine and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. After earning his degree in counseling psychology, Schorr became a psychotherapist and began working with clients facing enormous challenges. Suicidal, homicidal, many addicted, survivors of severe trauma, and people with paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and complex combinations of multiple ailments. When not writing or doing therapy, Mark Schorr is known as an entertaining and informative lecturer. He's spoken locally, nationally and internationally on a wide variety of subjects, at an equally diverse number of venues.

Diana Schutz is an award-winning editor who has worked in the comics industry for over thirty years. Since 1990, she has been at Dark Horse Comics, where she is now an executive editor and has had the pleasure of working with Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon, and Harlan Ellison, among many others.. She is also an adjunct instructor of comics art history and criticism at Portland Community College.

Janelle M. Scott, is a forensic scientist for the Oregon State Police. Her main duty is as a DNA analyst. She has given presentations on Forensic DNA analysis to a variety of audiences throughout Oregon, and has attended advanced training in DNA analysis at multiple national meetings. Before jumping into the world of forensics, she worked in a variety of laboratories including the Air Force Academy Biowarfare Laboratory and the Biology Department at Reed College. In between, she took a break from the bench and spent four years teaching high school students about the amazing world of science. She has a doctorate in Microbial Genetics from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and an undergraduate degree in microbiology from Oregon State University.

Cornelia Becker Seigneur is the author of Images of America: WEST LINN (Arcadia Publishing, Jan. 2009). She has been a freelance journalist for The Oregonian newspaper since 1996, for which she has penned stories on faith and inspiration, recreation, interesting people, schools, religion, and neighborhood briefs, as well as a Family column called Real-Life Mom for three years. Cornelia's work has also appeared in Portland (University of Portland Magazine), Travel Oregon, Parents and Family Circle magazines, among other publications. She loves sharing her passion for writing with others, and has taught writing at Portland State University and George Fox University, among other venues.

David Michael Slater writes for children, teens, and adults. He is the author of numerous award-winning picture books, including "Cheese Louise!," "The Ring Bear," and "Flour Girl." Seven new books will be published in '09. David's teen series, "Sacred Books," launched in Oct. '08 with "The Book of Nonsense," a finalist for the Association of Booksellers for Children's Best of 2008 list and Cybil Award nominee. Book two, "The Infinite," is due in August, '09. David's first novel for adults, SELFLESS, was published in March, '09, and his first collection of short fiction is scheduled for later in the year. Finally, David has a film, "Mocha Cola High," in development with Right Angle Pictures. David teaches middle school in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and son.

Anne Warren Smith is the author of novels for children, most recently, Tails of Spring Break from Albert Whitman & Co. Her articles on how to write for young adults have appeared in The Writer; her prize-winning memoir pieces have been published in national publications that include Memoir (and), The Christian Science Monitor, and Calyx. She has taught creative writing classes for more than twenty years.

Loretta Stinson is the recipient of a 2008 Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship in Fiction. In 2007 she was winner of the national Doug Fir Fiction competition. Her short fiction has appeared in The Bear Deluxe and Ooligan Press's On-line Literary Magazine. Ms. Stinson's first novel, Little Green, is scheduled for publication by Hawthorne Books in spring, 2010. Ms. Stinson teaches writing and currently advises for the English Department at Portland State University. She received her Master's in Writing from PSU in 2007. When time permits, Loretta freelances as a developmental editor of novel length fiction.

Evan Stuart is the producer/director of the feature film "Reality Check" which has been featured in both the Cinequest film festival and the Longbaugh film festival. He is also the creative director of Fictitious Films, a production company specializing in Independent film and alternative methods of media distribution. As the former head of marketing at Tricoast Studios in Los Angeles, he cut film trailers and oversaw media campaigns for New Line, Artisan, Moonstone, New Image and Showtime Networks. He has taught screenwriting at The Art Institute of Portland, and the Northwest Academy.

Anna Webman began at Curtis Brown in 2005. In working with Elizabeth Harding, she has worked with a list of esteemed children's authors and illustrators including Jane Yolen, Nikki Grimes, Gennifer Choldenko, Gordon Korman, Patricia McKissack, Jane Dyer, Caroline Cooney, Karen Cushman, Pat Mora, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and S.E. Hinton. Anna represents a range of young adult, middle-grade, and picture-book authors and illustrators. She is always on the lookout for first-time authors and is particularly interested in stories with a unique voice. Her ideal book would be one that has a driving narrative, a memorable message, and beautiful language. Anna graduated from The George Washington University and lives in Manhattan with her rescue dog Vinny.

Cynthia Whitcomb has sold over fifty scripts to movie studios and television networks. More than 25 have been produced as Television movies and miniseries. She has been nominated for the Writers Guild, Cable Ace and Emmy Awards. She is the author of The Writers Guide to Writing Your Screenplay and The Writers Guide to Selling Your Screenplay. She has taught screenwriting for many years, including 7 at UCLA Film School. She has been President of Willamette Writers since 1995.

Laura Whitcomb's first novel A Certain Slant of Light (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), was a Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" selection, an ALA Best Books for Young Adults pick, and was a finalist in six state teen book contests. The Fetch, her new YA novel, will be out in September. Her writing book, Your First Novel (Writers Digest Books, 2006) was co-authored by literary agent Ann Rittenberg. Laura has been a speaker at numerous bookstores, libraries, schools, and book groups in five states.

Caryn has been an Agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. since early 2003, and has sold over 80 books. She handles children's books only: picture books through YA; fiction and non-fiction. She represents two New York Times bestselling authors, first-time authors, and authors at every stage in between. Caryn holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, and a BS from the University of Virginia. Please see her website www.andreabrownlit.com for more information.

Eric Witchey has sold over 50 short stories and a novel into national and international markets. His stories have appeared in multiple genres under several names. His How-to articles have appeared in The Writer Magazine, Writer's Digest Magazine, and other print and on-line magazines. He has won awards and recognition from a number of organizations, including Writers of the Future, Writer's Digest, New Century Writers, ralan.com. When not writing or teaching, he restores antique, model locomotives or tosses small bits of feather and pointy wire at laughing trout.