Speaker Bios for 2009 Conference

Website: www.AllenOshea.com

Marilyn Allen is a literary agent and partner in the Allen O'Shea Literary Agency. Prior to that she spent 25 years doing sales and marketing for various publishing houses. Her responsibility culminated in Associate Publisher and Senior Vice President of Marketing for Harper Collins. Prior to that, she had directed sales and marketing teams for Penguin Books, Simon & Schuster, and Avon Books. Through the years she created many innovative marketing campaigns and managed a host of successful author brands including Dr. John Gray (Mars and Venus), Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Barry Sears (Zone), Dean Ornish, Star Trek, NBA, The Simpsons and worked with many best selling writers including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Mary Higgens Clark and Barbara Kingsolver. She spearheaded the nationwide Diet Coke/ book sample promotion and created out-of-the box campaigns with such non-traditional partners as Mattel, Atlantic Records, and PBS. She is an impassioned advocate for innovation in the marketing and selling of books.

Website: www.maryandonian.com

Mary Andonian has written two books, Mind Chatter: Stories From the Squirrel Cage and Bitsy's Labyrinth. She is represented by Kimberly Cameron and Associates (formerly Reece Halsey North). (www.kimberleycameron.com ) She is the former agents and editors coordinator for the annual Willamette Writers conference (Portland, Oregon). In past years, she was Program Coordinator and Co-Chair. She was also a contributing columnist for the hit Zines, Writers on the Rise (www.writersontherise.com) and Writer Mama (www.writermama.com). In 2009, Mary completed her first two screenplays: an adaptation of Bitsy’s Labyrinth and the original Screenplay comedy, Guardian Joe. Please visit Mary at www.MaryAndonian.com

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). Her students’ 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.

Website: www.andreabrownlit.com

An agent for almost 30 years, an editor previously at Alfred A. Knopf, worked at Random House and Dell, has sold over 2,000 titles to every publisher. Rated the #1 agency in juvenile sales in 2008 and 2009. Author of Writers and Artists Hideouts: Great Getaways for Seducing the Muse. Executive Director of the Big Sur Writing Workshops.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.nancychristie.com

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, custom publishers and informational web sites, she has also written, edited and/or ghostwritten materials for 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. She is currently finishing her second self-help book and marketing her first novel. Previously, Christie had hosted the weekly Internet radio show “Take Charge of Your Life” on the VoiceAmerica network. She travels widely presenting writing and motivational workshops.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.sagesaidso.com

Sage Cohen is the author of “Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry” (Writers Digest Books, 2009), “The Productive Writer: Tips and Tools for Writing More, Stressing Less and Creating Success” (Writer’s Digest Books, forthcoming in 2010) and the poetry collection “Like the Heart, the World”. Sage has won first prize in the Ghost Road Press poetry contest, been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and been awarded a Soapstone residency. Sage holds an MFA in creative writing from New York University and a BA from Brown University. She teaches the online class "Poetry for the People". Sage founded Sage Communications in 1997; in her “day job,” she has been writing high-impact copy for clients such as Kaiser Permanente, Intuit and Sterling Commerce ever since.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.fictionwriteideas.com

Charlotte Cook is president of and story editor for KOMENAR Publishing. She has an MFA in Creative Writing as well as practical business experience in the book publishing and selling industry. She has brought to publication far more books, articles and stories than the six award-winning novels she published for KOMENAR. Writers Digest interviewed Charlotte about her career and publishing company in February 2008. Currently she is judging three of the fiction categories for the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, teaching private and public writing classes, and co-authoring with award-winning screenwriter Jon James Miller a book for screenwriters to turn scripts into publishable novels. Charlotte posts to two blogs: http://fictionwriteideas.blogspot.com and http://adapting-sideways.blogspot.com

Website: www.garycorbinwriting.com/

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.

Website: www.robertdugoni.com

Robert Dugoni is the New York Times bestselling author of The Jury Master, Damage Control, Wrongful Death and Bodily Harm. Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine called The Jury Master one of three "Best of the Best" debut novels of 2006 and the Seattle Times and Library Journal have likened Dugoni to a young John Grisham, calling The Jury Master, "A riveting tale of murder, skullduggery and treachery at the highest level." Dugoni’s highly anticipated sequels to The Jury Master, featuring attorney David Sloane, have also received critical acclaim. Mysterious Reviews touted Wrongful Death as “among the best books to be published” in 2009, and Booklist wrote, “Mixing the suspense of a Grisham legal thriller with the political angle of a Baldacci. Dugoni is knocking on the A-list thriller door.” Dugoni is also the author of the non-fiction expose, The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post 2004 Best Book of the Year. I’ve made changes. Bodily Harm getting great advanced reviews. Will let you know if I want to throw one in.

Website: www.kimberleycameron.com

April Eberhardt joined Kimberley Cameron & Associates as a Literary Agent in 2008 after five years of editorial work with Zoetrope: All-Story, a literary magazine, and another agency. Her specialty is adult commercial and literary fiction, particularly contemporary urban fiction, ironic family dramas and realistic midlife tales, often with a twist, preferably involving strong female characters. She is attracted to collections of interlinked stories with a common character or theme. An original voice and smart, speedy delivery are critical, as is a subtle sense of the absurd. She enjoys working with new authors to edit and streamline their manuscripts before submitting them to publishers.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques

Hallie Ephron is the crime fiction book reviewer for the Boston Globe and author of six suspense novels. Her latest, Never Tell a Lie, received a starred review inPublisher’s Weekly (“stunning; a deliciously creepy tale of obsession”) and is a finalist for the 2009 Mary Higgins Clark Award and the 2009 Salt Lake Libraries Readers Choice Award. She also is the author of two books about books, including “The Bibliophile’s Devotional.” Her how-to book on mystery writing, “Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel: How to Knock ‘Em Dread with Style” was an Edgar Award finalist. Hallie lives in in a suburb south of Boston, far from Southern California where she grew up in a family of formidable literary talent. She is the third of four writing Ephron sisters: Amy Ephron (One Sunday Morning, A Cup of Tea), Delia Ephron (Hanging Up, The Girl with the Mermaid Hair), and Nora Ephron (I Feel Bad About My Neck, Sleepless in Seattle). Her parents were Henry and Phoebe Ephron, the screenwriting duo who wrote screenplays for movie classics like The Desk Set and Carousel.

Website: www.juliefast.com

Julie A. Fast was one of the first people in the world to sell eBooks for profit on the internet. She supported herself with her webpage from the first week of her business. Her eBooks lead to three traditional published deals for her bestselling books Loving Someone with Bipolar, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder and Get it Done When You’re Depressed. Her latest eBook is The Official Geezer Guide to Creating and Selling eBooks. Writers of all genres are encouraged to attend.

Website: www.sourcebooks.com

I moved to New York City in 1999 to pursue a career in fashion editorial. After almost two years as an editorial assistant at Harper's BAZAAR magazine, I realized that the cut-throat, competitive environment of fashion was not for me and moved to the other end of the publishing gamut--children's editorial. Since then, I've been editing and acquiring at Random House, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins. I've been with Sourcebooks Jabberwocky since May 2009 and continue to build the new imprint with picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels.

Alex Glass came to Trident Media Group as chairman Robert Gottlieb's assistant in 2001 and was promoted to literary agent shortly thereafter. He represents a diverse group of fiction and nonfiction authors, including best-selling novelists Chad Kultgen (The Average American Male) and Matt Bondurant (The Wettest County in the World), Edgar Award-winner Katherine Marsh (The Night Tourist), New York Times best-selling novelist and memoirist Da Chen, NFL legend Mark Bavaro (Rough And Tumble), the estate of Newbery Award-winner Ellen Raskin (The Westing Game), and High Times Magazine (The Official High Times Potsmokers Handbook). Upcoming books for 2009 include Erick Setiawan's debut novel Of Bees and Mist, Courtney Sheinmel's middle grade novel Positively, Maggie Estep's Alice Fantastic, crime novelist Dennis Tafoya’s debut Dope Thief, and award-winning mystery writer Brian M. Wiprud's Feelers.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.melissahart.com

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.

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman made his directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival and won the Domani Vision Award at VisionFest, held at the Tribeca Cinemas. He taught screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, as well as conducted screenwriting workshops all over North America, Poland and the UK. He served as a panelist for the 2010 IFP Script to Screen Conference, as well as a judge for the 2010 McKnight Screenwriting Fellowships. He's attached to direct CORDELIA, written by Melissa Brandt, a love story inspired by KING LEAR, and he's writing a comedy set in the Gaza Strip. Gordy Hoffman founded the BlueCat Screenplay Competition in 1998.

Website: www.andreahurst.com

ANDREA HURST, President works with both major and regional publishing houses, and her client list includes emerging new voices and New York Times best-selling authors. Andrea represents high profile adult nonfiction and well crafted fiction. Her clients and their books have appeared on the Oprah Show, Ellen DeGeneres, Good Morning America, National Geographic network and in the New York Times. In addition to working in the publishing field for over 25 years, Andrea is a published author, skilled development editor and founder of Just Write educational classes. She enjoys working with authors who have something meaningful to share and are driven by their enthusiasm and desire to create books that touch lives and make a difference.

Marc Manus, a former award-winning photojournalist, attended USC film school before entering the field of artist representation. His first job was with manager Cathryn Jaymes who represented Quentin Tarantino, among others. He held positions at various management companies before partnering with talent manager Jamie Gold. A few years ago, he ventured out on his own to form Manus Entertainment and has a short roster of up-and-coming writers and directors. Some of Marc’s current clients include Liz Edwards (“Dark Sister,” for Sobini Films), Declan O’Brien (“Wrong Turn 3,” from Fox/Summit) and up-and-coming foreign directors Caroline & Eric du Potet (“In Their Sleep) and David Morley (“Mutants”). Some of his recent spec sales include “The Highest Bid,” which went pre-emptively to Intrepid Pictures, and “Foreign Exchange,” in development at Mandate Pictures.

Website: www.phillipmargolin.com

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.

Website: http://www.dijkstraagency.com/

Before joining the publishing industry in 2001 Jill worked in radio and television and has a strong Internet and media background. She wrote features and ads for Pages, the literary magazine for people who love books, and continues to write book ads for publishing houses and promotional features for television. After writing ad copy and features for published books for years she knows how to find the “hook” and sell it. Jill is interested in commercial fiction, especially women’s fiction, multi-cultural fiction, historic fiction, mysteries and thrillers. She is also looking for non-fiction in the areas of self-help, inspirational, cookbooks, memoir (she especially loves travel and foodie memoirs), parenting, history, health & nutrition, pop culture, humor and music.

Website: www.archetypela.com

Archetype has various projects set up in film and TV as producers or as managers through our clients. We set up “Hiding in Time” at Warner Bros. and “Lost Squad” through Rogue/Relativity. Our clients in TV are working with or have worked with Fox21, ABC, Warner Premier, Fox, and Disney Channel among others.

6 years ago, Dave was getting his masters at Indiana University when he realized he hated everything about the program he was in. So he purposefully failed out and serendipitously ran into Luke Ryan, who was at the time running the story department at New Line Cinema and who successfully convinced Dave to move to Los Angeles. Dave proceeded to sell off a vast majority of his belongings and went on a road trip. Luke, being the best human being on the planet (potentially a Demigod), offered Dave an unpaid internship in the fall of 2003. Since then, Dave has worked at New Line as an intern, temp, departmental assistant, assistant to the Senior EVP of Production, Creative Executive, and most recently, Production Executive. This year he served as an Executive Producer on NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and GOING THE DISTANCE. He hopes to make movies that will make his college roommates laugh.

Website: www.paulann.net

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.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques

William Powers has freelanced for the New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, The Sun, and Slate, among other publications. He is author of two critically-acclaimed memoirs that blend first-person narrative with high global stakes: Blue Clay People: Seasons on Africa's Fragile Edge (Bloomsbury/Mcmillian, 2005) and Whispering in the Giant's Ear: A Frontline Chronicle from Bolivia's War on Globalization (Bloomsbury/ Mcmillian, 2006), featured on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross and in Newsweek and now in its second print run. His forthcoming book is The Soft World.

Website: www.ireneradford.com

Irene Radford has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. A member of an endangered species, a native Oregonian who lives in Oregon, she and her husband make their home in Welches, Oregon where deer, bears, coyotes, hawks, owls, and woodpeckers feed regularly on their back deck. A museum trained historian, Irene has spent many hours prowling pioneer cemeteries deepening her connections to the past. Raised in a military family she grew up all over the US and learned early on that books are friends that don’t get left behind with a move. Her interests and reading range from ancient history, to spiritual meditations, to space stations, and a whole lot in between. Her signal corps brother has launched several communications satellites on the shuttle. Watching those launches got her hooked on the ideal of humans reaching out into the universe.

Website: www.anxioustoplease.com

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.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.gigirosenberg.com

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.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.maryrosenblum.com

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.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.elizabethrusch.com

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. He 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 where he is Sr. Vice President of Production. His currently slate of films includes a remake of “Red Dawn” (releasing Thanksgiving of 2010), “Robocop” with Darren Aronofsky, “The Three Stooges” with the Farrelly Brothers, and “Poltergeist” with Vadim Perelman. Luke is sitting on a mixing stage typing this bio preparing for the release of his next movie, “Hot Tub Time Machine” -- which comes out after this bio was due but long before this conference happens, causing a major rift in the space-time continuum. He hopes you buy a full priced ticket and find it worth every penny. He will still feel this way when you see him in the future.

Website: www.amarketingexpert.com

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.

Website: www.markschorr.com

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.

Website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Schutz

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.

Website: www.corneliaseigneur.com

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.

Website: www.davidmichaelslater.com

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.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.annewarrensmith.com

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.

Website: www.MillionDollarScreenwriting.com

Chris Soth is the screenwriter of Firestorm and the upcoming Outrage. He holds a BA in Drama from Vassar College and and MFA in Screenwriting from USC. His book, Million-Dollar Screenwriting: The Mini-Movie Method is an Internet bestseller, and his DVD: SOLD! How I Set Up Three Pitches in Hollywood is the Writer’s Store bestseller on the subject. He runs the websites HollywoodByPhone.com and guides writers around the world through YourScreenplayMentor.com.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.sheilalstephens.com/

Sheila L. Stephens was the first female Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) special agent in the state of Alabama, one of the first in the nation. Recruited by ATF while a police officer, she has a unique platform from which to write and speak about people and issues of law enforcement. Stephens earned a Masters Degree from Boston University and is completing a PhD in Forensic Psychology. She has taught at the Birmingham Police Academy and is, currently, an adjunct professor at Andrew Jackson and Kaplan University. She is Associate Editor for the NAFA (National Association of Federal Agents) Newsletter, and contributes a monthly column to the MWA Killer Nashville Newsletter and Blog. In 2008, “The Everything Book of Private Investigation Book” was released and her weapons, surveillance and technology book will be released soon.

Website: www.evanstuartproductions.com/

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.

Website: www.fullcircleliterary.com

Stefanie Von Borstel is a literary agent and co-founder of Full Circle Literary. The agency represents adult nonfiction, as well as young adult/middle grade and children's books. Prior to agenting, Stefanie worked in various editorial and marketing positions with Penguin and Harcourt. On the adult side, recent projects include I Love Dirt! 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature by Jennifer Ward (Shambhala); and Diana Schoenbrun’s Beasties: How to Make 22 Mischievous Monsters That Go Bump in the Night (Penguin).

Website: www.andreahurst.com

Gordon Warnock is an agent with Andrea Hurst Literary Management. He is looking for motivated authors with a strong platform and a willingness to work with him to package and polish their proposal and manuscript. With a zest for fresh, new writing and a deep love of the classics, Gordon always has his eye out for works which will not only thrive in the current market but will also withstand the test of time, bringing joy to readers for years to come. In that spirit, he seeks to establish involved, long term working relationships with talented and willing authors of many genres.

Website: www.cynthiawhitcomb.com

Cynthia Whitcomb has sold over 50 scripts to movies 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 seven at UCLA Film School. She has been president of Willamette Writers since 1995.

Website: www.laurawhitcomb.com

Laura Whitcomb’s first novel, A Certain Slant of Light (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection, a Book Sense Pick, and an ALA Best Books for Young Adults selection. It is being published in six foreign languages and was a finalist is six state teen book contests. Her new novel, The Fetch (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), came out in February, got a starred review on Book List and was #5 in the YA “Next List” (formerly Book Sense) Top Ten for Indy book stores. Her first writing book, Your First Novel (2006) was co-authored by literary agent Ann Rittenberg and her new writing book, Novel Shortcuts (both for Writers Digest), came out in March.

Taking Advanced Manuscript Critiques
Website: www.ericwitchey.com

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.