Michael Hingson’s inspiring true story captivated the world when he and his guide dog Roselle escaped the Twin Towers together on 9/11, a story that became the New York Times bestselling book Thunder Dog. During decades of walking with guide dogs, he had learned a surprising truth that helped save his life that day: Being afraid can be a positive thing, one that prepares us to deal with any situation that befalls us.
Author & speaker Michael Hingson can be found on his website here: https://michaelhingson.com/
PS Conway has published more than 50 poems across four online journals and 16 poetry anthologies. Two anthologies have been Amazon Best Sellers (so far). He released his first poetry collection Echoes Lost in Stars [Literary Revelations Publishing House] in March 2024. To date, it has garnered significant critical acclaim. In April 2025, PS will release Life Sucks:Memories and Introspections During the Great Covid Lockdown [Fictional Café Press], a compilation of satirical essays from Covid lockdown. A two-time Pushcart Nominee, PS also serves as the 2024-25 Poet-in-Residence for the online literary journal, The Fictional Café. He finds fascination in words birthed from dark, literate, and emotive places. Find him online at psconway.com and poetrybyps.com, and follow him on social media (Facebook; Instagram; and Twitter/X).
Annmarie grew up in New York City but was transplanted to the south in high school. She writes stories about hope, courage, and resilience in fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, and mystery. She loves exploring the human experience and wants readers to feel like they can do more than survive.
When she’s not writing, Annmarie enjoys learning just about everything, playing violin, and singing. She can occasionally be found tap dancing or playing D & D. One day, she wants to go LARPing.
To keep up with her latest releases, writing news, and exclusive content, join her author newsletter on her website at https://asansevero.com/.
Award-winning Journalist and USA Today bestselling author Jeffery H. Haskell thinks he should always be himself… unless he can be Spider-Man. Then, he should be Spidey. He’s a lifelong lover of comic books and science fiction, and he owns his geek status by quoting Aliens and Star Trek at every given opportunity.
When he realized he could make a living writing about his obsessions, he jumped at the chance. With the incredible support of his amazing wife and spectacular children, Jeffery lives the dream of bringing his imagination to the page and on occasion, he writes about love and marriage.
Find Jeffrey on his website at http://jefferyhhaskell.com/
Alex Villasante has always loved telling stories—though not always with words. She has a BFA in Painting and an MA in Combined Media (that’s art school speak for making work out of *anything*). Born in New Jersey to immigrant parents, Alex has the privilegio of dreaming in both English and Spanish.
When she’s not writing, painting or chasing chickens around the yard, Alex plans conferences and fundraisers for non-profits. You can find Alex on Instagram at @magpiewrites or on her website, alexandravillasante.com
From Randee... First of all, I'm the proud owner of a first novel, the humorous pop-culture fantasy Tune in Tomorrow (Solaris)!
I'm an entertainment journalist by day and an author at all other times. My tales have been published in a bunch of anthologies, and I'm the co-editor of Across the Universe: Tales of Alternate Beatles as well as the co-author of The Law & Order: SVU Unofficial Companion.
In my day job, I write for outlets including Today.com, Variety, The Los Angeles Times, and Emmy Magazine.
I live with the love of my life and an adorable West Highland Terrier (who is also quite lovable), in Brooklyn. Be sure to visit me at my web page, and sign up for the newsletter!
Joel McKay is an award-winning author of fantasy and dark fiction, including the YA fantasy novel The Dungeoneers and the Treasure of Roan, the horror novella Wolf at the Door and dark anthology It Came From the Trees and Other Violent Aberrations. He lives in Northern B.C.
More information can be found at https://www.joelmckay.ca
Julia Riew is a Korean-American composer-lyricist, librettist, and novelist from St. Louis and NYC. She is best known for her viral hit Dive, a reimagining of the Korean folktale Shimcheong, which has captivated millions online and is currently being developed for the stage at the American Repertory Theater with Tony-Award winning director Diane Paulus and GLAAD-Award winning playwright Diana Son.
Julia also wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the new original musical ENDLESS (dir. by Zi Alikhan, Seoul, 2026), which features an expansive, celestial mythological universe and a cinematic pop score. Julia’s literary work includes upcoming YA fantasy novel The Last Tiger (Penguin Random House, 2025), as well as MG fantasy novel Shim Jung Takes the Dive (HarperCollins, 2026). Other upcoming projects include a YA sci-fi comedy thriller novel and two more musicals slated for development in Korea.
In addition to being the 18th Annual Fred Ebb Award winner, Julia has been Playbill’s Featured Songwriter of the Month, a Woman to Watch on Broadway, a Princess Grace Award Honoraria recipient, and the recipient of the Harvardwood Artist Launch Fellowship.
Find Julia and The Lost Tiger here on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52908049.Julia_Riew
John Kennedy Howard is a world record holding cyclist and Ironman World Champion who found inspiration in Major Taylor's story when he very first picked up his autobiography.
As a cyclist, Howard represented the US on three Olympic cycling teams, and he won 19 elite and masters national championships.
He has been inducted into both the US cycling and triathlon Halls of Fame, and he has set world records at both ends of the cycling spectrum.
Find the book and John and his co-author, Rene Mauer, here: https://majortaylorstory.com/
Hello, I am Larry Maley (pen named L.R. Maley)
An avid fan of science fiction and fantasy stories, trying my hand at writing in these genres is my current life adventure. Over the years, I have had many ideas for stories that I thought I should try to to put to print. The Chronicles of the Manaar is the first to find its way.
This story has been broken down into nine parts, or chronicles if you will. In my mind, each chronicle is marked by growth and development of the Immersed. The world around them parallels the medieval period of Europe, though I have skewed the culture slightly to reflect how the use of mana has influenced it.
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LRChroniclesoftheManaar
Website: https://www.lrmaleynovels.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60792671-immersion
Other: https://www.instagram.com/l.rmaleynovels/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B35S2GM6?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tkin_tpbk
From Alice...
I grew up without a television, so books became my window toother worlds and I never really came back. Reading turned into writing and I fell in love with creating my own stories full of magic, adventure, and heroes. I enjoy all kinds of fantasy, from epic quests to gritty steampunk to magic in the modern world. I'm passionate about mental health, diversity, and representation, and I believe everyone deserves to see themselves in the stories they love.
Social media:
@fallenrosewriting
Patrick Sangimino worked as a journalist for over forty years, writing for large newspapers throughout California and the Midwest. He worked during the print journalism golden age and saw it slowly shift into the digital age. From beat reporter to award-winning columnist, Patrick wrote about some of the biggest sporting stories of all time, including eight seasons of the National Football League, World Series games, and local legends who made athletic history.
A self-described “ink-in-the-veins” writer, Patrick was not merely a journalist, he was a weaver of tales. His craft was motivated by a native curiosity, relentless doggedness in pursuit of fact, and the deeply human understanding that accompanied membership in the communities he served. His columns were read devotionally, acclaimed for their humor, pathos, and biting acuity.
Having retired in 2024, Patrick devoted himself to fiction. But whereas his columns were anchored firmly in the real world, so too is his fiction. Dogs Chase Cars is his first novel, but it feels like the accumulation of a lifetime of experience unvarnished, perceptive, sometimes self-aware, always uncompromisingly truthful.
Sangimino now spends his retirement doing what he’s always done best writing. Whether looking back or making up stories for the future, his pen still pursues meaning, memory, and perhaps a little bit of mischief.
Find Patrick and his book on his website here: https://patricksangimino.com/
Jason Kristopher is the award-winning author terrifying readers with zombies in The Dying of the Light, thrilling them with 1940s noir in Loco Moco, and harrowing them with boy-meets-gryphon-meets-robot adventure in When Iron Wakes. With the love of his life and the dog that rescued him by his side, he plots his next traumatizing stories from Florida beaches.
Read more about Jason on his website and get exclusive early access to snippets, behind-the-scenes cool stuff on Patreon.
From Ryan...
I’m an avid explorer of the relationships between technology, culture, creativity, humanity, spaces, spirituality, Zen, mindfulness, artificial intelligence, and tons more. Until this point in my life, these interests have been expressed through a PhD in English, a career in marketing and communications, several books, art and design projects, a black belt, and a number of entrepreneurial endeavors.
If you like what you see here and would like to keep up to date on my current work, please check out my Bluesky and Facebook feeds. If you want the skinny on my professional comings and goings, you can have a look at my LinkedIn profile.
Bjorn was born in the Lowcountry of South Carolina a long, long time ago. He has worked in manufacturing all his working life to feed himself but has nourished his mind with the study of many topics; history of all eras, the paranormal, astronomy, writing of different types, photography, archeology, genealogy, vexillology, some other -ologies, even stock car racing for a couple of years, and on and on. Bjorn finds just about everything fascinating in some way and has been accused of being too easily entertained. A blend of a few of his interests led to the creation of the Thalsparr Universe. The first installment of the series will be “Runes of the Dokkrsdottir,” with a release date to be determined. He currently lives in the Midlands of South Carolina with his wife of 25 years on their hobby farm.
Find his books here: Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DPGM2LZR
Series: https://thalsparr1891.wixsite.com/home/copy-of-home-1
Sharon’s debut literary novel, The Meeting of Air and Water, was a novel-in-progress finalist in the William Wisdom-William Faulkner novel competition in 2019. The novel was inspired bythe photographs of Fonville Winans, a Baton Rouge photographer who documented Louisiana Cajun life in the 1920s. It follows the lives of two women artists, one grandmother to the other, who struggle against societal and cultural expectations that threaten their need to create. The intense atmosphere of the novel functions as a contributing character that enhances the compelling narrative. The novel makes use of Sharon’s experiences of summer vacations onLake Pontchartrain in an area of lake camps in east New Orleans called Little Woods. Sadly, none of these camps so beloved by many New Orleanians remains, having been destroyed over the years by hurricanes.
Find Sharon and her books with these links:
P.S.C. Willis (they/them) is a queer British writer, and graduate of both Newcastle University and Reading University. They currently live in Shanghai, where they have quit any number of hobbies (ukulele, rollerskating, drag) but stuck fairly well to writing. Their work span everything from flash fiction to novel length, mostly in sci fi and fantasy. Community is a huge part of their writing process, and they run a local workshop and writing meet ups, as well as connecting with fellow writers in many online spaces.
P likes to create stories that allow others to believe in good people, in magic, or both.
Award winning author and photographer, Gary Smith, continues his mystery adventure series of the character Warren Steelgrave. True to the title of his first novel, The Willing, Steelgrave gets involved in investigating a bomb threat by a radicalized Middle Eastern hate group. The terrorists' plan is complex and ever-evolving. Their target may be different than the information first uncovered since their hatred is not limited toward only one religion.
Central to the story, author Smith highlights Steelgrave's unique ability to utilize the help of three very distinct entities: the local national police of Italy, a powerful Mafia crime family, and a supportive American FBI agent. The cooperation between them and with Steelgrave must remain clandestine to prevent public scrutiny, especially since the crime family subscribes to the principle "the end justifies the means".
Steelgrave's ability to anticipate the terrorists' elusive actions once again proves his worth. Unfortunately, Steelgrave then drops his guard and an unexpected act of retribution results in near-fatal knife wounds. As he is recovering, his true-love, Cindy O'Brien, reappears but only for a very short reunion.
Find Gary and his books here: https://garysmithauthor.com/
Imagination Wizard Jason DeGray conjures vivid worlds of adventure, from the lawless deserts of Those Left Behind to the cosmic horrors of The Dark Goddess. A master storyteller, he crafts tales of defiance, brotherhood, and survival that grip fans of Firefly, The Dark Tower, and beyond. Whether it’s sci-fi westerns, fantasy epics, or pulse-pounding thrillers, Jason’s stories ignite the imagination with rugged heroes and high-stakes action. When not weaving novels, he’s exploring the wild deserts of New Mexico, seeking inspiration for his next epic. Dive into Jason’s universe, where every book is a portal to rebellion and wonder—start with Those Left Behind and join the fight! Connect on Facebook for new releases and behind-the-scenes lore.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasondegrayauthor/
J.S. Gold is a proud son of New Rochelle, New York – goHuguenots! He’s an alumnus of S.U.N.Y. Binghamton, where he received his Bachelors in Political Science, Philosophy and Law. He continued his education at Long Island University, obtaining his Master’s in Education, and Gettysburg College, where he received a Master’s in American History.
Fantasy has been a constant companion throughout his life, the cry of a Kamehameha lifting his spirits as much as Gandalf’s wisdom. By day, he teaches history to high schoolers who hopefully remember it. He lives (and jokes, and dances, and sings) with his wife, daughter, son and two cats on Long Island,New York.
J.S. Gold
Author, Teacher, Father
"Do not cast all hope away. Tomorrow is unknown. Rede oft is found at the rising of the Sun."