Jaclyn Weist
Jaclyn doesn’t sit still very often, but when she does it’s to binge watch her favorite shows. When she isn’t attending sporting and music events for her six kids, she’s writing, editing, and booking travel. She’s been writing since grade school and had her first book published in 2013. Since then, she’s published over fifty books between two pen names—Jaclyn Weist for Young Adult fantasy and romance and Jaclyn Hardy for sweet and clean adult romance. You can learn more about her at www.jaclynweist.com and www.jaclynhardy.com
Jess Smart Smiley
He makes rad stories with his bare hands and has helped thousands of children, teens, and adults around the world to create their own characters, stories, and more.
Jess is the award-winning creator of the bestselling “Let’s Make Comics” and “What Happens Next” series of interactive, pick-the-path graphic novels. He loves sharing his passion for writing, drawing, and storytelling with schools, libraries, museums, and students of all ages and skill levels.
Jessica Celaya
Jessica Celaya’s love of stories began at a young age. She has been an active member in the writing community since 2003. As a beta reader, she has helped many authors find the beauty of their stories. Now she wants to help authors as a developmental editor. She has an eye for finding the gems in stories. Her feedback is uplifting, insightful, and educational.
She lives in Utah with her husband and the cutest baby this side of the Mississippi. (Who are we kidding, he’s the cutest baby on the other side of the Mississippi too.) She also has cats and chickens.
David Rodeback
David Rodeback started fourth grade in Boulder, Colorado, in a family of squares among the hippies, and finished it in southeast Idaho, a city boy in farm country. He taught writing, Russian language, and Russian literature at Cornell and BYU, before landing in software development and digital marketing. His two published short fiction collections, The Dad Who Stayed and Other Stories and Poor As I Am and Other Stories at Christmas, won 2024 Silver and Bronze Quill awards from the League of Utah writers. He and his wife live in American Fork and have four children and two grandchildren.
Ryan O. Hacking
Lord ‘Ryan the Great’ Hacking wrote his first short story in the 3rd Grade. His first attempt at a “Novel” while attending BYU. He returned to writing around 2009 when he wrote his real first Novel and has written one or two novels every year. Learning the value of Networking and Giving, Ryan is now the President of the Celebrate Writers Chapter of the League of Utah Writers and has joined the UMAA literary board. Join Ryan this summer at his writing retreat. Ryan enjoys many crafts and hobbies, many focus on Fantasy skills, like blacksmithing.
Chris Jones
Mr. C has been teaching and writing for decades now. He doesn’t always know what he’s talking about, but he is never boring. He is a strong proponent of writing as work, as a craft that anyone can learn to do and that anyone can make themselves do, even when it’s hard. With close to half a million books sold, he knows both how hard it is–and how great it is–to get our souls on the page for others to read.
JC Bybee
I’m a crime novelist specializing in mixed genre, my books are either science fiction or fantasy along with the mystery
Jessica Guernsey
Jessica Guernsey writes Fantasy and Sci-Fi short stories. With a BA in Journalism from Brigham Young University and a MA in Publishing from Western Colorado University, her work is published in magazines and anthologies. By day, she crushes dreams as a slush pile reader for multiple publishers. By night, she edits and produces anthologies. Frequently, she can be found at writing conferences. She isn’t difficult to spot; just look for the extrovert.
While she spent her teenage angst in Texas, she now lives on a mountain in Utah with her family and a bossy mini schnauzer. Discover more stories at jessicaguernsey.com.
Tristi Pinkston
Tristi Pinkston is a professional freelance editor with hundreds of successful manuscripts under her belt. Many of her finished projects have gone on to earn industry accolades. In addition to running her own editing company, Tristi has worked for two publishing houses and has mentored an impressive list of authors through the publishing process. She is a favorite presenter at writing conferences all over the western United States. With the other half of her brain, she’s an award-winning author, writing not only as Tristi Pinkston, but as Amelia C. Adams. Between the two of them . . . er, the two of her . . . she has written a wide catalogue ranging from cozy mystery to sweet Western romance to chapter books. She lives with her husband and four amazing children in southeastern Idaho, where they enjoy fresh air and the beauty of nature all year long.
Jana S. Brown
When Jana S. Brown was eight, she wanted to be an author and a mother. Now she’s both complete with fuzzy sidekicks. She’s been involved in publishing as an Author, Editor, Presenter, Slush Reader, Course Creator, Marketer, and grundle of other positions (Yes, grundle is the technical term) for over 30 years. With over 20 books in print under three pennames, she writes the weird and the wonderful with smoochies.
Ryan C. Smith
With two master’s degrees, including a master’s in divinity equivalent to be an Army Chaplain, and thousands of hours of counseling experience, Ryan Smith is not only a self-help author and family therapist but also an aspiring “Karaoke King” and improv comedian. His journey of battling dragons of self-doubt and navigating life’s shipwrecks— imposter syndrome gets real with his story of overcoming addiction, 4-year divorce, and getting fired 4 times in 5 years. Ryan blends hands-on improv skits to inspire healing, turning trauma into love and resilience. Please welcome a funny guy with a serious message—Ryan C. Smith!
Michael D. Young
Though Michael grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and their three children. He played for several years with the handbell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. He is the author of the novels in The Canticle Kingdom Series, The Last Archangel Series, the Chess Quest Series, and the Penultimate Dawn Cycle (The Hunger), as well as several non-fiction works, including An Advent Carols Countdown, Sacred Days, Sacred Songs, The Song of the Righteous and As Saints We Sing.
Betsy Love
Betsy Love graduated Magna Cum Laude in English and Secondary Education. She has over 30 published titles. When she’s not writing, she loves K-dramas and crocheting, but not at the same time because…subtitles.
John M. Olsen
John M. Olsen edits and writes speculative fiction across multiple genres and loves stories about ordinary people stepping up to do extraordinary things. His short stories have appeared in dozens of anthologies. He’s also written several novels across multiple genres. (Polecat Protocol Series, Riland Throne Series, and more.)
He loves to create and fix things through editing and writing, just like when he’s working in his secret lair equipped with dangerous power tools. In all cases, he applies engineering principles and processes to the task at hand, often in unpredictable ways.
Janilise Llyod
Janilise Lloyd is the author of the multi-awarded book The Whisperer’s Wish. She loves telling stories that whisk readers away to new worlds filled with adventure and relatable characters. Writing was not a career path she imagined growing up, but she’s forever grateful life took this unexpected turn.
Janilise lives in Northern Utah with her husband and two kids. She enjoys the outdoors and balances a love for running with a love for all things dessert. Her little family likes to be on the go, so you’ll probably find them at the zoo, on a hike, or skipping rocks on the river.
Linné Marsh
Linné Elizabeth is an adjunct English instructor at Utah Tech University, a freelance content writer, and an award-winning author. When she’s not devouring chocolate while nose-deep in a book, you can find her playing in the russet desert of southern Utah with her four incredible – sometimes feral – kids and her handsome husband. Check her out on Instagram: @library4one or on Facebook: @linneelizabeth
D.M. Tregaskis
D.M. Tregaskis detests spoilers. That’s why she doesn’t watch movie trailers or read the back covers of books. Though she sometimes judges books by their covers, she tries not to judge people and believes if you take the time to understand a person, they often amaze you. Her favorite place to read is in a hammock, as long as it isn’t too hot. Regardless of genre, her favorite parts of stories are character growth and romance. Her loves are food, learning, travel, books—of course!, quiet moments, the Lord, and her family. She lives with her husband and four girls in Utah.
P.S. She also loves reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Audible.
Follow her journey and see other books at www.dmtregaskis.com. She’s also on Instagram: authordmtregaskis
Karen Hoover
I write books and sometimes sell them. Occasionally.
Abel Keogh
Abel is the author of eight books, including two memoirs, “Room for Two” and “The Wife in the Next Life.” He works as a relationship coach and runs a YouTube channel that helps people get over heartbreak and open their hearts to new chapters. He is also an avid runner. Abel and his wife live in the beautiful state of Utah and, as citizens of the Beehive state, are parents of the requisite seven children.