AJ Stevens is the middle and shortest of eight children, she graduated with a degree in Microbiology from a university on planet Earth. She and her husband are raising three smallish earthlings in New Mexico.

Amy Jameson is a literary agent specializing in books for kids of all ages. She got her start in publishing at Janklow & Nesbit Associates in New York City, where she launched Shannon Hale's career, and has spent 20 years representing bestselling and beloved books for children.

Brandon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven, Dragonwatch, Candy Shop War, Beyonders, and Five Kingdom series. He lives in Utah with his wife Erlyn. Their eleven kids are gradually graduating out of the house.

Cass Biehn is the author of VESUVIUS (Peachtree Teen/Little Brown, UK, 2025). They write messy characters in messier situations—and always with angst. They hold a Master of Library Science from Aberystwyth University in rainy Wales and currently live in Salt Lake City, UT.
Learn more about them at cassbiehn.com or @cassbeewrites on Twitter and Instagram.

Chris Schoebinger has worked in the book and publishing industry for more than thirty-six years. As the publisher for Shadow Mountain Publishing, he has discovered and launched the writing careers of numerous best-selling authors, such as Brandon Mull, Ally Condie, Jason F. Wright, Emily Belle Freeman, and Julianne Donaldson.

Elaine/E.B. Vickers is an award-winning author of picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels. She grew up reading, playing basketball, and exploring in southern Utah. Several years and one PhD later, she found her way back to her hometown, where she loves writing, teaching college chemistry, and exploring with her family.

Erin Stewart is an award-winning author of realistic fiction for teens and tweens. Her most recent novel, THE WORDS WE KEEP, received the Schneider Family Book Award from the American Library Association for its portrayal of living with anxiety. Her third young adult novel, EVERY BORROWED BEAT, hit shelves in 2025 along with her middle-grade debut, THE FORGOTTEN MAGIC OF ZOEY TURNER. Erin is a heart failure survivor, mother of three and firm believer that Hot Tamales should be a recognized food group

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestseller and award-winning author of more than ninety publications. Heather writes primarily historical and #herstory fiction about the humanity and heroism of the everyday person. Publishing in a breadth of genres, Heather dives into the hearts and souls of her characters, meshing her love of research with her love of storytelling.

Jeff has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C. area and later moved to New England, where he and his family own a bookstore called An Unlikely Story.

Jess Smart Smiley makes rad pictures with his bare hands and has helped thousands of people around the world in creating their own stories.
Jess is an award-winning, #1 bestselling creator and loves sharing his passion for meaningful, engaging storytelling with students of all ages and skill levels.

Josh Roberts is the author of THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE series and forthcoming VICTORIA DARE series from Owl Hollow Press. His debut novel received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, and was a Massachusetts Book Awards Must-Read and a Kirkus Book of the Month.

Kathryn Purdie is the #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of The Forest Grimm, Bone Crier’s Moon, and Burning Glass. Kathryn loves writing songs on her guitar for her characters, snuggling with her tiny dog, and dreaming up fantasy worlds.

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Margaret Peterson Haddix is the NYT-bestselling author of the Greystone Secrets series, the Shadow Children series, and dozens of other books for kids and teens. After growing up on a farm in Ohio, she worked as a newspaper reporter before writing her first book.

Mike Thayer is a proud father of three, lucky husband of one, passionate author, lifelong gamer, viral blogger, degreed engineer, decent impressionist, inept hunter, erstwhile jock, and nerd. His award-winning books include The Talent Thief, The Double Life of Danny Day and The Techno Wizard series.

Nova McBee is the award-winning author of the Calculated series, which is currently in development to become a major motion picture. Emmy-Award winning screenwriter, Ann Peacock, best known for The Chronicles of Narnia, will adapt the novel for the screen with One Door Studios. Nova, a PNW native, has lived over 20 years of her life in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. When she is not writing, she thrives on deep conversation, dips in the ocean, and ends of the earth adventures with her family and friends.

Robin M. King, author of Remembrandt, Van Gogh Gone, and Memory of Monet, holds a teaching degree from BYU and works for LitJoy Crate. A busy mother of six, Robin is also an undercover marathoner, karateka, singer, seamstress, baker, and household appliance repairer.

Once upon a time, Sara Ella worked for Disney. Now she spends her days homeschooling her three Jedi, braving the Arizona summers, and reminding her superhero husband that it's almost Christmas. Sara is the author of six young adult novels and believes “Happily Ever After is Never Far Away.”

Serene Heiner is the creative soul behind the growing Instagram and TikTok accounts @magicalbooknook where she does all kinds of weird things with her eyebrows. She’s a diehard fantasy reader but can be caught cheating on the genre from time to time. She's a proud mother to seven readers and lives with them and her husband in their Idaho home where books are stacked to the ceiling. Where does she find time to write? The world may never know.

Suzie's been part of the team at New Leaf Literary & Media since its inception in 2012.

Suzie represents all brands of children’s and adult fiction. She loves women’s fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir, and debut fiction. She loves strong characters and voice-driven stories that break out of the typical tropes of their genres, and she’s always looking for unique new voices in stories.

Veeda Bybee is the author of books for young readers, a cookbook: A Few of My Favorite Things: Recipes Inspired by Hollywood Musical Films, and the coauthor of the Team Awkward middle grade series. A former journalist, she holds an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Aaron N. Hall is the author of the Wevlian Chronicles, the Hammerfist series, and multiple collections of stories and poems. When he's not writing (which isn't often), he's doing nonprofit work, lifting heavy things, playing Zelda, or sipping tea. He lives in Utah.

Amy White is a literature specialist, and one of a handful of licensed Story Code™ Analysis experts with the keys to cracking the story code. Amy has been instrumental in working with Katie Farmer to develop and promote her work. Having worked with the best of the best in filmmaking and business writing, Amy’s teaching can get you seen and more importantly, help you accurately connect with your target audience.

Bree Despain is the award-winning author of the Dark Divine trilogy and the Into the Dark trilogy. Bree earned a master’s degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Utah with her family where she enjoys paddle boarding and baking French macarons.

Chad Morris is an award-winning author. He is the co-author of Mustaches for Maddie, Squint, Willa and the Whale, Virtually Me, and The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry. He also wrote the Cragbridge Hall trilogy. His books have won the Utah Book Award, Nebraska Book Award, The Buckeye Children’s Book Award and Foreword review’s Book of the Year Gold Winner, along with being finalists for various other awards. Chad and Shelly have also appeared on CNN and the Hallmark Channel.

Christopher Paolini is no longer able to attend to due to illness.

Elesa Hagberg is the creative director of Splinter Press, and the author of The Dissection and Reassembly of Cohen Hoard. She loves cookies, board games, collecting and remodeling travel trailers, laughing louder than other people, and hanging out with her family.

Faralee Pozo is the senior editor at Splinter Press and works as a freelance editor and formatter at Oddball Editing on the side. In her spare time, she plays and creates tabletop games with her family, reads, and tries to avoid cooking.

Heather's award-winning debut novel, Lemon Drop Falls came out in 2022. She is passionate about representing neurodiverse children powerfully in fiction. She teaches adult writing classes at UVU Community Ed and works as Operation Literacy’s Chief Communications Officer, creating and promoting StoryCon and teaching the StoryCon Summer Camps! Learn more at StoryCon.org and HeatherClarkBooks.com

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains. His fantasy books have sold more than 6 million copies and have been translated into multiple languages worldwide.

Jessica Day George is the award-winning, bestselling author of over a dozen fantasy books for teens and younger readers. She likes, books, knitting, movies, dark chocolate, dogs, and her family (not necessarily in that order).

Julie Wright is a two-time Whitney Award winner. Her books have received several starred reviews and have been listed in the American Library Association’s top ten romances of the year.
She loves writing, reading, traveling, snorkeling, hiking, playing with her family, and watching her husband make dinner.

Katie Jarvis Shomler is an Actor/Director/Playwright based in the Pacific Northwest. Katie Graduated with both a B.A and M.A. in Theatre Studies from Brigham Young University, where she then taught as Adjunct Faculty for five years. Katie has written numerous plays across all formats.

Laini Taylor is the internationally bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy and Strange the Dreamer duology, among other books, for which she has been shortlisted for the National Book Award and the Printz Medal. She's published in over thirty languages and lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.

Marissa Meyer is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, Heartless, The Renegades Trilogy, and Instant Karma, as well as the graphic novel duology Wires and Nerve. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and a MA in Publishing from Pace University. In addition to writing, Marissa hosts The Happy Writer podcast. She lives near Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and twin daughters.

Moses Ose Utomi is a Nigerian-American fantasy writer and nomad currently based out of San Diego, California. He is the author of several books, including the young adult fantasy series The Sisters of the Mud and the fantasy novella trilogy The Forever Desert.

Phil Kenny is a seven-time Tony Award-winning producer, an Olivier Award-winner, and co-founder of the prolific Broadway production company, 42nd.club. Phil is also a playwright, composer and lyricist. Phil has developed a reputation in the theatre industry as a storytelling guru and is a frequent creative consultant on musicals in development. Phil is married to actress and Tony Award-winning producer Claire Wilkins Kenny and they are proud parents of seven children.

Robyn Schneider is the bestselling author of seven young adult novels including The Other Merlin, The Beginning of Everything, and Extraordinary Means. Her books have earned numerous awards and starred reviews, been optioned for film & television, appear on many state reading lists, and are published in over a dozen countries.

TABC Classroom Program Director, Whole & Balanced Life Coach & Author. Sarah-Noël lives in Bay Area where she raised her 7 children. When not advocating for Operation Literacy's mission to elevate literacy for all, she enjoys teaching wellness/relationship skills, providing rejuvenating Events & Excursions for clients & Airbnb guests.

Shannon Hale is the best-selling, award-winning author of fifty books for all ages, selling more than fifteen million copies and translated into twenty-five languages.

Tiana Smith is the author of YA and Adult rom coms. She has double degrees in Honors and English from Westminster University but wants to go back to school to learn sign language. Her latest book, MR. NICE SPY, released from Berkley / Penguin Random House in November.

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) is an Argentine-American author. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.

Adam Berg is a real human boy and not a figment of his dog’s imagination. He started his career in sketch comedy, spending seven years writing and acting for Studio C. Now he works for JK Studios. His love of writing has pushed him to explore TV, film, gaming articles, and YA fantasy novels.

Aubrey Hartman is the critically acclaimed author of The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor and The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest. She lives in California with her husband, three young children, and cat. She’s passionate about food, cinema, and inspiring young people to recognize the impact their voices can have on the world. Visit her online at aubreyhartman.com.

C.R. Langille is an award-winning author with a deep love for weird and creepy tales. This prompted her to form Timber Ghost Press in 2021. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the League of Utah Writers, and she earned her MFA from Seton Hill University in 2014.

Charlie N. Holmberg is a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction. Published in over 20 languages, she is a Goodreads Choice Awards and ALA finalist and a multi-Whitney award winner.

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We’re Emily Cox and Nicole Allen, and our debut YA novel, The Other Side of Together released January 2024 by Monster Ivy Publishing. We’ve been co-writing “Clean Steam” YA novels for twelve years and have been picked up, dropped, hopeful, and discouraged but always fearless.

Frank L. Cole has visited hundreds of schools nationwide promoting the value of reading and using imagination to solve problems. The Legend of the Last Library is Frank’s 15th published book.

J Scott Savage (he/him) is the author of twenty two published novels, including Quantum Interstellar Sports League, an illustrated novel from Penguin. He has presented at more than four thousand schools, libraries, and conferences across the country, inspiring students to read, write, and change the world. He enjoys reading, watching movies, camping, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Jennifer A. Nielsen is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of several books for young readers. She also serves as the Utah Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Jennifer loves being in the mountains and is sorta obsessed with all things dark chocolate.

Jo Schaffer Layton is the author of YA novels, Against Her Will, the Stanley & Hazel (trilogy), and Badlands. She's a founder of Operation Literacy, the creators of Teen Author Boot Camp and StoryCon. She writes for TV and film, is a taekwondo black belt and teaches self defense.
Jo is passionate about community, travel, books, music, healthy eating, classic films and martial arts. A native Californian, she now lives in Texas with three kids and a hunky tattooed husband.

Kaela Rivera is the multi-award-winning author of the Cece Rios series and LEGO DREAMZzz novelizations. She loves writing about folktales and healing adventures from the soaring mountains of Utah. When not writing, she’s busy working as a content strategist (while secretly doodling characters in her notebook). Sign up for her newsletter at kaelarivera.com.

KayLynn Flanders, author of the Shielded duology, holds a degree in English Language and worked as an editor for many years before turning to writing. KayLynn is a medium-adventurous foodie and spends her nonexistent spare time traveling, playing volleyball, and attempting new hobbies. She lives with her family in Utah between some mountains and a lake, but you can find her online at kaylynnflanders.com.

Gwen/Leigh is usually hanging out somewhere in the way and tries to help, but usually trips up the stairs to the big stage.

Mary Denton Taylor is the Chief Operations Officer for Operation Literacy, who helped create StoryCon. She is a former librarian and is currently working on getting an literary agent for her middle grade books. She also has the incomparable job of being a wife and mom to the best family ever.

Naomi Watkins champions the mind-body connection in creativity. An educator and author, she empowers others through forest therapy, breathwork, and yoga. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Utah.

Rena Barron grew up in small-town Alabama, where stories of magic and adventure sparked her imagination. Rena loves all things science fiction and fantasy, ghosts, and superheroes. Rena is the author of the young adult fantasy series Kingdom of Souls, which the School Library Journal called a ‘masterful tale,’ in a starred review. Rena is also the author of the superhero middle grade contemporary fantasy series set in Chicago, Maya and the Rising Dark, a 2021 Ignyte Award Finalist.

Rosalyn Eves has a PhD in English and teaches writing at Southern Utah University. She is also the author of several young adult novels–the BLOOD ROSE REBELLION trilogy, and YA historicals BEYOND THE MAPPED STARS, AN IMPROBABLE SEASON and AN UNLIKELY PROPOSITION

SASHA PEYTON SMITH is the New York Times best-selling author of fantasy novels for young adults including The Witch Haven and The Rose Bargain. Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages world-wide. She lives in a 100-year-old house in the mountains of Utah, with her husband and (allegedly) two ghosts, though she has yet to see them.

Shanti Hershenson is your average sixteen-year-old in every way other than the myriad of books she has penned. On most days, you can find her fangirling over her next novel, likely cuddled up with her cats. She has amassed over 60,000 followers on TikTok and won the 2023 Literary Titan Gold Medal.

Tiffany Rosenhan is a the author of YA thriller, GIRL FROM NOWHERE, published by Bloomsbury. She is also the co-founder of Jumelle Press, an independent publishing company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her favorite part about being an author is meeting students and readers!!

Z.S. Diamanti is the award-winning author of the epic fantasy series, Stone & Sky. He’s a USAF veteran and lives in Colorado with his family where they enjoy hikes, camping, and tabletop games.
You can get a FREE series of his stories at zsdiamanti.com
Connect on social media @zsdiamanti

Allison Anderson lives her best life as a wife, a mom, a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and author of The Cartographer’s War series. She’s spent most of her life across the southwestern United States.

Ayana Gray is a New York Times-bestselling novelist. Her works have been translated in eleven languages across five continents and have received critical acclaim at the state and national level. Ayana has served as a guest lecturer for writing workshops across the country. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in Arkansas.

Caitlin Sangster is the author of the Last Star Burning Trilogy, She Who Rides the Storm, He Who Breaks the Earth, and A Baker’s Guide to Robber Pie. She’s the founder of Lit Service Podcast, a show that brings in authors and other publishing professionals to talk about writing.

Chloe B. Christensen, age 18, is an author who wrote many stories in her teen years. She has published some of these stories, including The “Boy Who Fell From the Sky” and “Survived on a Lie” in the Owl Hollow Press Teen Anthology in 2023 and 2024, and “A Dragon’s Choice” in the 2021 Imagine Teen Anthology collection when she was only 14 years old. She has added writing to her list of favorite things including ballroom dance, FCCLA, singing, and playing the ukulele.

Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of The Conjureverse series, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, Whiteout, The Rumor Game, and the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She hails from the Washintgon, D.C. area. She taught secondary school, was a school librarian, is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books, and President of Cake Creative, an IP story kitchen dedicated to diverse books for all ages. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief.

Emily writes historical fiction for children and teens. Her first novel, BENEATH THE WIDE SILK SKY, won the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators’ Golden Kite Award and the Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature. Her first picture book, WAT KEPT PLAYING, released in 2024 and received a starred review from School Library Journal. Emily holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University and is a former teacher.

Haley Bono has a love of fairy tales. With a degree in criminal justice, she is captivated by the tension that challenges a person’s morals and ethics. Most criminals have a tragic backstory, and every victim deserves justice. She's woven these experiences into her storytelling. When she's not pouring her soul into blank pages, she's spending time with her wonderful husband, two young kids, and her two chubby cats.

Janet Sumner Johnson is a middle grade and picture book author. Her works include Help Wanted: Must Love Books, and The Winterton Deception mystery series. After living in all four continental US time zones, she now lives in Utah with her husband, three kids, and dog. Learn more at janetsumnerjohnson.com.

Jennifer Jenkins is the author of seven published novels and one non-fiction guide to creative writing. Her work has been optioned for film/tv and she is a two-time Whitney Finalist and Teen Readers' Choice Award finalist. She serves as the Founder and CEO of Operation Literacy.

Jolie Taylor is the author of, “The Totally Not Boring Book of Feelings,” which is a graphic novel for ages 7-10. She runs a Booktok and Bookstagram under the handle @endlessfairytales. She also has her degree in secrondary education with an emphasis in health and English.

Kasie West is the author of many YA novels, including The Fill-In Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, Lucky in Love, and Listen to Your Heart. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, Junior Library Guild selections and ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults books. In the summer months you can often find Kasie on the California Coast with her family escaping the heat of the Central Valley.

Kim holds an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University and teaches young writers through her writing academy, Write for Life. She shares her book recs and writing life online at Talk Wordy to Me and is a book reviewer for Good Things Utah. Kim is a former audiobook narrator, magazine editor, and small-press publicist.

Lindsay is an award-winning author and editor who is passionate about writing books for and about powerful girls. Her debut novel, AnnaGrey and the Constellation, is the 2024 first runner-up in the middle reader category of the Eric Hoffer Book Award and a First Horizon Medal Finalist. Her second creative love is photography, which you can view on @lindsayflanaganbooksandpics. She was born and raised in Utah and still makes her home with her husband, two daughters, three dogs, and sometimes a horse. 

Megan Clements is a born and bred Idaho girl with a love for writing across genres. She is Senior Editor at Waypoint Authors and the co-author of two nonfiction books on writing: From Spark to Story and Plot Your Novel.

Neal Shusterman is the award-winning author of more than 50 books for teens and adults, including the Arc of a Scythe Trilogy, The Unwind Dystology, Dry, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. His upcoming novel ALL BETTER NOW publishes in early February 2025.

Renae is a highly acclaimed creativity coach, known for her vibrant teaching style and innovative approach to unleashing creative potential. She has been a featured instructor at several conventions, offering a diverse array of engaging hands-on creativity classes. She ensures students leave with newfound empowerment through practical experiences.

Sara B. Larson is the best-selling and critically acclaimed author of multiple books, including the YA fantasy Defy trilogy, the Dark Breaks the Dawn duology, and the Sisters of Shadow and Light duology. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their four children, and their dogs, Loki the Maltese and Bindi the English Cream Retriever.

Scott Mooney (he/him) is a writer, improviser, and director from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He’s written his way through Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, England, and a dozen fantasy worlds of his own creation. His debut novel, Pricked, was written during his studies at Cornell University and Oxford University.

Shelly Brown is the award-winning author of Mustaches for Maddie, Squint, Willa and the Whale, Virtually Me, The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry, and The Playmakers. All of which she co-authored with Chad Morris. She is also the author of the middle grade horror Ghostsitter. Her books have won book-of-the-year awards like the Nebraska Book Award and The Buckeye Children’s Book Award. She has also appeared on CNN and the Hallmark Channel. She lives in Utah with her husband, five kids, and four chickens.

Tom is an Emmy-winning writer, producer, and director, and the CEO of Martian Studios—creating edutaining movies, cartoons, and interactive experiences. And, he’s a dad who uses story to engage his kids and teach them how to slay dragons and befriend aliens.