CoCo is a graduate of Bard College with a B.A. in Written Arts. Before joining Linda Chester, she worked for Tom Yoon Productions developing projects and editing existing material. She is very happy to have entered the world of her first love, books.
Find out more at https://lindachester.com.
C. Lill Ahrens is an award-winning author, popular writing teacher and retired editorial consultant with many published and award-winning students and clients. Since 2008, she’s given numerous presentations and workshops for writing events and organizations, including Willamette Writers, Oregon Writers Colony and Oregon State University. Lill is also a published cartoonist, and her current project is drawing a how-to-write book.
Find out more at clillahrens.com.
Brian grew up in Alaska, then Mississippi, and has always been in love with storytelling in every medium. He earned a BFA in graphic design & illustration and an MA in writing & publishing. He’s an adjunct professor of children’s publishing at Portland State University. He is the co-owner and creative director of Believe In Wonder Publishing, has written and illustrated 20+ books, and spends his days working with the family creating new and amazing stories.
Find out more at www.believeinwonder.com.
Brian U. Garrison, he/him, is President of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA). Check out his Etsy shop to see wall art that combines his words with visuals from collaborators. His chapbook Micropoetry for Microplanets (Space Cowboy Books) earned 3rd Place in the 2025 Elgin Awards. He lives under a tall, leafy tree in Portland, Oregon.
Find Brian online at www.bugthewriter.com.
Seattle author Alle C. Hall (pronounced AL-lee) is a veteran essayist and short-story writer (Dale Peck’s Evergreen Review, Tupelo Quarterly, The Seattle Times). Alle’s debut novel—As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back—is a gripping, ultimately uplifting tale of Carlie, a childhood trauma survivor who journeys across Asia and finds healing through Tai chi. The novel earned 16 honors, including BookViral’s Golden Quill Award and two #1 Kindle rankings. Praised for its psychological insight, the book is featured in staff libraries at leading treatment centers such as The Meadows, as well as by The Harborview Abuse and Trauma Center.
National Book Award judge Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet) called it, “A rare novel. An outstanding debut.”
Find out more at https://allehall.wordpress.com.
Jane Friedman has spent 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and industry reporting. In 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
She is the author of The Business of Being a Writer, which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant
panels for the NEA and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
Find out more at JaneFriedman.com