Keynotes and Special Guests

Thursday Evening Read-a-long

Chad grew up wanting to become a professional basketball player or a rock star. (Inspired by Animal from The Muppets, he has been banging on drums since he was eight years old.) Neither of those plans quite panned out. After high school, he left the Rocky Mountains to live in Brazil for a few years then returned home to write and perform sketch comedy while going to college. He graduated from BYU with a couple of degrees and became a teacher and a curriculum writer.

A native to the ocean and transplanted to the mountains, Shelly Brown has always loved children and books so it made sense when she started writing books for children. In her spare time she helps her husband, author Chad Morris, write MORE children’s books. In her extra-extra spare time she loves the theater and traveling. She is also one of the worst tap dancers you will ever meet. But she does it anyway. She has no regrets, one husband, three chickens, five children, and sixty-four Pez dispensers.

Saturday Lunch Keynote

James A. Owen is founder and executive director of the art and design studio Coppervale International. James has written and illustrated two dozen StarChild comics, the award-winning MythWorld series of novels, the bestselling series The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, the inspirational nonfiction trilogy The Meditations, and more. More than a million copies of his publications are in print, and are sold all over the world. James is also in discussions to develop several of his projects for both film and television, and previously wrote a screenplay for Warner Brothers (under the guidance of David Heyman and David S. Goyer) adapting his own novel Here, There Be Dragons, for the screen. His newest release is the eighth Imaginarium Geographica book, THE DRAGON KNIGHT. Currently, he is working the pending release of his thirty-five year art retrospective, ILLUSTRATIONS & ILLUMINATIONS, his Patreon periodical, Words & Pictures, the next Meditations book, EVERYTHING IS SIGNAL, the ninth Imaginarium Geographica book, A DRIVE OF DRAGONS, and his illustrated magnum opus, FOOL’S HOLLOW. All of these projects are being developed at the Coppervale Studio, a 14,000 square foot, century-old restored church in Northeastern Arizona.

Stefanie Molina

Cate is actively seeking nonfiction narrative, history, film/TV/theatre, pop culture, and music. In fiction, she is open to historical, commercial, women’s fiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, psychological, and thriller, including middle grade and young adult. She specializes in Historical, whether in Young Adult, Women’s Fiction and Romance, or narrative nonfiction. She is particularly drawn to oft forgotten stories of the past and underrepresented voices, and especially personal to her is unexplored Southern history and culture. She also loves high-concept fantasy in YA and Adult fiction.

Erin Olds

Erin Olds loves to travel, read, and drink boba tea! She currently lives in Seattle, where she homeschools her two young children. Erin is the CEO of Salt & Sage Books, an editing company dedicated to kindness & diversity. With a degree in English and French, Erin has worked with authors of all ages her whole adult life. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in various journals and magazines. She is a hybrid published author, with several indie books out under a pen name and her first traditionally published book (still a secret!) in progress.

Eschler Editing

Sabine Berlin of Eschler Editing is an avid reader of everything from Asimov to Zusak. She has a degree in history, writes YA fiction, and was selected to attend Orson Scott Card’s Literary Bootcamp, where she studied writing and critiquing. She edits full-time for a local university and has worked with Eschler Editing since 2012. She invites you to visit her blog.

Immortal Works

Immortal Works is seeking submissions in all genres for general audiences, twelve years of age and up! Regardless of the age of the main character, they are only looking to publish pieces that would be considered a lighter PG-13 in tone and topic.

Pink Umbrella Books

Pink Umbrella is only actively seeking fully illustrated picture books for children but would be willing to consider any genre from authors with a strong platform or who see themselves as a good fit for a partnership with a smaller publisher.