(R.H. Herron)
A.K. Mulford is a bestselling fantasy author and former wildlife biologist who swapped rehabilitating monkeys for writing novels. She/they are inspired to create diverse stories that transport readers to new realms, making them fall in love with fantasy for the first time, or, all over again. She now lives in New Zealand with her husband and two young human primates, creating lovable fantasy characters and making ridiculous Tiktoks (@akmulfordauthor).
What’s the difference between rewriting and revising? And what do you do when the existential monster of WHY AM I EVEN DOING THIS rears its ugly head? Join Rachael Herron as she talks about this and some other Big Things To Think About in your writing!
Catherine Prendergast is a Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Fulbright Scholar. Interviewed by NPR and New York Magazine, she has written on battles over school desegregation, anxieties over the global spread of English, and recognition of disability rights. Dr. Prendergast’s previous (scholarly) books include Buying Into English (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2008) and Literary and Racial Justice (Southern Illinois University Press, 2003). The Gilded Edge is her first work of narrative nonfiction. Originally from New Jersey, she now lives in central Illinois with her husband and son.
Rachael talks to Josephine Smith about how to launch a career, fast, and answers some bonus questions about indie publishing!
Josephine Smith is a cozy mystery author with a love of hot cups of tea, tricky puzzles, and spending Sunday afternoons with a good book. She lives in Northern California with her husband, dog, and cat, and they all get along most of the time. The Hemlock Inn mysteries is her current series, featuring a charming inn, two senior citizen sidekicks, and an adorable beagle named Lola.
Rudy Ruiz is a writer of literary fiction. A native of the U.S.-Mexico border, his earliest works were published at Harvard, where he studied literature, creative writing, government and public policy, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In 2017, Rudy Ruiz was awarded the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction. In 2020, Ruiz was a finalist for both the Texas Institute of Letters’ Best Short Story Award as well as the Texas Observer’s annual Short Story Contest. In 2020, Blackstone Publishing released Ruiz’s novel, “The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez.” The novel received critical acclaim and multiple awards, and was named one of the “Top 10 Best First Novels of 2020″ by the American Library Association’s Booklist.
Isabel Cañas is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, and Turkey, among other places, she has settled (for now) in New York City, where she works on her PhD dissertation in medieval Islamic literature and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage. The Hacienda, her debut novel, is billed as Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca set in Mexico after its War of Independence, featuring a haunted house behaving very badly, a hot priest, and witches where you least expect them.
