Meet the Authors - 2020

Authors involved in the 2020 YA Thriller Con Online

K. Ancrum - K. Ancrum, is the author of the award winning thriller THE WICKER KING, the brilliant lesbian romance THE WEIGHT OF THE STARS and the upcoming Peter Pan thriller DARLING. K. is a Chicago native passionate about diveristy and representation in young adult fiction. She currently writes most of her work in the lush gardens of the Chicago Art Institute. 

S.E. Anderson - S.E. Anderson can’t ever tell you where she’s from. Not because she doesn’t want to, but because it inevitably leads to a confusing conversation where she goes over where she was born (England) where she grew up (France) and where her family is from (USA) and it tends to make things very complicated.

She’s lived pretty much her entire life in the South of France, except for a brief stint where she moved to Washington DC, or the eighty years she spent as a queen of Narnia before coming back home five minutes after she had left. Currently, she is working on her PhD in Astrophysics and Planetary sciences in Besançon, France. 

When she’s not writing, or trying to science, she’s either reading, designing, crafting, or attempting to speak with various woodland creatures in an attempt to get them to do household chores for her. She could also be gaming, or pretending she’s not watching anything on Netflix.

Morgan Baden - Morgan Baden's debut Young Adult novel, The Hive, co-written with her husband Barry Lyga, was named a Best Book of Fall 2019 by People magazine and was called "a gripping, tense, action-packed thriller" by Booklist. Her next novel, Daphne and Velma: The Dark Deception, is available July 2020, and its sequel will follow in 2021An established and bestselling ghostwriter, Morgan is also a communications consultant who has led social media and internal communications for iconic children's book brands. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children. Find her at @MorganBaden and morganbaden.com.  

Nia Davenport - Nia Davenport writes YA Thrillers and teaches their structure, plot, and pacing as a part of a YA Literature Studies unit to high school students. She is the author of the forthcoming adult fantasy, The Praetorian Trials, which she writes as N.E. Davenport. She has a B.A. in Biology and an M.A. in Secondary Education. She’s an advocate for diverse perspectives and protagonists in literature. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys traveling, skiing, and being a huge foodie.You can find her on Twitter @nia_davenport or on Instagram @nia.davenport where she talks about binge-worthy TV and great books. She lives in Texas with her husband and kids.

Fran Dorricott - Fran Dorricott is an author based in Derby, England, where she lives with her family, two cats, and three dogs (one of whom weighs more than she does). She holds a degree in American Literature with Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and an MA with distinction in Creative Writing from City University London.

Fran is also a bookseller working in the Derby branch of Waterstones, which is secretly just a way for her to fuel her ridiculous book-buying addiction. Her first novel, After the Eclipse, was released in March 2019. The Final Child (Sept 2020) is her second novel.

Madeline Dyer - Madeline Dyer lives on a farm in the southwest of England, where she hangs out with her Shetland ponies and writes dark and twisty young adult books. She is pursing her MA in Creative Writing from Kingston University, and has obtained a BA honors degree in English from the University of Exeter. Madeline has a strong love for anything dystopian or ghostly, and she can frequently be found exploring wild places. At least one notebook is known to follow her wherever she goes. 

Her books include the Untamed series (book one of which won the 2017 SIBA award for Best Dystopian), the Dangerous Ones series, and Captive: A Poetry Collection on OCD, Psychosis, and Brain Inflammation.

Tori Eldridge - Tori Eldridge is the Anthony and Lefty Awards-nominated author of The Ninja Daughter, which was named one of the "Best Mystery Books of the Year" by The South Florida Sun Sentinel and awarded 2019 Thriller Book of the Year by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. Her short stories appear in several anthologies, and her screenplay "The Gift" earned a semifinalist spot in the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship. Before writing, Tori performed as an actress, singer, dancer on Broadway, television, and film. She is of Hawaiian, Chinese, Norwegian descent and was born and raised in Honolulu where she graduated from Punahou School with classmate Barack Obama. Tori holds a fifth-degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninjutsu and has traveled the USA teaching seminars on the ninja arts, weapons, and women’s self-protection. Her second book in the Lily Wong series, The Ninja’s Blade, releases September 1, 2020. https://torieldridge.com

L.E. Flynn - Laurie Elizabeth (L.E.) Flynn is the author of Firsts (a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick), Last Girl Lied To, and All Eyes On Her (2020). She is also the author of Wattpad featured series The Boys Tell All. 

Flynn is a former model who worked in Tokyo, Athens, and Paris. She now lives in London, Ontario, with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, you can likely find her hiking in the woods, perusing thrift stores for vintage dresses, or bingeing on reality TV.

Kit Frick - Kit Frick is a novelist, poet, and MacDowell Colony fellow from Pittsburgh, PA. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. When she isn’t putting complicated characters in impossible situations, Kit edits poetry and literary fiction for a small press and edits for private clients. She is the author of the young adult thrillers I Killed Zoe Spanos, All Eyes on Us, and See All the Stars, all from Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books, as well as the poetry collection A Small Rising Up in the Lungs from New American Press. Kit is working on her next novel.

Stuart Gibbon - Stuart Gibbon is a former police officer who served for 30 years in London and the East Midlands. A large part of his policing career was spent as a detective, at various ranks. As a Detective Chief Inspector he was responsible for investigating Murder cases. After retiring from the police he now runs a consultancy service (GIB Consultancy) to help writers with police actions and procedures. He also features on TV and radio as a policing expert. In 2017 Stuart teamed up with crime historian, Stephen Wade, to write ‘The Crime Writer’s Casebook’, an essential companion for those interested in writing or reading crime. A second book ‘Being a Detective’ was published in March 2019 about the role of the detective, past and present. Stuart also appears at writing festivals where he talks about his journey from fighting crime to writing crime.

photo credit: Adrienne Giles

Lamar Giles - Lamar Giles is a well published author, a founding member of We Need Diverse Books, and a two-time Edgar Award finalist in the YA category, for his debut YA thriller FAKE ID (HarperCollins, 2014), and his second YA thriller, ENDANGERED (HarperCollins, 2015). His third YA thriller, OVERTURNED (Scholastic, 2017) was named a Kirkus Best Book of the year, as were his fourth YA thriller SPIN (Scholastic, 2019) and his debut middle grade fantasy THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER (Versify / HMH, 2019) which was also named one of TIME Magazine’s 10 Best Children’s Books of 2020. His latest novel and debut contemporary NOT SO PURE AND SIMPLE (HarperCollins, 2020) is a critical-darling with five starred reviews.

Lamar is a contributor to the YA anthology THREE SIDES OF A HEART (HarperCollins, 2017), editor of the We Need Diverse Books YA short story anthology FRESH INK  (Random House 2018), a contributor to the YA anthology BLACK ENOUGH: STORIES OF BEING YOUNG & BLACK IN AMERICA (HarperCollins / Balzer & Bray), and a contributor to the We Need Diverse Books middle grade anthology, THE HERO NEXT DOOR. He has published several short stories for adults, and lives in Virginia with his wife. Find out more at www.lamargiles.com

Gila Green - Canadian author Gila Green is an Israel-based writer, editor, and EFL teacher. She's the author of four novels: White Zion, a novel in stories that migrates from Yemen to Ottoman Palestine to British Mandate and modern Israel (Cervena Barva Press, 2019), and Passport Control (S&H Publishing, 2018) that follows heroine Miriam Gil from Canada to Israel where she falls in love, discovers a family secret, finds herself unable to navigate her new surroundings, and gets wrapped up in a murder. Her first young adult eco-fiction novel is No Entry , (Stormbird Press, Australia.) In this novel seventeen year old Yael Amar uncovers a deadly poaching ring in South Africa's Kruger National Park. The first in an environmental series that stresses the dangers of elephant poaching, No Entry is a must read for anyone who cares about the planet and animal conservation and introduces a Jewish eco-heroine. Her first novel is King of the Class (NON Publishing, Vancouver, 2013). This political satire imagines a post civil war, futuristic Israel divided into one secular and one Halachik state through the eyes of unhappily married Eve who must save her son from his would-be kidnappers. 

Gila's short fiction appears in dozens of literary magazines in the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Israel, Ireland, and Hong Kong including:  The Fiddlehead , Terrain.org, Akashic Books, Fiction Magazine, The Saranac Review, Arc Magazine, Many Mountains Moving, Noir Nation, Quality Women's Fiction, The Dalhousie Review, Jewish Fiction, Mom Egg Anthology, Tel Aviv Stories, Jane Doe Buys a Challah, The South Circular, Kunapipi, Yuan Yang Journal, Arc Magazine, 100 Pages of Canada, An Artistic Collaboration of Canadian Artists, Jewish Literary Journal, The Bookends Review, and Boston Literary Review.

Her work has been short-listed for the Doris Bakwin Literary Award (Carolina Wren Press), WordSmitten's TenTen Fiction Contest, twice for the Walrus Literary Award, and twice for the Eric Hoffer Best New Writing Award .

Desmond Hall - I was born in Jamaica, West Indies and moved to Jamaica, Queens.
I graduated Marquette University with a BA in Journalism and was selected for the “Who’s Who of American College Students.”
I’ve written and directed an HBO feature movie, “A Day in Black and White” which was nominated for the Gordon Parks Award.  I’ve also written and directed a full-length stage play, “Stockholm, Brooklyn” that won the Audience Award at the Downtown Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane theater. The play was also picked for the Public Theater’s New Works Series. 
For two years, I worked as a high school biology and English teacher in East New York, Brooklyn. In this period of my life I also counseled teenage ex-cons after their release from Rikers Island Correctional Institution.
As an advertising creative director, I’ve written many TV campaigns, two Superbowl commercials and won multiple awards while running the creative side of Spike Lee’s advertising agency.
While working in the advertising and film industry I’ve served on the board of the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the Advertising Council, judged the One Show, Addys and the NYC Downtown Film Festival. I’ve also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch.
I’ve completed Grub Street’s Novel Incubator class, a yearlong intensive program where I work-shopped YOUR CORNER DARK, a novel inspired by the murders of my uncles back in Jamaica. The novel has been bought by Simon and Schuster and is due out fall 2020.

Wendy Heard - Wendy Heard was born in San Francisco but has lived most of her life in Los Angeles, which is on fire more than she would honestly prefer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art, emphasizing painting, and a Master’s degree in Education. When not writing, she can be found hiking the Griffith Park trails, taking the Metro and then questioning this decision, and haunting local bookstores. She has written books for adults and teens, including Hunting Annabelle, The Kill Club, and She’s Too Pretty to Burn. Wendy is a contributor at Crimereads.com, and co-hosts the Unlikeable Female Characters podcast.

Chelsea Ichaso - Chelsea Ichaso writes twisty thrillers for young adults, including LITTLE CREEPING THINGS (Sourcebooks Fire, 2020). A former high school English teacher, she currently resides in southern California with her husband and children. When she’s not reading or writing, Chelsea can be found on the soccer field.  

Emily Kazmierski - Emily lives in sunny Southern California with her husband and two daughters. When she's not in her book dragon form devouring books, she can be found in the kitchen making homemade ice cream or baking something delicious. In addition to reading and writing, Emily loves watching police procedurals, playing with makeup, and cuddling with her two long-haired dachshunds Nestlé and Kiefer.  

Matt Killeen - Matt Killeen was born in Birmingham and, like many of his generation, was absorbed by tales of the war and obsessed with football from an early age. Guitars arrived at fourteen, wrecking any hopes of so-called normality.

He has had a great many careers – some creative, some involving laser guns – and has made a living as an advertising copywriter and largely ignored music and sports journalist. He fulfilled a childhood ambition and became a writer for the world’s best-loved toy company in 2010.  

He lives near London with his soulmate, children, dog and musical instruments, looking wistfully north at a hometown that has been largely demolished & rebuilt in his lengthy absence.

Orphan Monster Spy, his first novel, was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards and the Branford Boase Award, as well as winning the 2019 SCBWI Crystal Kite. The sequel, Devil Darling Spy, will be published in Spring 2020. 

@by_Matt_Killeen
#OrphanMonsterSpy
#DevilDarlingSpy 

Suzanne Lazear - Suzanne Lazear is the author of the young adult steampunk fairytale series THE AETHER CHRONICLES and the new adult elfpunk series THE SECRET LIVES OF ROCKSTARS. An avid baker and crafter, she lives in Southern California with her daughter, husband, a cockatiel, and a small army of stuffed animals. Learn more about her at www.suzannelazear.com

Barry Lyga - Barry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek. According to Kirkus, he's also a "YA rebel-author." Somehow, the two just don't seem to go together to him.

When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul'd is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject 

Kit Mallory -  Kit is the UK-based author of the YA dystopian Blackout duology, the first volume of which was shortlisted for the Mslexia Children's Novel Award and longlisted for the Bath Children's Novel Award. Her brand is underdogs, mental health and girls who kiss other girls. She lives with her girlfriend and two small, fluffy and very helpful editors, and was almost certainly a mermaid in a former life.

Dana Mele - Dana Mele is a Pushcart-nominated writer based in the Catskills. A graduate of Wellesley College, Dana holds degrees in theatre, education, and law. Dana’s debut, PEOPLE LIKE US, was published in 2018 and shortlisted for the 2019 ITW Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel. 

Isvari Mohan Maranwe - Isvari is a Young Adult and Adult author with a focus on contemporary, fantasy, and thrillers. She was a freelance columnist for The Washington Times and The Boston Globe and her debut novella The Eyes of Mikra was a top Amazon seller in War and Espionage when released. Today, she writes YA contemporary, fantasy, and mystery under the pseudonym Rishi Mohan along with her husband and sister. The three are also the founders of Dweebs and Dogs, an international nonprofit offering free career advice, such as free mentorship and query letter edits for writers. She blogs on Medium and LinkedIn, where she has over 300K followers.

Laura Pohl - Laura Pohl was born in Braunschweig, Germany to Brazilian parents who love to travel. She has spent most of her life in Curitiba, Brazil, moved to live in the other side of the world in Sydney, Australia and currently resides in São Paulo. She majored in Literature in the University of São Paulo, and now works as a freelance editor. She discovered her writing passion after winning a contest on writing a letter to Santa Claus when she was ten, and has never stopped writing since. 

Laura enjoys reading, Star Wars, quoting Hamilton and writes pretty much all messages in caps lock. Her favorite food is lasagna though she can never actually cook it. She's also a great fan of dachshunds, and has two to call her own. 

Eva Pohler - Eva Pohler is a USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels in multiple genres, including mysteries, thrillers, and young adult fantasy. Her books have been described as "addictive" and "sure to thrill"--Kirkus Reviews.

Regardless of genre, Eva's stories  blur the line between reality and fantasy, truth and delusion, and draw from Eva's personal philosophy that a reader must be lured and abducted into complete captivity in order to enjoy the reading experience.  

Eva earned her Ph.D. in English and has taught writing and literature for over twenty years at a university in San Antonio, Texas, where she lives with her husband and three children.

Caleb Roehrig - A former actor and television producer, Caleb Roehrig has lived on two continents, moved more times than he can count, and spent seven years in the stranger-than-fiction salt mines of reality television. In the name of earning a paycheck, he has: hung around a frozen cornfield in his underwear, partied with an actual rock-star, chatted with a scandal-plagued politician, and been menaced by a disgruntled ostrich. These days, he is very happy to write about fictional murders for a living. 

Tom Ryan - Tom Ryan is the author of several books for young readers. He has been nominated for a number of awards, and two of his young adult novels, Way to Go and Tag Along, were chosen for the ALA Rainbow List, in 2013 and 2014. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction. His 2019 release Keep This to Yourself was the recipient of the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for YA Crime Book, has been nominated for an ITW Award for Best YA Thriller, and was chosen by the Globe & Mail as one of the ‘Globe 100: Books that shaped 2019’. Tom, his husband, and their dog currently divide their time between Ontario and Nova Scotia.

C.L. Taylor - C.L. Taylor is the six times Sunday Times bestselling author of seven gripping stand-alone psychological thrillers: THE ACCIDENT, THE LIE, THE MISSING, THE ESCAPE, THE FEAR, SLEEP and STRANGERS.

Her books have sold in excess of a million copies and hit the number one spots on Amazon Kindle, Audible, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play. They have been translated into over 25 languages, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, and optioned for television. 

THE ESCAPE won the Dead Good Books ‘Hidden Depths’ award for the Most Unreliable Narrator and SLEEP won a Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Readers’ Award. 

C.L. Taylor’s eighth crime novel will be published in March 2021 by Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins UK.

She has also written a Young Adult thriller, THE TREATMENT, published by HarperCollins HQ. Her second young adult standalone THE ISLAND will be published in January 2021. 

Abby L. Vandiver - WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY and internationally bestselling author, Abby L. Vandiver, who also writes as Abby Collette, has always enjoyed writing, combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery she became an author. A hybrid, she has written as an indie as well as a traditionally published author. Abby has penned more than twenty books and short stories. Her new cozy from  Penguin Berkley, A DEADLY INSIDE SCOOP, is the first in the new Ice Cream Parlor Mystery series. 

Abby resides in South Euclid, Ohio and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and facilitating self-publishing and writing craft classes at her local library 

Mocha Von Bee - Mocha Von Bee writes YA Romance with chills, and is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). She is currently querying a Young Adult Mystery and trying to get better at recording her own audio.

Originally from Ireland, Mocha lives in France, but finds her true home in books—particularly those with a sprinkle of mystery and magic.

 

She is an advocate of positive representation and empowering girls to fight for their dreams and believes overnight success is usually ten years in the making.

 

If you’re curious about the audio part, you can listen to a short story here https://youtu.be/nxX3hofsM_4 

You can also find Mocha on Instagram @MochaVonBee