Speakers
We've gone above and beyond to hire the best authors in the industry. Decades of experience will be passed on to the attendees of this year's conference. Check them out!
Kara Swanson
Instructor
Kara Swanson writes books about fairytales and fiery souls. She spent her childhood overseas running barefoot through lush green jungles as the daughter of relief workers. Growing up a bit like a Lost Girl inspired her award-winning Peter Pan retellings, DUST and SHADOW. She's also the co-founder of the Author Conservatory where she has the honor of teaching young writers to craft sustainable author careers. You’ll find her with her toes in California sand as a SoCal resident, belting Broadway show tunes on weekend drives to Disneyland with her delightfully-nerdy husband, or chatting about her love of magic and mayhem on Instagram.
This year, she'll brighten our lives by speaking on The Five Key Elements of a Standout YA Novel at the conference:
Josiah DeGraaf
Instructor
Former editor-in-chief of Story Embers, a high school English teacher, and lead instructor on the Young Writer's Workshop, Josiah's insight is invaluable. This will be our third year having him at the conference, and he never disappoints.
His subject will be announced soon!
Coralie Terry
Instructor
Coralie Terry loves magical stories that explore the shattered pieces of broken souls and broken relationships that come together to form the colorful shards of our stained-glass lives. When she isn’t leaving fangirl book reviews, she works as a Community Manager and Admissions Advisor for the Young Writers Workshop and the Author Conservatory.
Marita Wilson
Instructor
The community manager at the YWW we all know and love. This year, Marita will be the official conference emcee. Her fun-loving spirit will be contagiously spread to us all.
But not only that: she'll also be hosting a parent session called, "Why Is My Young Writer So Stressed?"
Bryan Davis
Author
Bryan Davis is the author of several series for youth and adults, including the bestselling Dragons in our Midst series. After working as a computer professional for more than twenty years, he began pursuing his passion for the written word. He and his wife, Susie, homeschooled their seven children, who have now flown from the nest, leaving Bryan and Susie as an author/editor team for the new ideas that are always percolating. Bryan enjoys Bible teaching, hiking, and playing Wingspan with his family.
Victoria Lynn
Author
As the founder and creator behind Glory Writers, Victoria has been working in the publishing community as an author, service provider and coach for over eight years. She has a passion for seeing creative writers grow in their gifts, their faith and their community. An avid author and entrepreneur, her greatest passion is seeing others fall in love with their Creator and encouraging them to emulate Him with their creations.
She'll be speaking on
The Positive Side of Indie Publishing
H.S.J. Williams
Author and Speaker
From the beginning, H. S. J. Williams has loved stories and all the forms they take. Whether with word, art, or costume, she has always been fascinated with the magic of imagination. She lives in a real fantastical kingdom, the beautiful Pacific Northwest, with her very own array of animal friends and royally loving family. Williams taught Fantasy Illustration at MSOA. She may also be a part-time elf.
Her speech subject will be:
With Great Creativity Comes Great Responsibility
Piper Shephard
Student
Piper is an aspiring author, looking for ways to grow her faith, as well as share Christ with others through her writing. Between spending time with her five siblings, her interest in sports, writing, or just having rest time, she also spends time researching and studying God’s word which is her top priority each day. She also has several unfinished writing projects and a few that she has completed but are not published, but she plans on getting her work published in the near future. Her goal in life is not only to strengthen her own relationship with the Lord, but to also take action, and share from past experiences and use her testimony to reach others. She is a people person and loves to talk about almost anything she has interest in.
https://pipershephard.wixsite.com/
Kellyn Roth
Student
Kellyn Roth is a historical romance & women’s fiction author who writes about the empty places where hope has the most room to grow. Her novels include the inspirational Victorian Family saga and The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy. Kellyn is a student of the Author Conservatory and a writing coach. When not building her author career, she is likely getting lost somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with her friends, watching period dramas and facetious comedies, or spending time with her husband.
Jessica Noelle
Student
Jessica Noelle is a reader, writer, dreamer, and believer. She loves Jesus, playing with her dog, and spending time with her friends and family. Jessica is a Marvel junkie and loves drinking large cups of hot tea. She believes that hope, faith, and a good story are some of the most powerful things in the world. Jessica has had two short stories published in anthologies and is constantly learning and pushing herself to grow; she spends her days in college classes and work and her nights spinning stories, editing for Havok Publishing, and devouring new books.
Rachel Scheller
Student
Rachel Scheller writes YA adventure stories, but she doesn't like to leave all the adventure to her characters. Besides spending copious amounts of time writing and drawing, she also teaches wilderness search and rescue, and she spent three years running with an ambulance corps. Rachel writes with the vision that people who feel like they're fundamentally broken will know that they can be made whole again. She studies at the Author Conservatory and is in the midst of publishing her series, Extension Squad.