Charlotte Lillie Balogh is an author, screenwriter and comic book writer, born and raised outside Boston, Massachusetts. She self-published her first book at sixteen years old, and later graduated as a Remembrance Scholar from Syracuse University. CLB is a lifelong superhero fanatic, and she launched into the television and film industry by working at DC Entertainment on projects including Wonder Woman 1984 and the CW’s Stargirl. When she’s not writing, CLB mentors young women through RowLA and WriteGirl, helping to create the next generation of real-life superheroes. Her first traditionally published book, Kill the Lax Bro, is scheduled for release June 24, 2025 from Delacorte Press and Penguin Random House.
www.charlottelillie.com
Instagram: @charlottelilliebalogh
Author and award-winning musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A Song For The Road, follows a musician on a cross-country road trip to honor her lost family. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. This is her fourth year as a Rising Star judge. She writes reflections on life, writing and beauty on her Substack newsletter.
www.kathleenbasi.com
Instagram: @kathleenbasi
Facebook: @kathleenmbasi
Betty Bolté is an award-winning American author and editor of fiction and nonfiction books. She has published 30+ books, most recently Snow On Magnolias, Becoming Lady Washington: A Novel, Notes Of Love And War, and Hometown Heroines. She earned a master’s degree in English in 2008, emphasizing the study of literature, and has judged many writing contests for both fiction and nonfiction. She’s been published in essays, newspaper articles/columns, magazine articles, and nonfiction books but now enjoys crafting stories that bring American history to life. This is her eleventh year as a Rising Star judge. She’s a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, Authors Guild, and Historical Novel Society among other professional organizations.
www.bettybolte.com
Facebook: @AuthorBettyBolte
Beth Dotson Brown is the author of Rooted in Sunrise, a novel about starting over after a natural disaster. She's also an award-winning feature writer, short story author, and essayist. Beth is the author of Yes! I Am Catholic and a contributor to A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors and Scenes From the Common Wealth. Heartland Plays published her collection of one-act plays. Her short stories have been published in literary magazines and aired on the BBC World Service Short Story Programme. Beth occasionally teaches writing classes and mentors up-and-coming writers.
www.bethdotsonbrown.com
Instagram: @writerbethadb
Facebook: @writerbethadb
Julie Mayerson Brown is an author, essayist, and playwright. Her Clearwater Series, five novels and a YA novella, takes place in a charming town in California Wine Country. The books feature lovable, quirky characters, adorable dogs, best-friendships, and delicious sticky buns. In addition to feel good stories, Julie writes book club fiction that delves into darker themes of family dysfunction, betrayal, and suspense. She is 25% of Ivy H. Booker, the author of The Accidental Life of MF Ascher. Julie lives in Los Angeles.
www.juliemayersonbrown.com
Sarahlyn Bruck writes humorous and heartfelt slice-of-life stories centered on friendships and family. She is the award-winning author of three novels: Light of the Fire, Daytime Drama, and Designer You. When she’s not working on her next book, Sarahlyn moonlights as a full-time writing and literature professor at a local community college. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she now lives in Philadelphia with her family.
www.sarahlynbruck.com
Instagram: @sarahlynbruck
Bluesky: @sarahlynbruck
Facebook: @sarahlynbruck
Samantha Bryant writes (mostly) superhero and horror, depending on whether she wants to save the world today, or burn it down. She’s best known for her Menopausal Superhero novels. Learn more about her work at http://samanthabryant.com. If all else fails, check the woods. She likes to get lost there.
www.samanthabryant.com
Instagram: @samanthabwriter
Bluesky: @samanthabwriter
Facebook: @samanthadunawaybryant
Katherine D. Caldwell is an author, freelance developmental editor, and former Emmy-Award-winning television journalist. She was a finalist for the 2023 Rising Star Award; this is her first year as a judge. A member of WFWA and the Atlanta Writer’s Club, Katherine lives in Atlanta with her husband and two of her three (almost grown) children. When she’s not reading, writing, critiquing manuscripts, or teaching her children how to “adult,” she enjoys traveling, especially to places with a beach.
Bluesky: @kcaldwellwriter
Instagram: @kcaldwellwriter
Carol Owens Campbell is honored to be a WFWA Rising Star Award Judge for the second year. Excited to read the stories submitted, she congratulates each writer submitting work to the contest. Carol is the author of a creative non-fiction book, Views from a Pier, where she invites readers to the Golden Isles of Georgia to consider original solutions for issues we face in America based on a radical concept: Precise, accurate language. She is also the author of an award-winning debut novel, Look Away No More, a campus novel set in coastal Georgia, Carol's home state, in May 1970. Her protagonist is a former debutante, sorority girl and history scholar whose passion for justice is inflamed by the Kent State tragedy. Furious and heartbroken, her protagonist seeks to use her knowledge of the hidden history of Georgia and her own privileged status to challenge the status quo. Carol earned her MFA in Creative Writing(Fiction) from the Solstice MFA Program (currently at Lasell University in Massachusetts). After becoming an author and meeting Hayley Mills in 2018, Carol told her husband her childhood dreams had come true. She plays trivia at a local pub with her husband, son and friends, and is working on a second novel while soothed by the snores of the family's pug, Wrigley, and the purrs of Boo, their 21 year-old kitty.
www.carolowenscampbell.com
Jill Caugherty is a former senior marketing manager and a Stanford University graduate with an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has published two historical novels with a small press: Waltz in Swing Time (2020); and The View from Half Dome (2023), winner of the 2023 NC Author Project for YA Fiction and the 2023 IPPY Bronze medal for Best Regional Fiction, Pacific West. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and daughter.
www.jillcaugherty.com
Instagram: @jillcaugherty
Lecia Cornwall is the author of 17 published novels of historical fiction and historical romance. She lives and writes in the beautiful foothills of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada, and shares her life with five rescue cats, one crazy chocolate Lab, two adult children, and one very patient husband.
www.leciacornwall.com
Monica Cox is a writer and Author Accelerator certified book coach who firmly believes the real writing happens in revision. She loves helping writers through the thorny process of revision to find the rose of their story. Monica is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a proud member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and North Carolina Writers Network. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, two teenaged boys, and an ornery but adorable cat. Monica is represented by Felice Laverne at ArtHouse Literary Agency.
www.monicacox.net
Instagram: @monicafoxwrites
LinkedIn: Monica Cox
Substack: Beyond the First Draft
Carla Damron is a social worker, advocate, and author of women’s fiction, mysteries, and suspense. Her fiction explores social issues like drug abuse, mental illness, and human trafficking, but entertaining the reader is always priority one. Damron has authored six books and won multiple literary awards, including the WFWA Star Award for Best Novel (The Stone Necklace) and the NIEA award for best suspense (The Orchid Tattoo). Damron holds an MSW and an MFA in Creative Writing and is on faculty with Writers.com. She currently serves as VP for the Southeast Chapter of MWA. Damron lives in Columbia, SC, with her husband and small herd of poorly behaved—and entitled—shelter animals. Her social media links:
www.carladamron.com
Facebook: @carladamronwrites
Bluesky: @carlawriter
Threads: @carladamron
Miranda Darrow’sa freelance editor, #RevPit board member, and story sleuth who digs deep into your manuscript to uncover the best version of your story. She’s a frequent presenter at online writing summits, writing conferences, and to writing groups. Miranda is the founder of the Concise Fiction Academy series of writing craft books and classes. She's a writer and a voracious reader who has turned her passion for books into a career helping authors develop the intricate facets of their stories.
www.mirandadarrow.com
Instagram: @miranda.darrow
Bluesky: @miranda-darrow.bsky.social
Shelly Davis is a developmental editor and copyeditor specializing in women’s fiction and historical fiction. With clients ranging from Big 5 publishing to independent authors, she loves to dive into the details of a novel to determine what’s working and what needs a little polishing in order to shine. In addition to WFWA, she is also a member of Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) and American Copy Editors Society (ACES). This is her fifth year as a Rising Star judge.
www.thedetaildevil.com
Twitter: @DetailDevilSD
Grete DeAngelo is the author of Giving Myself Away and Happy Endings, a contemporary women's fiction series. She is a member of WFWA and the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group and has served for many years as a Rising Star judge.
www.gretedeangelo.com
KJ Dell’Antonia is the New York Times best-selling author of the novels, The Chicken Sisters, Playing the Witch Card, and In Her Boots, and the non-fiction book, How to Be a Happier Parent, all of which center around the same themes: the challenge of figuring out what makes us happy, the need to value the life we’re living more than the one in our phones and laptops, and the irritating fact that nothing, not reality TV, not literary fraud, not even witchcraft, will solve our problems for us. She is also the former editor of the New York Times’ parenting section, then called Motherlode, the co-host of the #AmWriting podcast, and a passionate bookstagrammer. She lives in Lyme, New Hampshire with her husband and an ever-evolving cast of children, dogs, cats, chickens, horses and houseguests. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge.
www.kjdellantonia.com
Instagram: @kjda
Facebook: @kjdellantonia
Substack: https://kjda.substack.com/
Laura Drake is a hybrid author of women's fiction and romance. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, won the Romance Writers of America® RITA® award for Best First Book. She’s since published 10 more romances and 4 women’s fiction. She is a founding member of Women’s Fictions Writers Association and Writers in the Storm blog. Laura is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write full time. She realized a lifelong dream of becoming a Texan and is currently working on her accent. She's a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.
www.LauraDrakeBooks.com
Instagram: @lauradrakebooks
Facebook: @lauradrakespeaceloveandbooks
Raquel Drosos writes character-driven fiction with an Italian-American spin. She is the author of the novels Games of Chance, a family saga, and Like a Mom, which explores creativity and parenthood. Raquel grew up in New Jersey and still lives there with her husband and their two wildly imaginative children. Though she is one of the regular WFWA Write InMates, this is her first year as a Rising Star judge.
www.raqueldrosos.com
Instagram: @raqueldrosos
Lisa Fellinger is an author, developmental editor, and book coach. Her debut, The Serendipity of Catastrophe, was published in March 2024, and her upcoming writing mindset book, Write with Confidence, will be released in May 2025. She has been a member of WFWA since 2016,and this is her third year as a Rising Star judge.
lisafellingerwrites
Karin Gillespie is the author of nine novels (Simon and Schuster, Henery Press and self-published) and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Converse College. She’s a former book columnist for the Augusta Chronicle, a former humor columnist for Augusta Magazine, and a recipient of a 2016 Georgia Author of the Year award. She’s also a retired writing professor. Her non-fiction work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Writer Magazine, and she also has a popular Substack called Pitch Your Novel.
www.karingillespieauthor.com
Lucille Guarino is an Amazon bestselling and multi award-winning author of her debut, Elizabeth’s Mountain, and member of WFWA. Lucille’s novels have garnered reviews such as “compelling,” “captivating,” and “effortlessly transporting.” Among her accolades, Elizabeth’s Mountain was the winner of the 2024 Book Viral Millennium Award and the 2025 Independent Press Award. Coming off the success of Elizabeth’s Mountain, her newest novel, Lunch Tales: Suellen, was a Grand Prize winner in A Woman’s Write’s 2023 novel competition, and launched in February 2025. This is her first year as a Rising Star judge.
www.lucilleguarino.com
Facebook: @lucilleguarinowriter
Instagram: @ucilleguarinowriter
Twitter: @guarinolucille
Christine Gunderson grew up on a fourth-generation family farm in rural North Dakota where she read Laura Ingalls Wilder books in her very own little house on the prairie. She’s a former television anchor and reporter and former Capitol Hill press secretary. She currently lives in the Washington D.C. suburbs with her husband and three children. When not writing, she's re-reading Jane Austen novels, re-watching all things Star Wars, or unloading the dishwasher. Her debut novel, Friends with Secrets is an Amazon best seller, and a July First Reads Pick. Readers call it “a timeless, beautiful, relevant, laugh-out-loud funny homage to motherhood.” Her next novel releases in the summer of 2026 with Lake Union.
www.christinegunderson.com
Substack: @christinegunderson
Instagram: @gunderchristine
Facebook:@gunderchristine
Ching-Lo Hsu is a versatile storyteller with experience across multiple mediums, including theatre, cinema, and fiction. As an Author Accelerator certified book coach, she helps first-time writers from multicultural backgrounds craft women’s, upmarket and literary fiction. Beyond her literary work, she has a strong background as a film sales agent, specializing in the international distribution of art-house films. She has contributed to notable titles such as The Substance, Perfect Days, Priscilla and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Holding a bachelor’s degree in Theatrical Design and a master’s in Filmmaking, she combines her deep understanding of story structure with extensive knowledge of market positioning in the film industry. This unique blend of expertise enriches her approach to book coaching. This is her first year as a Rising Star judge.
www.story-compass.com
Instagram: @story_compass
Jennifer Jabaley is the award-winning author of Lipstick Apology and Crush Control. She won Georgia Author of the Year in the young adult category and was nominated for the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award. What's Yours Is Mine is Jen's adult domestic suspense debut. Jen is a practicing optometrist. She brings sharp focus to eye care by day and to storytelling by night. She lives in the north Georgia mountains with her sports-obsessed family and two rescue dogs.
www.jenniferjabaley.com
Instagram: @jabaleyjennifer
Facebook: @jennifer.jabaley
Lisa Williams Kline is the author of Ladies' Day (CamCat Books), Between the Sky and the Sea (Dragonblade), and ten novels and a novella for young readers. A new novel called The Bristlecone Writers Group is forthcoming from Harpeth Road Press in 2026. Her work has appeared in Literary Mama, Skirt, Sasee, Carolina Woman, moon Shine review, The Press 53Awards Anthology, Sand Hills Literary Magazine, and Idol Talk, among others. She attended Duke University, and received her MFA from Queens. She lives with her veterinarian husband, a cat who can open doors, and a sweet chihuahua who has played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical. She treasures frequent visits with her daughters and their husbands.
www.lisawilliamskline.com
Instagram: @lisawilliamskline
Facebook: @LisaKline566
Sara LaFontain lives in Arizona, where her husband lovingly supplies her with chocolate to fuel her writing habit. She is the author of the Whispering Pines Island series of romantic women’s fiction, and The Corbitt Calamities series of pop star thrillers. Additionally, she is one of four co-writers under the pen name Ivy H. Booker, who recently released their debut dark friendship fiction The Accidental Life of MF Ascher. Sara currently works as an Author Accelerator certified book coach focusing on women’s fiction and women-centered domestic thrillers. While this is her first time volunteering as a Rising Star judge, she previously co-chaired the award for three years. She is a member of WFWA and the Tucson Author Alliance.
www.saralafontain.com
Instagram: @saralafontainauthor
Hadley Leggett is novelist and science writer from Seattle. Her debut novel, All They Ask Is Everything, was published by Lake Union in 2024, and her short stories and essays have appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, Literary Mama, and Halfway Down the Stairs. Before turning to fiction, her winding career path included degrees in medicine, biochemistry, Spanish, and journalism. This is her first year as a Rising Star judge, but she co-chaired the event in 2024 and her own manuscript won the award in 2021.
www.hadley.ink
Instagram: @hadleyleggett
Facebook: @hadleyleggett
Threads: @hadleyleggett
Leslie Lehr is a novel consultant and the prize-winning author of seven books. Her memoir, A Boob’s Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me… And You, was featured for Women’s History Month and optioned by HBOMax. Her novels include What a Mother Knows, Wife Goes On, and the Pirates Alley Faulkner Prize winner, 66 Laps. Her essays appear in Writer’s Digest, Time, Newsweek, and the New York Times Modern Love series read by Katie Couric on NPR. A graduate of USC film school with an MFA from Antioch, Leslie is an annual Rising Star Judge who loves helping writers get their stories heard.
www.leslielehr.com
Instagram: @leslielehr_author
Facebook: @authorleslielehr
Elizabeth Luciano holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is now a writing professor at Bucks County Community College, where she founded and directs the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest. Her short fiction and essays have been published in Seventeen, The Boston Globe, Mademoiselle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Brides. She is at work on her second novel.
Instagram: @elizabeth_luciano_writer
Facebook: @elizabeth.luciano.reader
Christy Matheson writes uplifting romantic fiction about friends, family, and finding one’s place in an ever-changing world. She is the author of The Castle in Kilkenny: Fairy Tales novella series. Each one sets a traditional Irish fairy tale within a modern blended family, perfect for readers wanting a cozy family adventure. Christy's regular historical work (sans fantasy elements) can be found in the award-winning Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, of which she is also an editor. Her Regency novels are represented by Kristina Sutton-Lennon, on submission with publishers, and have won pre-publication award recognition for women’s fiction. Christy is also an embroidery artist, classically trained pianist, and sews all of her own clothes. She lives in Oregon, on a country property that fondly reminds her of a Regency estate (except with a swing set instead of faux Greek ruins), with her husband, five children, three Shelties, one bunny, and an improbable quantity of art supplies.
www.christymatheson.com
Cat Mazur is an author, senior lecturer at Boston University, and member of WFWA. She's represented by Joanna MacKenzie of Nelson Literary. Her first novel, Rose in Time, is going out on submission soon! This is her second year as a Rising Star judge.
Instagram: @cmazurje
Rachel Mans McKenny is a writer, podcaster, and humorist from the midwest, and author of the novel, The Butterfly Effect. She has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Elle Magazine, and other outlets. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge.
www.rachelmansmckenny.com
Instagram: @rachelmansmckenny
Threads: @rachelmansmckenny
Kimberly Nixon writes about family stories featuring strong, determined—and sometimes wild—characters. She wrestles these personalities based on true stories into main characters in her works of fiction. She has completed two novels in a sequel that fictionalize her grandmother's felony conviction in 1920s Appalachia: Rock Bottom, Tennessee and Rock Bottom Rising. She is working on a third novel based in northwest Ohio that involves a woman who owns a pie shop and becomes involved with the mob during prohibition. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Writers’ League of Texas. Kimberly lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband Paul and is committed to live a great story of her own.
www.kimberlynixon.com
Instagram: @kimberlynixon.author
Facebook: @kimberlynixonauthor
Donna Norman-Carbone, the award-winning author of All That is Sacred and Of Lies and Honey, published by Red Adept Publishing, has a passion for writing book club fiction that centers on everyday women living through the thick of life and coming out on the other side. Donna is also co-host of Authors Talking Bookish, a podcast for writers, and the program director for the Bookish Road Trip. Her writing affiliations include WFWA, CAPA and Authors Guild. Donna is an English teacher in a small CT suburb, where she and her husband have raised three children, two Labrador retrievers and a Siamese cat. In her spare time, she enjoys reading a good book on a sunny Cape Cod beach (her happy place), spending quality time with family and friends and traveling overseas.
www.donnanormancarbone.com
www.authorstalkingbookish.com
Instagram: @donnanormancarbone
Facebook: @dncarboneauthor
Lalitha Ram is a published author of novels, short stories, poems, essays and a lyrical drama. She writes in English and in her mother-tongue, Telugu. Her novels and stories weave through the journeys of passionate, accomplished women and men that bring a positive change to the world. She delves into themes related to her native epics, mythology and philosophy. She produced a music album of her grandfather’s songs. She mentored, sponsored and wrote in an anthology of poems and in a collection of essays. Through Devulapalli Foundation, she gives awards to children excelling in music and writing. She received several awards herself, notably from TAGS, Sacramento. She heads the World Telugu Consortium, a literary group. This is her fourth year as a Rising Star Judge.
www.lalitharam.com
Facebook: @LalithaRam
Diana Reep (D. C. Reep) has been a writer since she invented horror stories for classmates in elementary school. As an English professor at The University of Akron, she taught technical writing, film studies, popular culture, and the Arthurian legend while publishing textbooks, literary biographies, and a Silhouette Romance. No longer grading papers, she's writing historical fiction for YA and adult readers focused on events around the beginning of the 20th century, e.g., The Dangerous Summer of Jesse Turner, Kiss'd, Luke Under Fire: Caught Behind Enemy Lines, and Chicago Movie Girls. She is a member of the Authors Guild, Women's Fiction Writers Association, Historical Novel Society, and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Publishers Weekly has called her historical fiction "vivid," "fast-moving," and "entertaining." Living in the Midwest, she crosses her fingers every fall, hoping the coming winter will be mild.
www.dianareep.com
Janet Roberts writes character-driven, contemporary fiction set wholly or partially in Western PA, where her roots run deep. Her readers know to expect a female character who awakens to the discovery of her own inner strength while facing adversity. Her award-winning novel What Lies We Keep (2024) combines cybersecurity with domestic suspense. It is the 2024 winner of the Literary Titan Silver Award, Firebird Book Award, Pencraft Summer Awards for Literary Excellence — Suspense, and TAZ Award — Mystery; 2025 International Impact Book Awards —Contemporary Fiction/Realistic Fiction; and a 2024 finalist for the American Writing Awards’ Hawthorne Prize, 2024 American Fiction Awards — Best New Fiction, and 2024 American BookFest Best Book Awards — Best New Fiction. Her poetry has been published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and in San Fedele Press’s Art in the Time of COVID-19. A member of Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), Pennwriters, and Sisters in Crime, she’s a former global leader in cybersecurity education and awareness with over a decade of experience. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA, where Frick Park is her favorite place for a hike. She loves travel, wandering through bookstores in other countries, reading on her porch swing, and sharing a bottle of wine with friends.
www.booksbyjanetroberts.com
Instagram: @janetroberts77
Bluesky: @janetwrites
J. Marie Rundquist is the is the author of three women's fiction novels: All I’m Asking, As Though You Were Mine (an IPPY silver medalist), and her most recent release, This isn’t Everything You Are. She has been a member of the WFWA Board of Directors and remains active in various areas of the organization. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge.
www.jmarierundquist.com
Instagram: @profejmarie
Facebook: @JMarieRundquist
BlueSky: @profejmarie
Grace Santamaria is a Colombian American author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, Sea Salt and Coffee Beans, will launch in fall 2025 from Rising Action Publishing. Through storytelling, Grace hopes to join the new wave of Latin voices raising awareness about the Latin diaspora, while highlighting themes of women’s empowerment and workplace equality. Grace has a BBA from Florida International University and an MBA from NOVA Southeastern University. For the past 15 years she’s worked in marketing roles in different consumer products companies, usually focusing on Latin American countries. Grace grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia, and now lives in Miami with her husband, children, and overly enthusiastic golden retriever.
www.gracesantamaria.com
Instagram: @gracesbookcollection
Elise Schiller is a writer and English professor. She has published a memoir and a novel, and is at work revising a novel and writing another. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge and her fifth year as a member of WFWA.
www.eliseschiller.com
Facebook: @eliseschiller1
Karen Winters Schwartz wrote her first truly good story at age seven. Forty-five years later her professional writing career finally began in 2010, when the first of six widely praised novels, Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?, was published. Other works include Reis’s Pieces, The Chocolate Debacle, Legend of the Lost Ass, The Vast Clear Blue, and her new novella Early Bird. Educated at The Ohio State University, Karen and her husband moved to the central New York Finger Lakes region where they raised two daughters and shared a career in optometry. She now splits her time between Arizona, a small village in Belize, and traveling the earth in search of the many creatures with whom she has the honor of sharing this world. This is her seventh year as a Rising Star judge for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
www.karenwintersschwartz.com
Facebook: @karentwintersschwartz
Twitter: @authorKWS
Instagram:@_kaws_
Hannah D. Sharpe is an American author. She enjoys creating morally ambiguous female characters. Her stories incorporate mental health awareness and struggles that women face today. Hannah is a member of WFWA, SinC, ITW, and RWA. Hannah has an MSN Ed, with a background in emergency medicine, nursing education, and health insurance with a focus on underserved communities. Hannah lives in Northwest Washington state with her husband, three children (ages 10, 8, and 6), and a moody orange tabby cat. When not working, writing, and juggling the family’s extracurricular activities, you can find Hannah delving into the next home project while getting lost in an audiobook.
www.hannahdsharpe.com
Instagram: @hannahdsharpe
Rosemary Shomaker writes fiction about the extraordinary behind the seemingly ordinary and unveils secrets by looking closely. Rosie is most happy in the woods, and many of her stories include dogs and trees. Her mystery and women's fiction short stories can be found in varied anthologies and her novellas appear in the early Mutt Mysteries series. Rosie is a member of WFWA and Sisters in Crime.
www.mozarkpress.com/wordpress
Instagram: @roswritesva
Facebook: @MuttMysteries
Jen Sinclair pens personal essays and contemporary fiction that explore complicated relationships, love, loss, and all the messiness of life. She lives in Saint Augustine, Florida, with her husband, kids, and spoiled puppy. She's published two women's fiction books, There’s Always a Price and According to My Science and collaborated on the dark friendship fiction novel, The Accidental Life of MF Ascher. This is her first year as a Rising Star judge. www.jensinclairwrites.com
Instagram: @jensinclairwrites
Facebook: @Jen-Sinclair-Author
BlueSky: @jensinclairwrites
Amanda Speights blends her love of daydreaming and reading to write historical fiction with strong female characters, set in the 1800s American West. She lives at the foot of America's Mountain with her husband and young daughter. She also has a grown son who lives in her home state of Michigan with his own family. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge.
www.amandaspeights.com
TikTok: @amandaspeights
BlueSky:@amandaspeights
Rachel Stone writes stories of hope and redemption, set against vibrant Canadian backdrops. Her debut novel, The Blue Iris, has earned widespread critical acclaim and multiple awards, and her uplifting lyric essays have appeared in international magazines, journals, and blogs. She holds degrees in psychology and industrial relations, and once worked seven summers at a flower market. She’s a dynamic speaker, enthusiastic member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and proud co-founder of a local initiative supporting mothers in need. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge. Rachel lives near Toronto, Canada and on summer weekends you’ll find her on Georgian Bay, belting nineties pop rock off-key from her paddleboard. For reflections, lessons, real talk and confessions from her debut author journey, check out her Launch Diaries on Substack.
www.rachelstoneauthor.com
www.linktr.ee/rachelstoneauthor
Kimberly Sullivan is the award-winning author of five novels, one short story collection and co-editor of a historical fiction anthology. She writes the women’s fiction stories she loves to read, both contemporary and historic tales of women and the rich lives they lead along their journeys of self-discovery. A lifetime admirer and longtime resident of Italy, she's often guilty of sneaking the bel paese into her stories. She's thrilled to return for a third year of judging the Rising Star Award.
www.kimberlysullivanauthor.com
Instagram: @kimberlyinrome
Liza Nash Taylor was a 2018 Hawthornden International Fellow and received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts the same year. Her work has appeared in Gargoyle Magazine; Deep South, and others. Her debut historical novel, Etiquette For Runaways, released in 2020 from Blackstone Publishing. A stand-alone sequel, In All Good Faith, was released in 2021 and earned a starred review from Booklist. A native Virginian, Liza lives in Keswick with her husband and dogs, in an old farmhouse which serves as a setting for her novels.
www.lizanashtaylor.com
Instagram: @lizanashtaylor
Bluesky: @lizanashtaylor.bsky.social
Facebook: @lizanashtaylor
Delise Torres is an author and Author Accelerator certified book coach, specializing in women’s fiction and romance. As an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association she has mentored multiple authors and has served as a judge for the Rising Star Award. Her debut novel, One Tough Cookie, received an Honorable Mention for Best Romance at the 2024 International Latino Book Awards. She has a PhD in Food Science and former work experience as a quality assurance manager in the food industry. Originally from Puerto Rico, she currently lives in Germany with her daughter and German husband.
www.delisetorres.com
Instagram: @torresdelise
Kate Underwood is a freelance fiction editor and proofreader and a writer of educational personal finance articles. Previously, she spent fifteen years as a high school French and English teacher. As a member of the WFWA, she is currently revising the book she hopes will be her debut novel. She is a first-year Rising Star judge.
https://www.kateunderwoodbooks.com
Instagram: @authorkateunderwood
A former toxicologist and university professor, Ann Warner is the author of a heartwarming cozy mystery series, a romantic trilogy, and six single titles that have collectively garnered thousands of five-star reviews. During her career as a clinical toxicologist, Ann encountered many medical mysteries and intriguing stories that have now found their way into her novels.
www.annwarner.net
Caitlin Weaver is the author of multiple bestsellers, including Such a Good Family and Things We Never Say. In addition, she is a journalist and editor covering topics including health, style, parenting, and business for outlets like Well+Good, Business Insider, Huff Post, Scary Mommy, and more. Caitlin lives in Atlanta with her husband and two young children.
www.caitlinrweaver.com
Substack: caitlinweaver.substack.com
Instagram:@caitlinrweaver
Jaclyn Westlake writes about funny, flawed women trying to find their authentic way in the world. She is the author of Dear Dotty and Lucky Break (summer 2025). This is her second year as a Rising Star judge. You can find her on Instagram, where she'd love to see pictures of your pets.
www.jaclynwestlake.com
Instagram: @jaclyn_writing
Bestselling author Barbara Claypole White was born in England, but writes and gardens in the forests of North Carolina. She is also a mental health advocate. Her passion for chipping away at stereotypes of mental illness inspires quirky stories about troubled but courageous characters, complicated relationships, and crazy critters…topped off with a dollop of hope. Her novels include: The Unfinished Garden, which won the Golden Quill for Best First Book; The In-Between Hour, a SIBA Okra Pick; The Perfect Son, a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee; Echoes of Family, a WFWA Star Award Finalist; and The Promise Between Us, a Nautilus Award Winner for books that foster positive change in the world. She is currently hard at work on her next manuscript, when she’s not figuring out how to build an Art Deco dolls house.
www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com
