Distant Flickers: Stories of Identity & Loss

Rita Baker is a British novelist and a poet who has lived in Canada since leaving England with her husband to follow their two sons. Her marriage to a British lawyer helped her develop a deep insight into the legal profession. A lawyer is always lurking somewhere in her books! Her novels are based on feelings of love, hate, sex, mystery, and revenge.

John Casey, a spy thriller novelist, has also written two books of mindful fusion of poetry and photography. A Veteran combat and test pilot with a Master of Arts from Florida State University, Casey served as a diplomat and international affairs strategist at U.S. embassies in Europe and Africa, at the Pentagon, and elsewhere. He is inspired by the incredible spectrum of people, places and cultures he has experienced in life. https://johnjcasey.com/

Elizabeth Gauffreau received her training in the art and craft of writing short fiction at Old Dominion University, followed by an MA in English/fiction from the University of New Hampshire. The short story is still her go-to genre for seeking the emotional truth of inner lives. She writes poetry by ear when fiction just won't do the job. https://linktr.ee/egauff

Carol LaHines is a graduate of New York University, Gallatin Division, and St. John's University School of Law. A long-time participant in the New York State Summer Writers’ Institute, she writes literary fiction in a tragicomic vein. She is a consummate short story writer with a long list of publications in literary magazines. Her story "Papijack" received the Lamar York Prize for Fiction. https://www.carollahines.com/

Keith Madsen is a retired minister who has used his writing talents in a variety of ways, including writing fiction, and writing plays for use in church and community theater. Keith writes fiction which combines some of the lyrical description of literary fiction with the plot-driven tensions of a thriller. While the central character in his novels is generally male, strong women also play important roles. https://www.keithmadsen.com/

Jim Metzner is best known as the producer and narrator of radio series and podcasts, including Pulse of the Planet, currently broadcast on 250 public and commercial stations. He's given presentations around the world, most recently as a Fulbright Specialist in the area of communication and media. His on-site research into indigenous mound sites throughout the southeastern US inspired his first novel. https://www.sacredmoundsnovel.com/.

Donna Koros-Stramella is a Maryland-based writer who holds an an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tampa. She is a previous award-winning journalist and video writer-producer. When not writing, she enjoys hiking and listing to live music–especially one of her husband’s bands. She credits her grade school teacher, Sister Madeline Cecilia with discovering (and inspiring) her writing abilities. https://donnastramella.com/

Joyce Yarrow, internationally-published, award-winning author, was born in the SE Bronx, escaped to Manhattan as a teenager, and today does most of her traveling through her writing. She has worked as a screenwriter, singer-songwriter, multimedia performance artist, and member of the world music vocal ensemble, Abráce. She is a Pushcart nominee, whose stories and poems have been widely published. She teaches workshops on "The Place of Place in Suspense Writing." https://www.joyceyarrow.com/

Amy E. Wallen is the author of the New York Times best-selling novel, MoonPies & Movie Stars (Penguin 2007). As writer-in-residence at Ocean Discovery Institute, she teaches personal storytelling to young people traditionally excluded from science due to race, income status, and educational opportunity. She also provides book editing services for persevering writers. https://www.amywallen.com/home