A retired librarian and debut novelist, Paulette Brooks was born in Toronto and lived in Canada for the first half of her life. She is a member of Women's Fiction Writers Association, National League of American Pen Women, and Central Indiana Writers Association. She had two short stories published in the Gal's Guide Anthology 2025 and another in Feisty Deeds II: Historical Tales of Batches and Brews. Paulette is researching her next historical novel while promoting her book at Library Author Fair events and book clubs. She lives with her husband outside of Indianapolis where, when not writing, she loves to read, bake pies, hike nature trails, and work on jigsaw puzzles, all the while trying to keep up with the activities of her six grandchildren.

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Julie McDonald Zander, an award-winning journalist, earned a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from the University of Washington before working two decades as a newspaper reporter and editor. Through her personal history company, Chapters of Life, she has published more than 90 individual, family, business, and community histories. Her debut novel, The Reluctant Pioneer, won a silver Will Rogers Medallion for inspirational fiction and American Bookfest's 20205 Best Book Award for religious fiction, and it was a finalist for Western Writers of America's Spur Award for Best Historical Novel. Her second novel, Shattered Peace: A Century of Silence, was released in spring 2025. She and her husband live in Southwest Washington, where they raised their two children.

To learn more about Julie, go to https://sthelenspress.net/

Leissa Shahrak experienced the Iranian Revolution firsthand when she taught English in Iran. Her writing credits include stories published in Del Sol Review, the Bellevue Literary Review, and a British anthology, The Final Chapter: Writings on the End of Life. A life-long traveler and enthusiast of international literature, she now resides in Asheville, North Carolina, with a chess aficionado, a spoiled Shih-Tzu named Scamp, and the occasional black bear.

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