OUR STORY

AN OASIS ON YOUR WRITING JOURNEY 

We are a community of writers dedicated to the art and discipline of storytelling. Through a weeklong retreat and year-round resources, we help writers connect, grow, and reach their creative goals. Whether you’re beginning a new project or refining a manuscript, Novel Bookcamp offers the structure, inspiration, and support to move your journey forward.

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HOW IT STARTED

Founded in 2012, with our first camp in 2013, Novel Bookcamp, has been honored to serve writers from all over the US and Canada who dedicate a week to their works in progress. Our parent organization, the Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization based in Wisconsin.

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

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DAVE RANK

Founder and Director David J. Rank is a published author, editor, recovering journalist, founder and director of the nonprofit Novel Bookcamp educational programs since 2014. His more than 30 dark fiction short stories have been published in regional literary publications, various online magazines, and four anthologies. His hobby is scheming to get a Big Five Publisher to notice his novels. Dave is a supporting member of the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, organizing the HWA-Wisconsin Chapter in 2018

Founder and Director David J. Rank is a published author, editor, recovering journalist, founder and director of the nonprofit Novel Bookcamp educational programs since 2014. His more than 30 dark fiction short stories have been published in regional literary publications, various online magazines, and four anthologies. His hobby is scheming to get a Big Five Publisher to notice his novels. Dave is a supporting member of the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, organizing the HWA-Wisconsin Chapter in 2018. Through the Novel Bookcamp he has memberships in the Chicago Writers Association, HERstory Writing Community, the Off Campus Writers’ Workshop, and the Wisconsin Writers Association. He was president of the WWA from 2013 to 2016 and judged the WWA’s Jade Ring Fiction Contest in 2022. Dave and his wife of 50 years live in West Bend, Wisconsin. He enjoys reading, making guacamole and chili, and sharing life with his three grown children and four grandchildren. www.novelbookcamp.org
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DEBORAH L. KING

Although Assistant Director Deborah L. King has been a writer and storyteller her whole life, publishing her first short story at age seven, she took 32 years to complete her first novel. All three of her books have won awards. Most recently, Mary Not Broken won in 5 categories in the 2024 Page Turner Awards. As a writer, Deborah loves the work of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Octavia Butler, classic Stephen King, Peter David, and the illustrations of Dan DeCarlo. She loves storms, champagne, Old Time Radio, and 70s Blues and Soul. Thanks to an interesting childhood,

Although Assistant Director Deborah L. King has been a writer and storyteller her whole life, publishing her first short story at age seven, she took 32 years to complete her first novel. All three of her books have won awards. Most recently, Mary Not Broken won in 5 categories in the 2024 Page Turner Awards. As a writer, Deborah loves the work of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Octavia Butler, classic Stephen King, Peter David, and the illustrations of Dan DeCarlo. She loves storms, champagne, Old Time Radio, and 70s Blues and Soul. Thanks to an interesting childhood, she’s afraid of escalators, bill collectors, and sometimes fresh produce. In 2018, Deborah won the Chicago Writer’s Association’s first chapter contest and has been an annual book-camper since 2019. She joined the NIP board in 2023, and has been assistant director since 2025.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Jo DeMars

Board Vice President

Jo DeMars spent three decades as the owner of a dispute settlement firm, co-authored two books in her professional field, and was a frequent speaker. Disputes, resolutions, acceptance, and changing perspectives became themes in her life – as a child, sibling, mother, spouse, and widow. After escaping the business world, Jo began writing middle grade fiction and enjoys writing stories about people who work through hard times and emerge stronger. The Wisconsin Writers Association recognized her work in the 2020 Jade Ring contest. Her compilation of reflections, The Little Book of Living, was published in 2024. Jo and her small black dog divide their time between Wisconsin and Arizona.
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Maggie Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

In a career that's included journalism, psychology, and founding a national art consulting company, Maggie Smith added novelist to her resume in 2022 with the publication of her debut, Truth and Other Lies. Her second novel, Blindspot, published in May 2024. Maggie also hosts the weekly podcast Hear Us Roar, where she interviews debut authors about their novels and their path to publication. She blogs monthly on Substack and is a board member of Novel Bookcamp and the Chicago Writer's Association, where she serves as managing editor of their Write City magazine. She lives in Milwaukee with her husband.
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Jennifer Rupp

Board president

Jennifer Rupp writes sexy, sweeping Highland romance under the pen name Jennifer Trethewey. Her historical romance series, published by Entangled Publishing, has achieved critical success, and her writing has placed in numerous regional writing contests. She is a long-time Novel Bookcamp alum and is a member of Chicago North Romance Writers of America, Wisconsin Writers Association, Red Oak Studios, Off Campus Writers Workshop, Regency Fiction Writers, and Chicago Writers Association. She is also co-founder and former co-artistic director of Renaissance Theaterworks, America's longest running professional women's theater company.
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Michael Braun

Michael T. Braun, PhD, is owner and editor-in-chief of Orange Hat Publishing and its imprints Ten16 Press and Bubbler Press. Michael holds a BA in English Literature and an MA and PhD in Communication Science, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Humanities, Social Science, and Communication, at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, where he teaches writing.
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Mary Chase

Mary Chase writes books about hot messes and first kisses, because she still loves to imagine 1,018 redoes of her own less-than-stellar first kiss. She lives in Chicagoland with her D&D-loving husband, two teenagers, a basement full of board games, and piles of books in just about every room. Read rants on missed kisses and Gilmore Girls at https://marychase.com.
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Ekta Garg

A Reviewer, Editor, Author, and Dreamer of stories and books, Ekta has worked in niche publishing since 2005—she's written and edited about everything from healthcare to home improvement to Hindi films! Ekta judges writing contests, teaches writing workshops, and podcasts about great books and how to write them. She’s the managing editor of Neighbors of SW Champaign, a magazine focusing on and lifting up the Champaign, Illinois, community. Ekta’s award-winning holiday novella, The Truth About Elves, her award-winning fairy tale for grownups, In the Heart of the Linden Wood, and her newest release, The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories, are all available from Atmosphere Press.
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Rick Parks

Rick Parks is a retired insurance company executive who now teaches risk management and insurance part-time at Marian University of Wisconsin. He is in the process of having his first book, Sons of Other Fathers, published. Rick has always had a love for reading and writing in his leisure time. He was a frequent blogger during his insurance career and has been published in several business-related journals, usually on topics related to leadership, resilience and living your best life. He lives in West Bend, Wisconsin, with his wife of 46 years, Joni, and near his adult sons, Matt and Kyle.
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Pat Scheckel

Pat Scheckel lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin. Slipstreamy Midwestern noir ideas shadow him while walking his two pug mixes, Taco and Lulu. His debut novel, Time Stitchers, from WWA Press, is due out in late 2026. His short story collection, Frozen Chuck, will be published by Cornerstone Press in 2027. His work has appeared in Creative Wisconsin, BULL, The MacGuffin, and Macabre Magazine. You can find him on Instagram @pat_scheckel and at scheckel.com.

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