All-Genre Workshop Instructors
We will be announcing the All Genre Instructors soon!
All Genre Workshop Instructors
Christina Marrocco is an author and poet who works in multiple genres including Literary Fiction, Short Story, Creative Nonfiction, and an assortment of poetic modes. She often sets her work in Illinois and the Driftless Region of Wisconsin, having a foot in each state all of her life. Her debut novel, Addio, Love Monster won Best New Indie Fiction, 2022, Chicago Writers Association. She has a second novel forthcomin with a UK press, and is working on two book length pieces of Creative Nonfiction. Her poetry appears in many journals, including Silverbirch Press, Ovunque Siamo, Red Fern Review, House Mountain Review, and the Laurel Review. She teaches Creative Writing, Literature, and Composition at Elgin Community College, Elgin Illinois and is the new Prose Editor for Ovunque Siamo.
Jason Tanamor (tan-uh-more) is a Filipino-American writer and author.
Named as one of the “5 Best Modern Filipino Writers” by Pinas Global Newspaper, Tanamor is the acclaimed author of the supernatural/folklore novel, “Vampires of Portlandia,” and the Filipino YA novel, “Love, Dance & Egg Rolls.” “Vampires of Portlandia” was optioned for screen and is currently in development. His new book, a Filipino YA superhero novel titled, “The Legend of Sensei Tsinela,” will be released Spring 2025.
Tanamor also spent a decade as an entertainment writer and interviewer, interviewing the likes of author Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club); comedians Dane Cook and Gabriel Iglesias; musicians Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Ann Wilson (Heart), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction), and Henry Rollins (Black Flag); and baseball legend Pete Rose.
He has covered everyone from Steve Martin to Jerry Seinfeld and from Evanescence to President Obama.
All-Genre Visiting Agents
Photo by K. Murphy Photography
Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong is senior agent at The Purcell Agency, based in Deerfield, Illinois. She represents Contemporary and Historical Romance, Upmarket Women’s Fiction, Mysteries, Thrillers, and Young Adult Fiction. She also has her own writing career as an author of issue-driven young adult and women’s fiction, include the young adult novel, Roam, and the women’s fiction title, The Edge of Nowhere.
An Oklahoma native transplanted to Minnesota for nearly 30 years, Cathie holds a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in History and is a rabid fan of OU Sooners Football.
A prolific reader of many genres, Cathie looks for manuscripts that catch her attention within the first few pages. Evoke an emotional response in the opening pages—make her laugh out loud, cause her pulse to race, make her cry—you’ve got a winner. ThePurcellAgency.com
Claire Harris is a literary agent at PS Literary with a passion for a wide range of fiction and non-fiction for adults. She enjoys the creative process of working with authors and collaborating closely with them throughout all stages of their careers. In fiction, she’s looking for adult rom-coms, horror, psychological thrillers, contemporary fiction, women’s fiction, and cozy mysteries—all for millennial audiences, specifically. Claire is happiest when reading manuscripts with unexpected endings or new twists on classic genre tropes. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Claire has a sweet spot for stories set in the Midwest. You can see her clients’ books on a variety of bestseller lists, including The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and others.
Speculative Fiction Workshop Instructors
Hank Schwaeble is a horror, thriller and suspense writer whose credits include Damnable (Berkley/Jove), which won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, Diabolical (Berkley/Jove), and The Angel of the Abyss, which was re-released by Esker & Riddle in 2021. He is also the author of the horror-noir collection American Nocturne, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker award, and Moonless Nocturne, which was released in 2022 and has been optioned for TV/film by the producer of The Equalizer movies. His short fiction has appeared in various publications such as Weird Tales Magazine and numerous anthologies such as the recent sci-fi western offering from Baen, High Noon On Proxima B. A graduate of the University of Florida and Vanderbilt Law School, Hank is a practicing attorney and a former Air Force officer and special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He was a distinguished graduate from the Air Force Special Investigations Academy, graduated first in his class from the Defense Language Institute’s Japanese Language Course, and was an editor of the law review at Vanderbilt where he won four American Jurisprudence Awards. In addition to reading and writing, Hank enjoys keeping in shape and playing guitar. Hank and his wife, fellow writer Rhodi Hawk, make their home near Houston, Texas. He is currently working on his next novel. HankSchwaeble.com
Mary Anne Mohanraj is a multi-genre author and the founder of the Hugo-nominated and World Fantasy Award-winning speculative literature magazine Strange Horizons. A Clinical Associate Professor of Fiction and Literature at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Mohanraj founded and serves as Executive Director of the Speculative Literature Foundation (speclit.org) and DesiLit (desilit.org), a South Asian Arts Foundation she helped establish.
She is the author of the novella The Stars Change, Jump Space, a compilation of interlinked stories originating in her Jump Space universe, and multiple Speculative Fiction stories for George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards series, Clarkesworld, Asimov’s, Escape Pod, Lightspeed, and other Speculative Fiction publications. Mohanraj also is a prolific writer of Literary Fiction, Poetry, Essays, and a cookbook on her native Sri Lankan cuisine. MaryAnneMohanraj.com
Speculative Fiction Visiting Agents
Laura Zats, is co-founder and agent of Headwater Literary Management, Minneapolis, Minnesota, working with both adult and YA Science fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Literary fiction with speculative elements, and select Contemporary and Historical Fiction.
A literary agent since 2014, Laura has worked with books in every way from bookselling to editing to self-publishing. Since 2016, Laura has hosted Print Run, a publishing podcast, with Erik Hane, her co-founder of Headwater Literary, and is increasingly passionate about teaching, mentorship, and the role books play in the fight for social justice.
In her spare time, Laura plays tabletop role-playing games, cooks elaborate meals, follows long-distance dogsled racing, and drinks a lot of tea. HeadwaterLiterary.com
Writing Retreat Mentor
SJ Rozan is the multi-award-winning author of Mysteries and Paranormal Thrillers, and an anthology editor. A native New Yorker, she has written 18 novels and six dozen short stories. Her work has won the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Nero, and Macavity awards for Best Novel and the Edgar for Best Short Story. She’s twice received the Japanese Maltese Falcon Award, and recently the Life Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America. “Bronx Noir,” a short story anthology SJ edited, was chosen NAIBA’s “Notable Book of the Year.” She also co-edited with Jonathan Santlofer, the anthology Dark End of the Street, and edited Crime Hits Home, the Mystery Writers of America anthology.
SJ served on the National Boards of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and is ex-President of the Private Eye Writers of America. She speaks, lectures and teaches, and runs a summer writing workshop at the Art Workshop International in Assisi, Italy.
A former architect in a practice that focused on police stations, firehouses, and zoos, SJ Rozan lives in lower Manhattan. As you can probably tell, she loves to travel. Also, to play basketball, read, and walk. SJRozan.net
Book Coach
Lisa Lickel, an experienced publisher, editor, and novelist, will work with writers individually on their projects. A versatile award-winning author of romance, mystery and suspense novels, children’s historical chap books, non-fiction articles, biography, and radio theater, Lisa is a former editor of Other Sheep magazine, a writing coach, small press and freelance editor, and book producer for indie publishers and individual clients. She is the managing director of the Wisconsin Writers Association Press and editor of Creative Wisconsin Magazine and serves as Novel Bookcamp’s Assistant Director. She lives with her husband in the Driftless area of western Wisconsin.
Novel Bookcamp 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
