Brett Battles is the author of over a dozen novels which include the Jonathan Quinn thriller series, centered around a freelance operative whose specialty is making bodies disappear. The first, The Cleaner (2007), was nominated for a Shamus Award for best first novel, and a Barry Award for best thriller. Its sequel, The Deceived, won the Barry Award for best thriller in 2009. Shadow of Betrayal, The Silenced, The Destroyed and The Collected have followed. Brett's other novels include the Project Eden and Logan Harper thriller series, and such standalone thrillers as No Return and The Pull of Gravity. His latest is a collaboration with bestselling novelist Robert Gregory Browne, Poe. The Enraged, the latest in his Quinn series, is out this summer.

Robert Gregory Browne is a bestselling, ITW Thriller Award-nominated novelist. Rob has written six thrillers published in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Russia, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. His first novel, Kiss Her Goodbye, was recently produced in Chicago as a pilot for a CBS Television series by Sony Pictures and Timberman/Beverly Productions, with a script written and directed by Michael Dinner (Justified). Bookfinds.com called him “a writer whose name will soon be a household word” and Publisher’s Weekly gave his thrillers Whisper in the Dark and The Paradise Prophecy starred reviews. His thriller, Trial Junkies, was the Amazon #1 Legal Thriller, the sequel of which he's currently at work. His latest book is Poe, co-written by award-winning novelist, Brett Battles.

Annie Bomke is head of Annie Bomke Literary and has spent over a decade helping authors succeed. She has worked with internationally bestselling authors such as Ken Blanchard, Spencer Johnson, John Assaraf, John David Mann, and Bob Burg. Having edited a wide range of projects—from hard-nosed business books to otherworldly historical novels—authors have called her the pH test for good writing, and a bedrock for literary quality control. Formerly an Editorial Assistant at Zoetrope: All-Story, a literary magazine founded by Francis Ford Coppola, Annie has explored her love of books managing Alcala Gallery, an art gallery and rare bookstore, and even had a brief stint as a technical writer for a Department of Defense contractor. She is interested in representing a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, including mainstream and literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, YA fiction, self-help, business, health/diet, cookbooks, memoir, family & relationships, current events, psychology, history, and humor. She is not interested in children's picture books, MG, high fantasy, hard sci-fi, romance, or religion.

Advance Submission Critique: Mainstream and literary fiction, non-fiction; first 15 pages, cover letter

Bio coming.

Advance Submission Critique: TBA; first 15 pages, cover letter and synopsis

Elana K. Arnold's debut young adult novel Sacred "Will appeal to many teens, especially fans of the Twilight series," proclaimed Booklist. School Library Journal effused it, "Filled with tension and angst... Readers will be looking for the next installment." Telling the tale of a small-town boy and a Gypsy girl that unfolds as the Burning Man festival is in full swing, Burning, her second YA effort, is out June from Delacorte. Kirkus hails it, "Lyrical and inspirational." Author Andrew Smith (Winger, The Marbury Lens), hails it as, "seductive and uplifing... An absolutely perfect summer read." Splendid, the sequel to Sacred, is out Novemer, 2013.

Leslie Lehr is an author, screenwriter and essayist. After having spent several years in film production and once becoming a mother, she started writing humorous essays which evolved into her first book, Welcome to Club Mom: The Adventure Begins. The what-ifs of modern motherhood drove Leslie to fiction soon after, with her debut novel, 66 Laps, going on to win the Pirates Alley Faulkner Society Gold Medal. Her screenplay Heartless was produced as an independent film that went on to finance five other films for Santa Monica Pictures, aired on USA TV and has been screening in Europe for over six years. Her next books were the non-fiction tomes, The Happy Helpful Grandma Guide and Wendy Bellissimo: Nesting, featured on Oprah. Wife Goes On, a novel, was a featured selection for the Pulpwood Queens Book clubs. Her essay in Mommy Wars, "I Hate Everybody," was lauded on the Today Show, and "Parenting Paranoia" was excerpted in Arianna Huffington's bestseller, On Becoming Fearless. Wife Goes On (Sourcebooks Landmark) is Leslie's latest novel, of which Booklist proclaims, "The elements of Hollywood moviemaking and tabloid hedonism blend nicely with the desperate franticness of, say, S. J. Watson's Before I Go to Sleep.

Marci Nault is the author of, The Lake House, just out from Gallery Books/ Simon & Schuster. Telling the story of an unlikely friendship between two women--one seventy-four the other twenty-eight--her debut novel is set in a small lakeside community and is a Paper Store Club Pick and CBS top pick for summer reads. Marci began her career on the other side of the desk at an independent non-fiction publishing house where she worked as a liaison between self-published authors (long before e-publishing), freelance editors, printers, graphic artists, and distributors such as New Leaf, Ingram, and Baker and Taylor. It wasn't until her first trip to Book Expo America that she realized she wanted to become a fiction writer, but didn't originally pursue it for fear she didn't have a strong following or platform. In 2008 she made a list of 101 Dreams she wanted to come true in her life (a bucket-list) and began pursuing her dream of writing fiction. In 2010 she became the founder of 101 Dreams Come True, a motivational blog that encourages visitors from around the globe to follow their improbable dreams. Her story about attempting to complete 101 of her biggest dreams has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and she regularly speaks on the subject on radio stations in both the United States and Canada. To date she's completed ninety of her biggest dreams.

Linda Langton is the founding agent of Langtons International Agency, specializing in non-fiction, inspirational, memoirs, commercial and literary fiction, political thrillers, young adult, and middle-grade children's books. Among her many notable clients are award-winning journalist and best-selling author Yossi Melman; award-winning authors Dan Rottenberg, Dan Brown, and Professor John Gerassi, Jean-Paul Sartre's official biographer, as well as middle grade and young adult writers Libby Pataki, the First Lady of New York, and Charlotte Kandel.

Advance Submission Critique: Fiction, non-fiction; first 15 pages, cover letter and synopsis

Mary Vensel White is the author of The Qualities of Wood, the first ebook published by HarperCollins Publishers digital imprint, Authonomy. Chosen for publication based on nominations from the writing community at Authonomy, and 2012 International Book Award-winner, Mary's debut novel tells the story of a husband and wife who leave the city for a life in the Midwest countryside only to find themselves caught up in the mystery a local girl found dead in the woods behind their house. Haunting and beautifully written, author Genevieve Graham (Under the Same Sky) calls it, "[a] mesmerizing journey of one woman as she discovers the truths around and within her. It is a novel written with poetic grace and gentle hand, with a message as strong as wood." The book has done so well in digital form that HarperCollins will be publishing the hardcopy in July, 2013.

Janis Thomas is the author of Something New, her laugh-out-loud debut novel being published by Berkley Books November, 2012. A graduate of UCLA who was actually born in the University’s Medical Center, upon graduating, Janis moved to Manhattan to get a taste of  city life, and so liked the flavor, she stayed for eleven years. While there, she performed in several plays, including the Off-Broadway  production of Your Children, was cast in the National Tour of Forbidden Broadway, and played out in some of the hottest clubs in the city with her sister and their band. Janis has also written over fifty songs and two children’s books (with her dad). Sweet Nothings is out July, 2013.

Rick Ochocki is a novelist and writer of creative nonfiction living in San Diego.  His contest-winning flash fiction was included in the e-book Fiction 101:The Anthology from the San Diego CityBEAT weekly magazine.  He's an active member of Romance Writers of America, the Los Angeles Romance Authors and the Romance Writers of America San Diego chapter.

Darlene Quinn is the international award-winning author of Webs of Fate, winner of the Readers Favorite Award for General Fiction, and the prequel to her Web series. Webs of Power, the first novel in the series, won the 2009 National Indie Excellence Award for General Fiction. Its sequel, Twisted Webs, is the 2011 International Book Award Winner for Fiction and Literature, as well as the Winner of the 2011 National Indie Excellence Award for General Fiction. Darlene's first published novel, Sizzling Cold Case, was a somewhat unusual collaboration as well as labor of love for her dear friend, Buddy Ebsen. His work-in-progress was a Barnaby Jones novel, which at his widow's request, Darlene completed.  Unpredictable Webs is out May, 2013. Darlene is currently working on April's Web.

Drusilla Campbell is the author of more than fourteen novels, most recently the best sellers Blood Orange, The Good Sister, and Little Girl Gone. For more than twenty years she has taught classes, seminars and workshops designed for the writer who wants to be successful in today’s challenging market without sacrificing literary quality. Through NovelCraft, a manuscript consulting service, she assists novelists at all stages of the creative process. As a motivational speaker, her personal story of success-to failure-and-back-to-success has inspired hundreds of writers to stick to their dreams. Her next novel, When She Came Home, is out in April, 2013 from Grand Central Publishing.

Matthew J. Pallamary's first book The Small Dark Room of the Soul was mentioned in The Year's Best Horror and Fantasy. Dreamland a novel about computer generated dreaming, written with Ken Reeth, won an Independent e-Book Award. His historical novel Land Without Evil received rave reviews along with a San Diego Book Award. Matt also received the San Diego Writer's Monthly Magazine Man of the Year award. Spirit Matters, his memoir, took first place in the San Diego Book Awards Spiritual Book Category, and was an Award-Winning Finalist in the National Best Book Awards. He frequently visits the jungles, mountains, and deserts of North, Central, and South America pursuing his studies of shamanism and ancient cultures. He has taught a fiction workshop at the Southern California Writers' Conference and the Santa Barbara Writers' Conference for over twenty years and is Editor-in-Chief of Muse Harbor Publishing.

Advance Submission Critique: Horror, fantasy, transformative fiction; first 15 pages double-spaced

Jean is a freelance editor (MsRewrite.com) and consultant to writers. She has successfully shepherded to print genre and mainstream novels with major publishers and small independents, as well as editing/advising self- and e-published writers. Clients include writers, both foreign and domestic. Her specialty is teaching craft and what works in the marketplace as she helps writers polish their material. Several books on which she has consulted are in the pipeline and nearing publication with major houses. Calling upon her varied life experiences and over twenty years of editorial consulting, she is equally at home editing spy thrillers, cozies, suspense, women's issues, mainstream, or any bloody good story. It might be said, the bloodier, the better.

Advance Submission Critique: Mystery, suspense, thriller, police procedural; narrative non-fiction; first 15 pages, double-spaced

Sally van Haitsma is head of van Haitsma Literary, a boutique West Coast agency she recently founded after having served six years at the Castiglia Literary Agency and, prior to that, apprenticed at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.  Some of the titles she has represented include the New York Times bestseller Wesley the Owl by Stacey O’Brien (Simon & Schuster), Silverstein & Me by Marv Gold (Red Hen Press), America Libre and House Divided by Raul Ramos y Sanchez (Grand Central), Hick by Andrea Portes (Unbridled Books, optioned for film), Big Brown by Greg Niemann (Wiley), NATO 2.0 by Sarwar Kashmeri (Potomac Books), Does this Mean You’ll See Me Naked? by Robert Webster (Sourcebooks), Illuminations by Mark Tompkins (Ten Speed/Random House), The Five Year Party by Craig Brandon (BenBella Books) and The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian (HarperCollins, optioned for film).  Reflecting her influences as a West Coast girl with Midwestern roots, Sally gravitates toward stories and topics that explore the American experience in an ethical, pragmatic and independent spirit.  Across all categories, she is on the quest for books with literary ambitions and mainstream appeal.

Advance Submission Critique: Commercial and literary fiction (no sci-fi or fantasy) and non-fiction; first 15 pages, cover letter

The author of 22 novels and a veteran editorial consultant, Read & Critique Workshop Leader Laura Taylor's critically acclaimed Honorbound received endorsements from authors Pat Conroy, W.E.B. Griffin, Stephen King, and 3 former Vietnam-era prisoners of war. A 6-time Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement and Career Achievement Award winner, a 2-time Maggie Award winner for Mainstream Fiction, the first Golden Rose Award recipient, and an RWA RITA Award Finalist, Laura is a member of The Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and Novelists, Inc. Fallen Angel, Desert Rose, Midnight Storm, Heartbreaker and More Than Friends are currently available at Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Smashwords, KOBO, Apple iTunes, and Google Books. She is celebrating more than 500,000 digital downloads of her romantic suspense novels during the preceding 17 months.

Laura will conduct a special DYI workshop presentation entitled "Indie Excellence: Legitimacy & Editing" on Friday afternoon of the conference. Mystery and suspense writer Claudia Whitsitt and international thriller writer Dennis Bowen will guest co-present in this critical workshop for indie authors. SCWC attendees are also encouraged to bring their current works in progress to her Read & Critique Rogue Workshops on Friday and Saturday evenings of the SCWC conference.

Twitter: @AuthorLTaylor

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/laura.taylor.50309

Advance Submission Critique: Mainstream, historical and genre fiction, romance; first 15 pages double-spaced

Bob Yehling is the award-winning author of seven books, ghostwriter of five other titles, and a long-time journalist, book editor and writing instructor. His titles include the practical The Write Time: 366 Exercises to Fulfill Your Writing LifeWrites of Life: Using Personal Experiences In Everything You Write (2009, Pen & Publish) and the 2007 Independent Book Publishers Award-winning . His poetry-essay collections include The River-Fed Stone, Coyotes in Broad Daylight, Shades of Green, Open Meadows and the award-winning website Poetry Through The Ages. Through his companies, Word Journeys (wordjourneys.com) and Millennium Media Masters (millenniummediamasters.com), he has edited more than 100 fiction and nonfiction titles that have found homes with publishers of all sizes, and has developed the promotional platforms of many authors — then helped place them with publishers and literary agents. In December 2009, Bob was named editor of the literary journal The Hummingbird Review.

Advance Submission Critique: Commercial fiction, memoir, biography and poetry; first 15 pages double-spaced

Jeremy Lee James is a web developer and Internet marketing strategist. His company, Write Click Media, provides individuals, organizations, and small businesses with compelling content, and custom web site solutions built on commercial-grade CMS-driven publishing platforms. He also offers training and consulting in the areas of sales conversion, social media and community building, customer retention, and information architecture.

A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, Jeremy is a passionate advocate for fellow writers seeking to succeed in the business side of their art.

Through his company and partnerships, Jeremy provides web-based tools to both traditionally published authors, and self-published writers, for building a personal brand, engaging their audience online, and promoting their art.

Chrissie Barnett is an associate producer and production manager for projects running the gamut of budgets. Involved in all aspects of pre-production and principal photography coordination, including casting, location scouting, permits acquisition, and overall administrative due diligence, projects she's worked on range from independent features and short films to high-end infomercials, commercials, corporate videos and related transmedia content.

Beyond corporate clients including Jenny Craig, Disney Channel, Hawthorne Direct, Shea Homes, Hot Legs and Smart 401k, Chrissie has also provided key in-house personnel management and executive support for development teams providing cinematics CGI for such videogames as Stuntman 2: Ignition (THQ) and Golden Axe: Beast Rider (Sega).

Wes Albers is a well-established figure in the Southern California writing community as the Director of the Southern California Writers’ Conference. For more than a decade he has helped to facilitate nearly $4 million worth of first time book and movie deals for emerging authors through the SCWC and his personal contacts. His own writing draws from over twenty years in the San Diego Police Department, first as a patrolman, then sergeant. He now serves as Detective Sergeant in charge of Border Investigations, as well as Staff Sergeant supervising the Emergency Negotiations Team, a hybrid team of hostage negotiators from the SDPD, the FBI, and NCIS. Of his debut novel, Black and White (ZOVA Books) New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds (The Book of Spies) hails, "Gritty and rewarding... A top-notch cop novel. Watch out, Joseph Wambaugh!"

Michael Steven Gregory is an independent filmmaker and WGA screenwriter of material ranging from mainstream drama and bio-pics to animated action-adventure and videogames. He has scripted series for Fox, UPN and HBO, directed television and features in a variety of genres, and been involved as a writer, producer or director in over 150 short films. His longform projects include the award-winning doculogue We, The Screenwriter, the romantic-comedy A Valentine Carol, and groundbreaking Don King Presents: Prizefighter, for 2K Games.  His books include the popular Disc Golf: All You Need to Know about the Game You Want to Play (Trellis). Michael is also director of the American Academy of Arts' Indie Filmmaker's Bootcamp program and owner of AuthorEdge, a boutique studio specializing in transmedia content production for writers.