Our Preconference Academy occurs during the day on Thursday, June 20, at the nearby MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (shuttles to be provided). Three options for morning sessions and three options for afternoon sessions are available. See the workshop descriptions here. Keep reading to learn more about our talented Preconference Academy instructors…
Karen A. Chase is an award-winning author and photographer. Her historical novel, Carrying Independence, set during the American Revolution, will be released June 18, 2019. It secured second place in the William Faulkner, William Wisdom Unpublished Novel Competition against 502 entries. She was a visiting scholar at the American Antiquarian Society, through a Fellowship for Creative and Performing Artists and Writers. Her first book, Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log, garnered seven independent publishing awards. She is the owner of 224Design, a marketing studio, with a focus on branding authors and companies.
David Ebershoff is an award-winning author and editor. His novels include The Danish Girl and the #1 bestseller The 19th Wife. The Danish Girl was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Academy Award-winners Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. The 19th Wife was made into a television movie that has aired around the globe. David worked at Random House for twenty years, starting as a summer intern and becoming Vice President and Executive Editor. He edited more than twenty New York Times bestsellers, winners of the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, history, and biography, a National Book Award winner, and an Oprah Book Club selection. Originally from Pasadena, California, he now lives in New York City.
Teel James Glenn, has traveled the world for forty years as a stuntman, fight choreographer, swordmaster, illustrator, storyteller, bodyguard, actor and haunted house barker. One of the things he’s proudest of is having studied sword under Errol Flynn’s last stunt double. His short stories have been published in over a hundred magazines and as many anthologies including Weird Tales, Spinetingler, Mad, Black Belt, Fantasy Tales, Sherlock Holmes Mystery, SciFan, Sixgun Western, Crimson Streets, Silver Blade Quarterly, and Tales of Old. He has written books in many genres, including historical thrillers and is also the winner of the 2012 Pulp Ark Award for Best Author. TJ worked as an actor on Guiding Light and all New York soaps in over 300 episodes, and on the Spenser for Hire TV Series and can be found online at TheUrbanSwashbuckler.com
Alison Stuart has written most of her eight published historical novels using Scrivener and is currently working on two major book series (for Harlequin MIRA and Berkley publishing), a feat she could not manage without Scrivener! In between writing books, Alison teaches Scrivener for beginners in face to face workshops and online. She lives in Melbourne, Australia and at different times in her life has lived in Africa and Singapore. Her soldier heroes may come from her long and varied career as a lawyer in the military and fire services.