Brandie June spent most of her childhood onstage or reading, as both activities let her live in fantastic stories. She moved to Los Angeles to study acting at UCLA, and eventually branched out into costume design, playwriting, prose, and even got her MBA in entertainment marketing, becoming the marketing director for Kids & Family Entertainment at Shout! Studios.

When not writing or marketing, she can often be found doing nail art, listening to audiobooks, drinking too much espresso, and coming up with new art projects. She's a volunteer story coach for middle and high school students through SpiritCorps and mentor through Youth Mentoring Connection.

Los Angeles native Jeri Westerson writes a Tudor series, the King’s Fool Mysteries, and a Sherlockian pastiche called An Irregular Detective Mystery. She wrote fifteen Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mysteries, a multi-nominated series. She also wrote several paranormal series and standalone historicals. She has served as president of the SoCal chapter of Mystery Writers of America, president and vice president for two chapters of Sisters in Crime (Orange County and Los Angeles), is a member of the LA Sherlockian scion of the Baker Street Irregulars, and a founding member of the SoCal chapter of the Historical Novel Society.

On April 25, 2024, the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California, was the home of the 40th Writers of the Future Awards and 35th Illustrators of the Future Awards. I wrote up the event for The Geekiary, but there were some interviews that didn't quite make the final cut. So, consider this a 'behind the scenes' extra for the Awards.