Jesús Canchola Sánchez had his first short story published at the age of 7 in his Chicago elementary school newspaper. His debut novel is Escape From Natura Met (2025). He received the Hispanic Playwrights in Residence award by INTAR Theater and won the Pregones Theater Asunción Playwrights Competition. He's the author of the children's book Pepito Has A Doll/Pepito tiene una muñeca (2021). Canchola Sánchez was a producer on the morning talk show Las Comadres con Gloria B (2008-2010) that aired on Telemundo 47 in the tri-state area. He is the writer/director of the Mexican feature film Bittersweet Waters (2019). As an actor, he appeared on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien "Conando" sketches and danced on Bhangra Dance Workout of Massala Productions. He was on stage at the Public Theater in 365 days/365 plays, Pregones Theater, Fringe NYC and played Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Stuart Vaughan at the Lucille Lortel Theater.

FindJesús Canchola Sánchez and his books on his website here: https://www.jesuscancholasanchez.com/

David Shactman is an expert in national health policy and medical tourism. After careers in real estate and retail, he studied health policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Following graduation, he worked on clinical practice guidelines for the U.S. Agency of Health Care Policy and Research. He then joined the research faculty at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. While there, he co-edited two collections, “Regulating Managed Care” and “Policies for an Aging Society.” Mr. Shactman has published scholarly articles in peer reviewed journals and has delivered conference speeches, academic lectures and Congressional testimony.

His fiction work entitle Mortal Choices highlights the pitfalls of kidney transplants and organ trade. Find David and his book here: https://davidshactman.com/

Liisa Kovala is a Finnish Canadian author and book coach. Her debut novel, Sisu's Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022), received a Literary Creation Project Grant from the Ontario Arts Council (OAC). Liisa's first book, Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017) was shortlisted for a Northern Lit Award and published in Finland under the title Stutthofin selviytyjä (Docendo, 2020). Her most recent historical novel, Like Water for Weary Souls (House of Karhu, 2025) received a Literary Creation Project Grant from the OAC and was released in October 2025.​

Find Liisa Kovala and her books on her website here: https://www.liisakovalabookcoach.com/

What an amazing gift idea! There is an accompanying journal to Kristina Rienzi's 5 Happy Choices too!

Kristina is a critically acclaimed multi-genre author of twisty beach thrillers and applied psychology. Her novels are primarily set at the Jersey Shore, where she is a local.

Find all her books here: https://kristinarienzi.com/

Holiday book & multi-genre author Melanie P. Smith was born and raised in Utah by a loving LDS family. She attended Dixie College and the University of Phoenix where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. She also earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Negotiations from the University of Utah. One summer she got a part-time job as a Student Intern for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office she never left. In 2016, she retired after serving most of her career in the Special Operations Division. For many years, she was part of the support staff for the SWAT team and responded on call-outs to man the radio in the SWAT Command Post. She was also a member of the Logistics Unit of the Child Abduction Response Team and worked closely with Search & Rescue, the Mounted Posse, K9 and the Motor Unit.

Find Melanie and her books here: https://melaniepsmith.com/

Perfect for holiday gifts for all the women in your life... Kristine Jensen's Wednesday Club is a story inspired by her grandmother's real life Wednesday Club of over sixty-years. Find out about the real-life connection and book that's sparked a movement of connecting generations of women in today's podcast!

More about the Wednesday Club... It’s 1963 and struggling to fit in, Ivy reluctantly agrees to be the secretary of her grandmother’s Wednesday Club, a group of six older women who meet monthly to discuss current events, find ways to help their rural community, and sometimes share a little gossip.
As weeks, and then months pass and Ivy’s mother rarely keeps in touch, Ivy is unexpectedly drawn into the lives of the Wednesday Club members and their struggles. A painful secret, a broken heart, the disappointment of left-behind dreams, the life and death realities of rural living, and the ache of abandonment.

Ultimately and surprisingly, it’s the Wednesday Club women who help mend something deep within Ivy and provide a sense of belonging she’s never known.

Find the Wednesday Club here: https://www.wednesday-club.com/novel

Seth Voorhees is a Black Hills Author. Living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He enjoys drawing from his experiences as a social worker, particularly in adolescent development and mental health, to shape his characters and their journeys through human morality and challenges. He identifies himself as a dark fiction author because his writing spans over several genres. He resides in Rapid City with his partner and stepdaughter. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in sociology and psychology from Black Hills State University.

Find Seth and his books here: https://sethtvoorhees.com/

Rick Partlow is that rarest of species, a native Floridian. Born in Tampa, he attended Florida Southern College and graduated with a degree in History and a commission in the US Army as an Infantry officer. His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit---Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams and Peter F Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds.

He has written over 70 books in over a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in many different anthologies.
He currently lives in northern Wyoming with his wife and their dog. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking and camping.

Visit his website at https://rickpartlow.com/