Dragon Con welcomes guests from around the globe – with new people announced all the time! Take a look at the inventive minds, luminaries, and celebrities you’ll be spending the weekend with.
Tony P. Henderson is a moderator, podcaster, and voice over artist known for the Tony P. Oddcast, In Addition, and Geek Vs podcasts.
Dragon Award nominated James Osiris Baldwin writes expansive LitRPG and science-fantasy. He is the author of the bestselling Archemi Online Chronicles, the Brute Force series, and the upcoming Voidhunter series.
Aaron Colgrove has been a member of the Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation since 2020. Colgrove has 12 years of experience as a computational archaeologist.
Jordan Duncan is a historian, researcher, and educator. He has been part of the Atlanta area paranormal community since 2008. He is also a podcaster and vlogger.
Valerie Willis is a book designer and award winning fantasy romance author. Works include Writer's Bane series, The Cedric Series, and more as V.C. Willis and Honey Cummings.
Independent comic book creator. Creator/writer of Hamilton vs. Burr: A Werewolf Tale. Published comic writer for Z2 Comics. Trading card artist for Marvel Comics & Upper Deck Trading Cards. Cover artist & inker for White Rocket Books. US Air Force combat veteran.
Sean is a professional opera singer, storyteller with Storyteller's Forge, and runs the award winning podcast Echoes of Krynn and the Twitch stream Severed Threads - Notes from the Black Ballad.
Davis Ashura is the award winning author of four bestselling epic fantasy series, The Castes and the OutCastes, The Chronicles of William Wilde, Instrument of Omens, and The Eternal Ephemera.
Andy Belanger works as a freelance cartoonist/illustrator. He does work in the mainstream comic market, plus a wide variety of work for the Canadian Film and Television industry. In the mainstream comic market, Belanger has worked for such comic publishers as DC Comics, Wildstorm, Devil's Due, and Boom!
Kaitlin Bevis is the author of the Daughters of Zeus series. She has also written a young adult horror novel called Blood and Other Matter and several short stories.
Mark Braught is an award winning artist that notably created the full-color scenic art for the merchandising of Warner Brothers Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Crystal Cleveland is an award winning actress, model, YouTuber, podcaster, and horror film aficionado. She has been a co-host with Decades of Horror: 1980's for the past six years.
Dr. Joshua Colwell is associate dean of the College of Sciences and Pegasus professor of physics at the University of Central Florida. He hosts Walkabout the Galaxy, the fun astronomy podcast.
Gogo Incognito is a professional nerd in cosplay, modeling, and dance, an emcee for various cons and media companies, and an entrepreneur who co-owns Corsair Distillery and Wild Spore Mushrooms.
F.T. Lukens is a NYT bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Otherworldly, Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After, In Deeper Waters, and Love at Second Sight.
Milissa Maxin is a gaming industry expert who has led and created communities for Will Wright's Gallium Studios (The Sims, SimCity Creator), Linden Lab's Second Life, IMVU, and more.
Mark McDonagh is a physicist and retired Navy submarine force Captain who has been running the National Security Decision Making Game since 1990. He lectures on emerging technology, modern weapons, geopolitical topics, and military history with expertise in the American Revolution, WWII, the Cold War, and history of submarine warfare.
Daniel A. Reed is the founder of the West Virginia Skeptics Society and a regular contributor to the Skeptical Inquirer magazine and website.
A podcaster and content creator, TVsTravis, AKA Travis Crawford, is the host of Wait, You Haven't Seen…? and co-host of Those Were the Days, GORE, and Let's Watch Highlander podcasts.
Jer Alford owns Mini-Komix, plus writes, edits, and publishes comics. He founded the Atlanime anime club and does reviews for Anime Anyway plus Obscure OVAs fanzine, also Stupid Comics.
Alex Damon is the co-creator and co-host of Star Wars Explained, a YouTube channel covering all Star Wars that has gained over 800,000 subscribers.
USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Edelheit has captivated millions with his Stiger's Tigers fantasy series. His passion for history and military seeps into his works, earning him multiple awards.
Will is a paleontologist, educator, and host of The Common Descent Podcast, where he applies his professional experience to entertaining and educational discussions about past and present life on Earth.
E.K. Johnston is the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of 17 books for YA readers, including Star Wars: Ahsoka, Titan Of The Stars, and Sky On Fire.
Dr. Kilgard is an astrophysicist who researches black holes in nearby galaxies and how they grow over cosmic time. He also lectures on astronomy in history, sci-fi, and pop culture.
Charles McFall, the "Rock God of Podcasting," is a digital media pioneer who began podcasting in 2004 and connects audiences through shows like Wise_N_Nerdy and Finding the Stories.
Violette Meier, the great-granddaughter of a dream interpreter, is a lover of all things supernatural and loves to write paranormal, fantasy, horror, among other genres.
David Moscato is a paleontologist, science writer, and host of the Common Descent podcast, applying experience as a fossil hunter, researcher, and educator to discussions about life on Earth.
Bruce Sentar writes romantic fantasy for men in the LitRPG, fantasy, and urban fantasy spaces. He has numerous accolades, 40 published books, and over 100k reviews on Amazon.
Adam Bryce Thomas is a comic artist and illustrator, most notably for IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog, DC's recent Sonic/ Justice League crossover, and many other titles.
Alison Tracy Wynn, PhD is a senior research scholar with the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab. As Alison Tracy, she writes YA and adult sci-fi/fantasy.
Keith Williams, comic book inker. Assistant editor of Spider-Man group of books. As an inker, he has worked for Marvel, DC, King Features Syndicate, Valiant, Dark Horse, Avatar Press, Moonstone, and now Power Comics, inc., A Kid and a Comic, and Green Archer Comics.
Davey Beauchamp is a librarian and a freelance artist with a variety of different companies including the BBC, BBCA, Penguin UK, Falstaff Books, Tavern Publishing, and more.
Michael Gordon is a writer, editor, publisher, and podcaster. His creator-owned comic, Tiki Zombie, has been running for over a decade. He can also be regularly found saying “Howdy!” on the BatChums, Earth Station Who, and Dragon Con Report podcasts.
Dan Jolley has written comic books, media tie-in novels, original novels, video games, TV pilots, and dramatic podcasts for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Harper-Collins, Simon & Shuster, Activision-Blizzard, Ubisoft, and Sega. He wrote the main story for the world-wide bestselling game Dying Light.
Defying odds is what #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon does best. She has placed more than 80 novels on the NYT list in all formats and genres. With more than 70 million books in print, her series include: Dark-Hunters®, Chronicles of Nick®, Deadman's Cross™, and The League®.
Astrophysicist Steph LaMassa works at the Space Telescope Science Institute on JWST and researches supermassive black holes.
Oriana Leckert is a writer, editor, cultural hipstorian [sic], and the head of publishing at Kickstarter.
Jeffrey "Falcon" Logue has been a professional writer for over seven years. He has published 21 books, having started the dungeon core subgenre with his original, The Slime Dungeon.
Dan McClellan is a public scholar of the Bible and religion. He received his PhD from the University of Exeter and has over a million followers on social media.
John Jackson Miller is a New York Times bestselling author of novels and comics for Star Wars, Star Trek, Batman, Battlestar Galactica, and Marvel. His new novel tying into the Tim Burton Batman movies, Batman: Revolution, releases in 2025 from Random House Worlds.
Christopher G. Moore is an award winning filmmaker and screenwriter. He directed a segment in the horror anthology Worst Laid Plans which is now on streaming.
Justin Orr aka “JUSSCOPE” is a concept artist and animator from Northern California. He has worked in numerous artistic fields including animation, gaming, and advertising. He has worked with companies such as Nickelodeon, MTV, Wild Brain, and TBS, and has spent time in Japan as a concept artist.
Diana Peterfreund is the author of over a dozen for adults, teens, and kids, including Secret Society Girl, the Killer Unicorn books, Omega City, and the Clue mysteries. Her latest YA mystery kicks off a series about a teenage detective descended from Edgar Allan Poe.
Livio Ramondelli's art credits include a longtime run illustrating Transformers for IDW publishing. He also created the acclaimed original science fiction series The Kill Lock, published at the same studio. He is currently illustrating variant covers for the new era of Transformers in the Skybound/Image Comics era.
Gray Rinehart is a USAF space operations veteran, a writer, and singer/songwriter. His music has been on The Dr. Demento Show and he is the "Slushmaster General" for Baen Books.
Rob Roberts is an internet broadcasting veteran in video games. He is also a seasoned live host of cult movie screenings and horror themed variety shows.
Sadie Witkowski is currently a research programs lead for Slack. In her free time, she hosts the podcasts In Defense of Fandom and Carry the Two.
Freddy Clements is a distinguished professor emeritus of costume and make-up design and technology at Jacksonville State University. He holds a MFA in costume design from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has designed costumes for various regional theatres and has extensive experience in early twentieth century corsetry and kilt making.
Jess Eppstein is a former immortal hydra wrangler who spent a year putting tiny contacts on mutant mice in the dark. She now tells scientists how to do their job.
Tara Lynne is an author, event planner, fandom culture expert, public speaker, host of the Geek Saga and Sagas & Sass podcasts, and founded Ice & Fire Con.
Ken Peek supported NASA programs including Hubble Servicing, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station missions. Peek now supports the NASA Artemis program for a commercial lunar lander provider.
Aaron Reynolds is the four-time Webby award winning author of Effin' Birds, a comic strip pairing intricate artwork with mundane daily frustrations read by over a million people every day. His first book, Effin' Birds: A Field Guide to Identification, hit bookstores in 2019 and is a bestseller.
Afua Richardson is an American illustrator, author, musician, singer, songwriter, and mentor. In 2007, she made history as one of the first Indigenous Afro-American female artists to work for Marvel Comics as a penciler, inker, and colorist, earning the Nina Simone Award for artistic excellence.
Cory Rosenberger is a licensed attorney in Georgia. He specializes in criminal law, both prosecuting and defending criminal defendants at different stages of his career.
S.L. Rowland is a bestselling author of cozy fantasy series Tales of Aedrea and the LitRPG series Sentenced to Troll, Pangea Online, and Path to Villainy.
Arley Sorg is an associate agent at kt literary, asco-editor-in-chief at Fantasy Magazine, senior editor at Locus, and associate editor at Lightspeed & Nightmare.
Teresa Spinelli is a mission director of the Cygnus spacecraft, resupplying the International Space Station. She is the youngest and first woman certified to lead the Cygnus Flight Operations team.
Ian Randal Strock is the award winning author and publisher responsible for Release the Virgins and Jewish Futures. He previously edited for Analog, Asimov's, Science Fiction Chronicle, and Baen Books.
Kyle Mackenzie Sullivan is a director and camera operator in the world of film and television, working on projects that include A24, Magnolia Pictures, and Outdoor Channel.
Forrest Valkai is a biologist and science communicator. On YouTube, TikTok, and shows like SkepTalk and The Atheist Experience, Valkai has raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity.
Alex White wrote the game Alien: Rogue Incursion, two Alien novels, The Cold Forge and Into Charybdis, a Star Trek DS9 novel, Revenant, and the Starmetal Symphony and Salvagers trilogies.
Epic fantasy author Katharine E. Wibell's acclaimed novels include The Incarn Saga series and The Djed Chronicles series. The Guardian's Speaker novella series is an adult dark Viking fantasy.
Arras Wiedorn is a zoologist and animal behaviorist who has worked for years in public education. They currently work as the head of public programs at a nature center in Ohio.
Bobby Blackwolf is the co-owner of the VOG (Voice of Geeks) podcast network and Twitch channel, and has hosted a live internet show and podcast about video games since 2005.
Kaycie D. is an illustrator and podcaster. Her main art disciplines include comics, animation, visual development, and game art. She is the author and artist of the webcomic B-SIDE You.
Darrin Drader is a professional tabletop role-playing game designer with 25 years of experience in the field. He has written for Wizards of the Coast, Paizo Publishing, Legendary Games, Bastion Press, and many other publishers.
Alex Jennings' writing has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Africa Risen, and New Suns, and he has been short-listed for numerous awards.
JM Tuffley writes about pop culture for various outlets, and contributes to Need Coffee Dot Com's Weekend Justice podcast.
Vanessa Wright is an Atlanta-based filmmaker and The Renegade Film Fest founder and director. She is currently in production on her next feature film.
Amber Satterfield works in her spare time as a professional character entertainer. For the past few years, she has portrayed Bluey and organized the Character Encounter for the Kids Track!
Cathalson is an American author and screenwriter of over 50 publications. He is a fiction developer for Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and AntiMatter Games.
Rachel Rener is a multi-award winning, internationally bestselling contemporary fantasy author best known for her Gilded Blood series and has sold over a quarter million books.
Robert J. Sawyer has won the Hugo, Nebula, and John W. Campbell Memorial awards; all for best science fiction novel of the year. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his Aurora Award winning novel of the same name, and he was one of the writers for that program.
David Sherrer is a lifelong gamer and story teller, and is the marketing director of Chenoweth Press and lead game designer of Chenoweth Games.
Award winning and USA Today bestselling author Lydia Sherrer is best known for her Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus universe novels full of snarky humor and a talking cat.
Kevin Stallard has been in the IT security business for 30+ years, but has always been a video gamer. Recently working at Activision/Blizzard, Stallard is working on a new title.
Bryan Young has written in the BattleTech, Robotech, Doctor Who, and Shadowrun universes. Most recently, he wrote the companion book for The Big Bang Theory.
Multiple Nebula Award winner Esther Friesner has published over 40 novels, more than 200 short stories, plus poetry and nonfiction. She has edited 11 anthologies including the Chicks in Chainmail series for Baen Books. Her YA credits include the Princesses of Myth series for Random House.
Kristin Jackson is the director of communications and graphic designer for Frostbite Pictures, has worked on art for Paramount Pictures, Dutch Boy Pictures, and indie filmmakers.
Amazon bestseller, Megan Mackie is the author of The Adventures of Pavlov's Dog and Schrodinger's Cat and The Lucky Devil, Culinary Infernal, Dead World, and Working Mask series.
Don Aguillo is a comic artist and illustrator whose work includes projects with DC, Image, Marvel, Boom, Dark Horse, Disney/Ravensburger, Upper Deck, and indie creators.
Judy Black is a writer who makes her home in Atlanta. She loves games, books, cats, things with caffeine, and is an Ennie-nominated writer of Dungeons and Dragons modules.
BREED is a professional artist whose work has been featured by Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Zenescope Entertainment, 20th Century Studios, IDW, Source Point Press, Counterpoint Comics, Stranger Comics, Action Lab Entertainment, Mountaineer West Productions, UpperDeck Co./MCU, Kymera Press, Entity Eye Entertainment, Warrant Publishing, and various film/TV production companies.
Elizabeth Donald is an award winning writer of speculative fiction. She is founder of the Literary Underworld small-press cooperative, president of St. Louis Society of Professional Journalists, and teaches writing.
Jason Dorough is the author of the epic fantasy Teshovar series, has worked as a voiceover artist for more than a decade, and is also a content creator on BookTok.
Chandra Free is the creator of The God Machine graphic novel series and co-founder of Machina Corpse imprint. She illustrated on books like John Carpenter's Tales For A Halloween Night, Fraggle Rock, and The Graphic Canon. She has also worked on TTRPG books like Carbon Grey and Planet of the Apes.
Brianna is an illustrator and comic artist currently working on My Little Pony comics and the Disney Lorcana trading card game. She has worked on interiors for Disney Princess comics, covers for Captain Marvel, Feral, and illustrations for Butterbean's Café, Disney Imagineering, and done storyboard work for Warner Bros Animation.
Jenna Garrett is a proud member of Dungeons and Dracon Beams: An Animorphs AU Actual Play Podcast, Horse Girls, and Surprise Attack Book Club.
Bill Golliher has been a writer and artist for Archie Comics for 30 plus years. Golliher has worked on scripting and illustrating quite a diverse set of titles for the company: Betty and Veronica Friends Forever, Veronica, Jughead's Diner, Archie 3000, Dilton's Strange Science, and many more.
Tom Heintjes is the co-founder and publisher of Hogan's Alley magazine, one of the leading magazines on contemporary and classic cartooning. He is a former managing editor of The Comics Journal and for years wrote biographical essays for Will Eisner's Spirit magazine for Kitchen Sink Press.
G.S. Jennsen is a bestselling author of 20+ novels and short stories. Starshine was named one of the best sci-fi novels by a woman in the last 50 years.
Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer, Ignyte, Bram Stoker, and Nebula Award winner, and Hugo, Astounding, Locus, Aurora, and BFSA Award finalist.
Bernadette Johnson is a writer whose works include over 50 technology articles for HowStuffWorks.com, books, and horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery short stories.
Charlie Kaufman has a background in marine biology, environmental studies, and natural hazard preparedness. Kaufman has worked in environmental consulting, academia where he studied coastal erosion, and natural disaster impacts.
Kavura, with her husband Nayr, are the hosts of the StarPodTrek and StarPodLog podcasts. She produces Ladies Trek Library and is in several Star Trek fan clubs and fan films.
Bethanne Kim is the publisher for the magazine Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond. She currently writes alternate history (Eric Flint's 1632 universe) but has also written extensively about emergency preparedness.
Rob Levy is a writer, DJ, and podcaster who has been published in Doctor Who, Star Trek, and other sci-fi anthologies, and has written about pop culture for several outlets.
Philip Ligon is an international bestselling author, Dragon Award finalist, and Imadjinn Award winner. His works range from steampunk to alternate history to fantasy.
K.A. Linde is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wren in the Holly Library and more than 50 novels.
Nich Lyle (LCMHC, C-DBT, CSTIP) is a cosplayer and therapist who believes in the therapeutic power of pop culture. Professionally, he helps his fellow nerds embrace their individual superpowers.
Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling multi-genre novelist, comic book writer, anthology editor, executive producer, and editor of Weird Tales Magazine.
ToniAnn Marini is a professor and a project manager for BLAM! Ventures/Magnetic Press. She has credits in two Space: 1999 graphic novels and The Planet of the Apes RPG.
New York Times bestselling author Todd J. McCaffrey has collaborated with Anne McCaffrey (his mother) on five Dragonriders of Pern novels and has written three Pern novels on his own.
Andrea Lorenzo Molinari, Ph.D. is co-writer of The Shepherd graphic novel series. Molinari is editorial director for Scout Comics and was submissions editor/editor for Caliber Comics, an editor for Amigo Comics, and has edited books published by Action Lab Entertainment, Behemoth, Second Sight, Cosmic Times, and New Friday Comics.
Bobby Nash is an award winning author, artist, and actor. He writes novels, comic books, short stories, screenplays, audio dramas, and more. Nash is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, International Thriller Writers, and Southeastern Writers Association.
Nayr, with his wife Kavura, are members of the Starfleet Command fan club and serve aboard the USS Athena. They are the hosts of both the StarPodLog and StarPodTrek podcasts.
Jon R. Osborne hails from Indianapolis. He writes modern fantasy and military science fiction, and his novel A Tempered Warrior was a 2018 Dragon Award Best Fantasy finalist.
Author of the Klauden's Ring saga as well as the Conjuring Fascination, Rockstar Fairy Tales, and Shawarma Warrior King series, JM Paquette writes fantasy and paranormal romance novels.
Alex Platt has been a podcaster since 2017. Her work includes Animorphs Anonymous, Horse Girls, Dungeons and Dracon Beams, Late Starters, Surprise Attack Book Club, and a few others.
Van Allen Plexico is a multi-award winning writer best known for the Sentinels illustrated superhero novels and comics, 1960s crime novels, and The Shattering space opera universe. His White Rocket Entertainment network features multiple video and podcast channels covering James Bond, Babylon 5, The Avengers, and more.
With over 35 years in comics, animation, and children's books, Robert Pope has drawn a who's who of cartoon favorites, including the Peanuts gang, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Batman, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Johnny Bravo, and many more for DC, BOOM, IDW, Simon and Schuster, Disney Publishing, and others.
Corinne Roberts is an illustrator working in comics and children's books (Bug Bites, Drawing Dragons, and the Out and About series). Her other illustration projects include the Wanderlust Deck and Dragon Calendar series.
TJ Sterling is a former Marvel and DC creator that has worked in several spaces within the comic industry, as well as the indie space with his fan favorite comic company RAE Comics. Sterling is also a teacher at the Joe Kubert School of Comic and Cartoon art.
Brandon Strauss is a forensic entomologist and the resident grossologist of the Science Track. You will often find them grossing out their fellow panelists to the audience's amusement.
Anthony Taylor is a writer, pop culture expert, and the co-chair of Atlanta's Monsterama Convention.
New York Times bestseller Jasmine Walt has been writing and publishing for almost a decade and is best known for her Of Dragons and Fae trilogy and The Baine Chronicles.
Thom Zahler is a comic creator who created the Cupid's Arrows and Warning Label webtoons and Love and Capes and Time and Vine. His latest is The Ghost Whiskerers for Storm King, about cats that see ghosts. He also works for My Little Pony and is drawing Rocketship's Angry Birds.
In addition to leading development on Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced, Andrew Greenberg runs the Georgia Game Developers Association and Southern Interactive Entertainment and Games Expo.
Sean Weiland is an award winning video game program manager, voice actor, bartender, and podcaster and currently hosts the Tipple Theory podcast.
Noret Flood's first professional work is The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound, one of the original webserial LitRPGs, which garnered over 50 million views on Royalroad.
Rick Heinz is an award winning TTRPG game writer, designer, and novelist for transmedia properties and sarcastic fiction about the end of the world.
R. Alan Siler is an editor, publisher, musician, podcaster, filmmaker, owner of kOZMIC Creative, and the author of four books about Doctor Who and a children's book Lucy Can't Dance.
Wesley Chu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 14 published novels, including The Art of Prophecy, Time Salvager, The Rise of Io, and The Walking Dead: Typhoon. He won the Astounding Award for Best New Writer.
Annette Marie is the author of 30+ fantasy books, including The Guild Codex, Steel & Stone, and Red Winter series. A Goodreads Choice Awards finalist and an Amazon Charts bestseller, Marie has sold two million books featuring her unique blend of fast-paced adventure, addictive slow-burn romance, and unforgettable characters.
Delilah S. Dawson is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade, Bloom, Guillotine, The Violence, the Minecraft: Mob Squad series, the Blud series, the Shadow series (written as Lila Bowen), and the Tales of Pell, written with Kevin Hearne.
Venessa Giunta is a published author, with non-fiction essays, short stories, and the Soul Cavern series, and has been a professional editor, both freelance and contract, since 2008.
Erin Macdonald, PhD is known for her work as the Star Trek franchise science advisor. In addition, she is a writer, speaker, producer, voice actor, and has written on Star Trek: Adventures, a baby board book Star Trek: My First Book of Space, and has voiced her own character.
Brent Abell has written or co-written over 13 books and has been featured in over 30 publications. Brent has a screenplay currently in development and recently launched his travel website.
Horror, mystery, and romantasy author Lucy Blue is a senior editor for Falstaff Books who published her first book, Forever Knight: These Our Revels, in 1998.
Liz Delton writes fantasy from epic to cozy, including her cozy fantasy steampunk series, Seasons of Soldark, and her YA fantasy series, Realm of Camellia.
Michael Falkner is a writer and podcaster at Creative Criticality. He is the author of the Timestamps Project and is also one of the leaders for Dragon Con Newbies.
Dr. Birma Gainor is the director of counseling and psychological services at Clemson University. She has been engaged in college mental health for just over two decades.
Dr. Craig Greathouse is a professor of political science at University of North Georgia and has lectured and written extensively on the international system, including security and strategic studies.
Jen L. Grey is a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy, romantic fantasy, and paranormal romance. Known for angsty fated mate stories packed with action, she has published over 60 novels, with several series translated into foreign languages.
Stuart Grosse is an independent sci-fi/fantasy author writing in the GameLit/LitRPG space. He is best known for writing serial novellas with a signature of overpowered villains as protagonists.
Known as the “NoisyAstronomer,” Dr. Nicole Gugliucci earned a doctorate studying radio astronomy, did a postdoc in science education, and is an associate professor of physics in New Hampshire.
Jamie Waggoner is an author, podcaster, Pagan priestess, and occult expert. Author of Hades: Myth, Magic and Modern Devotion, and co-host of The Way of the Weaver podcast.
Laura Grabowski, an independent Tolkien scholar, has presented with the Mythopoeic Society and the Popular Culture Association. She holds a PhD in computer science and is a professor at SUNY.
Cece Grayson aka Triforce of Procrastionation is a Los Angeles veteran of cosplay that has led her in the world of modeling, streaming, film production design, and video game marketing.
Sam Baltrusis, author of Ghosts of Salem and featured in The Curse of Lizzie Borden shock doc, has penned 18 paranormal-themed books.
Chris Cummins is a writer for Archie Comics and the producer/host of Sci-Fi Explosion and Music Video Book Club, and also co-DJs American Sci-Fi Classics' 120 Minutes Dance Party.
Kevin A Davis is a fantasy author with 16 published novels in three series and one middle-grade book. The first book in his DRC Files series has won two awards.
Beth Dolgner writes paranormal fiction and nonfiction, including the Nightmare, Arizona Paranormal Cozy Mysteries, and gives talks about Victorian death customs and Spiritualism.
Talented author and top flight editor, Jamie Beth "J.B." Garner has written over a dozen novels from sci-fi to fantasy to super fiction and edited hundreds more.
Author Laura Hayden is a lover of books, television, and film, and is also a founder and 12 time director of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference.
Erika Lance is a writer of horror, suspense, sci-fi, and a little fantasy. She is also the host of the Eerie Travels and Drinking With Authors podcasts.
Mark Muncy is the bestselling author of the Eerie Florida and Eerie Appalachia book series from History Press. He is also the host of the Eerie Travels podcast.
Cherie Priest is the author of about 30 books and novellas, most recently It Was Her House First, The Drowning House, and Cinderwich - but also including the Booking Agents mysteries, an assortment of southern gothics, acclaimed alt-history Maplecroft, and the award winning Clockwork Century series, beginning with Boneshaker.
Steve Saffel edited SF, fantasy, and horror for Random House, Marvel, and Titan, with creators like Eric Flint, N.K. Jemisin, Stan Lee, Robert McGinnis, Scott Sigler, and Alex White. He has worked on Alien, Halo, Conan, Mass Effect, Spider-Man, Star Wars, and more.
Jack Trammell is a professor, author, researcher, and student of the paranormal. His books and talks range from vampires to Artificial Intelligence. He is vice president of CPRI in Virginia.
CEO and EIC of Highburn Studios, Michael Watkins is a creator and illustrator with over 20 years experience in the comics industry. He is known as creator of Guardians and for his work on Transformers and Sonic the Hedgehog. Additionally, he is also a voice actor and avid martial artist.
Patricia Briggs is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega urban fantasy series.
Rachel A. Brune is an Army veteran, former military journalist, novelist, and editor of the creepy and macabre. She is the senior editor of Falstaff Books's new horror imprint, Falstaff Dread.
Luke Chmilenko is best known for a variety of blockbuster series such as Ascend Online, Starbreaker, Savage Dominion, and Hat Trick!
Joe Compton is an author, an indie filmmaker/producer on over 40 TV and film productions in five different countries, and a script doctor/consultant in Hollywood.
Keith R.A. DeCandido has written tons of novels, short fiction, and comics in licensed universes from Alien to Zorro, and also in worlds of his own creation. His new series, Supernatural Crimes Unit, will debut in 2025 from Weird Tales Presents. He also writes about pop culture for Reactor magazine.
Les Johnson is a physicist, author, and chief technologist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. His recent books include Crisis at Proxima (Baen), A Traveler's Guide to the Stars (Princeton University Press), and the forthcoming Pluto: The Dark World (completing Ben Bova's Grand Tour series, Tor).
Robert W. Ross is the author of the award winning Sentinels of Creation contemporary fantasy and Paradigm 2045 sci-fi series, and is a guest lecturer at Ga Tech and KSU.
Jon Armstrong stars in Magicians: Life in the Impossible. You have seen him amaze on The Today Show, cause Penn on CW's Penn and Teller's Fool Us to exclaim his act as “the most original I've ever seen!”, and wow Jay Leno on The Tonight Show.
Paris Arrowsmith's career has spanned stage, voice acting, and screen. After moving to LA, he started working as a podcaster on No Latency and freelance TTRPG writer for R. Talsorian Games.
Brandy Blanton is an academic known for combining popular culture with current events. As a terrorism expert, she loves to help people learn about preparing for emergencies.
D..J. Bodden is a sci-fi and fantasy author of 15 books and counting. He has written in the LitRPG Viridian Gate Online universe and created the science fiction FiveFold universe.
Robert "Brad" Bradley is a former industrial chemist, utilizing these skills in the pursuit of the "paranormal", and is the research director for Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation (CPRI).
Michael Chatfield is an international bestselling author of sci-fi, fantasy, and LitRPG. With over three million books sold, Chatfield is story director for an upcoming FPS video game.
Paige L. Christie is best known for the Legacies of Arnanepic fantasy series. Her work can also be found in Galactic Stew, Witches, Warriors, and Wise Women, and more.
Gerald L. Coleman is a philosopher, theologian, poet, science fiction and fantasy author, has a master's degree in Theology, and is a co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets.
Harmon Cooper is the award winning independent author of Doom System: Survivor, Pilgrim, Cowboy Necromancer, Arcane Cultivator, A Pub in the Underworld, Reborn Assassin, and many more.
D.R. Perry writes fiction for both YA and adult audiences. Among her works is Dragon Award nominated adult novel A Change In Crime.
SK Prince writes about every hero shifter she can, tripping them up when their fated mate steps into their life. Her books are full of misdirected magic and supernatural sass.
Wayland Smith has been published in most genres. His novels include In My Brother's Name, a terrorist thriller, and the Wildside series about superhuman mercenaries.
Stephen Adams is the host of the podcasts Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and Those Were The Days, and is a founder of the 2Dorks network of podcasts and live streams.
Jess L. M. Anderson is a content creator with over two million followers and the author behind the fantasy series The Source Keepers.
Sue Kisenwether has been writing and podcasting about sci-fi TV and movies since 2010. Most notably, she co-hosted Women at Warp, exploring Star Trek through a feminist lens.
Dr. John L. Flynn is an author, screenwriter, three-time Hugo nominee, and a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.
Isabelle Hardesty is the author of several YA book series including Sea Witch High, The Destroyer Witch Chronicles, The Delacourt Shapeshifter Trilogy, and Viola the Vampire Witch.
Richard Kadrey is the NYT bestselling author of the Sandman Slim series, which was included in Amazon's 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime. He has been nominated for the Locus and BSFA awards, appeared in Year's Best Horror, and written for comics, film, and games.
Astronomer Bill Keel is the author of The Sky at Einstein's Feet and The Road to Galaxy Formation. He hosts overnight live astronomy sessions and has spoken on cosmology, extrasolar planets, citizen discovery in astronomy, science in the Firefly and Avatar universes, spy satellites, and astronomical tourism.
Dr. Darin Kennedy writes fantasy. His works include the Fugue & Fable trilogy, The Pawn Stratagem trilogy, the Songs of the Ascendant series, Carol, and The April Sullivan Chronicles.
Marx Pyle is the author of Obsidian Monsters, co-editor/co-author of Dragons of a Different Tail and Tales of Monstrosity, and co-hosts GenreTainment and GenrePlay.
Kevin Bachelder's podcasts have won four Parsec Awards in the Best Fan Podcast category. He also leads the Dragon Con Newbies group, which puts on events to help new attendees.
Michael Bailey has been a podcaster since 2007, when he launched his first show Views From The Longbox. He has hosted or co-hosted a number of podcasts over the years.
James J. Butcher is a new urban fantasy writer and author of Dead Man's Hand, the first book in The Unorthodox Chronicles series. He is the son of Jim Butcher.
R.E. Carr is the award winning author of the Rules Undying series, as well as exploring horror comedy and science fiction over her 20+ year book career.
Nancy Knight authored novels, short stories, produced plays, film scripts, and edited anthologies. She served as director of Writers' Track for 26 years. She was awarded the Hank Reinhardt Award. Georgia Romance Writers named an award after her for mentoring writers. She received the Polaris lifetime achievement from Falstaff Books.
Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk, and more. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and Night Vigil. Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, Chronicles of the Necromancer, The Fallen Kings Cycle, The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and Assassins of Landria.
Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as "spoiling cats". When not engaged in this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction. She has published over 50 books and more than 200 stories. Nye teaches writing seminars and is coordinating judge for the Writers of the Future Contest.
Noel Plaugher writes fiction and nonfiction. He is the author of Standing Qigong for Health and Martial Arts and the urban fantasy series The Lady Dragon of Chinatown.
Jynxie Rose is a LGBTQIA+, Neurodivergent/AuDHD, family friendly content creator. Her community, The CephaloSquad, fosters a safe/cozy environment that fights bullying and raises awareness of mental health and self care.
Stacey Rourke is the award winning author of works that span genres, but possess the same flair for action and snarky humor.
R.R. Virdi is a two-time Dragon Award finalist, Nebula Award finalist, and USA Today bestselling author. He is the author of The Grave Report and The Books of Winter.
Dave West is an actor and interviewer who also hosts game shows, wrestling events, and rock 'n' roll concerts. He can be found on the Needless Things YouTube channel.
Mark Meer is known for his work on Bioware's Mass Effect trilogy, voicing Commander Shepard, Blasto, the Vorcha, and Niftu Cal. Other voice credits include the Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age series, Hinterland Studio's The Long Dark, ChaosForge's Jupiter Hell, Beamdog's MythForce, and Starro the Conquerer in WB Games' Gotham Knights.
Eric R. Asher is the author of over 30 titles, including Steamborn, the Vesik series, and The Theme Park at the End of the World. He is currently living in St. Louis, Missouri, where the local folklore often finds its way into his Mason Dixon: Monster Hunter rural fantasy series.
Jennifer Blackstream is a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and fantasy romance. She is amazed to have made a writing career out of a master's degree in psychology.
Winner of the 2019 Warriors and Wizards award for best new LitRPG author, Jay Boyce is the bestselling author of A Touch of Power and Rise of the Mystic Mage series.
Dugan is author of the Darkest Storm series by Falstaff Books, Stone Cold Witch, Never Steal From Dragons, The ShadowBlade Chronicles, and Watchers of Astaria series from Distracted Dragon Press.
Kevin Eldridge produces and hosts The Flopcast, a weekly pop culture comedy podcast. He is a published science fiction author, an organizer and host of skeptic events, and a comedy musician.
Dr. Robert E. Hampson is a neuroscientist by day, science fiction author by night, and a brain wrangler 24/7. When he is not decoding how memories work or building brain-computer tech, he is busy imagining futures where science fiction becomes reality.
Cuban born fantasy author and artist Berta Platas writes YA fantasy and witchy cozy mysteries, many co-authored with longtime friend Nancy Knight.
Aaron Michael Ritchey is the author of 58 novels under various pen names. He has been an Amazon All-Star and his book, Armageddon Girls, was a Dragon Award finalist.
Tony Sarrecchia is a writer and narrator who creates audio dramas, including the award winning Harry Strange Radio Drama and Everything Evolves.
DL Wainright uses their degree in world religions and lifelong love of horror to write creepy books that incorporate folklore and mythology, which means someone gets eaten in every one!
Tao Wong is a sci-fi and fantasy author best known for his A Thousand Li, The System Apocalypse, and Hidden Dishes series of works.
Kevin J. Anderson has written in the Dune, Star Wars, and X-Files universes, Clockwork Angels with legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart, and the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series. He has edited anthologies, written comics and games, and served as co-producer on Dune: Part Part Two and the Dune: Prophecy TV series.
Aretta Baumgartner has been a professional puppeteer since 1992 and has served multiple terms as President of Puppeteers of America and as Education Director at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts.
Jamie Bernstein is a data scientist who specializes in building statistical models and the co-host of EnterpriseSplaining, a comedy podcast about Star Trek: Enterprise.
J.D. Blackrose writes The Summoner's Mark series for Bell Bridge Books. She has published The Soul Wars, The Devil's Been Busy, and the Zombie Cosmetologist novellas through Falstaff Books.
Bill Bridges is a writer and game designer most known for developing White Wolf's World of Darkness horror RPG setting and the Fading Suns science-fiction universe.
Doug Burbey is the author of the Blood War military urban fantasy series. In addition to writing, he is a DoD program manager for advanced military technology development efforts.
Tyra Burton is the host and producer of the Geek Meets Social podcast. She writes sci-fi romance, cozy fantasy, and digital marketing books. Burton also co-hosts the Be Awesome Together livestream.
Kevin Cafferty is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, head of brand and creative at a Fortune 500 company, DJ, and podcaster.
Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry), retired U.S. Navy officer, writes the series Doomed Earth, New York Times bestselling Lost Fleet, Genesis Fleet, Lost Stars, and Pillars of Reality. His latest books are Destiny's Way, In Our Stars, The Empress of the Endless Sea trilogy, and Rendezvous with Corsair.
Bestselling author Jason Cordova was a finalist for both the John W. Campbell Award and Dragon Award, and the author of Mountain of Fire (Baen Books) and 20+ other novels.
Katie Cross really loves to write books, hike mountains, and eat cookies. You can find out more about her YA fantasy books at www.katiecrossbooks.com
Stephanie Crugnola is a chaotic-wholesome content creator specializing in Shakespeare, collaborative storytelling, soccer, marketing, and all things niche nerd.
Matt Dinniman is the author of the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl book and manga series.
Hope is a leadership consultant and success coach with 18+ years of experience helping people overcome limiting beliefs like perfectionism and imposter syndrome.
Kacey Ezell is a retired helicopter pilot who writes multigenre speculative fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award finalist for Best Alternate History and has written multiple bestselling novels.
Richard Fierce is an award winning fantasy author of over 40 books and is best known for his fantasy series Dragon Riders of Osnen.
A forensic anthropologist by training, but a science communicator by passion, Emily Finke has spent the past 20 years teaching in museums, nature centers, pubs, conventions, and more.
Sean Fletcher is the Amazon bestselling, award winning author of a number of YA fantasy series. He can be found speaking, teaching writing, and working as a professional editor.
Clay Gilbert has published 14 novels since 2013, in genres ranging from science-fiction and horror to YA dystopia and urban fantasy.
Emily Goodwin has been involved with book publishing since 2007. She is the producer for the Writers of the Future Annual Achievement Awards.
John Goodwin, president of Galaxy Press, is the publisher of the fiction works of L. Ron Hubbard and the internationally acclaimed Writers of the Future anthology.
Darrell Z. Grizzle is a queer horror, urban fantasy, and thriller writer. He is the author of A Very Lovely Murder and I Never Meant to Start a Murder Cult.
Dr. Valerie Hampton, historical archaeologist, author, game maker, paranormal researcher, and Indie film producer, speaks on the intersection between popular fantasy and history, and has numerous publications.
K.T. Hanna is an author known for her series Library System Reset, Somnia Online, and The System Apocalypse Australia (with Tao Wong). She is powered by caffeine, Chipotle, and sarcasm.
A.J. Hartley is the international bestselling author of 26 novels in various genres. Recent work includes Hideki Smith, Burning Shakespeare, Cold Bath Street, Impervious, Cathedrals of Glass, and Sekret Machines with Tom DeLonge. He is Professor Emeritus of Shakespeare at UNC Charlotte and hosts a J-rock focused YouTube channel.
John G. Hartness is an author, publisher, and editor from Charlotte, NC. He is the author of multiple series, including the award winning Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter series. He is also the publisher of Falstaff Books and founder of the SAGA Genre Fiction Writers' Conference.
Drew Hayes is an author from Dallas who has published several books, including Super Powereds, NPCs, Villains' Code, Fred the Vampire Accountant, 5-Minute Sherlock, and Roverpowered.
Walter H. Hunt is a science fiction and historical fiction writer with 12 published novels, including three in the 1632/Ring of Fire universe. The most recent is 1637: The French Correction.
Topher Hunter is a professional biomedical science communicator and amateur droid builder, with a passion for trying new things and helping others to not make the same mistakes he/they made.
Gini Koch writes the fast, fresh, and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, as well as many other novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories in all the genres and under a variety of pen names, including G.J. Koch, Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch.
Courtney Lytle is a practicing attorney who is a partner at CM Law's Atlanta office and an adjunct professor of law at Emory Law School.
Alex Matsuo is an author and paranormal investigator who has been seen on shows: Paranormal Revenge, Tubi's Scariest Places in the World, Haunted Hospitals, and Most Terrifying Places in America.
Bob McGough is an author, podcaster, and indie tabletop game designer, best known for the Jubal County Saga urban fantasy series and the Books, Beards, Booze Podcast.
Dr. Joseph Meany is a science consultant and director of the Interstellar Research Group. He is a co-producer of the podcast series From Here to the Stars.
Ben Meeks is an award winning sci-fi/fantasy author, a woodworker/turner, as well as a personality on the Books, Beards, and Booze Podcast. He excels at creative, outside the box thinking.
Bill Mulligan works as a special effects technician, writer, director, actor, and producer. He is a contributing writer to Gruesome magazine and the Decades of Horror podcast.
James Nettles is a business and technology consultant, speculative fiction and nonfiction author, founder of Author Essentials workshop company, and a founder of the ConTinual convention.
James Palmer is a writer of sci-fi and pulp adventure, author of the Shadow Council Archives, and editor of the Monster Earth series, League of Monsters, and Southern Fried Cthulhu.
Ellie Raine is the award winning fantasy author of the NecroSeam Chronicles, a high fantasy epic series which has won several awards including first place in fantasy for Writer's Digest.
Daniel Schinhofen has published over 60 books since 2016, receiving name recognition in the LitRPG and GameLit community. He has published in multiple other genres as well.
Tamsin Silver is a New Mexico based author who writes historical fantasy and urban fantasy. She is also the creator/writer/director of the web series, Skye of the Damned.
Sarah J. Sover is the author of the urban fantasy Fractured Fae series (Fairy Godmurder, Faed to Black) and the comedic fantasy Double-Crossing the Bridge, from Falstaff Books.
Shami Stovall is a two-time Dragon Award nominee for best YA Fantasy. She co-owns her publishing company, Capital Station Books.
Bad Ash Publishing owner and author, Mel Todd, has written and published over 40 stories. Specializing in stories of wonder without romantic plot lines, her books are devoured by fans.
Constance G.J. Wagner, writer, editor, poet, playwright, and Tolkien scholar, speaks regularly and passionately on all things Middle-earth at both academic and fan-friendly events nationally and internationally.
Jean Marie Ward writes fiction, nonfiction, and everything in between. Her credits include a multi-award nominated novel, numerous short stories, and two popular art books. The former editor of CrescentBlues.com, she is the author interviewer for BookBale.com and a frequent contributor to the online convention ConTinual. Learn more at JeanMarieWard.com.
Jennifer Whitworth is a NASA engineer working at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. She supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration for experiments destined for the Gateway Station or Lunar surface.
Marisa Wolf writes SFF that ends with hope, no matter how hard the circumstances. She has co-authored novels in shared universes and authored solo novels in her own worlds.
Ben Yalow has attended about 900 cons and worked on a third of them, including having chaired the 2023 Worldcon in China. He has edited four books for NESFA Press.
Jessi Ann York's first two stories, Phases of the Shadow and Women of the Mere, were mentioned as standouts in The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 13.
