Susan grew up in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis, and became an avid camper from an early age. Her favorite fir-lined spot is the north shore of Minnesota is where she met her husband, honeymooned and dreamed of living. 
PJ Sugar knows three things for sure:
Robin Lee Hatcher discovered her vocation as a novelist after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction (Whispers from Yesterday), the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance (Patterns of Love and The Shepherd's Voice), two RT Career Achievement Awards (Americana Romance and Inspirational Fiction), and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of over 50 novels, including Catching Katie, named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Library Journal.
In A Vote of Confidence, the stage is set for some intriguing insight into what it was like during 1915 to be a woman in a “mans’ world.”
A funny and incisive Korean family coming-of-age novel in stories about a 12-year-old boy who moves with his mother and sister from Korea to work at their father's Asian gift shop in a New Jersey strip mall--and the growing pains that ensue.
In this charming tale of family, community and the struggle for understanding, young Korean immigrant David Kim learns to acculturate to a new American life. After five years on their own in Seoul, 12-year-old David, his big sister and mother reunite with his father in Oakbridge, N.J. Now known as Harry, David's father has a gift shop in a rundown strip mall called Peddlers Town. Though told largely by a grown-up David, some chapters switch to a third-person voice to examine other characters, including members of the Kim family and the other store owners at Peddler's Town (including an American with a cross-dressing son and a down-on-his-luck detective). Woo eschews immigrant cliches to focus on complicated familial relationships and surprising, sympathetic characters; alternating between humor and melancholy, Woo's text strikes a true chord while drawing readers into its strange, strip-mall world.
SUNG J. WOO's short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, McSweeney’s, and KoreAm Journal. His short film was an audience choice screening of the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival 2008. A graduate of Cornell University with an MFA from New York University, he lives in Washington, New Jersey.
Karina Fabian
Where were you born?
Glenwood Springs, CO.
Where are you from?
I lived in Colorado until I graduated from College; since then, I've lived in Italy, Japan, Wyoming, Rhode Island, Virginia and North Dakota. We're moving to California soon. So I'm from Colorado, but wherever I am is home.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I don’t think there was any one moment. I've always thought of myself as a writer, even as a child. I first considered myself a professional writer sometime around 1996, when I was working for pay with assignments and steady work.
What books have most influenced your life most?
The Bible, obviously. It's the foundation of my faith. The Wrinkle in Time Trilogy by Madeleine L'Engle will always be closest to my heart. Her concepts of interdependence, of faith working in our lives, of the power of love--all themes I still believe in, both in life and in my fiction. Indirectly, Heinlein has also influenced my thinking, not because I've read so many of his works, but because my husband has, and it's molded his way of looking at the world and by association, mine, too. It's a nice combination of soul, heart, and mind.
In my writing: Hitchkiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Discworld novels, and the MythInc novels, as well as the Dresden Files, and the Valdemar series.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Terry Pratchett. If I can be half the writer--half the thinker--he was, I'd be content. It's tragic that his incredible, quirky mind is succumbing to Alzheimer's.
What book are you reading now?
I Loved Thy Creation, a collection of short fiction by Maya Bohnhoff. Maya wrote a story for Rob's and my anthology, Infinite Space, Infinite God, and I've been a fan ever since.
Do you see writing as a career?
Not a well-paying one, but yes. I put in eight- to twelve-hour days between marketing and writing. I love what I'm doing. I hope someday I can make a reasonable amount of spending cash from writing fiction, but if we need money, I can jump into non-fiction. Right now, we do fairly well in the budget, and I can be a "kept woman." I'm very aware of how blessed that makes me.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Actually, no. I'm floored at the response Magic, Mensa and Mayhem has gotten. I'm just hoping I can live up to the standard it set!
What is the most challenging aspect of your vocation?
Making myself sit down and concentrate on writing, especially when the characters won't talk to me. I'm a seat-of-the-pants writer, so when things stall, it's so easy to go do e-mail, or marketing, or Guild work or....
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher. I love how they can put such a twist in the ordinary. Terry varies from dry wit to laugh-out-loud funny, while Jim Butcher's Dresden novels fascinate.
Did you learn anything from your career path?
--Learn to take Rejection. It's seldom personal.
--Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. (BICHOK)
--If you want folks to read your books, you must market.
--Use your head. There are plenty of people out there willing to take advantage of a star-struck author hoping to get published. Do your research.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to our readers?
I want to thank you, Carole, for hosting me on your blog. I'm not talking too much about my book because I'm on a 30-day tour, and everyone else has asked me about it. So please check out the tour stops at www.dragoneyepi.net for more.
If you register on www.dragoneyepi.net, you get a free story, "Amateurs," which received Honorable Mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008, and a subscription to "A Dragon's Eye View."
How long does it take you to write a book?
A month when I'm motivated. Right now, I have one that isn't wanting to come together, and it's taking a lot longer. I need more BICHOK
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Play Munchkin with the kids (card games which are hilarious and require some tactical and strategic thinking); watch sci-fi; keep a clean house. (Sadly, I don't do that one often enough. )
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I've written four, only one of which is published so far--Magic, Mensa and Mayhem. Live and Let Fly comes out later this year. Both are DragonEye, PI, novels. The other two are more standard fantasies and are under consideration by a publisher.
In addition, Rob and I edited two anthologies--Infinite Space, Infinite God and Leaps of Faith We just got the contract of ISIG II.
I love the DragonEye, PI novels. I think Live and Let Fly would just eek out the other as my favorite, because the adventure is more complex, and there are some truly stellar scenes in it. It also has a serious side that Magic, Mensa and Mayhem doesn't (and doesn’t need.)
What is your favorite aspect of your job?
That funny scene or line that keeps me laughing for hours. Today, it was the thought of a Faerie general trying to wrap his mind around a UN peacekeeping operation. Think Medieval warfare meets UN diplomacy. I'm hoping to write the story as a flash fiction for Memorial Day or the 4th of July as a tribute to our troops.
How do you think of yourself in connection to your community? How does community affect your writing?
My community is online--the Catholic Writers Guild , the Lost Genre Guild , several wonderful Yahoo groups and The Writers Chat Room . I've learned from many people in them, taught a few, gotten leads and advice, critique and support, and made some fast friends.
Are you very political?
Yes and no. I have some strong opinions, but I also do not do a lot of political campaigning or discussion, except where some key issues are concerned. I am of the belief that the Founding Fathers build our system to withstand the pressures of tyrants and idiot as well as make the best of the good leaders we get.
How does your spirituality affect your work?
It informs everything I do. Oftentimes, it comes through without my conscious thought.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do on occasion. In my sci-fi, which has Christian or Catholic themes, I get appreciation for the way the writers wove the two together so well, and requests for more. In the DragonEye, I usually get folks gushing about Vern or telling me how hard they laughed.
What’s your motto?
Fiction, Faith and Fun!
When ten-year-old Aaron moved from the big city to the middle of Amish country, he felt transported to a different and simpler time and place. But after finding a faded and long forgotten diary page of a boy gone missing over one hundred years earlier, Aaron began an adventure more wondrous and exciting than he could have ever imagined. Befriended by a local farm girl named Jake, together they search for answers to this century long mystery and uncover the secrets of an astounding cavern that will take them to the edge of time itself.
Born with a hole in his heart that required invasive surgery when he was only three months old, Quinn Bradlee suffered from a battery of illnesses—seizures, migraines, fevers—from an early age. But it wasn’t until he was fourteen that Bradlee was correctly diagnosed with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (VCFS), a widespread, little-understood disorder that is expressed through a wide range of physical ailments and learning disabilities.
Ten percent of the population is affected by a learning disability, but few of us understand what being learning disabled (LD) is really like. In this funny, moving, and often irreverent book, Bradlee tells his own inspirational story of growing up as an LD kid—and of doing so as the child of larger-than-life, formidably accomplished parents: long-time Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and bestselling author Sally Quinn. From his difficulties reading social cues, to his cringe-worthy loss of sexual innocence, Bradlee describes the challenges and joys of living “a different life” with disarming candor and humor. By the end of A Different Life he will have become, if not your best friend, one of your favorite people.
On a rainy Sunday in January, the recently widowed Mrs Palfrey arrives at the Claremont Hotel where she will spend her remaining days. Her fellow residents are magnificently eccentric and endlessly curious, living off crumbs of affection and snippets of gossip. Together, upper lips stiffened, they fight off their twin enemies: boredom and the Grim Reaper.
Then one day Mrs Palfrey strikes up an unexpected friendship with Ludo, a handsome young writer, and learns that even the old can fall in love...
Don Hoesel was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, TN home. He is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. 
Every year, professor of antiquities Jack Hawthorne looks forward to the winter break as a time to hide away from his responsibilities. Even if just for a week or two. But this year, his plans are derailed when he's offered almost a blank check from a man chasing a rumor. 
Award-winning author and broadcaster Carol Off reveals the fascinating – and often horrifying – stories behind our desire for all things chocolate.
Whether it’s part of a Hallowe’en haul, the contents of a heart-shaped box or just a candy bar stashed in a desk drawer, chocolate is synonymous with pleasures both simple and indulgent. But behind the sweet image is a long history of exploitation. In the eighteenth century the European aristocracy went wild for the Aztec delicacy. In later years, colonial territories were ravaged and slaves imported in droves as native populations died out under the strain of feeding the world’s appetite for chocolate.
Carol Off traces the origins of the cocoa craze and follows chocolate’s evolution under such overseers as Hershey, Cadbury and Mars. In Côte d’Ivoire, the West African nation that produces nearly half of the world’s cocoa beans, she follows a dark and dangerous seam of greed. Against a backdrop of civil war and corruption, desperately poor farmers engage in appalling practices such as the indentured servitude of young boys – children who don’t even know what chocolate tastes like.
Off shows that, with the complicity of Western governments and corporations, unethical practices continue to thrive. Bitter Chocolate is a social history, a passionate investigative account and an eye-opening exposé of the workings of a multi-billion dollar industry that has institutionalized misery as it served our pleasures.
Actress Crytal McCord gave up the closeness of her big family in order to make a name for herself on the New York City stage. But when life in the Big Apple turns sour, she follows a country road back to her parents Arkansas ranch.
Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.
Would you kill an innocent man to save your daughter?
Hau kola,
I trust you are well as spring finally descends upon us. Kath and I are looking forward to new changes coming our way. Now approaching 55 with 33 years of marriage under our belts we continue to grow together as friends and lovers. We’ll be all the way empty nesters soon – NICE! Wiconi is, after our first twelve years, reinventing itself as we look to the future. Got to find and make room for the next generation of leaders to take over in time. I am slowly moving toward completing my doctoral dissertation this year, which will then become my next book with a few more following. Traveling more selectively, encouraging leadership through relationships and seeking new non-churchy, non-hierarchical and corporate organizational models to serve our vision is part of what lies ahead. Thank you very much for your prayers, friendship and financial support in these lean times. Here’s some cool stuff happening.
AN AMERICAN THEOLOGY OF THE LAND – APRIL 27 – PORTLAND, OR
George Fox Seminary, in partnership with NAIITS, is sponsoring a very important learning experience for those interested in developing a more holistic approach to creation stewardship, other views of biblical community building and serving among Native people. Randy Woodley, Terry LeBlanc, Robert Francis, George Fox faculty, local tribal leaders and myself will be sharing. Topics of deconstructing western dualism, developing a more holistic view of land, creation, agriculture and the environment and learning how Shalom informs us how to live in harmony with all of creation. For more information visit http://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/contemporary_culture/index.html for details.
MNI WICONI WACIPI – “LIVING WATERS POWWOW” AND FAMILY CAMP
This July 30 - August 2 we will host our fifth annual powwow and family camp, which is the most dynamic, fun and helpful gathering we host these days. It will again be held in Turner, OR at the Aldersgate Conference Center. We are seeking generous gifts to provide scholarships so financially needy families can attend. We are negotiating reduced prices with the center to make attending more affordable to all. Registration details and prices will be on our website in a week.
“CREATED TO CREATE” ARTS CONFERENCE – APRIL 25
New Wine’s Spring Conference on faith and the arts, “Created to Create” will be held on Saturday, April 25th, 2009, at Mosaic in Portland. The conference will highlight the need to see how the Arts are vital to Gospel witness in the twenty-first century, and will draw attention to current artistic expressions in the region and beyond. I am the closing keynote speaker. Visit http://new-wineskins.org/events/2009/04/spring-conference-created-to-create/ for details.
NAIITS SYMPOSIUM – JUNE 4-6
The North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies is hosting is fourth symposium this June 4-6 in Langley, British Columbia at Trinity Western University. This is a tremendous opportunity to learn from leading Native pastors, scholars and theologians about rethinking what missions, discipleship and pastoring means when it is informed by a native worldview orientation. This year there will be a special focus given to making space for the next generation of Indigenous leaders. Indigenous Church: Expressions of Community is the theme of this year’s symposium. For more information visit www.wiconi.com and look on the home page for the NAIITS info.
AMAHORO AFRICA GATHERING – JUNE 8-15 - SOUTH AFRICA
I have been invited once again to participate in a gathering with African national and international scholars, theologians, pastors and leaders to dialogue about post-colonial Christianity in Africa for the next 50 years. It is the same conversation Indigenous believers are having around the world, including here in North America. I am praying about the necessary funds to make the trip. Please visit - http://www.amahoro-africa.org/ for details about this unique event
WICONI INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP RETREAT
Two weekends ago Kath and I hosted our national staff and board members for our second Wiconi family retreat on Whidbey Island near Seattle. We are so grateful to have such amazing people that Creator has allowed us to walk together with. Thirty-one people made the trip from as far away as Flagstaff, AZ, Winnipeg, MB, Albuquerque, NM and Oregon and Washington.
As we look to the next ten years, we are challenged about the kind of organizational structure that will best enable us to fulfill our vision of communicating the Gospel among our First Nations people. We are convinced that a conventional corporate church ministry model does not suit us, yet struggled to find language to describe both who and what we are.
Our vision has brought us to consider again the Lakota concept of tiyospaye (tea-yo-shpa-yea) “extended family.” In many First Nations cultures extended family describes notions of kinship. We are a family beyond the “nuclear family” concept. It is much broader and more inclusive concept that stretches beyond “blood” relatives into the village and beyond. We hope to engage with one another in tiyospaye as an organizational model for Wiconi and see where we are in relationship with one another as a way to collectively fulfill our calling to make Jesus known in ways that transforms people, families and communities.
Why: Removing Barriers - Building Bridges
In what ways will we genuinely bring hope into the brokenness in our Native communities that results in fulfilling our mission of…
Encouraging People, Strengthening Families and Building Healthy Communities in the Spirit of Jesus
In the next three years, we’ll do our mission together, as co-workers in the following three areas in a way that attempts to match our talk with our walk
The What: Three main expressions/ strategies
Local Rootedness – In 2009 we will strategically focus on becoming rooted in our local native communities (every city/region where our staff live) in the Portland/Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest region.
· I will become an active, participating member of Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians tribal leadership organization.
· I will become an active “official” participating member of the Native American Youth and Family Center in Portland.
· Mending Wings and Wiconi International will organize and co-host an annual Northwest Native Youth Conference beginning in June 2011.
National Presence – Through speaking engagements (churches, conferences, seminars) and participation in various ministry and organizational initiatives Wiconi will maintain a strong national presence.
· I will continue co-hosting the NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) Native Prayer Breakfast.
· I will continue serving as Vice-chair and board member NAIITS (Native American Institute of Theological Studies).
· Continue our annual Living Waters Powwow and Family Camp in the Northwest and in partnership with those wanting to host one in their region.
· I will co-lead our Rosebud Reservation Cross-cultural Immersion course in partnership with Sioux Falls Seminary and NAIITS.
International Influence
· My participation as a “Keeper of the Vision” of the WCGIP (World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People) Movement
· Dancing Our Prayers Teams Cultural Outreaches
· Writing books, articles, and teaching materials to support local indigenous “self-theologizing” movements that will be translated into Spanish and French to reach a broader Indigenous audience.
Growing in our faith in Christ is not always clear or predictable. Its more of great adventures into parts unkown at this stage of the emerging indigenous church. Wiconi International is poised to continue playing a significant role in that emergence for the sake of future generations of Native people.
Lila Pilamaya,
Richard Twiss
Wiconi International
Not until her own children were well into middle school did Bev seek to publish her work, first in magazines such as Highlights for Children, Dolphin Log, and Guideposts for Kids. Her first book followed in 1993—Mountain Bikes and Garbanzo Beans—presently retitled Big Bad Beans (book #22 in the popular CUL-DE-SAC KIDS series of chapter books—see list of Bev's children's books). 
In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered. 
Robert Liparulo is a former journalist, with over a thousand articles and multiple writing awards to his name. Readers of his action-thrillers were not surprised when his visual storytelling style caught the eye of Hollywood producers. Currently, three of his novels for adults are in various stages of development for the big screen: the film rights to Comes A Horseman were purchased by the producer of Tom Clancy’s movies; and Liparulo is penning the screenplays for GERM and Deadfall for two top producers. He is also working with the director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Holes) on a political thriller. Novelist Michael Palmer calls Deadfall “a brilliantly crafted thriller.” March 31st marked the publication of Deadfall’s follow-up, Deadlock, which novelist Gayle Lynds calls, “best of high-octane suspense.”
John Hutchinson thinks it's no coincidence that Brendan Page runs this modern Praetorian Guard, and that the billionaire military industrialist must have had something to do with the atrocities his son Declan committed in Canada. The Canadian and U.S. Justice departments disagree, but Hutch has been digging for dirt ever since.
Do you know the Secret? A Book for Christians Who Care About the World Around Them. What is Oprahfication? How has is effected Our Culture? How has it effected The Church? How has it effected You?
Kathi Macias is an award-winning author of more than twenty fiction and nonfiction books. She has also ghostwritten and collaborated on books for a number of well-known individuals. She is a staff member for The Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service and a member of The Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network, Christian Authors Network, American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers Fellowship International, Advanced Writers/Speakers Association, for who she serves as membership chair, and orange County Christian Writers Fellowship. She is the 2008 winner of AWSA’s Golden Scroll Award.
Murder.
