In This Section
Keynote Speakers
Jonathan Maberry
Opening Keynote Speaker
Jonathan Maberry is a NYTimes bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award
winner, Inkpot Award winner, editor, writing teacher, poet, playwright, and comic
book writer. He writes in multiple genres including thriller, horror, sci-fi, mystery,
and fantasy. V-WARS (Netflix) was based on his books/comics; Alcon is developing his
Rot & Ruin novels for film; and Chad Stahelski, director of JOHN WICK, is developing his Joe Ledger thrillers for TV. Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER was partly based on his work. He’s written more than 55 novels, 200 short stories, 30 graphic novels, 1200 feature articles,
and two dozen nonfiction books. Jonathan has also edited 30 anthologies, including Aliens, The X-Files, the official tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and many others. He’s the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor
of Weird Tales Magazine. www.jonathanmaberry.com
Conference Presenters
(listed alphabetically by last name)
We are currently booking our speakers for CCWC 2026.
This page will be updated as more faculty members are confirmed.
Please check back again soon!
Patricia Alexander
Patricia Alexander calls her 50-year career “highly eclectic” and fulfilling. She is gratified to present a laundry list of accomplishments: line editor, award-winning
author, columnist, journalist, teacher, workshop leader, inspirational speaker, and humorist. Now living in Paso Robles, Patricia was born and raised in Los Angeles. That’s where she stumbled into her first writing job in 1976 working for Rona Barrett on Good Morning, America. Patricia went on from there to write and edit for animation, advertising, public relations and marketing, while freelancing dozens of articles to magazines and newspapers. Eventually she became a personal-perspective columnist for the Ventura County Reporter. Along the way, she started up Writing Support Groups, fulfilling her passion to help
other writers work on and complete their projects, while guiding them through writing, rewriting, publishing, and marketing. Semi-retired, Patricia currently takes great joy in being a freelance line editor and a fulltime health nut.
Debbie Black
Debbie Black brings her passion for writing and for breaking rules to this year’s Central Coast
Writers’ Conference. Never one to worry about genre-hopping, she toggles back and forth between
adult fiction and MG (middle grade, ages 8-12). Her MG series, which includes Deetjen’s Closet and The Old Secret at Hotel Oregon, has won multiple awards including the prestigious Gertrude Warner International
Middle Grade Fiction Awards and Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards. Debbie is also a columnist for Estero Bay News and author of the popular blog RV Camping in Your Own Backyard. She’s an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators,
SLO NightWriters, and The BookShelf Writers, and has been a presenter at the Central Coast Writers’ Conference, SLO NightWriters, and numerous service groups, book clubs, and classrooms. She writes from the coast
in San Luis Obispo County. See more at DebbieNobleBlack.com.
Jennifer Coté
Jennifer Coté is a Hollywood screenwriter and TV producer. She developed the Jennifer Lopez vehicle Shades of Blue for NBC, and wrote/produced USA Network’s Eyewitness, which won a GLAAD Award for best limited-series. A dynamic and energizing speaker, she delivers practical, confidence-building tools
that help writers pitch clearly, strengthen their storytelling, and trust their creative
instincts. When not developing new projects or teaching at writers’ conferences, she can be found hiking along the California
coast with her husband and their waggly dog. Find more information at cotewrites.com
Christine Fairchild
Christine Fairchild brings 35+ years of experience as a writer, editor, and book doctor. She’s conducted celebrity interviews (XFiles, SciFiMall.com), edited for technical giants (Microsoft, Hitachi), and served as
a communications and marketing specialist for consumer product clients including DHL, Cingular, and AT&T. She now specializes as a Book Doctor in Suspense Fiction and helps authors take
their work, and their career, to the next level through her online workshops, conference
classes, and craft books. Christine also writes romantic suspense, mystery, women’s fiction, and
historical fiction, so she understands the challenges authors face in the publishing industry. Find more information, including free tips and tricks, at EditorDevil.blogspot.com.
Diane Frank
Diane Frank is the author of nine books of poems, three novels, and a photo memoir of her 400-
mile trek in the Nepal Himalayas. While Listening to the Enigma Variations: New and Selected Poems won the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Poetry. Her new book of poems, Prayer to the Invisible, was an overnight bestseller – #3 for American Poetry, #3 for Poems by Women. She teaches
poetry, flash fiction and memoir workshops at San Francisco State University and Dominican
University. Her first novel, Blackberries in the Dream House, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her new novel, Mermaids and Musicians, is an unusual love story, full of music and a plea to save the Earth. Find more
information at dianefrank.com.
Henry Herz
Henry Herz has authored 14 traditionally published picture books for Pelican, Schiffer, Sterling,
Kane-Miller, Familius, and Tilbury House: Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes, When You Give An Imp A Penny, Mabel & The Queen Of Dreams, Little Red Cuttlefish, Cap'n Rex & His Clever Crew, How The Squid Got Two Long Arms, Alice's Magic Garden, Good
Egg And Bad Apple, 2 Pirates + 1 Robot, I Am Smoke, I Am Gravity, I Am Light, I Am
Wind, and A Book About Nothing. His middle grade, young adult, and adult short stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Weird Tales, Pseudopod, Metastellar, Highlights for Children, Ladybug Magazine, and anthologies from Titan Books, Penguin-Random
House, Albert Whitman, Blackstone Publishing, Third Flatiron, Baen Books, elsewhere. In addition, Henry has edited ten anthologies. henryherz.com
Tara Jacobi
Tara Jacobi is a publishing professional and attorney. In 2024, she obtained a master's
degree in professional studies (MPS) from George Washington University in publishing,
focusing her legal acumen on challenges within the publishing industry. Currently, she is editing legal titles for Carolina Academic Press and compiling an
anthology of short stories for Running Wild Press. Tara published an academic article entitled, "Artificial Intelligence as a Creative," in
the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing exploring the legal and artistic aspects of AI working as a writer and presented on
this same topic at the 13th GW Ethics in Publishing Conference. As a writer for Books Are Our Superpower (BAOS) on Medium, she also reviews books focusing on literary fiction, iconic writers, women, travel and lifestyle. taraljacobi.com
Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
Fantasy Author. Swordswoman. Chicken Mama. These are just a few of the titles Jenna Elizabeth Johnson goes by. She is the author of over a dozen novels, novellas, and short stories, including
the award-winning Legend of Oescienne series, the Otherworld series, and the Draghans of Firiehn novella series. Besides writing fantasy adventures featuring domineering dragons, headstrong heroines, brooding Celtic warriors, and all the magical creatures in between, she is a competitive
HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) practitioner, participating in longsword tournaments whenever she gets the chance. During her down time, Jenna can be found exploring the open spaces of California’s Central Coast, camping
in Yosemite National Park, reading books and webcomics, or hanging out with her flock of overly-affectionate lap chickens. You can join Jenna’s readership at www.jennaelizabethjohnson.com.
Kalyn Josephson
Kalyn Josephson is a New York Times bestselling author, sometimes-baker, and full-time consumer of too much tea. She lives
on the California coast with two tiny black cats in a house in constant need of repair.
She is the author of several fantasy series for kids, teens, and adults, as well as
the owner of The Cove Books. Find more information at kalynjosephson.com.
Rebecca Langston-George
Rebecca Langston-George is the author of nineteen books for children including her new middle-historical fiction
novel One Fine Voice, which Kirkus called “a swift, compelling story about standing strong against hate” and her newest picture book Rover Rolled Over. A retired teacher and board member of the California Reading Association, Rebecca
is the Regional Advisor for the Central-Coastal California chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI CenCal), helping other writers learn the craft. She writes, and mostly re-writes, on a treadmill desk at one mile per hour. Find more info at rebeccalangston-george.com.
Ian Lendler
Ian Lendler is a multiple award-winning writer of picture books, non-fiction (adult and middle-grade), and graphic novels. After selling his first book at age 21, he has been working for over 25 years as a professional writer. Ian has worked in every capacity of the writing life – as a copy editor, magazine
editor, freelance journalist, and publishing assistant at Harper Collins. Ian has also written for commercials, television,
and film in solo projects and as a script doctor. He is a graduate of Columbia University where he majored in screenwriting. As an agent and Creative Director with McKinnon Literary, what Ian looks for most in any project is story. While he
specializes in children's literature, he is always looking for narrative non-fiction
and adult fiction that elevates story, character, and the narrative structure supporting both of these. mckinnonliterary.com
Juliet McDaniel
Juliet McDaniel is an author and screenwriter who specializes in messy, complicated
female characters. Her first novel, Mr. & Mrs. American Pie, was adapted by Apple
TV as the series Palm Royale, and her forthcoming novel, Screaming Ball of Chaos,
is also in development for television. Additionally, she is the screenwriter of the
award- winning indie film rom-com, QWERTY. Prior to embarking on a career as an author,
Juliet taught composition, literature, film, and screenwriting to community college
students. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Lake Forest College, and an M.A.
in writing from DePaul University. She lives in Los Angeles. Find more information
at julietmcdaniel.com.
Nicole Meier
Nicole Meier is a certified book coach, developmental editor, and author of four upmarket novels. Her books have been recognized by Booklist, Refinery29, BookBub, and Popsugar. Nicole also hosts The Whole Writer podcast for fiction writers that shares insights and encouragement to help you build confidence, nurture your writing craft, and create stories that truly connect with readers. You may find more about her at nicolemeier.com.
Colleen Paeff
Colleen Paeff is the author of The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem, winner of a Robert F. Sibert Honor Award; Firefly Song: Lynn Frierson Faust and the Great Smoky Mountain Discovery, named a Best Book of 2025 by Kirkus Reviews, BookList, and others, and Pufflings Fly Free!: A Rescue Tale from Iceland (available June 2026). A lifelong Californian, Colleen received a Bachelor’s Degree in set design for theater from California State University Fullerton before becoming a bookseller, preschool teacher, and newspaper columnist. (She never did become a set designer!) Eventually, she figured out how to roll books, kids, and writing
into a career as a children’s book author, and now she shares her enthusiasm for books
and learning by visiting with students both at home and abroad. She lives in Los Angeles,
California. colleenpaeff.com
Jaime Parker Stickle
Jaime Parker Stickle is the author of Vicious Cycle and Take Hart books one and two of the Corey in Los Angeles series. She is a writer, actor, podcaster, and professor of film and TV at Montclair
State University. She is the co-creator and cohost of the true crime podcast The Girl with the Same Name as well as the hilarious podcast about side hustles, Make That Paper. Jaime lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, two fur babies and a chameleon
named Tilly. Find more information at jaimeparkerstickle.com.
Leanne Phillips
Leanne Phillips lives, reads, and writes on California’s Central Coast. She is a professional editor
and a book coach certified in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir. Her work has appeared
in the Los Angeles Times, The Rumpus, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Coachella
Review, Kelp Journal, and elsewhere. Her debut novel-in-collected-stories is coming
in fall 2027 from Sibylline Press. Leanne earned a BA in English from Cal Poly, an
MFA in fiction with a cross-emphasis in creative nonfiction from UC Riverside Palm
Desert, and a copyediting certificate from UC San Diego. You can find Leanne at leannephillips.com.
Jordan Rosenfeld
Jordan Rosenfeld is author of the novels Fallout, Women in Red and Forged in Grace and
eight books on the craft of writing, including the forthcoming Writing Through the
Pause: Mining Midlife For Powerful Writing (Jan '27), The Sound of Story: Developing
Voice and Tone in Writing, How to Write a Page-Turner, the bestselling Make a Scene,
Writing the Intimate Character, A Writer’s Guide to Persistence, Writing Deep Scenes (with
Martha Alderson) and Write Free (with Rebecca Lawton). Her freelance writing has been
published in hundreds of publications, including: The Atlantic, the New York Times,
Publisher’s Weekly, Salon, Scientific American, the Rumpus, Writer’s Digest Magazine, and
many more. Jordan is also a freelance manuscript editor, writing coach, and teaches
online classes. Find more information at jordanrosenfeld.net.
Brian Schwartz
As founder and CEO of SelfPublish.org, Brian Schwartz has empowered over 750 authors to successfully publish and promote
their work since 2009. His author concierge service and consulting firm bridges the
gap between traditional and self-publishing through proven strategies that deliver professional results. Brian's distinguished leadership as former director of the Central Coast Writers’ Conference
and past president of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association reflects his
commitment to the writing community. His mission: "to bridge the gap between self-publishers
and traditional publishing by applying the proven strategies and techniques of successful
independent publishers." Innovating beyond consultation, Brian has developed online platforms catering to the needs of author publishers which include ever evolving AI tools specifically designed to give authors an advantage and accelerate
their time to market. Using these tools and his expert guidance, Brian transforms how independent authors navigate the publishing landscape, staying at the forefront
of innovation in publishing.
Cody Sisco
Cody Sisco is a freelance editor specializing in developmental editing, book coaching, and advising
authors on creativity and career development. Thematically, he enjoys working with
writers who grapple with dark subject matter and LGBTQ+ authors of fiction and memoir.
As the executive editor of Made in L.A. Writers, Cody also publishes and edits short
fiction, and he runs a literary events and media company called BookSwell. He serves as a co-chair on the Board of Directors for the Editorial Freelancers
Association. Cody is the author of Broken Mirror, Tortured Echoes, and Altered Bodies. Find more information at codysisco.com.