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!
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
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
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
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.