Writers’ Row

Writers’ Row offers a diverse array of authors, each showcasing and selling their own books in person. Check out the authors you’ll find at Writer’s Row this year.

  • GRAPHIC NOVELS/LITERARY FICTION

    Lynn Almengor writes funny character-driven stories about creating personal meaning from chaos. She’s the author of the graphic novel Bones of the Voyager and the novel Now That We’re Adults. She also loves playing video games, watching “bad” movies, and goofing off with her husband, ferrets, and jack chi. Follow her online at PlaidCoreProductions.com or @PlaidCoreLynn on BlueSky/YouTube.

  • HISTORICAL FICTION

    Alex Alvin grew up fascinated by how history and current events connect through stories of love. That fascination has translated into Alex’s books that explore how world events impact people and their fates. Creating historically accurate books, where these stories come to life, is Alex’s passion.

  • CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

    Zariah L. Banks crafts award-winning bold love stories with heart, heat, and healing. Zariah writes with intention, exploring critical women's issues while delivering emotionally rich and steamy relationships that romance lovers crave. Her stories celebrate love that doesn’t ask women to shrink but invites them to expand.

  • DARK FANTASY

    T.M. Baylor is a dark fantasy author writing books that feature darkness, epic worldbuilding, morally gray and diverse characters, and mysteries that will keep you turning the page.

    When not writing, she loves spending her time outdoors or curling up with a good book. She lives in Pennsylvania with her partner and their dog.

  • SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, YOUNG ADULT

    Pittsburgh native Joshua David Bellin has been writing novels since the age of eight (though the first few were admittedly very short). He has published numerous works of sci-fi and fantasy, including the Survival Colony novels, the Ecosystem Cycle, and the time-travel thriller Myriad. His books are characterized by immersive world-building, intricate plotting, and shocking conclusions.

  • CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS

    Renae Bolton is a mom of 6, chaos coordinator extraordinaire, and the creative force behind Bolton Books, where big feelings meet learning and laughter. She turns real-life parenting adventures into stories, journals, and resources that help kids (and grown-ups!) feel seen, supported, and ready to take on the world. Renae also offers faith-based tools to nurture mental health and spiritual growth.

  • YOUNG ADULT, SUPERNATURAL FANTASY

    Frank J. Camacho was born and raised in New Jersey. He grew up immersed in CW shows and fantasy books, which sparked his love for emotionally tangled characters, small-town secrets, and supernatural drama. When he's not writing, he's making overly specific Spotify playlists or redecorating a room he swore he was done with. The Monsters They Made Us is his first novel.

  • ACTION AND ADVENTURE

    Ron Chandler is an Indie author of seven books of original stories. His latest book, Madcap Dogs: Revealing Their True Glory, was a finalist in the 18th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards in the Animals & Pets Category. His short stories and poems have been published in over 30 literary magazines.

  • ACTION THRILLER

    Brian Colella, a lifelong resident of Western Pennsylvania, holds a PhD in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. Drawing on thirty-five years of firefighting experience, he writes fast-paced action tales that celebrate everyday heroes—ordinary people who rise to confront extraordinary challenges.

  • CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK

    Laurie Cowin wrote The Grief Monster after her beloved husband, Brian, died from a sudden cardiac event just before his 40th birthday. While navigating her grief and helping their young sons, ages 4 and 8 months when Brian died, navigate theirs, Laurie saw a need for more children's picture books about grief. Laurie lives her sons, dog and their grief monsters in Pennsylvania.

  • MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

    Lauren Bomberger Fischer was born and raised in Indiana, graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and lives in Chicago with her family and rescue cats. She edited many articles about the opioid epidemic while working as a science editor at The JAMA Network. She advocates for LGBTQ and disability representation in children’s fiction.

  • CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

    Dr. Sharnez Givens-Williams is an educator, school leader, and author who helps children build confidence in reading. After seeing students struggle with self-belief, she created Sneaker Kid and wrote Just Jordy Jitters to blend literacy and SEL, grounded in her belief that confidence unlocks literacy.

  • ROMANTASY

    Jessa Grey writes adult fantasy romance featuring complex characters, high emotional stakes, and the irresistible pull of magic. A lifelong storyteller, she now crafts romantasy full of longing, tension, and heart. She lives in Ohio with her husband, two kids, and four cats.

  • MEMOIR

    Dr. Hollis is Professor Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute where his research focuses on highly agile mobile robots, haptic interaction with virtual environments and remote robots, and micro-manufacturing. He is reinventing his career as a writer.

  • FANTASY/MIDDLE GRADE

    Angola Hone is an indie author, as well as a voracious reader, watcher, and player of fantasies. A collection of favorite books, stories, and worlds that have molded his tastes include Narnia, Redwall, Pixar, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. He writes for middle graders and teens to give the next generation (and the nostalgic folks from the previous) new adventures to be inspired by.

  • YA FANTASY AND SAPPHIC HORROR

    Allison Ivy writes under a pen name and edits for others in her spare time. She grew up reading a book a day and graduated from Penn State with a B.A. in English and a Creative Writing certificate. A Pittsburgh native, she currently lives in Pennsylvania and listens to far too many show tunes and DVD commentaries. Find her at: www.allisonivybooks.com

  • HISTORICAL FICTION

    Vanshika Jain writes in many different forms. She shares poetry through her title as the Youth Poet Ambassador of Allegheny County, helped publish 2 research papers with UCLA, and serves as one of the only youth journalists of KDKA. All of her work has accumulated into her proudest piece: her Internationally Best-Selling novel Letters To The Empire.

  • FANTASY

    Samantha Jo is an award-winning author with aspirations of becoming an undeniable voice in the world of fantasy. Inspired by her love of nature and storytelling, she graduated from Youngstown State University with a degree in biology and many creative writing courses under her belt. She lives in Ohio with her co-nerd and husband, their four semi-feral children, and a barnyard menagerie.

  • ROMANTIC AND HISTORICAL FICTION

    Little is known about this writer. Internet statements positively attributed to him claim a birth year of 1638, intensive training in Liberace Fashion Principles, and the discovery of a sixth-dimensional cube in his cereal in 2002. Within the last year, he has come out of seclusion to vindicate an ancestral Russian prince.

  • FANTASY, HORROR

    Grant Lankard is the creator of the hit indie comics: Beowulf, Memoirs of the Morbid, and League of Cryptids. Lankard also wrote and drew a section in Don Simpson’s Megaton Man: Multimensions from Cosmic Lion and illustrated Jess Simm’s Creator’s Guide to Cryptids from Scribble House Books. You can find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky under @gwlankard.

  • FANTASY, ROMANCE

    Alexandria Long is a mom, wife, and educator from the Erie, PA area who spends her free time writing and living within fantasy worlds. Outside of teaching and writing, she is also a photographer capturing life's special moments. She is beyond excited to share the first book of her Bound by Sight Duology with everyone, and looks forward to the release of book 2 later this year!

  • NONFICTION/SPORTS

    Nina Mandell is a journalist living in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, who has written for Bustle, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, The New York Daily News, and NBC Regional Sports Networks.

  • CONTEMPORARY FICTION, FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION

    Corey McCullough is an award-winning author, screenwriter, ghostwriter, and editor. He has been writing fiction since the day he learned how to put words together on paper. Corey lives in Western Pennsylvania with his wife Vanessa and their four children. His favorite pastimes are reading, writing, spending time with his best friend (Vanessa), and, above all else, being a dad.

  • FANTASY

    Matt McGinnis is a Pennsylvania native, Robert Morris University graduate, and bestselling author of The Rodney Brothers and the 10 Tales of Roana and its sequel, The Rodney Brothers and the Four Fateful Names. Matt's series debuted in January 2024, and the third book in the series, The Rodney Brothers and the Fragments of Fire, is set to launch in the summer of 2026.

  • HISTORICAL FICTION – CHILDREN

    Courtney Morstatter was a preschool teacher and grew up in a history loving household. Puff and Spotzie have been travel companions of Courtney, since she was a little girl. Courtney loves to spend time with her family, pets and of course traveling!

  • SPECULATIVE ROMANCE

    Elle Nestico is a published novelist of Speculative Romance, and a proud Pittsburgh girl from Squirrel Hill. She writes character-driven stories that explore life, love, and the metaphysical. When she’s not spinning karmic love stories, you’ll find her carpool karaoke-ing with her mortified children, chasing her family’s obstinate golden retriever, or binging the latest shows with her husband.

  • HORROR

    Candace Nola is a multiple award-winning author, editor, and publisher. She writes poetry, horror, dark fantasy, and extreme horror content. Books include Breach, Beyond the Breach, Hank Flynn, Bishop, Unmasked, The Vet, Desperate Wishes, Transformation, Shadow Manor, and many more. Her short stories can be found in more than two dozen anthologies within the horror industry.

  • MAGICAL REALISM/COMICS

    Angela Oddling is a Pittsburgh-native cartoonist, writer, and comics creator whose work weaves magic, monsters, and nature into the tales of ordinary people to explore the inevitable, uncomfortable parts of being human. Angela's narratives trace the lifelong quest for self-acceptance, self-love, and community.

  • MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY

    Sam Rininger lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and daughter. She holds a BA in Theater. Sam got her first taste of literary success when her story was chosen to represent her sixth grade class in the annual Young Author’s Conference, and she never stopped telling stories. Her debut novel, funded by a successful Kickstarter, has been praised by Kirkus, Booklife and The Manhattan Book Review.

  • MAGICAL REALISM, DOMESTIC SUSPENSE, WOMEN’S FICTION

    Janet Roberts, a former global leader in cybersecurity education, sets her books wholly or partially in Western PA, where her roots run deep. Her books feature a female character discovering her inner strength while facing adversity. She lives in Pittsburgh and loves travel, wandering through bookstores, reading on her porch swing, and sharing a bottle of wine with friends.

  • NONFICTION

    Laura S. Scherling, EdD, is a designer, researcher, and author. She teaches in the Tech, Policy, and Innovation concentration at Columbia University. Scherling is the founder of the Cyber Care Institute and co-founder of Civic Art Lab. The Future of Hacking: The Rise of Cybercrime and the Fight to Keep Us Safe (Bloomsbury) is her fourth book. Scherling is passionate about tech ethics.

  • FANTASY FICTION AND DAILY DEVOTIONALS

    Anne Marie Stahl is a writer and educator with over two decades of experience in family literacy. She is the author of Beyond the Broken Wall, a portal fantasy inspired by local history, and writes devotionals rooted in everyday faith. Her work blends storytelling and imagination, helping readers discover meaning, connection, and a touch of magic in every story.

  • MEMOIR

    Michael Thornhill, M.A., is an AfroCuban author and recovering DEI practitioner examining race, erasure, and tokenism. Through what he calls mirror memoir, his work challenges systems that demand performance while reclaiming identity, voice, and belonging. He creates language for what many have lived but never named – what it means to be the only one with your face in the room.

  • GRAPHIC NOVELS, SCIENCE FICTION, HORROR, FANTASY

    Writer and Creator of Nook, Supercats, Alter-Life, Flytrap, The Neverland, and Small Town Dark. After over 20 successful kickstarter campaigns, he has proven time and time again that his creations are not to be missed. His passion to create high-quality comics and stories audiences will want to experience over and over again rivals even the most professional comic publishers standards.

  • FANTASY (HIGH, URBAN, ROMANCE)

    Nathaniel E. Troupe is a Pittsburgh-based fantasy author best known for his book The Marksmen Guard. He grew up in York, Pennsylvania, balancing a passion for fantasy with athletics during his youth. He attended Robert Morris University, where he played hockey and first connected with the Pittsburgh region, now his long-term home with his wife Kristen.

  • HIGH FANTASY, FANTASY, ROMANCE

    N.E. Valla is a fantasy author who works as an L&D RN by day and writes by night. Born in Florida, she was raised in a bilingual household with her first language being Swedish. She moved to Pittsburgh, PA when she was 19 and now lives with her husband Nick and three cats: Nibbler, Captain Hook, and Odysseus.

  • CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS

    Marie Weller and Paula Vertikoff are veteran educators from central Ohio with 50+ years of combined experience. Inspired by helping children understand emotions, build confidence, and navigate challenges, they co-created the Cranium Critters series—blending heart, humor, and brain science to help kids make sense of their minds and big feelings.

  • YOUNG ADULT FANTASY

    Steven Ray Wriston is a YA fantasy author exploring magic, memory, and belonging. Raised in western PA, his time camping in Brookville sparked a lifelong fascination with hidden worlds and undiscovered magic. He is the author of Kids of Kazumeth: The Roots of Kaluna, praised by Kirkus Reviews. He now lives in Miami, Florida, where he is currently writing the next installment in the series.

  • DARK FANTASY WITH SPICE AND ROMANTASY

    Kara M. Zone is an award-winning, best-selling indie author who crafts tales of magic, mayhem, and mischief. Kara provides creative writing & indie publishing workshops along with digital products to help writers at any stage create the best stories for their voice, ideas, and brand. Her true passion is helping others reach their goals no matter what publishing path they're interested in.