Aubrey Taylor
As a child, one of Aubrey’s favorite activities was stapling paper together into little books in which she would then write and illustrate stories. Eventually she graduated to notebooks, but as a teen the love for writing began to die away. Many things, including friends, work, school, and music, took the place of writing. With the exception of too much time spent wording and rewording e-mails, writing was relegated to coursework. The creative and enjoyable aspect of the written word was simply gone.
Music continued to play a major role in her life, and at 19 Aubrey began to get involved in various church worship ministries, and even enjoyed playing in a local band for a few years. It was also around this time that God brought her together with Brian, the man she would eventually marry and have three children with. They became best friends, and are to this day. Together, they enjoy hiking and, when possible, traveling. Brian is a software engineer who also enjoys music and plays bass guitar in a local Christian outreach band.
The love for the written word came back into Aubrey’s life gradually, first as a reader and then, abruptly in March 2021, as a writer. Sometimes, God just taps us on the shoulder with a great idea that we cannot resist, and that is precisely what happened. It was as if He said, “I have an idea for you. Can you make the time to write it?” In spite of homeschooling and ministry commitments, the idea was indeed irresistible. It was as if the interests that had always been there finally had an outlet, after being sidelined for many years. Now it was time to create characters, dive into historical research and watch their lives unfold. Only three months later, after many late nights, many early mornings, and of course, many prayers, Sani was independently published on June 7th, Aubrey’s 41st birthday (although Amazon officially records the date as June 6th!).
B.D. Lawrence
B.D. Lawrence has always loved reading fiction. Ironically, though, his worst subject in high school was English. One night, sitting in a master’s level computer programming class, daydreaming about vigilantes, he decided to give writing a try. Out of that came his first novel, which went nowhere. That was many years ago. During his writing journey he’s dabbled in several genres, including mystery, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. He currently is focusing on crime stories of justice, vengeance, and redemption. He hopes his Lefty Bruder private detective series will not only entertain lovers of P.I. fiction but will also help fight the scourge of human trafficking by raising awareness of the awful crime of sex trafficking. He also wants his books to bring hope to readers that may not know Jesus as Lord. Not all of his stories are Christian, but all his novels will be written from a Christian world view and present the Gospel in some form by some character or characters.
Chevron Ross
I began my author journey in 2016 while taking a walk one Sunday after church services. I have a tendency to brood, and today the subject of American gun violence weighed on my mind. No other nation on Earth has such a proliferation of gun deaths. How, I wondered, did Americans reach the point where their right to own firearms was more important than the lives of their fellow citizens?
A miraculous thing occurred as I completed my fourth circuit around the park. I had a vision of a man who works for a gun rights organization. Somehow, his own life is turned upside down by an act of gun violence. How will he react?
By the time I got home my head was so full of ideas that I couldn’t write them down fast enough. Over the next few days I amassed a collection of sticky notes and scratch pads full of plotlines and details. I had never written a novel before, nor had I any intention of doing so. I didn’t even own a computer. But the story outgrew my ability to get it down on paper. I bought a laptop and went to work. Three years later, after many wrong turns and rewrites, Weapons of Remorse was finished.
The novel didn’t turn out as I originally envisioned. God had a plan for this book that was so unique that Weapons of Remorse won two independent publishing awards. This modest success set me on the path to other novels, all inspired by God, all written by His hand.
Edwina Kiernan
Edwina Kiernan is the Christian author of seven novels, four of which are award-winning.
An enthusiast of classic novels and history, Edwina combines her faith, imagination and research in hope-infused tales set in times past.
A lifelong word admirer, with Welsh and Irish heritage, she started writing stories early in childhood.
She is a committed follower of Jesus (the Living Word), and endeavors to use her pen to point others to Him.
When she’s not writing, Edwina loves spending time with her dashing husband and lively little son, reading and studying the Bible, getting lost in a captivating novel and drinking more types of tea than most people realize even exist.
Jane Daly
Jane is addicted to coffee, purple pens, and her husband, not necessarily in that order. A self-proclaimed introvert, she enjoys the solitude of riding shotgun in Rigsby, her 37-foot motor home. But when they pull into a new campground, her favorite thing is to make new friends and find hangouts featuring local musicians. Her fantasy involves writing lyrics for country music songs and listening to them on the radio. In the meantime, she’ll stick to writing novels. And seeing as much of the country as possible.
Pat Simmons
Pat Simmons is a multi-published Christian romance author of forty-plus titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She is a five-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance: Still Guilty, Crowning Glory, The Confession, Christmas Dinner, and Queen’s Surrender (To A Higher Calling). Pat’s first inspirational women’s fiction, Lean On Me, with Sourcebooks, was the February/March Together We Read Digital Book Club pick for the national library system. Here for You and Stand by Me are also part of the Family is Forever series. Her holiday indie release, Christmas Dinner, and traditionally published, Here for You were featured in Woman’s World, a national magazine. Here for You was also listed in the “7 Great Reads That Help to Keep the Faith” by Sisters From AARP. She contributed an article, “I’m Listening,” in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: I’m Speaking Now (2021). Pat is the recipient of the 2022 Leslie Esdaile “Trailblazer” Award given by Building Relationships Around Books Readers’ Choice for her work in the Christian fiction genre.
As a Christian, Pat describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as a life-altering experience. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country. Pat has converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, GPS-guided chauffeur, and administrative assistant who is constantly on probation. They have a son and a daughter. Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts and has worked in radio, television, and print media for more than twenty years. She oversaw the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions for fourteen years. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.
Priscilla Bettis
Priscilla Bettis is an avid reader and a joyful writer. After decades coasting along as a lukewarm Christian, and after a few more years of writing in the secular horror genre, she experienced a series of events that can only be described as epiphanic… in the God sense, not the light bulb sense, though that also applies.
Now Priscilla writes Christian fiction.
Priscilla lives in small-town Texas with her two-legged and four-legged family members. She is writing her first literary Christian novel.
Christian fiction book review blog: https://thewellreadfish.com
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PriscillaBettis
Ruth WuWong
I’m a biochemist by training and have published 120+ scientific books and papers. I live in the Midwest with my husband, a retired pastor. We served together at three churches from 1987 to 2020. Our grown son works in a nearby city.
Although I’m a latecomer to creative writing, I’ve completed six books since 2021. My books tend to be serious.
My first book, Love at the Garden Tomb, published by Dove Christian Publishers in 8/2022, touched on the subject of the persecution of Palestinian Christians. With minimal marketing by the publisher, this book received 40+ favorable Amazon reviews.
In 12/2022, I self-published The Way We Forgive (women’s fiction) and Are Your Health and Finances Linked (non-fiction). I established a launch team with ~50 members. By using various marketing tools, the subscribers to my website and newsletters have grown to 1200+.
Since then, The Way We Forgive has received 90+ favorable Amazon reviews. It reached #3 ranking in its category on 10/1/2023.
On 7/30/2023, I self-published Blazing China and its sequel, Detour to Agape. Blazing China talked about the persecution of Christians in China, and Detour to Agape discussed the evil of human trafficking. Thanks to my launch team, Blazing China reached Amazon’s #1 New Release in Asian Literature in 8/2023. It reached #2 ranking in its category on 10/1/2023.
In addition to my weekly newsletter and the platform (www.ruthforchrist.com), I’m active in several writers’ groups, including ACFW, Word Weavers, Facebook, and Goodreads. Through these connections, I plan newsletter/promotion swaps with others. My other marketing activities include speaking engagements and taking part in book/art festivals. In a recent event (Church of St. Peter Festival at North St. Paul), I sold numerous copies of my books, including every single copy of Blazing China I’ve ordered from Amazon.
Sarah Hanks
Sarah Hanks switched gears from children’s ministry to full-time novelist with Mercy Will Follow Me. She and her husband have nine children of their own, a couple of whom seem to have inherited their mother’s love for playing with words and crafting stories. Though Sarah dreams of a cabin by the beach, the family lives together in beautiful chaos in St. Charles, MO. She buys earplugs in bulk.
Sara Whitley
Sara Whitley is, first and foremost, a sinner saved through God’s grace. She has a deep passion for the lost and the hurting, which is why she pursued a degree in social work. She enjoys weaving social issues such as teenage pregnancy, sexual assault, self-harm, and abortion into her work to provide hope and encouragement to those who have experienced such challenges and to showcase God’s sovereignty and goodness in all things. Her mission is to “illuminate the darkness, one book at a time.” She makes her home in South Dakota with her husband and three kids. For more information, you can visit her website, www.sarawhitley.com
Shannon McNear
Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. When not cooking, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies.
Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in the Deep South, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. As the author of four novellas and six full-length novels, with her first title, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, honored as a 2014 RITA® finalist and another novella, The Wise Guy and the Star in Love’s Pure Light Collection, a SELAH winner, her greatest joy is in being a retired military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of soon-to-be eight, and grammie of eight. She’s also a contributor to Colonial Quills and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith-Hope-Love Christian Writers, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. When not cooking, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies.
Z. Peabody
Peabody is new to Christian Romance.
A believer in the teachings of Christ, Z. came to Christ at any early age. It was her deep love of Christ’s teachings that lead Z. to read Young Adult Christian novels as a teenager. Years later, Z. finally sat down and applied pen to paper to start writing her own Adult Christian Romance novel.
“My characters are not perfect, and I wanted to write storylines that show that the walk to Christ is not always an easy one. I want characters, that have lived a life, away from Christ, and then show how they come into the body of Christ, with a testimony.”
“I hope you enjoy the stories that I have created. Each story, plot, Hero, and Heroine have been created to give honor to God. My novels are Christ-centered because God had taken up permanent residence in my life, and I want to give him glory in my writings. I include my personal testimony that not all Christian-based romances are without struggle.