With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most enduring and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard.
Then too, of course, there is all L. Ron Hubbard represents as the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology and thus the only major religion born in the 20th century.
David Farland (Dave Wolverton) began writing during college and entered short stories into various contests, but his career began in 1987 when he won the top award in the Writers of the Future Contest. Farland published several science fiction and fantasy novels including On My Way to Paradise, Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia and, and several bestselling fantasy series including The Runelords and Of Mice and Magic. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award. Farland became a Contest judge in 1991 and served as an instructor at the annual WotF workshop for several years.
Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools. His most recent series, the young adult Pathfinder series (Pathfinder, Ruins, Visitors) and the fantasy Mithermages series (Lost Gate, Gate Thief, Gatefather) are taking readers in new directions. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He frequently teaches writing and literature courses at Southern Virginia University.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and award-winning mystery, romance, science fiction and fantasy writer. She has written many novels under various names, including Kristine Grayson for romance and Kris Nelscott for mystery. Her novels have made the bestseller lists?even in London?and have been published in fourteen countries and thirteen different languages. She is married to, and has often collaborated with, fellow WotF judge Dean Wesley Smith.
She and Kevin J. Anderson first met in a college creative writing class as young aspiring writers and have kept in touch ever since (when they found they learned more from each other than from the minimally published professor). They both entered the Contest many times, but neither placed in a quarter before becoming professional writers. Now, Rusch?s awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award, to the Hugo Award and the John W. Campbell Award. She was nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus and the Anthony Award all in the same year (2009). She is the only person in the history of science fiction to have won a Hugo Award for editing and a Hugo Award for fiction. Her short work has been reprinted in thirteen Year?s Best collections (one story, ?G-Men,? appeared in both the best mystery and best SF collection, the first story ever to do so).
Under her own name, Rusch?s novels include the Fey series, the Retrieval Artist series, Hitler?s Angel, The White Mists of Power, Alien Influence
Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as ?spoiling cats.? When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories.
Since 1987 she has published over 40 books and more than 120 short stories. Among the novels Nye has written are her epic fantasy series The Dreamland, beginning with Waking In Dreamland, five contemporary humorous fantasies, Mythology 101, Mythology Abroad, Higher Mythology (the three collected by Meisha Merlin Publishing as Applied Mythology), Advanced Mythology, The Magic Touch, and three medical science fiction novels, Taylor?s Ark, Medicine Show and The Lady and the Tiger. Strong Arm Tactics is a humorous military science fiction novel, the first of The Wolfe Pack series. Nye wrote The Dragonlover?s Guide to Pern, a non-fiction-style guide to the world of internationally bestselling author Anne McCaffrey?s popular world. She also collaborated with Anne McCaffrey on four science fiction novels, The Death of Sleep, Crisis On Doona, Treaty At Doona and The Ship Who Won, and wrote a solo sequel to The Ship Who Won entitled The Ship Errant. Nye coauthored the Visual Guide to Xanth with bestselling fantasy author Piers Anthony, and edited an anthology of humorous stories about mothers in science fiction, fantasy, myth and legend, entitled Don?t Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear! She wrote eight books with the late Robert Lynn Asprin, License Invoked, a contemporary fantasy set in New Orleans, and seven set in
Craig Elliott is an artist based in Los Angeles, California. He received his education at the famed Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and studied under artists such as Harry Carmean and Burne Hogarth. Craig?s carefully crafted and arresting images of nature and the human form have captivated audiences with their visual and intellectual celebration of the beauty in this world and beyond. In addition to his fine art work, Craig has had a hand in designing many of today?s most popular animated films from studios such as Disney and Dreamworks. A multi-faceted artist, he is also an accomplished landscape architect, sculptor and most recently, jewelry designer. Especially known for his exceptional ability with the human figure and creative composition, Craig?s work has evolved into a unique vision informing and influencing fine art, print, animation, and commercial worlds.
