ERICK MERTZ

Author

Erick Mertz is an author, ghostwriter, screenwriter, and developmental editor who has helped clients transform life stories into compelling memoirs, novels, and screenplays. Through Erick Mertz Writing, he has collaborated on dozens of book projects while also publishing his own fiction, including mysteries, thrillers, and speculative horror. Whether working with first-time authors or seasoned professionals, his passion is helping writers uncover the stories only they can tell—and tell them well.

SEAN MCCARTHY

Sean McCarthy Literary Agency

Sean McCarthy founded his own full-service literary agency in 2013 after working at Overlook Press and Sheldon Fogelman Agency and represents authors and illustrators across all age ranges in children’s publishing. His clients include Hyewon Yum, Dana Wulfekotte, Heather Ayris Burnell, Ariel Bernstein, Margaret Chiu Greanias, Gina Perry, and Junghwa Park, among others. Sean graduated from Macalester College with a degree in English-Creative Writing and is grateful that he no longer has to spend his winters in Minnesota. He currently lives in New York with his wife and two pet rabbits (who aren’t much help when it comes to reading manuscripts, though they are excellent at shredding them). 

Aevitas Creative Management

Maggie Cooper is an agent with Aevitas Creative Management, representing adult fiction and select nonfiction projects with an emphasis on queer and trans stories and books that make our world kinder, weirder, more joyful, or all of the above. She holds a degree in English from Yale University, attended the Clarion Writers Workshop, and earned her MFA in fiction from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she served as an editor for The Greensboro Review. Maggie is also a writer; her prose chapbook, The Theme Park of Women’s Bodies, was published by Bull City Press in 2024.

JENNY XU

Senior Editor, Atria Books

Jenny Xu is a Senior Editor at Atria Books. She began her career at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and was most recently an Editor at Harper and Ecco. Jenny acquires a broad range of literary and commercial nonfiction, fiction, and the occasional poetry collection, with a particular focus on illuminating more overlooked aspects of history and culture, and work that balances the personal with broader narratives. Her authors include Tiana Clark, adrienne maree brown, Saeed Jones, Amanda Montell, Maggie Smith, and Pria Anand.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Co-founder, Writers Helping Writers®

Angela Ackerman is a story coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in ten languages, her guides are sourced by universities, recommended by agents and editors, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, and psychologists around the world. To date, this series has sold over 1.4 million copies.

Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers®, as well as One Stop for Writers®, a portal to game-changing tools and resources that enable writers to craft powerful fiction. 

LUCAS ELLIOT

Lucas Elliott is an illustrator, author, and educator. While he works primarily on graphic novels, Lucas also does freelance illustration for character design, games, and whatever wonderful projects come his way. His work has been published in the Alaskan graphic novel “Moose”, as well as for companies such as IDW Comics, Hit Point Press and Upper Deck Entertainment. His most recent book, SPY GRANDMA, co-created with Author Celina Frenn, was recently released in August and can be found at your local bookstore.

KARI MARTINDALE

Kari Martindale (M.A., Linguistics) is a poet, spoken word artist, and teaching artist who has performed at the White House.  Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and received honorable mention in the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition.  Now living in Alaska, Kari is a  former member of the Board of Maryland Writers’ Association and has served on poetry judging panels nationwide.

JENNIFER BOOZ

Jennifer Booz is an educator, facilitator, and DEI practitioner with more than two decades of experience helping people strengthen their voice, deepen their awareness, and express their stories with confidence. For 20 years, she taught undergraduate sociology, guiding students through analytical writing, research development, and identity‑centered narrative work. As such, she has mentored hundreds of emerging writers, supporting them in shaping arguments, clarifying purpose, and refining personal and academic writing.

Her scholarly background includes completing a master’s thesis grounded in equity and inclusion and publishing a peer‑reviewed journal article on DEI. This research continues to inform her approach to writing instruction and workshop facilitation, particularly in helping people understand how personal experience, social systems, and narrative voice intersect. Jennifer is committed to helping creatives recognize and overcome internalized barriers—especially those formed by marginalization, self‑doubt, or systemic exclusion—so they can approach their art with clarity and agency.

For the past 25 years, she has presented to local, regional, national, and international audiences on topics including belonging, marginalized identities, narrative empowerment, and community storytelling. Her facilitation style blends practical skill‑building with reflective inquiry, creating accessible and supportive spaces where writers feel seen, grounded, and encouraged to bring their full selves to their work.

Jennifer is passionate about uplifting diverse voices and helping people translate lived experience into powerful, authentic pieces. She brings a warm, thoughtful presence to every space she leads, always centering curiosity, compassion, and growth. 

DAWN ALEXANDER

Dawn Alexander is a developmental editor and story coach who collaborates with both emerging writers and accomplished authors to strengthen their stories and refine their voices. Her clients have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, as well as the Amazon Top 100.Leveraging her two decades of experience in education, she designs and teaches writing courses that offer comprehensive insights and practical strategies that can be applied across genres to create compelling plots and authentic characters. She's been a featured speaker at Inkers Con, Pike’s Peak Writers Conference, as well as local writing chapters, in addition to providing one-on-one coaching to numerous successful authors. When she's not analyzing plot structures or crafting characters, you can find her spending time with her two college-age kids or off-roading in her Jeep Wrangler with her husband and their dog, Teddy.