Alexandra Van Belle (they/them)
Adult and YA science fiction, fantasy, and contemporaryAlexandra Van Belle is a transmasculine, bi/pan writer and biologist. Their short stories have appeared in journals and anthologies from 2004 to the present. They draw on their science background to inform the world-building details in their fiction, and…
Aty S. Behsam (she/her)
Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, HorrorAty is an Iranian writer, artist, translator, TEDx speaker, and a full-time writing mentor and teacher. She graduated in English Translation BA, and has been teaching writing and art for the past ten years, mentoring writers, story coaching, and…
Beatrice Winifred Iker
Horror/Gothic, Speculative, HistoricalBeatrice grew up in the picturesque (and undoubtedly haunted) valley of the Great Smoky Mountains. A great passion of theirs is genealogy and ancestry. As a result, much of their writing lives in the horror and southern gothic genres…
Danai Christopoulou (she/they)
Adult and YA science fiction, fantasy, and contemporaryDanai Christopoulou writes mythpunk SFF & Romance inspired by her heritage (Greek, Egyptian, and Romanian) as well as her experiences living abroad as a queer femme person and writer. Forever unable to pick one field of study, Danai takes…
Emily Joy Howard (she/her)
MG and YA contemporary + all the rom-coms.Emily lives in Oakland, CA where she teaches grades four, five, and six by day, and once her personal children are finally asleep, writes by night (or real early in the morning or on lunch breaks or whathaveyou.) The…
Emily Zipps (she/her)
WLW Romcoms! Mostly adult, plus a random YA contemporary fantasy.Emily Zipps lives in New Mexico with her wife and dog, where she eats an exorbitant amount of green chile. By day, she works in higher education, and by weekend she writes about queer women falling in love in…
Fahimeh B. Artaa (she/her)
Fantasy, Sci Fi, RomanceFahimeh B. Artaa is an Iranian writer, artist, and an English language and creative writing teacher. She has been working as an assistant editor and translator for publishers and writers. She graduated in English Translation BA, and has been…
Hayden Stone (he/him)
RomanceMore animal than mineral, Hayden Stone is a writer of queer kissing boo. His romcom AN UNEXPECTED KIND OF LOVE (Entangled), is a queer twist on the film Notting Hill, and WHEN LONDON SNOW FALLS (Entangled), when a queer…
Jumata Emill (he/him)
YA Mystery/Thriller; YA ContemporaryJumata is a journalist who has covered crime and local politics in Mississippi and parts of Louisiana. He earned his B.A. in mass communications from Southern University and A&M College. He’s a Pitch Wars alum and member of the…
Justine Pucella Winans (they/she)
Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary Fantasy, HorrorJustine Pucella Winans is a queer and nonbinary writer who resides in Los Angeles with her husband and cats. Their debut novel, BIANCA TORRE IS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING, is slated to release Winter 2023 from Clarion Teen. When not…
Katharine Adams (she/her)
YA and Adult Fantasy: gothic and twisty! And queer mythology retellings.Katharine writes dark fantasy with queer characters exploring non-conventional relationships. Originally from the UK, she has a postgrad in diagnostic breast imaging, and lives on the North Island of New Zealand. When she’s not writing, she’s either drinking copious…
Maedeh B. Saaina (she/her)
Crime, Mystery, ThrillerMaedeh is an Iranian author, artist, writing mentor, editor, and university professor. She has a PhD in Water Science and Engineering, and starting at the age of twenty-seven, she has been one of the youngest university professors in Iran….
Marisa Urgo (she/her)
YA ContemporaryMarisa Urgo writes young adult novels that mix humor and heart. She is a New Yorker living in Boston. By day, Marisa works in higher education. By night, she is supposed to be writing but is mainly picking her…
Mary Ann Marlowe (she/her)
RomanceMary Ann lives in central Virginia where she works as a computer programmer/DBA. She spent ten years as a university-level French professor, and her resume includes stints as an au pair in Calais, a hotel intern in Paris, a…
MK Hardy (she/her)
Adult SFFHMK Hardy is the pen name for two geeky women living and writing together in Scotland. They found representation with Amanda Rutter at Azantian Literary Agency in 2021. They also created the webcomic Manfeels Park, a Jane Austen-inspired webcomic…
Negar Maghsoudi (she/her)
Young Adult / Fantasy, Sci Fi, AdventureNegar is an Iranian writer, artist, writing mentor, and Japanese language teacher. She graduated in Biotechnology BA, then took interest in Japanese language, and creative writing. She’s the head of the Japanese language institute, NIPPON HANA. Negar is an…
Rochelle Karina (she/her)
I’m Rochelle—California native living in Maryland. I write kissing books (the contemporary kind) and thrillers. I read just about everything but have a soft spot for horror. Foodie and cook. Quietly queer. Loudly proud mom to three LGBTQ+ adult…
Sarah Remy (they/them)
Science Fiction FantasySarah Remy/Alex Hall is a nonbinary, animal-loving, proud gamer Geek. Their work can be found in a variety of cool places, including HarperVoyager, EDGE and NineStar Press. Sarah was a PitchWars mentor in 2018, 2019, and 2021. “I absolutely…
CJ Connor (he/they)
2022 QF AdminCJ Connor is a Pitch Wars alumnus who primarily writes queer romance and cozy mysteries. Their debut cozy mystery novel Board to Death is forthcoming from Kensington Books. They are represented by Jessica Faust at BookEnds Literary Agency. When…