This page will be updated as more faculty members are
confirmed for the 2026 San Diego Writing Workshop.
Jen Collins Moore is a published novelist.
“I transport readers to Italy in the Roman Holiday Mysteries. My short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories.
“I serve on the national board of Sisters in Crime and am the immediate past president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland, as well as a founding member of the Sleuths and Sidekicks blog. A transplanted New Englander, I live in Chicago.
At the 2026 event, she is teaching a class.
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Chuck Sambuchino (@chucksambuchino) is a freelance editor, bestselling book author, and former longtime staffer for Writer’s Digest Books. For many years he edited the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and the CHILDREN’S WRITER’S & ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET. His Guide to Literary Agents Blog was one of the largest blogs in publishing, and he wrote the platform guidebook CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM.
He is the lead director of Writing Day Workshops writers conferences, and he has taught at more than 175 writers conferences throughout his career. He is the co-coordinator of the San Diego Writing Workshop.
His humor book, HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK, was optioned by Sony Pictures. Chuck’s books have been mentioned in Reader’s Digest, USA Today, the New York Times, The Huffington Post, Variety, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, Mental Floss,New York magazine, and many more media outlets. All his latest books are about pickleball, including ULTIMATE PICKLEBALL, a 2026 tear-off desk calendar due out in August 2025 (Sellers Publishing). His picture book, GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL, released from Hachette in August 2025, was carried in Target, and hit the USA Today bestseller list.
He is a successful freelance editor of queries, synopses, and manuscripts—seeing dozens of clients get agents or book deals following his consultations/edits. He loves meeting new writers.
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Brian A. Klems (@BrianKlems) is the former online editor of WritersDigest.com. He is the current co-director of Writing Day Workshops.
His blog during his tenure there, The Writer’s Dig—which covered everything writing and publishing—was one of the largest blogs in the writing community.
He is the co-coordinator of the 2025 San Diego Writing Workshop.
Brian’s first book, Oh Boy, You’re Having a Girl: A Dad’s Guide to Raising Daughters (Adams Media) was released in 2013. It received high-level buzz and praise from some of the funniest writers alive, including Dave Barry and Bruce Cameron. Brian is also a proud graduate of the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, a husband, softball infielder, perennial fantasy sports underachiever, and father of three lovely girls.
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Brandy Vallance is a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency. At the 2026 event, she is teaching a speech and also meeting with attendees for one-on-one meetings. (See her wishlist here.)
Brandy comes from a long line of storytellers. An old soul, she fell in love with passed-down tales, the odd and unexplained, and the pursuit of answering the mysteries that perplex us all. She loves to wander down ancient paths, explore dusty libraries, and does occasional archaeology. Her books are a lush escape into timeless romance, breathtaking adventure, and push the boundaries of what is expected.
Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her critically acclaimed novel, The Covered Deep, has been featured in USA Today and Writer’s Digest. Romantic Times called her second novel “passionate and riveting” and Publishers Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.”
After more than two decades in the world of publishing, Brandy has joined Barbara Bova Literary Agency, and she is looking forward to being a champion of amazing writers and outstanding books.
Throughout the years, Brandy has been a Writing Coach, a Story Consultant, and an international Publishing Specialist. For hundreds of writers, her mentorship has broken the chains of fear and self-doubt. From teaching Master Classes to sitting at quiet tables, Brandy loves helping people explore their deepest truths.
Brandy believes in the high calling of storytelling, and she lights the way for writers, as well as readers. Page by page, she walks in the legacy of those who have gone before her, and she holds a torch for any who are seeking their way.
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Brittany Torres Rivera is an assistant editor with Graywolf Press, and is taking pitches on behalf of her imprint.
Graywolf Press publishes about 30 books annually — mostly poetry, memoirs, essays, novels, translations, and short stories. “Our editors are looking for high quality literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that combine a distinct voice with a distinct vision. Our editors seek out and solicit promising work from authors that they encounter in the pages of magazines, at writing conferences, and in other venues.”
Brittany is a bilingual Puerto Rican writer. She graduated from Florida International University with a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Brittany is an alumna of the Fulbright Program.
At the 2026 event, Brittany is teaching a class. She is also meeting with attendees for add-on one-on-one meetings. (See her wishlist here.)
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Vicky Weber is a literary agent with Creative Media Agency.
At the 2026 event, Vicky is teaching a class. She is not taking pitch meetings.
I’m a former elementary school teacher turned children’s book author and literary agent. I represent commercial fiction – board books through adult – but specialize in children’s literature.
In all manuscripts, I want intensity in the writing. (Give me all the feels!) I want to be dropped into the moment and experience the story alongside the characters. Character development and emotional arcs go hand-in-hand with the plot. If a book is high-concept, commercial fiction with beautiful, literary-leaning prose, it’s probably up my alley.
In adult and young adult fiction, she seeks: horror, psychological suspense, thrillers, commercial, upmarket, historical, women’s fiction, romance, fantasy (dark/high/epic), magical realism, speculative, and paranormal/supernatural. In middle grade and picture books, she seeks highly giftable, commercial fiction with a strong voice—stories that feel like they always should have been on the shelf.
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Aimee Hardy is an editor for Running Wild Press and the author of Pocket Full of Teeth, which won a Silver Falchion in 2025.
She has a passion for storytelling and has been published in various literary magazines, including Writer’s Digest, Killer Nashville Magazine, and Stone Coast Review.
She has a B.A. and M.A. in English from National University. When she’s not editing or writing, she loves traveling and hanging out with her family.
At the 2026 event, Aimee is teaching a class.
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Bryan Thomas Schmidt is an author and Hugo-nominated editor of adult and children’s speculative fiction. See all his books here.
His debut novel, The Worker Prince received Honorable Mention on Barnes & Noble Book Club’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases.
His short stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and online and include entries in The X-Files, Pedator, and Decipher’s WARS, amongst others. As book editor for Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta’s WordFire Press he has edited books by such luminaries as Alan Dean Foster, Tracy Hickman, Frank Herbert, Mike Resnick, Jean Rabe and more. He was also the first editor on Andy Weir’s bestseller The Martian.
His anthologies as editor include Shattered Shields with co-editor Jennifer Brozek, Mission: Tomorrow, Galactic Games and Little Green Men–Attack! (forthcoming) all for Baen, Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6, Beyond The Sun and Raygun Chronicles: Space Opera For a New Age. He is also coediting anthologies with Larry Correia and Jonathan Maberry set in their New York Times Bestselling Monster Hunter and Joe Ledger universes.
At the 2026 event, he is teaching a class.
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Liza Achilles is the author of Two Novembers: A Memoir of Love ’n’ Sex in Sonnets.
Her writing has appeared in Exacting Clam, Tofu Ink Arts Press, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, and Washington Independent Review of Books, among other publications. Her blog for the discerning reader features great modern books. She lives near Washington, DC.
At the 2026 event, she is teaching a class.
“My Shakespearean sonnet sequence, Two Novembers: A Memoir of Love ’n’ Sex in Sonnets, was published by Beltway Editions on July 1, 2024. Poems from this collection have appeared in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, The Headlight Review, Tofu Ink Arts Press, Brief Wilderness, The Big Windows Review, Burrow, and Exacting Clam. My nonfiction has appeared in Washington Independent Review of Books and the Silent Book Club blog, as well as independent blogs. Two Novembers was selected for DCTRENDING magazine’s Summer Booklist 2024. The Blog for the Discerning Reader has been active since 2018 and attracts thousands of readers each month. In 2016, I was a Semi-Finalist in the William Faulkner–Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for my unpublished historical novel The Water-Creatures. I am currently at work on an autobiographical novel on the intersection of philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and consciousness—and a secret I kept for 30+ years.
“I have English degrees from Northwestern University (B.A.) and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (M.Ed.). My career as a high school English teacher turned into a career in writing and editing when I landed a job at a publishing house run by Pleasant Rowland, founder of American Girl. Since then, I have engaged in educational writing, proposal writing, business writing, policy writing, and technical writing, including a project for the Obama White House. I recently served as Policy Technical Writer as a contractor to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), focusing on IT policy, until I was laid off due to federal budget cuts in March 2025. I am now a freelance author, blogger, editor, literary speaker, web designer, and graphic designer
“The greater Washington, DC, area is my home. Although I was born here and currently live here, much of my childhood and adulthood was spent elsewhere; I’m glad to be back. In addition to reading and writing, I enjoy running and attending events and shows in the arts, including theater, poetry, books, visual art, music, and comedy.
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Michelle McGill Vargas is an author. At the 2026 event, she is offering add-on virtual manuscript critiques for attendees.
“I am writer of speculative historical fiction, flash fiction, and short fiction. I’ve published in The Lutheran Witness, Splickety Magazine, The Copperfield Review, and Typehouse Literary Magazine. I’ve also contributed at Short Fiction Break and Noir Expressions.
“I’m currently represented by the amazing Melissa Danaczko of Stuart Krichevsky Literacy Agency, Inc. I pay the bills as a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing. I’m a member of Highland Writers Group, Valparaiso Writers Group, served as vice-president of the Indiana Writer’s Consortium and chair of its 2016 Steel Pen Conference, and am currently on the board of Midwest Writers.”
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Lorin Oberweger is a highly sought-after independent book editor and ghostwriter with almost thirty years experience in publishing. Her company, Free Expressions, offers intensive, deep craft workshops nationwide. She’s also known for her one-on-one story mastermind session for writers of all genres of fiction and creative nonfiction.
At the 2026 event, she is offering add-on virtual manuscript critiques for attendees.
Lorin’s students and clients have been published by HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Simon and Schuster, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Disney, and many other presses. They have also gained representation with some of the industry’s leading literary agents and several have had work optioned for film and television.
An award-winning author, Lorin has co-written and ghostwritten eight books, several for New York Times bestselling authors of fiction and nonfiction. Her work, commissioned by major publishers, has received glowing notices from the New York Times, Kirkus Reviews, NPR, and others. Her latest co-author credit is THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK, written with Chris Anderson, director of TED Conferences.
With bestselling author Veronica Rossi, Lorin is the author of the New Adult books, BOOMERANG, REBOUND, and BOUNCE, published by Harper/William Morrow under the pen name Noelle August. The novels were praised by Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, among others, and BOOMERANG was chosen as a “new and notable” selection for Target Stores across the US. She is represented by Tracey Adams at Adams Literary.
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Bob McGough is a novelist.
Born and raised in South Alabama, Bob is an Eagle Scout who picks up hitchhikers with reckless abandon and once skinny-dipped at a wedding. To go along with his two useless college degrees he has roadied for a band you’ve never heard of and broke his wrist in a wall of death at a Divine Heresy show. He once licked the Wailing Wall, shook hands with Glenn Danzig, and is owed a fair ride by a carnival worker.
He’s written for video games, designed board games, and owns a disturbing number of roleplaying games. He’s given a camel a coke in Israel, got flashed in Paris, and watched a monkey steal a man’s wallet in Costa Rica. In addition to the passible podcasts he’s made he has also filmed terrible short horror movies and been the producer on a trio of albums. He’s worked and written for musical acts ranging from Upchurch the Redneck to Stitches.
He runs a non-profit while thriving on the groans of those he has punned around. He once dug up a dead cow in a creek thinking it was a human cadaver and has a cousin that’s a water witch,. In college he used to give haunted ghost tours of Troy (even though he’s pretty sure ghosts aren’t real). He’s been stalked, gave a Prophet a lift, and been stagger drunk in more states than he would care to admit.
More relevant he wrote some books, then self-pubbed some other books, and has also been published by a number of other folks with questionable judgment. The fictional things he writes sometimes come weirdly true. (Find all books here.)
He lives in the middle of Alabama with his amazing LadyFriend, the Kiddo, and a clowder of increasingly portly cats. At the 2026 event, he is offering add-on manuscript critiques.
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Rosie J. Pova is a multi-published and award-winning children’s book author, poet, writing coach, and speaker. Her picture book, Sunday Rain, was featured in The New York Times and recommended by Parents magazine. The School of Failure: A Story About Success is a Readers’ Favorite Awards silver medal winner and is now available in both China and the USA. Her latest picture book, Sally’s Musical Tale will be released in the spring of 2025.
Rosie loves doing school visits to encourage kids to read, write, create and inspire them to follow their big dreams. In her role as a Writing Coach, Rosie’s has helped many aspiring picture book authors advance their careers and reach their publishing goals through her popular mentorship programs and signature Picture Book Mastery course.
Originally from Bulgaria, Rosie now lives in Texas with her family. At the 2026 event, she is offering add-on manuscript critiques.