Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Jodie Griffin didn’t always want to be a writer. She spent hours reading romance and mystery, but school assignments were written one painful word at a time. Then, one day out of the blue, she got an idea for a story that wouldn’t let her go, demanding to be put down on paper. After writing several books that will never be allowed out from under the bed, she took the leap and submitted one of her manuscripts. She hasn’t looked back since. She loves chocolate in all its various forms except ice cream, hates confrontation, and has a weird affinity for the moon. She’s also an avid photographer and goes nowhere without her camera or a notebook and pen. Her own happily-ever-after includes one incredibly supportive husband and one future heroine.

Talia Hibbert is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate.

She writes steamy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation. Her interests include makeup, junk food, and unnecessary sarcasm. Talia and her many books reside in the English Midlands.

Visit her website at taliahibbert.com.

Jenny Holiday is a USA Today bestselling author whose books have been featured by the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, the Washington Post, and NPR. She grew up in Minnesota and started writing when her fourth-grade teacher gave her a notebook to fill with stories. When she’s not working on her next book, she likes to hike, throw theme parties, and watch other people sing karaoke. Jenny lives in London, Ontario, Canada.

Jackie Lau decided she wanted to be a writer when she was in grade two, sometime between writing “The Heart That Got Lost” and “The Land of Shapes.” She later studied engineering and worked as a geophysicist before turning to writing romance novels.

Jackie lives in Toronto with her husband, and despite living in Canada her whole life, she hates winter. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, hiking, eating too much gelato, and reading on the balcony when it’s raining.

Vanora Lawless is a bisexual genderfluid Canadian with ADHD and a passion for telling love stories set in magical or niche historical worlds. A graduate of Saint Mary’s University, Vanora has a B.A, majoring in psychology. As a Nova Scotian, loving long walks on the beach is practically a law, so Vanora takes every possible opportunity to explore the best sandy shores. In spare time between crafting new worlds and stories, Vanora can be found behind the lens of a camera or in a blanket burrito with a good book.

Rose Lerner writes historical romance with strong heroines and adorable heroes, as well as doing freelance book doctoring, editing, and research assistance. She has taught craft and research workshops for conferences, libraries, and writers’ groups. Her small-town Lively St. Lemeston series has been featured in NPR’s Book Concierge and Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. Her most recent novel is the Audible Original The Wife in the Attic, an f/f Jane Eyre retelling (also available in eBook and print).
When she’s not writing or researching, you can find Rose reading, watching, cooking, doodling, rambling, and daydreaming in Philadelphia.

Kimberly Lemming is on an eternal quest to avoid her calling as a main character. She can be found giving the slip to that new werewolf that just blew into town and refusing to make eye contact with a prince of a far-off land. Dodging aliens looking for Earth booty can really take up a girl’s time.

But when she’s not running from fate, she can be found writing diverse fantasy romance. Or just shoveling chocolate in her maw until she passes out on the couch.