Vicki Delany has been called “one of Canada’s most promising new crime writers” (Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune)

Vicki began her career as a Sunday writer: A single mother of three high-spirited daughters, with a full-time job as a computer programmer.  Sunday afternoon was, and at that only now and again, the only time she had to spend all by herself, with a single candle on her desk for a bit of atmosphere, a Bruce Springsteen tape in the tape deck, and a nice cup of tea at her elbow.  When she felt like really letting loose, the tea might have turned into a glass of wine.  

The years passed, as they tend to do, and the three daughters have, somewhat hesitantly, flown the coop.  The tape deck has been replaced with a CD player (although the Boss remains!).  And Vicki writes whenever she feels like it. 

She has published two novels of standalone psychological suspense with Poisoned Pen Press, Scare the Light Away, 2005, and Burden of Memory, 2006.  In the Shadow of the Glacier, the first book in a police procedural series featuring Constable Molly Smith and set in the interior of British Columbia, will be published by Poisoned Pen in October 2007. 

In April 2007, Vicki took early retirement from her job as a systems analyst and sold her house in Oakville, Ontario.  She plans to spend the next year driving across North America with her dog, attending mystery conventions, meeting writers and readers, and working on the next Constable Molly Smith novel.  She is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime. Please visit Vicki’s web page at www.vickidelany.com and the group blog she is part of http://typem4murder.blogspot.com

Karen Syed  is the proud owner of Echelon Press Publishing and has published more than 100 novels for some of the freshest voices in the industry. Every day is a new success story for her as she continues to grow herself and her business. She has seen eight of her own novels published, along with numerous articles and short stories. As a former bookstore owner, she garnered a nomination from Publishers Weekly for their Bookseller of the Year award. She sits on the Board of the Maryland Writers Association and is a member of GLBA, SinC, MWA, and ITW. You can learn more about Karen Syed at www.hartofthematter.com .

Six years ago, Echelon Press was a dream. Today, they house some of the most incredible talent in the industry. Holding fast to their original goals, they continue to seek fresh voices. Echelon’s quest is and always has been to bring dedicated authors, who are determined to succeed, onto their team. They are pleased to have found a comfortable place in the mystery/suspense genre and are actively seeking submissions of all lengths. From short stories to full-length novels, with word counts ranging from 2,500 to 90,000 words. They are especially interested in growing their E-book line. For more information about Echelon Press, visit www.echelonpress.com .

Mari Atherton lives in the DFW Metroplex with her six cats, one dog and husband.

She fell in love with Science Fiction when she read THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES by Ray Bradbury at the age of ten. She promptly wrote her own science fiction novel that, mercifully, has long since been consigned to the recycling bin.

Her fantasy novel, THE DREAMER’S WAY and her science fiction novel, MERARI, the first novel in the Marianthia series, have been published by Swimming Kangaroo books. She can be reached at mariatherton@sbcglobal.net and http://www.myspace.com/mariatherton

Mari and her husband write the Dead Detectives series under the name Lorene Robbins.

Mari is also (under her real name) the owner of Swimming Kangaroo Books. http://www.swimmingkangaroo.com/

Wally Lind retired after a few decades as a Senior Crime Scene Analyst.  Finding “retirement” not the best fit, in 2003 he began a little forensics group on Yahoo.

Posted description:  “A forum for asking and answering crime scene investigation, applied forensics, and police procedure questions for fiction or non-fiction writers. Writers are invited to ask and crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, and medical practioners are invited to answer. Of course, experienced writers are invited to help the newer ones and each other.”

That group has grown to include 790 members including:  several experts (besides Wally) in crime scene analysis, several members of law enforcement, a host of writers wanting to get the information right (!), many published authors, and some lurkers (like Linda) who have that big murder mystery still in their heads.

Most of Wally’s writing has to do with answering questions for other writers, but he’s been included on the acknowledgements pages of a number of books.

Wally will be here to answer all of your crime scene and forensics questions and may be able to assist you with the who-dunnit you’re working on. 

Brad Dickson is the co-author of two best selling humor books, the most recent of which is "Race You To The Fountain of Youth" a funny look at all the hilarious things people do to attempt to stay young. He was a staff writer for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" for 13 years and is a regular humor columnist for the Los Angeles Times.