2021 Washington Writers Conference Panelists and Presenters

 

Fauzia Burke, author of Online Marketing for Busy Authors, is the founder and president of FSB Associates, an online book publicity firm; co-founder of Pub Site, a platform for building author websites; and a consultant and coach for authors who need help navigating the book marketing and publicity landscape. Before starting FSB, she worked for book publishers Henry Holt and John Wiley. Fauzia has promoted books by authors such as Alan Alda, Arianna Huffington, Deepak Chopra, Melissa Francis, S.C. Gwynne, Mika Brzezinski, Charles Spencer, and many more. She is based in San Diego.

Carrie Callaghan is the author of the historical novels A Light of Her Own and Salt the Snow. Her short stories have been published in multiple literary journals, and she is a senior editor with the Independent. She served as a Pitch Wars mentor for four years, working with writers to revise their novel manuscripts during the intense program. She lives in Maryland with her family and three ridiculous cats. She loves seasons of all kinds, history, and tea.

Daniel de Visé is an author and journalist who worked at the Washington Post, the Miami Herald, and three other newspapers in a 23-year career. His first book, I Forgot to Remember (with Su Meck), began as a front-page article De Visé wrote for the Washington Post in 2011. His second book, Andy & Don, grew from a journalistic exploration into the storied career of his late brother-in-law, Don Knotts. Andy & Don is now in its ninth paperback printing. His third book, The Comeback, rekindled a childhood obsession with professional cycling and the sport's forgotten hero, Greg LeMond. The Comeback inspired Congress to award LeMond its highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, in December 2020. Daniel is married to Sophie Yarborough, a senior editor at the Washington Post. They and their children live in Maryland.

Maryann Jordan retired as a high school counselor in 2015 after 30 years in education. Her first book, Emma’s Home, was published in 2014. Since then, she has released more than 50 additional titles. She is a USA Today, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble Bestselling Author, and an Amazon International Bestselling and All-Star Author.

Brian Paules and his wife, Nina, operate ePublishing Works! in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, an independent publisher that manages book preparation and production for independent authors. In 2019, ePW sold over 1 million books, put three books on the New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers lists, and placed many more on the Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo Top-100 lists.

Andrea Penrose is the bestselling author of Regency-era historical fiction, including the acclaimed Wrexford & Sloane mystery series, as well as Regency romances written under the names Cara Elliott and Andrea Pickens. Published internationally in 10 languages, she is a three-time RITA finalist and the recipient of numerous writing awards, including two Daphne Du Maurier Awards for Historical Mystery and two Golden Leaf Awards. A graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in art and an M.F.A. in graphic design, she lives in Connecticut.

Margaret Rodenberg’s debut novel, Finding Napoleon, includes an intriguing adaptation of Napoleon Bonaparte's real attempt to write a romantic novel. An avid traveler who has visited over 60 countries, Margaret journeyed more than 30,000 miles to conduct Napoleonic research, including to St. Helena Island in the South Atlantic Ocean where her novel takes place. She's a former businesswoman, an award-winning writer, and a director of the Napoleonic Historical Society. She's as happy in a kayak as she is in a museum.

David O. Stewart, after many years as a trial and appellate lawyer, became a bestselling and award-winning writer of history and historical fiction. The Wall Street Journal called his most recent history, George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father, “an outstanding biography,” with writing that “is clear, often superlative” and “a narrative drive such a life deserves.” His other histories have explored the writing of the Constitution, the gifts of James Madison, the outrageous western expedition and treason trial of the mysterious Aaron Burr, and the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson. His first novel, The Lincoln Deception, about the John Wilkes Booth Conspiracy, was called the best historical novel of 2013 by Bloomberg View. Sequels are The Paris Deception, set at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and The Babe Ruth Deception, which follows the Babe's first two years with the Yankees.

Roger Williams has run and owned successful bookstores, served as sales director at Bantam Doubleday Dell and Simon & Schuster, and now represents authors through the Roger Williams Agency. He also serves as publisher at Knox Press and as acquisitions editor at Permuted Press, both imprints of Post Hill Press. He is based in Lawrence, New Jersey.

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