Thomas Fox Averill is Writer-in-residence and Professor of English at Washburn University of Topeka, where he teaches courses in Creative Writing and in Kansas Literature, Folklore and Film.
His story collections are Passes at the Moon (Woodley Press, 1985), Seeing Mona Naked (Watermark Press, 1989), and Ordinary Genius (University of Nebraska Press, 2005). He is the editor of What Kansas Means to Me: Twentieth Century Writers on the Sunflower State (University Press of Kansas 1990). In the Fall of 1996, Eagle Books (Wichita) brought out his Oleader's Guide to Kansas: How You Know When You're Here. His novels are Secrets of the Tsil Cafe (BlueHen/Putnam, 2001) and The Slow Air of Ewan MacPherson (BlueHen/Berkley, 2003). Visit his web site.
"A Novel Process: writing, agents, editors & book tours"

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is published in poetry, short stories, essays, magazine articles, teacher resource materials, and full-length fiction. Her fiction ranges from contemporary to historical; ghost stories to time travel; Christmas to romance. She's a 2009 EPPIES finalist for her historical romance, Song of My Heart. She also wrote and co-produced a documentary on Kansas history which won state and national awards. When not writing, she loves to do crafts like pottery and fused glass, candles, baskets and quilts. Visit her web site.
Workshop: "Boy Meets Girl and What Happens Next —The Magic of Writing Romance"

Panel: "Ways to Get Published"

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earned degrees in sociology and law, then joined the FBI, nabbing killers, kidnappers, and bank robbers across America for 30 years. He played a key role in nailing the Oklahoma City bombers. He uses his background in tracking down real criminals to write mystery/suspense novels. He has four published novels, Max Conquers the Cosmos, Max Unlocks the Universe, Cracks in the Rainbow and The Second Savior. The Max cosmic mystery series features a former FBI agent turned PI who solves crimes using his knowledge of the workings of the universe. The other novels show two LAPD homicide detectives solving murders and conspiracies. He has also written a non-fiction book entitled How to Spot Lies Like the FBI. Bouton lives on a cattle and horse ranch north of Topeka, Kansas, where he does chores, writes, reads, lifts weights, plays electric guitar, and contemplates the known universe. Further information is available at his

"Jump-start Your Fiction with a Hook"

Panel: "Ways to Get Published"

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L.D. (Lisa) Harkrader is the author of sixteen books for children. Her middle-grade novel, Airball: My Life in Briefs, was recently awarded the William Allen White Award. It is also a Kansas Notable Book, Junior Library Guild Selection, and winner of the Juvenile Literary Award from the Friends of American Writers, and was nominated for several other state awards, including the Texas Lone Star Award, the Maine Student Book Award, and the Washington Sasquatch Award. Her next book, Daisy Diaz Shakes Up Camp, will be published in 2009.
     Harkrader has also published over two hundred stories, articles, and poems in magazines. She has received SCBWI's Magazine Merit Award four times, for fiction and poetry.
"Writing for the Kid Within"
Panel: "Ways to Get Published"

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Angela Johnson earned a BA degree in history from Washburn University of  Topeka in 1999. Upon graduating she combined her favorite subjects—history and romance—and began crafting her first medieval romance novel. Angela then entered this work into national RWA-sponsored writing contests where she either won, or placed, in four of the contests. These achievements led to her novel being read by industry editors and she was soon offered a two-book contract with Kensington Publishing. Her first novel, Vow of Seduction, will be released in the Fall of 2009, with a second  medieval to follow in the fall of 2010.  To learn more about Angela and her work, please check out her web site.
Photo credit: Nathan Ham Photography
 "A Romance Writer's Journey: From First Draft To Publication"

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Denise Low is the current Kansas Poet Laureate. She is chair of the English Department at Haskell Indian Nations University and has been writing and publishing poetry 30 years in several books and journals such as North American Review., Midwest Quarterly., Connecticut Review, Chariton Review., Coal City Review., and others. Her books include Touching the Sky, New & Selected Poems, 1980-1999, Second edition; Words of a Prairie Alchemist (essays), and Thailand Journal (poems). See Mammoth Publications. A new work is 3 Voices, a DVD packaging of fine art book with prose poems by Low & paintings by Paul Hotvedt. Visit Low's poetry blog.
"Publishing Poetry: Start Local, Go Global" — Many poets just out of the closet want to know how to publish poetry. Each person has access to publishing on a local level. When and how do poets move to larger audiences?
Panel: "Ways to Get Published"

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Max McCoy is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and investigative reporter.  McCoy's recent work includes I, Quantrill, Hellfire Canyon, A Breed Apart, Indian Jones and the Secret of the Phoenix, The Moon Pool, and Into the West, a novelization of the Stephan Spielberg epic television miniseries. Max is our keynote speaker, besides sharing his writing knowledge in a workshop. A longer biography is available at KAC 2009 Convention page and on his web site.
Workshop:"The Hero's Journey"
Keynote:"The Seven Secrets of Writing Well"

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T. Dawn Richard, author of The May List Mystery Series, hails from Spokane, Washington. Her first book, Death for Dessert , was published in 2003,followed by Digging up Otis , and A Wrinkle in Crime . This year she completed her fourth book in the series, Par for the Corpse . Kirkus Reviews called her "A kind of geriatric Janet Evanovich" because of her quirky senior citizen characters. Her mysteries are humorous, but her main character, amateur sleuth May List, solves serious crimes in her own, bumbling way. Dawn has teamed up with police officers as a means of gathering accurate data for her novels. She also recently finished two screenplays.
Workshop: "UsingHumor in Your Fiction"
Luncheon: "Makingthe Most of Your Writing Lifestyle"

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