2023 Rising Star Award First Round Judges

Christa Allan is an award-winning writer of Women’s Fiction and also a WFWA member. She has six traditionally published and two indie-published novels. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge. You can find her on Medium and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @christaallan.author. Her website is www.ChristaAllan.com.

Lauren Beltz is a story engineer with experience writing and editing in multiple genres for traditional and indie publishing. She published her first novel, COLLEGE LIVING: A GUIDE FOR NEWBIES under the penname Elise Swift in college. Her recent novel THE PIT STOP was a RPLA semi-finalist. This is her first year as a Rising Star judge. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @lbeltzwrites or visit her at www.laurenbeltz.com.

Lara Bernhardt is a Pushcart-nominated writer and editor. She acted as Editor-in-Chief of Balkan Press and the literary magazine Conclave for six years. Twice a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction, she writes supernatural suspense and women’s fiction and has been both traditionally and indie published. Lara also freelance edits, works closely with aspiring authors, has judged for numerous writing competitions, and has presented sessions on editing and writing craft at library programs and writing conferences.  You can follow her on all the socials @larawells1 on Twitter and @larabern10 on Facebook, BookBub, and Instagram. Her website is larabernhardt.com.

Her latest novel, THE GOOD TIME GIRLS is written under the pen name K.T. Blakemore. It’s the first in the Wild-Willed Women of the West series, featuring women who take no prisoners and succeed through sheer grit, determination, and a parcel of luck.

In addition, Kim is a developmental editor and novel coach, specializing in historical fiction, historical mystery/suspense and women’s fiction. She is the founder of Novelitics, which provides events, workshops and community to writers in the US and Canada.

Betty Bolté is an award-winning American author and editor of fiction and nonfiction books. She has published 25+ books, most recently BECOMING LADY WASHINGTON: A NOVEL, NOTES OF LOVE AND WAR, and HOMECOMING (Fury Falls Inn Book 6). She earned a Master’s Degree in English in 2008, emphasizing the study of literature, and has judged many writing contests for both fiction and nonfiction. She’s been published in essays, newspaper articles/columns, magazine articles, and nonfiction books but now enjoys crafting entertaining and informative fiction, especially stories that bring American history to life. This is her ninth year as a Rising Star judge. She’s a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Authors Guild, and Historical Novel Society among other professional organizations. Find out more about her and her books at www.bettybolte.com. Follow her on Facebook, Bookbub, Twitter, and Goodreads. 

Jenn Bouchard is an author and high school teacher living in the Boston suburbs. Her debut novel FIRST COURSE was published by TouchPoint Press in 2021 and was the recipient of 14 awards. It will be released in audiobook by Tantor Media on May 9th. Her second book PALMS ON THE CAPE will be published by TouchPoint Press on October 3rd. She is currently querying a romcom. Her books are set in coastal New England and always involve delicious food and life's second acts. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @JennBouchardBOS and learn more at jennbouchard.com.

Sarahlyn Bruck is the award-winning author of three contemporary novels, Light of the Fire (forthcoming from Lake Union in fall 2023), Daytime Drama (2021), and Designer You (2018). When she’s not writing, Sarahlyn moonlights as a full-time writing and literature professor at a local community college. A Northern California native, she now lives in Philadelphia with her family. For the latest book news, events, and announcements, check out her website: sarahlynbruck.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @sarahlynbruck.

Lynne Bryant’s forty-plus years as a nurse and nursing academic have prepared her well for creating intimate human stories featuring the unheard voices of ordinary women. Lynne is the author of three novels: Catfish Alley, Alligator Lake, and The Mother Gene. She and her wife share a home with their three dogs—and occasionally their three children—in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where she attempts to grow flowers that deer don’t like and writes novels featuring delightfully flawed women in all their complexities.  Find Lynne online at www.lynnebryant.com. Follow her on Instagram @lynnebryantauthor.

Karen Cino is a multi-published author. Her daily walks down at the boardwalk are what gets her muse going. It clears her mind and helps her find realistic plot ideas and characters, boosting up her muse. Karen loves writing about local places that people can relate to.

Karen loves the summer, loves the beach. Her previous books were written and take place in various places across Staten Island. Karen relocated to the Jersey Shore in 2015 and traded in the Staten Island Boardwalk for the Jersey Shore. Her Cookie Cutter Cozy Mystery Series takes place at the Jersey Shore.

Karen is a member of Women’s Fiction Writing Association. She resides in Toms River, New Jersey with her boyfriend and two cats.
Currently, Karen is working on a Women’s Fiction novel as well as a Cozy Mystery series. Her website is karencino.com.

Grete DeAngelo is the author of GIVING MYSELF AWAY (2013) and a high school history teacher living with her family in Pennsylvania. She has served as a Rising Star judge since 2016. Her website is www.gretedeangelo.com.

KJ Dell’Antonia is the NYT best-selling author of The Chicken Sisters, In Her Boots, How to Be a Happier Parent and Playing the Witch Card (Fall 2023) She is also the former editor of the New York Times’ Motherlode blog, co-host of the #AmWriting podcast and the passionate bookstagrammer (@kjda) behind #AmReading, a weekly-ish email of bookish enthusiasms (kjda.substack.com). This is her first year as a Rising Star Judge. Her website is kjdellantonia.com.

Laura Drake is a New York and self-published published author of Women's Fiction and Romance. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, won the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award. She’s since published 13 more books. She is a founding member of Women’s Fiction Writers Assn. and Writers in the Storm blog.

Laura is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write full time. She realized a lifelong dream of becoming a Texan and is currently working on her accent. She's a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.

Molly Dwyer has been an educator for over thirty years and is currently adjunct faculty at Mendocino College where she teaches creative writing. She’s the founding president of Writers of the Mendocino Coast and her debut novel, Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein, was shortlisted for the 2009 Northern California Book of Year. In 2010, the Mendocino County branch of the National Women’s Political Caucus honored Molly for “Writing Women Back into History.” Her nonfiction work, From Maidens to Mavericks: Mendocino Women, was published in 2017 by the Kelley House Museum. Her most recent novel, Hall of Lost Footsteps, is a family saga based loosely on the ancestry of her birth family.

Molly graduated from Sonoma State University. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College in Vermont and a PhD from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. She coaches writers, edits manuscripts of all stripes, and facilitates workshops and critique groups. Her website is whiskeydogpress.wordpress.com.

Lauren Faulkenberry is a novelist and artist. Her novels include TROUBLE IN BAYOU SABINE and TROUBLE WILL FOLLOW. Her artist books are held in special collections libraries across the US. She is co-founder of Blue Crow Books and is a member of WFWA. This is her first year as a Rising Star judge. Follow her on Instagram @lefaulkenberry and visit her at laurenfaulkenberry.com.

Lisa Fellinger is a writer and professionally trained developmental editor and book coach specializing in women’s fiction and romance. Her passion is helping writers become published authors by building up their writing skills and making their manuscripts stronger. This is her second year as a Rising Star judge. Follow her on Instagram @lisafellinger_editor. Her website is www.lisafellinger.com.

Elaine Gallant travels the world armed with a Journalism degree, is founder of “808 Writers” and “NSB Writers,” founding member of Maui Writers Ink and creator of West Maui Book Club. She’s also a long-term WFWA member and author of “The 5th C: A CIA Novel” as well as several anthologies found on Amazon. Her many podcasts can be watched through ThinkTechHawaii.com. Elaine now resides in New Symrna Beach, FL after 20 years on Maui. Follow Elaine at her blog, ElaineGallantblog.wpcomstaging.com and on Facebook. 

Karin Gillespie is the author of seven novels (Simon and Schuster and Henry Press) and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Converse College. She is also a book columnist for the Augusta Chronicle, a humor columnist for Augusta Magazine and a recipient of a 2016 Georgia Author of the Year award. Follow her on Facebook and visit her website at www.karinpgillespie.com.

Jean M. Grant has a penchant for misunderstood creatures, be it sharks, microbes, or wounded characters. A scientist by training, she now spends her days as an author and champion for her children. She writes historical and contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Two of her books won InD’tale RONE awards and one won a NN Light award.

A nature enthusiast, Jean also writes for family-oriented travel magazines and websites. When not writing, she enjoys gardening, tackling the biggest mountains in New England, and going on adventures near and far with her family. If she were stuck on a desert island, her three essentials (besides family, food, water, and shelter) would be coffee, lip balm, and endless pink post-it notes.

Amy Hagstrom is a writer, editor, and outdoor enthusiast who has spent two decades as a travel and outdoor adventure writer before debuting in women's fiction. She has been a columnist at Outdoors NW magazine, and has bylines in Huffington Post, Consumer's Digest, US News Travel, and Travel Oregon. Her op-ed pieces and essays have found homes at Grok Nation and First Day Press. Amy's debut novel, THE WILD BETWEEN US, publishes with Lake Union in November 2023. This is her first year as a Rising Star judge. Follow her on Instagram at @amyhagstromwrites and at amyhagstrom.com.

Emma Grundy Haigh is Editorial Director at Joffe Books. Throughout her publishing career, she has worked on Man Booker Prize shortlisters, illustrated children’s books and award-winning commercial fiction for publishers big and little. She loves working closely with authors to unknot tangled plot lines, push villains to their furthest extremes and draw out the weakness of the hero until they become strengths. She runs the Joffe Books Prize, now in its third year, which aims to amplify and celebrate crime writers of colour. Follow her on Twitter.

Leslie J. Hall is the author of the Kaitlyn Willis Road Signs mysteries, a humorous, PG-rated, amateur sleuth series starring a NW code enforcement officer. She also writes women’s fiction and in training to become a book coach. Leslie loves to speak, teach, and share her passion for writing with others. When not writing, Leslie volunteers for writer-related events, leads Write Night (a weekly virtual facilitated critique group), teaches beginning writing at community colleges in continuing ed, laughs as much as possible, and when not doing all of that, hangs out at the beach whenever possible. She lives in Bremerton, WA with her husband and her pandemic rescue cat, Mia. Learn more about Leslie’s writing and her classes at www.lesliejhall.com.

Jacque Hamilton is a developmental editor and coach specializing in structure, deep perspective, and creating an emotional connection. Her long form works and short stories explore the intricacies of intimate relationships or subtly reflect on current cultural changes through fiction. Jacque is an active WFWA member and mentor. You can connect with her at www.soapboxedits.com or on Instagram @soapboxedits_jacque.

Lita Harris is the author of CHRISTMAS IN BROOKSIDE FALLS, CHOCOLATE NUT SOMEDAY, ALWAYS, and several more titles in women’s fiction, contemporary, and small-town romance. She is a Jersey girl who enjoys spending time walking long the shore in the off-season looking for sea glass, and shells. References to the area are frequently mentioned in her books. The small-town settings in her stories are based on her time in rural Pennsylvania, and Alaska.

Her two rescue dogs are always close by, and occasionally find their way into a book.

For more information, please visit her website at LitaHarris.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Rebecca Hodge’s debut novel WILDLAND has received rave reviews from readers and received the WFWA Star award for debut Women’s Fiction. Her second book, OVER THE FALLS, about a woman searching for the sister she hates, Released in September 2021. Rebecca is a former veterinarian and clinical research scientist who lives and writes in North Carolina. She has three grown sons, two crazy dogs, and one patient husband. When not writing on the back porch or brewing yet another mug of tea, she loves hiking, travel, and (of course) curling up with a good book.

Follow her on Facebook and Instagram and check out her website www.rebeccahodgefiction.com to sign up for her newsletter, which offers a book giveaway in every issue.

Leslie Lehr, Novel Consultant for Truby Writers Studio, is a prize-winning author, essayist and screenwriter. Her pop culture memoir, A Boobs’ Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me ... and You, is in development with HBOMax comedy and was inspired by her NYTimes Modern Love essay narrated by Katie Couric on NPR. The paperback, with new material, will be released May 9, just in time for Mother's Day. Leslie's novels include What a Mother Knows, Wife Goes on, and 66 Laps, winner of the Pirates Alley Faulkner Prize. A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA from Antioch University, she has taught at the Writers Program at UCLA and is a member of WGA, Women in Film, PEN, The Authors Guild, The Women’s Leadership Council of L.A., and contributes to WFWA Write-On. Leslie, a past judge, helped develop the guidelines for the Rising Star Awards. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her website is www.leslielehr.com. 

Kim Lozano is a developmental editor and writing coach. She leads workshops online and in St. Louis and offers writing, editing, and publishing tips on her website. Her own work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has been published in The Iowa Review, North American Review, Third Coast, and many other publications. This is her third year as a Rising Star judge. You can sign up for her popular resource for writers, [Kim's Notes], at kimlozano.com.

J. Marie Rundquist is an author, educator, and a techie. Her debut, ALL I'M ASKING released in 2022 and her sophomore novel, AS THOUGH YOU WERE MINE is due out later in 2023. She is an active member within WFWA (currently serving on the Board of Directors as Secretary).This is her second year as a Rising Star judge.

Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and writing.exchange. Her website is jmarierundquist.com.

Karen Winters Schwartz wrote her first truly good story at age seven. Forty-five years later her professional writing career finally began when the first of her widely praised novels were published by Goodman Beck Publishing: WHERE ARE THE COCOA PUFFS?, 2010; REIS’S PIECES, 2012; and THE CHOCOLATE DEBACLE, 2014. Red Adept Publishing released LEGEND OF THE LOST ASS, 2020, and THE VAST CLEAR BLUE, 2023; two richly emotional stories about relationships that take place in Belize.

Educated at The Ohio State University, Karen and her husband moved to the Central New York Finger Lakes region where they raised two daughters and shared a career in optometry. She now splits her time between Arizona, a small village in Belize, and traveling the earth in search of the many creatures with whom she has the honor of sharing this world. This is her fourth year as a Rising Star judge.

Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Her website is www.karenwintersschwartz.com.