Nancy Johnson is the author of the highly acclaimed The Kindest Lie and her latest novel, People of Means, forthcoming from William Morrow/HarperCollins February 11, 2025. Her writing explores themes of race, class, and family that resonate deeply with many of us, and her success at writing women’s fiction makes her a great fit for this role. You may remember her as our keynote speaker at the 2022 conference. Nancy states "I was part of this organization near its inception and attended the first retreat in Albuquerque. I wouldn't be a successfully published author without the community I found at WFWA so it's my honor to give back." You can learn more about her work at nancyjohnson.net. We’re fortunate to have her insight and creativity as part of WFWA’s offerings in 2025.
The WFWA Guiding Scribe serves as the respected guiding voice within the Association. The Guiding Scribe is published in Women’s Fiction and provides advice to members and the board about topics related to the genre of Women’s Fiction through our quarterly E-zine WriteON, the online community, and in the keynote address at our annual retreat.
Past Guiding Scribes
2024: Denny S. Bryce
Denny S. Bryce is the bestselling, award-winning author of five novels: THE OTHER PRINCESS: A Novel of Queen Victoria’s Goddaughter, IN THE FACE OF THE SUN, CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS (co-written with Eliza Knight), WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES and THE TRIAL OF MRS. RHINELANDER (coming July 23, 2024). She is also an NPR book critic, an adjunct professor at Drexel University, and a freelance writer who has written for Harper’s Bazaar and USA Today. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers. You can learn more about her work at www.dennysbryce.com.
2023: Camille Pagán
Camille Pagán is the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of 10 books, a master certified coach and the founder of Even Better Co., and a journalist who has written for Forbes, the New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Time, and many others.
You can learn more about her work at camillepagan.com and evenbetter.co.
2022: Kelly Harms
Kelly is the bestselling author of several novels, most notably The Overdue Life of Amy Byler and The Goodluck Girls of Shipwreck Lane. She brings a wealth of writing and publishing advice and encouragement as a former literary agent and author. In addition to contributing support and insights on publishing throughout the year, she will be contributing to the February WOW challenge and the quarterly Write ON! ezine.
Learn more about Kelly on her website.
2021: Tiffany Yates Martin
Tiffany Yates Martin is passionate about editing and revising and how it can elevate an author’s vision. She’s spent nearly 30 years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors, as well as with indie and newer writers. Tiffany is the author of the bestseller Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing. She leads workshops and seminars for conferences and writers' groups across the country and is a frequent contributor to writers' sites and publications as well as her own blog and YouTube channel. In 2021, she serves as the Guiding Scribe for the WFWA. Under the pen name Phoebe Fox, she's also the author of six novels, the most recent of which, The Way We Weren’t (Berkley), will be released in 2022.
Visit her at www.foxprinteditorial.com or www.phoebefoxauthor.com.
2020: Kathryn Craft
Kathryn Craft is the award-winning author of two novels, The Art of Falling and The Far End of Happy, as well as chapters in Author in Progress and The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing from Writers Digest Books. Kathryn has been a freelance developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com for 14 years. She leads writing workshops and retreats, mentors novelists through her Your Novel Year program, teaches for Drexel University’s MFA program, and is a regular contributor to top writing blog WriterUnboxed. She is a member of the award-winning marketing cooperative of women authors, Tall Poppy Writers.
Visit her at http://www.kathryncraft.com/about.html.
2019: Barbara O’Neal
Barbara O’Neal has written more than a dozen novels of women’s fiction, including several Amazon top-sellers and award winners, such as When We Believed in Mermaids, The Art of Inheriting Secrets and The Lost Recipe for Happiness. Her books have been published in many countries, including France, England, Poland, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Israel, and Hungary. She lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs with her partner, a British endurance athlete who vows he will never lose his accent.
Visit her at https://barbaraoneal.com/about.
2017 & 2018: Heather Webb
Heather Webb is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of seven historical novels including Rodin’s Lover, Last Christmas in Paris and Meet Me in Monaco. Her books have been translated to over a dozen languages. Heather is a professional freelance editor and shares advice at one of her favorite places on the internet, award-winning writing site WriterUnboxed.com. When not writing, she feeds her cookbook addiction and looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world. She lives in New England with her family and one feisty rabbit. Visit her at https://heatherwebbauthor.com/.
2015 & 2016: Barbara Claypole White
Bestselling author Barbara Claypole White was born in rural England, but writes and gardens in the forests of North Carolina. Her books include The Promise Between Us, Echoes of Family and The Perfect Son. Barbara's passion for chipping away at stereotypes of mental illness inspires quirky stories about troubled but courageous characters, complicated relationships, and crazy critters…topped off with a dollop of hope. She is also an OCD advocate for the A2A Alliance, a non-profit that promotes advocacy over adversity.
Visit her at https://barbaraclaypolewhite.com/bio/.
2013 & 2014: Marilyn Brant
Marilyn Brant is proud to have been a founding board member & the first Guiding Scribe of WFWA. She's a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas to date. In the genre of romantic women’s fiction, she’s written According to Jane, Friday Mornings at Nine, and A Summer In Europe, all originally published by Kensington Books. Her novel The Road and Beyond and her current work in progress both merge women's fiction with suspense. Marilyn lives in the Chicago suburbs with her family. She's a frequent beat sheet/story structure contributor to the website Save The Cat and eats way more chocolate than she should. Visit her at https://www.marilynbrant.com
Photo Credit: Suzanne German
