Greg Rucka was born in San Francisco and raised on the Central Coast of California, in what is commonly referred to as “Steinbeck Country.” He began his writing career in earnest at the age of ten by winning a countywide short-story contest and hasn’t let up since. He graduated from Vassar College with an AB in English, and from the University of Southern California’s master of professional writing program. He is the author of nearly a dozen novels, five featuring bodyguard Atticus Kodiak and two featuring Tara Chace, the protagonist of his Queen & Country series. Additionally, he has penned several short stories, countless comics, and the occasional nonfiction essay. In comics, he has had the opportunity to write stories featuring some of the world’s best-known characters – Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – as well as penning several creator-owned properties himself, such as Whiteout and Queen & Country, both published by Oni Press. His work has been optioned several times over, and his services as a story doctor and creative consultant are in high demand in a variety of creative fields. Greg resides in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, author Jennifer Van Meter, and his two children. He thinks the biggest problem with the world is that people aren’t paying enough attention.
Bev Vincent grew up in eastern Canada and lived in Switzerland before moving to Texas in the late 1980s. His American-born daughter recently moved to Canada to keep things in balance. He is the author of more than forty stories, including contributions to the Bram Stoker Award-winning anthology From the Borderlands; Doctor Who: Destination Prague; All Hallows; The Best of Borderlands 1-5; Cemetery Dance; Corpse Blossoms; Shivers IV; and a mystery anthology featuring tales set in bathrooms called Who Died in Here? His first book, The Road to the Dark Tower, an authorized exploration of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, was nominated for a 2004 Bram Stoker Award. He coedited The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book, wrote reviews for Accent Literary Review, and is a contributing editor with Cemetery Dance magazine. He is a monthly contributor to Storytellers Unplugged. His Web site, with links to his message board and blogs, is bevvincent.com.
Persia Walker, a New York City native, is the author of Darkness and the Devil Behind Me and Harlem Redux, mysteries set against the glittering backdrop of 1920s New York. A former journalist, Persia has worked for the Associated Press and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich. She has degrees from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and Swarthmore College.
In her four critically acclaimed Charlotte Justice novels, Paula L. Woods has focused on her protagonist, an LAPD Homicide detective. In “Divine Droplets,” the focus shifts to Charlotte’s nemesis, Detective Steve Firestone, and fast-forwards from the 1990s to present-day Los Angeles. “Since his debut in Inner City Blues, Firestone has been a deeply flawed but increasingly peripheral character in the series,” she notes. “It was high time to tell his story and examine the errors he’s made in his career.” In addition to writing the series, Woods is also a book critic and pens reviews for the Los Angeles Times.
