2024 Faculty: S through Z
Judy Penz Sheluk
Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of Finding YOUR Path to Publication and Self-publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie, the Marketville and Glass Dolphin mystery series, and several short stories. Judy is also the publisher/editor of four Superior Shores Anthologies, and Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada. www.judypenzsheluk.com.
Clay Stafford
Clay Stafford is an American bestselling and award-winning author, poet, screenwriter, and playwright; film and television producer, director, showrunner, actor; book, film, and stage reviewer as well as public speaker. He has sold nearly four million copies of his books, has had his work distributed in sixteen languages, and has spoken live to over one million people. He is founder and CEO of the annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference and a contributor to Writer’s Digest magazine with his online column, “Killer Writer”. For more information visit https://claystafford.com/
Lauren Thoman
Lauren Thoman is the author of the speculative mysteries I’ll Stop the World and You Shouldn’t Be Here. She lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and two children. When she’s not writing, she’s probably on the hunt for tacos or coffee, or buried underneath a pile of dogs.
Charles Todd
Charles Todd is The New York Times Best Selling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge Series and the Bess Crawford series. A Game of Fear (Ian Rutledge Mystery) 2-1-22 and The Cliffs Edge (Bess Crawford Mystery) 2-14-23. He has published forty titles including two stand-alone novels, anthology and twenty short-stories appearing in mystery magazines and anthologies worldwide. His works have received the Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha, and Barry awards and nominations other major awards.
Scout Underhill
Scout Underhill (they/them) is a nonbinary, queer author-illustrator. Their webcomic DnDoggos began in 2017, and DnDoggos Get the Party Started is their debut graphic novel. They have appeared on NPR and presented on panels at ECCC, GenCon, and SCBWI. They live in Nashville with a swarm of dogs.
Photo credit: Emily April Allen
J. D. Webb
J. D. Webb, served in the Air Force in Viet Nam and the Philippines as a Chinese linguist, as a corporate transportation manager, then shoe repair and sales shop owner, before becoming an author. An award-wining author of five novels, an anthology and two short stories. Incredible Witness the anthology was a finalist in the 2023 Silver Falchion awards. His latest novel is Bayou Chase, a thriller, published September 2023 from Wild Rose Press. In 2023 Webb was honored to be elected to the Midwest Writer’s Workshop Board of Directors.
Darin Werkmeister
Darin Werkmeister is a retired FBI Agent with 21 years of street experience. He investigated white collar crime, Italian organized crime, Eastern European organized crime and international money laundering. He was also an 8 year member of the Philadelphia FBI SWAT team. He published his first novel in 2024.
Wendy Whitman
Wendy Whitman spent decades working at Court TV and the Nancy Grace show, covering high-profile murder cases. Whitman previously worked for comedians Lily Tomlin and George Carlin. She has received three Telly Awards and two GLAAD nominations. Whitman has published two crime thriller novels: Premonition and the sequel, Retribution. https://wendywhitman.com/
Cyle Young
Cyle Young is a talented literary agent, award-winning author, and sought-after speaker. With a passion for nurturing writers, Cyle has successfully represented numerous authors across various genres. He's known for his dynamic approach to author development, keen market insight, and a deep commitment to fostering literary excellence.
Yoshikawa Yurina
Yurina Yoshikawa is the Director of Education at The Porch. She holds an M.F.A. from Columbia University, and her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, NPR, Lit Hub, The Japan Times, and elsewhere. She has lived in Tokyo, Palo Alto, and New York before settling down in Nashville, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Rebecca Zanetti
Rebecca Zanetti is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty suspense, dark paranormal, and contemporary romances, many of which have also appeared on the Publishers Weekly, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple bestseller lists and sold millions of copies worldwide. She is a Daphne du Maurier Award-winner, a five-time Daphne du Maurier Award-finalist, a PRISM Award-winner, and a two-time PRISM Award-finalist. Nearly a dozen of her novels have been selected as Amazon Best Romances of the Month, including Lethal Lies, Mercury Striking, and Fallen, which were also Amazon Best Books of the Year. Previously an an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner, Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body – all in the name of research and only to culminate it all in stories about alpha males and the women who claim them. Please visit her online at www.RebeccaZanetti.com