Meet Our Authors

Into the Rhubarb,
Of Coffee and Connections,
Catastrophic Conclusions​
Carla Coles
Carla dwells in the magical realm of Stratford, Ontario. She admits to being a little in love with her community. She is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, author, and entrepreneur.
Her first book, much to Carla's surprise, was number one in Canadian poetry for a brief time. Carla is a member of Stratford’s Art in the Park.
Carla, by her own accounts, is not a believable character. She has an unnatural fondness for pudding and always carries a cake fork with her in case of just such emergencies. Queries on whether she wants another coffee are always answered with an enthusiastic yes. Carla likes to think she is hilarious … Carla's friends have said they think it's endearing that she finds herself hilarious.

Tales from a Broken Girl,
We're All Stories In The End
Chris Dean
Chris writes from the heart of Indiana where they live with their husband, two dogs, and too many cats to admit to. Their work has appeared online on Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Bonbon Break Magazine, and Midlife Boulevard. They've been featured in showcases by Cajun Mutt Press and Fevers Of the Mind, as well as contributing to multiple anthologies, and participate in as many open mic nights as they can.

Crow's Foot
Mark Hertzberger
Mark Hertzberger is a member of The League of Canadian Poets, The Ontario Poetry Society, Poetry Stratford and the Huron Poetry Collective. His first book of poetry, Fog & Mirrors, was published in 2019. Among other publications, his poems have also appeared in Denouement, published by Beliveau Books and The Leaf, published by Brucedale Press.
Mark took first place in the 2008 Poetry Stratford Open Mike Contest and 3rd prize in the K. Valerie Connor 2024 Poetry Contest. He has read his poetry on CJCS Radio and at Culture Days festivals in Stratford, Ontario. Mark resides in Stratford with his wife, novelist Yvonne Hertzberger.

Medals and Memories,
The Little Book of Grief
Pat Keachie
Pat Keachie has worn many hats over the years but at her core she is a writer. Her work is fueled by love and gratitude; love for family, friends and country, and gratitude for life and nature in all its forms. A breast cancer survivor and self-confessed tree hugger, she says a sense of humour goes a long way.

Elmington
Renee Lehnen
Renee Lehnen is a registered nurse by profession and a writer by passion. Her short stories have been published in the anthologies Dark Secrets and Murder! Mystery! Mayhem! Her pen name for her recently released romance novel is “Renata North.” In addition, Renee was the 2019 winner and 2020 runner-up of Stratford Rotary’s short story contest. For more information about her work, please visit www.lehnen.ca
Renee lives in Stratford, Ontario with her husband.

Evie's Haven
Lisa Plaice
Lisa Plaice was born, raised and still lives in southern Ontario, Canada. She loves her family, sewing projects that are sometimes inappropriate, and making people laugh. When she isn't working at her day job, reading, writing, or sewing, she is probably singing (badly) to her Grand-dogger Stella. Her goal in writing this novel is to help readers escape and live in the charming town of Haven for a time, and laugh, cry, and ultimately cheer on Evie to find her happy ending.

Sunflowers In The Winter
Skye Price
Skye Price is a poet, nature enthusiast, and travel addict who lives in the countryside with her husband and beloved animals. Her journey as a writer started with her love for English class, which grew into notepads and phone notes which she’d use to unravel her thoughts into.
These eventually grew into something she felt was ready for the wider world, and so were sent off to be included in online spaces, literary magazines, and anthologies. Now that she feels she has found a voice in her writing, she is ready to share her own collection with the world with her ‘Sunflowers in the Winter’ debut.
Skye Price writes her poetry in the moment of her experiences, both as a way to process them, and to create real and relatable poetry which others may be able to connect with in their own lives.

One Hundred Words
Michael E Smidts
Michael is a devoted husband and father of two young children. He lives in the picturesque town of Stratford, Ontario, Canada, where he enjoys the theatre along with the cultural and culinary scenes. When he’s not writing, he can be found sketching, painting, reading the classics, co-riding the tandem bike, and managing his fantasy hockey team.
The inspiration for Michael’s stories are drawn from his childhood experiences, the arts and literature, historical figures, current world events, and personal joys and traumas.
Michael hopes that by pursuing his passion for writing, he can inspire his children to chase their own dreams.

Homespun: A Collection of Poems and Paintings from a Newfoundland Expat
Vicki Merrigan-Schofield
Vicki Merrigan-Schofield is an author and illustrator born in Gander, Newfoundland. Her love for travel took her from Newfoundland to the UK, to Ontario, and now to Nova Scotia, where she studied art, creative writing, and business at a university level, obtaining her Business Degree from Memorial University. She has had pieces of nonfiction, fiction, and children's writing published internationally, but this is her first compilation of poetry.
When not writing, Vicki can be found making something creative, whether fibre arts or fine arts, and takes pride in being a joyful, inclusive and kind educator. She loves working with children and helping them to find their creative voice. Her East Coast family includes her husband Andy, son Benjamin, cat Pumpkin and dog Marty.

Finding Our Way,
Need: An Erotic Anthology
Beginning Again
Barbara L.B. Storey
Barbara L. B. Storey is a writer, photographer, and digital artist. She loves to write, to read, to travel, and is also crazy about baseball. She was born and now lives in Canada, but is a former resident of New York City and misses it very much.
She's also particularly fond of certain book series - The Lord of the Rings and Outlander - of poetry, historical fiction, mysteries and thrillers, biographies, and history of almost any kind, but particularly art and political.
She has lived several different, interesting lives in both North America and Europe, but through them all, one thing has remained true: creating is essential. Writing or art - as long as she is making something and telling a story, she is happy.