Connie Pombo caught the travel bug early--growing up in Japan--while her dad served in the United States Air Force, then later living in Sicily, Italy for six years where her older son was born, and now in Cuenca, Ecuador for six years--where she and her husband now call home. Connie is a freelance writer and contributing author to 56 books--including the acclaimed Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Her story about their move to Ecuador can be found in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Say Goodbye to Stress; Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Sweet Home; and Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Joy of Less. Connie and her husband, Mark, live along the Yanuncay River in Cuenca where her husband teaches English as a second language while Connie enjoys hiking in the Cajas at 14,000 feet, discovering new sidewalk cafes in Cuenca, and writing for travel magazines. You can find more about the author at her blog Living and Retiring in Ecuador.blogspot.com; The Best of Living and Retiring in Ecuador.com; and her personal author and speaking website at www.conniepombo.com.

Kathleen Gerard writes across genres. Her work has been widely published in magazines, journals and anthologies - and has been awarded and nominated for many prizes including The Saturday Evening Post "Great American Fiction" Prize and The Mark Twain House Humor Prize. Kathleen's nonfiction (essays) have been featured in The Wall Street Journal and broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR). She is the author of three novels: IN TRANSIT, COLD COMFORT and THE THING IS. To learn more about Kathleen, visit: www.kathleengerard.blogspot.com

Multi-award winning author Elaine Marie Cooper is the author of "Scarred Vessels," "Love's Kindling," (New publisher in 2021),"Saratoga Letters," "Fields of the Fatherless" and the Deer Run Saga: "Road to Deer Run," "Promise of Deer Run" and "Legacy of Deer Run". "Bethany's Calendar" is the author's first non-fiction book and describes the journey traveled with her daughter as she was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.

Cooper's passions are her family, her faith in Christ and the history of the American Revolution, a frequent subject of her historical fiction. She grew up in Massachusetts, the setting for many of her novels. You can visit her website and blog at: http://www.elainemariecooper.com

Elaine is also a contributing writer to "Fighting Fear, Winning the War at Home" by Edie Melson, and "I Choose You," a romance Anthology. Her freelance work has appeared in both newspapers and magazines, and she blogs on her website at www.elainemariecooper.com, as well as Heroes, Heroines, and History blog.

Sarah Wagner lives and writes in West Virginia. Her work has appeared in Murky Depths, Ruins Metropolis, Flashing Swords, and several other publications. Her first real introduction to science fiction was Star Trek, thanks to a devoted Trekkie of a mom, and her imagination has never been quite the same since. When not writing, she is chasing her two children, running an autism support group, reading, or doing something crafty. You can find her online at www.sarahewagner.com

Having a great deal of wanderlust, Author Jennifer McMurrain traveled the countryside working odd jobs before giving into her muse and becoming a full time writer. She's been everything from a “Potty Princess” in the wilds of Yellowstone National Park to a Bear Researcher in the mountains of New Mexico. She has won numerous awards for her short stories and novels, including hitting #1 on the Amazon Best Seller list, in the paid market, with her debut novel, Quail Crossings, and being a 3rd place finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards for her paranormal romance novel, Winter Song. She has twelve full length novels, twelve book collaboration, and numerous novellas and short stories published. She lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma with her family. You can find more information at www.jennifermcmurrain.com.

Dr. Donna Roberts is a writer and university professor residing in Europe. She has been researching and writing in various sub-fields of psychology throughout her career. She has written two monthly columns - Psych Pstuff and Dear Dr. Donna, for the pop culture magazine Easy Street and currently writes for Medium, Newsbreak and Vocal Media.

Donna holds a PhD in Psychology, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Human Relations, and Master of Education in Counseling. In addition to being an Associate Professor, Dr. Roberts is also the Department Chair for Applied Sciences in Embry-Riddle’s College of Arts & Sciences.

Donna is an animal and human rights advocate and when she is researching or writing she can be found at her computer buried in rescue cats.

Contact Email: drdonna@psychpstuff.net

Website: https://www.psychpstuf.com

LinkedIn: http://de.linkedin.com/in/donnaleeroberts

YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCM_d9aeQAxAx2Nhhsu5H0Kw

Editor of the NightWriter column in Tolosa Press for five years, Judythe has been published in many online publications and local publications, nine anthologies, and one novel. She regularly presents to writing organizations and writes monthly columns for their newsletters. Judythe has edited four anthologies, and coached numerous writers in their writing efforts.

Victoria Otto Franzese owned, operated and wrote for an online travel guide for 15 years before selling it to a major media outlet. Now she writes on a variety of topics and all of her travel is for fun. She lives in NYC and Palm Beach with her husband and a Goldendoodle named Jenkins. Connect with her on Twitter at @VOFranzese.

I was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, coal-mining country, and lived there until I was 23 and moved to Dayton, Ohio, my current home. I will always miss the Pocono Mountains and the Wyoming Valley but have come to love the wide-open spaces and prairies of the Midwest.

As a child, one of my favorite places was the Osterhaut Free Library; the first time I was allowed to travel on the bus alone, it was to go there. To say I loved to read is a ridiculous understatement. I breathed in books. Through books I learned that the world is wide and the people diverse and I wanted to go everywhere and meet them all. Perhaps that is the root of my wanderlust.

I've kept a journal since I was twelve, and still have all of them.

After retiring from a much-loved teaching career, I began to write and it felt like coming home.

I write personal essay, memoir, romance, and self-help. I believe in literary citizenship and am a board member at The Story Circle Network, an organization dedicated to helping women tell their stories. I am fortunate to be a member of The Plot Sisters, a six-woman critique group and The Legacy Writers a weekly writing group.

My most recent solo publication is a self-help book, Post-Divorce Bliss: Ending Us and Finding Me. I enjoyed writing in this new-to-me self-help genre and have a second self-help book in progress. I love uplifting stories and am delighted to be part of the Chicken Soup For the Soul family. I am currently writing a Christmas romance, The Not-Home Christmas and a memoir.

I am a creativity and mindset life coach, helping folks establish a productive creative practice. I also love coaching women post divorce, helping them design and embrace their new life.

I am passionate about writing, travel, reading, walking, animals, radio, gardening, and cooking.

My website is www.judewalshwrites.com where you can find my blog, Writing Now.

Denise Del Bianco is a retired widow living in her hometown - Bischwiller, France - after traveling the world with the love of her life Pietro. After meeting in France, he and Denise raised two children in Italy and Canada. She enjoys cooking, reading and cuddling her furry grandkids.

Amy Newmark is Chicken Soup for the Soul’s author, editor-in-chief, and publisher, after a 30-year career as a writer, speaker, financial analyst, and business executive in the worlds of finance and telecommunications. Amy is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, where she majored in Portuguese, minored in French, and traveled extensively. She and her husband have four grown children and grandchildren.

After a long career writing books on telecommunications, voluminous financial reports, business plans, and corporate press releases, Chicken Soup for the Soul is a breath of fresh air for Amy. She has fallen in love with Chicken Soup for the Soul and its life-changing books, and really enjoys putting these books together for Chicken Soup’s wonderful readers. She has co-authored and/or edited the last 170 Chicken Soup for the Soul titles, all the ones published since mid-2008.

You can reach Amy with any questions or comments through webmaster@chickensoupforthesoul.com and you can follow her on Twitter @amynewmark.

Tracy Crump writes devotions of hope that heal the heart. Drawing from her work as an intensive care nurse and using storytelling skills honed in writing for anthologies, she brings God’s Word to life in Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness.

Though this is her first book, Tracy is no stranger to devotion writing. Her work has appeared in Guideposts’ books as well as The Upper Room, Light from the Word, and other devotional publications. More than thirty of her short stories have been published, most in Chicken Soup for the Soul® books, and her articles have been featured in many national magazines. She proofreads for Farmers Almanac, is a freelance editor, and presents workshops through Write Life Workshops and at writers conferences across the country. She edits a popular writers newsletter, and her course on writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul is one of Serious Writer’s top sellers.

Tracy has been married to her high school sweetheart, Stan, for forty-five years. They live in north Mississippi and have two sons and four completely unspoiled grandchildren. She believes Grandma is the most beautiful word in the English language. Visit Tracy at www.TracyCrump.com.