Elizabeth Barker first began writing while growing up on a farm in North Carolina. She has also lived in
Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. She, her husband, and their two sons were all born in
different states. With all that moving around, she has still managed to publish her first novel, Journey of the
Brass Bed, her Mountain Girl Press debut. She now lives in Bristol, Tennessee, with her husband, a cat, a dog,
and many fish. You may contact Elizabeth at fineline200@charter.net. Her website is www.elizabethbarker.com.

Lissa Creola was raised in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.  She has written several works,
including a stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, a children’s book, and a full length novel
from which her short story in this collection was extracted.  She lives in Exeter, England with her husband,
daughter and newborn son. You may e-mail her at lissacreola@yahoo.com and view her website at
PrideandPrejudicescript.com.

Kay Smith Elliott lives with her husband and son just north of Gate City, Virginia.  She is an I/T Systems
Technician but, in her spare time, enjoys writing stories and songs as well as genealogy research, jewelry-
making, and needlework.  Reading has been a favorite pastime since childhood, and she especially enjoys local
history.  While "Up in the Mountain" is her first published piece, she is currently preparing genealogical
information and a story for submission to The Appalachian Quarterly magazine.

Kori E. Frazier completed her undergraduate degree in creative writing with a professional writing minor at
Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio in Spring 2007.  Her poems have appeared in Genie Magazine and North
Central Review, and she attended the West Virginia Writers Workshop in Morgantown, West Virginia during the
summer of 2006.

Padgett Gerler grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.  Now she resides in North Carolina where she
is a CPA and CFO of a Raleigh corporation.  Her novel, The Summer the Air Changed, is a coming-of-age story
set in the Appalachian Mountains.  She is currently working on two novels, Now, Where was I? and Getting the
Important Things Right.  Please contact her at Padgett@genesislight.com and visit her website at
www.genesislight.com/summerair/.

Lisa Hall lives in Fall Branch, Tennessee with her husband and daughter. Her short story,“Party Line,”
appeared in The Zinnia Tales; her second short story, "Momma's Shoes," appeared in Self-Rising Flowers. Her
novel, Secrets, Lies, and Pies was published in summer 2007 by Mountain Girl Press. The sequel, Cheaters,
Pies, and Lullabies, comes out in May 2008. Lisa’s website is http://lisahall-7.tripod.com.

Susan Noe Harmon is a native of Harlan County, Kentucky. Considered an Appalachian writer, she enjoyed
having her first published short story in The Zinnia Tales in 2006. Although now living in Florida, her heart
remains in the hollers of Kentucky and with its people, as she writes passionately about life in the mountains.
Her first novel, Under the Weeping Willow, published by Mountain Girl Press, will be available in May 2008.
Her website is www.snharmon.com.

Judith Victoria Hensley is an award winning teacher, writer, and photographer.  She was born in Harlan
County, Kentucky and returned to teach elementary and middle school twenty five years ago.  She is a weekly
columnist for the Harlan Daily Enterprise, having written over 500 columns.  Her photography and articles have
also appeared in a variety of magazines.  The acapella women's trio, Mountain Spirit, recorded the soundtrack
for the documentary Above the Clouds which was released in the spring of 2007.  Her first juvenile novel, Sir
Thomas the Eggslayer, was published in 2006 by Ascended Ideas Publishing and a companion novel is in
progress.  Her second children's novel, Terrible Tina, is pending publication.  Most recently, Ms. Hensley edited
the book Mountain Mysteries: Stories that Make You Wonder.  You may view her website at
http://www.judithvhensley.com/.

Susanna Holstein is the writer of the story “Yellow Roses,” which was an award-winner at the 2007 West
Virginia Writers Conference. A professional storyteller and librarian, Susanna writes poetry, essays and children’
s stories, and maintains an active online journal at www.grannysu.blogspot.com. Her storytelling and mountain
ballads are showcased on the CD “Mountain Story, Mountain Song,” and she has self-published several
collections of her poems and stories. The mother of five sons and granny of twelve, Susanna lives in Jackson
County, West Virginia.

Pam Keaton has been a professional portrait painter and closet writer for over twenty years.  We were
introduced to Pam in 2006 when her short story "Road Trip to Albany" was included in The Zinnia Tales; and in
2007 she painted the cover art for Secrets, Lies, and Pies written by Mountain Girl Press author, Lisa Hall. In
2008 she provided the artwork for Lisa's second novel, Cheaters, Pies, and Lullabies.  Pam is a member of the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and lives in Hillsboro, Ohio, where she helps her husband
renovate properties as well as being a real estate appraiser.  More information as well as samples of Pam's
artwork can be found at www.pamkeaton.com.

Betty Kossick holds a successful thirty seven year writing background. Her book Beyond the Locked Door
(2006) tells her personal story of a tattered childhood and her joy when she discovers God. An ongoing writing
career evolves, including interviews with world-famous people.  Currently, she is the features writer for
Zephyrhills News in Zephyrhills, Florida, where she writes a weekly commentary, "The view from two-penny
haven."  Her book is available via Internet book sites.  You may contact her at bkwrites4u@earthlink.net.  

Jennifer Poteet Mullins is a former third place winner in the Virginia Highlands Festival’s Creative Writing
Contest.  Her short story “The Jungle Monster” took first place in the Lonesome Pine Short Story Contest in
2003.  Also in 2003, she was awarded first place in the short story category, second place in the essay category
and third place in the poetry category of Mountain Empire Community College’s Art Competition. Her work has
been published in Writer’s World Magazine, The Bristol Herald Courier, and in Mountain Empire Community
College’s on-line magazine Explorations.  Jennifer lives in Big Stone Gap, Virginia with her family.

Jo Ann Scott is the author of "Preacher Donavan's Nephew" and lives in Pennington Gap, Virginia, with her
husband and son.

Tricia Scott grew up in rural Ferrum, Virginia where she developed an affinity for superstitions and tall tales,
morning glories, and a pan of good cornbread. Currently a home schooling mother residing in Roanoke,
Virginia, Tricia is hard at work on a novel also set in the mountains of the Blue Ridge. She can be reached at
triciascott@cox.net.

Tammy Robinson Smith published her first novel, Emmybeth Speaks (Mountain Girl Press), in 2005.  The first
chapter of the novel was awarded second place in the adult short story category at the 2003 Virginia Highlands
Festival. Smith recently had a short story published titled, "Jeanie Claire has left the Building," in the Second
Volume of the Lost State Writers Guild Collection.  She is currently working on a new novel called Didama's
Garden.  After numerous years working as a broadcast reporter, then public relations professional, she founded
Mountain Girl Press in 2005.  Smith and her family reside in Bristol, Virginia.  She may be contacted at
publisher@mountaingirlpress.com.

Mary McMillan Terry is an adjunct professor of composition and American literature at Pellissippi State
Technical Community College in Knoxville, TN.  She grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and attended
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before moving to Knoxville for graduate studies.  She enjoys
teaching, writing, and research and has written an article on No Child Left Behind for a book on teaching, and
entries for The Continuum Encyclopedia of Young Adult Literature.  

Maggie Thomas feels blessed to have grown up in the tranquil mountains of Northeast Tennessee and
Southwest Virginia.  She is working on a young adult novel and other projects set in the Appalachian Mountains,
her research allowing her to spend lots of time outdoors.  Ms. Thomas lives in Bristol Tennessee with her
husband and "children," their beloved pets.  She has a short story published in Self-Rising Flowers.

Donna Akers Warmuth, a 7th generation native of Washington County, Virginia, has written several books
about Abingdon, Virginia, Washington County, Virginia, Boone, North Carolina and Blowing Rock, North
Carolina.  She is also the published author of Plumb Full of History, A Story of Abingdon, Virginia, and
Legends, Stories and Ghostly Tales of Abingdon and Washington County.  You may reach her through her
website at www.donnawarmuth.com.  She lives near Boone, North Carolina.

Mary Kuykendall Weber was born on a farm in West Virginia and now lives in Middle Grove, NY.   After
leaving GE, she wrote a book on corporate greed, The House that Jack Blew Down, and a play, “Gold Collars,”
a new category in the traditional blue, pink and white collar workers.   She has written thirty four short stories
and one novella based in West Virginia.  She received a “Semi Finalist” award in the 2005 Faulkner competition
for “Revelations.”  Another short story, “Farm Sentinel,” was published by Outrider Press earlier this year and
“Fending” is being published by Goose River Press this fall.  

Rebecca Lee Williams is a 4th generation descendant from Gate City, Virginia.  This is her second work
published by Mountain Girl Press; her short story, "The True Beauty," was featured in The Zinnia Tales.  Her
feature animation script, "Ready Set Fly," was awarded third place in the 2006/07 Wisconsin Screenwriters
Forum contest.  She enjoys writing screenplays and short stories.  Along with being a Human Resource
professional at one of the leading trauma and research hospitals in the nation, she is also a locally recognized
supporter of early childhood education and the Girl Scouts.  She resides in Madison, Wisconsin with her
husband, daughter, and two rambunctious terriers.  She can be reached at rlwms@ameritech.net.

P. J. Wilson lives in Bedford, VA.  She writes about food, farming and Appalachian folks with colorful lives
well lived.  Her work was featured last year in The Zinnia Tales and again this year in Self-Rising Flowers.  She
can be emailed at Pjwilsongross@aol.com.

Tammy Wilson was a contributor to The Zinnia Tales and Self-Rising Flowers.  She has published more than
three dozen stories in literary journals, most recently Pedestal Magazine, The Potomac, The Healing Muse and
Crossroads:  A Southern Culture Annual. She lives in Newton, NC.