Women Who Write, Inc.
Since 1988
KATIE BOJANEK
Young Adult Librarian, Somerset Cty. Lib. Sys., Warren Twp. Library
Katie Bojanek is currently the teen librarian at the Warren Township Library. She has worked for the Somerset County Library System for five years as a teen librarian. She received her Masters in Library Science in 2010 and is currently the President of the Young Adult Services Section of the New Jersey Library Association.
Katie may be reached via email at kbojanek@sclibnj.org.
JOANNA CARDENAS
Associate Editor, Viking Children's Books / Penguin Random House
Joanna acquires and edits picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels. She is looking for funny, clever, and subversive picture books; breakout chapter book characters that make her laugh; and voice-driven middle grade with humor and heart. Joanna is not the best fit for high fantasy, though she welcomes magical realism.
Among other projects, Joanna edited Archie the Daredevil Penguin by Andy Rash, Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) by Julie Falatko and illustrated by Tim Miller, and The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt. She has also worked on books by Molly Idle, Anna Dewdney, and Sally Warner. Before Viking, Joanna interned at Writers House and worked as a bookseller for five wonderful years. Follow Joanna on Twitter @joannananamc.
CAROL FORBES
Author, Teacher
Carol Forbes has written screenplays and television pilots, as well as several animated feature screenplays for Santoon Productions. “Light of Olympia”, to which she was a contributing writer, premiered at the Beijing Olympics.
Carol teaches television production at Orange High School, creative writing at Theater Workshop Peppermint Players in South Orange, NJ, and an online screening class for Perelandra College as well as teaching Screenwriting at The Writers Circle in Summit. She has B.A. in Visual Arts from Rutgers University and an MFA in Film from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She has won several writing awards including Bill Cosby’s Guy Hank and Marvin Miller Writing fellowship.
Her writing has been published in several anthologies. And she's the creator of TeenGirlsThatWrite, a blog for aspiring teen writers.
KATHY KANE
After many years working to build a successful career with a major brokerage firm Kathy Kane began to feel something was missing. Somewhere along the way she had lost her creative spirit. There was that vague sense of unease; of irritation; sand in her spiritual sneaker.
Then she began writing. She discovered small Kaizen steps and Modern Day Muses. She began a personal journey that has led her from a tightly wound corporate life to an unbuttoning, unfolding passion to unleash the magic of creative expression to the world.
Kathy is a Master Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coach, a Modern Day Muse Group Facilitator, an Amherst Writers and Artists workshop leader and co-creator of the Kaizen-Muse™ Infused Master Mind program.
CHRISTINA KAPP
Christina Kapp has spent most of her life writing and nurturing an obsession with books. After beginning her career in publishing at William Morrow, she left to pursue a M.A. in writing at Johns Hopkins University and has worked as an academic administrator for Johns Hopkins and Columbia Universities.
Christina has published her short fiction, poetry, and essays in numerous publications including Passages North, Poetry Quarterly, Storyscape Journal, Monongahela Review, Barn Owl Review, Anderbo.com, Forge, PANK and many others. As well as her M.A. in writing, she also has a M.A. in English literature from Rutgers University. She currently works as a freelance writer and editor and teaches at The Writers Circle in Summit and Rutgers University—Newark.
LIZA FLEISSIG
Agent, Liza Royce Agency, LLC
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business with a degree in Finance, and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law with a JD, Liza brought 20 years of litigation and negotiation experience to the publishing field when she and her partner, Ginger Harris-Dontzin, decided to open their own literary agency. Liza represents established authors of fiction and nonfiction, along with writers in the earlier stages of their development.
Liza loves a good thriller/suspense/mystery that keeps her guessing until the end. She also gravitates to commercial women’s fiction and loves a sarcastic comic voice. On the children’s side, she handles all categories, though lately seems to be flocking to non-fiction picture books and hilarious MG. She also loves working with illustrators, and above all, loves being surprised. Nothing is more exciting that being over the moon about a book she never expected. So at the end of the day, just grab her attention, and the rest takes care of itself.
SEAN McCARTHY
Founder / Sean McCarthy Literary Agency
Sean McCarthy began his publishing career as an editorial intern at Overlook Press before moving over to the agenting side with Sheldon Fogelman Agency in 2006. He worked as the submissions coordinator, permissions manager and bookkeeper before becoming a full-time literary agent.
In 2013, he founded Sean McCarthy Literary Agency, a full service literary agency specializing in children's books of all ages. His clients include Zachariah OHora, Mark Fearing, Hyewon Yum, Dasha Tolstikova, Jamie Swenson, Andrea Offermann and Judy Robbins Rose, among others. Sean graduated from Macalester College with a degree in English-Creative Writing, and is grateful that he no longer has to spend his winters in Minnesota.
SHARON ORLANDO
Youth Services Librarian, Watchung Library
Sharon Orlando is Youth Services Librarian at Watchung Library branch of the Somerset County Library System. Sharon also has a background as an early childhood educator and project manager of regional libraries within the NJ Department of Education. She’s been working for more than 25 years to create opportunities for communities to engage children and their families at the library. Contact via email: sorlando@sclibnj.org
LISA ROMEO
Lisa Romeo is a nonfiction writer, writing teacher, ghostwriter, editor, and writing coach. She is a founding faculty member of the Bay Path University MFA program; teaches at Montclair State University, and at The Writers Circle in northern New Jersey; and previously taught at Rutgers University. Lisa coaches writers and edits manuscripts privately, and has worked as a freelance feature writer, equestrian sport journalist, and web news editor. Her nonfiction essays, articles, reviews, and memoir narratives appear in mainstream and literary venues and anthologies, print and online, including the New York Times, O-The Oprah Magazine, Inside Jersey, Skirt, Babble, Your Tango, Under the Sun, Hippocampus, Front Porch, Sweet, Gravel, Barnstorm, and many others.
One of Lisa's essays was nominated for Best American Essays, and her memoir manuscript has been a finalist in several contests. Lisa has contributed to several essay anthologies, and is the creative nonfiction editor for Compose Journal.
Lisa holds a B.S. in Journalism from Syracuse University, and an MFA in creative writing from the Stonecoast Program (University of Southern Maine). She lives in Cedar Grove, New Jersey with her husband and two sons.
Her blog provides writing advice, resources, and author interviews (http://LisaRomeo.blogspot.com). You can follow Lisa on Twitter: @LisaRomeoa.
SUZIE TOWNSEND
Literary Agent
Suzie represents all brands of children's and adult fiction. She is actively looking to build her list. In adult, she's specifically looking for new adult, romance (all subgenres), fantasy (urban fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, epic fantasy) and crime fiction (mysteries, thrillers). In Childrens' she loves YA (all subgenres) and is dying to find great Middle Grade projects. Suzie loves strong characters and voice driven stories that break out of the typical tropes of their genres.
To learn more about Suzie's clients and projects, pleaes visit her page on Publishers Marketplace. Read Suzie's blog. Or follow her on Twitter @sztownsend81.
DONNA BAIER STEIN
DONNA BAIER STEIN is the author of Sympathetic People (Iowa Finalist Award Winner and 2015 IndieBooks Award Finalist) and Sometimes You Sense the Difference (Finishing Line Press). Her novel The Silver Baron’s Wife (PEN/New England Discovery Award winner) will be published in 2015 by Serving House Books.
Her work has appeared in Ascent, Beloit Poetry Journal,Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, Virginia Quarterly Review, Puerto del Sol, and elsewhere.
She was a founding Poetry Editor at Bellevue Literary Review and now publishes Tiferet Journal. Other awards include a scholarship from Bread Loaf, fellowships from Johns Hopkins University and the New Jersey Council for the Arts, prizes from the Poetry Societies of Virginia and New Hampshire, an Honorable Mention from the Allen E. Ginsberg Poetry Prizes, a Summer Literary Seminars Scholarship, three Pushcart nominations and prizes from Kansas Quarterly, Florida Review, and elsewhere.
For more information, please visit Donna's website at www.donnabaierstein.com
LAURIE WALLMARK
A Woman Who Writes
LAURIE WALLMARK, a lover of strong female characters, is a Princeton University graduate with a degree in biochemistry, and a master’s degree in Information Systems from Goddard College. She is currently enrolled in the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts, graduating in January 2016. Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, her debut picture book, just released. She’s placed numerous articles and stories in children’s magazines such as Highlights for Children, Spider, Cricket, Appleseeds, Boys’ Quest, and Fun for Kidz. She is the former Assistant Regional Advisor for NJ SCBWI, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.elsewhere.
