Susan Carpender, author of Bad Advice, spins tales that live in the cracks between breakdowns and breakthroughs, between the ridiculous and the raw. Her hot mess characters are flawed, funny, and fighting for meaning, whether they’re on edge, on a mission, or mid-meltdown. Grounded in realism and laced with spicy humour, her work celebrates the messy beauty of being human.

Hilary Faktor, author of the thriller Pretty Bird, is a writer shaped by the boreal forest and the rhythms of a northern mining town. Her work often draws on family folklore and lived experience to explore overlooked landscapes, quiet histories, and the people who inhabit them.