Writers’ Cache
Brags
E.B. Wheeler
Historical fiction/Fantasy/Creative non-fiction
E-mail: ebwheelerauthor@gmail.com
E.B. Wheeler is the award-winning author of over a dozen books of history, historical fiction, and historical fantasy. These include Whitney Award finalists Born to Treason, A Proper Dragon, and Cruel Magic, as well as several short stories, magazine articles, and scripts for educational software programs. She has a B.A. in history with an English minor from BYU and graduate degrees in history and landscape architecture from Utah State University. The League of Utah Writers named her the 2016 Writer of the Year. In addition to writing, she sometimes consults about historic preservation and teaches history, and she loves gardening, folk music, reading, and traveling with her husband and kids.
David S. Taylor
Creative non-fiction/Religion
Reach him at: BringToLifeBMST@gmail.com
David S. Taylor, aka Banjoman, is a retired aerospace engineer. He holds a BS degree in chemical engineering and an MBA. His career kept him busy with internal technical writing. On the side, he published Mel Bay’s E-Z Christmas Songs for 5-string Banjo and Beginning Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm for Folk Guitar, carry-overs from his five years as owner of The Music Taylor, a bluegrass shop in Logan, Utah. Then came Bring-to-Life Book of Mormon Stories: A Reference Guide for Speakers, Teachers, Students, & Parents.
Learning about creative non-fiction in chapter meetings of the League of Utah Writers set him
free to create personal essays about remarkable events in his life, published in two Cache
Valley Chapter anthologies. In his own collection, he calls himself the “Renaissance Man From Glen
Arbor.” Still a renaissance man as he approaches 80, David is passionate about writing,
racquetball, and courting his wife, Kathleen.
K.G. Montgomery
K.G. Montgomery is an award-winning short story author, with published works under her full name in numerous collections and anthologies. She’s a contributing author to ’Tis the Season, Joyride, Metamorphosis, Spirals, and more. When not writing fiction, K.G. enjoys extreme sports such as raising teenagers and owning a high-maintenance chicken. She lives beside the Rocky Mountains. Harding Proper is her debut novel.
Tim Keller
Literary Fiction
E-mail Tim at writerscache435@gmail.com.Tim is a former president of the League of Utah Writers and current president of the League’s Cache Valley Chapter. The only thing he likes better than reading a good story is telling one. Tim always wanted to try his hand at writing and began work on the Great American Novel. Since then, he’s branched out into short prose and essays, and even works on the novel from time to time.
His work, “The Gift,” appears most recently in the Helicon West Anthology and was voted the readers’ choice for best non-fiction essay in the literary journal the Provo Orem Word. His essay, “Klatch” will appear in the upcoming LUW Press anthology slated for September release.
Tim’s short stories and essays can also be found in the anthologies Words to Paint With, In the Shimmering, Between Places, Mirrored Realities, At First Glance, and Volatile When Mixed.
He is a regular contributor to the Helicon West reading series, and his work has repeatedly taken top honors in creative writing contests.
Amanda Luzzader
Post-Apocalyptic/Horror
Amanda Luzzader was selected as Writer of the Year by the League of Utah Writer for 2019. She is the award-winning author of dozens of short stories and essays. Amanda is also the author of the post-apocalyptic thriller trilogy Among These Bones. Her work can also be found in numerous collections and anthologies, from Apocalypse Utah: A Collection of Utah Horror to Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Amanda writes mainly upmarket science fiction, horror, and young adult/middle grade. She is a self-described fraidy cat. Things she will run away from include (but are not limited to): mice, snakes, spiders, bits of string and litter that resemble spiders, most members of the insect kingdom, and (most especially) bats. Bats are the worst. But Amanda is first and primarily a mother to two energetic and intelligent sons, and this role inspires and informs her writing, which frequently involves mothers and women as main characters. As Amanda likes to say, “Moms are people, too.”
Amanda has worked as a technical writer and a professional editor and is currently employed as a grant writer for a Utah nonprofit organization. She is a devout cat person.
Chadd VanZanten
Literary Fiction and Creative Nonfiction
E-mail Chadd at chaddvanzanten@gmail.com.Chadd VanZanten is an outdoor writer and professional editor. His essays on fly-fishing and backpacking have appeared in Backpacker, Big Sky Journal, and Eat Sleep Fish. Chadd is the author of two books: On Fly-Fishing the Wind Rivers (The History Press, 2018) and On Fly-Fishing the Northern Rockies (The History Press, 2016). Chadd was named 2015-2016 Writer of the Year by the League of Utah Writers, and for the fifth consecutive year his short fiction was awarded Best in Show at the 2015 League of Utah Writers Conference. In 2016, his short fiction will appeared in two anthologies–the horror collection It Came From the Great Salt Lake and The Helicon West Anthology. He is currently at work on a novel and a new collection of essays. When he’s writing he’d rather be fishing, but the opposite is also true.
Tim Tarbet
Tim Tarbet is an avid reader, writer, martial artist, and role player. He is the founder and president of the Good AF Writers, a critique group. The members of the chapter often joke that his motto is, “It's not good unless it has a body count.” He feels this is somewhat unjustified as he has, in fact, written several pieces in which nobody dies, including the title story of the anthology, Volatile When Mixed. Tim's work can also be found in The Unraveling, Emergence, and the Work and The Stories.
Felicia Rose
Felicia Rose is the 2018 LUW Writer of the Year. Her work has appeared in The Way to My Heart Anthology, The Helicon West Anthology, Mother Earth News, The Sun, The Dandelion Review, Poetry at Three, and elsewhere. She has been a featured reader at poetry readings and a writing-contest judge. She lives on a homestead in Cache Valley, Utah.
Jeremy Gohier
Jeremy has a degree in film and media arts and has been involved in independent films as well as productions for MTV, Discovery Channel and Disney. He has since switched his efforts to writing after getting over the crazy notion that writing is only for people who know how to write.
His writing has received awards in categories including poetry, short fiction, novel chapters and children’s books. His poem All Twisted Up was named Best in Show at the 2015 League of Utah Writers’ contest.
His short story “Hydrogeist” is published in the anthology It Came from the Great Salt Lake in February of 2016. His short “Dei et Machinae” as well as his poem All Twisted Up were included in an anthology published by the League of Utah Writers later the same year. His short story “Piper” is published in the League’s following anthology as well as the anthology Chasing Magic released in June 2017. His short story “Urban Lights” was published in the 13th issue of NonBinary Review.
Eric Bishop
Western/Thriller
Contact him at authorericbishop@gmail.com
Eric Bishop credits the Cache Valley Chapter of the Utah league of Writers as the catalyst for his success. He showed up at his first meeting a few years ago with a manuscript that in his words “contained all the beginner mistakes.” After a lot of help from his critique group and several rewrites The Samaritan’s Pistol won the League of Utah Writers’ Gold Quill award.
Crafting well written novels with dynamic characters and a great premise is Eric’s goal as an author. The Samaritan’s Pistol is available for purchase at HERE
Eric enjoys riding his horses, white-water rafting and skiing with his wife and four daughters.
Jeff Bateman
Historical Fiction/Humor/Poetry
Jeff is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel. He teaches U.S. Institutions, Utah History, and American Military History at Utah State University. When he is not teaching or writing, Jeff likes to play the bass, ride his Mustang (the real kind) and work in the garden.
Jeff’s work as an historian has been published in The Utah Historical Quarterly, Airpower History, and the U.S. Army War College Press.
At the 2015 League of Utah Writers’ Conference, Jeff won eight awards for his poetry and prose. One of his poems is set to appear in the forthcoming LUW anthology.
Jeff has authored three novels: No Peace with the Dawn (with E.B. Wheeler) forthcoming from Cedar Fort Press Fall 2016, Mogadishu on the Mohave, and On the Death Beat, forthcoming in 2017, Grey Gecko Press.
Isaac Timm
Poetry and Creative Non-fiction
Isaac was born and raised in the western desert town of Callao, Utah; a stop on the historic Pony Express trail. His highest aspiration is to be a story teller like his father. He is a duel major in History and Creative Writing at Utah State University.
Isaac has won numerous awards including Best in Show for his poem “Antiseptic” in the League of Utah Writers annual writing contest. His poems “Obligatory Rose Poem,” ““Icarus 1981,” and “Youth of July” have also taken top honors.
Isaacs work can be found in The Provo Orem Word ("Defenders") as well as in the anthologies "Words to Pain With" and "Joyride."
Neil Dabb
Neil grew up in Smithfield, Utah, and has been a freelance writer since shortly after graduating high school. He has been published in a variety of magazines over the years (most recently on Hubpages.com). He enjoys writing, Frisbee (disc) golf and bonfires. He is the father of five children and lives in Logan Utah.
Neil presented at the League of Utah writers fall conference in 2014 and LTUE (Life The Universe and Everything) in 2015. Neil has published several novella length books at Smashwords.com (for ebooks) and Createspace.com (print on demand).
He is a partner at DragonTech writing, a technical writing firm whose mission is to educate companies about what a technical writer does.
And you can follow Neil’s writing exploits on Facebook.
S.L. Clarke
S.L. Clarke is the award winning author of multiple short stories featured in various anthologies. She dabbled in numerous creative hobbies before landing on writing, cementing her love of stories with a Creative Writing degree from Utah State University (but only because she couldn’t major in knitting or sewing). Her short pieces range from personal memoir to fiction, touching poetry only when the muse demands. Her debut novel, True Strength, published in July 2021. Amid mothering four boys and writing, she crochets, reads, goes to the dojo, binges on Netflix, plays computer games, and sometimes picks up her trumpet.
Dianne Hardy
Creative Non-fiction
Dianne welcomes comments and inquiries—email to drmusic435@gmail.com.Dianne loved writing when she was a child, but never looked seriously at it because it was always her mother’s domain—her's was music. while looking for something to occupy her time in retirement, she started writing her childhood memoir. Said Hardy, “They are honest and truthful accounts of my childhood and I do not...will not censor them.”
Dianne won many awards including first place in the 55th Annual Utah Original Writing Competition, 2013 in the Personal Essay category for “Manure.” She also received an honorable mention in the Whispering Prairie Press Writing Awards, 2010 in the Personal Essay category for “Stealing.”
She was a strong competitor in the League of Utah Writers Original Writing Competition from 2009 to 2012, and won numerous awards, eleven in 2011 alone. Her stories “I Prefer Baths to Showers” and “Lena” have both won first place.
She was published in:
- Words to Paint With, Sept. 2012, “Lena.”
- Cynic Magazine, August 2012, “The Chickenfest.”
- Cynic Magazine, July 2012, “Pee in the Pool.”
- Humor Press, 2010, “Carnal Knowledge.”
A Mother of three children and seven grandchildren, Dianne Hardy retired in December 2008, after spending the last 46 years in piano teaching—the last 20 in higher education. She loves the slower pace of her life and feels only one compulsion, to create every day.
Janet Kay Jensen
www.janetjensen.com
janetkayjensen.blogspot.com/
Janet Kay Jensen is author of the award-winning novel, Gabriel’s Daughters (Jolly Fish Press, 2015), which won the Body, Mind and Spirit award from the prestigious Southwest Book Design and Production contest.
Gabriel’s Daughters also won the silver medal in Cultural Fiction from the Readers Favorite International Book Award Contest (2013).
Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys (Cedar Fort, 2007), won the gold medal for Cultural Fiction from Readers Favorite in 2012 and was first runner up in Religious Fiction given by the Eric Hoffer award for new fiction.
She is also co-author of The Book Lover’s Cookbook, Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature and the Passages that Feature Them (Wenger & Jensen, Ballantine, 2003).
Amy C Maddocks
Memoirist
When she isn’t teaching or writing, Amy enjoys camping, four-wheeling, and rafting.
She graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, and currently teaches in Beautiful Cache Valley, where she lives with her husband and children.
Too Precious for Earth
A poignant and compelling story of one tiny boy, whose brief moments in his family’s life changed them and others around them forever.
Available at Amazon—Too Precious for Earth.