Faculty

When J.T. Bock was a child, she wanted to be James Bond or Indiana Jones or Wonder Woman. Whatever brought her the most action, adventure, and romance while play acting on her stage—otherwise known as her grandmother's basement. In her UltraSecurity series, J.T. has assembled a team of action heroes, supernatural creatures, and maniacal villains and set them on adventures to exotic lands and other universes for their HEAs. Her alternate identity enjoys running a graphics business, spending time with her workaholic husband and their sidekick rescue dog, traveling, and enjoying life to the fullest with an amazing group of family and friends and a glass of wine.

A USA Today bestseller, Robin Covington loves writing sexy romance, spoiling her Corgi (Dixie Joan Wilder), indulging in a little comic book geek love, hoarding red nail polish and stalking Chris Evans. A Native American author of color, Robin proudly writes diverse romance where everyone gets their happy ever after.

Veronica Forand, RWA Mentor of the Year for 2019 has assisted many writers find the path right for them by learning their strengths and weaknesses. She is published both traditionally and self-published.

Award winning author Kate Forest has worked in a psychiatric hospital, as a dating coach, and spent a disastrous summer selling above-ground swimming pools. But it was her over twenty-year career as a social worker that compelled her to write love stories with characters you don't typically get to read about. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two kids, and a fierce corgi.

 Toni Jackson is the author of several Paranormal, Contemporary, Space Opera and Suspense romance novellas and short stories, she also writes Superhero, Science Fiction and Mystery.

Angela James is a digital publishing expert, author career specialist and top shelf editor with over two decades in publishing working with hundreds of authors.

Geri Krotow is the award winning, bestselling author of over 25 novels. A US Naval Academy graduate and former Intelligence Officer, she loves sharing how she employs her military training to her writing craft.

Priscilla Oliveras is a USA Today bestselling author and 2018 RWA® RITA® double finalist who writes contemporary romance with a Latinx flavor. She and her novels have earned recognition in the Washington Post, New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Redbook, and Publishers Weekly, amongst others, and her next novel, Island Affair, releases May 2020. #LatinxRom

Denise McInerney is a skilled improvisationalist and brings that talent to the fore as she coordinates and emcees the Retreat’s popular “American Author.”

Roan Parrish is the author of over a dozen queer romance novels. They are all full of feelings, full of animals, and full of cuddling.

Lynne Silver is the author of sexy contemporary romance such as the popular Alpha Heroes and Coded for Love series. When she’s not writing she works at a top-50 promotional company in Washington D.C.

Jessica Snyder is an editor, coach and project manager who has been editing romance for over six years, working across Romancelandia with publishers, bestselling indie writers and newly published authors. She enjoys consulting with her authors on the self-publishing industry as much as she likes to dive into characterization and GMC in their manuscripts.

Mary Strand is a recovering lawyer from Minneapolis who, when not rocking out on guitar or injuring herself playing sports, writes YA, romantic comedy, and women’s fiction.  Her debut novel was Golden Heart winner Cooper’s Folly, and her four-book Bennet Sisters YA series, starting with Pride, Prejudice, and Push-Up Bras, is now available.