James T. Lambert
Board Member
James T. Lambert writes science-fiction, urban fantasy, and a little steampunk from his writing office/land yacht ‘Bertrude’. By day he breaks carefully constructed code conceived by clever coders, while by night he sorts strings of syllibant sentences for story structure. Since his first novel-length project in the 2011 NaNoWriMo, he’s been polishing his craft, working toward his overnight success after ten years. Other than writing and breaking things, Jim also enjoys reading, movies, comics, theater, boardgames, Scotch, craft beer, hot air ballooning, and having far too many hobbies.
Kate Baray
Board Member
Kate Baray writes page-turning urban fantasy with relatable characters. Â When Kate’s not tapping away at her keyboard or in deep contemplation of her next fanciful writing project, she’s sweeping up hairy dust bunnies and watching British mysteries. Â Kate is from Austin, Texas (where many of her stories take place) but has recently migrated north to Boise, Idaho, where soup season (her favorite time of year) lasts more than two weeks. Â She’s worked as an attorney, a dog trainer, and in various other positions, but writer is the hands-down winner. She’s thankful readers keep reading, so she can keep writing! Â Kate also writes cozy mysteries as Cate Lawley
Robert McAndrew
Writers’ Prompt, Grant Coordinator
Bob McAndrew won the 2000 Peterson Emerging Playwright Award for his play  John Doe #2.  He was one of four playwrights living west of the Mississippi to be nominated for the 1999 PEN Center USA West Literary Award for Drama for his play  Only Child.  His play  Foundling  won the 1999 Southern Appalachian Playwrights Conference.  Screw the Widow  was a winner of the 2002 Theatre Conspiracy National New Play Competition.  Hostage Politics  won the 2008 Palm Springs International Playwriting Competition. Bob’s full-length, one-act and ten-minute plays have received staged readings and/or full productions in Alaska, California, Florida, Idaho, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon. He lives in Boise, Idaho with three cats and his wife extraordinaire.
Val Roberts
Board Member, Budget Officer
Melanie Olson
Board Member
Melanie Olsen writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance. She enjoys writing imaginative characters with complicated backgrounds. She cherishes books with plot twists, humor, and happily ever after’s.
Born and raised in California, Melanie has also lived in Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, Idaho, and England. She served as a military spouse alongside her active-duty husband in the US Air Force for twenty-one years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and also in Geology, after discovering her love of rocks during a camping trip to a gold mine as a child.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two adult children, and one adorable golden retriever at their home in Boise, Idaho. She also enjoys gardening, gluten-free baking, and random home improvement projects.
Bonnie Jo Pierson
Board Member
Advisory board members: Bruce and Laura Delaney of Rediscovered Books.
