About
The Pacific Northwest YA Authors is a group of authors that met online, realized they lived near each other and decided to encourage and promote one another. In October, 2011 they launched their first tour, the Rain Boots Required YA Author Tour, making stops at local bookstores, coffee houses and libraries.
The Pac NW YA Authors:
Stacey Wallace Benefiel is the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy for young adults, the Day of Sacrifice novelette series for the 18+ set and The Toilet Business, a collection of essays for people who like to laugh.
She lives in an orange house in Beaverton, OR with her poet husband, their two young children, a gassy dog and two ancient cats.
Whenever she gets the chance, Stacey loves teaching and directing Children’s Theatre.
Website: http://staceywallacebenefiel.com
Twitter: @Stacey_WB
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/ockN7p
E-mail: swallacebenefiel1@gmail.com
Angela Carlie is the author of Dream Smashers, an edgy contemporary about a girl whose mother is a meth addict, Loramendi’s Story, a paranormal romance, and Land of Corn Chips, a middle grade novel.
Angela has lived in the Pacific Northwest her entire life. She enjoys hanging out with her twelve-year-old son and husband, reading, writing, hiking, kayaking, and traveling.
Website: http://angelacarlie.com
Twitter: @AngelaCarlie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/angelacarlie
Laura A. H. Elliott is the author of Winnemucca, a small-town fairy tale inspired by her life-long love of a little known town, Avenal, CA, and her equal love of enchanted teenage road trips. 13 on Halloween is the first book in the Teen Halloween Series. Laura’s travel and personal essays have been published in The Los Angeles Times and other Southern California newspapers and magazines. She worked as a multimedia designer for The Los Angeles Times and E! Entertainment Television.
She’s currently on the road with her husband and his construction project management business. Their first stop outside of LA was Big Sur, CA, where they lived for a few years. She has two grown daughters who love to climb trees as much as she does. She lives with her husband on their third stop along the way on the Monterey Peninsula with their Aussie shepherd, Oso. She’s taken up residence in Portland, OR off-and-on. When she’s there, you’ll find her at the Holiday Inn at the airport, typing away, eating some amazing food at the pods, drinking some great Willamette Valley wine, and visiting Powell’s Books of course!
To find out where in the world Laura is and more about her upcoming books, visit her website AuthorLaura, her blog Laurasmagicday and friend her on Facebook. If Twitter is your thing she’s @Laurawriting.
I’m a writer-in-progress, working on balancing work, art, wine, and sanity to have a fulfilling life.
Rebecca Knight is the author of the YA fantasy Legacy of the Empress. She lives in Vancouver, WA with her husband and has enviable hair. Rebecca did not write and might not approve of this bio. 
Website: http://rebeccaknightbooks.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @twoheadknight
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/nlAhUl
Lisa is the author of Running Wide Open, a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She lives in Milwaukie, Oregon with her husband, four cats, and two giant sequoias.
Website: http://lisanowak.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @Lisa_Nowak
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/nfR8Uy
Cidney Swanson grew up within spitting distance of the central California foothills and learned to drive on the crazy highways linking gold rush ghost towns. She began her first novel at age eight; it started with “Ouch,” and she’s enjoyed creating painful situations for her characters ever since. Cidney worked as a costume designer, clothing designer, and kitchen gadget salesperson prior to giving it all up for literature. Cidney lives in Oregon’s Willamette Valley with her husband, three kids, a dog, and two cats and entirely too much rain.
Website: http://cidneyswanson.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cidney-Swanson/174516512597580
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/cidneyswanson
Craig Hansen wrote stories from an early age, but when his SF short story, “The S.S. Nova,” was published in the Minnesota Writers In the School COMPAS program’s 1981 anthology of student writing, When It Grows Up, You Say Goodbye To It, he decided to dedicate himself to writing. Several unpublished novels and short stories followed.
Hansen earned two degrees at Minnesota State University at Mankato under the mentorship of young adult novelist Terry Davis. In the years that followed, Hansen worked a variety of jobs related to writing, including editorial work at a small publishing house, holding a position as a website editor, and five years in journalism in northwestern Wisconsin, where he earned several state awards for his writing and editing.
His work has appeared in the Meadowbrook Press anthology, Girls to the Rescue, Book 1, as well as the true crime journal,Ripper Notes, in volume 28.
His first novel, Most Likely, was released in May. Shada is the first installment of the Ember Cole series of young adult paranormal suspense books. Hansen is hard at work on the next installment in the series, the novel-length book, Ember.
Hansen recently moved to Oregon with his wife, a dog, a cat,and his 89-year-old father, a World War II veteran.
Craig’s interests include the music of Johnny Cash, reading the novels of other independent authors, blogging, and the study of Messianic theology. On his website, you can sign up to receive a periodic email newsletter that will notify you when he releases new novels.
Connect With Me Online At:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/craigahansen
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Craig-Hansen-Author/
Blog and website: www.craig-hansen.com
SpireHouse Books launched Cheri Lasota’s first novel, Artemis Rising, in Sept 2011. The book is a YA historical fantasy based on mythology and set in the exotic Azores Islands. Currently, Cheri is writing and researching her second novel, a YA set on the Oregon Coast. Over the course of her sixteen-year career, she has edited fiction, nonfiction, screenplays, and short stories for publication. Cheri also has twenty-four years of experience writing poetry and fiction. Learn more about Artemis Rising at http://www.cherilasota.com or buy it at http://bit.ly/ArtemisRisingNovel.
Chanda Hahn takes her experience as a children’s pastor, children’s librarian and bookseller to write compelling and popular fiction for teens. Her works include; UnEnchanted, Fairest and The Iron Butterfly.
She was born in Seattle, WA, grew up in Nebraska and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their twin children; Aiden and Ashley.
Visit Chanda Hahn’s website to learn more about her other forthcoming books.
McKenzie McCann is the author of Tread Lightly, her debut YA fantasy. She is a teenager living in Portland, Oregon who spends her time reading trashy YA interspersed with high-minded novels, writing edgy women’s fiction, watching Food Network, and working at Outdoor School and Girl Scout camp.
Blog: http://mrhmccann.blogspot.com/
