Imagined in Ohio

Ohio author Megan Whalen Turner is a New York Times bestselling fantasy writer and former bookseller. Best known for The Queen’s Thief series, which begins with the Newbery Honor novel The Thief, she crafts stories filled with political intrigue, clever twists, and unforgettable characters. Her work has also earned the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and a Mythopoeic Award.

Rae Carson is a New York Times bestselling fantasy author who spent years in central Ohio, where she published her debut novel, The Girl of Fire and Thorns. Her stories blend adventure, magic, and resourceful young women facing extraordinary challenges. Her latest novel, Monster, Monarch, Maiden, was released in August 2026.

Paris Kaufman is a college student and fantasy author with a passion for creative fiction. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, painting, and spending time with animals. Her novel, The Mageye, begins a young adult fantasy trilogy set in Alveraada, where a girl with mysterious healing powers embarks on a search for her missing family.

Northeast Ohio author Sarah Heximer is a strategist and storyteller with a curiosity for what lies beneath the surface. With a background in psychology and an MBA, she brings that perspective to both her fiction and her work as founder of True Colors Strategy, a fractional marketing firm. Her historical fiction series, The Triquetra Chronicles, explores past lives, forgotten histories, and enduring bonds between women. Her debut novel, The Harbinger, was a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Lifelong Clevelander Sarah Goehrke is the author of The Keepers, her debut fantasy novel set in a world of powerful queens, hidden witchery, and ancient covens. Her career spans writing, editing, marketing, communications, and the arts. She owns an editorial business and lives near Cleveland with her family and beloved cats and dogs.

Born and raised in Ohio, David “D. L.” Jennings is the award-winning author of the HIGHGLADE fantasy series, including Gift of the Shaper, Awaken the Three, and Days of the Dark. A fourteen-year U.S. Air Force veteran, he began his debut novel during his ninth combat tour. Now a full-time writer, he enjoys reading, traveling, ’90s punk, and the highs and lows of Ohio sports fandom.

Northeast Ohio native Michelle Park Lazette brings a journalist’s eye and a storyteller’s imagination to her work. A graduate of Berea High School and Kent State University, she is the author of the apocalyptic fantasy novel The Descended. Her career spans journalism, nonfiction, and award-winning storytelling.

Ohio author Mark Bogner is an independent science fiction writer with more than twenty years of storytelling experience. A lifelong sci-fi enthusiast, he draws on decades of ideas, experiences, and wonderfully strange knowledge to shape his stories. Beyond his books, Mark runs a small social media company focused on creative storytelling.