Author Karson Brown
Author and artist Karson Brown grew up sailing and living aboard boats in the Pacific Northwest. She turned twenty-one on a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean aboard a thirty-four-foot sailboat during hurricane season before turning thirty. Karson raised her two children along the shores of Vashon Island surrounded by a menagerie of critters. She is a writer, photographer, artist, and lifelong devotee of water. Karson is an alumna of Joyce Maynard’s “Write By The Lake Workshop”, in Guatemala. She currently resides on Alki Beach collecting shells and befriending seagulls. Karson has two short stories in the upcoming Vine Leaves Press 50 Give or Take Anthology, coming out November 2025. Red Fern Press will publish Karson’s debut memoir 48 Days to Barbados Oct. 20, 2026. See her art here.
Author Steph West
Former Gannett/USA Today Network journalist and Fox Sports Ohio reporter Steph West is an award-winning author, journalist, and producer. Her novels include the North American Book Awards 2025 gold medal winning hockey drama The Third Period; her fantasy crime adventure, Newcross; and her pocket romance series, as well as her award-winning memoir On Fire.
West has more than two decades of media, writing, and publishing experience. She was an award-winning journalist for more than a decade, including working for Fox Sports Ohio covering the NHL and Columbus Blue Jackets. She appeared as a guest correspondent on Blue Jackets Live several times during her tenure there.
Red Fern Press 