Faculty Biographies

Jon (J.S.) Lewis and Derek Benz are co-authors of Scholastic, Inc.'s GREY GRIFFINS, a YA fantasy series that has captivated readers with fast-paced tales steeped in archaeology, linguistics, mythology, and cosmology. Since publication of their first book in Spring 2006, the authors have teamed with legendary game developers, WizKids® to produce a ground breaking Trading Card Game based a game played by the characters in their books. They are also working with Hollywood Executive Producer, Mark Gordon (Grey's Anatomy, Saving Private Ryan, The Patriot, The Day After Tomorrow) on a film property based on their exciting series. The authors are also in development on a series of graphic novels based on their books, as well as an animated series. Both authors grew up in the heartland of America, and currently reside with their families in a Phoenix suburb.

Born in the wrong place, and unquestionably the wrong time, Derek spent most of his early years trying to figure out where he was and why he was different than everyone else. By the age of five, he had stumbled upon the answer: the rest of humanity was really nothing more than an elaborate hoax of cleverly disguised robots, and he was the only real human among them. Having overcome that mystery, he set out with other young members of the Grey Griffins (a super-secret club) to protect the world from darkness and bring about a better world through friendship, wit, and superbly-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

He's climbed volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, fished for sharks in the North Atlantic, scandalized the Cathedral of Barcelona, been mauled by an angry kitten off the coast of Turkey, narrowly avoided being blown up outside Belfast, learned the meaning of defenestration in France, and even jumped off a few cliffs in Greece. His interests spanned a wide spectrum: archaeology, linguistics, mythology, cosmology, conspiracy theory, religion and a host of others. At the same time, he managed to catapult himself to the top of his game in a Fortune 100 company doing what some idly speculated to be nothing less than international computer espionage.

But there was always the desire to change the world around him. And since the age of fifteen, he had become obsessed with writing as a means to this end. Year after year, he labored to prefect his craft, until he felt the time was right. In 2000, he teamed up with J.S. Lewis and with an eye to the stars, they launched The Revenge of the Shadow King.

Benz met and married his lovely wife in sunny Arizona, where they enjoy researching ancient civilizations and studying theology.

Born early enough to remember rotary phones, typewriters, and the glory years of Atari, J.S. Lewis has lived a rather obscure life in the shadows of many nearly famous people.

A member of the Grey Griffins (a secret club of courageous children who have vowed to save the world from evil overlords, alien invasions and brussel sprouts), Lewis grew up in the heartland of America. Yearning to become a marine biologist, but perplexed by the lack of exotic saltwater marine life in Iowa and Minnesota, he headed west. Sadly, his quest for the sea ended too soon, stranding him in the blustering desert of Arizona, where dreams of discovering new breeds of ferocious sharks were all but destroyed.

So it was, dejected and wandering like a drifting vagabond, that Lewis explored an eclectic career that would include news reporting, radio producing, animation, multi-media design, mural painting, speech writing, video game development and marketing.

Ever searching for new forms of creative expression, Lewis and boyhood friend Derek Benz sought to make their indelible mark through the written word. Thus from that collaboration was penned the novel The Revenge of the Shadow King, and Book Two of their series, The Rise of the Black Wolf.

Ensnared by the lure of the desert, Lewis remains in Arizona with his radiant wife and their beautiful daughters.

Visit the authors on the web here.

Although I've been practically famous for fiction ever since I could talk (you should have heard the stories I told my Kindergarten teacher), it took me three decades and nine odd years to get around to writing a novel. In fact, it was the calendar that put me up to it. I'd always said I wanted to be an author when I grew up-and forty is pretty darn grown up by anybody's standards. The Heart Has Its Reasons was released in 1999 and I've since published seven-and-a-half more books (one was a collaboration) and been included in a compilation of inspirational essays for mothers. I've edged from LDS romance into romantic mystery into murder-mystery-with-romantic-overtones into romantic comedy into the new Nightshade series—books one reviewer said is what you'd expect "if you watched Buffy join CSI on the Romance Channel."

The question I'm most often asked is: "What is the best thing about being a writer?" The answer—aside from the obvious perk of being able to take my pit bull to work with me—is that I can toss all the things I love most into my books. Baseball, mummies, mythology, old movies, UFOs, bad puns, Nancy Drew, Indiana Jones, fairy tales, Hopis, powdered-sugar donuts, classic literature, vampires, the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, ghosts—it's all in there somewhere. (Or will be if I write faster.)

I've been married to my own romantic hero for more than a quarter of a century (wow!) and we have four children. Our oldest son is an Army medic recently returned from Korea. My youngest son is a Marine MP currently in his second deployment in Iraq. Our middle son teaches high school (talk about hazardous duty) and writes funny, creepy, absolutely marvelous screenplays. Our only daughter is an English/Elementary Ed major who's been catching major mistakes in my manuscripts since she was thirteen. (I once wrote that the sun rose in the west. My editor, two professional proofreaders, and I all missed it. Hilary didn't.)

I live in gorgeous Chino Valley, Arizona where I spend days reading works-in-progress aloud to the aforementioned attentive (if illiterate) pit bull who grins in all the right places. (She's my biggest fan.) My biggest critic lives here, too: a big black cat who spends most of his waking hours trying to take over the chair at my computer. I'd probably have a dozen more books to my credit if he weren't so pushy—and if all those other people would quit writing books I find so appealing! I'd frankly rather read than eat, though you might not believe it from looking at my author photo. (Fortunately, I can read and eat at the same time. Walking and chewing gum is another matter.)

Kerry's website is found at KerryBlair.com.

With thirty-four years of professional experience in corporate and internal communications, public relations, media relations, marketing communications, and publications management, Kathryn B. Jenkins currently serves as the managing editor and member of the board of directors of Covenant Communications, a Utah-based publishing company. Prior to her current position, she was press secretary for a U.S. Congressman; vice-president of a Salt Lake City publishing company; manager of strategic communications for software manufacturer Novell, Inc.; director of public relations at a private college in Salt Lake City; and held communications management positions at a variety of national and international corporations.

Former president-elect of the Association of Utah Publishers, she was also on the board of directors of the Mental Health Association of Utah County. She has held membership in the Consortium of Utah Women in Higher Education, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the International Association of Business Communicators, the National Association of Earth Science Editors, and the National Association of State Poetry Societies. She is the author or co-author of more than seven dozen books and wrote an award-winning book-length poetry manuscript recognized by the governor of Utah. A former member of Sigma Delta Chi, she was named an Outstanding Young Woman of America.

Heather Madder is the author of Walking on the Ceiling: The Practice of Overcoming Barriers and Creating a Life of Freedom, along with several audio CDs.

She was the creator and co-host of the internet radio show, "On the High Road" that provided spiritual solutions for everyday problems weekly to 100,000 listeners worldwide. She has also been a regular guest and contributor to various other stations.

Heather's work is dedicated to the spread of truth, however, the majority of her time is spent figuring out what to make for dinner and getting her children to do their chores. Her favorite hobbies are biking in the early mornings, staring at her handsome husband, and talking about how her children are the most awe-inspiring people on the planet.

She can be contacted through her website at www.HeatherMadder.com

Tristi Pinkston is the author of two published novels, Nothing to Regret and Strength to Endure, both set during World War II. She has been critically acclaimed for the realism of her novels, which uplift without being preachy. She's also the author of four (soon to be five) as-of-yet-unpublished novels, but every effort is being made to change that status.

She has four children, one husband, roughly one hundred and eighty guppies, and forty-seven dust bunnies. When she's not ignoring her housework, she's writing blogs for Families.com as well as maintaining her own blog.

Tristi is a home schooling mom and owns her own bath and beauty company in her oodles and oodles of spare time.

Her hobbies include not thinking about chocolate, hiding her laundry in weird places, reading, scrap booking, watching good movies, taking long naps, and trying recipes no one will eat.

She is a regular presenter at the LDStorymakers Conference, has presented at the League of Utah Writers monthly meeting as well as the Spring Workshop, and gives firesides regularly to promote the cause of literacy. Her website is found at www.TristiPinkston.com.