Jolie Stekly is a writer, teacher, speaker, and writing coach. She is an instructor for the University of Washington’s Certificate in Writing program, and she also teaches privately. She is incredibly proud of the full shelf of books written by her students and clients. Jolie has been an active member of the SCBWI for over 20 years, volunteering in many roles, including serving as the regional advisor for the Western Washington region. She frequently writes and speaks for the SCBWI, and she presents the new attendees’ orientation at national SCBWI conferences. She was honored as SCBWI Member of the Year in 2009. Her short story Ghosts Around These Parts represents Washington State in THE HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA anthology (Godwin Books/Macmillan, 2024). The story is set where she lives in the Pacific Northwest, at the edge of the Salish Sea, where she loves to both paddle and plunge.