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The Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC (BWG), founded in 2006, is a community of mutually supportive authors based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The members are as different from each other as their stories, spanning a range of genres including: children’s, fantasy, humor, inspiration, literary, memoir, mystery, paranormal, romance, science fiction, women's fiction, and young adult.
The Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC (BWG), founded in 2006, is a community of mutually supportive authors based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The members are as different from each other as their stories, spanning a range of genres including: children’s, fantasy, humor, inspiration, literary, memoir, mystery, paranormal, romance, science fiction, women's fiction, and young adult.
BWG is also a publisher of quality fiction and poetry through the online literary journal, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable and award-winning "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies, among other publications. See our Bookstore for more information on our many titles.
BWG is also a publisher of quality fiction and poetry through the online literary journal, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable and award-winning "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies, among other publications. See our Bookstore for more information on our many titles.
Our members:
Our members:
Courtney Annicchiarico grew up in New Jersey where she was a high school teacher and a conflict resolution curriculum writer and facilitator. She moved to Pennsylvania with her husband and two children to be a stay-at-home mom--the best career move yet. Her story "Mis-conceptions" appears in A CHRISTMAS SAMPLER, and is her first published piece. Her stories also appear in ONCE AROUND THE SUN; A READABLE FEAST; UNTETHERED; and FUR, FEATHERS, AND SCALES.
With an imagination that never sleeps, DT “Dan” Krippene writes mystery, dystopian science fiction, paranormal, and alternate-world fantasy. His short stories appear in multiple award-winning anthologies, including “Hell of a Deal,” in UNTETHERED; the 2021 Best Indie for Fiction, FUR, FEATHERS, AND SCALES with “Man’s Best Friend”; and the 2023 Finalist Indie Award-winning, AN ELEMENT OF MYSTERY with “The Lost Gold of Rhyolite”. He has two new stories in the 2024 Holiday anthology, SEASON'S READINGS, titled “The Heart Needs a Home” and “Millie’s Christmas Wine”. He’s been a featured author with the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable with “Snowbelt Sanctuary,” “Hot as Sin,” and “Desert Buzz.” You can find Dan on his website, dtkrippene.com, and his social media links on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Jeff Baird is a career educator at the secondary and post graduate level, and a self-proclaimed computer junkie. He has presented at numerous state and national technology conferences, and has published in the field of educational technology. In addition, his memoir, REDHEAD RUMINATIONS, tells about growing up and living life as a redhead. He resides in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania where he loves hiking nearby mountains with his dog, Bailey.
Jerry McFadden has been writing fiction for the past several years. His stories have appeared in various fiction magazines and e-zines, such as Flash Fiction Offensive, Over My Dead Body, Eclectic Flash Fiction, and BWG Writers Roundtable. Many of his favorites are included in his book OFF THE RAILS: A Collection of Weird, Wicked, & Wacky Stories published in 2019. It placed as a finalist for both the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards. He received a Second Place Bullet Award for the best crime fiction to appear on the web in June, 2011, and has had his short stories performed aloud on the stage by the Liar’s League in London and the Liar’s League in Hong Kong. His stories have also appeared in various anthologies, including HARDBOILED: CRIME SCENE, ONCE AROUND THE SUN, A CHRISTMAS SAMPLER, A READABLE FEAST, LET IT SNOW, and SEASON'S READINGS. He has also won honorable mentions in Writer’s Digest Magazine annual national fiction awards, as well as in several regional writing contests.
Neurologist Peter J Barbour, M.D. retired his reflex hammer to become a full-time writer and illustrator. He is actively involved in Mussar, an ancient study of Jewish ethics, virtues, and mindfulness leading to character development. He participates in the process as a group facilitator and brings Mussar’s timeless wisdom to the writing his latest publication, FIFTEEN KEYS, an action-adventure, coming-of-age novel for middle grade and young teens. His other works include a memoir, LOOSE ENDS, three illustrated children’s books: GUS AT WORK, OSCAR AND GUS, and TANYA AND THE BABY ELEPHANT, and over forty short stories that have appeared in e-journals and magazines. One of them, “The Fate, of Dicky Paponovitch,” earned him Raconteur of the Month from Susan Carol Publishing Company. He belongs to the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
He lives in Oregon with his photographer wife. They enjoy traveling and the outdoors.
Emwryn Murphy (also published as Emily P. W. Murphy) is a writer, freelance editor, and professional photographer. Em is the author of THE PRINCESS OF BOORAY, a children's picture book about being true to oneself. In addition, Em has short stories appearing in BWG's "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies: A CHRISTMAS SAMPLER; ONCE AROUND THE SUN; A READABLE FEAST; ONCE UPON A TIME; UNTETHERED; FUR, FEATHERS, AND SCALES; AN ELEMENT OF MYSTERY; and SEASON'S READINGS, among other publications. Em is also the editor of the 2023 anthology Hook, Line, and Sinker from the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime.
After growing up in Pennsylvania, Em has relocated to the Frederick, MD area with spouse Adam, their two children, their two cats, and one goofy dog. Visit Em's website here.
After growing up in Pennsylvania, Em has relocated to the Frederick, MD area with spouse Adam, their two children, their two cats, and one goofy dog. Visit Em's website here.
Paula Gail Benson is a legislative attorney and former law librarian, whose short stories have appeared online and in anthologies including Mystery Times Ten 2013; A Tall Ship, a Star, and Plunder; A Shaker of Margaritas: That Mysterious Woman; Fish or Cut Bait: a Guppy Anthology; Killer Nashville Noir: Cold Blooded; Love in the Lowcountry; Heartbreaks and Half-truths; Once Upon a Time; My Robot and Me; Malice Domestic’s Mystery Most Diabolical; Dark of the Day; and Smoking Guns. In addition to short stories, she writes and directs one act musicals for her church’s drama ministry. Her article on how to promote short stories is in Promophobia. She’s a blogging partner at the Stiletto Gang and Writers Who Kill, and her website is http://paulagailbenson.com.
Christopher D. Ochs exemplifies the last word of BWG's trademark phrase "Sweet, Funny & Strange." Though he hopes his writing is occasionally funny, he sometimes requires a lot of help to be sweet. Chris dove headfirst into speculative fiction with his epic fantasy PINDLEBRYTHi OF LENLAND. From tales scare-tested with live audiences, he crafted a collection of mirthful macabre short stories, IF I CAN'T SLEEP, YOU CAN'T SLEEP. His gritty urban fantasy/horror, MY FRIEND JACKSON, won Finalist in Indies Today's Best Books of 2020. ELDRITCH, INC. hit the streets running, premiering at Philcon 2024. His short stories have been published in award-winning anthologies. Not to mention three more novels bubbling in his cauldron. Follow Chris' derring-do at his website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
A. E. Decker has been a member of the Bethlehem Writers Group since 2011. A former ESL tutor and doll-maker turned writer of fantasy, her short stories have appeared in such magazines as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fireside Magazine, and The Sockdolager as well as in the BWG's own anthology, ONCE AROUND THE SUN, which she helped edit. Her YA novels in the Moonfall Mayhem series include THE FALLING OF THE MOON , INTO THE MOONLESS NIGHT, and THE MEDDLERS OF MOONSHINE, all from World Weaver Press. Like all writers, she is owned by three cats.
Dianna Sinovic is an author of speculative fiction, horror, and mystery, as well as a certified book coach and editor. Her short stories have been published in a number of anthologies, including those from the BWG, and her flash fiction appears monthly on the blog A Slice of Orange. Her paranormal thriller, SCREAM OF THE SILENT SUN, is slated for release in 2025. She’s a member of the Horror Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and the National Association of Memoir Writers. In BWG, she serves on the executive committee. Connect with her via her website, www.dianna-sinovic.com, or on Instagram, @dsinovic94.
Judge Debra Goldstein is the author of WITH OUR BELLIES FULL AND THE FIRE DYING, a collection of her short stories, as well as Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series, and two standalone novels: IPPY award winning MAZE IN BLUE and SHOULD HAVE PLAYED POKER: A Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery. Her short stories, which have been named Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer finalists and won AWC, BWR, and other awards, have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, Malice Domestic Murder Most Edible, Masthead, Murder by the Glass, Jukes & Tonks, and Paranoia Blues: Songs Inspired by the Music of Paul Simon. Debra serves on the national board of Sisters in Crime and previously was on Mystery Writers of America’s national board and was president of the Guppy and SEMWA chapters. Find out more about Debra at https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com.
Diane Sismour gave up her hard hat to write dark, suspenseful stories that keep fans up at night. Her characters (and readers) never know what perils await them or the predicaments they must resolve. Unable to restrain her passion for storytelling to prose, she is now writing adaptations of her works for the screen.
Diane lives with her husband in eastern Pennsylvania at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, where they own Leaser Lake B and B. She’s a member of national and local writing and screenplay groups. You can reach her through her social media: https://www.facebook.com/dianesismour/; https://www.instagram.com/sismour/; https://X.com/DianeSismour; and https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianesismour
Marianne H. Donley writes fiction from short stories to funny romances and quirky murder mysteries fueled by her life as a mom and a teacher. She makes her home in Pennsylvania with her husband, son, and fluffy dog. Marianne blogs at A Slice of Orange. She is an editor of BWG anthologies. She’s also a member Sisters in Crime and Charmed Writers.
Kidd Wadsworth has people in her head and likes to work in her pajamas. Her career choices were limited: write or commit herself to an institution. You can find her website at www.KiddWadsworth.com.
Ralph Hieb enjoys reading and writing paranormal fiction. He resides in Bethlehem, PA, with his wife Nancy The couple enjoys travel and makes a point each year to take a trip to someplace they have never seen before. In addition to BWG, Ralph is a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group where he has served as president and a member representative on the board of directors.
Carol L. Wright is a former book editor, domestic relations attorney, and adjunct law professor. She has stories in each of BWG's "Sweet, Funny, and Strange" anthologies. Her debut mystery, DEATH IN GLENVILLE FALLS, was named a finalist for both the 2018 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award and for the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her latest publication, APPLE, TABLE, PENNY . . . MURDER, is a novelette that was a finalist for both the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the 2024 Chanticleer Book Awards. Carol is the author of several short stories in various literary journals and award-winning anthologies. Many of her favorites appear in A CHRISTMAS ON NANTUCKET AND OTHER STORIES. She is a founding member of the Bethlehem Writers Group, a life member of Sisters in Crime and the Jane Austen Society of North America, and a member of Pennwriters and SinC Guppies. She lives in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. You can learn more on Carol's website, or by following her Facebook page.
Cindy Kelly is originally from upstate New York. She is a former teacher and the author of "Wishing Well Christmas" which appears in A Christmas Sampler.
Russ Uhler is a Rutgers graduate with three children. His story, "Bird Boy," appears in the BWG anthology Once Upon a Time: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Ages.
In Memoriam
Sally W. Paradysz (1940-2017) was a founding member in 2006 of what was to become the Bethlehem Writers Group. Born and raised in western Massachusetts, she was the daughter of a sawyer, and spent her childhood learning to appreciate nature--which became a life-long love. She was a strong and independent woman who opened her heart to all she met. She wrote from a cabin she built in the woods by the Bucks County, Pennsylvania home she built with her partner, Mel Powell. Her memoir, From Scratch: Why I Walked Away From My Life and Built This Home, tells the story of building that house while rebuilding her life after the dual pains of rape and divorce. She was ordained as a minister of the Assembly of the Word religious community, and worked as a spiritual counselor. She won Honorable Mention for an inspirational story in the Writer’s Digest 78th Annual Writing Competition in 2009. She was a finalist in the Salem (MA) Literary Festival in 2010, and published non-fiction in 11:11 magazine. Her essay, "Tool-belt Spirituality" appears among those of such other authors as Gloria Steinem and Jimmy Carter in the collection 65 Things to Do When You Retire, and her essay "Just With Your Heart," appears in the anthology, 70 Things to Do When You Turn 70. She contributed to three BWG anthologies: A Christmas Sampler, Once Around the Sun, and A Readable Feast, and was published in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. We will always remember her extraordinary, gentle but indominable spirit, generosity, and caring.Geoffrey Mehl was a fiction and nonfiction writer who did layout for Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
Members Emeriti
Carol A. Hanzl Birkas has stories in two BWG anthologies: A Christmas Sampler and Once Around the Sun.Jodi Bogert has stories in two BWG anthologies: Untethered and Fur, Feathers, and ScalesTerrie Daugherty has a story in A Readable Feast.Bernadette DeCourcey has stories in two BWG anthologies: Once Around the Sun and A Readable FeastAnne Hamilton has a story in Once Upon a Time.Ruth Heil is a nonfiction writer who did layout for Once Upon a Time.Judith Mehl has short stories to two BWG anthologies: A Readable Feast and Once Upon a Time. Josie Myers has two stories in Once Upon a Time.E. L. Ryan has a story in A Readable Feast.Jo Ann Schaffer is a founding member of BWG. Her stories appear in two BWG anthologies: A Christmas Sampler and Once Around the Sun.Paul Weidknecht is the author of Native to This Stream: Brief Writings About Fly-Fishing & the Great Outdoors, and many other works. His stories appear in most BWG anthologies.Will Wright has stories in the first six BWG anthologies, as well as being a frequent contributor to Bethlehem Writers Roundtable under his own name and under three pen names: Stanley W. McFarland , Headley Hauser, and Walter Bego.Page updated
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