Friends of Chicago Pride Book Fest
Katrina Jackson
Romance Author
KATRINA JACKSON has a PhD in African American and African Diaspora history. She’s a professor by day who writes erotica, erotic romance, women’s fiction, and historical fiction in her spare time. She writes racially diverse and often queer stories that show love and the world in all its beauty and colors. Katrina will be a signing author at Chicago Pride Book Fest.
Mark Jonathan Runte
Urban Fantasy Author
Sometimes the full-time nurse to an epileptic shih tzu bichon and a somewhat eccentric Havanese. The Havanese hasn’t been tested yet, but it is suspected she may be schizophrenic. Or a genius, no one’s really certain which.
Mark is a Canadian writer who enjoys urban fantasy and blending folklore with historical fiction. He can often be found in a corner of the living room with a laptop and headphones over his ears, music may or may not be playing along with it.
He is the writer of the Mythos set of urban fantasy books and the Eve series, both under his own name so far. Fears of pennames may play a part in that. His next (and more limited set) books may be the Echoes of Eternity series.
He is recently the adopted uncle of a third dog, and Dewie is a welcome addition to the family.
Derelict Books
Author Michael J. Adams
Michael was an imaginitive child (okay, maybe he still is). Most of that stemmed from an early introduction to tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons. He would huddle around a table with his high school friends whenever an opportunity presented itself. Following college, eight-hour binge sessions became an every weekend thing.
One by one, his friends got married and started having children. Maintaining a consistent schedule became impossible.
Following a rather vivid dream, he realized the creative outlet offered by table top RPGs could be chased another way. Said dream became my first novel (PLAGIARISM). You could say the rest was history.
Michael lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and two sons. Presently, he plays Dungeons & Dragons with his son and a bunch of other pre-teens through the park district (and having way more fun than he thought possible).
He believes if you’ve never tried TTRPG’s, you owe it to yourself to give them a shot.
Spooky Frog
A Horrifying Book Fair
Spooky Frog Books is your gateway to a thrilling world of horror literature and alternative culture. Their next event is Saturday, May 16, 2026 11AM-4PM at the Sheraton Brookfield Milwaukee. All ages event. $5 admission. Learn more here.
Studio Moonfall BookStore
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Studio Moonfall is Donovan Scherer’s house of art and story.
Donovan Scherer is an author and illustrator creating worlds of adventure with a sense of humor and a little bit of dread that everything will go terribly, terribly wrong.
In 2009, he started the Fear & Sunshine series of middle-grade illustrated novels and began his work in book publishing. Along with developing more of his own series across novels, comics, video games, and animation, he also works with independent authors to help bring their stories to life.
In 2019, he opened the Studio Moonfall in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin – an art studio and bookstore featuring his endlessly increasing body of work and highlighting other local and independent authors and artist
Patron of Chicago Pride Book Fest
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Advocate for Chicago Pride Book Fest & Partners
Slay the Lake
LGBTQ+ Horror Book Fest
Slay the Lake works hard to bring you books and events prioritizing women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors.
Da Book Joint
Bookseller Partner
Da Book Joint is a Black mother-daughter owned business born on the Southside of Chicago committed to literary growth and positive engagement of the youth.
Sawyer Cole Hobson
Memoir Author
Sawyer is a trans nonbinary author by night, and a mental health professional by day. They are currently working on a mental health book geared towards teenagers. They now happily reside in Green Bay, WI with their wife and kids