meet MORWA's Authors
fedora amis
Donna Ross, writing as Fedora Amis, won the Mayhaven Fiction Prize for her Victorian whodunit, Jack the Ripper in St. Louis. She dons corset and hoop skirts to perform as real historical people and imagined characters from
the 1800s. Fedora loves live theater, travel, plants and cooking.
She has one son, Skimmer, who partners Fedora in writing science fiction and fantasy.
“Why do I write? I love words—always
have--reading them, writing them. I even like looking them up in the dictionary. So call me eccentric. Call me crazy—but call me a writer.”
akira angel
Akira Angel’s first love was Han Solo – of course, that was before she discovered she wasn’t really a princess.
But from that heartbreaking realization came a lifetime love of reading and watching science fiction, fantasy and romance.
When she began writing professionally in 2011, those passions translated into epic adventures that cross time and space, with a little romance thrown in for good measure!
KATHY BAILEY
Kathy Bailey (she/her) writes romance, poetry, science fiction, and women's kaiju.
Her novel Half Dome, Whole Heart is available on Amazon.
Her short works have appeared in the Flame Tree Fiction Newsletter, Dreams & Nightmares, and Utopia Science Fiction.
Before focusing on fiction she was a newspaper reporter at the Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Examiner.
She currently lives in the American Midwest with three kids, two dogs, and one husband.
michele dunaway
Michele Dunaway is a best selling author of over 40 contemporary romances featuring happily ever afters set in small towns with cookie stores and wine. Known for writing "Hometown Sweet with a Hint of Spice,” Michele’s sold over 1.7 million globally.
Describing herself as a woman who does way too much and never wants to stop, Michele writes about love and second chances. She’s a proud mother of two grown daughters. As an avid pet lover, Michele shares her home with far too many rescued cats, who of course completely rule the roost.
megan kelly
Megan Kelly read her first Harlequin Romance as a teenager and became an avid reader. She dreamed of writing those exciting and moving stories she loved. After years (and years) of writing, she finally sold
to Harlequin American Romance in 2007.
Megan lives in the Midwest with her husband and two children and is well-known at her local bookstore and library.
nj litz
NJ Litz is a former journalist and communications director. She writes about strong women who get justice for those who can't get it for themselves. Scent of the Lost, the fifth book in her successful "Scent Series", was published on Jan. 27, 2026. The series features a search and rescue volunteer with an unusual gift.
Not surprisingly, given her books, she has had numerous dogs. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, and League of Romance Writers as well as Missouri Romance Writers.
Ellen Parker
Raised in a household filled with books, it was only natural that Ellen Parker grew into an avid reader. She turned to writing as a second career and enjoys spinning the type of story which appeals to multiple generations.
She encourages her readers to share her work with mother or daughter – or both.Ellen currently lives in St. Louis. When not guiding characters to “happily ever after” she’s apt to be reading, walking in the neighborhood,
or tending her tiny garden.
Kimberly Wesley
Kimberly Wesley’s love for writing started after entering an essay contest in seventh grade for MLK Day. She did not win but the fire to write stories was lit. Before leaving for college at 17 she had written over 100 romance stories and even a “TV drama series.”
She studied film and TV in college, with an emphasis on screenwriting.
Her favorite thing to watch is soap operas and reality TV shows which is why her stories are drama-filled. She self-published her first book, Hook an Angel, which is set in her hometown St. Louis.
karyn witmer-gow: In loving memory
Karyn Witmer-Gow was one of the founding members of MORWA. And published under the pseudonyms: Elizabeth Grayson, Elizabeth Kary, and her given name.
She was published for the first time when she was in the fourth grade. She finished a historical novel at fifteen. After a successful career teaching art in elementary schools and at the St. Louis Art Museum,
she began to dabble in writing again. In 1986 her Waldenbook Award-winning novel LOVE, HONOR AND BETRAY was published under the name Elizabeth Kary.
In 1995 she began to write stories
set on the advancing American frontier under the name Elizabeth Grayson. Her eleventh book, MOON IN THE WATER, was set on aboard a riverboat and garnered recognition as both a finalist for the Romance Writers
RITA award and for the prestigious Willa Cather Literary Award. A SIMPLE GIFT, her first contemporary novel written as Karyn Witmer, was a Literary Guild exclusive in 2005.
Karyn enjoyed teaching, speaking at writers' conferences, and needlework. She was happily married to a former advertising executive and devoted much of her time to playing "Auntie Mame" to two her nieces before her passing in 2025.
MORWA authors wishing to be included on this page should send a short bio and a web-ready picture to webmaster@morwa.org.