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In: Author Guests, Editor Guests, Imaginarium, Toastmaster, Workshop Hosts

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes award-winning author and editor Michael Knost as Toastmaster! A Bram Stoker Award-winning editor and author of science fiction, fantasy, horror, westerns, and supernatural thrillers, Michael has written in many different genres and helmed several anthologies. Recently, Michael won a Will Rogers Medallion Award for his Western short story “Come Necessary,” published in the anthology Four Guns & Sixteen Trails by Lawless Trails Press. As an instructor, Michael has taught writing classes and workshops at several colleges, conventions, and online, and his novel, Return of the Mothman, was made into a feature film that premiered in 2022! Michael is a member ofRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Paranormal Guest, programming, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes bestselling, award-winning author, psychic medium, and paranormal expert Andrea St. Amand as a Spotlighted Guest!  A former partner in a national law firm, Andrea appeared as the paranormal expert throughout the full series of Travel Channel’s True Terror with Robert Englund, a show that explored truths behind legends and folklore. Andra is also the author of Ghost Light, a non-fiction book that blends a raw personal memoir with a practical guide on intuition and self-acceptance. We are honored to have Andrea join us for our 14th year, taking place July 23-25, 2027 in Louisville, Kentucky at the Crowne Plaza! For furtherRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Podcaster Guest, Publicist Guests, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes author, podcaster, and publicist Dan Klefstad as a Spotlighted Guest! Currently on an extensive book tour for his new release Sins of the Sire, Dan is the author of the Fiona’s Guardians series, a dark, gritty story set in a world with vampires. He is the co-host (with Eva Vertrice) of the vampire-themed podcast Vamp Chat With Dan & Eva, a podcast that has featured such notable guests like NYT bestselling author P.C. Cast, Three-time Oscar award-winning makeup artist Ve Neil, and international bestselling author Dacre Stoker! Dan is also a publicist for writers, and he authored the book DIY PromoRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Imaginators, Official Guests, Workshop Hosts

Imaginarium 2027 welcomes #1 NYT and #1 USA Today bestselling, award-winning author P.C. Cast as an Imaginator Guest! P.C. has more than 30 million books in print in over 40 countries. The author of the enormously successful House of Night Series, now being made into feature films, she is also known for her Goddess Summoning and Partholon series. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Booksellers’ Best, and many, many more! P.C. is a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. We are honored to have P.C. join us forRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, programming, Spotlighted Guest, Workshop Hosts

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes international bestselling author and lecturer Dacre Stoker as a Spotlighted Guest! Dacre is the great grand-nephew of Bram Stoker and the international bestselling co-author of Dracula the Un-Dead,  the official Stoker family endorsed sequel to Dracula! Dacre is also the co-author of Dracul, a prequel to Dracula, that was published by Putnam in North America, Penguin Random House in the UK, as well as publishers in numerous other countries, with film rights sold to Paramount Studios. A former Olympic modern pentathlon coach, Dacre manages the Bram Stoker Estate and regularly conducts international tours and lectures about the world of Bram Stoker, his writing ofRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Filmmaker Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, panelists, programming

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes award-winning author and filmmaker K.B. Carlisle as an Official Panelist! K.B. will be participating in our extensive Panel and Workshop Programming at Imaginarium 2027! Learn more about K.B. below! About K.B. Carlisle K.B. Carlisle is an award-winning Southern fantasy author, Appalachian folklore enthusiast, and professional purveyor of questionable magical decisions. His debut, The Book of Rose, won the 2024 Imadjinn Award for Best Young Adult Novel, while its sequel became a 2025 finalist. He writes small-town magic, strange suspense, and characters who probably should have known better. K.B. is also a co-founder of Tattooed Authors of Southern Appalachia.Read More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, panelists, Podcaster Guest, programming

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes artist, bookstore owner, and podcaster Lindsay Schultz as an Official Panelist! Lindsay will be participating in our extensive Panel and Workshop Programming at Imaginarium 2027! Learn more about Lindsay at her bio below: About Lindsay Schultz Lindsay Schultz is a bookstore owner, artist, and podcaster who owns The Spine Bookshop, located in Smyrna, TN. The Spine celebrates local and independently published authors, and spotlights banned books. The shop hosts a wide range of events, including children’s story times (Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m.), book clubs, craft sessions, and a Veterans Coffee Hour on Friday mornings. A co-hostRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Literary Agents, Official Guests, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes literary agent Rose Betancourt as a Spotlighted Guest! Rose is the owner and principal agent of Betancourt Literary, bringing more than twenty years of experience in the publishing industry as both an agent and a USA Today bestselling author! Rose is particularly drawn to psychological thrillers with a dark twist, layered mysteries, and stories that explore obsession, secrets, and moral ambiguity. She has a deep love for Southern and Southern Gothic fiction, especially novels that lean into atmosphere, complex female characters, and a sense of place that feels almost alive. She also represents select romance projects, particularly those with emotional depth,Read More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes award-winning, bestselling author DiAnn Mills as a Spotlighted Guest! DiAnn’s novels have appeared on the CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and have earned numerous honors, including the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Advanced Writers and Speakers 2026 Golden Scrolls Lifetime Achievement Award, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol Awards. DiAnn is a founding board member of American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as Conference Advisor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. She is also active in Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, Outliers Writing University, and The ChristianRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Editor Guests, Guest of Honor, Imaginarium, Official Guests

Imaginarium 2027 proudly welcomes award-winning editor, writer, and anthologist Ann VanderMeer as a Guest of Honor! Currently, Ann serves as an acquiring editor for Reactormag She was the editor-in-chief for Weird Tales, during which time she won the Hugo Award. Along with multiple other nominations, she has won a World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and a British Fantasy Award for The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories. She was recently honored with the Robert Bloch award for her work in the field. Ann’s latest anthologies include The Time Traveler’s Almanac, Sisters of the Revolution, The Big Book of Science Fiction, AVATARS, INCRead More →