Carmela Maxell
Dr. Carmela Maxell is an author, mental health professional, educator, and host of the Rooted & Rising podcast. She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, an MBA in Healthcare Management, and has spent more than a decade teaching and mentoring students in higher education. Her debut novel, Bereavement, explores grief, memory, and human resilience through the lens of dystopian fiction. A Washington State resident and mother of three, she is currently working on Funeral, the companion novel to Bereavement.
Josias Jean-Pierre
Dr. Josias Jean-Pierre is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, award-winning author, and youth consultant who transforms adversity into advantage—both on stage and in life. Diagnosed with a learning disability and epilepsy as a child, he was once told he’d never succeed. But instead of accepting that narrative, he rewrote it. Today, he stands as one of the most powerful, purpose-driven voices of this generation.
With over 13 years of experience speaking across schools, colleges, corporations, and conferences, Dr. Jean-Pierre doesn’t just inspire—he delivers lasting transformation. His message is rooted in radical resilience, transparency, and unwavering faith, helping students tap into their full potential, equipping educators to lead with empathy and vision, and guiding professionals to lead with purpose despite obstacles.
Desmond Robertson
As a child in Saint Louis, Missouri, Desmond's mother wove bedtime stories of brave little creatures navigating a world far larger than themselves. Those stories never really ended. They grew. They deepened. They became a continent, a mythology, a civilization of peoples whose lives, faiths, and conflicts demanded to be told. The Sagas of Vaelora is the result of a lifetime spent listening to that world and finally giving it a voice.
Drawing on the tradition of Brian Jacques, Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis, Desmond writes anthropomorphic epic fantasy that refuses to be small. His characters are not animals in costume — they are fully realized peoples shaped by genuine biology, culture, faith, and history. The wars mean something. The losses hurt. The triumphs are earned.
His debut novel, The Burrow and the Blade, introduces readers to Babax Merrifur — a young merchant who goes looking for a missing brother and finds instead a world unraveling at its seams.
