2018 | Vinita Eggers

Born and raised in India, Vinita Eggers came to the United States at the age of seventeen to pursue a computer science degree at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, OK.  Although she never completed her computer science degree, she does hold an Associate’s degree in Mathematics from Oklahoma City Community College. 

While working various jobs, including but not limited to, manager of a video store, tax preparer and manager of a motel, Vinita read extensively. After seven years of being immersed in marriage and kids, she looked up one day and decided that she would be a writer. 

She writes romance flavored by her childhood in India. Vinita writes fanfiction for the Supernatural and Star Trek fandoms, and is published on archiveofourown.org and fanfiction.net. She blogs at eastindianinoklahoma.blogspot.com.

Vinita is active in the following writer’s groups:

• Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc., Treasurer, January 2015 – May 2019; Assistant Treasurer, May 2014 – December 2014
• Green Country Ruff Riters, an affiliate of OWFI, President, October 2015 – September 2018; Reporter to OWFI, October 2013 – September 2018; Delegate to OWFI, October 2013 – September 2018
• Oklahoma Romance Writers of America, Member, since November 2011; National Readers Choice Award, Inspirational Category Coordinator, 2016 – 2017
• Romance Writers of America, Member, since November 2011
• American Christian Writers, Member, since April 2011

2017 | Julia Mozingo

Oklahoma author Julia Mozingo began writing for publication in 1986. Many of her works (essays, articles, poetry, fillers, children’s, and romance) have won awards, sold, and been published. Mozingo holds membership in several writing organizations including Romance Writers of America and OWFI (Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc.).

At the May conference OWFI presented Mozingo with their 2017 Honorary Lifetime Member Award. She has held the office of Secretary for the past six years and is sometimes referred to as the "forever" secretary. She says this honor ranks at the top with Silhouette Books' choosing her as their Woman to Watch for her first published romance novel, her novel making the USA Today Top 150 Bestseller List, and totally selling out within four and a half months.

You can find out more about Julia at www.juliamozingo.com — and maybe she will be motivated to update her blog more often.

2010 | Carolyn B. Leonard

Award winning writer, Carolyn B. Leonard, was awarded lifetime membership in OWFI in 2010.

“From the time I could read, I knew I wanted to be a writer,” Leonard said. “English and literature were my favorite subjects, and I always loved solving mysteries and researching to learn more about everything.”

She has several books in process and two books available on Amazon.com: Who’s Your Daddy? A Guide to Genealogy from Start to Finish, and the travel and history photo book, To Israel, With Love. Both books are being prepared for an updated second edition that should be on the market by Christmas.

Leonard’s historical novel and several non-fiction manuscripts have claimed awards in state and national competition, but remain incomplete. She plans to finish them all this year (every year), but her hobbies of flower gardening, photography, genealogy, computer networking, writer meetings, travel with her retired engineer husband Jon Heavener, friends, family and grandchildren habitually interfere.

Her background is mostly in newspaper and magazines, and she was a commissioned writer more than 15 years for Persimmon Hill, the award-winning magazine of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

2007 | Wayne Harris Wyrick

Wayne is the author of four published children’s books with four more in the publisher’s pipeline. In addition, he is the Non-Fiction Imprint editor for 4RV publishing. Wayne has been writing a monthly astronomy column for the Oklahoman since 1984, and has published a dozen astronomy and science fiction articles or short stories in various national publications. Wayne also offers editing services to novice authors.

1995 | Marcia Preston

Marcia Preston’s career answers the burning question: What can you do with an English degree? She has edited two national magazines, taught high school English, served as PR director for a museum, and freelanced for a long list of publications. Her novels have been published in at least seven languages and have earned a Mary Higgins Clark Award, an Oklahoma Book Award for Fiction, and four OWFI Best Book of Fiction awards. She’s a past president and honorary life member of both Oklahoma City Writers and OWFI, as well as a gardener, amateur lepidopterist, birdwatcher, and college football fan.

2009 | Amy Shojai

Amy Shojai has been reinventing herself for years. She’s a certified animal behavior consultant for cats and dogs, and the award-winning author of 30 best selling pet books that cover furry babies to old-fogies, first aid to natural healing, and behavior/training to Chicken Soup-icity. She co-founded the Cat Writers Association, created the puppies.about.com site as the Puppies Expert and was the cat behavior expert at cats.about.com, and you can find her half-hour Internet Pet Peeves radio shows here. Amy has been featured as an expert in hundreds of print venues including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reader’s Digest, and Family Circle, as well as national radio and television networks such as CNN, Animal Planet’s DOGS 101 and CATS 101. She’s been a consultant to the pet products industry and a host/program consultant for select “furry” TV projects.

Amy is also a musician, actor and playwright, and brings her unique pet-centric viewpoint to public appearances and performances, audio books (her own and others), writer webinars, conference keynotes/seminars and thrillers with bite!

2014 | Vivian Zabel

Vivian Zabel has been a member of OWFI since 2002 and the OWFI Grant Director since 2016. She was honored as the Lifetime Member in 2013.

She often presents workshops and sessions at conferences concerning writing around the nation, including the Alaska Writers Conference and the OWFI conference. As a former English and writing teacher, she finds the teacher in her continues to erupt. She has held workshops for different groups and for OWFI affiliates.

Vivian is the President/CEO of 4RV Publishing as well as a published author and editor. Her books include YA books The Base Stealers Club, Case of the Missing Coach, and Prairie Dog Cowboy. She has three children’s books released, I Like Pink, Where Did Panther Go? and A Baby Doll from Santy Claus. Other available novels are Stolen, Midnight Hours, and a book of short stories and one of poetry.

4RV Publishing is looking for well-written books for all ages, fiction and nonfiction. Details concerning genre and details of standards and guidelines can be found here.

2013 | Linda Apple

Linda Apple served as the Conference Chair for OWFI in 2011 and as Conference President in 2012. She teaches both fiction and nonfiction workshops regionally as well as internationally. Linda is the author of five nonfiction books and two novels. Her novels are the first books in her Moonlight Mississippi series. Linda lives in Northwest Arkansas with her husband Neal, their five children and thirteen grandchildren.

2016 | Dan Case

Dan Case sold his first magazine article in 1983 and has now written hundreds. In 1997, Dan started a website and newsletter for writers (Writing for DOLLARS!) which evolved into AWOC.COM Publishing. Besides operating the publishing company, Dan speaks at writers groups and conferences around the country on blog writing, book marketing and other writing related subjects.

2019 | Jonathan "Jack" Burgos

Jack Burgos is a 35-year-old, Hispanic, pansexual, cismale (he/him/his pronouns) author of transgressive, speculative fiction living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was born in Miami, Florida, the son of Colombian and Cuban immigrants. He graduated cum laude from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2007, with a B.A. in English, a B.A. in Philosophy, a Political Science minor, and a concentration in Creative Writing. He graduated with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tulsa in 2013.

Jack co-founded the writing critique group Nevermore Edits in 2012. His work has been published in Happy Days, Sweetheart, Beyond the Nightlight, Now Playing in Theater B, Dark and Dangerous Things III, The Book of Blasphemous Words, and Terror in 16-Bits. He edited Broken Worlds and The Misbehaving Dead published by A Murder of Storytellers. His series Stormborn debuted on May 1, 2017, with its first novella, 13 Hearts to Start a Storm.

Jack serves as the webmaster for the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc. and as the President for Nevermore Edits. When he isn't engaged in writing-related activities, Jack proudly works as a licensed professional counselor for a non-profit community mental health agency in Tulsa.