Jeri Shepherd, Reji Laberje, Maggie McMahon, Red Writes Books, Lucy's Lantern Literature

ALLi Author Member

Known to friends and colleagues as “RED,” the President and Head of Creative of RED WRITES BOOKS, is the author of more than 100 published or produced books, plays, and RPG campaigns. She is published through both traditional and independent publishers, across more than a dozen genres, in a three-decade career, and is an award-nominated (Caldecott Award, Newbery Medal, & More), 15-Time, #1 International Bestselling Author across numerous lists, as well as a celebrity co-author and biographer.

Red writes, publishes, author-coaches, and provides book services as JERI SHEPHERD, REJI LABERJE, and MAGGIE MCMAHON. Across all of her titles, more than 700,000 of her books are in the world and her marketing has created more than 200 #1 Bestselling Authors and counting! Red owns Lucy’s Lantern Literature, her second publishing company after selling her first in 2017. In 2024, she is launching and promoting Working Writer's Week, a weeklong professional writer's conference outside of Chicago.

She is a member of the International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (IASFA), Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), 20 Books to 50K, and past member of WGA-East, National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE), and Women's Fiction Writer's Association (WFWA).

With a degree in International Communications, Red has taught a totaled thousands on numerous aspects of both the business and craft of writing, as well as publishing and marketing, at the school, university, and professional levels, and as a featured or presenting author with respected conventions and events including, to name a few: GaryCon, Nerd Street USA, Phoenix Con, Game Hole Con, Dragon Days, Midwinter Gaming Convention, Midwest Gaming Classic, Level Up Expo, and as a featured co-presenter at the final 20 Books Vegas, formerly the largest gathering of independent authors in the world. She was also recently named to the Author's Alcove (and the accompanying anthology) at the prestigious Origins Game Fair and she showcases her work at GenCon. Additionally, she runs anthologies and other services as a publisher and on behalf of some of the above-mentioned organizations and for TTRPG organizations.

This happily busy wife, mother, gigi, USAF/NSA Arabic Linguist veteran, gamer, lover of the outdoors, the arts, and a good football game, and proud Wisconsinite tours the nation and world. She brings books, programming, workshops, and panel moderation and participation for different audiences while focusing primarily on her genre fiction, games, writer’s resources, and children’s books.