Our Authors

James V. Schall, S.J., is a professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University. His books include, among others, The Unseriousness of Human Affairs, At the Limits of Political Philosophy, The Sum Total of Human Happiness and Another Sort of Learning. He writes a monthly column, “Sense and Nonsense,” in Crisis Magazine and “Schall on Chesterton” in Gilbert Magazine.

Barbara Ann Schapiro, Ph.D., is a professor of English at Rhode Island College with a specialty in psychoanalysis and literature. She is the author of The Romantic Mother: Narcissistic Patterns in Romantic Poetry (Johns Hopkins, 1983), Literature and the Relational Self (NYU, 1994) and D. H. Lawrence and the Paradoxes of Psychic Life (SUNY, 1999). She is also co-editor with Lynne Layton of Narcissism and the Text: Studies in Literature and the Psychology of Self (NYU, 1986). Barbara remains a “Survivor” fan and is no longer embarrassed by it. She has even convinced her husband, after some initial resistance, to watch with her. He now shares her addiction.

Debra Schepp is the author of 19 books, including How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, eBay PowerSeller Secrets, and How to Make Money with YouTube. The Washington Post named her YouTube book among the top 10 business books of the year.

She has been interviewed many times by national media, including LIFE Magazine, Forbes, and Entrepreneur magazine. She has also appeared on many radio shows and her work has been featured in publications such as Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, and Parade.

As a former editor for McGraw-Hill and Gartner Group, she has been writing about living and working online since the 1980s.

Nichole Schmidt is the mother of Gabby Petito, whose tragic death in 2021 captured international attention. Out of the deepest pain, Nichole found a calling to use her voice and experience to help others. As president of the Gabby Petito Foundation, she has transformed grief into action, advocating for domestic violence awareness, missing persons, and victims’ rights. Her passion comes from love for her daughter and the belief that even through tragedy, change is possible.

Jim Schmidt is a nationally certified fire officer and instructor originally from Long Island, New York, with over 25 years of experience in fire service, EMS, dispatch, hazmat, technical rescue, and leadership roles. Jim’s family faced unimaginable loss when their daughter, Gabby Petito, was murdered by her partner. Since then, his family has dedicated their lives to advocating for missing persons and survivors of domestic violence. Jim now focuses on bridging gaps in prevention and bringing domestic violence training to first responders, because together, we can be the change.

John F. Schmitt was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Marines after graduating from Northwestern University in June 1981. He spent four years as an infantry commander in the Second Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In 1986, he was assigned to the Doctrine Center in Quantico, Virginia, where he wrote the keystone Marine Corps doctrinal manuals Ground Combat Operations, Warfighting, and Campaigning. He left active duty in 1993 and is self-employed as a military consultant and writer. He resides in Champaign, Illinois, with his wife and three children.

Ken Scholes is the critically acclaimed author of three novels and over thirty short stories. His series The Psalms of Isaak is being published both at home and abroad to award nominations and rave reviews. Publishers Weekly hails the series as a “towering storytelling tour de force” in starred reviews of the first three volumes. Ken lives in Saint Helens, Oregon, with his wife, Jen West Scholes, and his twin daughters, Lizzy and Rae. He invites readers to look him up at www.kenscholes.com and follow his antics on Facebook.