Authors & Creative
Edna King, Co-Author of “Woven” and Author of “Forged”
Edna graduated from Georgia State University with a Master’s degree in education, taught elementary school for seventeen years, and has written for Family Life Ministry, Engage Orthodoxy, and the Orthodox Christian Network. She is a member of St. Mary of Egypt in Roswell, GA.
As a little girl, Edna dreamed of becoming a writer and was always scrawling something in messy notebooks, but she initially balked at the opportunity to write Woven. It seemed too hard to write for girls who were the same age her daughter, Mary Evelyn, would be if she hadn’t died of cancer at eight. Edna plunged into it anyway and God’s grace helped her open up and remember her own teen years, bringing healing for herself and hopefully others.
Zoë Pappas, Co-Author of “Woven”
Zoë was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa with a Bachelor’s of Nursing, and is a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Zoë is a member of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, where she enjoys being a Sunday School teacher. She has four younger siblings, Nikki, Alexis, Gregory, and Demetri, who fill her life with love and joy. In 2015, she became a godmother to a beautiful little boy, Luke Michael, who always keeps her smiling.
Woven was Zoë’s first real attempt at writing, but with God’s incredible grace she was able to reflect on her own teenage years and hopefully offer comfort and guidance to other girls.
Paula Marchman, Contributing Author and Editor
Paula Marchman, MA, LPC, is the Managing Director of Family Life Ministry. Paula has always loved learning and helping others. She loved learning about all of God’s creation and the world around her from the time she was a little girl. Her first degree was a B.S. in biology/chemistry from Georgia State University. After graduating, she taught high school students and loved it.
At the age of 50, Paula felt God calling her to go back to school to help other Christian families who were hurting. Though challenging and scary at times, she enjoyed the process and received her Master’s degree in Professional Counseling. She now practices Christian Psychotherapy in a private Counseling Office in Atlanta, Georgia.
Zoe Kafkes, Designer for “Woven” and “Forged”
A graduate of the University of Miami, Zoe has a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication with majors in public relations and political science with a minor in marketing. When she’s not at her day job in communications, Zoe loves freelancing in graphic design and marketing. If given the choice between sitting by a pool or going on a hike, she would pick the hike every single time. Cooking is her favorite kind of science (and the only one she would say she’s particularly good at). Coffee might actually be her one true love. When she was younger, Zoe always wanted to publish a book, but never could find the right words, so it is very fitting that she got to lay out the words for Woven!
Sheila Aldridge, “Woven” Illustrator
Sheila is a freelance illustrator based in Atlanta. She started out drawing at the age of 2 when she drew a family portrait on the wall of her bedroom which her mother never painted over. A love of drawing led her to The Portfolio Center where she graduated from in 1999 with a certificate in illustration. She was very honored to have been chosen to illustrate Woven. When she is not making art, she can usually be found with her husband, Deacon Gabriel, and son Atticus, either playing with clay, cooking, or binge watching Netflix. She also has a very clingy dog named Leroy and scrappy little cat named Sail that makes up the rest of the family.
Matthew Spencer, “Forged” Illustrator
Matthew Spencer is a student at Georgia Tech. He is a chanter at St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church in Decatur Georgia where he studies computer science. Matthew likes to create art and music in his spare time.