2013 Ohioana Book Festival Authors

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Featured Authors

Ellis Avery, Franklin County, The Last Nude
Ellis Avery is the author of three award-winning books. Her second novel, The Last Nude (Riverhead 2012), inspired by the Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, won the 2013 ALA Stonewall Fiction Award. The Last Nude has received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal as well as praise from The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, SF Weekly, Vogue, O: The Oprah Magazine, and NPR. In addition to The Last Nude, Avery is the author of a first novel, The Teahouse Fire. Set in the tea ceremony world of 19th century Japan, The Teahouse Fire won Lambda, Ohioana, and American Library Association awards and was translated into five languages. Avery is also the author of The Smoke Week, an award-winning 9/11 memoir. Ellis grew up in Columbus, Ohio, attending Columbus School for Girls until the age of eleven. She received a BA from Bryn Mawr College and an M.F.A. from Goddard College and now teaches fiction writing at Columbia University and lives in New York City.

Carla Buckley, Franklin County, Invisible: A Novel
Carla Buckley is the author of two novels The Things That Keep Us Here and, her most recent, Invisible. The Things That Keep Us Here was nominated for a Thriller Award as a best first novel, was a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award for fiction in 2011, and has been a favorite with book clubs around the country. In her novels, Buckley balances the intricacies of family dynamics with the terrifyingly real threat of new technology – pandemic viruses (The Things that Keep Us Here) and nano-techonology (Invisible). Buckley was born in Washington, D.C. She grew up overseas, but returned to Washington for high school and college. She has worked as an assistant press secretary for a U.S. senator, an analyst with the Smithsonian Institution, and a technical writer for a defense contractor. She serves on the Board of the International Thriller Writers as Vice President of Awards, and is currently at work on her next novel, which Bantam will publish. She now makes her home in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, an environmental scientist, and their three children. (photo credit to Brian Killian)

Rae Carson, Franklin County, The Crown of Embers
Rae Carson is an up-and-coming young adult novelist. Her debut novel, The Girl of Fire and Thorns received the first official Ohioana Young Adult Book Award. Publishers Weekly’s starred review of The Girl of Fire and Thorns stated, “A smart, complex fantasy with stellar characters…Carson’s mature writing style, thoughtful storytelling, appealing characters and surprising twists add up to a page-turner with broad appeal.” It was named one of ALA’s Top Ten Fiction for Young Adults books for 2011 and finalist for the Morris, Cybils, and Andre Norton Awards. The second book in the trilogy, The Crown of Embers, released in September 2012, also received a Publishers Weekly starred review and readers praise. The third book The Bitter Kingdom is scheduled for release in the fall of 2013. Carson grew up in California and always wanted to be a storyteller. In 2004, Rae joined the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror where she found her calling, made many friends, and met her future husband. She now lives in central Ohio with her husband, noted author C.C. Finlay, and step-sons.

Bob Hunter, Franklin County, Saint Woody: The History and Fanaticism of Ohio State Football
Bob Hunter has been a sportswriter for the Columbus Dispatch for thirty-eight years, including the last nineteen as sports columnist. He has covered various aspects of Ohio State athletics either as a writer and columnist for the paper since 1976 and covered Woody Hayes’ last two years as coach (1977-78) as football beat writer. Hunter is also the author of A Historical Guidebook to Old Columbus, Finding the Past in the Present in Ohio’s Capital City, which was published by the Ohio University Press in 2012. His book about World War I era OSU great Chic Harley (Chic: The Extraordinary Rise of Ohio State Football and the Tragic Schoolboy Athlete Who Made it Happen, Orange Frazer Press) was released in 2008. He is a native of Hamilton, Ohio, and a summa cum laude graduate of Ohio University. He worked at The Journal-News in Hamilton prior to going to the Dispatch. In addition to Chic, he wrote Buckeye Basketball (1981, Strode Publishing) and updated and was listed as co-author with Wilbur Snypp on The Buckeyes, Ohio State Football in 1988. He also wrote three children’s sports for School Book Fairs in 1979 – The Signal-Callers, Baseball’s Best Sluggers and Great Pro Running Backs. He also wrote a novel, Rapid Runs the River (Atlantic Disk Publishing 1994, HMS Press 1996). Hunter covered the Cincinnati Reds for the Dispatch from 1983 to 1993, and has been secretary of the Cincinnati Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America since 1993. He has won numerous writing awards and was named best sports columnist in Ohio by the Associated Press in 2009. He lives in Westerville, Ohio, and is married to the former Margie Monahan. They have three grown children, Amy, Bryan and Rob.

Daniel Kirk, Franklin County, Library Mouse: A Museum Adventure
Daniel Kirk is the author and/or illustrator of over thirty picture books for young readers, as well as the “Elf Realm” series for tweens. His Library Mouse was a Booklist Editor’s Choice book, an Education.com Essential gift, a Parenting Magazine Best Mom-Tested Book of the Year, a Kansas Reading Association Award Nominee, a Book Sense pick, and the winner of a NAPPA Gold Award. Booklist gave Library Mouse a starred review and said: “Put a mouse in a library and you have a sure seller; make the mouse a writer and you have a sure-fire hit…It’s a show stopper. Ready-made to introduce a class to writing activity…this book is fun, fun, fun.” Library Mouse is a Choose to Read Ohio 2013-2014 title. Kirk’s most recent book in the series, Library Mouse: A Museum Adventure, received the 2012 Parents Choice Award, and Library Mouse: Home Sweet Home will be published in fall, 2013. His newest book, Ten Things I Love About You, received a star review from Kirkus Magazine, which said, “put this at the top of the list for using as a springboard for creative writing or a discussion starter about what qualities make a good friend.” Daniel Kirk grew up on the east side of Columbus, and spent his early years as a bookworm with a penchant for drawing. It wasn’t until he was an adult with children of his own, however, that he began writing and illustrating picture books. Kirk graduated from the Ohio State University and taught art and photography, then moved to New York in the 1980’s to become a professional artist and illustrator. His early work appeared on the covers of Newsweek, Business Week, Sports Illustrated, New York Magazine, and many other publications, and won awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Society of Illustrators. Kirk lives in New Jersey with his wife author-illustrator and professor at Parsons, the New School for Design, Julia Gorton.

Robert Olmstead, Delaware County, The Coldest Night
Coal Black Horse, published in 2008, was the winner of the Heartland Prize for Fiction, the Ohioana Award for fiction, a #1 Book Sense Pick, and a Borders Original Voices pick. It was also a 2011-2012 Choose to Read Ohio adult title. His most recent book, The Coldest Night, released in April 2012 was selected as an Editors’ Pick for Amazon’s Best of 2012 list, a Publishers Weekly pick for Best Books of the Year, and a Kirkus Reviews’ Top 25 Fiction Books of 2012. The Washington Post said “The Coldest Night is riveting, thoughtful and—in the large section set in Korea—harrowing . . . Olmstead is an immensely gifted stylist, his prose capable of conveying the magic and passion of first love as well as the ferocity of battle. He also has a knack for imagery as memorable as it is unexpected . . . Few write as powerfully or as realistically as Olmstead about the way war makes a boy grow up far too fast.” Olmstead is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and an NEA grant, and he is currently a professor of English and Director of Ohio Wesleyan’s Creative Writing Program. He previously served as Senior Writer in Residence at Dickinson College and as director of the creative writing program at Boise State University.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez, Greene County, Pancho Land
Cuban-born Raul Ramos y Sanchez is the author of three novels. After a successful twenty-four year career in advertising that included founding an ad agency with offices in Ohio and California, he developed a documentary for public television, Two Americas: The Legacy of our Hemisphere and created MyImmigrationStory.com — an online forum for the U.S. immigrant community. In 2004, Ramos began writing his first novel, America Libre. Along with America Libre, House Divided and Pancho Land make up his Class H Trilogy which was inspired by Ramos’s own escape from Fidel Castro’s Cuba in the early 1960s. Ramos has received numerous awards for his work including: Best Novel Award Winner – International Latino Book Awards, Violet Crown Awards Fiction Finalist, Writers League of Texas, Books Into Movies Award Winner presented by Edward James Olmos, USA Today 2009 Summer Reads Author, LATINA Magazine “10 Hottest Summer Reads” for 2009, #1 among “2011 Top Ten Latino Authors” by LatinoStories.com, and is listed among “Best Hispanic Writers of the 21st century” by ChaCha.com. Ramos grew up in Miami and moved to Ohio in 1968.

Emilie Richards, Cuyahoga County, One Mountain Away
Bestselling author Emilie Richards has written more than seventy novels, including series romances, romantic suspense, futuristic fantasy, paranormal, mysteries, and single title women’s fiction. Her novel series include the Ministry is Murder, the Shenandoah Album, and most recently the Goddesses Anonymous novels. Richards is also a quilter and has published five Quilting Along With Emilie Richards books to complement the books in her Shenandoah Album series. Her most recent book One Mountain Away, released in July 2012, is the first in her new series with Somewhere Between Luck and Trust to follow in June. Her books have been published in more than sixteen languages in more than twenty countries, and eight have recently been made into movies for German TV. Richards is a past winner of the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award, the highest prize given to romance authors. She grew up in Florida but lived in Cleveland for twelve years where she raised her children and continued her prolific writing career. Richards has worked as a therapist in a mental health center, a parent services coordinator for families enrolled in Head Start, and in several pastoral counseling centers. Married to her college sweetheart, Richards recently returned to live in Florida.

P. Craig Russell, Portage County, Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Happy Prince
Over the last forty years, illustrator, artist, and graphic novelist Philip Craig Russell, also known as P. Craig Russell, or by the acronym he often signs under: PCR, has run the gamut in comics, illustrating everything from Batman, Star Wars, and Conan to a series of adaptations of classic operas, a Jungle Book series, and an ongoing series adapting the fairy tales of Oscar Wilde. Russell’s graphic novel adaptations of Neil Gaiman novels, including Sandman: The Dream Hunters and Coraline have received high acclaim. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards. After establishing a name for himself at Marvel on Killraven and Dr. Strange, he went on to become one of the pioneers in opening new vistas in the field of graphic novels. Among his other works are the adaptations of operas by Mozart, The Magic Flute, Strauss, Salome, and Wagner, The Ring of the Nibelung. Russell’s artwork has been noted for its lush line, attention to detail, and classical themes with a heavy influence from the Art Nouveau and Romantic fine art traditions. Russell was born in Wellsville, Ohio and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in painting. He collects Fiestaware and currently makes his home in Kent, Ohio.

Sharon Short, Montgomery County, My One Square Inch of Alaska
Sharon Short is the author eleven published books. Her most recent novel, My One Square Inch of Alaska, released in January 2013, chronicles the adventures of a pair of siblings escaping the strictures of the 1950s industrial Ohio town. The opening chapters of this novel earned Sharon a 2012 Ohio Arts Council individual artist’s grant and a 2011 Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District Literary Artist Fellowship. Short is the Literary Life columnist for the Dayton Daily News, directs the renowned Antioch Writers’ Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and is an adjunct instructor of creative writing and composition at Antioch University Midwest. Additionally, Short’s book Sanity Check: A Collection of Columns, released in June 2012, includes 100 reader-favorites of her weekly humor and lifestyle column that ran in the Dayton Daily News from 2002-2012. She has published two mystery series (Josie Toadfern and Patricia Delaney<) as well as short stories and essays. Short holds a B.A. in English from Wright State University and an M.A. in English from Bowling Green State University. She lives in Centerville, Ohio.

Festival Authors

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Saundra Crum Akers, Franklin County, Sins of the Mothers

Fred Andrle, Franklin County, What Counts
Fred Andrle is a poet and playwright. He is the author of two poetry collections: What Counts and Love Life. His poetry was featured in the anthology Prayers to Protest: Poems that Center and Bless Us, and his poem “The Book,” was read by Garrison Keillor on “The Writer’s Almanac.” Fred has received playwriting and poetry fellowships from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Fred is an Associate at the Ohio State University Humanities Institute. Before his retirement in 2009, Fred spent twenty years at WOSU, the NPR affiliate in Columbus, as Executive Producer and Host of “Open Line,” a daily public affairs talk show. Prior to that, he was Executive Producer for WOSU-TV. He has received Ohio Public Broadcasting and Regional Emmy awards for his radio and television programs. The Ohio Humanities Council gave Fred their 2010 Bjornson Award for Distinguished Service in the Humanities. Fred taught courses in mass media at Ohio Wesleyan University, Ohio Dominican University, and Northern Arizona University. He holds a Master’s Degree in Communication from Stanford.

Mindee Arnett, Montgomery County, The Nightmare Affair
Mindee Arnett is the author of two young adult series. The first book in her contemporary fantasy series, The Nightmare Affair released March 2013, while her YA sci-fi thriller, Avalon is coming Winter 2014. She holds a Master of Arts in English Literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Wright State University, and currently lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. Find her online at www.mindeearnett.com.

Tom Batiuk, Medina County, The Complete Funky Winkerbean, Volume 2, 1975-1977
A native of Akron, Ohio, Tom Batiuk (rhymes with “attic”) spent several years as a high school teacher before creating Funky Winkerbean, the celebrated comic strip distributed by King Features Syndicate to more than 400 newspapers nationwide. Batiuk has been recognized for his bold yet sensitive approach to real-life issues. Batiuk’s Funky Winkerbean began in 1972 as a laugh-a-day look at high school life and has matured into a series of real-life stories, highlighting such sensitive social issues as alcoholism, cancer, teen-dating abuse, teen suicide, guns in the school and teen pregnancy. These groundbreaking series have placed Tom Batiuk at the forefront of a new genre in comic art history. Among the numerous honors recognizing his work, Batiuk is a past winner of both the Ohioana Citation and the 1996 Governor’s Award for the Arts. Find him online at http://www.funkywinkerbean.com/

Tom Betti, Franklin County, Historic Columbus Taverns: The Capitol City’s most Storied Saloons
Tom Betti serves on the board of Columbus Landmarks Foundation and is also chair of the Education Committee charged with leading the organization’s educational tours and extensive programming. He also founded and leads the Historic Preservation Committee of the Athletic Club of Columbus, celebrating, organizing and documenting the club’s one-hundred-year history. Listen to Tom Betti and Doreen Uhas-Sauer talk about their book on All Sides with Ann Fisher.

Laura Bickle, Franklin County, The Hallowed Ones
Laura Bickle’s professional background is in criminal justice and library science, and when she’s not patrolling the stacks at the public library she’s dreaming up stories about the monsters under the stairs (she also writes contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams). Laura lives in Ohio with her husband and five mostly-reformed feral cats. The Hallowed Ones is her first young adult novel. Her latest news can be found at www.laurabickle.com.

Helen Bond, Richland County, Through Children’s Eyes: President Obama and the Future Generation
Dr. Helen Bond is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Howard University. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from The Ohio State University, a Master’s in Communication from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Human Development from Virginia Tech. Dr. Bond has published widely including articles in the Sociology of Education: An A-to-Z Guide, International Journal of Knowledge and Learning, Journal of Transformative Education, Handbook of Research on Culturally Aware Technology, and the Weekly Journal of Higher Education published by the Association of Indian Universities. She also published chapters in the following books: Pathways to the Holocaust and the award winning Evoking Genocide chosen as the “Outstanding Academic Title” for 2010 by Choice Magazine, the leading journal of librarians around the English-speaking world. She grew up on a farm in Ohio, but now lives outside the Washington DC metro area. You can find more about her at http://hbond.pbworks.com.

Tim Bowers, Licking County, Not Your Typical Dragon
Tim Bowers was born in Troy, Ohio, where he began drawing at an early age. His career in illustration grew from his childhood interest in art and an active imagination. Bowers graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He worked in a Dayton, Ohio illustration studio after graduating from college. Bowers was soon recruited by Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri. There, he worked in several humor groups and helped launch the popular Shoebox Greetings card line. It was during those five years in Kansas City, that he also illustrated his first three children’s books. Tim Bowers now lives in Ohio with his family and has illustrated over thirty-five published children’s books, including The New York Times bestsellers, Dream Big, Little Pig! written by Kristi Yamaguchi and Dinosaur Pet by Neil Sedaka and Marc Sedaka. His children’s book illustrations have received numerous state and national awards and recognition, including Child Magazine’s Top Pick, the Children’s Choice Award and Junior Library Guild selections. Each year, Bowers travels to schools and libraries to share his books and artwork with students.

Susan Bradley, Franklin County, Unraveled
Susan grew up in South Texas, about ten miles from the U.S.-Mexican border. As a child she spent the summers in Mexico with her grandparents and extended family. During these vacations, she frequently created mysteries for her siblings and cousins to solve. These mysteries were her first stories. Nancy Drew soon became her childhood hero and inspiration to write mysteries for young adults. Her first young adult mystery, Unraveled, was published by Evernight Teen in 2013. Susan graduated from the University of Texas, and is currently pursuing an MFA from Seton Hill University. When she’s not writing or studying, you can find her looking after her personal mini-zoo which consists of four fish, one thieving dog, and hermit crabs. Susan loves spending time with her daughter , estates sales, traveling, and discovering new books. You can learn more about Susan by visting her website: www.sxbradley.com.

Duffy Brown, Clermont County, Iced Chiffon
Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While others girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She has two cats, Spooky and Dr. Watson, and conjures up who-done-it stories of her very own for Berkley Prime Crime. Iced Chiffon, out October, 2012, is the first in the Consignment Shop Mystery series. Duffy writes romance as Dianne Castell and is a USA Today bestselling author.

Lissa Bryan, Ross County, Ghostwriter
Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete’s foot…. though only in her head. Real life isn’t so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.

Jeanne Bryner, Trumbull County, Smoke
Jeanne Bryner was born in Appalachia and grew up in Newton Falls, Ohio. A practicing registered nurse, she is a graduate of Trumbull Memorial’s School of Nursing and Kent State University’s Honors College. She has received writing fellowships from Bucknell University, the Ohio Arts Council (’97, 07), and Vermont Studio Center. Her poetry has been adapted for the stage and performed in Ohio, West Virginia, New York, Kentucky and Edinburgh, Scotland. With the support of Hiram College’s Center for Literature, Medicine and Biomedical Humanities, her nursing poetry has been adapted for the stage and performed by Verb Ballets in Cleveland, Ohio. She has a new play, “Foxglove Canyon” and she has eight books in print. She received an outstanding alumnae award from KSU, Trumbull Campus and her book, No Matter How Many Windows received the Working Class Studies’ Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing in Chicago. A community affiliate of the Center for Working Class Studies, she often writes about working class issues. She lives with her husband near a dairy farm in Newton Falls, Ohio. Bryner’s Smoke: Poems received second place in the 2012 American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards. (photo credit to Tammy Streets).

Perry Bush, Allen/Hancock County, Rust Belt Resistance: How a Small Community Took on Big Oil and Won
Perry Bush is professor of history at Bluffton University and is a local political activist. He received his Ph.D. in history from Carnegie Mellon University and is the author of more than 30 articles and book reviews in both the academic and popular press.

Colleen Clayton, Mahoning County, What Happens Next
Colleen grew up in a small, suburban town just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from Kent State University, she worked as a social worker in residential treatment centers for teens and as Program Supervisor for Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Mahoning Valley. She recently earned an MFA through the NEOMFA at Youngstown State University. What Happens Next is her debut novel.

Leah Clifford, Lorain County, A Touch Menacing
Leah Clifford currently lives in Ohio with her (mostly) blind cat and her roommate, who she’s been friends with since sixth grade. In her spare time she loves to travel and has been known to drive over two hours to get kickass quesadillas. So far for jobs she’s sold corn at a roadside stand, been a pizza delivery girl, a camp counselor, an extreme cave tour guide, a flight attendant, a waitress (x3), a grocery store clerk and a writer. Out of all of them, writing has been the most fun. She’s pretty sure she’s gonna stick with it.

Liz Coley, Hamilton County, Pretty Girl-13
Liz Coley has been writing short and long fiction for teens and adults for more than ten years. Her short fiction has appeared in Cosmos Magazine and several speculative fiction anthologies: The Last Man, More Scary Kisses, and Strange Worlds. In 2011, she self-published the YA novel Out of Xibalba, a story that begins when the world ends. The same week Out of Xibalba launched, Liz sold YA dark contemporary psychological thriller Pretty Girl-13 to HarperCollins for international publication. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, her teenaged daughter, a snoring dog, and a limping old cat. The two older boys have flown the nest for college. Her passions beyond reading and writing include singing, photography, and baking. She plays competitive tennis to keep herself fit and humble. Taped on her computer are her “lucky charms”—the fifteen Chinese cookie fortunes collected over the years which spoke to her writing aspirations and encouraged her along the journey.

Casey Daniels, Cuyahoga County, Supernatural Born Killer
Casey Daniels once applied for a job as a tour guide in a Cleveland cemetery. She didn’t get the job, but she did get the idea for the heroine in her popular Pepper Martin mystery series. Pepper works at a historic cemetery and solves mysteries for the ghosts there. In addition, Casey has a new series, the Button Box mysteries, written as Kylie Logan. Casey has also written both historical and contemporary romances as well as books for young adults and one children’s book. She lives in the Cleveland area and teaches fiction writing classes at the Brecksville Center for the Arts. She is a frequent presenter at workshops nationwide.

Mark Dawidziak, Summit County, Richard Matheson’s Censored and Unproduced I Am Legend Screenplay
Mark Dawidziak has been the television critic at The Plain Dealer since 1999. A theater, film, and television reviewer for thirty years, his many nonfiction books include The Barter Theatre Story: Love Made Visible, The Columbo Phile: A Casebook, Mark My Words: Mark Twain on Writing, The Night Stalker Companion: A 25th Anniversary Tribute, Horton Foote’s The Shape of the River: The Lost Teleplay about Mark Twain, and The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Dracula. He is also a novelist and a playwright.

Julia DeVillers, Franklin County, Triple Trouble
Julia DeVillers is a best selling author of fiction and novel fiction for young people. Her books include How My Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller,which was adapted into the Disney Channel Original Movie Read It and Weep, directed by Paul Hoen. Her other books include the Trading Faces identical twins series with her co-author and identical Jennifer Roy, the Liberty Porter: First Daughter series and Princess of Gossip with co-author Sabrina Bryan of Disney’s Cheetah Girls and Dancing with the Stars. Her next book will be Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker (Razorbill, 2013).

Lynda Durrant, Summit County, Ariel Bradley, Spy for General Washington
Lynda Durrant is a nationally known, award-winning author of historic fiction novels for young readers. Her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus Reviews. They’ve been praised in The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, The Hornbook, and School Library Journal. Her novels have received awards from The Ohioana Library Association, The New York Library Association, and the American Library Association, among others. Ariel Bradley, Spy for General Washington, is her first picture book. Durrant lives with her husband and son in Bath, Ohio. She has a bachelors’ degree in honor’s English and a double masters in teaching and writing, all from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Jeffrey Ebbeler, Hamilton County, Snow Day for Mouse
Jeffrey Ebbeler has been creating award winning art for children for almost a decade. He loves the creative potential of storybook art. He has illustrated more than forty picture books. He worked as an Art Director for a Chicago children’s book publisher for six years. He writes and illustrates a monthly comic series for Ask magazine. He has also done paper engineering for pop-up books, created large scale murals for schools and churches, and sculpted puppets and preformed for several marionette theaters. Jeffrey gives many lectures and demonstrations in grade-schools, colleges, and museums about the process of bringing words to life through pictures. He and his wife Eileen both attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati. They currently live in Cincinnati with their twin daughters Olivia and Isabel.

Mary Ellis, Medina County, Living in Harmony
Mary Ellis grew up near the Amish and fell in love with them. She has now written nine bestselling novels set in their communities. When not writing, she enjoys gardening, bicycling, and swimming. Before “retiring” to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. Her debut Christian book, A Widow’s Hope, was a finalist for the 2010 ACFW Carols and the Holt Medallion Award of Merit. Visit Mary’s blog at www.maryeellis.wordpress.com.

Terry W. Ervin, II, Champaign County, Genre Shotgun
Terry W. Ervin II is an English teacher who enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy. He is an editor for the speculative fiction magazine MindFlights and a guest contributor to Fiction Factor, an ezine for writers. While Fiction Factor has published the majority of Terry’s articles on writing, his short stories have appeared in over a dozen anthologies, magazines and ezines. Recently, Gryphonwood Press released Genre Shotgun, a collection of his published short stories. Gryphonwood Press has also published Terry’s fantasy novels Flank Hawk and Blood Sword, the first two novels in his First Civilization’s Legacy Series. He is currently working on the third novel, Soul Forge. To contact Terry or learn more about his writing endeavors, visit his website at: www.ervin-author.com.

Harmony Evans, Cuyahoga County, Lesson in Romance
Harmony Evans is an author for Harlequin Kimani Romance, the leading publisher of African-American romance. Her debut novel, Lesson In Romance, received a 4 ½ star review from RT Book Reviews and positive reviews from readers. The book tells the story of a famous jazz saxophonist who can’t read and the literacy teacher who has to teach him how in three days. If she fails, she could lose a substantial donation that will prevent the Harlem literacy center she owns from shutting its doors forever. In her first year of publication, Harmony has already earned two prestigious nominations. She is a “Debut Author of the Year” finalist for the Romance Slam Jam 2013 Emma Awards. In addition, she is a 2012 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards Double-Finalist (“First Series Romance” and “Kimani Romance”). Her second novel for Harlequin Kimani Romance, Stealing Kisses, will be released in November 2013. Harmony loves writing sexy, emotional, contemporary love stories for women who love romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and lives in Cleveland Heights.

Charlene Fix, Franklin County, Harpo Marx as Trickster
Charlene Fix is a Professor of English at Columbus College of Art Design and author of Flowering Bruno, a collection of poems with illustrations by Susan Josephson (XOXOX Press 2006 and finalist for the 2007 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry), Mischief (Pudding House Press 2003), Charlene Fix: Greatest Hits (Katywomppus Press 2012), and Harpo Marx as Trickster (McFarland 2013). She has received poetry fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and two awards from The Poetry Society of America.

Robert Flanagan, Delaware County, Maggot: A Novel, Special Anniversary Revised Edition
Robert Flanagan has published a novel Maggot and three story collections Naked to Naked Goes, Loving Power, and Fight Night. His stories of fiction has been anthologized in The Norton Book of American Short Stories and Best Ohio Fiction. He is the author of five chapbooks of poems published in Ireland, England and Canada, and his selected poems Reply to an Eviction Notice. From Toledo’s inner city, Flanagan has worked as a dishwasher, night watchman, janitor and psychiatric orderly. He served in the Marine Corps Recon Reserve, and graduated from the Universities of Toledo and Chicago.

Amanda Flower, Summit County, A Plain Death
Amanda Flower, an Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Her debut mystery, Maid of Murder, was a 2010 Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Novel and the first in a series featuring amateur sleuth India Hayes. In July 2012, Amanda debuted her second mystery series, the Appleseed Creek Mystery Series, which is set in Ohio’s Amish country. In addition to being a mystery author, Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland. Visit her online at www.amandaflower.com.

David Lee Garrison, Montgomery County, Playing Bach in the D.C. Metro
David Lee Garrison received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and taught Spanish, Portuguese, and Comparative Literature at Wright State for thirty years. He has given readings and presentations at Sinclair Community College, Earlham University, the University of Dayton, the University of Texas, the University of Kansas, and Wright State; at high schools all over the state of Ohio; and, with his writing group (the Greenville Poets) at the Antioch, West Virginia, and Lourdes College Writers’ Workshops. His work has appeared nationwide in journals and anthologies such as Connecticut Review, Poem, The Nation, and I Have My Own Song for It: Modern Poems of Ohio. Two poems from his book, Sweeping the Cemetery, were read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer’s Almanac, and one of them was selected for Keillor’s new anthology, Good Poems, American Places. The title poem of his new book, Playing Bach in the DC Metro, was featured by Poet Laureate Ted Kooser on his website, American Life in Poetry. With Terry Hermsen, Garrison co-edited the small press best seller, O Taste and See: Food Poems. In recent years Garrison was a prizewinner in the Dayton Daily News annual poetry contest, won the Paul Laurence Dunbar Prize given by Sinclair Community College, and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. David and his wife, Suzanne Kelly-Garrison, have lived in Dayton since 1985.

Marty Gitlin, Cuyahoga County, The Great American Cereal Book
Marty Gitlin is a freelance author and sportswriter based in Cleveland. He has had about 70 educational books published since 2006 in the realms of pop culture, sports, history and biographies about notable people in all walks of life. His professional pride and joy is The Great American Cereal Book, which has been lauded as a fun, funny, colorful coffee table book by the New York Times, Time Magazine, Reader’s Digest and the Wall Street Journal. The book has received excellent reviews in other publications throughout the nation. Gitlin has been interviewed on dozens of radio and television stations in Ohio and around the country, including WGN in Chicago and Fox News in Columbus.

Linda Lee Greene, Franklin County, Guardians and Other Angels
Linda Lee Greene was born in the farmhouse bedroom of her maternal grandparents located on the rim of the famous star-wound in Peebles, Ohio, known the world over as the Great Serpent Mound Crater. Mother and grandmother, Greene resides in Columbus, Ohio. An award-winning artist, an exhibition of some of her artwork can be viewed at www.gallery-llgreene.com. In 2000, Greene wrote Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams, a manuscript that evolved into a co-authorship with Debra Shiveley Welch, and upon its release an Amazon best-seller. Greene has written two additional books in the Oma Mae Adams series. Two more books, “My ‘Aumakua” [In Hawaiian, “A Spirit Guide”] and Garden of the Spirits of the Pots, are in queue with her publisher and slated for future release. Greene’s current novel, Guardians and Other Angels has inspired two other books on which she is currently working, one of them a non-fiction sequel to the novel “I Received Your Letter …,” as well as a book for young readers, Bussy Gaffin and His Champion Roosters. Visit Linda online at her blog: http://Ingoodcompanyohio.blogspot.com

W. H. Chip Gross, Knox County, Poachers Were My Prey
Freelance writer, photographer, speaker, and editor Chip Gross has been fascinated by the out-of-doors all his life. At an early age, Gross was taught to fish by his grandfather and as a young teenager learned to hunt from his father. Gross attended Ohio State University, majoring in Wildlife Management. In 1976, Gross was hired by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, as a State Wildlife Officer. He has also written four books: Home, At Last, Is The Hunter, a fiction novel; Pro Tactics: Steelhead & Salmon; Ohio Wildlife Viewing Guide; and Young Beginner’s Guide to Shooting & Archery. A member of Outdoor Writers of Ohio and the Outdoor Writers Association of America, Gross has been tired from the Ohio DNR since 2002.

Sandra Gurvis, Franklin County, Country Club Wives
Sandra Gurvis is the author of fifteen books and hundreds of magazine articles. Her titles include Day Trips from Columbus, 3^rd ed.; Careers for Nonconformists, which was a selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club; America’s Strangest Museums, Where Have All the Flower Children Gone?; and more. Her books have been featured on “Good Morning America,” “CBS Up to the Minute,” “ABC World News Tonight,” in USA Today and in other newspapers and on television and radio stations across the country; and have been excerpted in magazines. Her newest titles are Ohio Curiosities, Paris Hilton: A Biography, and Country Club Wives. Along with being selected for residencies and fellowships at the Mary Anderson Center in Mt. St. Francis, Indiana; the Vermont Writers Studio in Johnston; and receiving a grant from the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas as well as certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) she is a longtime member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). She lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Larry C. Hansgen, Franklin County, A Buckeye Remembers
Larry Hansgen and his wife Marty live in northeast Columbus. They have two children, Larry and Lisa. His son is a radio personality with WHIO in Dayton, Ohio. Lisa is an ESL teacher with Columbus City Schools. Before retiring he worked in sales and sales management. He also worked in radio as a disc-jockey and weekend newsman, and was a freelance sports writer in the early 1990s. In addition to The Ohio State University Buckeyes, he is an avid Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns fan. Since retiring he has been active as an actor in community theatre. A Buckeye Remembers is Larry’s first book to be published. His memoir as a lifelong Buckeye fan intertwines everyday life in Columbus, Ohio with the excitement of following Ohio State athletics. Larry brings his readers an enjoyable perspective and recollection of the ups and downs of Ohio’s top university’s gridiron and hoops.

Karen Harper, Franklin County, Finding Mercy
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Karen Harper is a former college English instructor (The Ohio State University) and high school literature and writing teacher. A lifelong Ohioan, Karen and her husband Don divide their time between the midwest and the southeast, both locations she has used in her books. Karen’s books have been published in many foreign languages and she won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for 2005. Karen has given numerous talks to readers and writers across the county. Her author collection is with The Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscript Library. You can visit Karen online at her website: www.KarenHarperAuthor.com.

Stephen Haven, Ashland County, The Last Sacred Place in North America
Stephen Haven is the author of The Last Sacred Place in North America, selected by T.R. Hummer as winner of the 2010 New American Press Poetry Prize. He has published two previous collections of poetry, Dust and Bread, for which he was named 2009 Ohio Poet of the Year, and The Long Silence of the Mohawk Carpet Smokestacks. He is also author of the memoir The River Lock: One Boy’s Life Along the Mohawk. He has a Ph.D. in American Civilization from New York University and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Iowa. His poems have appeared in The Southern Review, American Poetry Review, Parnassus, Literary Imagination, Crazyhorse, Guernica, Salmagundi, Northwest Review, Image, Western Humanities Review, World Literature (Beijing), and in many other journals. He is Director of the Ashland University MFA Program in Poetry and Creative Nonfiction in Ashland, Ohio, and Director of the Ashland Poetry Press.

Sherri Hayes, Union County, Behind Closed Doors
Sherri is the author of four novels: Hidden Threat, Slave (Finding Anna Book 1), Need (Finding Anna Book 2), Behind Closed Doors (A Daniels Brothers’ Novel), and a short story, A Christmas Proposal. She lives in central Ohio with her husband and three cats. Her mother fostered her love for books by reading to Sherri when she was a child. Stories have been floating around in her head for as long as she can remember, but she didn’t start writing them down until five years ago. It has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found helping her husband in his woodworking shop.

Conrade C. Hinds, Franklin County, The Great 1908 Columbus Experiment: A Modern Water Utility Built on the Legacy of Forgotten People and Desperate Times
Conrade C. Hinds is a registered architect in Ohio and New York and a retired project manager for the City of Columbus Division of Water. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Hinds has spent the last thirty-five years living in Central Ohio and worked as an adjunct faculty member in the engineering technology department at Columbus State Community College for twenty-four years. He is a master at yodeling, a storyteller and a historian who often incorporates the use of puppets and marionettes in his presentations. Mr. Hinds also serves on the board of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation and is a member of the Ohio Memorial Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. He is married to Dr. Janet L. Hinds, and they have four children and two grandchildren.

Robin W. Holland, Franklin County, Deeper Writing: Quick Writes and Mentor Texts to Illuminate New Possibilities
Robin Holland is a co-director of the Columbus Area Writing Project. Robin is a retired public school teacher, having worked with the Columbus City Schools for thirty-five years. Most of her career she was involved in the area of language arts, developing and conducting in-service training with reading and writing initiatives implemented in Columbus Schools and serving on district writing teams to create both reading and writing curriculum guides. She held a number of positions at the building level, including: classroom teacher, gifted educator, Title I Reading Teacher, Intervention Specialist, and Literacy Coach. She also filled several district level positions, including resource teacher for both the reading and Title I departments, and Consulting Teacher with the Peer Assistance and Review Program. Robin has a passion for reading and writing and continues to enjoy instilling that passion in others. She attended The Ohio State University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in education and a Master’s degree in Developmental Reading. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband of twenty-five years. You can visit Robin at her blog at deeperwritingrobinholland.blogspot.com.

Arnett Howard, Franklin County, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State
A professional musician (trumpet, keyboards and voice) since 1967, Arnett Howard entered the world of history in January, 1980. His Musician’s Scrapbook: The Illustrated History of Columbus’ Black Entertainers became the foundation for Listen For The Jazz: Keynotes In Columbus History (1990), a collaboration with Candy Watkins. In 2008 Arcadia Press published Columbus: The Musical Crossroads, a joint project featuring David Meyers, Candy Watkins, Jim Loeffler and Arnett Howard. In 2012 The History Press published Ohio Jazz: The History of Jazz in the Buckeye State, co-authored by the same group. He is currently working on a display of the history of Columbus music for the Columbus Historical Society, to open in June, 2013 at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI).

Stacie Hutton, Delaware County, Shovelful of Sunshine
Stacie Hutton was born in West Virginia and grew up in southeastern Ohio. She is a former teacher and currently serves as a university trustee and designs apps for mobile devices and desktop computers. She is the author of three other books: American History Detective, Jr. Social Studies Investigator, and Was it Possible? Her picture book, Shovelful of Sunshine, uses words from a coal miner’s farewell letter to his family and was recently awarded a Mom’s Choice Gold award. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and children.

Maria Isabella, Cuyahoga County, In the Kitchen with Cleveland’s Favorite Chefs: 35 Fabulous Meals in About an Hour
Maria Isabella, author of the hugely popular new cookbook, In the Kitchen with Cleveland’s Favorite Chefs, is an award-winning freelance writer with more than 30 years’ creative experience in advertising, marketing, and publishing. She possesses a degree in Communication from Cleveland State University and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the James Beard Foundation, and Les Dames d’Escoffier. Maria is also a cooking instructor and contributes as both a focus group member and recipe tester for Bon Appétit, Zagat, America’s Test Kitchen, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and General Mills. She is a frequent featured speaker and appears regularly on TV and radio talk shows. Maria is currently working on two new books, both about food, of course. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at a cooking school with her husband of 35 years, trying out new recipes, and baking with her grandchildren. Be sure to visit Maria’s website at www.maria-isabella.com and her blog at www.MariasBitsAndPieces.com.

Regina Jeffers, Franklin County, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy
Regina Jeffers, a public classroom teacher for thirty-nine years, considers herself a Jane Austen enthusiast. She is the author of several Austen-inspired novels, including Darcy’s Passions, Darcy’s Temptation, Vampire Darcy’s Desire, Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion, The Phantom of Pemberley, Christmas at Pemberley, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, Honor and Hope, and the upcoming The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy. She also writes Regency romances: The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, A Touch of Velvet, A Touch of Cashemere, A Touch of Grace, and The First Wives’ Club. A Time Warner Star Teacher, Smithsonian presenter, and Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, Jeffers often serves as a consultant in language arts and media literacy. Currently living outside Charlotte, North Carolina, she spends her time with her writing, gardening, and her adorable grandson. Visit her online at www.rjeffers.com.

Jillian Kent, Hamilton County, Mystery of the Heart
Jillian Kent’s first novel in The Ravensmoore Chronicles, Secrets of the Heart, debuted in 2011 and held readers captive winning four stars from Romantic Times and first place in the 2012 Wisconsin RWA Write Touch Contest. Also, in 2012, Chameleon, the second book in the series found its way into readers hands and hearts with an, “I dare you to solve the ending,” challenge from the author. Mystery of the Heart, book three in the series (2013) is already grabbing the attention of readers who love a romantic adventure. Jillian resides in Cincinnati, Ohio where she is employed as a counselor for nursing students. She’s married, the mother of two adult daughters, and loves animals, chocolate, and coffee. You can find her on the web at www.jilliankent.com.

Joy M. Kiser, Summit County, Bird Watching and Other Nature Observations
Joy M. Kiser was born in Akron and grew up in Norton, Ohio. She began her professional career as the librarian for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 1995. In 2001, she moved to the Washington, DC, area to become the librarian for National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She is currently employed as a writer/editor for the U.S. Department of Justice. (Photo credit to Gary Higgins of the Patriot Ledger.)

Wendy Koile, Tuscarawas County, Geneva on the Lake: A History of Ohio’s First Summer Resort
Wendy Koile lives in southeast Ohio with her husband and daughter, Emma. She holds a master’s degree in the teaching of language arts. Currently, she enjoys teaching at Zane State College as a development reading and English teacher. She is also a member of the Not in Our Write Minds writers group of Dover, Ohio. Wendy has vacationed at Geneva on the Lake every year of her life. Wendy continues the tradition with her husband, daughter and extended family.

Karen Kotrba, Columbiana County, She Who is Like a Mare: Poems of Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service

Tracy Lawson, Franklin County, Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More: Explorations of Henry Rogers’ 1838 Journal of Travel from Southwestern Ohio to New York City
Tracy Stone Lawson grew up in Sharonville, Ohio. She graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University in 1988, with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. She worked for a time in advertising and as an investigative analyst for the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, then settled into a career in the performing arts, teaching tap dancing at BalletMet Dance Academy and choreographing musicals for middle schools and high schools. Having had a long-time interest in her family’s history and genealogy, Tracy intended to use her great-great-great Grandfather Henry Rogers’ 1938 travel journal as the basis for a novel. As part of her research, she and her young daughter followed in Henry’s path, making the same trip by automobile during the summers of 2003 and 2004. Tracy kept her own journal, then compared and shared information about both trips in her first book, Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More: Explorations of Henry Rogers’ 1838 Journal of Travel from Southwestern Ohio to New York City. Tracy lives in Bexley, Ohio. She has co-authored a second book, Given Moments, and is currently working on a young adult novel, Counteract.

Susan Sachs Levine, Franklin County, Harriett’s Homecoming: A High-Flying Tour of Cincinnati
Susan Levine grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and started her career in marketing with Procter & Gamble. She then moved to Columbus where she became VP of Marketing and Environmental Affairs with SIG, an international packaging company. A wildlife enthusiast, Susan has traveled extensively to learn about endangered species. After the birth of her two children, Susan focused her energy on being a Scout leader, volunteering at a special needs pre-school, and serving as enrichment specialist at her children’s schools . It was in this role that she
identified the need for picture books about major Ohio cities. Her first book, Packard Takes Flight: A Bird’s-Eye View of Columbus, Ohio has become a standard in 4th grade classrooms that study Ohio. Her most recent book, Harriett’s Homecoming: A High- Flying Tour of Cincinnati, Ohio highlights all that is special about the Queen City. In both titles, Susan blends her interest in wildlife with her knowledge of Ohio to create books that entertain and teach young children, while being a great resource for teachers and parents.

James Loeffler, Franklin County, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State

KaraLynne Mackrory, Summit County, Falling for Mr. Darcy
KaraLynne is an amazing mother who never makes mistakes, never gets upset with her children and never ever has a dirty house. Ever. She always has her dishes done and the floors spotless and dinner is always prepared and ready on time. Her kids are always clean, polite, respectful and loving, especially to each other. She never gets irritated with her husband when he doesn’t turn his socks right side out for the laundry and they always agree on everything. She delights in nothing else but to serve her family and never wants or needs time for herself. She takes great care to shower every day and put make up on so that she is always beautiful and presentable. She never wears her pajamas all day or for days in a row and she is the epitome of womanhood. Most of all, she has a great sense of humor and loves to write. Falling for Mr. Darcy is KaraLynne’s first venture in to the world of book authorship. Although, admittedly a Darcy addict, she enjoys many things, such as: Mr. Knightley, Edmund Bertram, Captain Wentworth, Mr. Tilney and John Thornton. She is happily married to her own Mr. Darcy and together they share the insanity inducing responsibility of raising three children.

Donna MacMeans, Franklin County, The Casanova Code
Award winning author Donna MacMeans made a wrong turn many years ago when she majored in Accounting in college. What was she thinking? Balancing books just can’t compete with crafting plots and inventing memorable characters. She finally broke free from her life as a CPA to write witty and seductive Victorian historicals for Berkley Sensation in what can only be described as her dream job. Her books have won numerous awards including the prestigious Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America, and the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Historical Love & Laughter, as well as wins and finals in many regional contests. Her books consistently receive high praise and glowing reviews. She has published a romantic suspense with Samhain publishing, and five historicals with Berkley Sensation. Her most recent release, The Casanova Code, weaves a sexy tale combining Victorian personal ads, secret codes, secret organizations, and Japanese erotica. When not at her keyboard, Donna enjoys painting, traveling, and creating luscious alcoholic desserts. An avid reader, she also uses the analytical skills learned as an accountant to analyze novels in an effort to constantly improve her own craft – and then teaches those skills in workshops around the country. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband of thirty-nine years. Please contact her at www.DonnaMacMeans.com

Jacqueline Marino, Summit County, White Coats: Three Journeys Through an American Medical School
Jacqueline Marino teaches feature writing and other courses in the magazine sequence at Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Her nonfiction stories and essays have appeared in many publications including Cleveland Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, and River Teeth: A Journal of Narrative Nonfiction.

Courtney Elizabeth Mauk, Summit County, Spark
Courtney Elizabeth Mauk is author of the novel Spark. She grew up in Copley, Ohio, and studied creative writing at Oberlin College. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Her work has appeared in The Literary Review, PANK, Wigleaf, and FiveChapters, among other publications. She is an assistant editor at Barrelhouse Magazine and teaches at The Juilliard School and The Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and is at work on a second novel.

Kristina McBride, Montgomery County, One Moment
Kristina McBride, a former English teacher and yearbook advisor, dreamed of being a published author since she was a child and lived across the street from a library. Kristina has published two novels for young adults – The Tension of Opposites and One Moment. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two young children. Visit her online at www.kristinamcbride.com.

Thomas Scott McKenzie, Franklin County, Power Chord: One Man’s Ear Splitting Quest to Find His Guitar Heroes
Raised on a thoroughbred horse farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky, Thomas Scott McKenzie received a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Mississippi. He is the author of Power Chord: One Man’s Ear-Splitting Quest to Find His Guitar Heroes and the co-author of The Man Behind the Nose: Assassins, Astronauts, Cannibals, and Other Stupendous Tales. McKenzie’s work has appeared in Tin House, Laptop, Premier Guitar, Stuff, The Aethlon: Journal of Sport Literature, Columbus Monthly, Salon.com, MTV’s The Hive, and others. He has been a reviewer for PopMatters.com, a staff writer for the longest running internet drama Crimescene.com, and a contributor to TechCrunch.com. He founded and runs Slushpile.net, a books and publishing blog. He is currently working on a novel.

Karen Meyer, Delaware County, Missing at Marietta
Karen Meyer is a writer and historian. Her passion for history began as a young girl and led her to complete a copy of an early Ohio settler’s diary in her Senior year. After earning a BA in English and Education, cum laude, she became an Air Force wife, and lived in places as far away as Labrador over the course of nine years. Seeing new lands gave her a window on regional and national differences, and confirmed an appreciation for her own Ohio roots, where she and her husband settled and raised their family. Karen visits classrooms and retirement centers in costume with a living history presentation. Participants learn how the early settlers survived on the frontier.

David Meyers, Franklin County, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State
David Meyers is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Ohio. A graduate of Miami University and The Ohio State University, he worked for thirty years in adult and juvenile corrections. As a local historian, he got his start with the late Robert D. “Bob” Thomas, assisting with the three volume “Columbus Unforgettables” series. He also contributed to Listen for the Jazz, published by the Arts Foundation of Olde Towne, and co-authored Central Ohio’s Historic Prisons. Since then, he has written a number of books on local history, as well as works for the stage, including the musicals “The Last Christmas Carol” and “The Last Oz Story.” In 2012, David appeared on an episode of the Discovery Canada series “Curious and Unusual Deaths,” to discuss the death of Ohio Penitentiary inmate Charles Justice. Just recently, a novelization of “The Last Christmas Carol” was published with illustrations by Sam Walker. Meyers’ most recent work, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State has been nominated for the 2012 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.

E. S. Moore, Muskingum County, Blessed by a Demon’s Mark
E. S. Moore was born and raised in Ohio where he still lives with his wife and son. He attended Ohio University, majoring in Electronic Media and then later, Telecommunications. Writing has always been a big part of his life, with paranormal and horror being especially important to him. E. S. Moore is busy penning more Kat Redding adventures. For more information please visit www.esmoore.net.

Dara Naraghi, Franklin County, Ghostbusters Omnibus
Dara Naraghi was born in Iran and educated in the United States. An Ohio State University alum, he works in the information technology field, but his passion is for the comics medium. His debut graphic novel, Lifelike, has garnered many positive reviews, from the likes of award-winning novelist Cory Doctorow, and cartoonist Sam Kieth. His other notable graphic novels include the Terminator Salvation official movie prequel, and Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland (both New York Times Bestsellers), as well as works for Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse, and DC Comics. Dara is also a founding member of the comic book writers/artists collective known as PANEL, with whom he has produced 20 volumes of their comics anthology. Dara lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, daughter, and the world’s sweetest hound dog. Visit him online at his personal website www.daranaraghi.com.

Joe Oestreich, Franklin County, Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll
Joe Oestreich is the author of the memoir, Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll. A graduate of the Ohio State University MFA Program in Creative Writing, his work has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Ninth Letter, Fourth Genre, and elsewhere. He has been awarded a fellowship from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, honored by The Atlantic Monthly, and shortlisted in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007, The Best American Essays 2008 and 2009, and The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses 2010. He is an Assistant Professor of English at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC, where he co-edits Waccamaw.

Michael Olin-Hitt, Summit County, The Homegoing: A Novel
Michael Olin-Hitt is a Professor of English at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, where he teaches creative writing, American Literature, and Native American Literature. In addition to the novel, The Homegoing, he has published nine short stories in various literary journals, such as The Nebraska Review, The Notre Dame Review, The Other Side, and Puerto Del Sol. He has also published two works of nonfiction on spirituality: The Word of God Upon My Lips and A Fish Made of Water. He was born in Dayton, and has lived in Ohio his entire life. Currently, he lives in Uniontown with his wife and two children.

Bill Osinski, Summit County, Guilt by Popular Demand: A True Story of Small-Town Injustice
Bill Osinski was a newspaper reporter for 36 years and first covered the Logan murder case for the Akron Beacon Journal. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, he now writes books and screenplays, two of which have been optioned for motion picture projects. He lives with his wife Eileen near Atlanta, Georgia.

Eliot Parker, Lawrence County, Breakdown at Clear River
Eliot Parker graduated with his MFA in Creative Writing from Eastern Kentucky University. His short stories have appeared in Speck Literary Journal, One Story Magazine, Apex Books, and others. His first novel, The Prospect, was published in 2010. His second novel, Breakdown at Clear River was published in November of 2012 by Mid-Atlantic Highlands Press. Eliot is a certified teacher consultant with the National Writing Project and currently teaches writing and literature at Mountwest Community and Technical College in Huntington, West Virginia.

James Renner, Summit County, It Came from Ohio
James Renner is a novelist, freelance journalist, and blogger. In his spare time, he hunts serial killers. His true crime stories have been published in the Best American Crime Reporting and Best Creative Nonfiction anthologies. His film adaptation of a Stephen King story was an official selection at the 2005 Montreal World Film Festival. Renner’s debut novel, The Man from Primrose Lane, has just been purchased by Warner Brothers; the film version will star Bradley Cooper. A graduate of Kent State University, Renner lives in Akron, Ohio.

Jerry Roscoe, Franklin County, Solving for X
Jerry Roscoe is the author of Mirror Lake (contained in Two Midwest Voices) which received the Ohioana Book Award for 2002, The Unexamined Life and the chapbook S-E-X. Published widely in literary journals, he has received two Individual Artist Fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council, been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and has had his poems read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer’s Almanac. For ten years he was poetry reviewer and columnist for The Columbus Dispatch.

Yolonda Sanders, Franklin County, In Times of Trouble
Yolonda Tonette Sanders attended Capital University where she majored in political science and criminology and then went on to get a masters degree in sociology from The Ohio State University. In 2008, she started Yo Productions, LLC, a theatrical entertainment and literary services company, which she used to launch her first stage production, Soul Matters, based on her debut novel. Soul Matters and Yolonda’s second book, Secrets of a Sinner, both appeared on the Essence Magazine Best Sellers list multiple times. She has been a guest on radio programs such as “Eye on Books” and “Words of Faith.” Besides writing, she enjoys reading, singing, spending time with her family, and working out. Her favorite sports are volleyball and basketball, but Yolonda has no qualms admitting that she is no good at either. She’s very grateful that her writing abilities tremendously outweigh her athletic ones and that she’s been given opportunities to publicly share her work through national platforms.

Robert (Rob) Sberna, Cuyahoga County, House of Horrors: The Shocking True Story of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Strangler
Robert Sberna is an investigative journalist who has written for national publications. He covered the courts and police beat for newspapers in the Midwest and has contributed articles to The Washington Examiner, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Neoconomist, and Ohio Magazine.

Russell Schneider, Cuyahoga County, Cleveland Indians Legends
Russell Schneider is an award-winning sportswriter who wrote for The Cleveland Plain Dealer until his retirement in 1993. He was elected to the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame and has been nominated for election to the Baseball Writers Wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Marilyn Seguin, Summit County, Young & Courageous: American Girls Who Made History
Marilyn Weymouth Seguin is the author of 15 books, many of them Ohio based historical fiction and nonfiction for young readers. She teaches in the Writing Program of the English Department at Kent State University. When she is not helping her students with their writing, she is busily crafting another story. Marilyn lives with her husband Rollie and little dog Jerzee in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and Gray, Maine. Visit her at her website www.marilynwseguin.com. (photo credit: Edward Monaco).

Kenneth Sewell, Franklin County, Code Name Caesar
During the Cold War years, Kenneth R. Sewell served aboard the USS Parche, a fast attack submarine that was the Navy’s most decorated ship. Parche conducted a number of special operations, some of which were revealed in Blind Man’s Bluff, The Story of American Submarine Espionage. Since leaving the Navy, Mr. Sewell has remained connected to the US military and intelligence community. He has held both Department of Defense and Department of Energy security clearances and has participated in a number of projects for the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency. He is the primary author of the New York Times bestseller Red Star Rogue, All Hands Down (Simon & Schuster), and co-author of Code Name Caesar (Berkley/Penguin). Most recently Mr. Sewell collaborated with director Todd Robinson to create the full length feature film, Phantom. Phantom is based on Red Star Rogue and stars Ed Harris, David Duchovny and William Fichtner. A Buckeye by birth and graduate of Urbana University, he currently resides in Gahanna, Ohio.

Hugh Sheehy, Lucas County, The Invisibles
Hugh Sheehy is a lecturer at Yeshiva College and has previously taught at Kennesaw State University and Georgia State University. Sheehy received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama. His stories have appeared in publications including Glimmer Train, Kenyon Review, and Best American Mystery Stories. (photo credit to Liz Ligon)

Heather Shumaker, Franklin County, It’s OK NOT to Share…and Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids
Heather Shumaker was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Her unorthodox parenting book It’s OK Not to Share…And Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids is based on a Columbus preschool and was named a Best Parenting Book of 2012 by Parents magazine. She’s been featured in the New York Post, Huffington Post, Fox and Friends TV, USA Weekend and other media. She regularly leads writing workshops and speaks on author panels at conferences and libraries in the Midwest. Besides her nonfiction work, Heather gets up early in the morning—before the kids wake up—and writes fiction for middle grade readers. Heather is a graduate of Swarthmore College and University of Wisconsin-Madison and the mother of two young children. She lives in Traverse City, MI with her family. You can find more about her at www.heathershumaker.com.

Terri-Lynne Smiles, Franklin County, Foreseen
A life-long Ohio resident, Terri-Lynne Smiles obtained her Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Denison University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan. She currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and sweet but stupid dog, Morgan, and is working on a new novel Sarandipity, set in a future world where only Unity is sacred.

Tricia Springstubb, Cuyahoga County, Phoebe and Digger
Tricia Springstubb has been a teacher and a children’s librarian. Like her character Mo from What Happened on Fox Street and Mo Wren Lost and Found, she has a red-haired sister, lives on a really cool street, and loves quiet, green places. She has seen a fox once in her life and will never forget it. Tricia is the mother of three daughters and lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Jyotsna Sreenivasan, Summit County, And Laughter Fell from the Sky
Jyotsna Sreenivasan’s debut novel, And Laughter Fell from the Sky, has been praised as “a witty, timely exploration of the varying definitions of success, belonging, cultural identity, and the human desire to connect” (Booklist). Jyotsna was born and raised in northeastern Ohio. Her parents are immigrants from India. She earned a B.A. in English from Kent State University, and an M.A. in English literature from the University of Michigan. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous literary magazines, and she has received literature grants from the Washington, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Jyotsna has also written two novels for children: Aruna’s Journeys and The Moon Over Crete. She is the author of several nonfiction books: Ela Bhatt: Uniting Women in India; Utopias in American History; and Poverty and the Government in America. Jyotsna is the creator of two web sites: Gender Equality Bookstore, which features books for children that shatter gender stereotypes, and Second Generation Stories, which highlights novels and stories written by children of immigrants. She currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.

R. T. Stewart, Meigs County, Poachers Were My Prey
In the early 1980s, R. T. Stewart was hired by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, as a uniformed state wildlife officer. However, the agency soon discovered Stewart had special skills as an undercover officer. Thus began his 18-year career infiltrating poaching rings–often living with poachers for months or even years on end–and eventually bringing the bad guys to justice. The book, Poachers Were My Prey: Eighteen Years as an Undercover Wildlife Officer, is Stewart’s first-hand account of his various, exciting undercover investigations in Ohio, the Midwest, and beyond. Now retired, R. T. Stewart lives in rural southeast Ohio.

Marilou Suszko, Erie County, Cleveland’s West Side Market: 100 Years and Still Cooking
Marilou Suszko is a journalist, food writer, culinary educator, and author of three books, Farms and Foods of Ohio: From Garden Gate to Dinner Plate (Hippocrene 2007) and The Locavore’s Kitchen (Swallow Press 2011), and Cleveland’s West Side Market: 100 Years & Still Cooking (University of Akron Press) which she coauthored with Laura Taxel. Her work has been published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Our Ohio, Ohio Magazine as well as regional and national publications.

Linda Swink, Butler County, Life on a $5 Bet: Major General Mechenbier
Linda D. Swink is an Air Force veteran, who served on active duty as a photographer with a Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, and then in the reserves as a base photographer. As an Army wife of ten years, she learned to appreciate the rigorous duty assignments of those wearing the Army green. Her father served with the Marine Corps during World War II in the Battle of Peleiu, giving her a deep respect for the men and women serving during wartime. Her first book, Speak With Power and Grace: A Woman’s Guide to Public Speaking, now in its third edition, has helped thousands of women become more confident while making speeches. Her second book, In Their Honor: The Men Behind the Names of Our Military Installations, is a collection of 524 short biographies that tell of courage, dedication, and patriotism. Her latest book, Life on a $5 Bet: Major General Mechenbier, is a biography of an amazing man who survived nearly six years being held in the infamous Hanoi Hilton in North Vietnam. Linda is a professional speaker and lives with her family in Hamilton, Ohio.

Doreen Uhas-Sauer, Franklin County, Historic Columbus Taverns: The Capitol City’s most Storied Saloons
Doreen Uhas Sauer serves as Board President for Columbus Landmarks Foundation and on a number of boards in the University District, where she is active in historic preservation, urban issues and local history. A longtime Columbus educator with Columbus City Schools, she currently directs a Teaching American History grant and has worked extensively in international civic education. She has received statewide recognition for her work in preservation education, developed more than thirty local history/architecture programs and was named Ohio Teacher of the Year in 2003. Listen to Tom Betti and Doreen Uhas-Sauer talk about their book on All Sides with Ann Fisher.

Denise Verrico, Franklin County, Servant of the Goddess: Book Four of the Immortyl Revolution
Denise Verrico is a New Jersey native, who grew up in Pennsylvania. She attended Point Park College in Pittsburgh, where she majored in theatre arts. For seven seasons she was a member of The Oberon Theatre Ensemble in NYC with whom she acted, directed and wrote plays. Denise has enjoyed vampire stories from the time she was a little girl and a fan of the Dark Shadows television series. She enjoys reading non-fiction and fiction of all kinds, particularly historical fiction, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, manga and graphic novels. Every April through October you can find Denise climbing to heights of four hundred plus feet at speeds exceeding one hundred and twenty miles per hour on her favorite roller coasters. She currently lives in Ohio with her husband, teenaged son and flock of six spoiled parrots.

Tim Waggoner, Montgomery County, Supernatural: Carved in Flesh
Tim Waggoner has published over twenty novels and one hundred short stories in the fantasy and horror genres. His articles on writing have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Writers’ Journal, and other publications. He teaches creative writing at Sinclair Community College and is a faculty mentor in Seton Hill University’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program. Visit him on the web at www.timwaggoner.com.

Lindsay Ward, Summit County, When Blue Met Egg
Lindsay Ward has a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University. She has illustrated a handful of children’s picture books including The Yellow Butterfly by Mehrnaz S. Gill, A Garden for Pig by Kathryn Thurman, and the covers of both STAR Academy books by Edward Kay. Lindsay’s most recent books Pelly and Mr. Harrison Visit the Moon and When Blue Met Egg were both written and illustrated by her. Her upcoming book with Dial Books for Young Readers, titled Please Bring Balloons, will be released October 2013. You can visit her on the web at lindsaymward.com or check out her blog at respectthecupcake.blogspot.com.

Candice Watkins, Franklin County, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State
Candice Watkins was born in Columbus, Ohio. She is a glass and neon artist; a writer; a photographer; has interviewed dozens of musicians, artists and others; and is deeply involved in community arts and music in Columbus. Candy has traveled extensively and her work has appeared in exhibits throughout the country. She has co-authored several books about music in Ohio. Watkins’ most recent book, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State has been nominated for the 2012 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.

Sarah M. Wells, Ashland County, Pruning Burning Bushes
Sarah M. Wells is the author of Pruning Burning Bushes, and a chapbook of poems, Acquiesce, winner of the 2008 Starting Gate Award. Poems by Wells have appeared or are forthcoming in Alimentum, Ascent, Christianity & Literature, JAMA, Literary Mama, Measure, New Ohio Review, Nimrod, Poetry East, Puerto del Sol, Rock & Sling, and elsewhere. Her essays have been published by Ascent and River Teeth. Sarah’s poetry has been honored with two Pushcart Prize nominations. Her essay, “Those Summers, These Days” was named a notable essay in the Best American Essays 2012. She has received scholarships to attend the Key West Literary Seminar and West Chester Poetry Conferences. Sarah serves as the Administrative Director for the low-residency MFA program at Ashland University and Managing Editor for the Ashland Poetry Press and River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative. She resides in Ashland, Ohio with her husband, Brandon, and their three young children, Lydia, Elvis, and Henry. www.sarahmwells.com

Dan Wilbur, Cuyahoga County, How Not to Read
Dan Wilbur is a 10. That is, a 10 after adding up his three best features: Physique (3), Face (5), Personality (2). Dan is a comedian, writer, and avid video game player living in Brooklyn, NY. He only eats fast food on weekends and occasionally exercises by accident (police, fire). He has read nearly half of nearly half of all the books he owns. If you like Dan, even a little, it’s probably because you’ve seen his writing or you’re his parents. His writing is featured on Collegehumor.com, McSweeney’s, and the Onion News Network. Dan is the creator and editor of Better Book Titles. His first humor book How Not to Read is available now from Perigee (Penguin).

Eric Wittenberg, Franklin County, You Stink! Major League Baseball’s Terrible Teams & Pathetic Players
Eric J. Wittenberg is a lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan and native of southeastern Pennsylvania. Having grown up in the early 1970s, he understands losing baseball teams. He is a lawyer in private practice and an award-winning Civil War historian. He and his wife Susan reside in Columbus, Ohio, where he struggles to follow his beloved Phillies.

Lucy Wolfe, Franklin County, A Historical Guidebook to Old Columbus: Finding the Past in the Present
Lucy S. Wolfe is a lifelong resident of Columbus, a realtor, and a member of the board of trustees of the Columbus Historical Society.

Robin Yocum, Franklin County, The Essay
Robin Yocum was born in 1955 in Steubenville, Ohio, and grew up in the in the Eastern Ohio village of Brilliant. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University in 1978. After two years at the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette and the Martins Ferry Times Leader, Robin spent eleven years as a crime and investigative reporter with the Columbus Dispatch. He received numerous writing awards, including those from the Associated Press and the Press Club of Ohio. Robin is the author of two nonfiction books: Dead Before Deadline, and Insured for Murder, which he co-authored with Dispatch reporter Cathy Candisky. He is the principle of Yocum Communications in Westerville. Favorite Sons, his first novel, was named the 2011 Book of the Year for Mystery/Suspense by USA Book News.

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