Local Author Fest
Join us at the Downtown Reno Library for a day celebrating local authors and their work. More than 30 local authors will read from, sell, and sign their books. Readings will take place every 20 minutes on three stages. Registration is required. This is a special after-hours event for registered attendees. The library will not be open for regular library service.
Special guest Willy Vlautin will take the stage at 2:30 pm. The New York Times bestselling author and Reno native will discuss his publishing journey and his newest book, The Horse. Seating for this portion of the event is limited; tickets will be available in-person, on a first-come-first-served basis, on the day of the event.
Photos from the event
Participating authors
Anderson, Kayla
Kayla Anderson is a freelance writer, author, and independent journalist who lives in North Lake Tahoe. Holding a bachelor's degree from CSU Chico with an emphasis in journalism and creative writing, she works as a fulltime freelance writer contributing to publications such as the Sparks Tribune, Mineral County Independent-News, Tahoe Quarterly, Sierra Nevada Ally, and the Northern Nevada Relocation Guide. Kayla co-wrote the first edition of Moon Travel Guides’ Northern California Road Trips that came out in December of 2019; the second edition of Northern California Road Trips is out in stores now (and on the Staff Picks shelf of the Incline Village Library). Kayla has borrowed and read at least 672 books since holding a Washoe County Library card and visits the Incline Village Library at least once a week to get inspiration for her next writing projects.
Arbib, Richard
Richard Arbib earned a master’s degree in English and creative writing at San Francisco State University. He’s had short stories published in Mensa Bulletin. He’s written two award-winning paranormal romance novels: The Vampire Girl Next Door and the sequel, The Vampire Girl in London.
Barber, Alicia
Alicia Barber, PhD, is a historian and nonfiction writer who specializes in stories of the diverse people and places of Nevada. She is the author of Reno’s Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City and the popular e-newsletter The Barber Brief about Reno’s urban development and has written hundreds of articles and columns for academic and commercial publications. She produced and hosted the history feature “Time & Place” for KUNR Public Radio, and manages, edits, and writes for the website and app Reno Historical, which she co-founded. Through her historical consulting firm Stories in Place, she develops interpretive history projects ranging from oral histories to permanent indoor and outdoor installations. In 2014 she was the recipient of the Silver Pen Award from the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and in 2024 she was voted “Best Local Author” in the 2024 Reno News & Review Best of Northern Nevada Reader’s Poll. She holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Bidonde, Jessica (pen name: JC Bidonde)
Jessica Bidonde earned a BA in Journalism from the University of Colorado and an MBA in Marketing from San Diego State University. She is a former blogger and used to work in television at ESPN and MTV. A longtime reader and first-time author, Bidonde is currently working on her second novel. She resides in Reno with her husband, dog, and cat.
Bray, Zoe
Zoe Bray is an artist from the Basque Country. Settling on this side of the globe, it dawned on her how, just over a hundred years earlier, her great grandfather had also emigrated, in very different circumstances, to work as a sheepherder in Nevada. While he then returned to the Basque Country (with one eye less, having been kicked in the face by a horse), Zoe chose to live in a few more places (Israel and Palestine), and then make Nevada her home. She presently lives in Reno, with her German partner and their two children, who, she hopes, will also grow to connect with their natural environment and indigenous knowledge wherever they are.
Breeden, Teresa (pen name: Tori Briar)
Teresa Breeden (she/her) lives in the high desert at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains where she finds inspiration in both the serenity and the chaos of the spaces around her. Teresa has one novel, Falling by Tori Briar, has published over 60 poems in various journals and anthologies, and is a recipient of the Nevada Arts Council Fellowship for literature. Her writing revolves around relationships: with people, the environment, and even inanimate objects.
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Brown, Bill
Bill Brown is an award-winning, retired broadcast journalist with more than 35 years of experience. After retirement his wife suggested digging out an old manuscript he wrote 40 years ago. That relit the flame. He now has 17 novels available on Amazon and they all deal with current science and how it relates to Nevada. You’ll find fantasy, Sci-Fi, and abject horror. He began with Blood Mountain which deals with the Native American legends of the Lovelock Cave and how it moves to today. His novel The Alien is based on an actual incident with a UFO blowing up over Nevada according to Project Blue Book. His most recent work looks at global warming and what could happen to the Earth. From ghosts to the battle between good and evil to current affairs his writing has been described as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Edgar Rice Burroughs all rolled up into a great read.
Clayton, Paul
Paul Clayton is the author of a historical fiction series on the Spanish conquest of the Floridas: Calling Crow, Flight of the Crow, and Calling Crow Nation, with Putnam/Berkley. He has also published a fictionalized memoir, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, with Thomas Dunne, 2004. Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards along with works by David McCullough (John Adams), Joyce Carol Oates (Faithless), Amitav Ghosh (The Glass Palace), and Alan Furst (The Kingdom of Shadows).
David, Martin A.
Martin A. David is a lifelong artist and arts activist. His professional work spans a wide range of genres. He was born in New York City. He received his early training as an actor and general theater person there and is still active as a performer and director. He branched off and concurrently followed professional career paths as a writer, visual artist, and craftsperson. He spent ten years living in Europe where, among other artistic involvements, he toured and performed with a modern dance company he co-founded. His writing, in addition to the books available at this event, includes approximately 1,000 articles, columns, essays, etc. in magazines, newspapers, and online. Martin moved to Reno in 2015 with his wife, Carol, and is an active participant in the local cultural scene.
Derby, Jill
Author and educator Jill Derby, has deep family roots in Nevada and shares her story of 50 years of public and political activism which has leveled the playing field for Nevada women in politics, education and the courts. Derby writes about life-altering adventures she experienced in her twenties while living abroad and traveling the world. She recounts the eye-opening insights she acquired which dramatically realigned her life trajectory. Derby married Carson Valley Veterinarian Steve Talbot in 1973 while completing her Ph.D. from U.C. Davis in cultural anthropology and becoming a trailblazer for cultural and political change widening opportunities for Nevada women and girls. Many well-known Nevadans are in the pages of her fast-paced story, which includes accounts of getting lost out in the vast Saudi Arabian desert and her life-saving blizzard rescue on a Sierra summit. Derby offers an insider’s view of the sausage making of public policy The themes in her book underscore the personal development and satisfaction that come from choosing to play a bigger game than you think you can, along with the importance to American democracy of citizen participation and civic engagement. She continues her role as a consultant in higher education governance and leadership and has spent the last seven years as Board Chair of the American University of Iraq in Kurdistan.
de Queiroz, Hana
Hana de Queiroz is a poet and fantasy novelist from Reno, Nevada. Her work has appeared in Sword & Kettle Press’s Farewell, Neverland zine in 2024 and in And We Created Worlds, the Lighthouse Young Writers anthology, in 2022. When she isn't writing, she can be found listening to Big Thief or organizing her bookshelves by color.
Dugan, Sue
Sue writes five-star LitPick novels that keep readers of all ages turning pages long into the night. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, attending author events, or walking her dogs. She has two children and five grandchildren. Snack wise, Sue is a salty-type gal, but wouldn’t say no to an occasional chocolate kiss or two! She isn’t sure she’s a reincarnated author, but if she was, she’d want to be Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, or Emily Brontë. When her novels are run through author comparison sites, she gets Anne Rice through Mark Twain—quite a wide spread which makes for interesting reading (Tom Sawyer was a Vampire?).
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Farley, Terri
Terri Farley has always loved books, horses and wild places. One of those wild places was inner city Los Angeles where she taught high school English and Journalism before moving to Nevada. Now she rides and hikes the range researching the books that have made her an award-winning author and an advocate for the West’s wildlife—especially wild horses. Farley is the author of the Phantom Stallion adventure series (HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Audible) which has sold over two million copies worldwide, Seven Tears Into the Sea (Simon and Schuster) a YA fantasy, Wild At Heart: Mustangs and the Young People Fighting to Save Them (Houghton-Mifflin) a work of nonfiction and more. Upcoming: The Phantom Stallion’s Family STEM picture book series from Simon & Schuster and a biography of Velma “Wild Horse Annie” Johnston from the University of Nevada Press. Farley lives in an old house with her family, which includes an elderly goldfish named Fluffy and her dog, Willow. In true collie fashion, Willow rescued the youngest member of the Farley family, an orphaned kitten named Tamarack.
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Forde, J.A.
J.A. Forde is a romance writer, Navy wife, and full-time mom to two crazy kids (and a furry pup). She currently resides in Nevada with her family where you’ll most likely find her with her nose stuck in a book… or more realistically chasing her two kids with an audiobook in her earbuds.
She loves to travel and go on adventures which is why she decided to set her first book in Sydney, Australia. She hopes to write more books set in fun locales both as an escape for herself in writing, and for you as the reader!
Frost, Sandra
Sandra Frost is a native of Northwest Washington who relocated to Northern Nevada 27 years ago with her husband and daughter. She has carried her stories with her for many years, but they always seemed just one project away, waiting patiently to be told. Working full-time as a case manager for a nonprofit, and maintaining a photography business on the side, has kept her stories neatly tucked away for a time when she could dedicate her efforts fairly to their telling. That time finally arrived and she has completed her first novel, Ten Pennies, giving life to her characters and the tale they have to tell. Moving forward, Sandra will be working on the sequel to Ten Pennies as well as pursuing her photography, travel, and other creative ventures.
Gauthier, Thomas
Tom Gauthier is a retired executive, consultant, and counselor. His work with multinational organizations and local governments spanned three decades and four continents. Extensive travel through Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Europe, added to his early experience in Army Intelligence and US Air Force on flight crews, have found their way into his novels, acclaimed as authentic and action filled. His historical novels reflect his love of history and his experience in behavioral psychology that brings real history and lives to life on the page. They are acclaimed by the descendants of his subjects as adding unique voices to their ancestors. A graduate of California Coast University, Gauthier holds Masters degrees in Business Management, Organizational Development, and a Doctorate in Behavioral Psychology, and credentials in creative writing from Rutgers University through Writers Institute. He is a certified literary reviewer for Reader’s Favorites International. Gauthier has written articles for publication in a variety of journals and magazines, and published over eighteen novels, histories, and genealogical research works. His historical fiction novel, A Voyage Beyond Reason, received international acclaim from Writers Digest.
Goe, Rusty
Rusty Goe is a recognized authority on the Carson City Mint’s history and the coins that have survived from that mint. Goe and his wife, Marie, operated Las Vegas Rare Coin Gallery from 1990 to 2001 and Southgate Coins on South Virginia Street in Reno, Nevada, from 2001 through 2016. Goe’s first book, The Mint on Carson Street (2003), won book of the year awards from the Professional Numismatists Guild and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG). His second book, James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City (2007), won an NLG award and a Next Generation Indie Book award for biography. Goe’s three-volume book, The Confident Carson City Coin Collector (2020), won dual book of the year awards from the Professional Numismatists Guild and the Numismatic Literary Guild. This book set comprises 2,500 pages. Charles Morgan, former executive director of the NLG, declared that "The Confident Carson City Coin Collector is the most significant numismatic magnum opus published on the topic of American coinage since the 1987 publication of Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U.S and Colonial Coins" (May 19, 2021, Coin Week). In 2005 Goe founded the Carson City Coin Collectors of America. The club’s journal, Curry’s Chronicle, won numerous awards.
Hartley, Gemma
Gemma Hartley is a freelance journalist, writing coach, and author of Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward and the forthcoming No One Loves an Angry Woman. She has spoken on the topic of emotional labor around the world, from corporate conferences to festivals at the Sydney Opera House. Her writing has been featured in outlets including Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s Health, Glamour, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, and The Huffington Post.
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Hauserman, Tim
Tim Hauserman is a nearly life long resident of North Lake Tahoe. He is a freelance writer for a variety of local and national publications. His latest book is Going it Alone: Ramblings and Reflections from the Trail. He also wrote the official guidebook to the Tahoe Rim Trail, now on it’s fourth edition and Monsters in the Woods: Backpacking with Children. Of Going it Alone, Andie Keith of Word after Word books in Truckee said, "Wow! I loved this one! As a bookstore owner I read lots of books, but this one is a favorite of this year, and an all-time favorite in the genre! Going It Alone is a wonderful and humorous tale of Tim's solo hikes and the lessons he learned from his time on the trail both alone and with hiking companions. A mixture of Henry David Thoreau and Bill Bryson, this book made me laugh out loud and think harder about my relationship to nature.”
Hendrickson, Debra
Debra Hendrickson, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician in Reno, Nevada, the fastest-warming city in the United States. She is the author of The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Front Lines of Climate Change, published by Simon & Schuster in 2024. Dr. Hendrickson is a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, where she lectures on the impact of early childhood experiences (such as poverty and trauma) on long-term health. She has an honors degree in environmental studies from Brown University and was an environmental analyst and planner in New England and Seattle for ten years before attending medical school. Dr. Hendrickson has received many awards for academic achievement and research in both environmental studies and medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of its Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change, and a founding member of Nevada Clinicians for Climate Action. She has three grown children and one granddaughter.
Hertzler, Nikki
As a teacher for over two decades, Nikki Hertzler knew there were certain children who, if she could just take home, would survive and thrive, and her family could make a big difference in the child's life. When their last child graduated high school, she and her husband started fostering. In just these few short years, they have had over a dozen children in their home. They have also been involved in their church's foster ministry as well as speaking about experiences and the great need for foster families in the United States.
Hickey, Pat
Pat Hickey was born in Carson City and grew up in Lake Tahoe, the place his Irish ancestors traveled to in the 1870s. Pat has been a ski bum, a seeker, a reporter, a politician, a proud parent and grandparent, and the “Memo from the Middle” Sunday columnist for the Reno Gazette Journal. He received his Master Degree from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada. His lifelong interest in the topic of life after death is matched only by his fascination with the lives he and other Nevadans are currently leading. His new book is Here and Hereafter: Nevada Voices on Life and the Great Beyond.
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Jamnia, Naseem
Astounding Award-nominated and Judith A. Markowitz Award-winning author Naseem Jamnia (they/them) writes inclusive speculative fiction for kids, teens, and adults. Their adult fantasy novella The Bruising of Qilwa (Tachyon Publications), introducing their queernormative, Persian-inspired world, was a finalist for the Crawford, Locus, and World Fantasy awards. Kirkus Reviews called their story in the YA horror anthology The White Guy Dies First "artful" and "reminiscent of director David Cronenberg's work." Naseem is the managing editor and book designer for Sword & Kettle Press, a tiny publishing house of inclusive speculative writing. In addition to being the Nevada chapter lead of Authors Against Book Bans and a founding member of Freedom to Read Nevada, Naseem runs The Heretics' Workshop, a local writing group, with writer December Cuccaro out of The Radical Cat in Midtown. A Persian-Chicagoan and child of Iranian immigrants, Naseem lives in Sparks with their geologist husband and four furred creatures. Their next book, middle grade horror debut The Glade, releases Summer 2025 (Aladdin; SimonKIDS).
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Kathleen, Danielle
Danielle is no stranger to storytelling. Residing in Reno, Nevada, she loves a good series where characters unfold.
Her current works are in young adult fiction, but this tempting psychological thriller wouldn't leave her alone during the pandemic. She wrote it back in 2020 and then sat on the idea, waiting for it to emerge.
The release of Forever Faithful, the first book in the series, has been the highlight of Danielle's 2023 year! She continued the series with Forever Deceitful and a third book is in the future, Forever Sinful.
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Laverghetta, Angela
Angela Laverghetta is a Northern Nevada based fantasy author. She’s taken the saying “write what you know” to heart, and loves showing readers a different side of Nevada. Almost all her writings take place locally, including her debut modern fantasy novel The Buried Knight published in 2023, and its sequel set to release at the end of 2024. Other published works include a novella previously published by a small press and two short stories both for The ACES Anthology in 2023 and 2024. When not writing, you can find her handling her zoo of many pets, reading her youngest son’s fanfiction, or curing up in a blanket with a mug of tea and a stack of four or five books in easy reach.
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Marcinko, Monica
Monica Marcinko has been a resident of Carson City since 1997. Originally from New Jersey she now calls Nevada home. She is the author of two Christmas-themed children's books. Monica is a 2007 graduate of The Institute of Children's Literature. Monica looks for every opportunity to dress like an elf and spread her message that everyone can be what they want to be as long as they believe in themself!
Matucha, Jeffrey
Jeffrey Matucha is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area now living in Reno. He is a veteran of the punk/metal/new wave/oh-my-God-what-did-we-do-last-night club scenes of the San Francisco Bay Area in the Eighties and the early Nineties. Matucha writes literary fiction about wild and crazy punks doing crazy rock and roll things. (They said write what you know, so he did!) He is also a web applications engineer and a dedicated worker bee for The Reno Aces.
McMullen, Brad
Brad McMullen Lives in Reno, Nevada with his wife, two children, and his beloved pets. After graduating from the University of California Davis with a degree in Art Studio, Brad went on to work in the construction industry while continuing to hone his art in his spare time. Working on various art projects for friends and colleagues over the years including, a NASA Mars Rover Destiny 2 cloak project, a T-shirt design benefitting the Seattle Children's Hospital, and illustrated a bilingual kids book shared with children in Honduras. Brad's dedication to honing his craft continues to weave a narrative where each creation is a stitch in the unfolding tapestry of his artistic journey. An Old Shirt and a New Name is Brad's first self published children's book and is a heartwarming story about new beginnings, curiosity, mischief, and how lost things can be re-discovered in the most unexpected ways. The book is the first in Brad’s Stitched Tales series, which weaves together his love for art, anime, the community he lives in and the wild tales he would tell his children about their furry friends.
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Nelson, Kathy
A southerner by upbringing and a long-time former resident of New Jersey, Kathy Nelson has been a Nevadan since 2021. Kathy earned an MFA in poetry from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers in Swannanoa, North Carolina, where she studied with Marianne Boruch and Martha Rhodes. Throughout her careers in teaching, engineering, and chaplaincy, she has read, studied, and written poetry. Her poems appear in many respected journals, including Five Points, a Journal of Literature and Art, Jacar One, Pedestal Magazine, Southern Poetry Review, Tar River Poetry, New Ohio Review, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Verse Daily, and others. She was the 2019 recipient of the James Dickey Prize. Her full-length collection of poems, The Ledger of Mistakes, published in 2023 by Terrapin Books, received Honorable Mention for the Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize. Kathy is the recipient of a 2024 Nevada Arts Council Fellowship.
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Nielsen, Danny
Danny Nielsen spent his childhood exploring the woods of Alabama before moving to Utah in high school. Culture shock quickly wore off as he developed a love, perhaps an addiction, for sweeping desert vistas and mountain skylines. He has spent the last fifteen years traveling the American West for research and pleasure, studying and writing about its flora and fauna, including the human characters that make their home there. Danny lives in Reno and is a researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno. Straight Flossin’ and Other Stories of the American West is his first book.
Reddy, Nanda
Nanda Reddy is an Indo-Guyanese-American writer and former fourth-grade teacher. Born in Guyana, she emigrated with her family to Florida at age nine. In Miami, she grew up among 50 first cousins. She graduated from the University of Florida with her master’s degree in education, but she always secretly wrote. In her teaching days, she co-wrote 180 Days to Successful Writers, a day-to-day writing curriculum best suited for elementary classrooms. When she and her husband moved to Reno, she transitioned to full-time motherhood and part-time writing. She’s pleased to finally debut her novel, A Girl Within A Girl Within A Girl, which will be published on March 5, 2025 by Zibby Books.
Rettig, Bruce
Bruce Rettig is the author of literary short stories, creative non-fiction, and essays. His book, Refraction: An Arctic Memoir, recounts the experience of working as a merchant marine and laborer at a remote outpost in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, home to the largest oilfield in North America. Refraction provides intimate insights into the power of Big Oil, the shadow of the cold war of the ‘80s, the dangers of an industrial environment, living with fellow laborers in an isolated work camp, and threats posed by climate change. Refraction is a personal journey told in a series of reflections on a time spent living in a frozen wasteland. The book won numerous accolades including a Nautilus Gold Award, and an excerpt was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. At the Community of Writers workshop, it was described as a cross between Heart of Darkness and Into the Wild. Bruce is presently completing a novel that takes place during the 1950s atomic testing era in Nevada. He lives and writes in South Lake Tahoe, works full time at his marketing/graphic design agency, and serves as a travel writer/photographer for the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association.
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Rodriguez, Marie (pen name: Marie Navarro)
Marie was a contributing writer for the San Jose Mercury-News and was later a staff writer for El Observador. One moonlit night while driving through the woods, Marie was inspired to begin writing her first fantasy adventure novel, A Bridge in the Forest. Marie is currently working on a fantasy romance series. Julianne’s Wish, the first of the Magically Ever After series was released in 2019.
Born in the Pacific Northwest, Marie has lived in Mexico, Texas, and California. She and her husband have made Northern Nevada their home.
When not writing, Marie works her community, spoils her grandchildren, goes on long walks with her husband and their German Shepherd dog, practices yoga sporadically, plants fairy gardens, and sings along loudly and off-key to classic rock music when alone in her car.
Rose, Stephanie
Stephanie Rose is an award-winning indie/self-published author living on the west coast with her energetic tuxedo kitten, Crowley, and her incredible and supportive fiancé, Matt. She’s a multi-genre writer, but has found her preference in 18th century historical romance, Greek mythology mystery, steamy romance, and colorful LGBTQ+ fantasy. Aside from her self-published books, Stephanie is also a writer and creator for Wattpad. Stephanie has been active on that platform since 2014 and has been growing her audience ever since. In her books, you’ll find romantic tension, explicit language, ghosts, mentions—or visions—of the afterlife, gory scenes, glorious eighteenth-century dresses of vivid colors, mouth-watering descriptions of food, and strong female characters. She’s also a firm advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and has recently been writing more and more diverse characters that she hopes her readers can relate to. When she’s not writing—which is rare—she can be found reading (historical fiction, paranormal, epic fantasy, romance, some sci-fi), listening to music, playing video games, binge-watching TV shows, venturing to the many festivals in town, or going on spur-of-the-moment road trips. She day-dreams of the Eiffel Tower, her favorite place in the world, and overdoses on coffee while wishing to someday do nothing but write, write, write.
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Salita, Karen
Karen Salita is a former competitive snowboarder who reinvented herself as an industrial sales professional, enjoying over twenty years of success in the field. While exploring the early years of midlife, she became intrigued by the process of personal transformation and began her next reinvention as an author. Her book, 101 Soul Seeds for Reinventing Yourself, offers wisdom and inspiration for connecting with creativity and your heart’s desire, for overcoming limiting beliefs, and for developing a productive relationship with fear so you can reinvent yourself with optimism and excitement. Karen also writes about exploring one’s deep potential in her blog, Follow Your Wiggle, available on her website. Karen received a degree in Communication Studies from the University of Utah and now lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband.
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Sargent, Elaine
Elaine Starrett Sargent is a University of Nevada, Reno graduate with a B.A. in Journalism and Costume Design. She was an arts and culture reporter for the Nevada Sagebrush and also wrote a fashion column for Nevada Woman but her journalism career was unexpectedly derailed when she lucked into a dream job working backstage for the casino nightly revues costuming the showgirls. She currently lives in Reno, Nevada with her family. Rhinestone Confidential is her first book unless you count the one she wrote in crayon at age five with the help of her mom.
Sutherland, Ken
Ken Sutherland lives in Reno with his wife, Alene. They just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. He is a veteran of the US Army. In 1969, Ken began a 53-year career in radio as a DJ, newsman, program director, salesman, general manager, network executive, and owner of 10 radio stations in rural Nevada. He is the former general manager of Reno radio station KODS and a member of the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In 2022, he retired from broadcasting and concentrated on finishing the stories he’d secretly started over the years. In his debut novel, Balance: The 200-Year Journey of Andrew Crawford, a young man trips through time, reliving his own past lives. The Chuck Donnegan Mystery Series is well under way with Heartbreaker and The Hollywood Diamond Murders. He has published a few short stories, including Swoop!, which appeared in the Aces Anthology and went on to be a top-three finalist for the John Steinbeck Award for Fiction.
Turner, Jacci
Jacci lives with her husband in Nevada’s high desert. They spend their mornings hiking through the sagebrush with their dog, Rosie. Jacci loves chocolate, babies, and coffee with friends. She’s worn many hats in her life: therapist, school counselor, campus minister, and mom. Her favorite hats are her writer and grandmother hats, which come in wild colors and don’t fit too tightly. Jacci is the author of twelve books for middle grade and young adults and two for adults.
Williams, Suzanne Morgan
Suzanne Morgan Williams is author of thirteen published fiction and nonfiction books for children and young adults including her new novel, Sierra Blue. Her novel, Bull Rider, won a Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, was a Junior Library Guild Selection, represented Nevada at the National Book Festival, and was on several state library award lists. Suzanne is a Nevada Arts Council teaching artist and Regional Advisor Emerita of SCBWI, Nevada Region. From the time she wrote her first book, Made in China, Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China, to the present, her work has taken her into classrooms to connect with students, to universities and museums to work with experts, and to communities to share experiences. She is known for careful on site research which, for Bull Rider, included interviewing professional bull riders, ranchers, and care givers who work with severely wounded veterans. For Sierra Blue, she collaborated with veterinarians, race horse trainers, and equine therapy providers.
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Yvonne, Celeste
Celeste Yvonne is a writer and certified recovery coach (IAPRC) with over 20 years of experience as a communications professional in corporate America. Her essays on parenting, the mental load of motherhood, and sobriety resonate with mothers everywhere and have been featured in the Washington Post, Good Morning America, Today Show, and Refinery 29, among others. Her book It's Not About the Wine: The Loaded Truth Behind Mommy Wine Culture (Broadleaf | 2023) addresses why women are drinking more than ever and how to break free. She is also a contributing writer to the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller So God Made a Mother.
Almost seven years sober and a founding host of the Sober Mom Squad, Celeste advocates for mothers who struggle with addiction and mental health. She is a recipient of the Windfelt Inspire Award by the Dry Society Social Club, as well as 2x winner of Red Tricycle's Spoke Challenge for best writing. She lives in Reno with her husband and two children.
