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ENTERTAINMENT
Award-winning author Jeff Biggers signing books at Saturday's festival
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON — National award-winning author Jeff Biggers is just one of 70 authors who will be featured this Saturday at the Ohio River Festival of Books.
Taking place every two years, The Ohio River Festival of Books is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday when more than 70 authors, two dozen book vendors and a couple hundred volunteers turn the Big Sandy Superstore Arena Conference Center into the region’s largest one-day book store.
Free and open to the public, the fest is stacked and packed with best-selling authors, children’s events, author readings, book signings, informative programs and lots of great deals from the region’s book publishers.
The Ashland-based book press and the region’s largest Appalachian new and used book store will host Biggers at their booth during the Festival.
Most recently Biggers is the author of the critically acclaimed book, “The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America.”
Biggers has worked as a writer, educator, radio correspondent, and community organizer across the United States, Europe, India and Mexico. His award-winning stories have appeared on NPR, PRI, and in scores of travel, literary and music magazines, and national and foreign newspapers. He has been a commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and for Pacific News Service national syndication. He is the author of “In the Sierra Madre” and “The United States of Appalachia.”
Born in Ohio, raised in Illinois and Arizona, he earned a B.A. in History and English at Hunter College in New York City. He also studied at the University of California in Berkeley, Columbia University and the University of Arizona. He and his wife Carla, and their two boys, Diego and Massimo, presently divide their time between Illinois and Italy.
Other signing authors at the event include:
Jennifer Adkins is an instructor, an editor and book designer as well as a publisher. Adkins has a master's degree in English and also writes a humorous weekly column on parenting for The Herald-Dispatch. Her first book is entitled Adventures in Mommying: Raising Kids, Lowering Standards, and Laughing in the Face of Dirty Laundry published by her own Brown Penny Press.
Dr. John Becker is a former school teacher, college professor, and administrator at the Columbus Zoo. He also worked for many years as the Executive Director of the International Society for Endangered Cats. Becker has had 26 books published and numerous magazine articles. His latest book, Mugambi’s Journey, is a fictional picture book for young readers. His forthcoming book, Wild Cats Past & Present, will be released in the spring of 2008. Dr. Becker also teaches writing and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Laura Boggess is a psychologist from Hurricane, WV who grew up in rural West Virginia. She faced the all too common childhood problems of parental alcoholism and divorce and her experiences led her to help others heal through her stories. Boggess has written for The Charleston Gazette and Pray! Magazine, among others and has written Brody’s Story, the first book in The Wings of Klaio series.
Rebecca Brock is the librarian at Chapmanville Public Library and an author who has just completed her first collection of horror stories, Abominations, as well as her first romance novel, The Giving Season. Brock has also contributed to several horror anthologies including History is Dead (Permuted Press), Brainchild: A Book of Artifacts (Omnibucket), Cold Flesh (Hellbound Books), The Book of More Flesh (Eden Studios), Love, Damned Love and Decadence of the Dead (Shiny Hoo-Ha Publishing).
Tim Callahan began writing in June of 2005 at the age of 54 when a trip to the area in Kentucky where he was born brought back memories and an awakening in his creativeness. His first book in his Christian Fiction series: Kentucky Summers - The Cave, The Cabin & The Tattoo Man is the outcome of this trip. The second book in the series titled: Coty and the Wolfpack will be released this spring. Callahan decided to take a break from writing the series to write a romantic comedy titled Sleepy Valley. This book is scheduled to be released this summer.
Melinda Spiker Chambers grew up in the rural mountains of central West Virginia in Lewis County and is currently a family and consumer science teacher in Romney, WV. She also writes an award-winning column, Homespun, for the Hampshire Review. Chambers is the author of several children’s books including We are Whoooo We Are and The Day the Snapdragons Snapped Back.
Barbara Christian is a retired teacher and school counselor originally from Parkersburg, WV and now living in South Point, OH. Her book, Take My Hand Now, is half self-help and half family memoir as it deals with the difficult subject of adults caring for their aging parents. Her book has been used in support groups as a resource and teaches the reader how to be an advocate for their parents gleaned from her nine years of caring for her parents, one of whom had Alzheimer’s.
D. R. Cook, writing under the pen name of Daneagle, has released his first book, Two Five, a satirical and humorous view of the male dialogue and drama from 12 men in a five-week boot camp at a new “escape proof” federal prison. Cook’s next book, The Abel Implosion, is due for release in March.
Loretta Craig is the author of five novels. The Mystery of Emily Quillen, ILLUSIONS, Amber Ways, THE CONTROLLER and her latest release from Publish America, KILLER INSTINCTS, which is set to be a series of murder/suspense thrillers. She has published poetry in fifteen anthology books and won various honors and awards, having won the 2006 Poet Ambassador Award. Craig resides in Flatwoods, Kentucky and her passions are writing and her desire to see her novels come to life on the big screen.
F. Keith Davis is a long-time West Virginia newspaperman currently living in Chapmanville, WV. His most recent books include West Virginia Tough Boys and After All These Years: The Biography of the Hoppers. Davis is co-founder of Woodland Press, LLC, an organization that focuses on documenting Appalachian history, and has had articles published in many publications including West Virginia Magazine, Homecoming Magazine.
Adam M. Dean was born with cerebral palsy but this has not deterred his achievements. With the aid of a computer and other devices, Dean graduated from Marshall University in three years, completed a law degree from WVU in the top 10% of his class and works as a law clerk at the WV State Supreme Court. These three facets of Adam’s life—his disability, the state that he loves, and his experiences on the Internet—comprised the material for his book of short stories, Dawn, The Alpha Dog and Related Stories. Dean gave the main character his disability as well as his name and used local surroundings for his stories.
Jack Dickinson is a West Virginia native and is a 1966 graduate of Marshall University. Dickinson is currently employed by Marshall University as the bibliographer of the Rosanna Blake Confederate Collection. Dickinson is the 1999 recipient of the Jefferson Davis Historical Writing Award from the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the History Writer’s Award from the WV Department of Archives and History. He is the author of 10 books and numerous magazine articles on the Civil War, including articles published in the Encyclopedia of the Confederacy (Simon & Schuster) and the West Virginia Encyclopedia.
Jack DuArte lives in Central Kentucky and breeds thoroughbred horses when he is not writing. He has had a varied career in writing including a ten year stint as a columnist for the New Orleans Times-Picayune. DuArte, a decorated Vietnam veteran and military history enthusiast, has five previously published works before completing his first novel, The Resistance, an intelligence thriller set during WWII where the French Resistance attempt to protect some of their greatest treasures from the Germans with the help of an American Army Captain.
Sharon Evans-Rose is a native West Virginian who embraced the Arts at and early age and has professionally danced, was a costume designer, created a school of dance, and won several awards for her watercolor paintings. Now she has found the time to launch a new career in writing. Her first novel, Erased, is set in the mountains of North Carolina where the heroine embarks on an emotional journey as she tries to determine why someone is trying to kill her.
Tod Faller is a certified counselor and motivational speaker and is the author of several books on relationship building. His nationally-acclaimed series, “Teacher Down the Hall” includes his latest title, I’m Listening, which highlights that communication is measured not by how much you say, but how well you listen. Faller is a retired administrator from Mason Co. Schools and lives in Culloden, WV.
Danny Fulks, a professor emeritus from Marshall University, grew up on a farm in southern Ohio. His stories have appeared in numerous publications including The MacGriffin, Goldenseal and Now and Then. His first collection of stories, Tales Along the Appalachian Plateau, was followed by Tragedy on Greasy Ridge. His latest work, Tick Ridge Faces the South: True Stories, Memories, Rare Photos From Appalachia & the South (Mountain Press), is a collection of short stories and tales from Appalachia.
Brian J. Hatcher is a writer, poet and pro wrestling manager from Charleston, WV. His stories have appeared in several publications including one in the recently-released Legends of the Mountain State: Ghostly Tales from the State of West Virginia. He also has an online blog written over the past several years entitled The Arcane Tome.
Mark J. Hovee, a Paintsville, KY Psychologist and a Reserve psychologist, was deployed to Germany during the Second Iraqi War. During his stint, Dr. Hovee saw firsthand the toll of the war on our military. Upon his arrival back in the States, Dr. Hovee decided to record his feelings about his deployment. Those feelings have transformed into an insightful memoir entitled, Wayward Soldier: A Reserve Psychologist’s Memoir and Analysis During the Second American-Iraqi War. Dr. Hovee also volunteers for an international relief organization, Food for the Hungry.
Linda Jitmoud, writing under the pen name of Jamilah Kolocotronis, converted to Islam at the age of 23 and has written 5 novels dealing with Muslims living in America. A retired educator living in Lexington, KY, Jitmoud’s works including Echoes (Heliographica Press, 2005) and a young adult fiction work entitled Innocent People, that deals with the backlash directed toward a Muslim family after the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Angela Sue Johnson was born and raised in Point Pleasant, WV and has a degree in Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University. She was married to a midnight-shift coal miner for twenty years which gave her an insight into the background of the mining industry and was the impetus for her fiction book The Midnight Miners: A Mine Disaster at Hickory Hill Deep Mine #1. Johnson has also penned “A Coal Miner’s Prayer.”
John Kachuba is a writing instructor at Ohio University and his award-winning short fiction and articles have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and newspapers. He is the author of Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dowsers, Spirit Seekers and Other Investigators of America's Paranormal World (2007), Ghosthunting Illinois (2005), Ghosthunting Ohio (2004), How to Write Funny (2001), and Why Is This Job Killing Me? (1999).
Tracy Kincaid lives in the mountains of West Virginia. She holds a Bachelors Degree from Concord University with an emphasis on elementary education and has six years of home-schooling experience. The first title in a planned series, The Adventures of Casey the Lost Suitcase is a children’s book based on a true story of a suitcase that traveled more than it’s owner!
Michael Knost is an author, editor and publisher of horror and science fiction and resides in Logan, WV. Knost publishes Noctem Aeternus, a quarterly PDF magazine and also edited the recently-released Legends of the Mountain State: Ghostly Tales from the State of West Virginia, a collection of 13 stories with more than a hint of horror.
Lora Leigh is a prolific writer of over 50 sensuous romance novels who hails from Kentucky. Some of her many popular series include The Men of August, The Breeds, Tempting Seals, The Nauti’s and Bound Hearts. Her latest releases are Soul Deep (The Breeds series) and Nauti Nights (The Nauti’s series.) Soon to be released will be Dawn’s Awakening (The Breeds series) and Killer Secrets (Tempting Seals series.)
Tim McGhee lives in Charleston, WV. His first book, Wise Fools tells the story of Mason Bricker, a walk-on college football player in 1975 who’s West Virginia team is entwined in suspicion of racism. Bricker struggles to deal with the inequities on his team and seeks to right these wrongs. On top of that, he’s in love with a woman who just happens to be a member of the faculty. The sequel, Risk Return and the Indigo Autumn, finds Bricker as a thirty-something stockbroker ready to short the Dow Jones Industrial Average during the market’s heyday of 1987.
Lola Roush Miller is a retired librarian from Cabell County Public Library and an artist who developed an interest in preserving some of the local history of the Huntington. Her first book is Central City (Arcadia Publishing), a pictorial look into the history of a booming town that was almost lost after being annexed by Huntington and after the industries that created Central City all but disappeared.
Susan Nicholas, a local broadcast journalist, has written a book for children entitled Are You a Good Stranger? (AvantGarde Publishing). Nicholas’ desire for writing the book came from her experience covering news stories of child abductions. This book was written to help teach children how to identify some of the possible dangers they may face in everyday life.
Clyde Roy Pack is an associate editor at The Paintsville Herald, writes an award-winning humor column and was a school teacher for 33 years before retiring. He is the author of Muddy Branch: Memories of an Eastern Kentucky Coal Camp and Coal Camp Chronicles. His most recent book is entitled Deep Hearts & Gentle People: Rural Americans at Their Best.
F. T. Pandora is a healthcare attorney who began writing fictional accounts of young boys’ adventures for his five year old son’s bedtime entertainment. Ultimately, the bedtime stories led Pandora to study writing middle grade fiction at the Institute For Children’s Literature in West Redding, Connecticut. Revenge is the first book in a planned three-part series for middle grade children.
Claudia Pemberton is a lifelong Huntington resident who works for the Cabell County Public Schools System. She is a member of the American Authors of America, Military Writers Society of America and Romance Writers of America. Love Leaves No One Behind is Claudia’s debut novel. While researching and writing this romantic thriller, which tells the story of a U.S. Army Ranger and a grieving woman, the author began to embrace the essence of patriotism, gaining a deep and abiding understanding of the extreme and selfless sacrifice made by American soldiers every day. Pemberton is currently working on a sequel to their story.
Rick Robinson has thirty years experience in politics and law, including a stint on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director/Chief Counsel to then-Congressman Jim Bunning (R-KY). He also ran for the United States Congress in 1998. A graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Robinson currently practices law in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Robinson’s debut book, The Maximum Contribution, is a thriller about the political wheeling and dealing on Capitol Hill.
Carter Taylor Seaton is a Huntington artist and author who is currently the marketing director for Goodwill of KYOWVA visited with us to talk about her writing and her other passions. Her first novel, Father’s Troubles, was published in October 2003, and named as a finalist in the historical fiction category in ForeWord Magazine’s 2003 Book-of-the-Year awards. She is currently working on a non-fiction book, entitled Cash Crop, about the impact of the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 70s on the cultural climate of West Virginia.
Kimberly S. Seigh hails from Pennsylvania and has been a Peace Corps volunteer, a social worker for the developmentally disabled, and a teacher. Her first release, Prospect Hill, takes place after the Johnstown, PA flood of 1889 and follows the main character, Crystal, as she struggles to keep her family together and deals with the challenges to become an independent woman of the 1920’s.
Laurie Sorensen, the pseudonym of Laura M. McComas, lives in Branchland, WV. Ravenwood: Night’s Salvation, released by Light Sword Publishing, is a historical romance where the main character, Night Ravenwood leaves the sea and returns home to an arranged marriage. The last thing he expected was for a woman to risk murder to have him for herself. This book is the winner of the 2007 InnermoonLit Award for Best First Chapter of a Novel.
Del Staecker left a thirty-year career with a head crammed full of story ideas to sit in an isolated two-room cabin in Idaho to pen his first book, The Muted Mermaid, by hand. Immediately after finishing his first work, he began the sequel, Shaved Ice. His third work, The Lady Gangster, will also be released in 2008. Staecker currently lives and writes in his Pennsylvania home – far away from the Idaho cabin.
Don Stansberry is a native West Virginian and an elementary school teacher. He has been in the public school system since 1984 and always had an interest in writing. He was the head coach for the Parkersburg High Girls’ Basketball team for 16 years and retired from this position with four state championships. Inky and the Missing Gold tells of the 12-inch high magical Inky who is summoned by the king to find the missing gold. Inky, Olgebee, and the Witches is planned for release later this year.
Jim Strawn is a native West Virginian and has been Marketing and Communications Director at Highland Hospital in Charleston, WV since 1996. Strawn is a member of and/or serves on boards of 15 non-profit community organizations in the Kanawha Valley and in West Virginia. He is co-author of The Sad, Mad, Glad Book: The Anatomy of Your Attitude, a book for young people that help them understand their feelings and have a positive attitude.
Chuck Stump is an energetic motivational speaker who has given over 700 seminars on leadership, personal confidence and leadership to some of the largest companies and organizations in the region. Stump is co-author of The Sad, Mad, Glad Book: The Anatomy of Your Attitude, a book for young people that help them understand their feelings and have a positive attitude.
Susan Sturgill has been drawing all her life. With training from the Rhode Island School of Design, the Cleveland Institute and the Columbus College of Art and Design, Sturgill began as a freelance illustrator whose work has appeared in many venues. In addition to two earlier books, Sturgill started The Laughing Academy Press and has released A History of the Universe (vol 1 & 2) and Lunch at the Calories-Don’t Count Café. She has also recently released I’m Just a Cat Mattress through Crescent Hill Books.
Doug Thompson is a graduate of Morehead State University and is former teacher in KY, OH and WV as well as an avid local history buff. Bits and Pieces of the Past Along the Ohio, filled with fascinating tales and trivia from the tri-state area, was published in 1981 and is out-of-print. So many people enjoyed the book so much and wanted to read more that Thompson researched and wrote the sequel Sons of Bits and Pieces of the Past Along the Ohio in 2006.
Shiloh Walker is an author from the Midwest of traditional and erotic romance novels and is also writing urban fantasy, science fiction and paranormal romance. Her latest releases are Love, Lies and Murder, Always Yours, Beautiful Girl, Hearts and Wishes and Hunter’s Salvation from the award-winning Hunters series. Her forthcoming book, Through the Veil (also from the Hunters series) is scheduled for release in June 2008.
Bob Withers is a retired reporter and copy editor for the Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia, a bi-vocational Baptist pastor and an avid railroading enthusiast. He and his wife, Sue Ann, have three daughters and three grandchildren. He is the author of two previous books: The President Travels by Train (TLC Publishing, 1996 and 2004) and Trackside around West Virginia, 1963–1968 (Morning Sun Books, 2006)—and several magazine articles on railroading. His latest book is The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in West Virginia (Acadia).
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