Local author showcase in Hoodsport

About 20 authors will read from their works and autograph copies of their books from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Germain Church, 600 N. Lake Cushman Road, Hoodsport.

Rebecca Holbrook is a singer/songwriter, author and poet whose first novel, "Omie's Well," won the Nancy Pearl Award for Literary Fiction in 2024. She moved from Tennessee to the Pacific Northwest with her husband Gary and their dog Liza Jane in 2017. Her second novel "The Deer Stone," a sequel to "Omie's Well," will be released in the fall. Now living at Lake Cushman since 2020, Holbrook spends her time writing, playing music at local venues and teaching women carpentry.

Susan Glenn Lampe is the author of "Parsing the Dragon: A Memoir," "The Butterfly ChaSu" and "Tiny Shooting Stars." She is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked for 20 years as a newspaper reporter, book and magazine editor, and in public relations and fundraising. She earned a master's degree in creative writing from State University of New York Brockport. "Parsing the Dragon: A Memoir" was a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers' Contest in 2009.

S. Cathryn Zeleny is a speaker, workshop facilitator, author and artist. For 35 years, she has provided creative development guidance for artists and quilters and conducted seminars on communication and self-fulfillment for organizations, schools and community forums. She earned an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in art and a master's degree in psychology specializing in life design and alternative methods for career planning. Zeleny is the author of two books: "151 Gentle Nudges to Help Revive Your Life's Dreams" and "Thinking with a Bigger Box: A Personal Growth Workshop."

Carolyn Maddux is a retired newspaper reporter and editor who lives in Shelton and has taught creative writing at Olympic College Shelton for three decades. She earned a bachelor's degree in writing and a master's degree in poetry and the environment. Her books include two volumes of poetry, two about local history and one murder mystery. She tends camas and redwoods on her Cloquallum Creek property; volunteers with Hypatia-in-the-Woods, a nonprofit that offers residencies for woman in the arts and academia; and serves on the WRIA 14 committee for salmon restoration.

Jacob Zappey is a local author and YouTube creator who uncovers captivating tales about the Pacific Northwest.

Jeffery Greb moved from the high desert of northern Nevada to the Olympic peninsula in 2017. He writes poetry, fiction and essays, and writes and performs music. He also spends a lot of time looking at the bark of trees.

Union resident Cathy Warner is the author of three volumes of poetry and the editor of three poetry anthologies that include her photography. She writes about and photographs landscapes and the night sky from her perch along the shores of Annas Bay on the Hood Canal.

Paul Sating is a fantasy author and podcaster who spends most of his time traveling the Pacific Northwest in search of elusive monsters everyone claims aren't real. He began adapting many of those scripts to novels and published his first three books in 2018. He is now working on his first love, darker fantasy.

Dawn Smart is the author of four novels, with a fifth soon to be published. Her short essays and poems are also featured in anthologies published by the Shelton Timberland Library and her writers' group, Hood Canal Writers.

Mindy Hardwick enjoys writing small-town romance and children's books that celebrate art and community in the Pacific Northwest. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. Her books for teens include "The World is a Sniff," "Stained Glass Summer," "Some Stories are Not Seen" and "Seymour's Secret." Hardwick facilitated a poetry workshop for teens at Denney Juvenile Justice Center and wrote about the experience in her memoir, "Kids in Orange: Voices from Juvenile Detention." She writes a small-town contemporary romance series based on the north Oregon coast.

Melissa Anne Peterson earned a dual BA/BS degree in creative writing and conservation biology from The Evergreen State College and a MS degree in environmental writing from the University of Montana. She has worked in endangered species recovery and environmental data management for 20 years. Peterson's writing has been published by Counterpoint Press, Seal Press, Camas magazine, Flyway and Oregon Quarterly. Her first novel was a Washington State Book Awards finalist, a National Indie Excellence Finalist for Regional Fiction and was ranked No. four of the Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Books of 2012.

Sterling Warner is an award-winning author and educator whose works have been featured in magazines, journals and anthologies that include Anti-heroin Chic, Gleam and Synchronized Chaos. His 11 collections of poetry and fiction include "Serpent's Tooth," "Flytraps," "Cracks of Light," "Halcyon Days," "Abraxas" and "Masques: Flash Fiction & Short Stories." Warner hosts the monthly Union of Poets "virtual" open mic in Union.

Raine Reiter is a paranormal suspense author whose novels include "Takakush - Genus Magica Book One" and "Genus Magica Book Two." She is a member of Sister's in Crime, the Alliance of Independent Authors, Pacific Northwest Writers' Association and her neighborhood critique group. She teaches at a local community college.

Allan Mullen writes children's books that aim to inspire and entertain young readers while reflecting constructive messages about the kindness of children, fostering friendships, the importance of family, inclusiveness, making appropriate choices, accepting support structures and building a positive self-image. His stories are inspired by a law enforcement career where he was a pioneer in the development of a modern school resource program. His characters include Tipsy the Duckling, Happy Balloon and Tally the Lovable Rescued Dog.

Heddy Simmons is happiest in her little green shed writing cozy mysteries and researching all things cultural, including paranormal anthropology. Her background includes newspaper reporting, teaching college and tending garden.

IF YOU GO

WHO: About 20 local authors

WHAT: Readings and book signings

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: St. Germain Church, 600 N. Lake Cushman Road, Hoodsport

ADMISSION: Free