Join us online for the second annual Author Fair with RHPL and Rochester Writers. Nearly thirty local authors will be featured in recorded interviews that will debut on RHPL's YouTube channel on Small Business Saturday, November 28 and Sunday, November 29.
Beginning Monday, November 30, the library will release each interview independently on its social media channels, including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The interviews will feature a Q/A with the selected authors, as well as links to their social media channels and websites. Authors may read from their books or offer a creative interpretation of their published materials. (Each YouTube link will be updated as the videos are released.)
These authors cover a variety of genres and are both traditionally and self-published. Visit: the 2020 Author Fair on YouTube.
We hope you enjoy listening to these wonderful local writers and learning more about them and their work.
Sue Agauas
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy, Children's (Middle School)
Title(s): Grandma's Sock Drawer
Published: Self
Website: sueaguas.com
Sue Agauas is passionate about the power of love and family. She loves how books can transport a reader to places near or far, real or imaginary. For thirty-nine years, Sue enjoyed teaching elementary children. Having a strong love for learning and discovery, she endeavors to share these passions with children of all ages through her books.
Erik Bean
Genre: Self-Help
Title(s): Ethan’s Healthy Mind Express: A Children’s First Mental Health Primer
Published: Traditional & Self
Website: ethanbean.org/new-childrens-book-1
Erik s an engagement expert and a recognized thought leader in strategic communication. He holds a doctorate in education with sanctioned research interests in cultural competence, immediacy, leadership, meditation, and mental health. He has written several peer reviewed published books in curriculum development and is the co-author of the new self-decision making book series 20/20 Prudent Leadership.
Danielle Bernock
Genre:Self-help
Title(s):Emerging With Wings, A Bird Named Payn
Published:Self
Website: daniellebernock.com
Danielle Bernock is an international, best-selling, award-winning independent author, speaker, and coach who helps people embrace their value, heal their soul, and reclaim their life through the power of the love of God. In addition to her books, she’s written for numerous online publications and her stories have been published in two book anthologies.
Bob Campbell
Genre: Literary Fiction
Title(s): Motown Man
Published: Traditional
Website: bobcampbellwrites.com
Bob Campbell is a writer based in Flint, MI. His creative nonfiction and essays have appeared in Belt Magazine, Forge Literary Magazine and Gravel Magazine. He is a contributor to Belt Publishing’s Midwest Architecture Journeys. Bob was a staff writer for the Flint Journal, Lexington Herald-Leader and Detroit Free Press.
Peggy Christie
Genre: Horror
Title(s): Dark Doorways
Published: Self & Traditional
Website: themonkeyisin.com
Peggy Christie's work has appeared in dozens of websites, magazines, and anthologies, including "13 Little Hells" and "Fearotica: An Anthology of Erotic Horror." She is a founding member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers.
Michael Cieslak
Genre: Horror & Mystery
Title(s): Decay
Published: Traditional
Website: thedragonsroost.net.
Michael Cieslak has served as an officer in the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers and is the editor of the Erie Tales anthologies. His work has appeared in a number of collections including DOA: Extreme Horror and and the collaborative steampunk novel Army of Brass. Urbane He is the Editor-in-Chief of Dragon’s Roost Press.
Angelique Clemens
Genre: Romance
Title(s): Can I Borrow Your Skin and The Guide to the Mirror
Published: Self
Website: angeliqueclemens.com
Angelique is an author and speaker from Detroit, MI. She writes biographical fiction around the subjects of loss, #blackgirlmagic, alternative lifestyles, and learning to develop one’s self in a less than supportive world. Her books, generally, address these topics through the lens of the black experience.
Jon David
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Title(s): The Savage Peak, the Morgalla Chronicles
Published: Traditional
Website: facebook.com/Morgalla
Born and raised in Southeast Michigan, Jon David was a nerd long before it was ever popular. He hoped to be a comic writer/illustrator when he created Morgalla in college. Since then, between working various jobs, he's honed his craft and turned his misunderstood demon heroine into a four-part epic series.
Kelly Fordon
Genre: Short Story/Poetry
Title(s): Traditional & Self
Published: Garden for the Blind, Goodbye Toothless House
Website: kellyfordon.com
Kelly Fordon’s work has appeared in The Florida Review, The Kenyon Review (KRO), and River Teeth. Her novel-in-stories, Garden for the Blind, was chosen as a Michigan Notable Book, among other awards. Her first full-length poetry collection, Goodbye Toothless House, was published in February 2019. She teaches at Springfed Arts in Detroit.
Joy Gruits
Genre: Other Nonfiction
Title(s): Embrace His Call: Be More Than A Believer
Published: Self
Website: embracehiscall.com
Joy Hughes Gruits is a Christian speaker and author. A career in education equipped her to present God’s Word with clarity and insight. She speaks at Christian seminars, retreats, and conferences. Joy holds a master’s degree in education from Oakland University.
Kat Harrison
Genre: Picture Book (Elementary School)
Title(s): Surgery on Sunday
Published: Traditional
Website: katwritesforyou.com
Kat Harrison is a writer, editor, and chronic illness advocate from Milford, MI. Her writing has been featured in various print and online outlets such as Real Simple, New York Family, and Yahoo. She lives with a not-so-fun buffet of chronic health conditions and has recovered from fourteen surgeries, but keeps her sense of humor thanks to an incalculable amount of coffee and brightly colored headbands.
Brenda Hasse
Genre: Romance, YA, Children's, Fiction, Adventure/Fantasy
Title(s): On The Third Day: An Afterlife Journey, A Unicorn for My Birthday
Published: Self
Website: BrendaHasseBooks.com
Brenda Hasse is an award-winning author and freelance writer. She volunteers her time researching the history of her hometown and writing scripts for the Fenton Village Players to perform during the Fenton Ghost Walk and Fenton Historical Cemetery Walk. She is a guest teacher at Fenton High School and resides in Fenton, MI.
John Herbstreith
Genre: Other Nonfiction
Title(s): Socialism: A Lie Full of Hope
Published: Self
Website: johnherbstreith.com
John grew up in Hastings, MI. He enlisted in the US Air Force and studied Electrical Sciences from the UMUC and the CCAF. After an honorable discharge, he began working as a Metrological Field Service and Applications Engineer. Additionally, during this time he also earned a BBA and MBA from SHU and SAU, respectively.
R.L. Herron
Genre: Horror
Title(s): Reichood Street, One Way Street, Street Light, Dead End Street
Published: Self
Website: ronaldherron.com
R.L. Herron is an award-winning independent Michigan author who lives and writes in Lake Orion.
Samantha Heuwagen
Genre: Science Fiction
Title(s): Dawn Among the Stars, Fading Starlight, Stardust Emerging
Published: Traditional & Self
Website: SamanthaHeuwagen.com
Samantha Heuwagen is a Latinx marriage and family therapist and best-selling author in the Metro Atlanta area, formerly a member of the Metro Detroit community. When not working with clients, she sparks discussion about mental health with the goal to spread awareness by challenging the popular discourse surrounding mental illness and making it more inclusive.
Sylvia Hubbard
Genre: Romance, Mystery, Crime, Self-Help
Title(s): Black's Innocence, Beautiful, Tanner's Devil
Published: Self
Website: SylviaHubbard.com
Detroit Author & Founder of Motown Writers, Sylvia Hubbard has independently published over fifty romance suspense books. As an avid blogger, podcaster, social media manager and digital strategist, Sylvia has received numerous awards and literary recognition for her work, plus has had seven #1 Bestsellers.
A. Kidd
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy, Children's
Title(s): The Healing Star
Published: Self
Website: facebook.com/A.Kiddwrites
A. Kidd started making up her own stories at age four. Her first story was called "Wagland" and featured an island community with sea creatures that ate tuna fish sandwiches. She has a B.S. in Written Communication from Eastern Michigan University and an MLIS with a specialization in children's librarianship from Wayne State University.
Lucy Layne
Genre: Memoir
Title(s): Dead Mom Disease
Published: Self
Website: iamlucylayne.com
Lucy is a lover of vacation, New York, R.E.M., bananas, and banana-flavored things, a cool breeze, Christmas lights (any time of year), the water, the land, and the sky. But mostly, she's a lover of words and the amazing things you can do with them.
Suzanne Lipshaw
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Books, Children's
Title(s): I Campaigned for Ice Cream: A Boy's Quest for Ice Cream Trucks
Published: Traditional
Website: suzannejacobslipshaw.com
Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw is an elementary special education teacher who is passionate about growing young minds through her teaching and writing. Her first picture book was awarded Literary Classics 2019 Gold Awards in the Educational and Inspirational picture book categories. Her second nonfiction picture book, Mighty Mahi, launches September 2022.
Robert Lytle
Genre: Historical Fiction, Children's, Picture Book, YA, Poetry.
Title(s): Mackinac Passage, 3 Rivers Crossing, A Pitch In Time, Our Cherry Tree
Published: Traditional & Self
Website: robertalytle.weebly.com
Robert Lytle owned and operated Rochester's Lytle Pharmacy from 1976 until his retirement in 2018. From 1995 Bob published ten young adult stories, mostly Michigan-based adventures. He self-published three others. Mr. Blair’s Labyrinth, published in 2011, tells of two of his grandson’s unexpected trip to the Great Depression where they travelled with hoboes throughout Michigan. It’s sequel, Grampa’s Labyrinth: Journey to Devil’s Kitchen, is a time-travel adventure to Mackinac Island in 1823.
Dorene O'Brien
Genre: Literary
Title(s): What It Might Feel Like to Hope
Published: Traditional
Website: doreneobrien.com
Dorene O'Brien is a writer and teacher whose stories have won the Red Rock Review Mark Twain Award for Short Fiction, the Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Award, the NMW Fiction Prize, and the international Bridport Prize. She's an NEA, a Vermont Studio Center and a Hemingway-Pfeiffer creative writing fellow. She is currently writing a literary/Sci-Fi hybrid novel.
Eileen Patra
Genre: Self-Help, Adventure/Fantasy
Title(s): The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings
Published: Self
Website: eileenpatra.com
Eileen Patra, is an award-winning author, ordained Unity Minister, Licensed Unity Teacher, Certified Spiritual Educator, and life-long student of spiritual studies. Prior to her call to ministry, Eileen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. As an author, she strives to paint an image of innate wholeness and unlimited potential in her reader’s mind.
Annemarie Schiavi Pedersen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Title(s): Celestina's Burnings
Published: Traditional
Website:
annemarieschiavipedersen.com
Annemarie Schiavi Pedersen's stories are a rare chance for readers to visit the Italian Renaissance, a time of artistic enlightenment and medieval darkness. Those passions create a dangerous mix for her sensual and sometimes scandalous characters. Annemarie lives in Farmington, MI. She studied journalism and history at The University of Michigan and is an award-winning author, journalist, and editor.
D.A. Reed
Genre: YA
Title(s): Daisies in the Rain, Dancing with Shadows, The Rejects of Room 5
Published: Self
Website: dareedauthor.com
D.A. Reed's stories have garnered the attention of readers and fellow authors alike. Since 2016, author Johnathan Rand has invited her to be a writing instructor at his Author Quest writing camp for young writers. Deborah’s international travels include leading creative writing workshops to children—most notably at the Sharjah International Book Fair in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Carolyn Striho
Genre: Other Nonfiction
Title(s): Detroit (Maiden Energy)
Published: Traditional & Self
Website: carolynstriho.com
Carolyn Striho is a Detroit writer/singer/musician who has eleven Detroit Music Awards. Her evocative book, Detroit (Maiden Energy), reaches into some of her poetry of a Detroit music lifetime. The book was on Amazon's best new sellers in October 2019. Carolyn has performed with Patti Smith, Yoko Ono, and Grace Jones.
Tom Ulicny
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Historical Fiction
Title(s): The Lost Revolution, The Caruso Collection, Dr. Thornhill's Last Patient
Published: Self
Website: tomulicny.com
Tom is a Michigan native, army vet, father, grandfather, retired engineer, and author of four full-length novels. He lives in Rochester Hills, loves woodworking, plays guitar, likes to travel, and loves meeting and talking with anyone who loves books. He attends and participates in book events whenever he can. He expects to introduce his fifth book, an archaeological thriller, in early 2021.
Sabrina Wagner
Genre: Romance
Title(s): The Hearts Series, Forever Inked, Shattered Hearts
Published: Self
Website: sabrinawagnerauthor.com
Sabrina Wagner lives in Sterling Heights, MI, and writes sweet, sassy, sexy romance novels featuring alpha males and the strong women who challenge them. She is a hopeless romantic and knows all too well that life is full of twists and turns, but the bumpy road is what leads to our true destination.
Suse Wilcox
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Children's (Middle School)
Title(s): My Journey To Crazyland, Jennifer Doesn't Like Halloween, Shrive
Published: Self
Website: susewilcox.com
Suse Wilcox works as a substitute teacher for middle grade and high school students. She grew up in Michigan and currently resides near Rochester.
Joan Wilson
Genre: Picture Books (Elementary School)
Title(s): Kessy Ventures, Snowy Lodin, The Blue Footies, Stay Warm Tonight
Published: Self
Website: joandeewilson.com
Writing and illustrating children’s books is a natural fit for Joan Dee Wilson. After retiring from her career as commercial artist in Detroit, she now draws from her growing fascination with birds. Her book, The Blue Footies, garner endorsements by International Conservation groups. Joan was awarded First Place by Purple Dragonfly, a Story Monster’s Ink award, 2018.