Join us on Oct. 18, 2008 for the Gwinnett Reading Festival, featuring authors and fun events for all ages! Below are a few of the highlights from the 2007 festival. Look for 2008 festival information, coming soon.
Ann B. Ross
Ann B. Ross is the author of the highly popular Miss Julia series, including Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind,
Miss Julia's School of Beauty, and Miss Julia Strikes Back. She holds a doctorate in English from
the University of Chapel Hill, and has taught literature at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.
Bill Osinski
Osinski is a former reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the author of Ungodly: A True Story of
Unprecedented Evil, an expose.
Brandon Massey
Brandon Massey is the award-winning author of several thrillers, including Thunderland, Dark Corner, Within
the Shadows, Vicious, and his latest The Other Brother. He also served as editor of the acclaimed Dark
Dreams series of horror and suspense anthologies. A native of Illinois, he currently lives near Atlanta with
his wife and two dogs.
Brian Corrigan
Corrigan is an actor, writer, and professor of Renaissance literature at North Georgia College. He
is the editor of the Harry Potter Encyclopedia and is a contributor to a DVD that illustrates how to play
Quidditch. His first novel, The Poet of Loch Ness, was published in 2005.
Carmen Deedy
Deedy is a popular children's writer and storyteller. Her works include The Library Dragon; Martina, the Beautiful
Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale; Agatha's Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story; and The Yellow Star
Creston Mapes
Mapes is a Lawrenceville resident who writes edgy Christian suspense novels, including Dark Star: Confession of a
Rock Idol and Full Tilt. His latest novel, Nobody, takes place in Las Vegas.
David Fulmer
Fulmer is a stylish mystery prose specialist and author of Rampart Street and the Shamus Award-winning
Chasing the Devil's Tail.
Diane C. Thomas
Diane C. Thomas has worked as entertainment editor for The Atlanta Constitution, a features writer for Atlanta
magazine, and a freelance writer and editor. Her novel, The Year the Music Changed, about a disfigured young
girl's deep attachment to Elvis in the 1950s, received rave reviews and was a Book Sense "Notable Book" for
September 2005.
Electa Rome Parks
Parks, one of the rising stars in contemporary fiction, is the author of the best-selling novels The Ties That Bind,
Loose Ends and Almost Doesn't Count, which was chosen as a Main Selection for Black Expressions Book Club.
Fran Stewart
Fran Stewart is a freelance editor during the day and a mystery writer at night. Her Biscuit McKee mystery series, set in
a small Georgia town, features a middle-aged librarian and Marmalade, the orange and white library cat. Her books include
Yellow as Legal Pads, Orange as Marmalade, and Green as a Garden Hose.
Jack McDevitt
Jack McDevitt is one of the most widely read science fiction/fantasy writers around. He is the author of Polaris,
Cauldron, and the acclaimed Seeker, which was awarded a Nebula Prize as the best science fiction novel
of 2006.
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper is the author of The Bookbinder, a collection of stories about life in the South. A respected
critic and columnist, he is also the host of "Fridays with Jackie" on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Jaclyn Weldon White
White is the author of numerous books, including biographies and true crime. Her novel Mockingbird in the Moonlight
is a mystery about murder and mayhem among the Friends of the Library (not Gwinnett!). White is a former detective with
the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Jacquie D'Alessandro
USA Today bestselling author Jacquie D'Alessandro writes both Regency era historical
romances and contemporary romantic comedies. Her 26 novels and novellas include Kiss The Cook, Love and the Single Heiress,
and the recently published Sleepless at Midnight. A regular speaker at Romance Writers of America, she has won
numerous romance industry awards. Her books have appeared on the USA Today list, Waldenbooks, and Barnes and Noble
Bestseller lists.
Jennifer Patrick
Jennifer Patrick earned an MA in Creative Writing and an MEd in
Counseling and Human Development from the University of Georgia, where she currently works as an academic advisor
and creative writing instructor. Along with her novel The Night She Died, she has published articles in
Athens magazine and the Athens Banner Herald.
Jim Daher
An Atlanta native, Daher is the author of the thriller Righteous Kill and its follow up, The Blood-Stained
Bride.
Jim Miles
Miles is the author of Weird Georgia: Your Travel Guide to Georgia's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets.. He is also the
author of several works on Southern and Civil War history.
Joshilyn Jackson
Joshilyn Jackson's short fiction has been published in literary magazines and anthologies, including TriQuarterly and
Calyx, and her plays have been produced in Atlanta and Chicago. Her bestselling debut novel, Gods in Alabama
won the Southeastern Independent Booksellers' Alliance (SIBA) 2005 Novel of the Year Award, and her second novel, Between, Georgia, was a #1 BookSense pick in 2006.
Judson Mitcham
Mitcham's poetry collection, Somewhere in Ecclesiastes, earned both the Devin Award and recognition as Georgia Author
of the Year. His first novel, The Sweet Everlasing, won the Townsend Prize for Fiction and recognition as Georgia
Author of the Year for a second time. Sabbath Creek, his second novel, also won the Townsend Prize, making Mitcham
the first writer to receive the award twice.
Julie L. Cannon
Julie L. Cannon is a true native Georgian, tracing her ancestry back to the Cherokee Indians. She lives with her husband and
three children in Watkinsville, Georgia, and writes what book reviewers call "Southern fried soul food." She is the author of
the Homegrown series: Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes, 'Mater Biscuit, and Those Pearly Gates. Her
fourth novel, The Romance Reader's Book Club, will be on sale December 18, 2007.
Karen White
White is the author of Learning to Breathe, Pieces of the Heart, and The Color of Light. Six of her books
have received awards from various national Romance writers' groups.
Laura Knorr
Georgia artist Laura Knorr has illustrated five chidlren's books, including A Isn't for Fox: An Isn't Alphabet (coming
Fall 2007 from Sleeping Bear Press), The Legend of Papa Noel: a Cajun Christmas Story, and P is for Pelican: A
Louisiana Alphabet.
Lisa Earle McLeod
Lisa Earle McLeod is a syndicated newspaper columnist and author of Forget Perfect and Finding Grace When
You Can't Even Find Clean Underwear, a welcome bit of humor and relief to parents everywhere. She is a life coach and
motivational speaker, who has appeared on Good Morning America, Lifetime, and Good Day Atlanta. A modern-day Erma
Bombeck, McLeod is a real crowd pleaser.
Mark Braught
Braught has illustrated numerous children's books, including A Peck of Peaches: A Georgia Number Book(due in fall 2007 from
Sleeping Bear Press), T is for Touchdown:A football Alphabet, J is for Jumpshot: A Basketball Alphabet, Cosmo's Moon,
and P is the Peach: A Georgia Alphabet. Braught also created some of the early harry Potter artwork for Warner Brothers
Pictures.
Mark Childress
Mark Childress is the author of six novels, including Tender, Crazy in Alabama, and Gone for Good.
Crazy in Alabama, a featured selection of the LIterary Guild and a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year,"
was made into a feature film starring Melanie Griffith and directed by Antonio Banderas. Childress wrote the screenplay.
His most recent novel, One Mississippi, was published in July, 2006 by Little, Brown, and Co.
Patricia Sprinkle
Patricia Sprinkle lived in Gwinnett County when her first mystery, Murder at Markham, was released in 1988.
Since then, she has authored 25 books, including the new Family Tree mystery series, the bestselling Thoroughly
Southern mystery series, and the Sheila Travis mystery series, featuring titles such as Somebody's Dead in Snellville.
Ms. Sprinkle currently lives with her husband in Smyrna.
Philip Lee Williams
Philip Lee Williams is the author of 12 published books: nine novels and two works of non-fiction, including A Distant
Flame and All the Western Stars. He is also the author of a collection of poetry, Night Wings. His book
A Distant Flame, won the 2005 Michael Shaara Award for Civil War Fiction. In
addition, Williams is an essayist and composer and a member of the graduate faculty at the University of Georgia.
Renee Dodd
A Milledgeville, Georgia resident, Dodd is the author of the highly-praised novel A Cabinet of Wonders, which
Kirkus Reviews included in its Best Books of '06. Dodd teaches creative writing in person at Georgia College & State
University, and online with the Gotham Writers' Workshop.
River Jordan
A storyteller of the Southern variety, Ms. Jordan teaches and speaks on the "power of story" around the country and is
the author of several plays. Her first novel, The Messenger of Magnolia Street, was published in 2006.
Sara Hines Martin
Martin has been writing professionally for 50 years and is the author of More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Georgia Women
and Walking Atlanta. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor, working in Kennasaw, Georgia.
Stephanie Bond
Bond is the author of such smart novels as Heat Wave, Body Movers, and 2 Bodies for the Price of 1. Bond is a
favorite among contemporary romantic fiction lovers.
Steve Goodson
Goodson is the author of Highbrows, Hillbillies, and Hellfire, a look at public entertainment in Atlanta from 1880-1930.
The book was awarded a 2003 Publication and services Award by the Georgia Historical Society. Goodson is a professor of history
at the State University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia.
Susan Polonus Mucha
Mucha is the author of the fast paced thriller Deadly Deception, which takes place at the Masters Championship in Augusta.
She teaches English Composition at Augusta State.
Terry Kay
Georgia Writers Hall of Fame inductee Terry Kay is one of the most well known and widely read of Georgia’s
contemporary writers. He has published a dozen books, including his highly acclaimed classic To Dance with the White Dog, which
was turned into a full-length motion picture starring the late Jessica Tandy. His new novel, The Book of Marie was released
during the fall of 2007.
Tim Darnell
Darnell is the author of several books on Georgia sports teams, including The Crackers: Early Days of Atlanta Bawseball.
He has over 15 years experience in newspaper and magazine journalism. His passion for baseball inspired him to establish a company
that owned the minor league Albany (Georgia) Alligators.
William Rawlings
Rawlings was born and still lives in Sandersonville, Georgia, and is the author of Southern mysteries, including
Tate's Revenge, the Rutherford Cipher, and Crossword.
Listen to Readings and Interviews by
Gwinnett Reading Festival Authors
Many of the authors appearing at the 2007 Gwinnett Reading Festival have appeared as guests on Georgia Public
Broadcasting’s Award-winning program Cover To Cover. The program is GPB’s monthly radio book club hosted by St.
John Flynn. You may listen to interviews with Gwinnett Reading Festival authors by visiting
Cover to Cover.
Gwinnett County Public Library has participated in this national literacy initiative for the past two years. Readers gather to enjoy stories in both their native Spanish and their second language, English. Discussion takes place in both languages. Participants improve English and reading skills while sharing the emotions of the immigrant experience.
Continue Into the Evening with
Festival of Leaves
Complementing the First Annual Gwinnett Reading Festival is the Festival of Leaves from 4 pm to 10 pm in historic downtown Lawrenceville. Brought to you by Gwinnett County Public Library and the Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association, this celebration features a literary lecture by popular Georgia author Terry Kay, extended downtown shopping hours, and great live musical entertainment on the courthouse square. Terry Kay will speak at 7:30 pm in the courtroom. Tickets are $5.00 and are available at all Gwinnett County Public Library branches or by calling 770-978-5154.
