At Words Alive's 14th annual Author's Luncheon on Friday, September 15th, there will be a Author Roulette for the second year running. Those who donate may spin the wheel for the chance to win an author's visit to your book club to answer questions and talk books. Here are the authors that you might just get to invite to your book club:
Neal Griffin is the author of LA Times Bestseller Benefit of the Doubt, which takes an in-depth and challenging look at the issue of police brutality through the lens of fictional characters. His most recent book, A Voice From the Field, follows Detective Tia Suarez as she attempts to bring down a white supremacist human trafficking ring. Griffin uses his 25 years of experience in law enforcement to bring another level of authenticity to his writing. See Griffin's website here.
Elizabeth Cobbs is an acclaimed author and historian who has written seven books in her career. Her most recent book, The Hamilton Affair, tells the true story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler and has been named the "Hamilton novel that immediately leaps to the top of the list" by author Joseph J. Ellis. Her first movie, American Umpire, takes a critical look at the role the United States plays in global geopolitics as a sort of 'world police.' See Cobbs' website here.
Ethan Howard is the author of the Opportvnvs Adest series, a science fiction epic based on the Book of Revelations and challenging what we as humans have been taught. He has also written Tales of the Unexpected, a collection of 14 thrilling tales of mystery and thrill. Along with his writing, he is the director of a non-profit transitional housing program for young adults. Howard on Goodreads.
Kathy Aarons is the author of the Chocolate Covered Mystery series, which involves the owners of a chocolate-themed bookstore employing their amateur sleuthing skills to solve crimes. Its current entries are Death is Like a Box of Chocolates, Truffled to Death, and Behind Chocolate Bars. Aarons serves as the President of the Playwrights Project board and volunteers for the CCA Writers Conference. See Aarons' website here.
Marivi Soliven is the veteran author of 17 books. Her most recent work. The Mango Bride, tells the story of two women immigrating into the United States, and how their very different lives inevitably intertwine, changing the women forever. The book won the Grand Prize at the 2011 Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature, widely seen as the Pulitzer Prize equivalent of the Philippines. Soliven has also taught creative writing at the University of the Philippines and the University of California at San Diego. See Soliven's website here.
Eric Peterson's debut novel, Life as a Sandwich, was a finalist in the San Diego Book Awards. His most recent book, The Dining Car, won the 2017 Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Popular Fiction and the 2017 San Diego Book Award for Best Published Contemporary Fiction. The story follows a former college football star's transformation as he works as the bartender for a popular writer and social commentator on the man's private train car. Peterson on Goodreads.
Mike Sager is a writer of ten books and an award-winning reporter. He has served as a staff writer on the Washington Post, a contributing editor to the Rolling Stone, and a writer at large for Esquire. Currently, he is the editor and publisher of The Sager Group LLC. In November, The Sager Group will be publishing The Stories We Tell, a compilation of some of the best work from some of the best women in journalism over the years. See Sager's website here.
Judy Stanigar is a practicing psychotherapist, and she uses her experience in the field to accurately portray the mental processes of characters to create a world that seems truly alive. This is evident in her debut novel, A Quartet in Love, in which the emotions in a college town of the 1970s are stirring and brought to life by humor and sensitivity. Stanigar holds an active private practice along with her writing, and has in the past worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Stanigar on Goodreads.
When Joy Stocke and Angie Brenner met, they discovered their mutual loves for history, literature, and local culinary tradition. The two new friends soon set out together on a ten year cultural journey in Turkey, which greatly impacted the way they live and eat now. Together, they published Tree of Life: Turkish Home Cooking For the American Table, a cookbook with over 100 recipes inspired by the authors' travels and experiences on their Turkish adventure. The book has a 4.75 star rating on Goodreads and a 5 star rating on Amazon. You can find them both at Wild River Review.
Melissa Yancy is the recipient of a 2016 NEA Literature Fellowship, and her short fiction has appeared in One Story, Glimmer Train, Zyzzyva, and many other publications. Yancy lives in Los Angeles where she works as a fundraiser for healthcare causes. Her recent book, Dog Years, has been called "a cause for celebration" by Anthony Doerr. These nine stories juxtapose the miracles of modern medicine against the inescapable frustrations of everyday life: awkward first dates, the indignities of air travel, and overwhelming megastore cereal aisles. Yancy’s personal experience in the milieus of medicine and family services infuse her narratives with a rare texture. See Yancy's website here.
Susan Carol McCarthy is the award-winning author of three novels inspired by true events in Florida history -- Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, True Fires, and A Place We Knew Well -- as well as the non-fiction Boomers 101: The Definitive Collection. Her work has been widely selected by libraries and universities for their One Book, One Community and Freshman Year Read programs, and adopted by schools in 29 states and 6 countries. “McCarthy blends fact, memory, imagination, and truth with admirable grace.” ~ The Washington Post. A native Floridian, she lives and writes in Carlsbad, California. See McCarthy's website here.
Tammy Greenwood is the author of ten novels. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and, most recently, the Maryland State Arts Council. Two Rivers was named 2009 Best General Fiction Book at the San Diego Book Awards, and Grace received the same award for 2012. Five of her novels have been BookSense76/IndieBound picks; This Glittering World was a January 2011 selection, and Grace was a selection in April 2012. Her eighth novel, Bodies of Water, was finalist for a Lambda Foundation award. She teaches creative writing for San Diego Writer's Ink, Grossmont College, and online for The Writer's Center. She and her husband, Patrick, live in San Diego, CA with their two daughters. She is also an aspiring photographer. Greenwood on Goodreads.
Ross R. Moore is a singer-songwriter, storyteller and educator, and a native of Frankfort, Kentucky. After several years in sales and management he received his MAT and became the long-time educator at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville where he taught and entertained hundreds of thousands of students and visitors from around the world. After relocating to San Diego in late 2008, he created and for several years coordinated the award-winning San Diego County Library Acoustic Showcase local music series. He performs original music and does programs on the life and music of Woody Guthrie, and has worked with San Diego Folk Heritage. He currently lives with his wife of 35 years in Solana Beach, and works at the Encinitas Library. Learn more about Moore's book Third Monday in May.
Jennifer Coburn is a USA Today bestselling author of six novels and contributor to five literary anthologies. Over the past two decades, Coburn has received numerous awards from the Press Club and Society for Professional Journalists for articles that appeared in the Washington Post, Mothering, Big Apple Baby, The Miami Herald, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and dozens of national and regional publications. She has also written for Salon.com, Creators News Syndicate, and The Huffington Post. Coburn lives in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie. We'll Always Have Paris is her first memoir. See Coburn's website here.
Kathy Cooperman performed improv comedy until she “sold out” to go to Yale Law School. For years, she defended innocent (rich), white collar criminals. She now lives in Del Mar with her four young, challenging children. Crimes is her debut novel. You can follow her shameless screed of self-promotion on Twitter @Kathy_Cooperman.
The Authors Roulette won't be the only attraction at the Author's Luncheon. To find out more and purchase your ticket, click the button below:
