Greenville library to host its first 'Author Fest' (Part 3 of 3)

Jul. 16—Next weekend, the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library in Greenville will be the scene of a meet-and-greet between about 40 authors and readers of all genres.

With so many authors planning to appear at the library's first-ever Author Fest on Saturday, July 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., this story will be the Herald-Banner's last (in a series of three installments) and will contain short bios of only a few of the participating authors. In this sampling, genres range from teen fantasy to gritty military thrillers to Christian faith-based fiction of various kinds.

—Dawn Secord has been a full time artist and illustrator for the last 27 years and is widely recognized for her oil and pastel paintings of dogs, cats, horses and other animals. Secord, who was raised in Texas, has seen her art appear in numerous exhibits as well as issues of various art, business and animal publications such as The Pastel Journal, The Canine Chronicle, The Western Art Collector, North Lights Book Magazine, the Irish Setter Club of America's memo to its members, Borzoi International and The American Kennel Club's Gazette. As an illustrator, her work has glossed the pages of children's books "Show Dogs Escape to the Seashore" and "Under Sun, Stars and Sails," both by author Marsha Hall Brown. She also recently published a book that she both wrote and illustrated, titled "No Ghoulish Green Monsters Here."

—Alex Aaronson is a veteran of the U.S. Navy who served as a Russian-to-English translator. Now, he's an author of military thrillers and alternate history novels. His so-far five-part series, "The Monroe Doctrine," deals with a massive high-tech war (involving AI, deepfakes, cyber attacks, etc.) between China and much of the rest of the world. Meanwhile, his "Soviet Endgame" series asks the question, "What if the Soviet Union chose a different path" in the 1980's and "the Cold War went hot and boiled over into a global nightmare?"

—Chrystal Gilkey, who is from Texas originally but currently lives in Arkansas, is the author of the "Shady Springs Virtue Series" of Christian faith-based "sweet mysteries with a hint of romance." In addition to writing, Gilkey is also a speaker and a Bible study teacher who strives to help women "live victoriously by living virtuously."

—Loren G. Kelly, of Royse City, is a retired police officer who is now an active author, poet and historian. His books include two that were written around different aspects of his family history — titled "Black Gold, Roughnecks and Oil Town Tales ... As Told by a Wildcatter's Grandson" and "Delaware Moor Racial Epitaphs ... Mixed Blood Stories, Images and Poetry," respectively. His works also include a book of autobiographical poems and anecdotes, titled "Twighlight Pathways and Recollections ... A Texas Bard's Poetry & Memoirs." Kelly is a member of the Royse City Cultural Arts Committee, an organization that oversees the C. F. Goodwin Public Library and the Zaner Robison Historical Museum.

—Evangeline Pierce is a Texas author who works to honor her faith through her Christian Fiction novels, in which her protagonist, Alle Venega, finds herself and her family targeted by demons. Pierce's writing was partially inspired by the many hours she spent reading Bible stories with her grandfather as a child. She now "draws upon the magic and mystery of the Bible to tell modern stories that engage the reader with biblical truths and Christian themes."

—Jolene Reed is an eleventh grader from Mount Vernon, Texas who has already published seven novels, including her five-part fantasy series, "Fragments of Imagination." The premise of her series involves a young girl who is unexpectedly contacted by an imaginary friend she hasn't heard from in several years who explains to her that there are three magical realms that exist beyond human perception — a realm called Imagine, where imaginary friends reside; another called Create, where stories and characters stem from and dwell; and Innovate, where inventions and ideas come from. The protagonist's imaginary friend then informs her that all three realms are under dire threat, and if they are destroyed, then mankind will be plunged into darkness.

—Adam "Doc" Brackin is an English and speech teacher at Cornerston Christian Academy in McKinney. He describes his debut full length novel, "Chaos Spiral," as an "intricately woven historical mystery: part action-archeology, part family adventure, part international conspiracy." It tells the story of an aging scholar and his precocious grandson who go on an epic quest through various war-torn parts of the world as they attempt to solve a mystery that could "link Gilgamesh, Eden, Noah's Ark and the Minotaur's Maze in ways that could change history forever." In addition to "Chaos Spiral," Brackin has also written short stories, "Quarantine" and "Messiah," which have both appeared in An Unexpected Journal, a quarterly journal that seeks to "demonstrate the truth of Christianity through both reason and the imagination."

—April Coker is a retired English and science teacher who was born and raised in and near Van, Texas. Her three-part series, "The Keeper," was inspired by her late-husband Jimmy's career as a zookeeper. She describes the genre of her books as "romantic suspense novels centered around the lives of zookeepers who find themselves in danger from animals and people." Coker is also a member of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, the Texas Retired Teachers Association, the East Texas Writers Guild, and the East Texas Writers Association. She also enjoys "glamping" (camping enhanced by amenities).

—Charles Breakfield and Roxanne "Rox" Burkey are co-authors of the "Enigma" series of modern technology-centered thrillers. With both Breakfield and Burkey having strong professional backgrounds in technology and cybersecurity, they seek to tell stories that "share excitement, thrills, and insights to today's technology risks." The two also contribute stories to the "Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles" — a collaboration between several authors who are all writing mysteries that take place in the sleepy town of Magnolia Bluff, Texas.

—E. Nigma is not only a prolific author with 24 published novels to his name, but is also a screenwriter, director, video editor and animator. As a novelist, his work spans several genres, including crime drama, science fiction and romance. Nigma describes his debut novel, "Confessions of a Call Center Junkie — The Diary of Lellow" as a "mock diary documenting the day and life of a recovering addict as she struggles to maintain herself in the workplace." His feature length film, "Twisted Affair," and his animated series, "The Professionals," can be viewed through his YouTube channel.