BookFest 2025 Authors

Anne Pflug has translated the nuerodivergent to the nuerotypical and vise versa for 35 years. She is retired from her career as a public administrator, researcher and instructor. As a full time creator She enjoys being in the flow -- writing and working in her fiber & metal studio in the Creative District in Ellensburg Washington.

Cheryl Landes is the award-winning author of The Best I Can Do: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness and Rainbows in the Snow. She has also published Those Wild Northwest Days, Beautiful America’s Idaho, and Beautiful America’s Seattle, along with more than 100 articles and essays. When she’s not writing, Cheryl enjoys photography, long walks, music, reading, and volunteering as a mental health advocate and on the marketing and events committees at an animal shelter. Connect with Cheryl at tabbycatco.com.

Dawn Klinge is a writer of historical and contemporary fiction. She holds an undergraduate diploma in creative writing from the University of Oxford and is currently pursuing her MFA in Genre Fiction at Western Colorado University. Her work blends emotional depth with imaginative storytelling, aiming to inspire, comfort, and challenge. Dawn also publishes a Substack newsletter where she reflects on spirituality, storytelling, and social justice.

Lara Hovda’s passion is guiding clients towards their core desires through BodyTalk and Intuitive coaching. With diverse certifications like massage, Reiki, BodyTalk, and Matrix Energetics, Lara helps creative seekers transcend self-imposed limits. Her devotion to holistic well-being, paired with a love for art, travel, and astrology, fuels her drive to inspire and assist others in realizing their fullest potential.

Methow Press is a small full-royalty publisher designed to deliver high-quality ebooks, audio books, and traditional perfect-bound, case-laminate, and dust-jacketed books to Washington State’s Methow Valley… and around the world. If you’ve seen enough of the stacked-deck best-seller-quest approach that tilts in the favor of middle-men, our full-service print-on-demand approach can get you in print with limited cash outlay and minimal risk.

Ron and his wife Marsha spend winters in Malaga WA and summers in Fairbanks AK. He spent his career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks teaching biology and conducting scientific research. His book Interior and Northern Alaska: A Natural History is used in schools across Alaska. His How Not to Die Hunting in Alaska is a humorous "how-not-to" guide to the outdoors. His novel Undeserved Punishment is based on his childhood on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. He has published short pierces in the Shrub-Steppe Poetry Journal, Cirque, Whitefish Review and Watershed Review.

Shaina Krevat is a life-long author who loves to find magic in the mundane. After burning out working in tech, Shaina took a risk and put her creativity front and center. Her short story series "Tales of Mundane Magic" paints a picture of what a technologically advanced world would look like if it had always had magic--smart phones casting spells, airport security checking for poltergeists, and zombies playing hockey! Whether speculating how to solve a murder with magic, or comparing curses to computer code, Shaina's fantastical stories are sure to put you under their spell!

Dr. Steve Stroud has been a physician and teacher of Integrative Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Energy Medicine, for over 30 years. Dr. Stroud holds a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and a Masters of Acupuncture. He has advanced training in Cranio-sacral therapy, and Matrix Energetics. In practice since 1988, Dr. Stroud has helped guide countless many through physical and emotional times of turmoil. His work is heartfelt, compassionate, grounded in science, steeped in the healing arts, and tempered by experience.

Susan Blair is a published poet, writer and arts event organizer in Wenatchee, WA. Her new children's book, "The Honking Hattables," is a rhyming narrative. She has self-published a series of five poetry activity books, "Perri the Poetry Fairy Presents: Poetry for Kids." In addition, Susan's full-length poetry collection, "A Howling," was published by Press53 as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection. Susan founded and is the editor of "The Shrub-Steppe Poetry Journal," an annual anthology highlighting the work of North Central Washington poets. She earned a B.A. in German & Russian from Middlebury College in Vermont.

TJ Farrell grew up in Colorado and lives in East Wenatchee, Washington. She makes up silly little rhymes at the drop of a hat and inappropriately inserts them into conversations. "The Arfabet!" was a labor of love inspired by everyone who ever showed her a picture of their pet, and the amazing diversity of the canine world. She also acts in local theater, makes over-the-top Halloween costumes, does voice acting, podcasts with her friends, and enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons and video games.

Victoria Chadderton is a passionate author, speaker, and empowerment advocate dedicated to helping women align their lives with purpose and possibility. She has contributed to six collaborative books, sharing heartfelt stories and practical wisdom. Her most recent work, The Book On Love, explores the transformative power of love in all its forms. With a background in personal development, financial coaching, and travel advising, Victoria weaves together inspiration and strategy to help others create lives they truly love.

Becca Ryden writes romantasy packed with swords, magic and the occasional mooing cow. Her characters are real, usually have a dark background, and are always looking for love, even if they don’t know it yet. Whether it be a high stakes chase or a fight for the last cookie, action lives in every scene.

Becca has been writing since she was old enough to type, but with years of military service to temper her skills, her stories are more than fiction—they’re a possible reality.

When not writing books, you’ll find Becca playing with her fur babies, running from a spider, or saving the universe, one NPC at a time.

Christina Braver writes steamy, contemporary romance usually set in the Pacific Northwest. Her stories are character driven and feature strong heroes with softer sides, heroines who make it happen, and the guaranteed happily-ever-after we all need.

She has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and pairs that knowledge with information from prominent sex therapists to write novels described as “a little bit nerdy, a little bit dirty.” Her books bring toe-curling spice and real-life tips while addressing deeper issues such as sexual health and sex positivity for everyone.

She lives outside Seattle, and when she isn’t writing, Christina can be found biking with her husband, laughing too loudly with friends, sipping wine, or reading.

Eileen Finn is an author, ESL teacher, refugee advocate, researcher, and artist based in East Wenatchee. She specializes in vibrant acrylic paintings in a post-impressionist style influenced by Van Gogh and Jose Guadalupe Posada. Her writing reflects the playful style of Dr. Seuss, and her experiences in Asia and Latin America inspire her work.

After studying painting in Portland eight years ago, her work has been showcased in various galleries and newspapers. In 2018, she received a grant to create a bilingual children’s book, which received excellent reviews.

Following the fall of Kabul in 2021, Eileen went on hiatus and only recently resumed painting, encouraged by her surviving colleagues. Currently, she trains teachers online for the State Department by introducing art into ESL classrooms in war-torn nations. She created a course using art to reduce trauma's effects for refugees, with her students showcasing their work in Yakima, WA, in June 2024. Eileen also runs a program for girls' online education in rural Afghanistan.

I have 30 years of experiences in different area of law enforcement located in a small town in central Minnesota that I draw from for the murder mystery trilogy.

Pat West Turner was raised in North Central Washington in the town of Entiat. Now she lives in East Wenatchee with her husband of forty-six years, Joe. She has been active at her local ski area, Mission Ridge, learning to three-track skin in 1966. She received her B. A. In education from Central Washington University and Fifth Year from the University of California Sacramento. Placerville, CA was her first teaching assignment then finished her career in the Wenatchee area. She enjoys working out at the gym, wheelchair dancing, bowling, diamond painting as well as painting kindness rocks. Her travels include New Zealand, Tahiti, Mexico, and Hawaii.

Samantha Jon is an upmarket fiction author whose work blends gothic romance, mystery, and evocative emotional depth.

Shama Shams, an author residing in Seattle, holds an MA from Florida State University. Her memoir, She Called Me Throwaway, was published in March 2024 and received an Honorable Mention in NBR’s writing contest. She is also featured in esteemed publications, including Palooka, Transformation, Fiction Fix, and Mandala Literary Journal. Notably, she reached the finals of the Black Warrior Review.

Aside from her writing pursuits, Shams has dedicated two decades to the nonprofit sector. Her expertise and passion in this field led to the publication of her book, Nonprofit Fundraising—Lessons from the Trenches, earlier this year. Furthermore, she hosts the podcast "From Passion to Purpose," which highlights the impactful work of nonprofit leaders in the community.

Shama’s third book, Dreamers: The Search for the American Dream, is under contract and expected to be released in 2026. Excerpt from the Dreamers is published in the Writer’s Studio Annual Collection through Bainbridge Artisan’s Resource Center (BARN).

Children’s book author, Sue Christopherson loves to write fictional stories about dogs, frogs and baby dragons! Inspired by her love of animals and the compassion they show us. Living in the beautiful State of Washington, her wild pup, Hazel is her dedicated assistant.

Susan Lagsdin taught creative writing in the Methow Valley and in Vancouver, WA. for most of the years between 1968-2006. Moving here after retirement, she found reading at regional open mics was a satisfying way to share her poetry, but with new work and heaps of files to mine, there was always a book in the back of her mind. In 2024 she (finally) published her lifework, Never Again That Simple. Susan is on the board of Write On The River and writes for The Good Life magazine. With her partner Mike Irwin she divides her life unequally between their home near the river in East Wenatchee and their miniscule old ranch in Twisp.

Tami has lived in North Central Washington most of her life. She is rooted in the community having raised her children and now grandchildren here. She is passionate about people expressing themselves wheteher through mentoring, coaching, workshops, art or writing. Her publications have been sold in England, Canada, Australia and the US. She started her own publishing service in 2018 for her own works and has helped several other authors start their journey of self publishing.

Chad Dulac weaves epic stories of incredible power, wonderous fascination, fantastic worlds, impossible creations, and intriguing characters with rich pasts that evolve as toils and conflict arise. From his youth Chad has been a creative talent with a limitless bucket of ideas that have culminated in a saga that will forever change his (and the world's) life.

Chad is a retired U.S. Navy Public Affairs Officer with a long background in comic book art, video game design, and storytelling. He has a Bachelor's of Science in Game Art and Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburg, has been happily married more than 30 years to his lovely wife Della, has two ambitious red-headed children, two pesky dogs, and works relentlessly to make authoring a career.

Clare Hamlin is a self published author who has written 5 novels. Reading has been her escape all her life and now she gets to create the worlds she longs to be in.

Once she stopped being stubborn and learned to read, Heather always had a book in her hand. Or in her bag. Or under the pillow.

Anne McCaffrey, Nora Roberts, Agatha Christie, and Tamora Pierce. Heather devoured anything and everything, from sci-fi and fantasy novels to historical romance and Harlequins. Her favorites were the stories that combined swoony romance with fantastic adventures.

Now she creates her own worlds and plays “what if…?”

Heather lives in Seattle with her husband and two cats. When she’s not writing, she reads, travels, tries a new recipe, or enjoys a quiet cup of tea.

Matthew Pippin is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (NYC Campus) and stays busy in the theatrical scene of Central Washington. He published his first book two years ago, and his fourth will be out on January 3rd, 2026. He has been married to his husband, Phat, for 12 years.

Rachael Lundin believes life is infinitely better when you imagine Sasquatch might be living in the woods right outside your house—which is exactly the magic she brings to her middle-grade adventure series set in Washington State. Her debut novel, Serenade of the Sasquatch, takes readers on a thrilling journey through Leavenworth, WA, where cryptids and courage collide. When she's not writing about the mysterious creatures that might be roaming the Pacific Northwest, Rachael is busy being a maker—whether that's crafting stories, creating art, or tackling her latest quest to find all the Dambo trolls scattered across Washington State. She lives in Wenatchee with her dog Molly, perfectly positioned to keep an eye out for any Sasquatch sightings. Readers won't have to wait long for their next adventure: Music of the Mermaids, the second book in the series, is set to make waves in early summer 2026.

Sarah L. Blum, is a decorated nurse Vietnam veteran who earned the Army Commendation Medal serving as an operating room nurse at the 12th Evacuation Hospital Cu Chi, Vietnam during the height of the fighting in 1967. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Seattle University and her Master’s from the University of Washington. Sarah retired in 2019, as a nurse psychotherapist after 34 years healing trauma in others. Now, 3/6/25, at age 85, her newest book Warrior Nurse: PTSD and Healing was released. Sarah’s first book was Women Under Fire: Abuse in the Military, (2013) about the culture of abuse toward women in the military. Both books are available on http://womenunderfire.net.

Shannon Lewis is a Mexican-American writer, editor, and general horror enthusiast based in Washington, USA. 

She is drawn to horror for the same reason she is drawn to magic realism, urban fantasy, and speculative fiction in general: a love of asking “what if?” Shannon's work can be found in Slow Burn: An Anthology of Household Horror, a collection of short stories featuring the kind of horror that oozes like candle wax. She's also published short stories in a handful of anthologies and magazines, including: Undertow, A Tale of Four Cities, Bare Fiction, Underpass, Octarine, and Underline. Her thoughts on horror can be found on her horror blog, SlowBurnHorror.com. 

When she's not thinking about or watching horror, she can be found co-writing a middle grade book series about teens with ghost powers, rock climbing, or creating ridiculous playlists with titles like "Let's Get this Bread: Empowering Bops" and "Bowling Alley Music."

Sue Pepper writes modern cozy mysteries in the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her two kids, elderly dachshund, and real life action hero husband. A former resident of Jackson Hole, Wyoming pushed out by the billionaire-caused housing crisis, she enjoys writing revenge and redemption for the fictional residents of her Jackson Hole Moose’s Bakery Not So Cozy Mystery series, starting with her debut, Mountain Town Murder.

T. Lynne Jackson writes historical fiction for young adults and the young at heart. She holds a B.S. in accounting and an MBA. When not crunching numbers or writing, she can be found running or hiking the trails near her home in the Pacific Northwest with her dogs. Her books include 'An Impossible Promise: A WWII Survival Novel' and 'Hope, Tears, and Dreams on the Way West: An Overland Trail Novel'.

V.R. Tapscott lives in the desert wastes of Eastern Washington, out among the spiders, snakes and sagebrush. In a house, of course. With a cat, a spousal unit, a mortgage and thirteen computers. The cat makes most of the decisions.