Jason Adams
Jason A. Adams writes across the spectrum. His stories include science fiction, fantasy, horror, Appalachian folk tales, and even a little romance here and there. You can find more of his work and sign up for updates from his Brain Squirrels at www.jasonadams.info, and in the pages of Pulphouse Magazine, most recently in issue #9. His stories have also appeared in the 2019 Winter Holiday Spectacular from WMG Publishing. Several more stories will appear in upcoming issues of Pulphouse Magazine and Holiday Spectaculars, so stay tuned. Jason, a recovering Air Force brat who grew up all over the U.S. and Japan, now perches in the mountains of Southwest Virginia with his
beautiful wife Kari Kilgore, four spoiled cats, and assorted wild visitors from the nearby forest.
Mary Ann Artrip
Whether it’s novels, short stories, or poetry, my writings tend to lean toward the stuff that I personally like to read: surprise endings and characters who teeter just a mite “off center.” I’ve yet to be offended by a little mayhem or misbehaving. Just keep me entertained.
I didn’t start writing seriously until later in life. I wasn’t ready in my tender years but I’m terribly envious of those who were, of those who had the talent and enormous energy good writing requires. I had to remember the words of Solomon: To everything there is a season. So I had to be patient and allow myself time to mellow, to be warmed by the sun of passing summers, to ripen slowly. The trick was to strike a balance between ripe and rotten. No easy thing for a writer to do.
For more information you’ll find me at: www.maryannartrip.com
Whether it’s novels, short stories, or poetry, my writings tend to lean toward the stuff that I personally like to read: surprise endings and characters who teeter just a mite “off center.” I’ve yet to be offended by a little mayhem or misbehaving. Just keep me entertained.
I didn’t start writing seriously until later in life. I wasn’t ready in my tender years but I’m terribly envious of those who were, of those who had the talent and enormous energy good writing requires. I had to remember the words of Solomon: To everything there is a season. So I had to be patient and allow myself time to mellow, to be warmed by the sun of passing summers, to ripen slowly. The trick was to strike a balance between ripe and rotten. No easy thing for a writer to do.
For more information you’ll find me at: www.maryannartrip.com
Adda Leah Davis
Adda Leah Davis was born in McDowell County, West Virginia, the youngest in a family of ten, of Scotch/Irish descent. This heritage gives her the background to tell authentic tales of the Scotch/Irish who settled in the Appalachian Coalfields. Davis is an avid reader and writer who constantly works on several books at a time. In this way, she never gets ‘writer’s block’ but only goes to another book when that one isn’t going well.
Davis first published in 1997 with a biography called Here I Am Again, Lord, Landon Colley an old time Primitive Baptist Universalist Preacher which was and is well-received by her readers. Since then, she has written and published nineteen books. The Lucinda Harmon Saga (a 4 book series) which contains Lucinda’s Mountain, Jason’s Journey, The Beckoning Hills, and Farther Along. A second 4 book mystery series consisting of A Fatal Beginning, A Fatal Love of Place, A Fatal Web of Deceit, and Fatal Choices and Second Chances are also out and selling well. Davis’ stand alone novels are: Abigail’s Redemption, A Heaven Sent Wife, The Whisperer, three school curriculum enhancement workbooks, and three books for children: Caleb’s Song, Rocky’s Lesson, and Life Cycles in Nature.
Adda Leah Davis was born in McDowell County, West Virginia, the youngest in a family of ten, of Scotch/Irish descent. This heritage gives her the background to tell authentic tales of the Scotch/Irish who settled in the Appalachian Coalfields. Davis is an avid reader and writer who constantly works on several books at a time. In this way, she never gets ‘writer’s block’ but only goes to another book when that one isn’t going well.
Davis first published in 1997 with a biography called Here I Am Again, Lord, Landon Colley an old time Primitive Baptist Universalist Preacher which was and is well-received by her readers. Since then, she has written and published nineteen books. The Lucinda Harmon Saga (a 4 book series) which contains Lucinda’s Mountain, Jason’s Journey, The Beckoning Hills, and Farther Along. A second 4 book mystery series consisting of A Fatal Beginning, A Fatal Love of Place, A Fatal Web of Deceit, and Fatal Choices and Second Chances are also out and selling well. Davis’ stand alone novels are: Abigail’s Redemption, A Heaven Sent Wife, The Whisperer, three school curriculum enhancement workbooks, and three books for children: Caleb’s Song, Rocky’s Lesson, and Life Cycles in Nature.
Linda Dobkins/Jo Allison
Jo Allison is the award-winning author of five books in the Julia Nye Mystery Series and related short stories. The novels are set in 1910s St. Louis and highlight a bold heroine fighting the issues and prejudices of the day. The third book in the series, Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl, was judged Best Self-Published Novel by the James River Writers (Virginia) in 2016.
Allison drives family and librarians crazy with the depth of her research on the city and on the time period but delights readers who like their mysteries historical. She maintains a web page that highlights the setting at 1910-stlouis-by-jallison.com.
For more information, see joallisonauthor.com. Allison is the pen name for Linda Dobkins. She lives in Bristol, Virginia.
Jo Allison is the award-winning author of five books in the Julia Nye Mystery Series and related short stories. The novels are set in 1910s St. Louis and highlight a bold heroine fighting the issues and prejudices of the day. The third book in the series, Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl, was judged Best Self-Published Novel by the James River Writers (Virginia) in 2016.
Allison drives family and librarians crazy with the depth of her research on the city and on the time period but delights readers who like their mysteries historical. She maintains a web page that highlights the setting at 1910-stlouis-by-jallison.com.
For more information, see joallisonauthor.com. Allison is the pen name for Linda Dobkins. She lives in Bristol, Virginia.
Darrell Fleming
Darrell grew up in Clintwood, Dickenson County, Virginia. He graduated from Union College, Barbourville, KY with majors in English and History & Political Science and The University of Virginia in Charlottesville with a Master of Education degree. He was employed as a teacher of English, Assistant Principal, Sub-School Principal, Secondary Principal, and Coordinator of Human Resources in Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA, retiring in 1988.
He is former chair of the Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium at Southwest Virginia Community College; Past President of the Appalachian Authors Guild, Abingdon, VA; member of the Lost State Writers Guild, Johnson City, TN; member of the Virginia Writers Club; recipient of 2014 Superior Service Award of The Virginia Writers Club, Charlottesville, VA; life time member of the Virginia Masonic fraternity; veteran of the U. S. Army; Union College Sports Hall of Fame; and member of Fellowship Chapel, Bristol, VA.
His first book, Family, Friends and War Heroes, was published in September, 2005 and Pioneer Lady of Southern Appalachia, published in June, 2013.
Darrell and his wife, Kathy, live in Blountville, TN. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, golfing, and fishing.
Darrell grew up in Clintwood, Dickenson County, Virginia. He graduated from Union College, Barbourville, KY with majors in English and History & Political Science and The University of Virginia in Charlottesville with a Master of Education degree. He was employed as a teacher of English, Assistant Principal, Sub-School Principal, Secondary Principal, and Coordinator of Human Resources in Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA, retiring in 1988.
He is former chair of the Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium at Southwest Virginia Community College; Past President of the Appalachian Authors Guild, Abingdon, VA; member of the Lost State Writers Guild, Johnson City, TN; member of the Virginia Writers Club; recipient of 2014 Superior Service Award of The Virginia Writers Club, Charlottesville, VA; life time member of the Virginia Masonic fraternity; veteran of the U. S. Army; Union College Sports Hall of Fame; and member of Fellowship Chapel, Bristol, VA.
His first book, Family, Friends and War Heroes, was published in September, 2005 and Pioneer Lady of Southern Appalachia, published in June, 2013.
Darrell and his wife, Kathy, live in Blountville, TN. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, golfing, and fishing.
Victoria Fletcher
I was an educator with the Washington County Public Schools for 30 years. I retired in 2008. I then became the secretary/ministry assistant at First Baptist Church of Damascus where I am also a member. I am the Sunday School Director, Technology Coordinator, and complete the church directory each year. I have written poetry since I was 12 years old. My very first poem, "A Rewarding Search" won several awards and placement in 2 anthologies; one from New York and one from California. My first book published was called "The Bible Tells Me So: Old Testament Stories for Children" in 2011. It was followed by "The Bible Tells Me So: New Testament Stories for Children." These two books were published by Xulon Press, a Christian based publishing company in Florida. My first book won the Xulon Press Children's Bible Books award in 2012. I have also published several devotionals and poetry books through Create Space. Jan-Carol Publishing of Johnson City, TN published my "Fletcher's Fables" and "Fletcher's Fables Too". My "Daily Dose of Encouragement" will be out as a perpetual calendar in 2017. I am also in the business of publishing for other authors using Kindle Direct Publishing as the printer. My business is called Hoot Books Publishing. I am accredited by the Better Business Bureau too!!!
You can check out my books on my website: http://victoriafletcher.biz and my publishing business at http://hootbookspublishing.biz
I was an educator with the Washington County Public Schools for 30 years. I retired in 2008. I then became the secretary/ministry assistant at First Baptist Church of Damascus where I am also a member. I am the Sunday School Director, Technology Coordinator, and complete the church directory each year. I have written poetry since I was 12 years old. My very first poem, "A Rewarding Search" won several awards and placement in 2 anthologies; one from New York and one from California. My first book published was called "The Bible Tells Me So: Old Testament Stories for Children" in 2011. It was followed by "The Bible Tells Me So: New Testament Stories for Children." These two books were published by Xulon Press, a Christian based publishing company in Florida. My first book won the Xulon Press Children's Bible Books award in 2012. I have also published several devotionals and poetry books through Create Space. Jan-Carol Publishing of Johnson City, TN published my "Fletcher's Fables" and "Fletcher's Fables Too". My "Daily Dose of Encouragement" will be out as a perpetual calendar in 2017. I am also in the business of publishing for other authors using Kindle Direct Publishing as the printer. My business is called Hoot Books Publishing. I am accredited by the Better Business Bureau too!!!
You can check out my books on my website: http://victoriafletcher.biz and my publishing business at http://hootbookspublishing.biz
Tom Fugate
Tom Fugate is a 1978 graduate of Virginia Tech. He still lives in his hometown of Hiltons, Virginia. He has written four books in the “Spy Dreams” series, the memoirs of Lee Thomas secret agent. The books are “Spy Dreams”, “Sand Trap”, “Cigarettes for Two” and “Port in a Desert Storm”. He has never worked for or been recruited by any government agency. He has also written one nonfiction work called “Tears for My Father” that began as a journal to help him deal with his father’s Alzheimer’s. Tom is currently at work on more of the Lee Thomas books, some mysteries, a fantasy and some science fiction.
Tom Fugate is a 1978 graduate of Virginia Tech. He still lives in his hometown of Hiltons, Virginia. He has written four books in the “Spy Dreams” series, the memoirs of Lee Thomas secret agent. The books are “Spy Dreams”, “Sand Trap”, “Cigarettes for Two” and “Port in a Desert Storm”. He has never worked for or been recruited by any government agency. He has also written one nonfiction work called “Tears for My Father” that began as a journal to help him deal with his father’s Alzheimer’s. Tom is currently at work on more of the Lee Thomas books, some mysteries, a fantasy and some science fiction.
Linda Hudson Hoagland
I, Linda Hudson Hoagland of Tazewell, Virginia, am a graduate of Southwest Virginia Community College. I have won acclaim for my fiction novels of mystery of which I have published nine. I have written six non-fiction books and released a collection of prize winning short writings along with a collection of poems with many of those previously published. I am a retired public school employee and a proud mother of two sons. I am currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Humanities Degree Program at Bluefield State College, Vice President of the Appalachian Authors Guild, and a member of the Lost State Writer's Guild, along with memberships in other writing groups not mentioned.
I can be reached at lhhoagland@yahoo.com and I look forward to hearing from you.
I, Linda Hudson Hoagland of Tazewell, Virginia, am a graduate of Southwest Virginia Community College. I have won acclaim for my fiction novels of mystery of which I have published nine. I have written six non-fiction books and released a collection of prize winning short writings along with a collection of poems with many of those previously published. I am a retired public school employee and a proud mother of two sons. I am currently serving on the Advisory Board for the Humanities Degree Program at Bluefield State College, Vice President of the Appalachian Authors Guild, and a member of the Lost State Writer's Guild, along with memberships in other writing groups not mentioned.
I can be reached at lhhoagland@yahoo.com and I look forward to hearing from you.
Jason Houghton
Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Jason settled in Southwest Virginia. His writing career started with short stories in High School for fun, and that continued into his time in the service. After getting diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, he began to pursue his passion more seriously. He currently writes in multiple fiction genres.
Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Jason settled in Southwest Virginia. His writing career started with short stories in High School for fun, and that continued into his time in the service. After getting diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, he began to pursue his passion more seriously. He currently writes in multiple fiction genres.
T. Byron Kelly
Poet, Painter, and Musician T. Byron K. has been working as an active performance artist in the South Western Virginia area (Appalachia) for over two decades and has generations of family from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia. Live, spontaneous lyric poetry performances and gallery exhibits have been at the heart of the Poet's work. As an Undergraduate and Graduate student, Byron studied with poets Nikki Giovanni, Lucinda Roy, Grace Bauer, and Anne Bromley, as well as novelist Don Secreast and painter Janet Niewald. Byron received private art instruction during that time and was also a member of Tri-M (Modern Music Masters honor society). Byron studied the relationships between poetry, painting, and music and soon began to illustrate his own poems with paintings and put them to music as well. Byron has also taught creative writing and composition on the college level (currently at Pilot Mountain School and Solitude of Virginia Tech) and is a member of Studio Appalachia, Spectral Arts, Project Rainbow, WVArts, the Appalachian Writers Association (A.W.A.), the Appalachian Authors' Guild (A.A.G.), West Virginia Writers, the Virginia Writers Club, the XYZ Gallery (Blacksburg, VA.), Glencoe Museum (Radford, VA.), and the Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center (Christiansburg, VA).
I paint poems and found a kind of home there. My paintings have always been rather cartoon like and fantastically oriented, a rendering of a dream if you will- I always thought (about realist art) that if you wanted a photograph then why not take a snapshot with a camera?
http://www.studioappalachia.com
https://www.studioappalachia.com/t-by
Poet, Painter, and Musician T. Byron K. has been working as an active performance artist in the South Western Virginia area (Appalachia) for over two decades and has generations of family from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia. Live, spontaneous lyric poetry performances and gallery exhibits have been at the heart of the Poet's work. As an Undergraduate and Graduate student, Byron studied with poets Nikki Giovanni, Lucinda Roy, Grace Bauer, and Anne Bromley, as well as novelist Don Secreast and painter Janet Niewald. Byron received private art instruction during that time and was also a member of Tri-M (Modern Music Masters honor society). Byron studied the relationships between poetry, painting, and music and soon began to illustrate his own poems with paintings and put them to music as well. Byron has also taught creative writing and composition on the college level (currently at Pilot Mountain School and Solitude of Virginia Tech) and is a member of Studio Appalachia, Spectral Arts, Project Rainbow, WVArts, the Appalachian Writers Association (A.W.A.), the Appalachian Authors' Guild (A.A.G.), West Virginia Writers, the Virginia Writers Club, the XYZ Gallery (Blacksburg, VA.), Glencoe Museum (Radford, VA.), and the Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center (Christiansburg, VA).
I paint poems and found a kind of home there. My paintings have always been rather cartoon like and fantastically oriented, a rendering of a dream if you will- I always thought (about realist art) that if you wanted a photograph then why not take a snapshot with a camera?
http://www.studioappalachia.com
https://www.studioappalachia.com/t-by
Kari Kilgore
Kari Kilgore started her first published novel Until Death in Transylvania, Romania, and finished it in Room 217 at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where a rather famous creepy tale about a hotel sparked into life. That’s just one example of how real world inspiration drives her fiction.
Kari’s first published novel Until Death was included on the Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in a First Novel in 2016. Until Death was also a finalist for the Golden Stake Award at the Vampire Arts Festival in 2018.
Recent professional short story sales include three to Fiction River anthology magazine, with the first due out in the September 2019 issue. Kari also has two stories set in a holiday-themed anthology project due out over the holidays in 2019. All three coming out in 2019 are Appalachian tales set in Southwest Virginia.
Kari writes fantasy, science fiction, horror, and contemporary fiction, and she’s happiest when she surprises herself. She lives at the end of a long dirt road in the middle of the woods with her husband Jason A. Adams, various house critters, and wildlife they’re better off not knowing more about.
Kari’s novels, novellas, and short stories are available at www.spiralpublishing.net, which also publishes books by Frank Kilgore and Jason A. Adams. For more information about Kari, upcoming publications, her travels and adventures, and random cool things that catch her attention, visit www.karikilgore.com or www.confidentialadventureclub.com.
Kari’s novella Songs in the Mountain was inspired by Frank Kilgore’s book Far Southwest Virginia: A Postcard and Photographic Journey, also from Spiral Publishing. Her Storms of Future Past Series is also partly set in Southwest Virginia, and her stories Wicked Bone, The Earworms, and In the Pines are set in and around Appalachia.
Kari Kilgore started her first published novel Until Death in Transylvania, Romania, and finished it in Room 217 at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where a rather famous creepy tale about a hotel sparked into life. That’s just one example of how real world inspiration drives her fiction.
Kari’s first published novel Until Death was included on the Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in a First Novel in 2016. Until Death was also a finalist for the Golden Stake Award at the Vampire Arts Festival in 2018.
Recent professional short story sales include three to Fiction River anthology magazine, with the first due out in the September 2019 issue. Kari also has two stories set in a holiday-themed anthology project due out over the holidays in 2019. All three coming out in 2019 are Appalachian tales set in Southwest Virginia.
Kari writes fantasy, science fiction, horror, and contemporary fiction, and she’s happiest when she surprises herself. She lives at the end of a long dirt road in the middle of the woods with her husband Jason A. Adams, various house critters, and wildlife they’re better off not knowing more about.
Kari’s novels, novellas, and short stories are available at www.spiralpublishing.net, which also publishes books by Frank Kilgore and Jason A. Adams. For more information about Kari, upcoming publications, her travels and adventures, and random cool things that catch her attention, visit www.karikilgore.com or www.confidentialadventureclub.com.
Kari’s novella Songs in the Mountain was inspired by Frank Kilgore’s book Far Southwest Virginia: A Postcard and Photographic Journey, also from Spiral Publishing. Her Storms of Future Past Series is also partly set in Southwest Virginia, and her stories Wicked Bone, The Earworms, and In the Pines are set in and around Appalachia.
Greg Lilly
Greg Lilly grew up in Bristol, Virginia then lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. The rich storytelling tradition of the South captivated him and he began writing. He first turned to creating short stories after plot lines and characters emerged from the technical manuals he wrote for a large family-owned corporation. His first novel, Fingering the Family Jewels – a Derek Mason Mystery, grew from those Charlotte experiences.
To escape the city and find a slower pace, he relocated to Sedona, Arizona for several years. During that time, his novels Devil's Bridge and Under a Copper Moon chronicled adventures of the high desert—present and past.
Scalping the Red Rocks, the next novel in the Derek Mason Mystery series, unites the Derek Mason characters with the lead characters of Devil's Bridge.
Greg’s non-fiction book is Sunsets & Semicolons – a Field Guide to the Writer’s Life. In the book, he shares his experiences and techniques – things that worked, not in academia or in New York City, but in the real world of freelancing and query letters and book signings. He has presented workshops and served on panels at the College of William & Mary's Christopher Wren Association, the Virginia Festival of the Book, the Virginia Writers Club, the World Bank in Washington D.C., Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and the Sedona Arts Center in Sedona, Arizona. The kernel of the book came from requests for his workshop handouts and notes.
His latest novel, Stray, follows a son searching for his womanizer father who left almost 30 years before, a daughter grasping for her distant mother, and the shadows cast on them by the Lost Colony of Roanoke and Virginia’s witch trials.
Greg is a freelance writer, magazine editor, as well as a former Arts & Culture commissioner for the City of Sedona, Arizona and for the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission. Today, he writes and lives in Southwestern Virginia.
www.GregLilly.com
Greg Lilly grew up in Bristol, Virginia then lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. The rich storytelling tradition of the South captivated him and he began writing. He first turned to creating short stories after plot lines and characters emerged from the technical manuals he wrote for a large family-owned corporation. His first novel, Fingering the Family Jewels – a Derek Mason Mystery, grew from those Charlotte experiences.
To escape the city and find a slower pace, he relocated to Sedona, Arizona for several years. During that time, his novels Devil's Bridge and Under a Copper Moon chronicled adventures of the high desert—present and past.
Scalping the Red Rocks, the next novel in the Derek Mason Mystery series, unites the Derek Mason characters with the lead characters of Devil's Bridge.
Greg’s non-fiction book is Sunsets & Semicolons – a Field Guide to the Writer’s Life. In the book, he shares his experiences and techniques – things that worked, not in academia or in New York City, but in the real world of freelancing and query letters and book signings. He has presented workshops and served on panels at the College of William & Mary's Christopher Wren Association, the Virginia Festival of the Book, the Virginia Writers Club, the World Bank in Washington D.C., Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and the Sedona Arts Center in Sedona, Arizona. The kernel of the book came from requests for his workshop handouts and notes.
His latest novel, Stray, follows a son searching for his womanizer father who left almost 30 years before, a daughter grasping for her distant mother, and the shadows cast on them by the Lost Colony of Roanoke and Virginia’s witch trials.
Greg is a freelance writer, magazine editor, as well as a former Arts & Culture commissioner for the City of Sedona, Arizona and for the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission. Today, he writes and lives in Southwestern Virginia.
www.GregLilly.com
Gina McKnight
Living in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains promotes inspiration and passion for creative writing; children's literature, poetry, freelance, and more. Gina is a graduate of Franklin University/Leadership Scholar/BA, Columbus, Ohio. Writing at an early age, an avid reader and lover of words, Gina continues to be encouraged by her horses, neighbors, family and friends. She is the editor at Monday Creek Publishing, as well as a regular writer for trueCOWBOYmagazine, Florida Equine Athlete, and Arabian Finish Line. Connect with Gina on social media to find out more about her writing and horses. http://gmcknight.com
Living in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains promotes inspiration and passion for creative writing; children's literature, poetry, freelance, and more. Gina is a graduate of Franklin University/Leadership Scholar/BA, Columbus, Ohio. Writing at an early age, an avid reader and lover of words, Gina continues to be encouraged by her horses, neighbors, family and friends. She is the editor at Monday Creek Publishing, as well as a regular writer for trueCOWBOYmagazine, Florida Equine Athlete, and Arabian Finish Line. Connect with Gina on social media to find out more about her writing and horses. http://gmcknight.com
Damean Mathews
Damean was born in Tazewell, Virginia and almost immediately fell in love with literature. From an early age he preferred to be in the company of books than most anyone else, taking books with him everywhere he went. The only thing that matched his love of the written word was his fascination with the paranormal. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, legends and monsters make up much of Damean’s life.
It only made sense that, at some point, Damean began to write. At first he would toy around with rewriting some of his favorite stories, or coming up with ideas for sequels to tales where none existed. In his junior year of high school, Damean got a story idea that “absolutely demanded to be written. I had no idea how something in my own head could be so powerful. It was in that exact moment that I knew I had to write.”
Taking this urge by storm, Damean started his first novel, quickly turning one idea into nearly half a dozen. While working on novels, he also produced a few short stories, one of which earned him his first publication in a literary journal. That first publication inspired him to write more than ever, leading to more publications in more journals, while somewhere along the way Damean managed to finish multiple novels.
Specializing in the paranormal, the self-proclaimed vampirologist, attended symposiums, learning more about the craft and eventually teaching lessons about how to relate worldwide legends to local lore in the Southwest Virginia region in particular.
Damean is incredibly proud of his Appalachian culture and loves to explore the region his ancestors lived in. He often emphasizes elements of that culture within his writing and makes it a mission to seek out as much mountain lore and legend he possibly can, both for personal enjoyment and to use in his writing.
He independently published his first print collection, "Tales of the Mysterious and the Macabre: Stories From the Appalachian Foothills," in 2019 and his Appalachian werewolf novel "Moonlight" in 2020. Both are available for purchase through Amazon, Damean's website, and from the author himself.
Damean teaches high school English and continues to write while loving every second of life with his incredible wife, who provides endless support and encouragement, in their mountain home.
Damean was born in Tazewell, Virginia and almost immediately fell in love with literature. From an early age he preferred to be in the company of books than most anyone else, taking books with him everywhere he went. The only thing that matched his love of the written word was his fascination with the paranormal. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, legends and monsters make up much of Damean’s life.
It only made sense that, at some point, Damean began to write. At first he would toy around with rewriting some of his favorite stories, or coming up with ideas for sequels to tales where none existed. In his junior year of high school, Damean got a story idea that “absolutely demanded to be written. I had no idea how something in my own head could be so powerful. It was in that exact moment that I knew I had to write.”
Taking this urge by storm, Damean started his first novel, quickly turning one idea into nearly half a dozen. While working on novels, he also produced a few short stories, one of which earned him his first publication in a literary journal. That first publication inspired him to write more than ever, leading to more publications in more journals, while somewhere along the way Damean managed to finish multiple novels.
Specializing in the paranormal, the self-proclaimed vampirologist, attended symposiums, learning more about the craft and eventually teaching lessons about how to relate worldwide legends to local lore in the Southwest Virginia region in particular.
Damean is incredibly proud of his Appalachian culture and loves to explore the region his ancestors lived in. He often emphasizes elements of that culture within his writing and makes it a mission to seek out as much mountain lore and legend he possibly can, both for personal enjoyment and to use in his writing.
He independently published his first print collection, "Tales of the Mysterious and the Macabre: Stories From the Appalachian Foothills," in 2019 and his Appalachian werewolf novel "Moonlight" in 2020. Both are available for purchase through Amazon, Damean's website, and from the author himself.
Damean teaches high school English and continues to write while loving every second of life with his incredible wife, who provides endless support and encouragement, in their mountain home.
Sylvia Nickels
Sylvia Nickels pursues her lifelong dream of writing from her home in the mountains of East Tennessee. A graduate of Tusculum College, she is retired from the telephone industry, active with local writer's guilds and stays young-at-heart by playing with toy cars and trains with her great-grandchildren.
An avid reader for many years of stories and novels involving 'gumshoes', Sylvia once applied for a job as an apprentice PI, but to her disappointment it never happened.
She is the author behind two series of novels. The first series features Private Investigator Cameron Locke, who tracks down killers in Wexler Bend, Tennessee, hoping her friendship with police Sergeant Shac Lane grows into something deeper. The first two novels in the series were published by Oconee Spirit Press.
Sylvia's other series character is widow Royce Thorne, who can't keep from getting underfoot of Police Chief Jared Granite in Fall Creek, Tennessee, while searching for evidence to clear her late policeman husband's illegitimate son of murder. The first in this series, Disguise for Death, is under contract with The Wild Rose Press.
Her other writing genre is Science Fiction. A forthcoming novella-in-four parts combines colonizing Earth-similar planets and murder. Sylvia's Science Fiction short stories have appeared in Bewildering Stories ezine, where it won awards and Communities Magazine. Her Mystery short stories were published in Mystery of the Green Mist anthology and Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine. "The Sweet Taste of Revenge" won Honorable Mention at the Cape Fear Writer's Conference Short Story Competition.
Sylvia maintains the website www.ramblinscribe.com and blogs intermittently at www.mysterylanerambler.blogspot.com
Sylvia Nickels pursues her lifelong dream of writing from her home in the mountains of East Tennessee. A graduate of Tusculum College, she is retired from the telephone industry, active with local writer's guilds and stays young-at-heart by playing with toy cars and trains with her great-grandchildren.
An avid reader for many years of stories and novels involving 'gumshoes', Sylvia once applied for a job as an apprentice PI, but to her disappointment it never happened.
She is the author behind two series of novels. The first series features Private Investigator Cameron Locke, who tracks down killers in Wexler Bend, Tennessee, hoping her friendship with police Sergeant Shac Lane grows into something deeper. The first two novels in the series were published by Oconee Spirit Press.
Sylvia's other series character is widow Royce Thorne, who can't keep from getting underfoot of Police Chief Jared Granite in Fall Creek, Tennessee, while searching for evidence to clear her late policeman husband's illegitimate son of murder. The first in this series, Disguise for Death, is under contract with The Wild Rose Press.
Her other writing genre is Science Fiction. A forthcoming novella-in-four parts combines colonizing Earth-similar planets and murder. Sylvia's Science Fiction short stories have appeared in Bewildering Stories ezine, where it won awards and Communities Magazine. Her Mystery short stories were published in Mystery of the Green Mist anthology and Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine. "The Sweet Taste of Revenge" won Honorable Mention at the Cape Fear Writer's Conference Short Story Competition.
Sylvia maintains the website www.ramblinscribe.com and blogs intermittently at www.mysterylanerambler.blogspot.com
Delilah O’Haynes- Delilah is now deceased but was awarded the lifetime membership in 2022.
Delilah’s “raising”and family history appear in every poem she writes and definitely in the series, Paper Roses. She grew up just a couple of miles from the old homestead depicted in the first book in the Roses series (where her grandpa made Shine), in the backwoods beyond Clintwood, Virginia, and needed little research about guns, horses, or moonshine to write this book, which she unintentionally began to write in grade school. Her father was a coal miner—a fact which permeates The Character of Mountains, a book of poetry and photography.
Paper Roses will be published by Mountain Gap Books in 2022and will most likely be available on Amazon.
To get to know this Appalachian author, listen to an Interview done by one of her Abingdon Depot writer buddies, Henry McCarthy, through Emory & Henry College and archived through Appalachian State University: https://archive.org/details/PoetsAndWriters, Delilah is a cancer, lupus, and Crohn’s survivor, as well as an abuse survivor. As of 2021, she has had 41 surgeries. Her non-fiction book, Walk Free from Fear of Cancer, chronicles her journey through breast cancer and offers advice, along with scriptures and words of faith, for both breast-cancer and prostate-cancer patients. Her book, Rise, Woman. Rise encourages women to rise above life’s tragedies; several of the contributors to that book of poetry were Delilah’s students. Delilah retired from teaching after 43 years in the classroom, in 2020. She now spends her time writing and presenting workshops on writing and/or doing motivational speaking. Delilah lives in the heart of Appalachia, Bluefield, WV (Little New York), with her two darling puppies, brothers Teddy Bear and Snow Bear.
Delilah’s “raising”and family history appear in every poem she writes and definitely in the series, Paper Roses. She grew up just a couple of miles from the old homestead depicted in the first book in the Roses series (where her grandpa made Shine), in the backwoods beyond Clintwood, Virginia, and needed little research about guns, horses, or moonshine to write this book, which she unintentionally began to write in grade school. Her father was a coal miner—a fact which permeates The Character of Mountains, a book of poetry and photography.
Paper Roses will be published by Mountain Gap Books in 2022and will most likely be available on Amazon.
To get to know this Appalachian author, listen to an Interview done by one of her Abingdon Depot writer buddies, Henry McCarthy, through Emory & Henry College and archived through Appalachian State University: https://archive.org/details/PoetsAndWriters, Delilah is a cancer, lupus, and Crohn’s survivor, as well as an abuse survivor. As of 2021, she has had 41 surgeries. Her non-fiction book, Walk Free from Fear of Cancer, chronicles her journey through breast cancer and offers advice, along with scriptures and words of faith, for both breast-cancer and prostate-cancer patients. Her book, Rise, Woman. Rise encourages women to rise above life’s tragedies; several of the contributors to that book of poetry were Delilah’s students. Delilah retired from teaching after 43 years in the classroom, in 2020. She now spends her time writing and presenting workshops on writing and/or doing motivational speaking. Delilah lives in the heart of Appalachia, Bluefield, WV (Little New York), with her two darling puppies, brothers Teddy Bear and Snow Bear.
Betty Jamerson Reed
Betty Jamerson Reed, a native of Western North Carolina, is a retired educator best known for her award winning histories of segregated black schools: The Brevard Rosenwald School: Education and Community Building in a Southern Appalachian Town, 1920-1966 (McFarland, 2004) (Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies) and School Segregation in Western North Carolina: A History , 1860s - 1970s (McFarland 2011) (Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies).
She also writes poetry and fiction. Her poems have appeared in Lucidity Poetry Journal, Friends Journal,Out of Our Hearts and Minds (2006), Echoes across the Blue Ridge (2010), and It's All Relative: Tales from the Tree (2015Other than creative writing, her interests center on family, especially her nine grandchildren, historical research, volunteerism, and stories of Christian missions. She is active
in encouraging other writers and also belongs to The Transylvania Writers Alliance, the Transylvania Storytellers, and the North Carolina Writers Network.
Betty Jamerson Reed, a native of Western North Carolina, is a retired educator best known for her award winning histories of segregated black schools: The Brevard Rosenwald School: Education and Community Building in a Southern Appalachian Town, 1920-1966 (McFarland, 2004) (Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies) and School Segregation in Western North Carolina: A History , 1860s - 1970s (McFarland 2011) (Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies).
She also writes poetry and fiction. Her poems have appeared in Lucidity Poetry Journal, Friends Journal,Out of Our Hearts and Minds (2006), Echoes across the Blue Ridge (2010), and It's All Relative: Tales from the Tree (2015Other than creative writing, her interests center on family, especially her nine grandchildren, historical research, volunteerism, and stories of Christian missions. She is active
in encouraging other writers and also belongs to The Transylvania Writers Alliance, the Transylvania Storytellers, and the North Carolina Writers Network.
Madelyn "Madge" Rohrer
I have been writing all of my adult life – business letters, organization newsletters, instruction manuals, newspaper articles, and occasionally a poem – nothing big. It was only after moving to Tennessee in 1996 and becoming involved in telling stories of Historic Jonesborough as a tour guide that I eventually became an “official” storyteller and left the street behind. (I love to tell people that I started my storytelling career as a streetwalker!) After years of writing stories for the stage, I decided in 2014 to start putting them into written form. It surprised even me that one story which was intended to be a 25-minute stage story (Shoes in the River) actually ended up being a novel…with a sequel (Children of the Edict). Another intended short story turned out to be a novella (The Ugly Christmas Tree), a story about orphans. You just never know where a storyteller will go when you cut ‘em loose! Tiggy Tiggy Touch Wood and Touched by Tennessee are collections of my short stories in print and audio. Children’s books are my new love: Hobie the Christmas Spider and Bert the Owl Bat (print and YouTube). Eirennie the Dove of Peace and There’s a Ferret in the Neighborhood! are scheduled for release in 2024.
I have been writing all of my adult life – business letters, organization newsletters, instruction manuals, newspaper articles, and occasionally a poem – nothing big. It was only after moving to Tennessee in 1996 and becoming involved in telling stories of Historic Jonesborough as a tour guide that I eventually became an “official” storyteller and left the street behind. (I love to tell people that I started my storytelling career as a streetwalker!) After years of writing stories for the stage, I decided in 2014 to start putting them into written form. It surprised even me that one story which was intended to be a 25-minute stage story (Shoes in the River) actually ended up being a novel…with a sequel (Children of the Edict). Another intended short story turned out to be a novella (The Ugly Christmas Tree), a story about orphans. You just never know where a storyteller will go when you cut ‘em loose! Tiggy Tiggy Touch Wood and Touched by Tennessee are collections of my short stories in print and audio. Children’s books are my new love: Hobie the Christmas Spider and Bert the Owl Bat (print and YouTube). Eirennie the Dove of Peace and There’s a Ferret in the Neighborhood! are scheduled for release in 2024.
Jack Russell Rose- Jack is now deceased but was awarded the lifetime membership in 2022.
Jack Rose to family, friends and workmates, I was born in one of the numerous small coal camps which dotted the landscape of the Southern Appalachian region of Southwest Virginia. The second oldest of six, I grew up on a small family farm, where we moved when I was seven. There I learned the true meaning of working for survival. After gradation from Richlands High School, Class of 1964, I left the region, as most young people did then, seeking higher education and work opportunities, first in Washington, DC. In 1967, I married my childhood sweetheart and love of my life, Esther (Lawson). We finished our college education together at Richmond's Virginia Commonwealth University. A brief term in the USAF, took us to Texas, Illinois and Missouri, where I served as a Minuteman Missile Targeting Officer. With the ending of the VietNam War, I left the military, returned to Richmond and resumed my career in the insurance industry. In that business, I was presented with the opportunity to return to Texas - first to Houston, then later to Abilene in West Texas - where our two children grew up. In the late 1980's we returned to Southwest Virginia, where we live today - in the city of Bristol. After returning to Virginia, I began writing down stories, based on the places we had seen, and the people we had met. Texas and the Western Mountains of New Mexico and Colorado, provide the backdrop for Looking Down on the Moon and Missing. The Missouri Farmland I saw while in the Air Force, is the birthplace of Ryder Haynes, who would become the homeless person of Murder In Pleasant Grove. In the Northern Virginia area, outside DC, Ryder finds a home and hapiness. Richmond, VA, is the setting in Missing, and In Search of Himself. I am currently and active Board Member of the Appalchian Authors Guild, a Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club - www.appalachianauthors.com. A group dedicated to providing support and educational opportunities for budding authors in the Southern Appalachian Region.
Jack Rose to family, friends and workmates, I was born in one of the numerous small coal camps which dotted the landscape of the Southern Appalachian region of Southwest Virginia. The second oldest of six, I grew up on a small family farm, where we moved when I was seven. There I learned the true meaning of working for survival. After gradation from Richlands High School, Class of 1964, I left the region, as most young people did then, seeking higher education and work opportunities, first in Washington, DC. In 1967, I married my childhood sweetheart and love of my life, Esther (Lawson). We finished our college education together at Richmond's Virginia Commonwealth University. A brief term in the USAF, took us to Texas, Illinois and Missouri, where I served as a Minuteman Missile Targeting Officer. With the ending of the VietNam War, I left the military, returned to Richmond and resumed my career in the insurance industry. In that business, I was presented with the opportunity to return to Texas - first to Houston, then later to Abilene in West Texas - where our two children grew up. In the late 1980's we returned to Southwest Virginia, where we live today - in the city of Bristol. After returning to Virginia, I began writing down stories, based on the places we had seen, and the people we had met. Texas and the Western Mountains of New Mexico and Colorado, provide the backdrop for Looking Down on the Moon and Missing. The Missouri Farmland I saw while in the Air Force, is the birthplace of Ryder Haynes, who would become the homeless person of Murder In Pleasant Grove. In the Northern Virginia area, outside DC, Ryder finds a home and hapiness. Richmond, VA, is the setting in Missing, and In Search of Himself. I am currently and active Board Member of the Appalchian Authors Guild, a Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club - www.appalachianauthors.com. A group dedicated to providing support and educational opportunities for budding authors in the Southern Appalachian Region.
JC Schweingrouber
I am a native of Richlands, VA and currently serve as President and Director of the Foundation For Appalachian Advancement, a non-profit organization that works to promote the arts and cultural development, economic diversification, and educational opportunity. I began my writing career in 2000 with the first of a four part horror series dubbed the Legends’ series. My works include Legends and Landmarks, Volume I: The Night Walker, Volume II: Freedom’s Path, Volume III: Demon Wind, and Volume IV: Devil’s Cave. After completion of that series I wrote a short book reflecting back on the culture of the 1980’s titled The Ultimate 80’s. I also write under the name of Cyrus Alderwood and my titles include two comedies, Pot of Gold and A Man Called Doosh, as well as a short story compilation in the horror genre called Bedtime Stories For the Terminally Afraid. You can keep up with my future works by following me on social media and at my website www.cyrusalderwood.com. All titles can be found at online retailers such as Amazon. I am available for conducting writing workshops upon request.
I am a native of Richlands, VA and currently serve as President and Director of the Foundation For Appalachian Advancement, a non-profit organization that works to promote the arts and cultural development, economic diversification, and educational opportunity. I began my writing career in 2000 with the first of a four part horror series dubbed the Legends’ series. My works include Legends and Landmarks, Volume I: The Night Walker, Volume II: Freedom’s Path, Volume III: Demon Wind, and Volume IV: Devil’s Cave. After completion of that series I wrote a short book reflecting back on the culture of the 1980’s titled The Ultimate 80’s. I also write under the name of Cyrus Alderwood and my titles include two comedies, Pot of Gold and A Man Called Doosh, as well as a short story compilation in the horror genre called Bedtime Stories For the Terminally Afraid. You can keep up with my future works by following me on social media and at my website www.cyrusalderwood.com. All titles can be found at online retailers such as Amazon. I am available for conducting writing workshops upon request.
Angela Wills-Sells
Angela Wills-Sells was born and raised in Bristol, Tennessee where she currently still resides. She is a full time Registered Nurse at the Veteran’s Hospital in Johnson City and enjoys writing as a hobby. Her only published work is, My Little Piece of Sunshine, which chronicles the true story of the murder of her infant daughter, Bryanna Faith, at hands that should have loved. During her early thirties, writing became a life saver for her as she began a record of events concerning her daughter, never foreseeing that her diary would become key evidence in pointing to the correct perpetrator. Recording Bryanna’s story revived the importance of writing for Angela. My Little Piece of Sunshine is a true story, but Angela is currently putting her creative efforts into a ghostly fictional series set deep in the Appalachian Mountains.
Angela Wills-Sells was born and raised in Bristol, Tennessee where she currently still resides. She is a full time Registered Nurse at the Veteran’s Hospital in Johnson City and enjoys writing as a hobby. Her only published work is, My Little Piece of Sunshine, which chronicles the true story of the murder of her infant daughter, Bryanna Faith, at hands that should have loved. During her early thirties, writing became a life saver for her as she began a record of events concerning her daughter, never foreseeing that her diary would become key evidence in pointing to the correct perpetrator. Recording Bryanna’s story revived the importance of writing for Angela. My Little Piece of Sunshine is a true story, but Angela is currently putting her creative efforts into a ghostly fictional series set deep in the Appalachian Mountains.
Tammy Robinson Smith
After two decades of working in the communications field, Tammy Robinson Smith founded a boutique publishing company specializing in Appalachian women's fiction. As a publisher, she launched the careers of several regional authors. Tammy published three short story collections filled with writers of Appalachian fiction and added two imprints to the company to open up publishing opportunities for authors who were seeking small, regional presses.
In 2012, Tammy sold her press and began working as a contract writer and marketing and public relations coach to entities seeking assistance with publicity. Since then, she has liaised with clients to produce written pieces to communicate with their target audiences via print, digital and television promotions. Clients included authors, non-profit organizations, media outlets, small businesses and individual entrepreneurs.
Early 2019 brought another writing venture into Tammy’s life. She decided to get back to her creative writing. She is releasing the first of her novels in her “Stories from the heart of Appalachia” line this summer. Look for The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle on amazon.com and tammyrobinsonsmith.com soon!
After two decades of working in the communications field, Tammy Robinson Smith founded a boutique publishing company specializing in Appalachian women's fiction. As a publisher, she launched the careers of several regional authors. Tammy published three short story collections filled with writers of Appalachian fiction and added two imprints to the company to open up publishing opportunities for authors who were seeking small, regional presses.
In 2012, Tammy sold her press and began working as a contract writer and marketing and public relations coach to entities seeking assistance with publicity. Since then, she has liaised with clients to produce written pieces to communicate with their target audiences via print, digital and television promotions. Clients included authors, non-profit organizations, media outlets, small businesses and individual entrepreneurs.
Early 2019 brought another writing venture into Tammy’s life. She decided to get back to her creative writing. She is releasing the first of her novels in her “Stories from the heart of Appalachia” line this summer. Look for The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle on amazon.com and tammyrobinsonsmith.com soon!
Dan Swanson
Daniel C. Swanson became a writer after a long and successful business career that enabled him to travel to all fifty states and around the world. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech, he worked for Fortune 500 companies and international consulting companies in a variety of roles in project management, engineering, and sales. He founded and managed three companies in management consulting, land development, and home construction. He currently resides with his family in the historic town of Abingdon, Virginia. In addition to his writing projects, he has remained active in business while he has maintained a close relationship with his beloved Virginia Tech through alumni activities and annual work with the scholarship program for deserving students from Southwest Virginia.
Daniel C. Swanson became a writer after a long and successful business career that enabled him to travel to all fifty states and around the world. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech, he worked for Fortune 500 companies and international consulting companies in a variety of roles in project management, engineering, and sales. He founded and managed three companies in management consulting, land development, and home construction. He currently resides with his family in the historic town of Abingdon, Virginia. In addition to his writing projects, he has remained active in business while he has maintained a close relationship with his beloved Virginia Tech through alumni activities and annual work with the scholarship program for deserving students from Southwest Virginia.
Joe Tennis
Joe Tennis is the author of nine books, including “Southwest Virginia Crossroads,” “Virginia Rail Trails” and “Along Virginia’s Route 58.” He has released three ghost-tale collections; two pictorial histories; and a children’s book based on the Lost State of Franklin in Tennessee. He has won more than 20 awards for his work at the Bristol Herald Courier since 1993. He has also written for Appalachian Voice, Coastal Virginia Magazine, Carolina Mountain Life, Lake Anna Magazine, Hampton Roads Magazine, and Route 66 Magazine.
Joe Tennis is the author of nine books, including “Southwest Virginia Crossroads,” “Virginia Rail Trails” and “Along Virginia’s Route 58.” He has released three ghost-tale collections; two pictorial histories; and a children’s book based on the Lost State of Franklin in Tennessee. He has won more than 20 awards for his work at the Bristol Herald Courier since 1993. He has also written for Appalachian Voice, Coastal Virginia Magazine, Carolina Mountain Life, Lake Anna Magazine, Hampton Roads Magazine, and Route 66 Magazine.