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Authors A-E	Authors F-J	Authors K-O
Authors P-T	Authors U-Z

Allen Parker

from Chesterfield, Virginia

Allen Parker of Chesterfield, Virginia brings his delightful humor to the First Annual Charleston Book 'Em carefully wrapped in his famous character, Chester. Devilishly delivered in two books, A Mouse Among us, and his latest, Nudist Guy and Yankee Gal, Parker takes you on a wild ride through a conservative town trying to survive with a nudist family living among them.

Cathy Pickens

from Charlotte, North Carolina

The first mystery in the series, Southern Fried, won St. Martin’s Press Malice Domestic Award for Best Traditional Mystery. Set in a small South Carolina hill country town, it was called an “assured debut, a cozy with some sharp edges” by Publishers’ Weekly and was one of five finalists for RT BookClub’s 2004 best new mysteries award.

In Done Gone Wrong, set in Charleston, Cathy uses her own courtroom experiences when Avery Andrews deals with a suicidal spree killer and a dynamite-toting paramour against the backdrop of a high-profile trial of a deadly drug.

Poison pen letters and a run-away pig welcome Avery home again to the Upstate in Hog Wild. Hush My Mouth is the latest in the series.

In her other life, Cathy is a lawyer and business professor at Queens University of Charlotte.

T.A. Ridgell

from Fernandina Beach, FL

Award-wining author, Terri Ridgell met her husband in downtown Charleston twenty-three years ago. He was stationed at the Naval Base and she was a teacher’s aide at Murray-Lasaine Elementary School on James Island. After a few sputtering career starts as an Earth Science Teacher and a finance vice president, Terri finally found her passion for writing. Three books later, she continues to draw upon her wonderful experiences and memories of Charleston’s rich culture and settings as background material for future novels.

AJ. Rodriguez

from LaPlace, LA

AJ Rodriguez is a children's motivational storyteller/author. Through her stories she attempt to motivate children to read more and to create their own stories. Many of her stories teach life lessons and are meant to encourage children to follow their dreams and to instill that they can do anything if they believe they can.

Fighting illiteracy through my "One Angel at a Time" programs is dear to AJ's heart. Her husband and she voluntarily visit schools, festivals and fairies to tell my tales. They pass out angel bookmarks to encourage children to read. They have appeared in Georgia, West Virginia, Florida and Louisiana. This fall they are scheduled to appear in Mississippi, Alabama and in Virginia at the 4th Annual Book 'Em literacy event. All of their visits are funded by monies made by the sale of her books and other related Theodore Da Baere merchandise.

AJ will be signing three Theorore Da Baer books at Book 'Em.

Reginald E. Sharpe

from Charleston, South Carolina

Deputy Sharpe is a 15-year police veteran of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Sharpe is a well-rounded officer, having served the citizens of Charleston County in various capacities over the years. We are proud to include him as one of our own in the Book’em event.

Long known within law enforcement circles for his writing abilities, Sharpe has broken new ground with his recently published title True Stories From a Lowcountry Cop – Tales From the Charleston County Beat. Sharpe touches on oft taboo topics such as sex, drugs, death and race – with an easy to read, entertaining and poignant style. A true look at the humanity behind the badge.

Quickly becoming a local favorite, True Stories From a Lowcountry Cop is poised to be a staple classic for those interested in police work.

David Shaffer

from Kernersville, North Carolina

I am a psychology graduate from the University of Miami and a licensed private investigator in the state of California and until recently in the state of North Carolina. I have also been an instructor at the West Coast Detective Academy in Oakland, California where I taught classes in surveillance, interviewing techniques, workers' comp fraud, undercover investigations, skip tracing, report writing, and asset location.

Prior to entering the investigative field I was Director of Software Engineering at Gould Electronics, a major Silicon Valley electronic firm then located in Santa Clara, California.

My wife and I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area seven years ago and set up my one-man private investigation agency in the Piedmont Triad Area. I have recently retired from the investigative business in North Carolina but continue my case work with a number of California clients.

Aside from my current writing effort of the Harry Caine Mystery series, and my PI case work, I play drums in the Greensboro Big Band. My musical career spans many decades and has included tours with the big bands of Ralph Flanagan, Ray Eberle, Charlie Spivak, Art Mooney and Claude Thornhill and a recent engagement with the Jimmy Dorsey o in Moorhead City, North Carolina.

My first book, Paid in Full, received one of five Honorable Mentions in the 2005 International Self Published Book awards contest sponsored by Writer’s Digest.

I have written four novels, all featuring protagonist Harry Caine, a private investigator who operates his Private Detective Agency out of West Palm Beach, Florida.

My books have been set in California, West Palm Beach, Maimi, the Florida Keys, and Kernersville, North Carolina.

Along with writer Dixie Land, I am currently a partner in Alabaster Book Publishing, a small independent press with offices in Kernersville, NC. Alabaster Book Publishing currently has 14 authors and 33 published works including the following genres; mystery, romance, poetry, romantic suspense, thrillers, detective, and children’s stories.

Rita Shuler

From Charleston, South Carolina

Lt. Rita Y. Shuler was supervisory special agent of the Forensic Photography Department with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) for twenty-four years. She interfaced with the attorney general's office, solicitors and investigators, providing photographic evidence assistance in the prosecution of thousands of criminal cases.

She received her specialized law enforcement photography training at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia, South Carolina, and the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

She lives in Irmo, South Carolina, and holds a special love for the South Carolina coast, especially Charleston. She is a devoted "crabber" and runner.

Her first book, Carolina Crimes: Case Studies of a Forensic Photographer, takes the reader through the dark twists and turns of twelve homicide cases that gripped the state during her career as a forensic photographer and special agent with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Her second book, Murder in the Midlands: Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror that Shook South Carolina details the kidnapping and murder of Shari Faye Smith and Debra May Helmick at the hands of Larry Gene Bell in the summer of 1985 in the Midlands of South Carolina. A "Last Will and Testament" written by his first victim, Shari Faye Smith to her family held the clue that led authorities to this horrific killer after 28 harrowing days. Included are Bell's chilling phone calls to the Smith family, his disconcerting interviews and bizarre actions in the courtroom.

Susan Sloate

from Mt. Pleasant, SC

Susan Sloate is a bestselling, award-winning author and speaker. Her alternate history novel, Forward to Camelot, co-written with Kevin Finn, reached #6 on Amazon’s Sci-Fi/Fantasy list and took honors in 2 literary competitions (Independent Publishers Book Awards and Arizona Authors Assn. Literary Competition). It is currently under option to a Hollywood film production company.

She has written (and published) 16 young-adult books, both fiction and non-fiction. The latest, RAY CHARLES: Find Another Way! (Bearport Publishing), took the silver medal in the 2007 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards. Other non-fiction includes bios of Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart and Clara Barton; a collective biography of selected famous baseball players; and a history of Alcatraz. Her fiction includes books for four girls’ series, including Blue Ribbon, Sweet Dreams, Girl Talk, and Beacon Street Girls.

She has written and co-directed two produced plays, optioned other screen works to Hollywood film companies, and provided a piece for Chicken Soup for the Soul of America in 2002. She has also done sports reporting and informational film writing. She lives in Mount Pleasant, SC. Visit her online at www.ForwardtoCamelot.com.

Charlette Denise Sutton

from Warsaw, North Carolina

Denise is a poet, author, speaker, musician, and songwriter. Since 2003, she has published two inspirational books of poetry and co-produced several gospel CD's featuring her songs. Both of her books, My Words and Me and Do You Know Him? attempt to inspire through the use of Bible verses and rhyme. Denise is the president of her local Friends of the Library and uses this position to promote programs which connect writers with one another and with their readers in an attempt to aid in the fight against illiteracy. She enjoys speaking and doing seminars in the public schools, churches, and community colleges. You may learn more about Denise at her website, www.mywordsandme.com.

Tom Tancin

from Northhampton, PA

Tom Tancin started writing when he was 13 years
old after being challenged by his 7th grade English
teacher. At 23 years of age, he just completed his
sixth novel. The Man in the Moon, a mystery/thriller
novel following Detective Lindsey Scott as she tracks
down a killer obsessed with the moon, will be the first
release from Destifire Books. The book generated a
buzz online starting in February 2007 and has
received wonderful comments from readers of Tom
Tancin's blog on MySpace.

Tom Tancin lives in Northampton, Pennsylvania.
He enjoys writing, listening to music, watching
movies, and playing volleyball with friends. He has a
Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education with a
concentration in biology.

p.m.terrell

from Lumberton, North Carolina

p.m.terrell is a co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, along with Officer Mark Kearney of the Waynesboro Police Department. She is also the founder and owner of Continental Software Development Corporation and McClelland Enterprises, two computer companies that have served the Department of Defense, CIA, and Secret Service, as well as local law enforcement. She calls upon her experience in computer programming in her contemporary suspense/thrillers Ricochet, The China Conspiracy, and Kickback, which have all garnered international acclaim and have been compared to John Grisham’s earlier works. Reader Views has said, “p.m.terrell is a master storyteller” and Midwest Book Review said, “This author has effortlessly set herself at the top of the ranks of suspense writers.”

Her first historical suspense, Songbirds are Free, is based on the true story of the abduction and captivity of Mary Neely. Canadian syndicated reviewer Simon Barrett said, “as a reader, you are swept along on a magic carpet of writing wizardry” and Midwest Book Review said it is “historical writing at its best… Terrell’s writing is strong; her research impeccable.” For more information, visit www.pmterrell.com and www.maryneely.com.

Maggie Toussaint

from Darien, Georgia

I am newly published, with House of Lies as my debut book. I am an active member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. After I contracted House of Lies, I signed three more book contracts. I now have three publishers and write in three genres: romantic suspense, sweet romance, and cozy mystery. Proceeds from my second romantic suspense are benefiting a horse rescue charity.