from Williamsburg, Virginia

Hello my name is Fredric A. Almond Sr., I am the author of Scarred for Life: Stabbed thirty-nine times and forgave. It's a true story about my life as a child. When I was eleven a burglar broke in our house, stabbed and killed my mother, and stabbed me approximately thirty-nine times leaving me for dead. Needless to say I lived! Through the years I've had the passion to ensure my mother's life would live within me. For this reason I wanted to inspire and encourage those that are scarred and can't get passed the hurt and pain of it. I use my life as an example of God's miraculous power. 

                  from Buckingham, Virginia

Joseph Patrick Anthony is the author of Innerworld, a young adult fantasy (Bonneville Books, 2002); and two nature awareness picture books, The Dandelion Seed (Dawn Publications, 1997: Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal 1998), and In A Nutshell (Dawn Pub., 1999: Parent Council Outstanding Selection, 2000; Virginia Young Readers List 2002-2003).

                     from Buckingham, Virginia

Besides illustrating the two above mentioned picture books by Joseph Patrick Anthony, Cris’ title, All Around Me, I See by Laya Steinberg, was released by Dawn Publications in spring 2005 and was named a Bank Street ‘Best Book’ for 2006.   In The Trees, Honeybees, by Lori Mortensen was released by Dawn in March 2009 and has received critical acclaim.  Cris' newest title, Champions Of The Ocean by Fran Hodgkins, for middle school readers, is scheduled for a September, 2009 release.  Cris’ other illustration clients have included Frederick Warne, Franklin Watts, Donning Co., Berkley Books, Hampton Roads, ARE Press, and others.  She has also worked in advertising and animation for clients such as PBS TV in New York City, and the BBC.

                      from Bridgewater, Virginia

I am a parent who home schools my daughter.  I wrote Johnny the Phoenix to be a competitor to the books that push socialism.  I believe the children should trust their parents, work hard, and most important follow their dreams.  I suffer with fibromyalgia, and receive government benefits.  I also wrote this book so that I can eventually get off of the government "dole".  I believe that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. 

Johnny the Phoenix allows children to interact with the alphabet by helping worms go through their exercises in shaping letters from clay (clay not included).  This book was written for ages 4-8, but you can always read the story to younger children, and they will enjoy it.  My daughter insists on climbing up her bunk bed as we read about Johnny climbing up the tree, then she creates her cocoon and pops out as a butterfly.

                      from Cumming, Georgia

In January 2003, federal agent Jack Branson’s 85-year-old aunt Ann was bludgeoned to death and stabbed 97 times in small-town Kentucky.  The killer left no fingerprints and no DNA. The case may have gone unsolved if Ann herself had not pointed police to her killer. Her story is chronicled in Murder in Mayberry and will also be featured on Discovery ID and TLC networks as part of a new show called Unusual Suspects.

Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death and Mayhem in a Small Town is the true story of a brutal crime, a promising young professional who became a killer, and a wealthy, successful woman who became the perfect victim. It’s about the impact of violent crime on a previously “normal” family and on a quiet, trusting community who refused to forget one of its own.

Murder in Mayberry is endorsed by Family and Friends of Violent Crime Victims. The hardback edition was released in February 2008 by New Horizon Press. The paperback edition was released by Berkley in March 2009.

The Bransons have also written a teen fitness book that will be released by HCI Books in January 2010 called Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time.  It’s the story of 16-year-old Taylor LeBaron, who reduced his weight from 297 to 145, using a unique fitness plan he developed himself, a plan that turns fitness into a game. The foreword is written by Dr. Michael Dansinger, WebMD physician and nutrition consultant for NBC’s The Biggest Loser.

The Bransons are currently working on two other true crime books. Their website is www.jackandmarybranson.com.

                        from Nellysford, Virginia

Chuck began his career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation while attending Fordham University in N.Y. After serving a number of years with the Bureau, he joined Coopers and Lybrand Management Consulting practice, now known as PricewaterhouseCooper’s. His career ended in retirement from  PwC after serving many loyal years in senior management positions including assignments from the Secretary of Navy to lead and perform industrial operational improvement programs for the U.S. Navy’s shipyard and aviation depots across the nation.

Chuck and his wife reside in the Blue Ridge Mountain region of Virginia. Today as a retiree, Chuck is actively involved in Prison Ministry and is a member of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond Prison Ministry Advisory Committee.

Chuck is also a licensed pilot, certified NAUI Scuba Instructor, Licensed U.S.C.G. charter boat captain and sport parachutist.

                     from Fork Union, Virginia

A Journey to Freedom is about a young woman leaving home for college with the idea of redefining her life instead of letting her mother continue to define who she was.

The Journal is about a young woman who finds secrets and deceptions in a journal she found in the home of her recently deceased mother.  Her findings take her on a journey to Scotland.

                              from Miami, Florida

                              from Crozet, Virginia

                   from Waynesboro, Virginia

Waynesboro author Edie Eckman has her hands in many aspects of the fiber arts—designing, teaching, writing, designing and editing. Her designs are contemporary classics accessible to the average knitter or crocheter and have appeared in many yarn company publications, magazines and pattern leaflets. Edie travels extensively teaching at conventions, shops and guilds. Her portable reference book, The Crochet Answer Book, was named by Booklist as one of the Top 10 Craft & Hobby Books of 2006. The colorful and unusual shapes in Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs inspire everyone to pick up a hook and start stitching! Edie is putting the finishing touches on her next title, Around the Corner Crochet Borders, to be released in May 2010.

                     from Charlottesville, Virginia

Kathy Erskine was born in the Netherlands and grew up in Israel, South Africa, Scotland, Canada, and the United States.  That experience helped her to view life from different perspectives, an element she uses in her writing.   Her first novel, IBHUBESI: THE LION, is set in apartheid South Africa and tells the coming of age story of an American teen dealing with racism and cruelty within a nation and his own family.  Her second novel, QUAKING, addresses the effects of U.S. involvement in a war in the Middle East, and how a teen seeks peace in the midst of fear.  QUAKING was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the top ten books of 2008 on their list of “Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers” and is a Virginia Readers' Choice book for 2009-2010.

Her next novel, MOCKINGBIRD (Philomel, Spring 2010), is about a girl with Asperger's coping with the violent death of her brother, and was written as a result of the devastating shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007.  She is currently working on several more novels for young people, and enjoys presenting writing seminars to a variety of audiences.