from Manchester, Pennsylvania

In his second book entitled: Are You S.A.N.E. (Setting A New Example): Changing Who You Are by Changing How You Think, author and motivational speaker, Jonathan Z Queen, draws on his experiences as a convicted drug-dealer and career criminal, who was able to change his life after spending over nine years in prison. Based on his street education, spiritual revival, drug/alcohol and cognitive therapy treatment, Jonathan provides an innovative approach to changing how you think so that you can feel the way you WANT to feel and become the change you desire to see.

“I want to help change the world.” Queen says. “There are men, women and children who have already made or will make mistakes similar to mine. They need to see that change is not only possible; it is required. I especially want to start a ‘Change’ Reaction in our young people. I want to empower them with an optimism that conquers their low self-esteem and teaches them the benefits of doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.”

              from Suffolk, Virginia

Nathan M. Richardson is the author of Likeness of Being and a soon to be published collection of love poems titled You are the Subject. His poetry and prose are widely published and universally accepted.  He is the recipient of the 2006 Southeastern Virginia Arts Literary Award and a past nominee for the prestigious ALLI Award from the Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads.  Nathan is the host of the long running Java Poetry Open Mic in Chesapeake, VA.  In addition to feature appearences at numerous literary events like the Christopher Newport University Writers Conference and The Russell Memorial Library Poetry Festival, he finds time to serve as managing editor of the popular E-News letter "Something to do/about nothing" which informs people throughout the Hampton Roads area about upcoming literary events.

Nathan is a roster artist with Young Audiences of Virginia through which he conducts poetry workshops in school districts all over Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina.  His spoken word performances at the university level include Longwood, Duke, Hampton, North Carolina A & T, Franklin & Marshall College, Tidewater Community College and many more.  Mr.. Richardson is a member of the Advisory Council for the Christopher Newport University Writers Festival and a member of the board of director for the Suffolk Arts League.  Find out more about his upcoming projects at www.scpublishing.

       from Waynesboro, Virginia by way of   Edinburgh, Scotland

Dirk traveled from Scotland to Waynesboro for Book 'Em 6 years in a row. He loved the area so much, he has now moved to Waynesboro.

Dirk Robertson is a lecturer in social welfare, professional writer and actor. First thriller Highland T'ing was met with widespread critical and commercial success. His second is Bad Day For A Fat Boy.

He is a former Representative to Parliament for the National Body for Social Work in the United Kingdom, and spent many years working with delinquent adolescents. He is a former Karate international and professional instructor and trained actor, and he taught creative writing and drama in young offenders' institutions.

His screen work includes some of the top stage, film and television productions in the United Kingdom.  

              from Jacksonville, North Carolina

Betty Schiefelbein is a native North Carolinian.  She attended St. Andrews Presbyterian College, earning her B.A. in Social Studies, then Appalachian State University to study library sciences.   After numerous moves throughout her husband’s twenty-two year United States Marine Corps career, the family returned to coastal North Carolina.

Betty’s passion for her home state is evident in both of her children’s books.  “A Special Visit To The Park” (2009) shares the activities surrounding the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall as it visits a park. Readers will share a strong sense of patriotism and veteran appreciation as well as learn about the POW/MIA flag and the Missing Man Honors and Table Ceremony.  In “The Shingle Nail: A Parable of Worth” (2010) a tiny roof nail feels inadequate in the midst of the beauty of a historic church building.  This modern parable helps children of all ages understand how important everyone’s role in the church is, regardless of size.

                 from Charlottesville, Virginia

Barbara Stremikis was born in the San Joaquin Valley of California. As a child, she wanted to be a concert pianist, a fashion designer, a dancer, and an author. She graduated from the University of LaVerne with a double major in Music and Elementary Education. After living in Pennsylvania for two years, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she met her husband. In 1983, she received a Master of Arts in Music from San Francisco State and later a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Forest Institute in Hawaii.

She has owned an image consulting business, been a church organist, written a curriculum manual for the Hawaii JOBS Program, and published articles in Creativity Research Journal and Literally Speaking. In 1997, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Humanistic Research Psychology from the University of Saybrook in San Francisco.

When her husband first retired from United Airlines, Stremikis turned from academic writing to fiction. Her first novel, March Misfit, embodies the theme of human loneliness in the story of a fifteen-year-old Virginia girl thrust into an austere life on a dairy farm with a family of five boys, one of whom is autistic. Reviewers have described March Misfit as “an unexpected gem of a story.” January Journey, set in Alaska amidst the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, is currently under contract.

Stremikis and her husband live in Charlottesville, Virginia with their two rescue dogs, a black Lab mix and a Siberian Husky.

              from Warsaw, North Carolina

Do you need to be inspired?  Do you need a reason to believe?  Then look no further than the words written by Denise.  Writing poetry since grade school, she discovered at an early age how comforting words can be in lifting people out of despair and pushing them towards achievement.  Each word she writes is carefully chosen to bring meaning and relevance to others.  Denise often compares herself to the greeting card magnate, Helen Steiner Rice, as she strives to capture the feeling one gets when they find the right phrase for the right occasion!  She has self published two books of inspirational poetry, My Words and Me and Do You Know Him? and one motivational book, Seizing Opportunities That Propel You Forward.  She has also co-produced several CD's, one titled "Words Can't Tell."  She loves to share her words of inspiration and prides herself in being a musician, songwriter, and inspirational speaker.   Visit her website, www.mywordsandme.com , to view more of her work.

               from Midlothian, Virginia

Willie is a retired decorated  US Army Noncommissioned Officer, who was a supervisory military police officer and investigator during his military service. He received a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University and was inducted into the criminal justice honor society for academic achievements.

Willie currently teaches English to immigrant students at a middle and high school in Virginia and resides at Chesterfield County Virginia with his wife and a grand daughter. He has two adult children, a son and a daughter.

Willie's book is a memoir that reveals his family secret, which was an incident that occurred at his family farm during 1957, which is near Wilmington, N.C. Willie's book, The Winds of Destiny, received a favorable review from the Midwest Book Review of Oregon, Wisconsin and he later wrote a sequel to his book, The Winds of Destiny - The Keepers of the Secret.

Willie has spoken at events and workshops on several occasions about violence and tragedy and the burdens that they place on the victims and families. Willie is a board member of Read Aloud Virginia and notably the past president and vice president of the organization, which promotes literacy through parents reading aloud to their children.

       from Lumberton, North Carolina

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Her latest book, River Passage, is a novel based on the true story of the ill-fated Donelson journey of 1779-1780. The Nashville Metropolitan Government Archives determined the book to be so historically accurate that the original manuscript was entered into their Archives for future historians and researchers. The book won Best Fiction & Drama for 2010 by the Bengal Book Awards.