Write Local: Iredell Author Fair

Jeanette T. Queen is a fantasy author who loves to read anything with magic and or romance. Especially those books written by her friends. She grew up in the small town of Boonsboro, MD. But now lives with her husband, two children, and four fur babies in the beautiful state of North Carolina. Jeanette is a professional hypnotherapist and life coach, when she's not writing.

She is also a food allergy parent who advocates for food allergy legislation and education. You can keep in touch with Jeanette through her newsletter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Clapper.

Published Works: 
The Last Pendragon

Amelia Cates resides in the piedmont of North Carolina and holds a MS degree in counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Published Works: 
Author's Website

Helen Ashford is an avid amateur historian and natural-born storyteller with a passion for exploring the quiet strength of ordinary people. Her love of history inspires stories where personal resilience meets sweeping social change. She writes historical fiction, romances, and fantasies that shine a light on the challenges—and triumphs—of characters navigating life, love, and legacy in times past.

The Coldwater Trilogy, a heartfelt exploration of life on the 19th-century American frontier, is her debut series. From the embers of the Civil War to the dawn of a new century, follows the lives of Alice Payne and Will Mertens—two ordinary people caught in extraordinary times. Set in southeastern Kansas, this powerful historical saga explores the making—and remaking—of a town through the eyes of those brave enough to challenge its silence.

The Witch of Biddle Creek is her latest series set in the shadowed hollows of the 1920s Appalachian Mountains, where the land remembers—and so does the witch who walks it. Rooted in the ancient rhythms of nature and the unraveling traditions of a postwar world, The Witch of Biddle Creek is a deeply atmospheric series that blends historical fiction with supernatural mystery and Appalachian folklore. Each volume follows Meg Taylor, a former battlefield nurse who inherits more than just her grandmother’s cabin—she inherits a legacy.

Published Works: 
The Witch of Biddle Creek Series | The Coldwater Trilogy

Tori Lewis resides in the town of Cayce, SC with her two cats, Abby and Bones, and her rough collie, Jamie. 

She is the winner of the Seventh Writer's Playground Challenge, and Calling Eldritch Hayes is her debut novel. When she isn't writing Southern Gothic horror or paranormal thrillers, she can usually be found watching Jaws or Buffy the Vampire Slayer and counting down the days to Halloween. 

Tori is active in her church and serves as the contemporary worship director, where she puts that music degree she received from the University of South Carolina to good use. Her second novel, No One Lives in Alva Anymore will be released October 6, 2025. 

Published Works: 
Calling Eldritch Hayes

North Carolina native, Laura Tolbert, published her first book in December of 2024. Always a fan of books, she is in the process of getting her masters degree in Library Science from North Carolina Central University as well as currently working in a library. But her first book was first and foremost inspired by her love for the outdoors.

When not writing or at work, she likes to spend time with her husband, friends, and family, hiking, camping, crocheting, or…well reading of course. So she wrote a book that combines two of her favorite things. And hopefully the readers as well. She loves a book that makes her giddy, grinning and kicking her feet. She hopes hers does that for you!

Published Works: 
Getting Thru

Anna Glyn Porter is a graduate of Duke University, with Master’s Degree from UNC Charlotte. She taught Nursing at Mitchell Community College 

Published Works: 
A Time to Leave

L. Melissa Smith is an author, librarian, and publisher with a heart for storytelling that uplifts, enlightens, and empowers. 

A native of Mooresville, North Carolina, Melissa draws from her Southern roots, her background in journalism and library science, and her love of history to illuminate the lives of those often overlooked, especially Black women whose legacies deserve the spotlight. She is the author of Graven Images: An In-Depth Chronicle of the Life of Prolific Artist Selma Hortense Burke, a compelling biography that revives the story of the trailblazing sculptor behind the image on the U.S. dime. 

Through her company, Grace to Bloom Publishing, Melissa produces books and resources that uplift and inspire. 

Published Works: 
Graven Images: An In-Depth Chronicle of the Life of Prolific Artist: SELMA HORTENSE BURKE
Love in Disguise (Fiction)

Martin Harris lives in Troutman and teaches in the American Studies program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has an English Ph.D. and has taught at the college level for 25 years. 

His interests include film, literature, and music as well as poker and other gambling games. He is the author of Poker & Pop Culture: Telling the Story of America’s Favorite Card Game (2019) and Leatherface vs. Tricky Dick: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as Political Satire (2021). 

His most recent book, Horror and Science Fiction Cinema and Society (2025), focuses on American horror SF films from the 1950s to the present with “us-versus-them” plots and themes. 

Published Works: 
Horror and Science Fiction Cinema and Society
Leatherface vs. Tricky Dick: ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ as Political Satire
Poker & Pop Culture

When not writing, Sherlene enjoys Cooking, Gardening, Volunteering in the Community, Ministering and Encouraging others about the Love of God, and seeking new adventures to fuel her creativity.  This novel reflects her dedication to exploring the complexities of human relationship and the thrill of the unexpected journey. 

She currently resides in North Carolina, now working on the sequel “Not My Circus” 

Published Works: 
Not My Monkey!: The Art of Minding My Own Business

God Sent The Dog by David Childers is a memoir about the author’s life as a former Iredell County law enforcement officer and International Peacekeeper in war torn Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where he suffered a traumatic brain injury and developed PTSD. 

After returning to Statesville North Carolina, Childers adopted Dita, a rescue, and she became his service dog in 2009. Published in 2021, the book details how Dita helped him heal from trauma, offering an inspiring story of resilience, faith, and the transformative bond between Childers and his service dog Dita. 

Published Works: 
God Sent the Dog

Janice Drake is passionate about creating compelling content that engages and informs readers. She has a passionate relationship with God and her community. 

Raised in a controlling, drama-driven, crisis-oriented family led Janice to make choices that were far away from God's plan for her life. Believing God could never forgive her sins, she turned to everything ungodly. Janice is so grateful God didn’t give up on her. Instead, He wooed her close to discover who He really is. Janice now has the peace, love, healing and redemption she’d been searching for. 

Published Works: 
Redemption: Worth the Journey

Rob Young works as District Court Judge in Iredell and Alexander Counties. His legal scholarship has proven him an authority in the area of juvenile law and he has authored two cited juvenile law treatises, North Carolina Juvenile Code: Practice and Procedure (2024) and Legal Rights of Children, #rd ed. (2024). He earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy and economics from the University of North Carolina at Asheville; his Master's Degree in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; his Juris Doctor from Drake University and will be receiving his LLM in International Legal Studies in July 2025 from Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, UK. His most recent work, The Alexamenos Graffito: An Early Roman Commentary on Christians and Christianity follows the author's scholarly training in Early Christianity and Roman Cult, interests, and travels which have allowed him to investigate these areas of interest across the Mediterranean and also in the United Kingdom.

Published Works:
The Alexamenos Graffito: An Early Roman Commentary on Christians and Christianity 

Rob McHale is a North Carolina-based Folk/Americana artist whose songs can take you through a small town, down a dirt road, or on a historical journey – and bring you back home again. 

Rob was the International Music and Entertainment Association Folk Artist of the Year 2019 ( IMEA ), and Prophets on the Boulevard was awarded the Folk Album of the Year.  He was featured on the cover and an accompanying article in Music and Sich, a legacy music magazine based in Berlin, Germany. Rob performs internationally and in the US.

Rob released his first book, Outlaws, Pirates and Other Adventurers, on July 1, 2025. The book is filled with stories about some of America's greatest legends. Drive through a small town, cruise with a famous moonshine runner, explore the frontier, ride with the James Gang, rescue a small village in Ireland, take a harrowing flight with the author ––– and dive into living history.

Published Works: 
Outlaws Pyrates and Other Adventurers

Reitha Z. Morrison is a former Youth Services Librarian and has worked at Iredell County Public Library for 30 years.  

She is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and holds a Master of Library Science degree from North Carolina Central University. She lives in North Carolina with her husband Derek L. Morrison Sr.  Together they have a blended family of six grown children. 

Published Works: 
You Are Not Alone

Raised in scenic West Virginia and sunny central Florida, local author Kimberly “Kiki” Houser has tried her hand at every job under the sun—but she always returns to what she loves most: the story, in all its many forms. 

She has a great love for animals and environmental conservation, and her storylines tend to include subjects that she is passionate about, such as animal testing and animal cruelty. Kiki now resides in the Piedmont region of North Carolina with her husband and four children—three of which have whiskers! 

She spends her time working as a preschool teacher, writing feline mysteries, and helping conservation groups. Her debut novel, Crime Busters, Inc.: The Alligator Alibi, won two Purple Dragonfly Awards for excellence in children’s literature. 

Published Works: 
Crime Busters, Inc.: The Alligator Alibi | Crime Busters, Inc.: Pet Poison No. 9