Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center

Born and raised in Texas with a particular affinity for saltwater and trees that look as though they’ve lived thousands of years (and will happily steal your soul to live a thousand more), Wendolyn Baird can usually be found reading, writing, or gazing off into space imagining a new horde of characters. Her books are filled with messy heroines, sentient buildings, chaotic families and friends, and the type of creepy-cozy vibes you want to bottle up and carry around your neck. Baird has written a young-adult trilogy balancing levity and grief within a paranormal world (October Darlings, Deadly Darlings, and Forever Darlings), and a stand-alone new-adult novel set within that universe (Shattered). She’s currently working on a fantasy-romance trilogy. Follow her @wendolynwrites for book updates. 

Katherine Briggs crafted her first monster story at age 3. Since graduating from crayons to laptop, she continues to devour and weave fantasy tales while enjoying chai tea. Briggs reside outside Houston with her co-adventurer husband and rescue dog. She classically educates amazing middle-school students, teaches ESL to adults, and enjoys studying other languages. She is the author of young-adult fantasy novels The Eternity Gate (an Operation Literacy Teen Readers’ Choice Awards semifinalist) and The Immortal Abyss.

Angela Castillo has been writing stories since she created her first tale in green crayon at the age of 8. She’s lived all over Central Texas but mostly hovers around the town of Bastrop, which she loves with an unnatural fierceness, and features in many of her books. Angela has four wild children, a husband who studies astrophysics for fun, and a cat. She has written more than 45 books for children and adults in many genres, but fantasy is her favorite.

Todd Crickmer has always been a natural storyteller. As his professional career began to wind down, he realized that he needed to open the next chapter of his life. Branching out into writing for pleasure, Crickmer turned to new projects, resulting in his debut novel  Scout of the Oregon Trail. He is a former Scoutmaster with thirty-plus years of active involvement in both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, school volunteering, and youth group chaperoning. It was through these experiences that Crickmer nurtured his knack for storytelling. He and his wife Sherry are the proud parents of two grown children, six amazingly adventurous grandchildren, and one globetrotting dog.

Anna Daugherty is the award-winning author of the best-selling Grace Church series. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin and spent several years as a freelance journalist before rediscovering her love for fiction. Now, Daugherty writes Christian women’s novels with grit and grace. Her books have won the PenCraft Award and the Next Generation Indie Book Award. Daugherty lives in the Texas Hill Country with her husband and three young daughters. When she isn’t writing or chasing a toddler, you’ll likely find her homeschooling, enjoying the outdoors, or reading a book—often all three at once.

Helen Dent’s career as a writer began at age 9, when her grandfather paid her a dollar a page for what turned into quite a lengthy story. She studied monster theory (among other things) in graduate school, taught English at a Chinese university, and toured the Scottish Hebrides in a car with a needy radiator. Now she lives in Texas with her husband, kids, and cat Billy. She belongs to the DFW Writers Workshop, the Fort Worth Poetry Society, and Art House Dallas.

Award-winning sci-fi/fantasy author Jamie Foley loves strategy games and homesteading. She’s terrified of red wasps and uses them for lightsaber training. When she’s not working as the typesetter for Enclave Publishing or The Christian Writers Institute, or being a suspicious monarch at Fayette Press, Foley’s probably drawing maps to Cair Paravel. Her husband is her manly muse and techy theologian. They live in a hobbit hole between the Texas Hill Country and the family cattle ranch, where their hyperactive spawnlings and wolfpack roam.

Rose Garcia is a screenwriter and USA Today bestselling author. She believes that no matter how dark the world may seem, there is always a sliver of light if you look hard enough. This theme permeates every aspect of her being and threads itself through the fabric of her stories. A lawyer turned writer, Garcia writes young adult and adult fantasy with Hispanic characters, complicated romance, powerful families, and dynamic friendships. She is known for bringing richly diverse characters to life as she draws on her own cultural experiences. Garcia lives in Houston with her husband and two needy fur babies. If she’s not writing, she’s either reading or watching a show. She might even be eating tacos because tacos are life! Visit www.rosegarciabooks.com for more information.

Nancy Golden wears a lot of different hats — she is a wife and mom, author, engineer, professor, horsewoman, small-business owner, and follower of Jesus Christ. She is also a member of the National Space Society and the founder of the Carrollton League of Writers. Golden lives in a suburb of Dallas, and loves to ride bicycles and horses. She writes across genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction Christian devotionals. Golden’s popular series for all ages, the Dynamis novels, are “clean” high-fantasy fiction containing elements of action, adventure, coming of age, magic, and hints of romance. Golden believes we need books that inspire and uplift readers and help their moral and spiritual growth. Her mission is simple: to write fun, engaging, quality stories that speak to the hearts of her readers and provide positive messaging, leaving them feeling better when they’re done. Golden hopes her books will brighten your day.

Celia Hayes is a retired military career non-commissioned officer who writes extensively about the American frontier. She earned a degree in English literature before an unslaked taste for adventure and foreign travel led her to enlist in the United States Air Force. She served for 20 years as a radio and television broadcast specialist in Greece, Spain, Japan, Korea, Greenland, and Utah. Her duties and pleasures included serving as a midnight alt-rock DJ, TV news anchor, video-production librarian, radio and television writer and producer, production manager, and tour guide. Hayes even drove a bright orange Volvo from Athens to Zaragoza, Spain, accompanied only by a small and cranky child. Besides The Adelsverein Trilogy, she has also written To Truckee’s Trail, Daughter of Texas, Deep in the Heart, The Quivera Trail, and Lone Star Sons.

Chantal Henry Johnson is an artist and author who loves Jesus, her husband, her children, and her grandchildren. She loves the wide open spaces, the big blue skies, and the flowers that bloom along the highways and byways of Texas, where she lives. She loves sharing stories, sipping coffee or tea, and creating friendships wherever she may be.  Having written and published several women’s Bible studies, Ophelia and Her Teacups is Johnson’s first children’s story.

Jeff Kerr is a crime fiction author known for the Adam Cash mystery series, a gripping collection of modern whodunits set in the rugged Texas Hill Country. Drawing on his deep love for the region’s sprawling landscapes and complex communities, Kerr creates atmospheric mysteries with sharp dialogue and richly drawn characters. His protagonist, Adam Cash, a sharp-witted sheriff’s deputy, navigates the murky waters of shocking crimes and small-town secrets with courage, wit, and tenacity. Kerr’s Texas roots inject real-world authenticity into his stories, keeping his readers up way past their bedtimes.

Dawn Lewis is a Texas-based author and former elementary school teacher whose book, My Teacher Moved to Laos, offers young readers a glimpse into life in Southeast Asia. She spent a decade teaching in Texas and nearly two decades working in global development, focusing on expanding access to clean drinking water. Her work has taken her to Laos, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, where she played a key role in providing safe water solutions. Now, Lewis works to secure funding and build partnerships to support Lao families in gaining access to safe drinking water. She earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in education and linguistics. Lewis speaks French and Lao. She enjoys spending time outdoors and cherishing moments with her family in Austin, which she now calls home.

Wendra Lynne is a writer and artist inspired by nature. She began her creative career as a commercial art director, and now applies her experience in design and communication to creating books for young people. The Wondrous Cloud Forest is her first picture book. It is written in cheerful rhyme to entertain while educating. It emphasizes the importance of protecting endangered species, explaining how forests and photosynthesis contribute to the health of all life on our planet. Lynne is currently working on a picture book about Texas wildlife and a novel for middle-grade students. She also teaches watercolors in combination with yoga and guided meditation. She enjoys helping others increase the flow of creativity in all areas of their lives.

Vivian McCullough is an experienced genealogist who enjoys uncovering the stories of her ancestors. Pawnee Prisoner: The Story of Jane Gotcher Crawford is her first historical fiction novel, but she has also authored three family history books and six children’s books. McCullough is a mother of two and grandmother of nine. Now retired, she lives in North Texas and enjoys reading medieval historical fiction, conducting research, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.

Stephen Meserve is the founder and editor of 100 Degree Hockey, which covers the American Hockey League’s Texas Stars. He has been a credentialed media member since 2010. Meserve has covered hundreds of AHL games, and contributed feature-length work to the AHL, National Hockey League, The Hockey News, and other publications. He has been a featured color commentator and guest analyst on SiriusXM and other live play-by-play broadcasts. Co-author Sean Shapiro is one of the foremost authorities on hockey in Texas. He has covered the Texas Stars and Dallas Stars since 2012 for local and national outlets across print, broadcast, and digital media. He is the author of 100 Things Stars Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, and the lead goalie scout at Elite Prospects. Shapiro also starred in the beer-league hockey movie The Late Game.

Shannon L. Mokry lives in the great state of Texas with her husband, daughters, and service dog Theo. Shannon is a homeschool mama with a creative personality; her favorite creative outlets are writing and illustrating. With more than 20 books currently published and more in the works, Mokry has a passion for good literature and a drive to help provide books that encourage children and parents alike. Her career as a children’s book author started in 2016, when she realized that she had been living in fear and set out to be a better example for her daughters. Choosing to do things, even when she is afraid, is the example Mokry truly wants to set. She believes that brave people don’t do things to be brave; they do things despite their fear. Writing a good story, even lots of good stories, doesn’t mean anything if you hide them away. She wants to encourage the next generation to step out in faith and truly live.

Brenda O’Bannion is a writer and retired educator. She writes faith-based historical fiction with a little romance thrown in. Her latest series explores the plights of families in the Great Depression, coal mining in the fifties, and the time period of the Vietnam War. She also has written a parallel memoir of her grandmother and herself, a children’s chapter book about bullying, and a children’s picture book. O’Bannion is a member of the Centex Christian Writers Group, and Faith Hope and Love Writers. She often is invited as a visiting author at book clubs, and a presenter at educational conferences around the state to discuss autism and bullying, both of which are topics of her children’s books. When not writing, O’Bannion enjoys helping with the children’s ministry at her church and volunteering at low-income apartment communities. She lives in Georgetown with her husband.

Robert Powell was born in LaRochelle, France, and has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He has 28 years of experience in engineering management in the semiconductor industry. He helped Advanced Micro Devices develop its first flash memory technology, which is used in flash cards for cameras, PCs, video cameras, and other products. He managed a state-of-the-art chemistry laboratory and a research and development group that worked on nanotechnology, using atomic force microscopes, near-field optical microscopy, and other techniques. Powell co-holds four patents related to nanotechnology. He is a founding board member of the Scientific Coalition for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Studies, which has 360 members. He was the director of research at MUFON from 2007-2017. Powell is a member of the Society for Scientific Exploration, the UFODATA project, and the National Space Society. He is a co-author of UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry and the author of the 2020 children’s book The Truth About UFOs: A Scientific Perspective.

Bella Pursell is a writer of closed-door, new-adult romance books. She has been writing since she was a child and started her independently published journey in 2023. Books have always been her passion and brought her a sort of comfort she hopes her stories will bring to readers. Currently, Pursell resides in Houston, with her husband, her tortilla-stealing dog, Penny, and her hyperactive puppy, Cooper. Look for @authorbellapursell to find her on social media. 

Neta Shani has been a pediatric acupuncturist for more than 17 years. Her journey started with the challenges presented by her own twins, leading her to the fascinating realms of sensory processing and emotional regulation. The profound connection between emotional regulation and our 8th sense, interoception, became a focal point of her work. As COVID lockdowns impacted children’s emotional well-being, Shani recognized the stress children experience when asked about their feelings. Shani dedicated herself to creating tools that empower parents to build strong communication with their children. Her goal is for parents to teach their kids the language of emotions, creating a shared journey of growth and connection. Shani collaborated with Hagit Segal on Happy Campers, an adventurous and heartwarming journey into the world of emotions. As mothers, educators, and passionate advocates for children’s well-being, these co-authors joined forces to bring children a delightful and educational experience.

Kathleen J. Shields is a prolific, award-winning writer in multiple genres. She won first place in best educational children’s series for The Hamilton Troll Adventures. She won six book awards for The First Unibear, and ten awards for The First Unicorn. Infusing education into each story, Shields endeavors to entertain young readers, igniting a desire to read (and maybe even write) that will span a lifetime. She owns Kathleen’s Graphics, designing colorful websites, custom logos, and advertisements for businesses and fellow authors. She assists with custom book covers, interior formatting, and publishing, as well as creating book trailers, and writing press releases. She enjoys learning new things and excels when challenged to do so. Additionally, Shields writes an inspirational and educational blog regarding her endeavors as an author,  businesswoman, and Christian. Her views are lighthearted and thought provoking.

Cindy Vincent is the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers, the Tracy Truworth Apprentice P.I. 1940s Homefront Mysteries, and the Maddie Montgomery Mysteries. Most of her novels are set in Texas, including her latest book, The Light: A Destiny Moments Novel, which hit the Amazon bestseller list. She is also the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder-mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective games for girls. A self-professed “Christmas-o-holic,” Vincent usually spends half of August planning for her ever-expanding, extreme Christmas-lights display. She loves life in Houston with her husband and an assortment of fantastic felines.

A.B. Wade was born and raised in the great state of Texas. While most kids were diving into novels, he was captivated by encyclopedias and textbooks, fueling a lifelong curiosity about the world around him. With a deep love for nature, Wade enjoys personifying the creatures (and even the rocks!) he encounters. Inspiration for his stories often comes from everyday life and the imaginative storytelling he shares nightly with his two children. His wife lovingly jokes that she’s raising three kids, thanks to his playful, childlike spirit. Wade believes that children are some of life’s greatest teachers, and writing through their eyes reminds him that the world is a magical, fun-filled adventure waiting to be explored.

Born and raised in East Texas, Jerry Whitus studied American literature and fiction writing in the graduate program at the University of Texas, Austin. He earned a master of arts degree. His stories have been published in many leading literary journals, including the Chicago Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Los Angeles Review, and MĀNOA. Before turning to fiction, he spent years as a writer specializing in film and video for education, industry, government, and entertainment, winning many national awards. Whitus has been an administrator, a teacher focused on writing for international students, and a teacher-trainer in colleges and universities in the USA, Japan (where he also served in the US Marine Corps), Singapore, Vietnam (on a USAID grant), and Colombia.