Meet Local Authors at Forsyth Barnes and Noble Saturday

Check out this press release written by Julie Breedlove that will give you all the details of the authors participating. Also, learn how students at your school can earn your library $100 in free BQB books!

Saturday, Oct. 20, is the big day to meet several local children’s authors at the Barnes and Noble Booksellers at the Avenue Forsyth from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. These creative people will gather to sign their books, which will make personal gifts to the readers on your holiday list. These authors are ready and willing to talk about the stories behind their published work and their journey to sharing their stories with the world.

Inspire yourself or someone close to you with this intimate experience with these notable authors. The authors scheduled to attend the meet and greet are all from the Atlanta area. Bring the kids, come and pick the authors’ brains, and get inspired by their creativity and flair. The school with the most students present will win $100 of free books from BQB Publishing. Be sure to check in at BQB’s table to boost your school’s chances of winning.

The following youth authors will be present:

• Anna Lee Everhart presents Bearful Bear and His New Moves, an active picture book that will help get kids from the ages of two through five moving and having fun with Bearful

• Cody Jackson, age 10, Pint Sized Patriots: Coloring and Activity Book, and his newest book Pint-Sized Patriots: Standing Tall, are perfect for entertaining kids from ages four through eight while teaching them about patriotism and the USA

• Jackie Gaskins, The Four Princesses, a Christian fairytale for ages three through seven

• Dr. Anissa Freeman and Michelle Burns, The Ugly Bug Ball, a bright antibullying book for ages four through nine

• Laurie Stephens, Together Again, a touching adoption story for ages three through eight

Tween to Adult authors present:

• J.R. Hardin, The Adventures of Little Dog Koko and The Further Adventures of Koko and Moochee – a pair of real keep-moving, can’t put it down books about exciting pet-centered exploits for animal lovers from seven to 12 and The Kudzu Monster Trilogy -- an action adventure for ages 10 through 14

• R. E. Munzing, Beyond the Firefly Field, an action adventure with a flare of fantasy and science fiction that will entertain and have imaginations soaring in readers from ages 10 to 14

• Olivia Lodise, Violet Path, a science fiction thriller for adventuresome readers 16 and up that will tap into the rebellious nature of a teenager caught in a war of world domination

The event sponsored by BQB Publishing and Barnes and Noble also includes story time with authors Anna Everhart and Laurie Stephens plus a visit from “Red” of the local Red Robin Restaurant who promotes reading for children.

About the Authors:

Anna Lee Everhart has enjoyed the gift of stories her whole life and was inspired to write about Bearful Bear, a character her father created in bedtime stories during her childhood. Her love of storytelling developed into a love of writing poetry, songs, and essays. As a result, she enhanced the story and has written Bearful Bear and His New Moves. Anna hopes that Bearful helps families create endearing and special moments that children will remember for the rest of their lives. Read her blog on Cumming Patch.

Cody Jackson is 9-years-old, and a pint-sized patriot. As the One Boy USO, Cody has thanked 10,000+ of our country’s heroes, all by the age of nine. After noticing the lack of patriotism in his peers, Cody wanted to let other kids know “It’s okay to be patriotic! If I can do it, you can too!” Cody has written two patriotic children’s books, wanting to share his love of America and her military, and hoping to help other children love their country and troops as much as he does! A portion of all sales of Cody’s books will go back to his charity: OneBoyUSO.com. Come and meet this remarkable little guy.

Jackie Gaskins’ first children’s book, The Four Princesses, is a product of her passion and gift for children. Meet this extraordinary woman with the gift of storytelling.

Anissa Freeman’s mother instilled the joy of reading when Anissa was in preschool, as her mother would read to her each night before going to bed. Her love for bugs developed at an early age as well. She could always be found catching various insects in old pickle jars in her grandparents’ backyard, and that fascination with bugs was the inspiration for her first book, The Ugly Bug Ball, with fellow teacher and co-author Michelle Burns.

Michelle Burns never thought staying after school with one of her colleagues, Anissa Freeman, one Wednesday afternoon would result in achieving her life-long dream of becoming a published author. Because of their love of writing and telling stories, Michelle and Anissa quickly became immersed in their characters and the story they wanted to convey to their young audience. It was important to both of them that their story be utilized in the classroom across all content areas and not just in the area of reading. Learn more about the book and follow Michelle and Anissa’s blog on TheUglyBugBallBook.com.

Laurie Stephens is the mother of two incredible daughters, Lily and Avery, who were both adopted from China. Laurie has made a career in nonprofit fundraising and marketing, and also writes about adoption, spiritual issues, and life as a single mom in her forties. Laurie’s work has been published in Adoption Today magazine and she writes a blog, didimentionreinvention.blogspot.com.

J.R. (Randy) Hardin A late-blooming author, Hardin saved his best for now. Beginning his writing career after a decades’ long delay, this North Georgia writer captures children’s imaginations in the pages of his adventure books. An engineer by trade, Hardin ignored his high school guidance counselor recommendation of writing. In 2001, he turned to his pen to flavor his stories with southern spices. 

R.E. Munzing spent his childhood in Michigan, roaming the woods and building tree houses so it is no wonder that he chose an outdoorsy setting for his flights of fantasy. Bob is now swamped by the requirements of getting the rest of the story, that has turned into four books, written, but is happy to live in the fantasy world he’s creating. He takes breaks with occasional trips into the woods during thunderstorms and forays into flea markets looking for knives, small old wooden boxes, and small “steam punk” gadgetry. The next books in The Last Elfairian series are scheduled to make their debuts soon.

Olivia Lodise, ready to graduate from an Atlanta high school this year, began Violet Path as a simple writing assignment for English class in seventh grade, but it did not end there. For class, she wrote the first chapter to study narration and to practice description and character development. However, the story continued, and she wrote every night. For Olivia, writing is mapping out a world, laying it out in front of her, seeing every scene like a timeline, and tracing the characters’ lives. It is drawing out dreams.

For more information, contact Julie Breedlove at 770-364-5361.

About BQB Publishing

Founded in August of 2010, BQB was created to be “the writer’s publisher,” focusing on quality writing from new authors. An independent hybrid publisher, BQB combines the quality processes of traditional publishing with hands-on author involvement to bring today’s new writers and tomorrow’s best sellers into the hands of booksellers and the reading public. To learn more about BQB, visit www.bqbpublishing.com.