First Ever Virginia is for Readers Author Day

Jason F. Wright

Jason Wright is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling novelist. His work including more than 500 columns have appeared in hundreds of newspapers, magazines and web sites across the United States including The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Chicago Tribune, Deseret News, Forbes, CNN, and Fox News.

A film adaptation of his bestselling novel Christmas Jars was released in 2019. Several other novels are in various stages of film development.

Jason is the current writer-in-residence at Southern Virginia University. He teaches classes on writing and publishing popular fiction.

He is also a popular speaker and consultant who speaks and trains on kindness habits, faith, failure, the Christmas Jars movement, the lost art of letter writing, and more. He has been seen on CBS News, GMA, CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, and on dozens of local television programs across the country.

Jason has spoken to more than 250K students in school assemblies and writing workshops.

Steven K. Smith

Steven K. Smith is the author of nineteen books, including his The Virginia Mysteries, Brother Wars, and Final Kingdom series for middle grade readers. The 11-book Virginia Mysteries series feature modern day adventures with a twist of history. Their fictional mystery plots are combined with real historical locations and figures like Mount Vernon, Jamestown, St. John’s Church, Colonial Williamsburg, Patrick Henry, Barbara Johns, and Thomas Jefferson, making them a hit with families and educators alike.

The Virginia State Reading Association chose Shadows at Jamestown as a 2019-20 Virginia Readers’ Choice elementary title. Steven’s books have sold over 400,000 copies, and has spoken regularly at regional industry and literacy events and over 200 elementary and middle schools. He lives near Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, three sons and a golden retriever. When not writing, he enjoys biking, kayaking, hiking, the New York Yankees, naps, and taking away his kids’ screen time. Some of Steven’s favorite children’s books include Where the Red Fern Grows, Rascal, Tom Sawyer, Bridge to Terabithia, and The Chronicles of Narnia. Visit his website at www.stevenksmith.com.

Alexandra Hamlet

Alexandra Hamlet is a Harvard-trained cultural anthropologist, an international lecturer and a defense anthropologist.

She is a former television host, producer, and journalist, and an international consultant on cultural affairs and international business. She was an auxiliary nurse in London, England; international lecturer and consultant specializing
in the Far East and Pacific Rim; Special Student and Visiting Fellow, Harvard University; an executive search specialist for world-wide C-suite positions; and is a consultant on irregular warfare.

Sydney Blondell

Sydney Blondell is a 2021 Bridgewater College graduate. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing. Blondell enjoys all forms of writing, but her passion is young adult fiction and poetry. Blondell grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD, and now resides in Bridgewater, VA. When she is not writing, you can find her with her dogs Jeter and Frankie or binge watching Greys Anatomy on Netflix.

Charles Fischer

Charles Fischer is an award-winning author and teacher. His first novel, Beyond Infinity, is a fun adventure that secretly teaches math concepts and helps students and teachers fall in love with the magic of numbers. His first professional book, The Power of the Socratic Classroom, is the most comprehensive book for teachers on how to facilitate dialogue in K-12 classrooms. Charles is also the creator of three decks of creative thinking cards that can be used for journaling, writing exercises, and creativity challenges. The flagship set, Creative Thinking Cards, includes a manual for learning more about critical and creative thinking. The Zany Supplemental card deck expands on the first set and includes an overview of a creativity test. The third set is a digital card set, Nauticara Story Cards, which are available, with the others, on the Deckible app. You can learn more about Charles and the consulting work he does on his website: CharlesAmesFischer.com.

Stephanie Gardner

Stephanie S. Gardner lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina and has strong family roots in the mountains of Southwest Virginia.

She holds degrees in history, public history, and library science.
Stephanie works as a librarian, archivist, and museum curator.

This year she released her first book, “Rattlesnake Granny: Nancy Remembers Life in Old Thornton Gap, Inspired by True Stories”. Based on primary sources, the folklore and tales in this well-researched historical fiction novella continue to fuel Stephanie’s passion of helping people connect with the past.

Peter Givens

Peter Givens earned an M.A. in American History from Western Carolina University, writing a thesis on Great Smoky Mountains National Park before beginning a 40-year career with the U.S. National Park Service, most of it on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He designed exhibits, wrote publications, represented the park in a multitude of public settings and played a prominent role for many years in the development of the Blue Ridge Music Center where the stories and exhibits are closely related to the themes throughout “An Enduring Voice.” He designed and taught a class in Appalachian History at Virginia Western Community College for twelve years. These experiences and his attempts to play the music depicted here led to the writing of this book. Peter and his wife, Carole, live in Henrico, Virginia.

A.D Haywood

A.D. Haywood is a celebrated author known for crafting narratives that delve deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of love, loss, and redemption. With The Promise of Tomorrow, Haywood continues to establish a legacy of emotionally charged literature that speaks to the soul.

The Promise of Tomorrow is available for purchase at major online platforms. Join us on an unforgettable journey of love, choices, and the pursuit of happiness.
For more information, to request a review copy, or to schedule an interview with A.D. Haywood, please contact: dale.haywood2@gmail.com

Michael Henrich

Mike is a multi-awarded Virginia educator of 26 years and a first-time author. Teacher Boy uses his personal, nonjudgmental stories from the classroom as a student and teacher to celebrate the craft, and to point at its shortcomings. Mike cuts through mediocre teachers, layers of bureaucracy, swarming technology, an expectant society and self-doubt to keep the students and the future of education in focus. Teacher Boy is not only a look back at education over the last forty years, but a layperson’s guide to what’s going on in school and a coming-of-age story for all of us, teacher or not.

Teacher Boy has been professionally reviewed, was featured in September 2024 on CBS 6 in Richmond, and still maintains a five-star rating on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble. You can also find more information and interact with Mike at TeacherBoyBook.

Jeff W. Ishee

Jeff W. Ishee is an award-winning journalist with a career in radio, television, and print media. He is well-known across Virginia for his radio and television programs involving agriculture. He also wrote a weekly garden column for 19 years. Jeff is passionate about gardening, genealogy, American history, and growing heirloom peanuts. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard three ships of the Atlantic Fleet. Jeff is married to Carole Marshall Ishee and lives in the Mount Sidney community.

Eris Marriott

Eris Marriott lives anything but a quiet life, residing with her 3 dogs, rabbit, 3 snakes, and 2 cats. Her dream is to make her property horse friendly so she can bring her beloved Andy home, too.

She adores writing fantasy novels for people of all ages and weaving her worlds together in ways that never cease. From unicorns to vampires to dragons, Eris can’t quite pick a favorite and has resolved to write about them all, if she can.

Richard Sandberg

Richard Sandberg has been writing poetry and music as an
expression of his faith since he was a young teen. As a pastor for
fifteen years with a master’s degree in Christian apologetics, he is
always looking for ways to share the message of the gospel in a
way that engages our current culture. Now, as a father of three,
he is committed to passing on his faith to his children. This
project combines Richard’s theological training, artistic talents,
and experience as a father into one book designed to engage
both children and their parents in a creative and timely way with
a timeless message.

D.W. Saur

D.W. Saur is the award-winning author of Metal Like Me and Dark Days and owner of Polar Press. His works include The Last Christmas, Return to Christmas Town, Just Friends, The Untold, and Scream with Me. Saur’s goal as an author is to provide something for everyone by writing fantasy, historical fiction, anti-bully/school issues, paranormal, and wholesome-hallmark-style stories.

Professionally, D.W. spent a decade teaching middle school Social Studies until taking on his current role as an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher. In 2023, Saur formed Polar Press with the goal of making it a publisher that puts authors before company profits. Writing takes up most of D. W.’s free time outside of work and building Polar Press, but he manages to find time to enjoy the little things in life. He’s an avid concert-goer and enjoys watching movies, hiking, and biking.

You can visit dwsaur.com for more information about his work and a list of social media sites, including Instagram and YouTube.

A.D. Stone

A.D. Stone is an author, chandler, and vintage toy shop owner.

A lifelong lover of books, art, Arthurian legend, poetry, Disney, and all things whimsical and nostalgic, she takes pride in her creative ability, always looking for the next magical thing to conjure up or be a part of.

She was born and raised within the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She still resides there with her significant other and beloved pets.

You can follow her independent author journey on her social media channels as well as her website: www.adstonewrites.com

William R.D. Wood

William R.D. Wood traces his love of science fiction and horror back to a childhood filled with Space: 1999 reruns, frequent visits to the Night Gallery, and a worn-out copy of Dune.

A veteran of the US Navy and South Carolina steel mills, Will draws from these experiences and others to create stories that blend scientific speculation with elements of cosmic horror.

His favorite thematic playgrounds explore the vastness of the universe, the dark corners of the mind and the resilience of the human spirit. That said, it’s probably best not to leave him unsupervised with buttons marked Do Not Press.
Will currently lives with his wife in a recently empty nest in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley. His work has appeared in publications such as Nature, Daily Science Fiction, and Metastellar. Discover more at williamrdwood.com.