In addition to the many local authors, we have a few very special guests this year:
James Rollins
Thriller
James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with two furry companions, Echo and Charlie. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.
Bryan Patrick Avery
Children’s Books, Poetry
Bryan Patrick Avery is an award-winning poet and author of more than twenty books for children including two chapter book series, MR. GRIZLEY’S CLASS, illustrated by Arief Putra, and MILO GRAY’S IMAGINATION ADVENTURES, illustrated by Sabrina Filieri. He is also the author of the bestselling middle grade collective biography, BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE, illustrated by Nikita Leanne. He is a past recipient of the SCBWI Work in Progress Award for his chapter book mystery THE ROBOT IN THE LIBRARY and was a fellow in the inaugural Amplify Black Stories Cohort. Bryan lives in Northern California with his family.
Robin Burcell
Police Procedurals, Thrillers
New York Times Bestselling author Robin Burcell moonlighted as a cop for nearly three decades, while working as a mom fulltime. She wrote police procedurals and international thrillers, until Clive Cussler asked her to co-write with him in the Fargo series (where the good guys sometimes skirted the law, but always saved the day). More info can be found at: www.RobinBurcell.com
BJ Davis
Literary, Poetry
Bee Jay Da-vis is a poet, a flash fiction storyteller, an attorney, and an advocate for self-realization. She’s a lover of action movies, live theater, and all genres of music, except heavy metal. Joining Black Women Write six years ago inspired her to pick up the pace on the writing she’s been doing since she was a thirteen-year-old growing up in Baton Rouge, LA. Her debut collection, True…At First: Poems, Musings & Flash Fiction, was published in 2020 and is available to buy on Amazon. Her latest publication is My Only Friends Are Pirates, an epic poem styled as an action/thriller. It is available on Amazon Kindle and in paperback. Her forthcoming book of guided meditations speaks to her deep faith and her desire to guide others towards inner peace.
She draws inspiration from a variety of places and spaces, including science fiction, her New Orleans birthplace, Mississippi and North Carolina ancestors (especially her grandfather,) and the Navajo Indian Reservation on which she lived and worked for a goodly spell. She currently resides in Sacramento, CA with her husband and the ghosts of two sweet cats.
Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
Children’s Books
Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson is the author-illustrator of THE MOCHI MAKERS and SHELL SONG. In THE MOCHI MAKERS, a girl and her grandmother make mochi together in a gentle and joyous “storytelling treat” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) celebrating family, tradition, and the memories that matter most. SHELL SONG is a story of finding and collecting pieces of hope, big or small, even in the darkest of times and is inspired by the shells Sharon’s grandfather collected in a Japanese American incarceration camp in Hawai’i during World War II. Sharon is a fourth generation Japanese American who grew up in both America and Japan. She now lives in California in a house filled with three generations, two languages, and countless books and art supplies.
James L’Etoile
Mystery/Crime
James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. Served Cold and River of Lies are his most recent novels. Look for Sins of the Father and Illusion of Truth, coming in 2024. You can find out more at www.jamesletoile.com
Kathy Lynne Marshall
Genealogy, Historical Nonfiction, Short Story Fiction
Kathy Lynne Marshall isn’t just a genealogist; she’s a historical detective, giving voice to the forgotten. Through meticulous research and a touch of creative empathy, she unearths the stories of women, African Americans, and other unsung heroes who shaped America. Imagine experiencing history through the eyes of those who lived it–that’s the power of Kathy’s “speculative nonfiction.” But she doesn’t stop there. Kathy empowers others to reclaim their heritage, leading workshops and sharing her successful research and self-publishing secrets so anyone can become the author of their family story.
Kathy’s books are available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kathy-Lynne-Marshall/author/B07PNLWJRY
Books and art are also available on her website: KathyLynneMarshall.com
Catriona McPherson
Mystery
Catriona (she/her) was born in Scotland and lived there until 2010, then immigrated to California where she lives on Patwin ancestral land. A former academic linguist, she now writes full-time. Her multi-award-winning and national best-selling work includes: the DANDY GILVER historical detective stories, the LAST DITCH mysteries, set in California, and a strand of contemporary standalone novels including Edgar-finalist THE DAY SHE DIED and Mary Higgins Clark finalist STRANGERS AT THE GATE. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, The Crimewriters’ Association, The Society of Authors and Sisters in Crime, of which she is a former national president.
RoseMary Covington Morgan
Character-Driven Fiction
RoseMary Covington Morgan left a successful career as a transit planning and development executive manager to accept a new challenge as an author. She has been writing character driven fiction for almost six years.
Since beginning this new adventure, RoseMary has published the short story, “The Song” in the anthology Storytellers-Tales from the Rio Vista Writers’ group. She also has 3 short stories, “My Big Red Shadow”, “T’was” and “School Shopping” and two poems published in the Northern California Publishers Anthologies. Her short story, Minnow Mildred, appeared in the California Writers Club publication,Visions.
She has published novel, Swimming Through Mud, and one novella, The Dancer. Her collection of short stories, Slices of American Lives will be available in February 2025.
She currently lives in Sacramento, CA.
Gloria Pierrot-Dyer
Historical, Childrens, Poetry
Gloria Pierrot-Dyer, M.A. is a writer of historic fiction, children’s literature and poetry. As an educator by profession, she has conducted extensive research into issues pertaining to the African-American community. Gloria enjoys producing works that entertain, inform and inspire. As a trained singer and speaker, she is also often called upon for public speaking and singing engagements, with a special focus on Black history. She has published two books, which are sold on Amazon, and her work has also appeared in anthologies published by the California Writers Club. An enthusiastic and long-standing member of California Writers Club, Gloria has served the Sacramento branch in the offices of first vice-president and president. She is the proud recipient of the 2023 California Writers Club Jack London Service Award.
Simon Wood
Thrillers
USA Today bestselling author Simon Wood is a California transplant from England. He’s a former competitive racecar driver, a licensed pilot, an endurance cyclist, an animal rescuer, and an occasional PI. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. Their lives are dominated by a longhaired dachshund and five cats. He’s the Anthony Award winning author of The One That Got Away, Paying the Piper, Terminated, Deceptive Practices and the Aidy Westlake series. He’s a regular contributor to Writer’s Digest and other writing magazines. He also writes horror under the pen name of Simon Janus. People can learn more at http://www.simonwood.net