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

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

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.