Monroe County Book Expo
Free and Open to the Public
This year’s event will begin with a short presentation by local author L’Aura Hladik Hoffman. Schiffer Publishing issued Ms. Hoffman’s book, Ghosts of the Poconos, this year. She will discuss how she found a publisher.
The following local authors are registered for Book Expo and information has been provided by the authors.
Sahar Abdulaziz, who lives in Scotrun, describes her book, But You LOOK Just Fine, as “a 430 page resource where 37 men and women who live with various forms of mood disorders are profiled in both words and pictures … a support group in a book!” She published it last year. Ms. Abdulaziz holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of New Rochelle and a master’s in health and wellness promotion and administration, as well as a certification in community health, from the California College of Health Science. She has worked as a domestic violence counselor and advocate, and is a speaker who promotes mutual respect and tolerance.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ButYouLOOKJustFine
Peter Barbour began writing fiction in the mid 1980’s. He published a short novel, in the form of a memoir, “Loose Ends”, in 1987. Subsequently, he started writing short stories. His first short story, “Things can Always Get Worse,” appeared in Being in 1992. He then published four short stories in Raconteur, between 1993 and1995. Since retiring from his career as a neurologist at Lehigh Valley Hospital in 2015, Peter has spent more time writing. He’s published many stories at shortbreadstories.co.uk, Storystar.com, and Short-story.me. These stories mix fantasy with life lessons based on mindfulness and target younger readers.
In October of 2016, Peter wrote and illustrated a children’s book, Gus at Work, about a wheaten terrier who learns how to herd sheep. Peter and his wife travel extensively, which gives him exposure to diverse cultures and places. He enjoys fishing, canoeing, biking, woodcarving, and drawing. His study of mindfulness has spawned a series of stories illustrating various virtues. He also likes to read and enjoys deconstructing stories to see how they are put together and presented.
Sherry Blackman is the author of Call to Witness, a true story of one woman’s battle with disability, discrimination, and a leading pharmaceutical powerhouse. Jane Gagliardo had lived and worked in the Poconos for nearly a decade when she was fired by a leading vaccine maker after her supervisor learned of her disability. Jane is fearless and impassioned, and her story will leave readers empowered to stand up for themselves, even if it means standing alone. This 2002 landmark case changed the law and challenges the way corporations do business today. This riveting dramatic account sheds fascinating insight into the world of vaccine production, both past and present, that will have every reader searching through their immunization record–this corporation’s vaccines literally run in the veins of millions of Americans.
Sherry Blackman is an internationally published writer, poet and journalist, whose work has taken her to over 30 countries and has appeared in dozens of national and international publications, including The Christian Science Monitor, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New Jersey Herald, The Star Ledger, and The World & I Magazine. In 2007, she was ordained with the Presbyterian Church USA, and serves as the pastor of the Church of the Mountain in Delaware Water Gap. She founded Writing for Revelation Workshops, and is a truck stop chaplain.
Kim Briggs once smashed into a tree while skiing. The accident led to a concussion, a cracked sternum, temporary notoriety as a sixth grader returned from the dead, and the realization that fictionalized accounts are way more interesting than just slipping on the ice. An unhealthy obsession with conspiracy theories combined with a love of travel and happily “ever afters” led Kim to write her young adult novel, Starr Fall, in which a secret organization decides 17 year old Starr Bishop is not only the model student, but the ideal assassin. While in hiding, Starr meets dark, moody, and dead sexy Christian Evergood. Cue the swoon worthy music. But it’s not all happily ever afters for Kim. Her NA novel, And Then He, explores the dark and scary corners of the human psyche. Following a night of innocent flirting with a handsome stranger, Tiffani finds herself in the midst of a nightmare she can’t escape. And Then He is available through Amazon and other major book retailers. Starr Fall released November 2016 with Inkspell Publishing, followed by Starr Lost in January 2017 and Starr Gone in June 2017. Her novella, Avalanche is part of the Valentine Kisses Anthology and released February 14, 2017.
When she’s not doing something writerly, Kim can be found jumping into snow drifts with her three kids, husband, and dog. She’s careful to avoid trees. Visit her website and sign up for updates: http://www.KimBriggsWrite.com
Debbie Burke studied alto saxophone at The New School for Social Research in New York City and for many years played in a community jazz band. When she moved from her hometown of Brooklyn to northeastern Pennsylvania, she was thrilled to find a thriving jazz community. This became the inspiration for her first book, The Poconos in B Flat, featuring personal interviews with musical movers and shakers like Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, and many others. The Poconos in B Flat is available at all online booksellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
In between rehearsals and concerts, Debbie has built a career in communications including print production, advertising, marketing, the news media and magazine publishing. She has written hundreds of columns and articles, and was the editor of an award-winning business journal. Her second book, GLISSANDO: A Story of Love, Lust and Jazz (Waldorf Publishing), will be released in July 2018. GLISSANDO is a sharp-edged tale that centers on middle-aged Ellie Greenberg, who stumbles headfirst into a scorching affair with a very-married trumpet player. She is mortified to realize she may actually be in love with him. Trouble is, he has a new life a thousand miles away. Debbie is working on her third book, a mystery about jazz in the South at the turn of last century. She writes for the music education website Jamey Aebersold Jazz. Her jazz blog is full of up-close interviews of musicians and can be found at http://www.debbieburkeauthor.com.
Jenny Collins’ memoir, Rock of Ages: On Being My Mother’s Keeper, provides advice to caregivers of the aged. In the book, Jenny navigates her mother’s failing health and onset of dementia. It includes Jenny’s own memories of growing up with a widowed parent as well as her mother’s memories of her time as a World War II Navy Wave. Jenny shares the lessons she learned, and provides an appendix of references to professional help and publications. Rock of Ages was published last year by CreateSpace, and is available in paperback through Amazon.com.
Belinda M Gordon was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently lives in the Pocono Mountains area with her wonderfully supportive husband, her thoughtful easy-going son, and two delightful dogs. She is of Irish heritage, which is how she became interested in Celtic Mythology. She used the Celtic Mythology of Ireland, as inspiration for her Romance/Fantasy series, The King’s Jewel. Belinda also enjoys photography, fashion, music, dancing and a good mystery. You will find these influences throughout her writing. To learn more about Belinda visit her website at http://www.belinda-gordon.com
Donna L. Hamilton, MDis a Holistic Wellness Speaker and the Chief Wellness Officer and owner of Manifest Excellence, LLC. She’s on a mission to help everyone live the healthy, satisfying lives they’re meant to lead. A dynamic speaker and wellness luminary, Dr. Hamilton moved beyond her career as a board certified pediatrician to become a “doctorpreneur,” now specializing in health optimization. She speaks and consults nationally at corporations and conferences about holistically improving health and well-being in a way that addresses your unique needs.
A former Director of Adolescent and School Health Services, Dr. Hamilton quickly learned the key to achieving optimal health in children: optimize the health of the adults in their lives. She frequently saw external factors such as stress, environment, and relationships impact not only her patients’ health but also their caregivers. Addressing these psychosocial issues often played a major role in her patients’ ability to become healthier. She now passionately works to help adults improve their personal wellness by addressing similar factors. She wrote her book Wellness Your Way to support adults desiring to use a holistic approach to improve their well-being.
Kelly Hashway grew up reading R.L. Stine’s Fear Street novels and writing stories of her own, so it was no surprise to her family when she majored in English and later obtained a Master’s degree in English Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg University. After teaching middle school language arts for seven years, Hashway went back to school and focused specifically on writing. She is now the author of three young adult series, one middle grade series, and several picture books. She also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she isn’t writing, Hashway works as an acquisitions editor for Leap Books and as a freelance editor for her own list of clients. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and volunteering with the PTO. Hashway currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets. Visit her website: www.kellyhashway.com
Jack Hillman is a novelist, journalist, playwright and a medical underwriter. His fiction has been published in multiple magazines. In addition Jack has written and directed four mystery plays for local audiences in the Lehigh Valley. On the non-fiction side, Jack has served as a stringer on local newspapers- winning a Keystone Press Award for his investigative reporting- and has worked on a wire service covering the insurance industry as well as serving as a contributing editor to a life underwriting journal for eleven years. He has worked in the insurance industry for over thirty years and has a wide medical background due to his position as a medical underwriter. In addition, Jack is an avid martial artist and a collector of edged weapons. The first novel in his Giant’s war trilogy titled “There Are Giants In This Valley” was released April 13, 2012 by MUSA Publishing, with the second, “Giants Want The Lost River,” released August 3, 2012 with the final volume ”Giants Want Ragnarok” released November, 2012.
L’Aura Hladik Hoffman is a paranormal investigator. The Pocono region contains beautiful resorts, lively casinos, and stunning waterfalls. Yet, stand in any one spot long enough and chills will run up your spine. Hoffman’s book, Ghosts of the Poconos explores twenty haunted locations within this tourist mecca using her book. Dine at Tannersville Inn with the ghost of Mabel or stay the night at The Shawnee Inn with a Lady in White. Discover the Pennsylvania Dutch beast Siwweyaeger or the phantom of the Poconos Cinema and Cultural Center as it “strikes again.” The Hotel of Horror theater will challenge you to discern between actor and specter at every turn. Examine local legends, haunted artifacts and attractions, ghost photography, and more. Included is a directory of local paranormal organizations, researchers, and tours to plan your own investigations. It won’t take long for you to discover that the ghosts of the Poconos are ever present, so join the hunt!
L’Aura founded the New Jersey Ghost Hunters Society in 1998 and has been ghost hunting since 1993. She has appeared on the nationally syndicated television show Montel Williams (UPN Network) and The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet (Fox Network) to discuss her ghostly findings. L’Aura’s other books include Ghosthunting New Jersey and Ghosthunting New York City.
Jill Howell focuses on teaching people how to use art, hobbies, and other relaxation techniques including visualization, breathing, and guided meditation to relieve stress and manage their problems. She earned a bachelor’s degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts and an master’s degree in art therapy from Marywood University. Howell lectures about creative stress management throughout health systems, area businesses, and her community. She has a background in theater, which makes her a lively and engaging speaker. She resides in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter and two cats.
People can use Jill’s book, Color, Draw, Collage: Create Your Way to a Less Stressful Life, to cope with everyday stressors. Self-help, stress management, and coloring all come together here to create an interactive and therapeutic journal. This book offers practical skills in a fun-to-follow format. Readers will enjoy creating relaxing pieces of art while learning the knowledge necessary to change their attitude. While creating art, readers will be looking at situations in their life with a new approach. They will be creating tangible images to help clarify their thoughts and emotions. The book employs proven, practiced art therapy techniques, as well as Jill’s experience working with stressed inpatients and outpatients dealing with various medical issues. Jill’s focus as a counselor has been teaching people practical coping skills to help them make changes in their lifestyles.
Cleo MeriAbut Jarvis is an award-winning educator, poet, story-teller, as well as a recognized resource for implementing Service Learning Projects in schools. Heralded for her leadership in molding children as young as seven years old into philanthropists and community service advocates, Ms. Jarvis and her Young Philanthropists have been declared New Yorkers of the Year by NY-1 Television, featured on Good Morning America and in a special interest story on NBC with award winning journalist Perri Peltz. She also received recognition from Chelsea Clinton and earned prestigious service awards like The Jefferson Award for Public Service, as well as service awards from the New York City Department of Education and Office of the Mayor of New York City. Additional philanthropic endeavors include the creation and funding of an award-winning children’s performing arts troupe, as well as a tutoring program called the Young Readers and Writers Society, and a group of spoken word artists called The Littlest Poets.
These experiences have led Cleo to create what she calls Bridge Books; she has copyrighted several of these titles. The Littlest Poets and Me describes her process in teaching young children to write poetry and includes samples of the children’s work. It is available for purchase on Amazon.com for $11.95. The second title We Penny Harvest: Reflections of Children Engaged in Community Service, details how young philanthropists connect with their community to give back.
Susan Moore Jordan was a high school student in the mid nineteen-fifties in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, when a close friend went through a shattering event just as she was preparing to audition for the high school’s annual musical. Decades later Jordan used that experience of tragedy to triumph to write her first novel, How I Grew Up, in 2013. Two additional novels followed: Eli’s Heart in 2014 and You Are My Song in 2015, completing “The Carousel Trilogy.” A fourth novel, Jamie’s Children, was released in July of 2016. All of Jordan’s novels are drawn from her life experiences as a voice teacher and stage director and are inspired by real people she has encountered.
Jordan attended the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and moved to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania in 1971 with her late husband and three young children, where she established a private voice studio and directed local community and high school musical theater productions. She retired from directing in 2015 after over thirty years and wrote about her adventures in “More Fog, Please”: Thirty-One Years Directing Community and High School Musicals, released in November, 2015.
All of Jordan’s books are available on Amazon in paperback, and the novels are also available as Kindle editions. Paperback copies can be purchased at the Pocono Cinema and Community Center whenever the theater is open. For more information, please visit her website at www.susanmoorejordan.com and her Amazon author page at http://ow.ly/XCjYX
Brian Macrae, author of the futuristic young adult mystery The Sky’s Eyes, grew up in Connecticut. He left home at 19 and moved to San Francisco, California. That move began a habit of moving frequently that lasted 15 years. A few of the places he called home were Rochester New York, Columbia South Carolina, Boulder and Durango Colorado, Durham and Raleigh North Carolina. He finally settled in Asheville North Carolina and lived there for a while. He then moved up to the Poconos, a vacation area in Eastern Pennsylvania to be with the woman that he would eventually marry.
Brian’s years in San Francisco were the most formative. Seeking knowledge and experience, he read voraciously and sought out new activities whenever possible. The other experience that would have a serious impact was an accident in a restaurant that put him in the hospital for 28 days. He left with skin grafts covering nearly 1/3 of his body and a renewed expectation that life should always have direction. Life can be slow and leisurely or hectic and driven, but it should never be random or pointless. He delved into yoga as physical therapy after the injury and eventually became a yoga teacher. That led to a practice called AcroYoga which is a combination of Acrobatics and Yoga. His other passion is renovating houses.
Patrick Malcolm was born and raised in Jamaica by a single mother. Having lost his father when he was only four months old, Mr. Malcolm came to be a provider and care-taker for his mother and his two younger sisters. He credits this early responsibility with leading him to excel as a stuntman and precision driver. For 20 years, he has appeared on television series, television commercials and in print magazines. His credits include work for the Law and Order television show and the HBO series Oz, as well as the films The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Taking of Pelham 123, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Batman.
He offers this explanation for his book, The Sky Is Not the Limit: the Limit Is When You Say Stop: “My limit is not bound by what I do professionally. Helping those in need of advice, encouragement and/or a lending ear as a mentor is also a passion of mine and each opportunity I’ve encountered in life is an experience and testament which has helped me to write this book, along with my love for cars, which served as a great theme. My experiences have made me the strong, independent, positive, caring and giving person I am today. I can only hope after reading my book you will believe you are too.” More information can be found on Patrick’s website: http://www.Thelimitiswhenyousaystop.com
Rev. Robert P. Mitchell sang 40 leading tenor roles in New York City productions over a 30 year span. Sodium Balls, A Reverend’s Journey recounts Rev. Mitchell’s forty-year journey to the Christian ministry. Beginning with a life-changing encounter with God in his car on the way to work one morning, the story sweeps the reader through his life from his earliest recollections to arriving at his and his wife’s first pulpit. In between, police chases on motorcycles, sodium ball fireworks, marriage and family, opera singing in New York City, onstage-offstage romances, thirty-year managerial career with Scholastic Magazines, nay-sayers, and finally landing on their first pulpit in a small country village—all this takes the reader on a colorful odyssey.
The challenge of resolving the singing vs. faith struggle keeps readers riveted. Opera and ministry mix kind of like oil and water. This drama touches everyone who dreams, but then folks tell you, “You’ll never do it.” But in the author’s case, God triumphs in the end in the most incredible way.
Eniko Mary Magdalene Nyerges, S.F.O., wrote most of the stories in her book, Images of Faith, while seated in front of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Benedict Chapel in Farmingdale, New York. She belongs to the Secular Franciscan Order and the New Pentecost Fraternity. Sister Nyerges thinks of the Heavenly Father as the real author of her book since he gives her inspiration. Images of Faith contains her meditations, thoughts and experience with the Creator and the Holy Spirit. The book was published by Vasz Books and is available through Internet booksellers.
Karl Petry is the author of Absent Witness, the story of his life and his unusual physic abilities. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1952, he quickly learned that he was different than the other children but couldn’t explain it. Later in life, through meetings with parapsychologist and others in the paranormal field he developed a better understanding of his abilities and the responsibilities it carried.
Absent Witness tells of the various cases where his psychic ability was used. It gives an understanding of his family roots from a coalmine town in Northeast Pennsylvania, to the streets of New York. Karl Petry has been written about in magazines and newspapers with appearances on television and radio. Absent Witness covers many interesting stories that have thrilled his audiences over the years. A television series based on this book is called, Absent Witness, and is now in production. It will debut in 2018, which stars Michael Chmiel as Karl Petry and Kristin Muri as the parapsychologist.
Daniel E. Steere has been fly fishing for over thirty years. During that time he has fished in the eastern and western United States and in the Maritime Provinces of Canada catching trout, bass, panfish, salmon, and saltwater fish. He is a retired East Stroudsburg University professor and has authored or co-authored three books and more than thirty-five journal articles and book chapters related to the field of special education and rehabilitation.
Fly fishing has exploded as a popular sport during the past three decades. Increasingly, the trend has been toward greater specialization (trout vs. bass, freshwater vs. saltwater, lightweight vs. heavier weight rods and reels) and complexity. This has taken many anglers away from what they loved best about fly fishing: catching a wide variety of fish with simple, minimalist equipment that can fit into a day pack. Backpack Fly Fishing helps readers to get back to and enjoy a simpler approach to fly fishing. This book will be useful to current fly fishers who want to try a less complicated, back-to-basics approach, spin and bait fishers who want to try the sport of fly fishing without breaking the bank on fishing equipment, and hikers, campers, bicyclists, and other outdoors people who want to be able to fish in waters that they happen upon on their journeys through the wilds. Backpack Fly Fishing is available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, & other online book distributors.
Michael A. Ventrella’s fantasy novels Arch Enemies and The Axes of Evil were released by Double Dragon Press to critical acclaim. He is editor of the Tales from Fortannis anthologies A Bard in the Hand, A Bard’s Eye View, and A Bard Day’s Knight. His third novel Bloodsuckers: A Vampire Runs for President was released in 2014. His pirate short story “X Spots the Mark” appears in the anthology Rum and Runestones and its sequel “Get Kraken” is in Cutlass and Musket: Tales of Piratical Skulduggery. His short story “The Jesus Secret” can be found in the collection Twisted Tails VII, and “Hell, I Must Be Going” in Dreamers in Hell, part of the Heroes in Hell series of books. His story “Knowledge” is in Dance Like a Monkey, and the steampunk story “The Mummy of Barnsley” is in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Archives.
Michael is one of the founders of the biggest fantasy medieval live action role-playing groups in North America and currently runs the Alliance LARP. He is also the founder of Animato which, in the late ’80s, was the first major magazine dedicated to animated films. He has been quoted as an animation expert in Entertainment Weekly and in various books. Michael interviews other authors, editors, agents and publishers on his blog, which can be found on his website, http://www.michaelaventrella.com. In his spare time, he is a lawyer.
Sharnel Williams has written a memoir, What Do A Mother Do? The Shakil Williams Story! (Xlibris 2010) that chronicles her son’s illness and death. In June of 2005 Shakil Williams passed away from leukemia. She decided to write this memoir to share Shakil’s story with the world. Sharnel was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She is a wife, mother, writer, radio host, entrepreneur, and grandma. Sharnel has also launched her own publishing company called Shar-Shey Publishing Company LLC. She has published several books that can be purchased on her website, http://www.authorsharnel.com.