Author Profiles
Ohio has a rich literary heritage as well as some wonderful contemporary authors. Learn more about them here! You can sort by various categories and see who has participated in our annual book festival by using the category search on the left, or search by keyword (including partial author names) by using the search field on the right.
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Andrea Cheng
The child of Hungarian immigrants, Andrea Cheng was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in an extended family with three generations under one roof. She and her family spoke both Hungarian and English at home. After graduating with a BA in English from Cornell University, Cheng went to Switzerland, where she apprenticed to a bookbinder, attended a school of bookbinding called The Centro del Bel Libro, and learned French.…
Read MoreThe child of Hungarian immigrants, Andrea Cheng was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in an extended family with three generations under one roof. She and her family spoke both Hungarian and English at home. After graduating with a BA in English from Cornell University, Cheng went to Switzerland, where she apprenticed to a bookbinder, attended a school of bookbinding called The Centro del Bel Libro, and learned French. Upon her return, she went back to Cornell to study Chinese and got her MS in linguistics. Now, Cheng teaches English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and writes children’s books including Grandfather Counts, Marika, The Key Collection, Honeysuckle House, Where the Steps Were, The Bear Makers, and Brushing Mom’s Hair. Cheng lives in Cincinnati with her husband Jim. They have three children: Nicholas, Jane, and Ann. Visit Andrea online at http://www.andreacheng.com/.
Jennifer Chiaverini
Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, Fates and Traitors, and other acclaimed works of historical fiction, as well as the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. She lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin.
Cinda Williams Chima
Ohio-born author Cinda Williams Chima nearly failed first grade because she was always daydreaming. By junior high, she got in trouble for writing novels in class. Yet the magic of books took her from first grade failure to first generation college graduate to New York Times best-selling author of the Seven Realms, Heir Chronicles, and Shattered Realms teen fantasy series. Her newest duology, The Runestone Saga, (Balzer&Bray) launched November 2022 with Children of Ragnarok. It marries Norse mythology and witchcraft with magic, swordplay, romance and cut-throat politics. She is a winner of the Buckeye Teen Book Award and a Choose to Read Ohio author.
Nancy Christie
Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of three novels, Reinventing Rita, Finding Fran and Moving Maggie (all from BookBaby)—the first three in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series; four short story collections: The Language of Love and Other Stories, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (all from Unsolicited Press); two books for writers: Rut-Busting Book for Authors and Rut-Busting Book for Writers (both from BookBaby) and the essay collection, The Gifts of Change (Atria/Beyond Words). Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous print and online publications, with several earning contest placement.
The host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and the founder of the annual “Midlife Moxie” Day and “Celebrate Short Fiction” Day, Nancy teaches writing workshops at conferences, libraries, and schools. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), the Florida Writers Association (FWA) and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). Nancy is available to chat with book clubs or writing groups (virtually and in real life) about the writing process, the themes of her books and her writing life. Contact her via email for more information.
Mark Clark
Author and film historian Mark Clark writes about classic movies and TV shows. His works include Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know about the Trilogy That Changed the Movies, Star Trek FAQ: Everything Left to Know about the First Voyages of the Starship Enterprise, which was named to one of Kirkus Reviews Ten Best Books of the Year lists and has gone into a second printing, Sixties Shockers: A Critical Filmography of Horror Cinema, 1960-69, and Smirk, Sneer, and Scream: Great Acting in Horror Cinema. He has also contributed essays and articles to many other books and magazines. In 2015, he won a Rondo Award for his movie and book reviews for Monsters from the Vault magazine. Mark is a graduate of the University of Louisville, a former film critic for the Louisville Courier-Journal, and a former teacher of film history and genre theory. He now resides in Mentor on the Lake, Ohio.
Terreece M. Clarke
Bestselling author and journalist Terreece M. Clarke writes epic love stories about smart, courageous Black women loved without reservation or hesitation. She is active in her artistic community, including as Lincoln Theatre Artist Fellow (2018 Cohort) and a member of the 100 Authors Project. A longtime journalist, she has written for various websites, magazines, newspapers, and as a YA and children’s book reviewer for Common Sense Media. Her work has garnered the attention of the New York Times, Disney, and Jezebel, and her company’s digital marketing clients have landed media appearances for national outlets including Fox Business News, BET, CNN, Ebony Magazine, The Root, and MSNBC. As a successful writer, journalist, entrepreneur, mother of three, and wife to one, she is often asked to lead discussions on women and parenting issues and diversity in media, pop culture, and tech. Terreece’s first book – Olivia’s Potty Adventures, a potty training storybook featuring an African American character – spent 16 weeks as a top new release. Heartbeat: A Courageous Love Novel, her debut romantic suspense novel became a top international romance novel in two categories and kicked off the bestselling Courageous Love Novel series. You can find Terreece writing through life on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook – come join the conversation! https://terreececlarke.com
Gabrielle S. Clarke
Gabrielle S. Clarke is a high school senior, vice president of her school’s Thespian Society and a College Board National African American Recognition Awardee. She has been published in the anthology Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No, You Can’t Touch My Hair and the Thurber House literary journal Flip the Page. Her debut full-length YA novel, Vanessa Is Not a Victim, blends razor-sharp wit and rebellious spirit to deliver a wickedly fun ride through high school halls fraught with danger and dark comedy. In this thrilling tale, the line between hunter and hunted blurs, keeping readers laughing one moment and gripping their seats the next. When Gabrielle isn’t writing, she enjoys painting, drawing, hanging out with friends, and applying for colleges where she hopes to major in film directing.
Colleen Clayton
Colleen Clayton is the critically acclaimed author of the YA novel What Happens Next, which was a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award. She grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and worked as a social worker in residential treatment centers for troubled teens and as Program Supervisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahoning Valley. She holds an MFA in fiction writing from the Northeast Ohio Consortium (NEOMFA) and teaches fiction writing and composition at Youngstown State University. She was recently contracted by YSU’s Special Education Department to teach an online summer writing course for 4th and 5th graders. As part of the project, she wrote eight online picture books for the students and then helped them craft their own stories using the free, educational platform Storybird. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoQSxqNyJHkZdqzDo5QOXfg
Colleen can speak on a number of subjects, including date rape, bullying, eating disorders, feminist issues in young adult literature, and ADHD, and can lead an hour-long creative writing workshop for grades 3 through 12 as well as for adults. She has facilitated in-service workshops for librarians and teachers as well.
In-Service Testimonial from Jennifer Holt, Librarian at Willoughby South High School:
“Colleen’s story starting exercise was fun and inspiring! It fostered creative interplay between my original ideas and the surprising places my colleagues took them.”
For more on Colleen, go to her website at colleenclayton.com.
Doug Coates
Doug Coates is the author of two middle-grade books used in his engaging and interactive presentations about character and good sportsmanship. Pitching for Success: Character Lessons, the Joe Nuxhall Way, and Riley’s Winning Catch; Good Character Prevails depict situational examples of good character and sportsmanship. Please email the author at Doug@authordougcoates.com if you and your school are interested in an author visit. He will also send you a comp copy of each book to review if you’d like. In a change of genre, the author published his first picture book, Bobby Button Goes to School in the spring of 2022.
Jean Colebank
Jean is in her 31st year of teaching and loves to make the seemingly difficult concepts in math much easier to understand. Her children’s book, Sit Down Little Prince! A math story about Carl Friedrich Gauss gives readers a little story, a little history and one really, big math trick! She earned a master’s degree in Math Education from Bank Street Graduate School in New York City and a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from The University of Akron in Ohio. Jean is a mother, grandmother, avid golfer as well as a writer, editor, and consultant for McGraw-Hill, Scholastic, and other educational publishers.