The Books By the Bay Fair at Village Books
for #CAC25 will be held during the conference in collaboration with Village Books!
The CAC 25 Books By the Bay Book Fair will be held at Village Books on Sunday, April 6th, 2025 located in Historic Fairhaven in Bellingham, Wash.
We’re excited to have Village Books with us at the Sheraton this year! As always, they will be with us on Saturday and Saturday night at the Awards Ceremony, so be prepared to greatly increase your TBR! However, on Sunday, we will move the public Book Fair to Village Books’ Fairhaven Location to celebrate the end of the Conference and bring your work directly to the public! We’ll have tables throughout the bookstore to present work, and authors are encouraged to walk around and see what else is happening when they aren’t signed up to table!
The Book Fair will be open to all CAC attendees and presenters!
We will promote the Book Fair on Social Media, and Facebook Events!
Interested in selling ebooks? We recommend Bookchain.ca for e-pub sales and promotions.
If you have any questions regarding the CAC25 Book Room, please contact David at DBeaumier@ChantiReviews.com
We will reply within 72 business hours of receiving your email.
Authors: If your name isn’t up here yet, it should be soon, but please reach out to David Beaumier at DBeaumier@ChantiReviews.com
This year’s CAC25 Book Fair will be held at
Village Books Fairhaven, Bellingham!
Village Books Fairhaven, Bellingham
Sunday, April 21st, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
A FREE and FUN FAMILY EVENT
Door Prizes and Raffles
Ongoing Activities
Plus more activities as authors join in! We invite you to check back!
OR Meet Authors the Old Fashioned Way – stop by their tables and chat with them at the Book Fair.
* As with these crazy times, presenters, times of sessions, sessions, just about anything is may change at the last minute and without notice. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Team Chanticleer
D.D. Black writes crime fiction set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. He is the author of the International Bestselling Series: The Thomas Austin Crime Thrillers. Like Thomas Austin, he lives in a sleepy beach town an hour from Seattle, loves to cook, and is part-time servant to a wonderful corgi. To learn more, check out ddblackauthor.com.
Mohan Ranga Rao is the author of the internationally well received travel memoir Inner Trek, A reluctant pilgrim in the Himalayas. He has an engineering degree, and a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the University of Mysore. He has written over 40 blogs since 2019, apart from his book. His author’s website is https://innertrek.me/.
Inner trek is about his trek around Mount Kailash, a holy Tibetan Mountain revered by over a billion people. What started to him as merely a challenging high-altitude trek soon became a life-changing adventure. With a blend of humour, honesty, and keen insight into the transformative power of a trek around Mount Kailash. He has narrated his journey toward a deeper understanding of the world around him. It is a true story of self-discovery at 19,000 feet.
His second book, Myopia, a memoir of Love, Loss, and Learning is about his life journey with his blind daughter and his struggling start-ups.
As of December 10th,2022, his book has 64 Amazon reviews with a 4.50-star rating and 62 Good read reviews with a rating of 4.52.
Mohan is 65, married to Mamatha and has has two adult children, Rachita aged 31, a PR professional and Rahul aged 26 who is doing his masters at UTA, Austin, Texas,USA. He gets up early, sees the sunrise, walks 20 miles a week, plays tennis almost daily, reads, meditates for half an hour every day, and cooks a couple of times a week.
Strider lives in Washington’s Puget Sound with his wife Pam. He writes Young Adult and Dystopian fiction, using the story to teach as well as entertain. Twenty five years as a firefighter/EMT, and dozens more as a general contractor, landscape contractor, designer, business owner, big game guide, ski instructor, sword fighter, and whatever else got him outdoors, his personal knowledge and feel of the subject matter shows in the telling, as each story emerges in intricate detail.
“It’s all in the feel, but having been there helps,” his words of wisdom when it comes to telling a good story.
Gail and husband Terry love to travel the world including two trips to France during the research and writing of her first three award-winning historical fiction novels, The Lavender House in Meuse, The Passage Home to Meuse, and The Lavender Bees of Meuse. They traveled to Wales in 2023 to continue research for her Drew Davies Railway Mystery series that takes place in Wales. The first book, The Book of Rules, won first place in the Mystery and Mayhem category with Chanticleer Books in 2022. A Cup of Revenge, the next book in the series will be out fall of 2024.
Her latest novel, The Fallen Woman’s Daughter, is her first foray into women’s historical fiction and is based on a story she heard working in a nursing home. She has spent the last couple of years crafting it into a novel and is delighted to finally share it with the world.
History nerd and garden enthusiast, award-winning author J.L. Oakley writes historical fiction spanning the mid-19th century to WW II with characters standing up for something in their own time and place. Her writing has been recognized with a 2013 Bellingham Mayor’s Arts Award, the Chanticleer Grand Prize for Tree Soldier and Goethe Grand Prize for The Jøssing Affair, the 2018 Will Rogers Silver Medallion and 2018 WILLA Silver Awards for Mist-chi-mas: A Novel of Captivity. The Quisling Factor won the 2020 Hemingway Grand Prize. When not writing, she demonstrates 19th century folkways and weaves.
Award-winning Author Alex Paul lives in Portland, Oregon in the winter and on the Oregon coast in the summer with his wife Laura Ross-Paul. Trained as an Industrial Engineer at Oregon State University, he worked in a variety of fields before settling into a career as a real estate developer. He began hunting when he was 20 in 1968. He hunts for deer and elk in Oregon as well as elk in New Mexico. Hunting trips in years past have included elk hunts in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Washington in addition to antelope in Wyoming.
This love of the outdoors has translated into a rich base of experience to draw on in writing his epic fantasy ARKEN FREETH series novels. His first novel in that series, SEAJOURNEY, is a First Place Winner in the 2016 YA Fiction Dante Rossetti Awards. Archery, fencing, Tae Kwon Do, and horseback riding have also informed his writing.
Alex’s other writing projects include SUICIDE WALL a novel about war veteran suicide, and THEY’RE MINE AND I’M KEEPING THEM, written by Alex, Laura Ross-Paul, and Dr. Peter Littrup, a nonfiction book about Laura’s triumph over breast cancer. Laura avoided a mastectomy in 2003 using cryoablation, a technique pioneered in the US by Dr. Peter Littrup. She remains cancer free.
S.G. was born in a Faraway land of Castles, Monarchies and fallen dictatorships, aka Hungary. Hollywood movies were forbidden under Soviet oppression during her childhood, but her dad smuggled them in anyway, risking his life so that his children could experience the magic and hope inherent in those stories.
She watched rebellions unfold in real time. Journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean for love.
She ended up in Sunny California, where she is living her dream- writing stories and annoying family members.
Jerena Tobiasen – award-winning author of The Prophecy, a 3-volume, historical fiction saga – lives in Burnaby. If she’s not home, she’s likely travelling.
Jerena embellishes her writing by visiting foreign lands, wandering through museums and delving into libraries, conducting interviews, and walking in the footsteps of her characters. Her experiences and discoveries enrich the authenticity of her stories.
Jerena’s latest novel – Tsarina’s Crown – is the beginning of another adventure: The Nightingale and Sparrow Chronicles.
For more information about Jerena and her craft, you are invited to visit her website – https://www.jerenatobiasen.ca/
Erika Shepard is a transgender woman and retired minerals exploration geologist. Abomination Child is her second book, the first being her memoir titled Trans-Formations: From Field Boots to Sensible Heels,0 published in 2020. In a very personal way, both her memoir and Abomination Child explore the relationship of societal prejudice and the often painful process of coming out as transgender. Her message in both books is this: Despite the difficulties, the people who really love you will stand by you and love you even more when you can be your authentic self. She wants you to know it is worth it, and it does get better.
Erika lives with her dog Finn (who is a Good Boy) in Bellingham, Washington. She continues to travel to geologically interesting places around the world and loves expounding on the wonders of geology to anyone who will listen. You can learn more by visiting her website at www.ejshepardwrites.com.
Tony J. Selimi is dedicated to enriching lives through his role as a transformational coach, celebrated author, and influential speaker. With 25 years of experience, his methods have steered countless individuals and corporations toward their loftiest aspirations. Renowned for his expertise in human behavior and unlocking human potential, Tony empowers individuals and organizations to surmount obstacles, harness their innate strengths, and accomplish extraordinary goals. His extensive repertoire of services, including personalized coaching, dynamic workshops, and compelling keynote speeches, offers tools and insights for achieving personal fulfillment, professional success, and societal impact. Through his acclaimed books and programs, Tony guides others towards self-awareness, problem-solving, and tapping into their inner genius, inspiring meaningful change and fostering a world where everyone can thrive. For more information go to: https://tonyselimi.com
PJ Devlin tells stories about relationships. Her characters meet at the intersection of acceptance and rejection, and their choices impel them to understand what it means to be human. Whether writing about a witch, a dwarf, an old woman, a black indentured servant, or teenagers, Devlin’s characters exist in the Philadelphia of her birth and share her love of the Wissahickon Creek. Her writing is known for its rich detail and compelling characters. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including several writing awards.
Devlin is the author of three award-winning novels: Wissahickon Souls, published 2014, revised 2020; Becoming Jonika, published 2015, revised 2020; and The Chamber, published 2020. Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek, published 2016, revised 2020 is her award-winning short stories collection. Other short stories have appeared in anthologies and online publications.
Rebecca Olmstead is the award-winning author of the Gabrielle Dorian Mystery Series as well as several nonfiction books and multiple short stories.
Her stories and articles have appeared in Malice, Matrimony, & Murder anthology, The Cellar Door: Dark Highways #3, The Upper Room, Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse, Jr., Live, Now What?, and Houseboat Magazine. Her story A Deadly Conundrum will be published in Murder NY Style: A New York State of Mind in September 2024.
She lives with her husband and the youngest of their five children in southeastern Washington with their dorky black lab, two crazy black cats, and host of Jersey Wooly show bunnies. www.rebeccaolmstead.com – www.watchgodwork.com
Qin Sun Stubis is a newspaper columnist, poet, and author of “Once Our Lives,” the award-winning true saga of four generations of Chinese women who struggled to survive war, revolution and an ancient superstition that seemed to change their fates for nearly 100 years. Born in a Shanghai shantytown, Qin rose out of poverty, immigrated to the United States and now spends her time exploring the remarkable similarities and differences between Eastern and Western cultures, hoping to build greater understanding about our common struggles, hope and dreams. Learn more about Qin and her work at www.QinSunStubis.com.
Sandy Lawrence began writing in 2019, based on years of lectures on energy systems, the climate system, and the electric grid. His actual background was in academic medicine, where he focused mainly on infectious disease and obstetrics. And He and his wife ran a bed & breakfast for eight years in the Pacific Northwest, has driven an electric vehicle for ten years, and for the last four years has lived in a comfortable, PassivHaus-certified home. They also raise goats and chickens. Not to mention blueberries and more. And spending time with their grandchildren.
Charlie Robinson is Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. He served 30+ years in U.S. VA Medical Centers helping Veterans with disabilities, retiring as a GS15 Senior Rehabilitation Research Career Scientist. He has written over 200 scientific articles and traveled to 53 countries and all 50 states. He is an internationally recognized biomedical engineering expert. His debut novel Hybrid Hysteria – a Novel of Corporate Intrigue Both Holy and Diabolical – won Chanticleer’s 2022 Global Thriller Grand Prize. Charlie lives in northern New York near the St. Lawrence River.
Robert Smith was raised in Chicago, enlisting in the Air Force in 1968. Following four years service as a Russian Linguist in Security Service Command, a branch of the NSA, Bob attended DePaul University and The John Marshall Law School. With over thirty years experience as a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago, Bob brings a lifetime of understanding and experience to his Frank Doherty series. The author now lives in Chicago with his wife. His book Running With Cannibals also won the 2022 Grand Prize in the Hemingway Award, and 1st Place in the 2022 Goethe Award.
Mike Murphey is a native of eastern New Mexico and spent almost thirty years as an award-winning newspaper journalist in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. Following his retirement from the newspaper business, he and his wife Nancy entered into a seventeen-year partnership with the late Dave Henderson, all-star centerfielder for the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. Their company produces the A’s and Mariners adult baseball fantasy camps. They also have a partnership with the Roy Hobbs adult baseball organization to provide clubhouse services for major adult tournaments in Fort Myers, Florida. They live in Spokane, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona. Mike enjoys life as a writer and old-man baseball player. His Short Story, Old Man Baseball won the 2022 Shorts Awards Grand Prize.
Dave Lager is the author of the Ro Delahanty Thriller/ Suspense Series. Now in his eighth decade, he is supposedly retired, except Ro won’t leave him alone, demanding that her story be told.
Ro’s Handle is the first Ro Delahanty novel; Hear Evil is number two; the third is Loses; the fourth is Secrets Never End; the fifth is Sniper’s Day. Book six, Revelations, was released in the spring of 2024. And he is busy writing number seven, Mourning Dove, with a projected 2025 publication.
Dave’s career includes newspaper reporter and magazine editor and publisher, and self-employed marketing / public relations consultant. Under his own name – Dave Ramacitti – he has previously published non-fiction books and manuals for the small business market.
He has been married to his best friend for more than 30 years and has three grown stepchildren and seven step-grandchildren. He lives next to the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Illinois, along with a grumpy cat and a Yorkie mix that’s 80% cute and 20% brat.
For forty years, Lori Lee Peters has made it her mission to finish her father’s story. Now, with God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me, Lori makes her literary debut and confronts the demons of her past—demons that left her with undiagnosed PTSD for years. Lori owns and operates a barbershop in Washington State and shares her home with two cats and her canine co-worker, Leo. Her book, God, The Mafia, My Dad, and Me, was the 2022 Shorts Award Grand Prize Winner.
TK Conklin is a Wyoming native and calls Buffalo home. A beautiful town at the base of the Big Horn Mountains. She started writing in high school and what started as an outlet for her creative mind turned into a passion for telling stories. Those stories then demanded to be shared with the world. Her books are set in Wyoming during the 1800’s and filled with romance, adventure, and mystery. In her spare time she can be found at her computer writing and researching. An avid traveler, she loves to stop at museums and learn the history of the area she visits. Her notebook and pen ever present for when inspiration strikes.
Mark’s life-changed in an instant after a biking accident left him with severe spinal cord damage.
In facing this challenge, Mark drew strength from his professional expertise, personal determination and by embracing the support around him.
Mark champions the idea that we are all a fraction stronger than we think, and we can tackle any challenges life throws our way.
And bounce back stronger.
Mark A. Gibson is a physician who practices cardiology in the mountains of rural North Georgia, where he lives with Squeakers, a cat who thinks she’s his editor.
The Hamilton Place series represents Dr. Gibson’s first foray into the world of fiction. His previously published works grace the pages of peer-reviewed medical journals, and make for lovely sleep aids.
Although a cardiologist by profession, Dr. Gibson is a dreamer by nature. A self-styled oenophile, he enjoys travel and fine food. In his spare time, he builds sandcastles and dreams of distant shores. And sometimes, he writes books.
Retired U.S. Navy Captain Kevin Miller, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, is a former tactical naval aviator and has flown the A-7E Corsair II and FA-18C Hornet operationally. He is the author of the award-winning and bestselling Raven One trilogy of contemporary carrier aviation fiction, and lectures on the Battle of Midway.
Robert S. Phillips is an avid reader and history buff. Born in Vancouver, BC, Robert has lived in many places in Canada and the U.S., only returning to the Pacific Northwest in the last decade. Home is Bellingham, WA. His three grown children all live in Washington; two in the State and one in D.C.
“Elodia’s Knife” is his first novel, with a sequel in the works.
Trisha was born and raised in Richland, the community closest to the massive Hanford nuclear weapons facility in south-central Washington State. Hanford produced the plutonium for the Trinity Test (focus of the film Oppenheimer), and for the A-bomb dropped on Nagasaki August 9, 1945. Trisha has worked for more than thirty years for justice for those who, like her family, now face radiogenic cancer and other serious illness following exposure to ionizing radiation secretly released downwind and downriver of Hanford and other Manhattan Project and Cold War nuclear weapons production and testing sites. She is an attorney and former Occupational Therapist.
Sarah Martin is a perioperative nurse and mental health advocate from Australia. She is also a peer ambassador for Sane Australia.
Sarah’s first book, Dear Psychosis, is a narrative nonfiction work that includes contributions from Alice Martin and Jesse Martin. The book explores mental health issues such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, and depression through the eyes of a family.
Imagine receiving a message from a stranger, informing you that your 21-year-old daughter Alice, who was traveling alone in Turkey, was experiencing a mental health crisis. What would you do?
Sarah’s mission and passion is to break the silence and stigma surrounding mental health concerns.
Sarah is a finalist in the Journey category of the esteemed Chanticleer Book Awards 2023. She is also an international book award winner in the Self-Help Memoir category and a finalist in the Health and Psychology category at the Goody Business Book Awards 2023. For more information, please visit Sarah Martin Author – Psychosis, Author
Lynn Yvonne Moon is an award-winning American author. Her young adult novels have won over fourteen awards including the prestigious Dante Rossetti Award, Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, and Independent Publishers Book Award.
Lynn lives in Virginia with her family where she continues to write. Her hobbies include gardening and teaching others the art of writing.
Maryanne Melloan Woods is an author/playwright/tv writer. Maryanne has written tv shows for networks including NBC, Showtime, ABC, Fox, the WB, Nickelodeon and ABC Family, and her plays have been produced at theaters around the country. Her YA novel Lazarus, a paranormal thriller, was published by Owl Hollow Press in 2020. She’s a librettist member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City. She is also a member of the Writers Guild of America West, The Dramatists Guild, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the series Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850.
Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always turn Dave’s head. He is an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over 4000 feet above sea level.
Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and wild horses.
Kolton Fitz-Gerald is a young author, actor, and aspiring musician hailing from the Green Mountain State.
Kolton’s interest in storytelling predates his memory and so does his desire to tell stories of his own. Fantastical worlds, characters, and ideas have always gripped his mind. He delights in creating compelling casts, supernatural feats, and otherworldly places that couldn’t possibly exist in our world.
Leon Sharp: Tides of War, is Kolton’s first novel. He hopes that one day in the not too distant future, this book will be joined on shelves by other books bearing his name.
Antonia Deignan’s memoir, Underwater Daughter – A Memoir of Survival and Healing, published by She Writes Press, launched in May 2023 and is a First Place Bookfest Award 2023 winner, a Best Book award 2023 finalist in Nonfiction, and a finalist for the Chanticleer International Book Award. MBSR certified, she facilitates group meditations and writing circles.
She is featured in three anthologies, Covid Monologues, edited by Knight & Silva, Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis, edited by S. Raffelock, and Story Summit’s Anthology, We See You We Hear You. Her work has been published online in Lidia Yuknavitch’s – Khöra Corporeal Magazine, Manifest-Station, Zibby’s Magazine, Covey Club, Storied-Stuff, and the Journal of Expressive Writing. She was Fiction Category Winner of the San Francisco Writers Conference 2022. She is honored to participate in the 2024 LTYM Story Slam.
Learn more:
antoniadeignan.com
https://www.facebook.com/antonia.deignan/
https://www.instagram.com/tunietal/
Lally Pia is a writer and a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She works at River Oak Center for Children (Sacramento County, California). Her award-winning memoir, The Fortune Teller’s Prophecy: A Memoir of an Unlikely Doctor, details the many hurdles she overcame in several countries on her path to becoming a physician. She Writes Press is the publisher. An audiobook is available. Lally lives with her husband, Tim, in Davis, California.
Venetia Hobson Lewis worked at several stock brokerages and as a corporate paralegal for almost eighteen years at a motion picture studio. The author of several award-winning Western short stories, Venetia’s been an avid reader since childhood of a vast assortment of historical and contemporary novels, biographies, and historical texts. She lives with her husband and three indoor cats in Southern Arizona, where wild bobcats, javelina, deer, and a bevy of Gambel’s quail are common sights. Now, her love of the West and the pioneer spirit of her forefathers inspire Venetia’s own stories that vividly depict Arizona Territory during the 1800s and early 1900s.
Julie’s recent work includes the enchanting Ju Ju short story series, which emphasizes the values of safety, self-discovery, and service, catering to young minds. She believes in instilling these essential qualities from an early age. Among her notable publications are the animated children’s books “Melissa Moo Moo’s Special Lesson,” “Melissa Moo Moo’s Lessons with Friends,” and “The Adventures of Boomer and Echo.” Currently, Julie is diligently working on a series titled “The Thing About Imaginary Friends…” centered around an ant and his companions. Her young adult novella, “The Costly Wish,” has been well-received, with a follow-up of the series, “The Teedle Doll,” released this year. She also released a sci-fi, with her son, Grant Bramlett this year; “Solara” is out now on Amazon. See more at her website: www.JuJu.agency
KIM HORNSBY is a USA Today Bestselling Author and Screenwriter known for adapting her novels to screenplays. With 16 novels and as many screenplays Kim is also a movie producer – her Family Adventure, Braving Rapids, and Lifetime Thriller have release dates for summer ‘24. Her bestselling novel, The Dream Jumper’s Promise, is currently in development as a movie.
A mother, dog owner, kayaker, and avid adventurer, Kim writes from a desk overlooking her forested acreage on an island off Seattle conjuring up gutsy heroines among diverse and inclusive characters to represent real life.
She is represented by Corvisiero Literary.
Ruth Amanda is a book-a-holic. She once joined a twelve-step program which involved reading only twelve books (one a month)…she failed miserably and so far 2024 also looks like a marathon of reading…
Ruth lives in Barbados with her husband, David, who she met while she was living in the Arctic and he was living in Vancouver. They are the unofficial parents of Oscar the cat who showed up one day and insists on owning a certain place on the couch and being fed the finest of cat foods.
Ruth has also named every bird at the birdfeeder—and, of course, several geckos! Her favourite gecko is Stumpy, who likes to live dangerously and is often seen regrowing his tail. (There may be more than one Stumpy, it’s rather hard to tell the geckos apart when they are vanishing at high speed!)
FAQs about Books By the Bay Book Fair at Village Books
General Questions:
Q: When will the book room be open?
The Book Room will open around 10 a.m. Saturday at the Sheraton. Books will be taken from the Sheraton to Village Books if they were checked in on Saturday. Other books can be dropped off at Village Books by 12:30pm at the earliest.
Q: Where will the Book Room be located?
The book room will be in the combination Fairhaven Ballroom at the Sheraton on Saturday, and move to Village Books on Sunday to best interact with the community.
Q: When will the Festival activities be (signings, readings, meet the author, drawings, and prizes)?
The Book Fair activities will be happening from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.
If you are a reader, we encourage you to follow your favorite author on Twitter, Facebook, become a subscriber to their blog. Authors are delighted to connect with their readers!
Author Specific Questions:
Q: How will sales be handled?
Books will be available for purchase through Village Books according to the agreement signed by the author.
Q: How do I sign my book up for Books By the Bay at Village Books?
Authors must register for the full conference to be eligible to have their books in the book room, and we will send out instructions for how to sign up with Village Books by mid-March. You will be given explicit instructions on consigning your books with Village Books. Most authors will bring or ship their own books, for those who must go through a publisher, it is possible to have Village Books order them.
Q: Does this mean leftover books will go to Village Books to be sold after Books by the Bay at Village Books?
Village Books is in no way signing up to carry your books in their store–that is a separate process which they will gladly discuss with you. Those books left after Books by the Bay at Village Books are the author’s responsibility. If the author does not make arrangements to take them away, they will be disposed of with no compensation.