Ohioana Book Festival

​Columbus Metropolitan Main Library
96 S. Grant Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215

Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins

Ohioana Book Festival Program

​I was thankful that volunteers supplied a festival program that contained a list of the authors with a picture of their book cover and their table numbers, a schedule of the kid’s activities, the panel and roundtable sessions schedule, and a map of the tables. There were about 75 authors scheduled to attend. I was glad that I had narrowed down which authors to talk to prior to coming to the event (http://www.ohioana.org). I selected the authors primarily based on the titles that caught my eye.

Sidebar: The authors were sitting VERY close to each other and the aisles were narrow in the popular sections. If you don’t need a backpack, don’t bring it. I couldn’t tell you how many times people bumped into my backpack.
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This is a LONG article. I listed the authors in the order that I talked to them. There are some interesting interviews towards the end, so pace yourself (adult content).

Dave Lange author of Virginity Lost in Vietnam, Ohioana Book Festival

Yes, the title is a double-entendre. The book is about what happened to me and what happened with the country
 When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I have been a journalist for my entire career (40 years). I have been writing and editing stories about other people in a wide variety of experiences. When I was retiring, I decided to write my own story. My book is about the Vietnam war but it’s not a war story. It is a coming of age story. It is about what it was like growing up in that era, the experiences of children and teen agers and what they were like then, and what was happening in the world that was impacting our lives.
 How long did it take for you to write the book?
Four years.
 What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
I didn’t have a specific work schedule. I was working part time in the newspaper business. Once I completed my paid job, I spent time on the book, writing and researching.
 What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
I don’t think there is anything unique about my writing style. I think my story is unique. This is not a war story. Most of the books that have come out about the Vietnam war include a lot of war stories. There are 26 chapters in the book. Only 4 of the chapters are in Vietnam.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
When I did the research, I was surprised what was happening in the political world, the military, and right near me that I didn’t know about.
Where can a person buy your book?
Amazon, and local bookstores in the greater Cleveland area.

Mark Dean author of Hands Over Time, Instagram: @mmdean323, Ohioana Book Festival

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’m still not sure that I realized that. I am a former military guy. I am used to cadences and marches. I started by writing songs. After writing about 40 songs, I realized that this probably could be a book. I came up with one sentence at a time, and off I went.
How long did it take for you to write the book?
Approximately 8 months. The editing process took about another 4 months.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
I have a day job. I work for a boot company. I travel a lot.  When I am on the plane, I have hours of concentrated writing. I either write on planes or early in the morning before my family gets out of bed.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
I need total silence. If there is any noise, I’m very squirrely, off I go. I’m like a puppy, I follow the noise whatever it is.
Why did you write this book? What makes it special?
I live on the farm. One day, I was taking care of the horses biproduct and I realized that everything we do unless you have suffered a traumatic injury has to do with your hands. You write with your hands, you cook with your hands, you hold a dying elderly person with your hands. I feel most of our emotional connections are done through our hands. The short stories don’t have a theme except for the hands.
Where can a person buy your book?
Locally in southeast Ohio, in this area Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Sharon M. Draper author of Blended, Instagram: @sharonmdraper, Ohioana Book Festival

Blended is book number 32 of my list of books.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
My first book came out the year before I stopped teaching. I taught middle school and high school for nine million years.
How long did it take for you to write the book?
About a year from beginning to end.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
I get up at 5:00 am and I write all day long. I take little short breaks. When I have had enough and that is all I can do, I stop, and I get in my car and go buy ice cream.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
I write in silence. Don’t interrupt me. I stop sometimes when I am bored to check my email. Mostly when I am focused, I go straight through. I do a great deal of research, A lot of times I am stopped at a sentence because I don’t remember what happened at that time. I must go back and look up February 1959 to see what happened then. When I write the book, it is accurate so you can’t say, “I was there in 1959 and that didn’t happen”. It must be accurate even if you are writing fiction.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
Young people are unpredictable. The world is unpredictable. The ending of the book is a surprise even to me. It didn’t go where I thought it was going to go. The path ended up being better than I originally planned.
Why did you write this book? What makes it special?
I wrote this book because I run into so many young people who are children of divorce who live with mom one week and dad one week, and auntie May the next week, and grandma the week after that. This is their life. They have adjusted and adapted to it. I wrote it for them. I wrote it for children whose family is sometimes topsy turvy. The children must deal with whatever decisions the adults in their lives have made. I wrote it from the child’s point of view so the world can see how adult decisions affect young people.
Where can a person buy your book?
Any book seller, any book store, Amazon, Barnes and Noble. If they sell books, they should sell Blended.
Anything I didn’t ask you that you want to add?
Young people will read and do read. I encourage parents to read with their children. Share books with children, it is a vital connection.

Kerrie Hollihan author of Reporting Under Fire: 16 Daring Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists (Women of Action), Ohioana Book Festival

Reporting Under Fire is a book I wrote for seventh grade on up
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
In the fourth grade.
How long did it take for you to write the book?
About a year to do the research and get it to my editor for the first go.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
I’m at my desk about 6 hours a day. Before I even get started, I sit in a comfortable chair with a pile of books that I have gotten from the library and from websites. I sit and I read, and I mark them. I immerse myself in the stories and the information I can get about the people I am writing about.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
I can’t sit at the desk all the time. I move around and write with various implements to write in different chairs in my house.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
There were two women in this book who dated the same man. I don’t put that together for the reader, but if you read carefully you will realize that two of these women reporters had a relationship with the same newspaper reporter from Chicago.
Why did you write this book? What makes it special?
This book was one of the first ones published by Chicago review press. They started a women of action series. Since I have a background in journalism and went to journalism school in Chicago, I decided to write a book about women who are reporters. I tried to focus on back in the day when they were called “girl reporters.” We didn’t have tough women like Christine Brennon. I wrote about women who are now deceased, who were fearless. That was a time when women only wrote the feature stories in the so-called women’s pages. They were never thought to go to the front lines and report on action in the war front.
Where can a person buy your book?
Independent book stores, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the library.
Anything I didn’t ask you that you want to add?
There is a story there when people are well known.  I write to uncover and tell that story. By reading about other people’s journey, you may be able to figure out your journey.

e.E. Charlton-Trujillo author of Fat Angie Rebel Girl Revolution, Instagram: @pinatadirector, Ohioana Book Festival

Fat Angie Rebel Girl Revolution is the sequel to the American Library Association winner Fat Angie.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 4 years old, I wanted to be 3 things. I wanted to be a writer, a film maker, and the drummer for KISS.
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Sidebar: KISS is (a rock group that may be before your time).
 
How long did it take for you to write the book?
About 8 months.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
I should be writing about 6 to 8 hours a day. Sometimes I work the 6 to 8 hours per day for 4 to 6 weeks, especially when I am on a deadline. It’s a long day, but I get to write for a living so, that is a good thing.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
Sometimes I write in a non-linear format. I will know the beginning and the end. Then, I will jump to the middle because I have an idea then I will jump back to the front. I move around a lot sometimes, depending on what kind of novel it is.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
It is ok to be who you are whether you are 16 or 64. Many times, we don’t see that in our society. We get stuck on how we look, whether it is skin, size, age, etc. It is about stepping into your power as a woman.
Why did you write this book? What makes it special?
I wasn’t done with Angie’s story. Fat Angie was a book that touched a lot of young people. As it relates to death, after the time when people stop bringing you the casseroles, and coming to your door saying, “I’m Sorry,” seven months later if you don’t have someone to talk to, how do you cope with some of that. What does it mean to be a young woman trying to be herself in a body that always makes sense to everyone?
Where can a person buy your book?
Wherever it is sold, but I love to recommend independent book stores because they are the real revolution.

Julie K. Rubini author of Eye to Eye: Sports Journalist Christine Brennan, Instagram: @juliekrubini, Ohioana Book Festival

Christine Brennan broke down many barriers as a female sports journalist. When you go to her website, she has a special section where she tells journalism students exactly what they need to do to follow in her footsteps.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I have stories from when I was in the 4th or 5th grade. I never envisioned writing to make a living.
 
Sidebar: She shared her background that tied into how she became a writer. She lost her oldest daughter 19 years ago when she was 10. Her family established Claire’s Day Book Festival. They are going into their 18th year.  They impact over 20,000 children. They honor children who are identified by their schools as the most improved readers. Last year, they recognized 1,200 children who receive a certificate and a coupon for a book. For more information, go to their website: http://www.clairesday.org/    
 
I just gave the highlights of the story. The detail is inspiring. Go to their website to check it out. Enough said.
How long did it take for you to write the book?
6 to 9 months.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
When under a deadline it is all day, sometimes weekends too. When I am off deadline, I am always working on something.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
I need to take breaks. I must move.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
How much I enjoy research. I have always enjoyed learning about people.  I enjoy finding those interesting questions. I love documenting. I never want anything that I have written to be questioned as far as its accuracy.
Where can a person buy your book?
Traditional outlets, independent book sellers, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. Also, here at the Ohioana Book Festival, you can get the book signed.

Olivia Matthews author of Peril of Prayer (Sister Lou Mystery), Twitter: @booksbypatricia, Ohioana Book Festival

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 9 years old.
How long did it take for you to write the book?
9 months.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
I had a full-time job outside of writing. I wrote about 2 hours in the morning, an hour for lunch then two hours when I got home. Nine months is through the conception of the idea, through the outline, through the first draft and five rounds of revisions.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
I’m a two-fisted coffee drinker. That’s all I’m going to admit to.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
A catholic Sister is the amateur sleuth. The book takes place during the Advent season. I learned a lot about the meaning and goal of the Advent season, even though I was raised Catholic.
Why did you write this book? What makes it special?
The media shows Catholic sisters as being judgmental and dour. I wanted my books to dispel the myths about Catholic sisters.
Where can a person buy your book?
They are in free standing book stores, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Target, Walmart and they are also online. Amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com
Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you want to add?
I write romance as Patricia Sargeant.
Any barriers as a person of color?
There are some barriers both visible and invisible. For example, in the romance industry people don’t see black love as romance. They see it as a sub-genre of romance. It’s not. Black love is black love. One of the values of reading books is to learn what commonalities we have and to embrace the differences we have. When they try to put black love in a sub-genre, it is almost as though this is only for black people, and not for anybody else. We must fight that. We must break down those walls. Love is love.

David Meyers and Elise Meyers Walker authors of Lynching and Mob Violence in Ohio, Instagram: @explodingstove, Ohioana Book Festival

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I was always the kid in elementary school when told to write a 500-word essay, I’d turn in 1500 words. I write when I have no reason to be writing. To write is to live from my standpoint.
How long did it take for you to write the book?
That’s a hard question, because we are always working on several projects at the same time. But on average from start to finish, most of the books take about a year.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
I start at 4:00am every morning and write for a few hours before I go to work, come back from work and write some more, then write on the weekends. I never experience writer’s block.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
Make use of the available time. I write notes wherever I am.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
When looking at traditional lynchings, people of color represent anywhere from 50 to 75% of those lynched. Way out of proportion to their numbers. When talking about tar and featherings, people of color represent like 10%, which is much closer to their actual number. There is a different decision-making process. People who were being tarred and feathered were being punished for things like women engaging in things considered immoral to the community, for men. it was saying things the community didn’t want to hear. The African Americans didn’t fall into those categories too much, they got elevated into lynchings. Tar and feathers were like mini lynchings. Almost like a rehearsal for lynchings. They involved the same organizational principles: you got to get a mob together, you must get your supplies, in that case tar and feather opposed to a rope. They are similar in many respects but different in terms of the people who were targeted.
 
Sidebar: David Meyers is referring to the general percentage of people of color compared to the total number of people. The explanation of lynchings vs tar and feather blew my mind. I tried not to make a “I’m ignorant and totally surprised” face. I won’t tell you that I thought the tar and feather was only reserved for the men living in the time of the Native Americans and the settlers who were thought to be thieves.
 
Why did you write this book? What makes it special?
We wrote the book because in researching our other historical books, we ran across these accounts. There wasn’t a one volume resource that you could go to. We decided to include all the lynchings in Ohio, all the attempted lynchings, other acts of mob violence, and put them in one concise volume.
Where can a person buy your book?
Anywhere books are sold. The Book Loft, Barnes and Noble, you can get them online amazon.com, target.com, etc.
Anything I didn’t ask you that you want to add?
We are available for speaking engagements and podcasts. 

David Kimmel author of Outrage in Ohio: A Rural Murder, Lynching, and Mystery, Ohioana Book Festival

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I stumbled into it through this process. I am an English professor. I was interested in this case because my father discovered there was a murder and lynching involving our family. I am interested in the boundary between fiction and history.
How long did it take for you to write the book?
I started working on it about 1995. It was published in October 2018. It took a long time because I wasn’t working on it full time.
What is your writing schedule when you are writing?
In the past ten years, I worked a little more on writing during breaks from school and during my free time.
What is your interesting/unique writing quirk if you have one?
I don’t write from the beginning to the end. I write in a lot of different pieces, then assemble at the end.
What is the most surprising thing you learned when writing this book?
There may be a bone of my relative who was lynched still around that somebody has.
 
Sidebar: I tried to keep a straight face. I wasn’t expecting him to say anything close to that.
 
 
Why did you write this book? What makes it special?
I am interested in the boundary I mentioned before. I am also interested in this case because it was my relative. I wanted to find out if they were bad people. What is unique about the book is it has an interesting blend of history, personal narrative, fiction, documents (excerpts from newspapers and sociological discussions of the time period) and why people would be doing what they did.
Where can a person buy your book?
Indiana University press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Anyplace that has those sorts of books.
Anything I didn’t ask you that you want to add?
I’m working on another book that is going to do this similar type of blending of history and fiction.

​My take.
It is said that most people have a least one book in them. I admire people who have the dedication to publish that one book. Everyone I talked to was excited and passionate to share about their books. Parking was free in the library lot. I’m not sure if that was due to the festival or not. I suggest you bring a couple of dollars in case it is not free in future years because you might end up staying at the festival longer than the one hour of free parking (usual). 

Categories: Festivals