



Martha Attema
Author & Retired Teacher
Martha's local interest adventure was done with illustrator Marla Hayes - The "Magical Midnight Rescue", a picture book story about the North Bay Carousel.
Martha is also the author of Young Adult and Children's stories some inspired by her time in her homeland of the Netherlands during WWII. Truly a talented author who is also an environmentalist and School & Library Presenter for Sr K up to Grade 9 students.
You can read more on Martha's website!





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Suzanne Bernier
Author & Speaker
"Disaster Heroes" recounts the inspiring true stories of ordinary people who've done extraordinary things to help respond and rebuild after disasters. Read more at:
Suzanne is a North Bay native who we had the pleasure of meeting in 2013 when she did a book signing at the store. (From her website) A former journalist and government press secretary, Suzanne is now a certified, award-winning and internationally-recognized crisis management consultant, speaker and author, who has helped governments, communities and companies plan for and respond to disasters for over twenty years.
https://www.disasterheroes.com/






Rod Carley
Author/ Artisitic Director at Canadore/ Actor/ Director
Rod’s first novel, A Matter of Will, was a finalist for the 2018 Northern Lit Award for Fiction. His short story, A Farewell to Steam, was featured in the non-fiction anthology, 150 Years Up North and More, in 2018. Rod is also an award-winning director, playwright and actor, having directed and produced over 100 theatrical productions to date including fifteen adaptations of Shakespeare. He was the 2009 winner of TVO’s Big Ideas/Best Lecturer competition. Kinmount is his second novel. Rod lives in North Bay with his wife, Marian, and their furry family: Arthur Poodle-bum, and a duo of feisty felines, Hilton and Zoe.
Silver Medal for Best Regional Fiction(Canada East) From the Independent Publisher Book Awards
Longlisted for 2021 Stephen Leacock Award
Rod Carley’s Kinmount is a hit that kept me laughing and turning the pages from curtain to curtain. It’s funny, thoughtful, compelling, and filled with humane insights about people and their passions. Not since Robertson Davies’ Tempest-Tost has a community Shakespeare production been so much fun.”
-Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour
“Kinmount is a blast to read. It’s fast-paced, engaging, and laugh out loud of funny. If you’re not a theatre person, be prepared to enter the crazy world of small town drama in all it’s hilarious glory. And if you ARE a theatre person, beware: you’ll be wincing (and cheering on) a lot of familiar faces. Get thee to a bookstore and order!”
– Vern Thiessen, Playwright


Anne Gingras
Author
"The Old Man & the Bench" - One night, I sat on the bench by the river and an old man shared his wisdom with me. He told me that I can always hear his voice through that of others. These are his words and what I learned from some of our conversations.
(From Facebook page)
Anne is a licensed teacher by
profession...with many extra qualifications in the field of special education and autism.
In 2016, Anne completed her Doctorate in Metaphysics from the Institut Int'l de Métaphysique appliquée where she examined the importance of past life journeys and how they manifest themselves in our current situations.
Anne is a Reiki Master teacher and practitioner.




Suzanne Harmony
(I. Kathchastar)
Author
Suzanne Harmony is a published author, Reiki Master, podcaster, psychic and medium. She established Harmony House in 2004 where she built her successful Reiki practice and Healing Centre. She is a dedicated and fun-loving mother and grandmother who is grateful to share her life with Dr. Mario Lemay in beautiful North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
An epiphany led Harmony to write and publish, “Leap of Faith…From Fear to Fulfillment.” This inspirational book empowers readers to grow in self-awareness and acceptance of their own uniqueness. Experiential guidance to create positive life changes is accentuated with other’s personal accounts of their leaps of faith found in part two.
Her self-help memoir, “Because I Didn’t Tell,” with pen-name; I. Katchastarr, is a detailed account of the horrific events of her young adult life that fiercely unraveled her once-safe world into a dungeon of despair propelled by life or death threats of, “don’t tell.” Two gems found at the end of each chapter serve to soothe, help, and heal readers through accounts of self-forgiveness and pearls of wisdom.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxmY-z4zfjS-Nj_sqR4X9w/featured


L. Laszlo Mady
Author
Fantasy has been a passion for L. Laszlo Mady since he was told by his uncle to stop running around the house and sit and watch the fantasy movie that was playing so everyone in the house could have some peace. Engrossed in the movie, Laszlo became hooked on the idea of magical worlds. He was instantly inspired and started attempting to write his own.
Around the same time, his parents had him tested for learning disabilities. After being identified as having severe dyslexia, he set aside his writing pursuits, disheartened by having to spend hours reading a single chapter of the average fantasy book.
Now, having multiple coping strategies, Laszlo has graduated college and university and is publishing his first book, Blood-Red Eyes: Trials, at the age of twenty-four. By keeping the chapters short and fast-paced, he has created the book he wishes had been available for him when he was young.
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A. G. V. McPherson
Author
A.G.V. McPherson is an avid reader of fantasy and player of fantasy games including Dungeons & Dragons, as well as a musician, student, and human. Mr. McPherson is in no way affiliated with Martians, as they do not exist and it would be silly to think that they have come to Earth in an attempt to study and conquer humanity.
His book From Out of the Shadows is the first of four in “The Aeternium Cycle" series, and its sequel, Burn the World, will be released in the spring.
Born in Timmins, Ontario (not Mars), A.G.V. McPherson now lives with his family in Corbeil, Ontario, surrounded by a myriad of trees and a plethora of pets, including a dog, a gecko, and some fish.


Jim Newman
Author
Jim Newman, a natural born story-teller, takes the reader through joyful and humorous stories about life at the hunt camp, hunting culture, and the joys of nature and wildlife. The stories are a mix of childhood memories, folklore, facts, fiction, and laughter, with the odd political rant thrown in.
This book presents hunting in the light of the harvest of food, and the emphasis is on enjoying the beauty of nature in the company of family and good friends. The stories are very human, with lots of self-deprecating (sometimes laugh-out-loud) humour throughout.
Readers will learn how not to choose a hunting dog, how to spend a lot of money preparing not to hunt turkeys, and how to find bears without even trying. On a more serious note, Jim talks about how to increase the longevity of a hunt camp through great communal meals, how to make hunting a multi-generational family tradition, and the importance of standing up for hunters in conversations about gun legislation.
And to those already familiar with Jim Newman’s regular column in The Nipissing Reader, the wait is over!
Jim Newman, also known as “The Gun Guy,” is an avid hunter and story-teller, family man, and nature and animal lover.
Jim has spent a lifetime living, working, and hunting in rural Canada; he has been an avid hunter for more than 60 years. He is an ardent advocate for firearms and the hunting community. Before his retirement, Jim was the CEO and registered federal lobbyist for the Canadian Firearms Institute, an advocacy and resource group for firearms owners.
He lives in Sundridge, Ontario, a small town (pop. < 1000) with his wife, Judy (and no beagles).
(From Friessen Press Page)

AWARD WINNER



Heather Stemp
Author
I was born Heather Ross in 1945. My father was Billy Ross, from Amelia and Me, and my mother was Peggy Waddell, a war bride from Greenock, Scotland. She and my dad met in Scotland during the Second World War.
I live in North Bay, Ontario, with my husband Don. We have two sons, four grandchildren, and two grand dogs. After 30 years of teaching, I retired and wrote Amelia and Me so my grandchildren would know their roots. I also wanted to share the rich history of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland.
My second book, Under Amelia's Wing, is the sequel to Amelia and Me. It will be released in May 2020. (Due to COVID-19, the release date has been moved to September 2020.)
I'm currently working on book 3 in the Ginny Ross Series.