Sponsored by the Bert Books Group!
Three authors, three genres, a whole stack of books to keep you up at night!
Kevin Forbes representing Lani Forbes
Lani Forbes, a stunningly talented YA author, passed away this year. Her husband Kevin will be bringing her books to Boise Books and Brews.
Lani Forbes was the daughter of a librarian and an ex-drug smuggling surfer (which explained her passionate love of the ocean and books). A former teacher turned trauma counselor, her passion was showing readers the transformative and encouraging power of story on the human experience.
She helped others process anxiety, depression, and complex PTSD, both in her stories and in real life. A California native whose parents live in Mexico, Lani resided in the Pacific Northwest where she stubbornly wore flip flops no matter how cold it got. She was a proud nerd, Gryffindor, and member of Romance Writers of America and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Welcome the team of Timothy David Mack!
Timothy David Mack is the pen name of Kevin McNeill, David McNeill, and Tim Wendland. Kevin McNeill graduated from Manhattan College in New York, served on a blue water research vessel, then worked with Saudi Aramco in Arabia. He lives in Boise, Idaho. David McNeill, born in Jeddah, graduated from Yale and works as a software engineer in Boise, Idaho, where he enjoys writing fiction in his spare time. Timothy Wendland, from the Bay Area, served with the Coast Guard, became a merchant seaman, then left the sea to manage a loan fund. He lives in Boise, Idaho.
Welcome Mystery Author Sherry Briscoe!
A native Idahoan with Cherokee heritage, Sherry Briscoe writes suspense mysteries with a flavor of the paranormal. Her childhood heroes were Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allan Poe, and she insists that episodes of The Twilight Zone made perfectly fine bedtime stories.
With degrees in Journalism, Photography, and Adult Education, Sherry covers all her passions of creativity and teaching others. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, who keeps her stocked in chai tea lattes and lemon drop martinis, and her Burmese cat, who shares her popcorn, pizzas and even an occasional beer.
Sherry is a world traveler, US Army Veteran, and active member of her writing community.
Welcome Local Author Kate Baray/Cate Lawley!
Kate Baray writes page-turning urban fantasy with relatable characters.
When Kate’s not tapping away at her keyboard or in deep contemplation of her next fanciful writing project, she’s sweeping up hairy dust bunnies and watching British mysteries.
Kate is from Austin, Texas (where many of her stories take place) but has recently migrated north to Boise, Idaho, where soup season (her favorite time of year) lasts more than two weeks.
YA Author Rick Just!
Author Rick Just is a native Idahoan who grew up on a ranch along the Blackfoot River. He is the author of two adult novels, four YA novels, and has written or edited several books on Idaho history. He does a daily Idaho history blog on this site and on Facebook called Speaking of Idaho. His most recent books are, A Kid’s Guide to Boise, Fearless–Farris Lind, the Man Behind the Skunk, and Symbols, Signs, and Songs, the first in the Speaking of Idaho series.
Welcome David R. Day!
I was that little kid, the one with the camera always in his hand. Soon it was taking the Chess Club photos for the Borah High yearbook, then head shots for friends and business colleagues. Add in rock band press and CD covers to a couple of college classes and you have a pretty serious photographer.
“Real Life” took over for a bit-family, Real Estate, radio, advertising, design, bar-tending and a magazine job meant less and less time with a camera. Gladly a major screw-up at a magazines deadline drug me back to the camera. Soon, I was back to being that kid who always had a camera.
A life well lived and that life long love of photography infuse my fine art and commercial photography.
About Idaho Waters:
“Basin by basin, with warmth and historical insight, David R. Day frames the power of water in motion that makes Idaho like no other place. A stunning collection.”
Todd Shallat, Ph.D., Director Emeritus, Center for Idaho History and Politics Boise State University and author ofSnake: The Plain and its People.
This book is a powerful tribute to Idaho’s glory. By concentrating on “water,” David can take an in-depth look at the geology, geography, and early history of “The White Water State.” David’s photography finds us in the Canyons of Hell, Lost Rivers, and on the top of Deadman’s Falls. He finds the beauty of a blooming high desert cactus and a double rainbow over ‘The Niagara of the West,” Shoshone Falls. In this book, David shares a pastel sunset over Lake Pend Oreille and a graceful Bald eagle as he brings home dinner to his eaglets above the Boise River. From a drop of rain on a quiet morning to the splash of yellow from an Aspen on the banks of the Teton River, David R. Day shares his intimate look at “Idaho Waters,” in his words and images.
Introducing Danielle Higley!
Danielle Higley is an Idaho author, content creator, and children’s book editor. She lives in Boise with her husband, Tyler; son, James; and two doodle dogs.
Prior to becoming a published author, Danielle studied English literature at the College of Idaho and completed two internships in children’s publishing. In the last ten years, she’s written for publications ranging from Costco Magazine to MSN and edited over thirty books for children. Now she’s enjoying life as a full-time mom, part-time writer/editor, and debut author. The Stories Behind the Stories: The Remarkable True Tales Behind Your Favorite Children’s Books is her first book.
Welcome Bill Riley!
Bill Riley is an award-winning author and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. He has worked with intelligence agencies and special operations professionals around the world. His memoir Baghdaddy: How Saddam Hussein Taught Me to Be a Better Father told the true story of how Bill put what he learned growing up into perspective during his missions in Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
His debut fantasy novel, Ashur’s Tears follows Toby and Katie Cypher as they face off against a secret government agency, encounter magical forces, decipher the mystery behind their father’s disappearance, and maybe save the world. Bill wants to assure you—and he is obligated to say—that this story is fiction. The fantastic events depicted in this fantasy book did not happen, and the world was never actually in danger. Really.
Bill Riley lives in Eagle, Idaho, with his wife and two sons. You can find him online at billrileyauthor.com, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @billrileyauthor.
Debut Author Matt Edwards!
Matt Edwards was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, formerly the Northwest’s best kept secret, where he developed an affinity for literature: both the challenge of understanding it and the potential to be understood through it. This propelled Matt to study English at Boise State University and devote himself to teaching high school English in the Boise area since 2006. Matt now enjoys sharing his life of passions with his wife and their one and only son. In his free time, if Matt’s not training for marathons, he’s writing fiction and poetry, mostly about gods and fathers and good, strong drinks. Ways and Truths and Lives is his first novel.
Welcome Mary Ann Fraser!
Mary Ann Fraser is an award-winning picture-book author-illustrator with over 70 traditionally published fiction and nonfiction books for young readers including her recent picture books LET IT GROW, MILTON & ODIE AND THE BIGGER-THAN-BIGMOUTH BASS, and her YA fiction debut MORTAL REMAINS. Her books have been Junior Library Guild Selections, and have been awarded Book Links Book of the Year, IRA Young Readers Choice Award, and American Booksellers’ “Pick of the List.”
Mary Ann has also been a muralist for over twenty years and lives sandwiched between several ponds and the Boise River in the beautiful Treasure Valley, where she enjoys hiking, skiing, gardening, and painting. You can find her at http://www.maryannfraser.com/
