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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Romana Kieti
Romana is a passionate author, speaker, and advocate dedicated to empowering women who have experienced or are currently navigating abusive relationships.
She is a survivor of domestic abuse, with a deep passion for helping others overcome adversity. She uses her personal journey to inspire hope and healing through writing and speaking. Her book (memoir), Scars of Matrimony: Tina’s Story of Hope & Despair, tells of her determination to survive against all odds; storytelling is a powerful tool to encourage and give hope to others to know they are not alone. Telling your story can offer a compassionate and empowering perspective on the effects of domestic abuse, providing a roadmap to finding strength, recovery, and freedom. Initially, she did not want to release this book but felt a calling from God to share her experience to inspire others.
Romana’s advocacy is fueled by her determination to help others in similar situations. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing red flags in relationships, seeking help from safe places, and understanding that abusers rarely change. Her message to other survivors is clear: leave while you still have your life, seek support, and never feel ashamed to confide in someone about the abuse.
Since the release of her book, she has been advocating for change and is dedicated to empowering and inspiring women who have experienced domestic abuse. With firsthand experience and deep understanding, she offers hope, strength, and practical guidance to help women reclaim their lives, rebuild their confidence, and step into their true potential. Romana’s mission is to provide the tools to heal, thrive, and rise above the challenges that domestic abuse creates. She is committed to creating a safe space for women to connect, learn, and find the courage to move forward with their lives. Her other books include:
Scars of Matrimony: Broken Yet Unbreakable: 31 Daily Devotions for Women on the Path to Healing from Abuse
Safari Wisdom: Essential Safari Tips for and Unforgettable Adventure to Kenya, Africa
The Brave and Courageous Dreamers: A collection of Adventure Folk Tales from Kenya, Africa
Romana holds a degree in human resource management and a master’s degree in business administration. When not working, Romana enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, road trips, swimming, reading, cooking, dancing and outdoor activities. She is also the Founder of Hope Anew Rescue Center. Learn more at: https://hoperescuecenter.org/
Katrina Kittle
Katrina Kittle’s newest novel, Morning in This Broken World, released September 1, 2023 and was an Amazon First Reads pick for August. Katrina is the author of four other novels for adults—Traveling Light, Two Truths & a Lie, The Kindness of Strangers, and The Blessings of the Animals—and one novel for tweens, Reasons to Be Happy. The Kindness of Strangers was a BookSense pick and was the Fiction winner for the 2006 Great Lakes Book Awards. She teaches creative writing in the Dayton area and online for Word’s Worth Writing Connections, is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Dayton, and is a frequent public speaker. She lives near Dayton with her fella, quirky cat, sweet beagle, and out-of-control garden. For more information on Katrina or her books, or to sign up for her fun, monthly newsletter, visit Katrinakittle.com.
Jonathan Knight
Jonathan Knight has written nine books on Cleveland sports. Called “one of the most articulate and devoted sportswriters in Ohio” by the Akron Beacon Journal, Knight has been praised by the Plain Dealer, Cleveland Scene, Cleveland Magazine, and ESPN’s Grantland.com. He’s a graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his two sons. You can learn more at http://www.jknightbooks.com and follow him on Twitter at @jknightwriter.
Faith (FM) Knight
FAITH (FM) KNIGHT writes middle grade, young adult and new adult fiction. She is a former TV news reporter and digital producer. She is also the cousin of legendary children's book icon Virginia Hamilton. Her debut YA historical novel, As Gray As Black & White, received critical acclaim from Publisher's Weekly's indie arm BookLife.…
Read MoreFAITH (FM) KNIGHT writes middle grade, young adult and new adult fiction. She is a former TV news reporter and digital producer. She is also the cousin of legendary children’s book icon Virginia Hamilton. Her debut YA historical novel, As Gray As Black & White, received critical acclaim from Publisher’s Weekly’s indie arm BookLife.
She enjoys cooking, sewing and Bible education. She is from Yellow Springs, Ohio and now lives in North Carolina with her husband. You can find her books at https://therealknightauthor.com.
Jen Knox
Jen Knox is the author of We Arrive Uninvited (Steel Toe Books, 2023), which won the Steel Toe Books Award in prose, and After the Gazebo (Rain Mountain Press, 2015). Her short fiction and creative nonfiction can be found in journals such as Saturday Evening Post and McSweeney’s Internet Quarterly. She founded and runs Unleash Creatives, a holistic arts organization based in Ohio. Learn more at: jenknox.com
Christine Kohler
An Ohio native, Christine (Rhodeback) Kohler is the author of 17 nonfiction and fiction books for children and teens. A graduate of the University of Hawaii, she lived in Japan and Guam, the setting for her debut novel NO SURRENDER SOLDIER (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster). She is also published in educational books, articles, poetry and photography.…
Read MoreAn Ohio native, Christine (Rhodeback) Kohler is the author of 17 nonfiction and fiction books for children and teens. A graduate of the University of Hawaii, she lived in Japan and Guam, the setting for her debut novel NO SURRENDER SOLDIER (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster). She is also published in educational books, articles, poetry and photography.
Kohler now lives in Texas with her husband, whom she met at Kent State University. Contact her at ckohler@christinekohlerbooks.com ; website http://www.christinekohlerbooks.com/ ; facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChristineKohlerbooks/ ; twitter https://twitter.com/christinekohle1
Peter Kurtz
Peter Kurtz was born in New Jersey but raised in Mansfield, Ohio. He obtained a B.S. in Journalism from Ohio University and currently lives in Cincinnati. He’s worked as a jazz disc jockey, freelance writer, and primarily as an engineering technical writer. Kurtz’s books include Bluejackets in the Blubber Room (University of Alabama Press), praised by both maritime and Civil War historians; a trail-hiking memoir, Evergreen Dreaming; and the Nick Montaigne detective mysteries, Black Jackknife and The Shades Dripped Red, the latter of which was inspired by an unsolved true crime in Kurtz’s old neighborhood. His books have earned glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly and Midwest Book Review.
Kurtz enjoys marathon running, backpacking, reading, travel, playing guitar, and enjoying his three granddaughters. He cites his greatest achievements (besides raising a family) as completing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, and reading all of Herman Melville’s sea books several times over. Learn more at: https://peterkurtz.wordpress.com
Jason R. Lady
Jason is an army brat who grew up moving around a total of seven times on military bases from Germany to Fort Knox, Kentucky. When he’d move to a new base, Jason would star all the kids in his classes as characters in his own stories and comic strips. This helped kids from all over the country bond and have fun. Jason’s books have been accepted to the Ohioana Book Festival, the Kentucky Book Festival, and the Columbus Book Festival. His second book, Super Problems, was a Maxy Awards finalist and is IndieReader approved. When he’s not writing, Jason is into 1980s pop culture, follows the Cleveland Guardians, and has a goal to visit all the MLB baseball stadiums. Jason lives with his wife in Cleveland, Ohio. The Pure Shore Club is his 4th novel. Learn more at: https://www.jasonrlady.com/