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.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Jennifer Chiaverini

Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, Fates and Traitors, and other acclaimed works of historical fiction, as well as the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. She lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin.Read More

Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, Fates and Traitors, and other acclaimed works of historical fiction, as well as the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. She lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin.

Patrick Chiles

Patrick Chiles has been fascinated by aircraft, rockets, and spaceflight ever since he was a child transfixed by the Apollo missions. How he ended up as an English major in college is still a mystery, though he managed to overcome this to pursue a career in aviation operations and safety management. He is a graduate of The Citadel, a Marine Corps veteran, and a private pilot.…Read More

Patrick Chiles has been fascinated by aircraft, rockets, and spaceflight ever since he was a child transfixed by the Apollo missions. How he ended up as an English major in college is still a mystery, though he managed to overcome this to pursue a career in aviation operations and safety management. He is a graduate of The Citadel, a Marine Corps veteran, and a private pilot. In addition to his novels, he has written for magazines including Smithsonian’s Air & Space. He currently resides in Central Ohio with his wife and two lethargic dachshunds.

Cinda Williams Chima

Ohio-born author Cinda Williams Chima nearly failed first grade because she was always daydreaming. By junior high, she got in trouble for writing novels in class. Yet the magic of books took her from first grade failure to first generation college graduate to New York Times best-selling author of the Seven Realms, Heir Chronicles, and Shattered Realms teen fantasy series. Her newest duology, The Runestone Saga, (Balzer&Bray) launched November 2022 with Children of Ragnarok. It marries Norse mythology and witchcraft with magic, swordplay, romance and cut-throat politics. She is a winner of the Buckeye Teen Book Award and a Choose to Read Ohio author.

Afia Chrappah

Afia Chrappah was born in Accra, Ghana and immigrated to Columbus, Ohio at the age of five. Her experiences in the American education system span from being a student at various public schools and universities to making the transition into educator and School Social Worker. Through her work, she has been able to transform the lives of youth through social justice focused advocacy, literature, and activism.…Read More

Afia Chrappah was born in Accra, Ghana and immigrated to Columbus, Ohio at the age of five. Her experiences in the American education system span from being a student at various public schools and universities to making the transition into educator and School Social Worker. Through her work, she has been able to transform the lives of youth through social justice focused advocacy, literature, and activism. Afia is currently working to give voice to the experiences of African immigrant children and other marginalized groups through the lens of Social Work and Social Entrepreneurship. Her first book “The Journey of Ama Ketewa ” is Afia’s personal perspective on the hope and challenge that can be experienced when starting life anew. Learn more at: https://www.ketewastorytelling.com

Nancy Christie

Nancy Christie is the author of two award-winning short story collections: Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (both published by Unsolicited Press), and three non-fiction books: The Gifts of Change (Atria/Beyond Words) and two award-winning books for writers—Rut-Busting Book for Writers and Rut-Busting Book for Authors (both published by Mill City Press). Her debut novel, Reinventing Rita, (the first in her Midlife Moxie novel series) will be out June 2023 through BookBaby, and her third fiction collection, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, will be released late 2023 by Unsolicited Press.

Peripheral Visions and Other Stories was a Bronze award winner in the 2020 Foreword INDIES competition, a finalist in The Eric Hoffer Award 2021 competition, a finalist in the 2020 N. N. Light Book Awards – Short Story category and a second-place winner in the Florida Writers Association 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA) competition. Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories was a runner-up in the 2016 Best Indie Book by Shelf Unbound. Rut-Busting Book for Authors was a finalist in both the 2019 American Book Fest competition and the Independent Author Network 2020 Book of the Year as well as a 2019 Readers’ Favorite 5-Star award-winner. Rut-Busting Book for Writers was a 2018 Notable Indie by Shelf Unbound and finalist in the 2018 American Book Fest competition. Nancy is also the host of the Living the Writing Life podcast. For more information, visit her website: https://www.nancychristie.com/.

Mark Clark

Author and film historian Mark Clark writes about classic movies and TV shows. His works include Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know about the Trilogy That Changed the Movies, Star Trek FAQ: Everything Left to Know about the First Voyages of the Starship Enterprise, which was named to one of Kirkus Reviews Ten Best Books of the Year lists and has gone into a second printing, Sixties Shockers: A Critical Filmography of Horror Cinema, 1960-69, and Smirk, Sneer, and Scream: Great Acting in Horror Cinema. He has also contributed essays and articles to many other books and magazines. In 2015, he won a Rondo Award for his movie and book reviews for Monsters from the Vault magazine. Mark is a graduate of the University of Louisville, a former film critic for the Louisville Courier-Journal, and a former teacher of film history and genre theory. He now resides in Mentor on the Lake, Ohio.

Terreece M. Clarke

Terreece M. Clarke is a contemporary romance author and journalist who writes epic love stories featuring smart Black women loved without reservation or hesitation. She has also written for various websites, magazines, newspapers, and as a YA and children’s book reviewer for Common Sense Media. Her work has garnered the attention of The New York Times, Disney, and Jezebel, and her company’s digital marketing clients have landed media appearances for national outlets including Fox Business News, BET, CNN, Ebony Magazine, The Root, and MSNBC. As a successful writer, journalist, entrepreneur, mother of three, and wife to one, she is often asked to lead discussions on women and parenting issues and diversity in media, pop culture, and tech. Terreece’s first book – Olivia’s Potty Adventures, a potty training storybook featuring an African American character – spent 16 weeks as a top new release. Heartbeat: A Courageous Love Novel, her debut romantic suspense novel became a top international romance novel in two categories. https://terreececlarke.com

Colleen Clayton

Colleen Clayton is the critically acclaimed author of the YA novel What Happens Next, which was a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award. She grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and worked as a social worker in residential treatment centers for troubled teens and as Program Supervisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahoning Valley. She holds an MFA in fiction writing from the Northeast Ohio Consortium (NEOMFA) and teaches fiction writing and composition at Youngstown State University. She was recently contracted by YSU’s Special Education Department to teach an online summer writing course for 4th and 5th graders. As part of the project, she wrote eight online picture books for the students and then helped them craft their own stories using the free, educational platform Storybird. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoQSxqNyJHkZdqzDo5QOXfg

Colleen can speak on a number of subjects, including date rape, bullying, eating disorders, feminist issues in young adult literature, and ADHD, and can lead an hour-long creative writing workshop for grades 3 through 12 as well as for adults. She has facilitated in-service workshops for librarians and teachers as well.

In-Service Testimonial from Jennifer Holt, Librarian at Willoughby South High School:
“Colleen’s story starting exercise was fun and inspiring! It fostered creative interplay between my original ideas and the surprising places my colleagues took them.”

For more on Colleen, go to her website at colleenclayton.com.

Brian P. Cleary

Born in Lakewood, Ohio, the third oldest of nine children, Brian P. Cleary grew up reading the bouncy rhymes of Dr. Seuss. A frustrated student and reluctant learner, Brian daydreamed from class to class until being introduced to poetry at about age eight. Intrigued, he set on a course to explore the wonder of words. He "grew up" in one of the 5 largest creative divisions in the world—American Greetings.…Read More

He “grew up” in one of the 5 largest creative divisions in the world—American Greetings. He has put words in the mouths of William Shatner and Smokey Robinson, been anthologized with Jack Prelutsky, Kenn Nesbitt, and Lemony Snicket and authored and sold more than 3 million children’s books.

As a humorist, writer, and poet, Brian P. Cleary shows kids how to play with words. He believes that humor is not only a fun way to learn, but an effective way to teach. His best-selling Words Are CATegorical™ series, which introduces young readers to different types of words through rhyming verse and illustrations of comical cartoon cats, has been compared to the likes of Dr. Seuss, while his books of poetry and puns have been honored alongside the works of Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein. Fondly known as the “word nerd,” Brian lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Contact him for keynote speaking and author visits at baberuth60@aol.com .

Leah Clifford

Leah Clifford currently lives in Ohio with her (mostly) blind cat and her roommate, who she’s been friends with since sixth grade. In her spare time she loves to travel and has been known to drive over two hours to get kickass quesadillas. So far for jobs she’s sold corn at a roadside stand, been a pizza delivery girl, a camp counselor, an extreme cave tour guide, a flight attendant, a waitress (x3), a grocery store clerk and a writer.…

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