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.
Jeffery Ford
Jeffrey Ford (well-builtcity.com) was born on Long Island in New York State in 1955 and grew up in the town of West Islip. He studied fiction writing with John Gardner at S.U.N.Y Binghamton and has been a college English teacher of writing and literature for thirty years. He is the author of eight novels including The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, The Girl in the Glass, The Shadow Year, and the forthcoming Ahab’s Return: or, The Last Voyage. His short story collections include The Empire of Ice Cream, The Drowned Life, and A Natural History of Hell. Ford’s short fiction has appeared in a wide variety of magazines and anthologies such as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Conjunctions, and The Oxford Book of American Short Stories. Both books and stories have been translated into nearly twenty languages. Ford is the recipient of the Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson Award, Hayakawa, World Fantasy, Nebula, and Gran Prix de l’Imaginaire awards. He lives in Ohio in a hundred and twenty year old farm house surrounded by corn and soybean fields and teaches part time at Ohio Wesleyan University.
Lori Foster
Lori Foster, a popular and prolific author, Foster has produced more than seventy novels since her first book was published in 1996. She writes romantic novels as Lori Foster, and in recent years has also branched out into the genre of urban fantasy under the name L.L. Foster. Her 2008 book Hard to Handle reached #2 on the New York Times best-seller list. Foster lives in West Chester, Ohio. Visit her website, http://lorifoster.com/.
Shelby Frasher
S. Frasher (also Eliza Beth) is a fantasy romance author from SW Ohio that loves morally grey MMCs, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity.
Abigail Fredelake
As the daughter of an Army Colonel, Abigail spent her childhood in a variety of cities and countries. But over the years spent abroad, her family kept strong ties to Ohio and frequently visited relatives in Columbus. Abigail attended Auburn University, and moved to Columbus after graduating in 2007. For the past 9 years Abigail has been the owner and editor of The Scout Guide Columbus. Abigail lives in New Albany with her husband Andrew, her son Hugo and their golden, Gus. She wrote this book as a tribute to Carl, her first and beloved English golden retriever: “This book was created to take Carl to places that he wasn’t able to explore himself and to show that families can look like and mean many different things.”
Siaara Freeman
Siaara Freeman is from Cleveland Ohio, where she is the current Lake Erie Siren & a teaching artist for Center For Arts Inspired Learning and The Sisterhood Project in conjunction with the Anisfieldwolf Foundation. She is a 2021 Premier Playwright fellow recipient with Cleveland Public Theater. She is a 2020 WateringHole Manuscript fellow, a 2018 winter tangerine chapbook fellow and a 2018 Poetry Foundation incubator fellow. Her work appears in, The Offing, BOAAT, Tinderbox, Josephine Quarterly and elsewhere. She has toured both nationally and internationally. She is the co-founder of Outsiders Queer Midwest Writers Retreat. Chances are she’s by a lake, thinking about Toni Morrison and talking to ghosts. In her spare time she is growing her afro so tall God can use it for a microphone and speak through her. Learn more at: https://www.siaarafreeman.com/
Jessica Fries-Gaither
Jessica Fries-Gaither is an award-winning author of books for children and teachers. Her writing introduces readers to the wonder of the natural world and the work of scientists, past and present. Her first children’s book, Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings, was named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 by NSTA and the Children’s Book Council and was read aboard the International Space Station by astronaut Joseph Acaba as part of the Story Time From Space program. Exemplary Evidence: Scientists and Their Data, her second title, was also named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12. Her third picture book, Nature’s Rule Breakers: Creatures That Don’t Fit In, was published by Millbrook Press in October 2023. Jessica holds bachelor’s degrees in Biological Sciences (B.S.) and Anthropology (B.A.) and a Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) from the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!). In addition to writing, she is the Science Department Chair and Lower School Science Specialist at Columbus School for Girls. She lives in Columbus, OH with her husband and four lovable but rambunctious dogs. She also enjoys reading, cooking and baking, and spending time outside. She is represented by Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Learn more at her website, http://www.jessicafriesgaither.com and follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jfriesgaither, on Twitter and Instagram at @JessicaFGWrites, and on Blue Sky at @jessicafgwrites.bsky.social
Ellen Fritz
Ellen Fritz is a retired teacher and high school counselor. Over the years of teaching reading and English to students in grades seven through twelve before becoming a counselor, she had the great opportunity to discuss numerous favorite books with students and also took their recommendations for her own reading.
She finally found herself with the time to give life to the stories that have always been patiently waiting in her head for an audience. Ellen wrote Mira to appeal to those middle grade/teen readers that she found so inspiring through her career as an educator.
Kathleen Fuller
Just the facts…I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and now make my home in beautiful Geneva, Ohio. I’ve been married to James for 15 wonderful years (really, they have been wonderful!) We have three terrific children, three dogs, and an overwhelmed cat. We have also raised cattle, pigs, and chickens at various times over the years. We would have gone into the goat business, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I started writing in 2000, and published my first short story a year later. Since then I have authored several short stories, novellas, novels, and have done a lot of freelance non-fiction work. I have also worked as an editor. I have a Masters degree in Special Education, emphasis on teaching the blind and visually impaired, and a Bachelors in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. I have taught all age groups ranging from age 4 to age 18. A few of my favorite things: my relationship with Christ, chocolate (of course!), autumn, a satisfying book, good friends, a sense of humor, people who don’t take themselves seriously, haunting melodies, NFL football, and did I mention chocolate?
Kimberly Gabriel
Kimberly Gabriel started writing in fourth grade when she wrote, bound, and gave away books of terrible poetry to family and teachers as holiday gifts. Today she is an English teacher, who still squanders all free minutes to write and uses it as the best scapegoat for her laundry avoidance issues. When she is not teaching or writing, Kimberly is enjoying life with her husband, her three beautiful children, and a seriously beautiful boxer in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Every Stolen Breath is her debut novel and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
Carmen Gabriel-Watson
INTRODUCTORY BIO: MY NAME IS CARMEN, AKA “LEGA”CEE”; to ‘Carry’ legs of Rare Breed out of Past Ancestry into…..” I AM WHO I AM & I AM WHO I BE !…. Into the Journey. I have raised two beautiful Intelligent girls, now women; out of that, four awesome grands I am proud of ! Currently, I reside in Saint George, SC with my second daughter. I was Born last of fourteen and bred in Toledo Ohio; Known for its automobile, Jeep and the Glass Capital of the world ; As a Writer and Author, I’ve recently published my first Inspirational book through my poetry, quotes, stories and testimonies, through the life we must live to bear Witness as “Truth Fluid” for the Soul, who believes every Closed window, has an open way out! There is a 2ND & 3RD book underway. As a Creative Writer, I enjoy utilizing my gift for Event planning, Funerals, weddings, graduations; as well as Art of any media and background in Stage Theater. A Multiple participant as 11th place Poetry finalist, public venues of Spoken word in DC, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. Completed coursework in Digital Graphics and Web Page Design, Ambassador to Heart & Stroke Association; obtained the High Level Bronze and Volunteer Ambassador awards. As a Two time Stroke Survivor, I am a Story !