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
Photo of Otis Trotter

Otis Trotter

Otis Trotter lives in North Canton, Ohio. He never really planned to be a writer, but by late 2011, he succumbed to a calling that he’d had since his forties, and started writing a book about his life experiences and his large, unique family in a small Ohio town. Otis is a graduate of Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio with a bachelor’s of science in Psychology.…Read More

Otis Trotter lives in North Canton, Ohio. He never really planned to be a writer, but by late 2011, he succumbed to a calling that he’d had since his forties, and started writing a book about his life experiences and his large, unique family in a small Ohio town. Otis is a graduate of Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio with a bachelor’s of science in Psychology. In 2009, he retired after 30 years of service with the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Currently, he is an Independent Provider for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.

Photo of Connie Remlinger Trounstine

Connie Remlinger Trounstine

Connie Remlinger Trounstine grew up in Delphos, Ohio and is a graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She worked as an editorial assistant for Writer’s Market in Cincinnati until joining The Kentucky Post, a Scripps Howard newspaper, where she was a reporter for 29 years. She is the author of the children’s chapter book The Worst Christmas Ever and Fingerprints on the Table, a picture book about a table in the White House used to sign peace treaties.…Read More

Connie Remlinger Trounstine grew up in Delphos, Ohio and is a graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She worked as an editorial assistant for Writer’s Market in Cincinnati until joining The Kentucky Post, a Scripps Howard newspaper, where she was a reporter for 29 years. She is the author of the children’s chapter book The Worst Christmas Ever and Fingerprints on the Table, a picture book about a table in the White House used to sign peace treaties. Her book The Phantom Five is a book for middle-grade students about life at home during World War II. She lives in Cincinnati.

Photo of Paula Stone Tucker

Paula Stone Tucker

Paula Stone Tucker was a witness to the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State University. A retired clinical psychologist, she worked with families, couples, and survivors of trauma and abuse. In her younger days she was a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal and the Daily Kent Stater. She grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and graduated from Kent State University.…Read More

Paula Stone Tucker was a witness to the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State University. A retired clinical psychologist, she worked with families, couples, and survivors of trauma and abuse. In her younger days she was a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal and the Daily Kent Stater. She grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and graduated from Kent State University. She splits her time between northeast Ohio and The Villages, Florida where she writes, plays the flute and is learning to play golf. Her first book, Surviving: A Kent State Memoir, won the Silver Medal at the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award Competition in 2019. She is available for interviews. You can contact her at paulastonetucker.com or on Facebook at Paula Stone Tucker, Author. She looks forward to hearing from you and reading your reviews.

Photo of Samantha Tucker

Samantha Tucker

Samantha Tucker (she/her) is an antiracist teacher, writer, and editor in Columbus, Ohio. Sam writes personal essays, memoir, and cultural critique, having earned her MFA and MA in creative nonfiction. Her essay “Fountain Girls,” originally published in Ecotone, is a listed notable in Best American Essays 2017 and is anthologized in Contemporary Creative Nonfiction: An Anthology.…Read More

Samantha Tucker (she/her) is an antiracist teacher, writer, and editor in Columbus, Ohio. Sam writes personal essays, memoir, and cultural critique, having earned her MFA and MA in creative nonfiction. Her essay “Fountain Girls,” originally published in Ecotone, is a listed notable in Best American Essays 2017 and is anthologized in Contemporary Creative Nonfiction: An Anthology. Other essays have been published with Literary Hub, Columbus Alive, BUST, Brevity, and Guernica. Her latest book, Collective Chaos: A Roller Derby Team Memoir, was written with co-author Amy Spears. Learn more at: https://www.theamericandreamstartshere.com/

Photo of Frank Tupta

Frank Tupta

FRANK TUPTA (TUP like UP) grew up in a haunted house in Cleveland. His favorite holiday is Halloween. He still dresses up every year. He currently lives in Peninsula, Ohio surrounded by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with his wife, children's book author + illustrator Lindsay Ward, their three boys, and Sally, a rambunctious pit-bulllab mix who keeps things interesting by chasing coyotes in their backyard.…Read More

FRANK TUPTA (TUP like UP) grew up in a haunted house in Cleveland. His favorite holiday is Halloween. He still dresses up every year. He currently lives in Peninsula, Ohio surrounded by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with his wife, children’s book author + illustrator Lindsay Ward, their three boys, and Sally, a rambunctious pit-bulllab mix who keeps things interesting by chasing coyotes in their backyard. Most days you can find Frank writing, walking Sally with his family, driving around on his tractor, or co-running http://www.critterlit.com with his wife, a website offering free critiques and advice for up-and-coming authors and illustrators.

TJ Turner

TJ Turner is an aspiring novelist, research scientist for the US Air Force, and a Federal Agent as a reserve member of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He graduated from Cornell University, where his love of writing was almost snuffed out by a 350 page doctoral dissertation. After rekindling his passion for the writing life he has written three novels, the most recent being Lincoln’s Bodyguard (due out from Oceanview Publishing in April 2015).…Read More

TJ Turner is an aspiring novelist, research scientist for the US Air Force, and a Federal Agent as a reserve member of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He graduated from Cornell University, where his love of writing was almost snuffed out by a 350 page doctoral dissertation. After rekindling his passion for the writing life he has written three novels, the most recent being Lincoln’s Bodyguard (due out from Oceanview Publishing in April 2015).

As a reserve military officer, the federal government as generously provided him with numerous overseas vacations at taxpayer expense, where during his most recent deployment his love of writing was almost snuffed out again, this time by a 107mm rocket fashioned into a crudely made roadside bomb. In 2013 he was awarded a Bronze Star for combat action in Afghanistan, including the capture of 16 insurgents and the neutralization of 12 weapons caches. An essay he wrote for about his deployments to Afghanistan—The Power of Teddy Bears—was accepted and read on NPR’s This I Believe national essay series. He also serves as the vice-president of the Antioch Writer’s Workshop in Yellow Springs, OH.

Photo of Judith Turner-Yamamoto

Judith Turner-Yamamoto

Judith Turner-Yamamoto’s debut novel LOVING THE DEAD AND GONE, a Mariel Hemingway Book Club pick, won the 2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal in Southern Regional Fiction. The North Carolina Society of Historians recognized Loving the Dead and Gone with the 2023 Historical Novel Award. The book was shortlisted for the 2023 UC-Berkeley Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize, where it was also an honorable mention in General Fiction and finalist for the Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award for Debut Fiction.…Read More

Judith Turner-Yamamoto’s debut novel LOVING THE DEAD AND GONE, a Mariel Hemingway Book Club pick, won the 2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal in Southern Regional Fiction. The North Carolina Society of Historians recognized Loving the Dead and Gone with the 2023 Historical Novel Award. The book was shortlisted for the 2023 UC-Berkeley Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize, where it was also an honorable mention in General Fiction and finalist for the Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award for Debut Fiction. Her novel, The Drawing of Angels, is currently shortlisted for the Santa Fe Writers Project Book Award. Her publications include StorySOUTH, Mississippi Review, Deep South, and American Literary Review, and many anthologies. Judith’s other awards include an Ohio Arts Council fellowship, two Virginia Arts Commission fellowships, the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize, the Washington Prize for Fiction, VCCA residency, and the Virginia Screenwriting Award. An art historian, her many articles have appeared in Elle, Travel & Leisure, AARP, and the Los Angeles Times, and her interviews have aired on NPR affiliate WVXU. A Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau scholar, Judith is a frequent presenter at conferences and book festivals including the Chautauqua Writers’ Center, Chautauqua Institution and the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. She has taught at the Chautauqua Writers’ Center, Chautauqua Institution, the Writers’ Center, Bethesda, Maryland, and the Danville, VA Writers Conference. She lives on the Ohio/Kentucky border where her love of travel and place continues to inspire her writing.

Learn more at http://www.turneryamamoto.com. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Photo of Jane Ann Turzillo

Jane Ann Turzillo

Jane Ann Turzillo is the author of ten books. She has been nominated twice for the Agatha for Wicked Women of Ohio and Unsolved Murders & Disappearances in Northeast Ohio. She is also a National Federation of Press Women award-winner for Wicked Cleveland, Ohio Train Disasters, and others.…Read More

Jane Ann Turzillo is the author of ten books. She has been nominated twice for the Agatha for Wicked Women of Ohio and Unsolved Murders & Disappearances in Northeast Ohio. She is also a National Federation of Press Women award-winner for Wicked Cleveland, Ohio Train Disasters, and others. A full-time author and speaker, she concentrates on true crime and history. Her current book is Northern Ohio Cold Cases. As one of the original owners of a large weekly newspaper, she covered police, fire and hard news. Visit her website at http://www.janeannturzillo.com.

Photo of Tara Tyler

Tara Tyler

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband and one boy left in the nest. She has two novel series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers) and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the damsels save themselves.…Read More

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband and one boy left in the nest. She has two novel series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers) and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the damsels save themselves. She’s a commended blogger, contributed to several anthologies, and to fit all these projects in, she economizes her time, aka the Lazy Housewife—someday she might write a book on that… Make every day an adventure!

Photo of Doreen Uhas Sauer

Doreen Uhas Sauer

Doreen Uhas Sauer serves as Board President for Columbus Landmarks Foundation and on a number of boards in the University District, where she is active in historic preservation, urban issues and local history. A longtime Columbus educator with Columbus City Schools, she currently directs a Teaching American History grant and has worked extensively in international civic education.…

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Doreen Uhas Sauer serves as Board President for Columbus Landmarks Foundation and on a number of boards in the University District, where she is active in historic preservation, urban issues and local history. A longtime Columbus educator with Columbus City Schools, she currently directs a Teaching American History grant and has worked extensively in international civic education. She has received statewide recognition for her work in preservation education, developed more than thirty local history/architecture programs and was named Ohio Teacher of the Year in 2003.

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