August Norman

August Norman “Norm” is the kind of guy you meet and think, “Nah, he can’t be the August Norman, author of the runaway success, Come and Get Me ” He is just too kind, too approachable, too humble, and too helpful and compassionate to be the award-winning author on stage cracking jokes and making everyone else feel right at home.

You might also think that there is no possible way someone that nice could write such a haunting mystery thriller…but you’d be wrong (as I was when I first came across the dark and moody Come and Get Me book cover). August Norman’s debut novel is chilling, compelling, and rich with page-turning suspense, but somehow he finds a way to infuse deep complex characters and unexpected humor along the way. Come and Get Me is the first in the Caitlin Bergman series centered around an award-winning journalist who is unearthing secrets hidden beneath idyllic small town USA.

With no time to enjoy his initial success, August Norman is back to work and we are waiting, a bit impatiently, for the second Caitlin Bergman thriller to hit bookstores early 2020.

August Norman is more than a great author writing great books…
August Norman is an amazing person.

AugustNorman.com

Ara Grigorian

Ara Grigorian is the international award-winning author of Game of Love, and Ten Year Dance, with his third novel due out soon. Both of his novels are critically-acclaimed and wonderfully rich stories of love and redemption. Ara is the original romantic choosing not to bend his values or ethics to the pressures of the industry. His stories remain sweet, compelling, and complex. He shapes realistic characters facing challenges that speak to the human condition…sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes awe-inspiring, but always honest and tempered with hope.

Ara Grigorian is an established presence in the literary world winning many recognitions and international awards, but the one that stands out as most prestigious to me was when I heard him voted “Nicest Man Alive” at a writers conference I was attending. Mr. Grigorian was not teaching or in attendance at this conference and yet I listened to the entire room of people share their personal stories of how he had touched their lives, given his time and support, and how he makes the world a better place. That is the kind of thing that can’t be marketed on a book jacket but speaks volumes to the author’s ability to pull from a reservoir deep emotional honesty and unfailing authenticity.

Ara Grigorian is more than a great author writing great books…
Ara Grigorian is an amazing person.

AraGrigorian.com

John Burley

So anyone can read Dr. John Burley’s bio and find out that he was an EMT turned Paramedic turned Firefighter turned physician and how he is always finding a new path to better help humanity.

Most people can see why he is an award-winning author and his books; The Absence of Mercy, The Forgetting Place, and The Quiet Child are all complex and chilling psychological thrillers.

But most people don’t have the opportunity to work with him for many years and never once see him be frustrated, impatient, or unkind to a patient or a peer regardless of the stress or exhaustion level in the emergency room.

And even fewer people have the pleasure of spending time with him and discovering his dry hilarious sense of humor and how he makes the world around him brighter with his easy smile and genuine nature.

John Burley is more than a great author writing great books…
John Burley is an amazing person.

john-burley.com

Catherine Ryan Hyde

After 36 published books, bestsellers, movie adaptations, and numerous awards it would be understandable for Ms. Catherine Ryan Hyde to be too busy for the many eager fans desperate to know where her story idea for ‘Pay It Forward’ and others originated, but that is never the case. Ms. Hyde diligently makes time for every question, is gracious to every comment, and personally responds to every single inquiry or e-mail she receives.

I first met Ms. Hyde at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference as a keynote who was swarmed with guests all wanting some tiny bit of guidance and attention, but it wasn’t until later that I got to know her better. It was not through lengthy conversation that I came to know Ms. Hyde as a person, but in her many acts of kindness. Through her patience, mentoring, support and constant encouragement she helps to spark the light of inspiration in all who seek her out.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an established literary presence and one of the most prolific writers I’ve come across, publishing two novels a year such as— Have You Seen Luis Velez, Heaven Adjacent, Just After Midnight, and Allie and Bea. She touches lives through her words addressing challenging themes and difficult situations with optimism and a deep uplifting perspective.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is more than a great author writing great books…
Catherine Ryan Hyde is an amazing person.

catherineryanhyde.com