Dozens of exhibitors -- editors, publishers, book coaches, authors and others -- will be here! Returning exhibitors include Eric Alan, Ned Hickson, Karen Nichols, Big Wave Spoken Word, Cy Bishop, and more. Check back here for our updated information, and please LIKE and SHARE our Facebook page.
Mystery author Toby Neal was raised in the jungle on Kauai and got herself to college via scholarship, settling on a career as a mental health therapist--but she always wanted to be a writer, and when her children were in high school, she began writing the Paradise Crime World consisting of published books in three different series: Thrillers, Mysteries, and Cozy Mysteries, all starring brave female investigators fighting crime in the dark side of an interconnected Hawaii
universe. She eventually wrote her first memoir, Freckled: A Memoir of Growing up Wild in Hawaii about surviving childhood from 4-18 as she was raised by “free range parents” in the often chaotic lifestyle of the surfing culture of the 1970's on Kauai. This award winning book was followed by a sequel, Open Road: a Midlife Memoir of Travel through the National Parks, covering her transition to being a full-time writer and taking road trips to experience the USA. A third memoir, Passages:
Searching for Home in Climate Change Times is set for release in 2026.
Toby has enjoyed a six-figure career as a writer for the last 12 years and still does some author coaching and counseling on the side. "I'm endlessly fascinated with people's stories", she says.
You can find out more about her work and download a free book or two from her website at http://www.tobyneal.net/ .
Eric Alan is an author, photographer, lyricist, meditation and workshop leader. The most recent of his four nonfiction books is Grateful by Nature, an exploration of gratitude as a transformative practice. His first book, Wild Grace: Nature as a Spiritual Path, continues to inspire meditations and workshops on reintegration with nature. He is also active in land conservation efforts via Cerro Gordo Land Conservancy.
Calling all poets—novices to veterans. Come take the stage and read
your best poem. Florence Big Wave Spoken Word and Florence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA) will present an introductory session "getting comfortable reading your work in front of others” with coordinator Charles Castle. Learn how to use a mic and project your voice, and listen to other speakers. Whether you are in school, “old-school,” or a Slam winner -- “bring it” to the workshop stage!
Ned Hickson is an award-winning nationally syndicated columnist and retired journalist. He has been awarded “Best Local Column” and “Best Commentary” from both the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. His first book, Humor at the Speed of Life (2013), is a collection of columns over his 23 years at Siuslaw News, where he also served as editor-in-chief from 2016-2021. His second book, Pearls of Writing Wisdom: From 16 shucking years as a columnist (2016), is a humorous writer’s guide offering tips, inspiration and insights from his many years as a columnist and writer. No Safe Harbor (2023) is his first suspense novel and the first in a series featuring Seattle private investigator Shane McPhearson, with the next book in the series, Harbinger of Truth, scheduled for release later this year. He is also working on a young adult paranormal fiction mystery, The Truth About Emily. He lives on the central Oregon coast with his incredible wife, his Harley Sportster, their crazy female tabby cat, and a growing murder of neighborhood crows.
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