Saturday, March 15, 1:00pm – 4:00 pm
Monken Activity Room, Second Floor (accessible by elevator and stairs)
Nine local authors will be exhibiting in the Monken Activity Room to discuss, sell, and sign their books. Admission is free and there will be a raffle drawing!
Meet the authors in this spring’s lineup:
K.B. Andrews
K.B.’s Website, Facebook Page, Instagram, and TikTok
Genre(s): Romance
Target Audience: Ages 18+
K.B. Andrews was born and raised in The Heartland where love and family values are just as important as going to church on Sunday. Marrying her childhood best friend–that she met on the first day of kindergarten–she believes in soulmates and love stories that have been written into the stars. She uses real life events as her inspiration to create stories that come to life on the page, that pull you in and hold you captive until the very end.
Books:
The Chance Series (4 Books; 2016-2018)
Wrapped in Hope Series (Ongoing since 2017)
Losing a Piece of Me (2017)
Sweat (2018)
Shattered (2018)
The No-Chance Series (Ongoing since 2018)
Feathers & Curls (2024)
Where the Wildflowers Grow (2025)
Debbie Blankenship
Debbie’s Facebook Page
Genre(s): General Fiction
Target Audience: Small Children to Adults
Debbie is a retired grandmother and wrote her first book when she was 66 years old. Her Gone series is Christian Fiction about life in the Midwest after the rapture. Her Magic Stones series is about mysterious creatures that live in a woods and special tones with power given to those who find them to help these creatures (her grandchildren are the stars in these books!). Her book, A Dog Named Sophie is a children’s book about her granddog.
Books:
Gone… (2022)
The Magic Stone and the Big, Black, Hairy Thing in the Woods (2022)
Gone: Year Two (2023)
The Magic Stones and the Gnomes (2023)
Gone: The End (2024)
A Dog Named Sophie (2024)
Cris Cawthon
Cris’s Amazon Author Page
Genre(s): Devotional
Target Audience: Adult
Cris graduated with a degree in Health Information and obtained a certificate in Medical Transcription and Billing and Coding. She is currently employed at Centralia Regional Library and writes for the Centralia Sentinel. She enjoys writing and helping others. Her motto is, “We need each other.” Her latest book, Be Encouraged is in memory of her grandmother Willa who spoke those words to her at the end of their phone calls. It is a collection of devotions that, even in tragedy or hard circumstances, through God’s word there is encouragement.
Books:
Grace and Comfort: Surrounded by Beauty (2018)
A Heart in Art: Mayo Clinic Heals Through Art (2019)
Seeing Through Our Lens (2019)
Be Encouraged (2021)
Clyde Hall
Clyde’s Facebook Page, Bluesky
Genre(s): New Pulp
Target Audience: Teen+
Clyde is a life-long fan of comic books, pulps, cryptozoology, horror films, vintage toys, and the supernatural. He does comic book reviews at Comics Beat and Comic Book Spectrum podcast. He currently lives in Southern Illinois with his wife Ginny and their fur babies, Quill and Casper. His books are anthologies with New Pulp adventures, modern works done in the style of classic western, science fiction, and mystery men/women pulps. Set in nostalgic eras (Indiana Jones and Rocketeer-like), the stories are done with an eye towards the modern reader.
Books:
Pulp Reality Series (Ongoing since 2020)
Tim Bruckner’s Major Marjorie (2022)
Lost Adventures of Captain Hawklin (Two volumes; 2022-2024)
Spurs & Six Shooters: Tales of the Old West (2023)
Jasmine Krezanoski
Jasmine’s Website
Genre(s): Picture Books
Target Audience: Ages 2-6
Jasmine, a dedicated wife and mother of five, worked as a registered nurse prior to becoming a homeschooling mom and author. Being home with her children unexpectedly reignited a passion for writing that includes children’s books and poetry. She is excited to share her stories with the world and continues to follow wherever God leads.
Books:
Meet the Pegs (2024)
Rick Nehrt
Rick’s Website
Genre(s): Religious Fiction
Target Audience: All Ages
A Southern Illinois native born and raised right here in Centralia, Rick is a devoted family man and now retired, taking up his pen for the first time. His books are biblical based.
Books:
Rejected Silver (2024)
Scott Pinkowski
Scott’s Website, Facebook Page, Instagram, Twitter/X, Bluesky
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Target Audience: Ages 12+
Scott lives in Centralia with his wife Tami and their two children. He earned a Bachelor in Fine Arts in art and is a graphic artist at The Sentinel. His writing projects began as just-for-fun collaborations with his then-4th grade daughter, which gradually grew into his first full length novel. His works include short stories in the annual YA Sci-Fi anthology Brave New Girls (which proceeds benefiting the Society of Women Engineers) and his novel The Orphan Ark.
Books:
Brave New Girls (Volumes 7 & 8; 2023-2024)
The Orphan Ark (2024)
Eunice Redeker-Hausler
Eunice’s Illinois Author Directory Page
Genre(s): Spiritual Nonfiction
Target Audience: All Ages
Born in Shattuc, Illinois, Eunice has a storied history of teaching and has opened Lutheran schools in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and Lincoln, Illinois. She also taught high school in Papua New Guinea for 13 years. Now she has found success as a published author. Her books reflect her life history full of missionary work in the United States, China, and Papua New Guinea.
Books:
Thank You Lord for the Privilege (2022)
Blessed by the Lord, Led by the Spirit (2024)
T.L. Sanders
T.L.’s Website, Facebook Page, Instagram, Twitter/X
Genre(s): Picture Books and YA Fantasy
Target Audience: Ages 3+
Author and illustrator T.L. Sanders is a graduate of Kaskaskia College and of the Institute of Children’s Literature. After studying the art of writing for children and teens, T.L. pursued several avenues to hone her skills, both as a writer and illustrator. In the process, she has sold short stories to EssentialSkills.com, illustrations to a toy company for heirloom puzzles, and more. She is continuing to work on her Prymzia series.
Books:
Pixie’s Princess (2022)
Rainbow Spider (2022)
Upside Down (2022)
Christmas Time: Color, Cut & Paste: Scissor Skills for Ages 3 to 5 (2022)
Prymzia Series (Ongoing since 2022)
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For questions and concerns about the fair, please email program coordinator Charessa Sistek at csistek@centralia.lib.il.us or call 618-532-5222 extension 225.
If you are an Illinois author that would like a chance to exhibit at our next fair, let us know!
Updated 3/4/2025
