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Local authors to enrich annual John Cooper Signatures Author Series

By: The John Cooper School
| Published 11/21/2017

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Visiting authors from The Woodlands and surrounding areas will round out the literary lineup at the 13th Annual Signatures Author Series to be held on Friday, December 8 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. The 2017 keynote address will be given by Paula Hawkins, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling suspense thriller, The Girl on the Train, that was made into a major motion picture. Hawkins released a subsequent thriller, Into the Water, in May of this year.

The annual Signatures event is sponsored by The John Cooper School Fine Arts Council and also features a VIP book signing reception and the Visiting Authors portion, featuring the literary talents of authors who will be on hand to discuss, sign and sell their books before and after the luncheon.

“Each year we seek to also highlight the talented authors who live in our immediate community,” said Patty Black, who co-chairs the Visiting Authors portion of the event with Lisa Hollingsworth. “We are very pleased to have put together a well-rounded group of talented authors who represent a variety of genres.”

This year’s visiting authors group will encompass fiction for adults, adolescents and children, health and self-help genres, and cookbooks.

Adult fiction offerings encompass a variety of categories from contemporary romance to suspense to historical. Sharla Lovelace is the best-selling, award-winning author of small town love stories and has written 12 novels. A Charmed Little Lie is the latest in her Charmed in Texas series (www.sharlalovelace.com). Mary Kay Leatherman’s second novel is Cowboys to Camelot, a romantic thriller, which includes a ghost or two and promises a shocking ending (www.mkleatherman.com). Angelia Griffin pens Champion of Destiny, a fantasy tale of epic proportions and her first book in the Crystal Keys series (www.thepilotwifelife.com). Originally from Mexico, Kathryn Lane writes fiction inspired by Latin American cultures. Her second novel in a thriller series is Coyote Zone, featuring romance amidst danger, kidnapping and human trafficking (www.kathryn-lane.com). Historical fiction author Curt Locklear writes “stories with a twist.” His book, Splintered, is the second in his action-packed, romantic tales of life during the Civil War. (www.curtlocklearauthor.com).

Several child and young adult authors will be on hand, just in time for holiday shopping. For younger children, Cooper alum Gabriel Garcia will feature Avian Kingdom Feather Tales Series (www.aviankingdom.com), that provides a great way to talk to children about challenging topics. Anthony Harris’ Mixed helps children embrace that everyone is different (www.anthonyjharris.com). Valerie Sweeten will showcase Shh, Listen: On a Safari and Shh, Listen: In the Rainforest (www.valeriesweeten.com) which follows a family on adventures.

For older readers, Tracy Borgmeyer’s Halley Harper: Science Girl Extraordinaire features action, adventure and even do-it-yourself experiments for the reader to try (www.shelovesscience.com). Husband and wife Molly and Gary Whitney team up to tell and illustrate the story of Tyson, an irresistible red-haired troll in Thistle Downe-A Tale of Trolls and Fairies (www.thistledownebook.com).

Belle Whittington’s books bring young adult science fiction to the program. Whittington writes acclaimed young adult paranormal books, including Cicada, Firefly and Monarch (www.bellewhittington.com).

Several self-help and health books are represented in the visiting authors program. Denise Liotta-Dennis’ third Feng Shui book, Classical Feng Shui For Health, Beauty and Longevity reveals ancient and modern techniques for lasting health and beauty for both beginning and advanced students (www.dragongatefengshui.com) Dr. Gigi Siton’s The Sexy Art of High Heel Walking, shares unique tips and tools to help high heel walkers get on their feet and out of pain (www.gigisiton.com). Amy Suliano Cox addresses weight loss techniques in A Jesus Girl’s Guide To Healing Your Food and Weight Struggles (www.losethementalweight.com). In Purposeful Parenting, Cooper parent Joy Oguchi examines two kinds of parents, purposeful and passive, with the latter acting as an enemy to a child’s destiny.

An educational philosophy book by Cooper teacher, Alexis Wiggins, The Best Class You Never Taught explores a student-led inquiry technique that can make students stronger communicators, more empathetic teammates, better problem solvers and more independent learners (www.ceelcenter.org).

Two cookbooks round out the visiting authors group and provide additional holiday gift-giving options. Sylvia Casares will feature her cookbook, The Enchilada Queen Cookbook: Enchiladas, Tamales and More Classic Recipes (www.sylviasenchiladas.com). Lynn Wilson, a military spouse for 38 years, collected recipes and party ideas while traveling the world with her husband and compiled them into At Ease –A Salute to Creative Entertaining. A portion of Wilson’s book sales will go to military family programs (www.ateaseentertaining.com)

“This is always a highly anticipated portion of our event and we always enjoy shedding light on our visiting authors,” said 2017 Signatures Co-chair, Susan DeMarco, who co-chairs the event with Christie Swanbeck.

“The continued success of this event is made possible by sponsorships at varying levels, ranging from individual seats for $150 each to table sponsorships at $10,000, $5,000, $3,500 and $2,000 levels,” DeMarco added. “Higher level sponsorships benefit from attending a VIP reception with the keynote speaker. “We have had sell-out audiences the past few years, so I would encourage guests to register online early.”

Reservations can be made online at http://www.johncooper.org/Page/Giving--Events/Special-Events/Signatures-Author-Series.

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