2022 Exhibitors in the Don Taylor Writers Marketplace and Exhibit Area

Monica the Muskie shares the fun and excitement of fishing with family and friends. The muskie’s reputation as a large, mean, and difficult-to-catch fish is legendary. Monica shares suggestions for getting the elusive fish into the boat and captures the rewarding feeling dedicated muskie fishermen know well. Fishing with family and friends creates lasting memories and teaches us to explore and enjoy the outdoors

When magic is the brand of a traitor, the most powerful become the most hunted…Ever since the powerful Moriel destroyed the legendary Ryders, the Realms have lived in fear of the tyranny of magic. Now, those with powers are assumed accomplices, subject to the judgment of the law. Unable to turn away from injustice, Riona finds herself unraveling the ties that bind the past — even as they threaten to tangle her in a web of nightmarish proportions.

When the C47 virus hit in 2056, no one was prepared for the devastation that followed. Young Braelin is left alone to fend for herself. Her journey inadvertently leads first to sanctuary and then to love – when she meets two brothers, Aravon and Timber. She quickly learns there are new laws and new lawmakers. Braelin discovers that some of the hardest survival lessons have nothing to do with finding food and shelter. Filled with suspense, passion, and excitement, Love and Surviving: Book One In the Woods will keep Braelin fighting for her life and for her love until the very end.

My wife of thirty years had died suddenly in my arms. The memories I have of her in this book are the only way I can cope with her death. This is a story of our love for each other and how we met and what we had to endure during the times we spent together.

In the town of Moon Lake, nestled in the pristine  Wisconsin Northwoods, Eddie and Will LeBarron unexpectantly inherit an enormous tract of land and are consequently drawn into a battle that will decide the fate of the last of Wisconsin’s great old-growth forests.

Please Send Hats is a wonderful memoir that Laura Clark Hansen’s moving and often hilarious story of cancer survival. She combines vibrant reflections on her Baby Boomer past as she tells the story about the transformative power that cancer can have as it…Rearranges the present…Evokes memories of the past.

Holly’s Big Imagination is a must read for children and preschoolers learning to conquer their fear of the dark. It is a story about fantasy and discovery, taking the reader on a whimsical bedtime adventure into Holly’s imagination. But what appears to unfold in the murkiness of the dim night air isn’t at all what Holly expected! And what happens next when the light goes back on is the biggest surprise of all!

Little Ida is a spruce tree that grows up with a family in Appleton, Wisconsin. Ida’s husband, George, names the tree Little Ida. She’s planted next to the house where she takes in the comings and goings of the family of five girls, from the Depression to the early 1970s. All five daughters are unconventional for their time, focusing on their careers, independence, and sports. Even though Little Ida can’t talk, she certainly has many thoughts and opinions. She observes births, deaths, and other family milestones throughout the years.

Aiden is a superpowered criminal who wants out of the organization that raised her. Marty is a detective with a secret that could put them both in danger. Can they balance their secrets and shifting loyalties with their budding romance?

Local author, Mary Gover Gray has written two children’s books about her standard poodle. These picture books tell of two different adventures Dixie has when out and about with her owner. The poodle can’t seem to help herself when stepping beyond her owner’s reach. Choose Dixie Doddle the Helper Poodle at the senior center or Dixie Doodle the Happy Poodle watching a school’s field day event. Both fun stories have hidden paw prints for readers to find throughout the pages.

JJ becomes anxious when she learns that her family is going to her grandparents’ cabin. She has many fears, but through the loving guidance of her grandfather, JJ learns to appreciate nature and the beauty of the Northwoods. Set in Northern Wisconsin, the beautiful watercolor illustrations and this sweet story of a young girl and her grandfather will appeal to many. 

Educator and nature lover, Jaime Hardgrove, wrote this book to share the beauty of the Northwoods, and to encourage young children to get outside and explore. Winner of the National Indie Excellence Award and a Book Excellence Award Finalist.

This bold and colorful picture book follows Kitty as she explores the sights and sounds of the night. Rhyme and repetition engage young readers. Perfect for story time and bedtime!

Finn McCool is the fiercest hero in all of Ireland. Benandonner, the Scottish giant across the sea, is just as big and fierce. When Benandonner sends a  challenge, Finn starts building a stone bridge to meet him. Will one woman’s clever trick keep these two giants from a terrible fight?

(Note: Terri Karsten is the author of several books ranging from picture books to adult historical fiction.)

Once a rock star, always a rock star? Follow Maggie Morgan’s journey from shy art student to 70’s superstar to Wisconsin troublemaker in the Four Furies Trilogy: “I Never Wanted To Be A Rock Star,” Deep Cuts,” and “Echo.” Written for fans of Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, and Western Wisconsin. Books include original song lyrics and listening guide.

On a remote island with only a herd of wild horses for company, two ex-best friends struggle to survive but soon realize they are not alone.

For 57 years, Alfred told his family he had been a barber, chauffeur, and translator in WWII. But following the death of his wife,  Alfred quietly started sharing a glimpse into his actual experiences. His daughter first began capturing those fractions of stories on napkins during her weekly nursing home visits, which grew into a nearly two-decade deep dive into his true role in the war—a reluctant front-line machine gunner in Europe from 1944-45. He returned home, discernibly the gentle Wisconsin farmer he was when he left, to a family unknowing what he had done and what he had survived.

This diary-based book describes the adventures, social interactions, and emotional highs and lows of a Peace Corps Volunteer involved in school construction and community development in Ecuador, 1963-65. Interspersed are lists of major political and cultural events occurring while he “was out” that impacted the U.S. and the author upon his return to the states.

“Rolling in the Deep” follows seventeen-year-old Sam Robel and his friends Max and Diane after making a mysterious discovery while fishing one summer at Noquebay Resort in Northern  Wisconsin. What secrets lay ahead at the bottom of the lake?

A mesmerizing story of love, race, and life as an urban firefighter that brims with emotion and humanity. Can a brash adolescent inner-city girl and a young guilt-ridden firefighter overcome their cultural biases and join forces in the fight of their lives?

Reader’s Favorite International Book Award Gold Medal,

IAN Debut Book of the Year, Midwest Book Award Winner, International Book of the Year Award Winner.

13-year-old MacKenzie, who secretly blames himself for his father’s death, runs away to stop his mother from remarrying but ends up seriously injured, miles from home, while clues inadvertently left behind suggest he’s been kidnapped—possibly by Mom’s fiancé—and set his twin sister Tessa on a desperate search to find him.

In 1856, on the Illinois Prairie, Norwegian farmers Anders and Maria encounter young Daniel, a fugitive slave. Will they do their legal duty by taking him in? Or will they break the laws of their new country and risk their lives to aid Daniel in his bid for freedom?

Deadly Grievances is the conglomerate life story of a young man who is trying to figure life out, as
well as who he is and what it means to be a resident of Earth. He’s a bit angry and upset, but he’s
working on it, exploring both the depths of Lake Michigan, as well as political issues, relationships,
and social normalities.