His first novel, Even Trolls Love Pasties, is set in Ann Arbor during the 1970s and focuses on the narrator’s friendship with Jack Goode as they move through a world of young loves, new friendships, music, politics, Wolverine football and the occasional ghost. His second novel, I Brake for Humans, recounts the story of another member of the Goode family, Chris, as he decides that enough is enough and takes on his former employers who have elevated profits over people. Jim’s third novel, Huckleberry Finishes, finds Howard, a cousin to the Goodes, fifty years after his life-changing encounter with his first great love, Maude, on a mission to save young Madeleine from both her own depression and from a serial killer. Jim’s most recent novel, Far, Far Away In An Irish Pub is a tale involving yet another member of the Goode family, Devin, a young Detroit reporter to whom it has just been revealed that leprechauns and faeries are actually aliens who have been stranded on Earth.

Their work has appeared in SJ Whitby’s Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology and Wyldblood Press’s From the Depths: A Fantasy Anthology, among other publications.

From the Author:

Writing poetry is my one of my passions including being a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and a retired teacher. I have five books of poetry published including “Poems From the Heart” volumes 1, 2, and 3, “Whispers of Faith and Devotion” and “Reasons and Rhymes of Animal Times – An Amazing Animal Anthology.”

I also have written several books for children that are not published yet. I enjoy volunteering and participating in several local groups to help enhance and enrich our community. I hope my poetry can move the readers and encourage a love of the written word.

Alexandria (Ali) Burden is a published novelist and somewhat accomplished writer from Akron, Ohio.

At the age of ten, she started writing in dollar store notebooks with markers, and at 15, Ali wrote her first short story for hire. In that same year she was published in a flash fiction compilation and a local newspaper as a contributor through a student editorial program. In her last three weeks of high school, 2012, Ali spent full school days working on what she believed would be her debut novel—it wasn’t, but the process taught her what makes a story tick. She was hooked. Upon graduation, she continued to write for hire until she married in 2015, after which she moved to Atlanta, finding work as a production assistant for a black-owned production company called The Arthouse. Under director and mentor Lamont Pierre, she fostered her writing talent, culminating in her writing and directing a PSA near and dear to her heart and remains one of her proudest and most difficult projects.

In 2017, Ali and her husband returned to Ohio, where she spent a summer as a journalist with the (now-defunct) Akron culture magazine called The Devil Strip. She utilized her new platform to bring attention to young movers-and-shakers in the Akron area: from Akron-based clothiers whose (in)famous hat made an appearance at the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers NBA championship win, down to the dinky little pizza joint where she spent every weekend as a kid. From 2022 to 2026, she served as the marketing director for one of the fastest growing companies in Cleveland, where she used her talents every day to tell the company’s story, refine their voice and message, and help her work family put big feelings and big passion into words.

After departing the company in January, Ali worked on self-publishing her debut novel through KDP, and on May 8th, released Oliver Irvine Must Die, a strong murder mystery turned mind-bending existential thriller. She’s now working on prequels to OIMD, as well as a number of standalone novels and short story serials, currently releasing on Amazon and Substack.

Melissa Ann Carte is an author and a poet with a unique poetic style dialect of creative writing. She is a mother and a grandmother who resides in Monroe, Michigan. 

Alexis Cavins is a lifelong resident of Monroe County, Michigan, a therapist, mother, and author. She is the author of two books, Ripples on Six Mile Lake and One More Cast, as well as A Year of Grief Journal. Through both her writing and her work as a therapist, Alexis finds meaning in exploring the experiences, emotions, relationships, and stories that connect us as people. She is passionate about using words to create connection, comfort, and reflection.

Visit Clayton at Writers on the River to learn more.

Known as the Lover of Love, author Crystal Davis began her literary journey alongside a community of talented writers. Before picking up the pen herself, she first made her name as an editor and promoter for several authors who quickly became cherished friends. One author, in particular, recognized her potential and encouraged her to co-author with him—an opportunity that inspired her to finally get her own pen wet.

Crystal penned her first published work in 2023, collaborating on the novel Blindsided By A Miami Boss’s Love, a project that remains one of her personal favorites. Since then, her storytelling has flourished across Romance, Erotic Romance, and Holiday genres. Readers praise her for crafting romance scenes that bring the heat—inside the bedroom and out.

Crystal Davis continues to evolve as an author, with exciting new projects on the horizon. She plans to expand her repertoire into additional genres and experiment with unexpected mashups. For Crystal, the journey is just beginning—and the excitement only continues to grow.

Tim Dziobak is a retired public school administrator and former history teacher who always desired to become a writer. He has two children’s books to his credit. His first book, Red Boy, is an enjoyable story depicting the role of a small tractor and its responsibility around the farm. Tim’s second book has that same tractor visiting different places each month in our wonderful state of Michigan.

Rachel Esterline is an independent author based in Michigan’s Lansing Region. She writes stories about morally gray protectors and strong heroines who fight for found family—crossing lines in the haze of smoke, betrayal, and temptation.

Learn more at RachelEsterlineAuthor.com.

Brandy Gerber is an artist, author, and illustrator who resides in Ida, Michigan with her husband Craig and their dog Porter. Her art has sold worldwide and has been featured in numerous solo gallery shows. She has participated in ArtPrize Grand Rapids numerous times and has received monetary awards for her exhibits. She has taught at both the Clinton Art Center and the Adrian Center for the Arts. She teaches numerous paint classes locally. She has been an Artist in Residence at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park where she painted murals and co-curated multiple art shows. She co-curates a quarterly rotating art exhibit at The Michigan Wine and Beer Portal. She has given public presentations on her art and enjoys discussing her artistic process with others.

Her children’s books, A to Z, An Animal Alphabet of Art and A to Z, A Dog Alphabet of Art, are currently available for purchase through major booksellers.

Rick and wife Diane live in Monroe.

From the Author:

I am a Monroe native and retired registered nurse.

I am a life member of the Monroe County Historical Society and member of the Genealogical Society of Monroe County since 1989 serving as president from 1993-2000 and currently the society’s treasurer.

I am the author of the Index to the County Atlas of Monroe MI 1876 published in 1995 and of numerous articles on genealogy and local history for the GSMC Record newsletter. A collection of these articles are available online as part of the Monroe County Library System – Local History Writings. I have also created several presentations on local history and genealogy topics.

I have written grants for and am the project leader for the Monroe County Historic Newspaper Digitization Project for the G.S.M.C.
To date more than 134,00 pages have been digitized and are available free online.

I have been a participant at past MCLS “Writers on the River” as well as the Monroe County Historical Society’s “November History Nights.”

Mary is a nurse, a mother of two, and a performer at heart. Her love of music and the stage taught her to listen closely to the stories that live between the lines. She writes heartfelt, character-driven fiction about love, loss, and finding your way home.

She lives in Michigan with her family and a pack of beloved dogs.

B. Hampton returns to a childhood love of writing poetry and short stories after attending a writer’s workshop. The author has moved on from a career of writing for the court. She has studied various healing modalities and conducted weekly meditation sessions in her former home in California. She has returned to her home state of Michigan. The author enjoys adventures in nature and travel to unusual locations.

Michigan True Crime Expert Nina Innsted is the host of the Already Gone Podcast and President of the Missing in Michigan organization. Her first book, Unsolved Michigan, was released in March 2026.

Wife to Mark, mom to three children, and bonus mom to four more, Laura Johnson enjoys music, athletics, good food, and outdoor activities, and does her best to daily love and impact the people placed in her life. Though she grew up a conservative Christian and attended Christian school from Kindergarten through college, her past is a mixture of great pain and a beautiful reminder of the way Christ creates beauty from ashes. Laura leads the women’s ministry at her local church. She holds a Bachelors in History Education and a Master’s in Counseling to help others as they recognize their beauty in the brokenness.

​Her second book of poetry is due out June 1. She is managing editor of The Dolomite Review, a literary journal highlighting authors of the Midwest. For the past thirty years, her own short stories, poetry and essays have been published in journals and magazines throughout the US.

She lives in Michigan with her husband, son and Marley, a demanding but beautiful German Shepherd. When she is not writing or editing, Maryann can be found shopping for antiques to furnish her historic home in Bay City where she also sits on the city’s Historic District Commission.

An award-winning fiction writer and poet, Donald Levin is the author of four historical novels set in Detroit during various decades of the Twentieth Century: Savage City, The Arsenal of Deceit, The Ghosts of Detroit, and his newest, The World As It Is. He is also the author of seven Martin Preuss mysteries; a novel, The House of Grins, set in upstate New York; three books of poetry, Are You Listening, In Praise of Old Photographs, and New Year’s Tangerine; and poetry and short fiction in numerous online and print publications. He co-authored an anthology of Halloween-based horror stories, The Devil’s Quill.

He is a retired professor of English and dean of the faculty at the former Marygrove College in Detroit, and a professional writer with over forty years’ experience.

From the Author:

I was born in Monroe Michigan. Lived most of my life in Monroe.
Served in the U.S. Army 1982-1985.
Married to Robin (McNew). Father of two. Grandfather of three.
Originally wrote this story after I got out of the Army.

Phyllis McCormick was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, beloved dance teacher, entrepreneur, and author from Monroe County, Michigan. She had a special gift for recognizing the unique qualities in others, especially children, and helping them grow in confidence. As the author of When Grandma Has Cancer, Phyllis brought that same compassion to helping children and families navigate a cancer diagnosis. She passed away in July 2026, but her joyful spirit and dedication to children continue through her family and this meaningful book.

Dawn grew up in Erie and attended Erie Mason from kindergarten on up to her graduation in 1985.

That is where her dream to be a published author was born. It all began after she won a ribbon in a Young Author event in third grade at the age of eight. Putting her dream up on a shelf fearing she would fail, fifty years later she pulled it down, dusted it off and went for it.

Now at fifty-nine years old she is here sharing her first published novel, Flowers Can Bloom Through Ashes, with all of you.

She resides in Ida with her husband Jim where they raised two children and are the proud grandparents to three, two adorable little girls and one newborn baby boy.

You can read more of her writing by signing up for her emails and articles at:

dawnmontri.substack.com

Amy Piper is a Michigan-based freelance travel writer, blogger, photographer, and author specializing in luxury and multi-generational travel. She is a native Michigander who travels through the lens of a food lover.

As a former program project manager with more than 35 years of experience in the Information Technology field, she’s traveled the world. Along with her personal travel, she’s been to 47 countries and 46 states.

From getting chased by bomb-sniffing dogs in the middle of the night in Bogotá to being refused boarding her plane from Buenos Aires to Paraguay due to the wrong visa to being surrounded by 21 lions in Tanzania on a photo safari, Amy always has an exciting adventure to tell her readers and community of travel enthusiasts.

In 2022, Amy was recognized as the Greater Lansing Certified Tourism Ambassador Star of the Year. She is a published author of two books, Secret Michigan: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure and 100 Things to Do in Lansing Before You Die. She is also the co-author of a collaborative work with 11 other authors called Midwest Road Trip Adventures.

S.W. Raine writes steampunk and urban fantasy adventures full of action, banter, and found family. A Canadian-born mischief-maker now living in Michigan, she’s a storyteller at heart, a passionate—if occasionally reckless—gamer, and a firm believer that every character needs a little chaos (and maybe a cat).

Scott Reisfield is the grand-nephew of Greta Garbo. He had access to family documents and collections that have not been used prior to this new book. Reisfield has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Lynne is the 2025 Maine Arts Fellow, the second-place winner of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies Founders Contest, winner of the 2020 New Women’s Voices Contest. Lynne is the author of, Dying Dog Poems and its companion, Dead Dog Poems, The Unaccounted For Circles Of Hell, and Gravity.

When given the choice, Lynne prefers the company of her pack of animals to humans.

From the Author:

I started my police career as a Auxiliary Police Officer in Ann Arbor, a Reserve patrolman in Belleville and Part time Patrolman in South Lyon, MI. Concurrently, I worked at the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety and was one of the original police officers working 29.5 years as a mid level supervisor. I spent 18 years conducting criminal investigations and was a designated hostage negotiator and officiated three department funerals.

In addition, I taught Police Ethics and Tactical Communication at the Washtenaw Police Academy for 10 years and was a debriefer for the Washtenaw County Critical Incident Stress Management Team (CISM) for approximately 20 years. At the University Police, I acquired the yoke of Sergeant and was one of three in the Detective Bureau. We supervised other cops but had a case load of 40-50 crimes to investigate including assaults, car thefts, frauds, embezzlements, rapes, robberies, and the rare homicides among a population of 70,000.

I retired and worked as a private investigator for 2 years prior to entering the mental health profession where I currently works part time as a state licensed mental health therapist in my own practice.

Along the way I acquired my Associates Degree in Criminal Justice, Bachelors Degree in Human Resource and Masters Degree in Pastoral Counseling.

Laura Stewart lives by a river in rural Michigan with her family, a sweet (if slightly confused) golden retriever, and a flock of chickens. Her backyard birds often inspire her stories, including Puddle Jumper and Building the Bridge School (August 2024).

Learn more at laurastewartstories.com

C.C. Urie is a Multi-Genre Christian Author who lives in Michigan. Her whole world revolves around her family, and her favorite time of year is when the leaves start to change. She’s always had a love for reading, and enjoys sharing her stories with others. Her true calling in life is using her books to help spread the Good Word and show others how God has changed her life for the better.

 Jared Wadley is a therapy dog handler and the proud partner of Bree, a gentle collie who brings comfort to people wherever she goes—from hospitals and libraries to first responder settings.

He began his journey in therapy work in 2010, inspired by his love for dogs and his passion for helping others. Jared wrote this book to share Bree’s stories and to help children learn how to build strong, loving relationships with their dogs.

Jared and his family live in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. He and Bree continue their therapy visits, sharing comfort, connection, and a few wagging tails along the way.

Alex Wahl loves secrets so much, he wrote an old story using new ideas with them. He lives with his beautiful wife, who he truly believes is lying about her age. For any youngsters out there—women don’t poop, only sisters.

They have two kids who frequent the house often.

Then there’s Mr. Velcor Cornelius, a five-year-old red Labradoodle. His wife misheard the name of a famous ’80s movie. Any idea which one?

Alex is the author of Thee Autonomy Construct, mixing Prohibition-era Chicago with mystery, puzzles, and secrets. Welp, that’s him.

Mary grew up on a farm in Southeast Michigan near the Lake Erie shoreline. Her happiest memories are being outdoors in the summer, running barefoot in the soft grass, playing with her sister or neighborhood friends, and playing with “pet” baby calves in the barn. She could often be found under a shade tree with a stack of library books.

She’s a wife, mom, and grammy, who, besides writing, enjoys time with friends and family, gardening, and being out in nature.
She still lives in Michigan with her husband and she still loves cows.