Author Fair Features Nine Local Authors

St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Hicksville recently hosted its third local Author Fair. This year, it featured keynote speaker and author, Roland Allnach, president of the Long Island Author’s Group and eight other authors including Hicksville librarian and author, Debbie De Louise, who moderated the event.

De Louise gave an opening address thanking the members of St. Stephen’s who helped organize the fair including Inreach/Outreach minister Jeanne Bezko; Rick and Jan Mosebach; Maureen O’ Brien; Chrystal and Tyler La Vorgna; Pastor Emily Truby-Weller; and other church members.

Allnach spoke about the experience of being a local author and how the community can support them. Following his keynote speech, the authors spoke in three groups. Mystery authors, Debbie De Louise, James J. Cudney IV, and Catherine Maiorisi took turns at the podium sharing their writing and reading some excerpts from their books. After the three mystery authors spoke, there was time for a Q and A session with the audience and then a break where attendees could visit author tables, purchase books and raffle tickets and help themselves to free refreshments.

The second set of authors included romance author Nika Rhone, Young Adult author Tracy Auerbach and dark fiction author Lisa Diaz Meyer. After these authors spoke, there was another question and answer period along with a break.
The final two authors were nonfiction writers Dr. John Krahn and Janet Rudolph, who both spoke on religious topics, Krahn, who is also a pastor, has lectured many times at St. Stephens.
After the final questions from the audience and the last break, the authors posed for a group photo and raffles were drawn for the books that the authors donated. The event raised $211 for Literacy Nassau and the church.