57 Oregon authors to appear at Oregon State Fair

With 57 Oregon authors appearing at the Oregon State Fair in Salem from Friday to Sept. 2, this year there's something for everyone to read — literally. Here's a sampling of newly released books by five local authors who are new to the fair this year.

Cheryl Wanner of McMinnville has written for Oregon Coast Magazine and has helped run pizza stores. Now she plays the keyboard in a church worship band and writes young adult novels with a romance angle. "See Me As I Am" tells the story of a 17-year-old blind girl who falls in love with her favorite rock star without knowing it's him. Wanner’s times at the fair are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Daniel Potter of Salem writes fantasy fiction with what he describes as “badass, snarky oddballs raging against the broken systems they inhabit.” In the four books of his “Full Moon Medic” series, a paramedic who happens to be a werewolf keeps trying to protect her daughter from hungry fairies. Potter will be at the fair 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 31.

David G. Lewis lives in Chemeketa (now known as Salem) but commutes to Corvallis to teach anthropology and Indigenous studies at Oregon State University. A member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he has written “Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley,” a book that reveals much that had been neglected about local Kalapuyans. Lewis will be at the fair 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday.

Leslie Barnard Booth of Portland earned a degree in creative writing at the University of Oregon and has put it to use composing a series of children’s books published by Simon & Schuster. “One Day This Tree Will Fall” is the life history of a tree, and “A Stone Is a Story” tells the history of a rock. Booth will be at the fair 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the final day on Sept. 2.

While Anna Grace was teaching history at a rural high school outside Eugene, she would get up early, drink a lot of espresso, and write wholesome romance novels before the sun came up. “Reunited with the Rancher” is the fifth and final book in her “Love, Oregon” series published by Harlequin Heartwarming. She will be signing at the fair twice, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 1 and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 2.

The Oregon Authors Table is located in Columbia Hall, between the fair's quilts and cakes. Unlike those exhibits, however, the authors take turns, so only a dozen authors are on hand at a time. For a complete schedule of the 57 authors and their book signing times, go to oregonhiking.com/william-l-sullivan/oregon-state-fair .

William Sullivan is the author of 22 books, including “The Ship in the Woods” and the updated “100 Hikes” series for Oregon. Learn more at oregonhiking.com.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: 57 Oregon authors to appear at Oregon State Fair