Meet internationally bestselling author Carissa Andrews

"An author emerges from the depths of Minnesotan waters. Sci-fi/Fantasy is my pen of choice."

Carissa Andrews is an internationally bestselling author from central Minnesota who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. As an expert in independent publishing and audiobook production, Carissa continually writes and publishes books readers of all ages enjoy. Her plans for 2019 include publication of Awakening, The Windhaven Witches Series, as well as taking part in an upcoming anthology Playing with Fire. Her goal is to become a USA Today or NYT Bestselling author by end of 2020. As a publishing powerhouse, she keeps sane by chilling with her husband, five kids, and two husky puppies. She also plays with art in its various forms, and seeks out mysteries of the ages.

Welcome back Barbara Schlichting!

Barbara is the author of the White House Dollhouse mystery series, historical fiction as well as picture books and poetry. She has several short stories published. Originally from Minneapolis, she and her family moved further north to Bemidji, MN.

Barbara’s newest book, THE BROKEN CIRCLE, is about the renewal of three childhood friendships. It’s written from the viewpoint of two sixtyish year-old women. Together they seek acceptance, love, hope, and happiness as they look ahead to the next excerpt in their lives. While doing so, they realize that a friend who had been abducted during their senior year of high school, was never found. Together they are able to bring a closure to the family as well as themselves, allowing them to start afresh in their relationships.
http://www.barbaraschlichting.com

Mike Lein

Mike Lein successfully published over 50 non-fiction pieces in magazines and journals before moving on to book publishing. His first two books – Firewood Happens – Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Minnesota’s Northwoods and Down at the Dock – More Stories of the Good Life in the Northwoods scored back-to-back First Place Awards for Humor from the Midwest Independent Publishing Association. A comment from one judge says it all – “This book belongs in every cabin in Minnesota!”

The Crooked lake Chronicles – Mostly True Stories of Life Up North continues this series with more lightly embellished tales of the things that happen, the people you meet, and the struggles with Mother Nature that occur when you step out and enjoy the simple life in the Great Outdoors.

Meet national best-selling author Christine Husom!

Christine Husom is a national best-selling author from Buffalo. She finds the cold, crisp winters clear the cobwebs and encourage her to write. Husom pens the Winnebago County Mysteries, and the Snow Globe Shop Mysteries where the bad guys demonstrate not everyone is “Minnesota nice.” She has stories in six anthologies and co-edited A Festival of Crime. Her latest titles are Firesetter in Blackwood Township and Frosty The Dead Man. Husom served with the Wright County Sheriff, and is currently a County Commissioner. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.www.christinehusom.com.

Christine will be presenting with the Sisters in Crime Twin City Chapter at 11 AM in the UCC Sanctuary Murder She Writes Again and Again.

Always a favorite -Barbara Robertson

I've started to make some cluster pendants. They are so much fun to make but do take a while!!! I still make my metal clay charms for necklaces or bracelets or special-order lake charms. Then there's a lot of silver and copper jewelry, a variety of prices. Rings galore too!

 Barbara Robertson

Emily Koehler - Printmaker

Silence Waits

"When asked how long I’ve been making prints, I stumble. The easiest answer is since I was thirteen, when a family friend invited me to her print studio. It was certainly from that experience that I fell in love with printmaking, but that doesn’t completely answer the question. Even as a baby, I was fascinated by the impression my hands made in wet beach sand, the intricate lines that appeared when I pressed a paint covered thumb onto paper. In my earliest art classes, I scratched images into foam plates and printed them like stamps. How long have I been making prints? Well, forever… that is to say, from my earliest memories. In every print ever made, there is a history of process, a story told through impression. The grain of the wood or the bevel of the copper translate into paper something of their essence where wood becomes image, metal becomes paper, stone becomes print. It is in this transmutation of properties that my love of printmaking lies. Just as the mechanisms of printmaking guide my hand, my heart is inspired by the wonder of cycles and processes in nature. The marrying of these two passions, has informed my art as I seek to explore the intersection of humanity and nature in a world where nothing is untouched by man."

Emily Gray Koehler was born and raised in Traverse City, MI. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI in 2006. After relocating to Minnesota in 2008, she opened her own print studio in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area and is now currently located in the Thorp Building in NE Minneapolis. Koehler’s work is represented in galleries throughout the Upper Midwest and may be found in public and private collections in the United States and Northern Europe.

---

Wendy Hightshoe piques our curiosity with her fun sculptures-

View fullsize

Jazzy Junque creations are welded art made from old rusty metal.  I love the hunt, searching for items and shapes that I can weld together and create garden and home décor.  Although I love creating the sculptures, I enjoy seeing people’s reactions and watching them as they try to figure out what was used to create the sculpture.  Most of my sculptures are from farm equipment, auto parts, tools, and chains. 

Meet Anthony Swann

Anthony Swann grew up in Cross lake Minnesota. After attending college he lived in Minneapolis where he co-founded a jazz coffeehouse. He has lived in San Francisco and Las Vegas as well as long stints in Mexico and Brazil. His book of poems, "Paint With Words", (2009), was preceded by his CD poetry collection "The Kali-Yuga Rag”. His novel "To Search The Night”, a jazz novel, came out in 2018 with a favorable Kirkus review and is available on-line. He now lives and is active in the vibrant arts community of the city of Bemidji in Northern Minnesota. Anthony's poetry appeared in 'Thirty-Three Minnesota Poets" and he has read his poems at The University of Minnesota, Bemidji State University, The Loft and many coffee houses. In 2006 he was invited to read at The Palace of The Legion of Honor, in San Francisco.

Grace your dining table with Linda Holliday Pottery

Linda Holliday makes functional pots to be used in your home. She is inspired by all things "Minnesota" - the flora and fauna, the water, the cultures, the change of seasons... and the idea of cooking warm, hearty comfort foods during our long winters.  My pots are meant to be strong and sturdy with somewhat feminine elements of color and design.   

My pots are wheel-thrown or slab-build and altered using a variety of techniques.  They are bisque fired, glazed and then fired again in an electric kiln to a temperature of over 2,200 degrees.  The pots are all food, oven and microwave safe.  If you break one, don't fret. Just throw it away (or build a mosaic stepping stone for your garden) and get a new one!  

While the craft of making functional pots is relatively new to me, I believe I was called to clay since the beginning of my lifetime - or possibly many lifetimes. To see a beautiful pot is a wonder, to touch a beautiful pot is a gift, to use a beautiful pot is a blessing, and to make a beautiful pot... well... for me, is just a necessary lifetime pursuit.  

Larry's Woodworks

I'm Larry from Larry's Woodworks and make custom wooden products. I also do requests of things people want. I enjoy spending hours working on different projects. I started doing this many years ago and gave it up because of full time work demands. Started up again a few years ago it keeps me active.  My shop is in Brainerd MN.

Welcome back Jim!

NATIVE SKYWATCHERS PROGRAM

The Native Skywatchers (NSW) program materials includes constellation guidebooks, various star maps, a plani-spheres, and a teacher’s workbook. Our NSW research and programming continuously seeks out elders, culture teachers, language experts, and community members to discuss the Ojibwe and D(L)akota star knowledge.  Under the direction of the NSW founding director; Annette Lee (Lakota), and artist William Wilson (Ojibwe) and with help from other native elders and educators, they have created two astronomically accurate, culturally important star maps, Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan  Ojibwe Sky Star Map and Makoċe Wiċaŋḣpi Wowapi  D(L)akota Sky Star Map.

These native star maps were disseminated to regional educators at the first Native Skywatchers Middle School Teacher workshop in 2012. In addition, hands-on curriculum that combines astronomy, culture, language and art has been developed. As with many North American tribes much cultural knowledge, especially cultural astronomy, has been lost. The goal of the Native Skywatchers programming is to build community around the native star knowledge.

Welcome Margo Hansen

MARGO HANSEN is the author of the popular A Newly Weds Series. She loves writing about the north woods of Minnesota where she lives with her husband Bruce. Her greatest desire is to share the Gospel of God’s Grace with others through her stories.

http://www.margohansen.com/

The Cookie Garden

At age 4, Sam announced ambitious plans to grow a cookie garden. His mom, writer Linda Henry, thought it was a great idea — for a children’s book. A few years later, her friend Dawn Rossbach, an award-winning artist, agreed to illustrate the book. Years in the making, The Cookie Garden is a tribute to trusting each other with our dreams, helping each other grow, and staying inspired.

Welcome back David Barthel

David Barthel

Photography

David returns this year with incredible images of Lake Superior’s powerful October 2018 storm. Which slammed huge surf against the cliffs on the North Shore. Actual waves reached as high as 20 feet, causing damage to Duluth's Lakewalk and other structures throughout the region.

 “There’s a sense of spontaneity in photographing moving water in that every photograph is different, and each outcome is rather unpredictable. From a photographer’s perspective, you kind of let nature take over in the moment and review what was captured later.”

 David enjoys being a part of the Northwoods Art & Book Festival each year due to their commitment to presenting quality artwork to buyers who value handmade one-of-a- kind work, and it is one of the few that he exhibits his work every year since he began doing festivals

Welcome Back Jan and Mark! Naturally unique - Lake Superior Rock Creations

Naturally Unique – Lake Superior Rock Creations

 We start by hand picking rock from the shores of Lake Superior – both North and South shores.  Other raw materials are Granite from the St. Cloud area and Ely greenstone and banded taconite – which we select from the Ely, Minnesota area and driftwood from Lake Superior.

Once in our workshop the rocks are cut, drilled, perhaps sprayed, and some are sandblasted.  Mark assembles them and wires the lamps. 

We got started doing this in 2007 when Jan found the perfect rock and asked Mark to figure out how to make it into a necklace.  From there he went to making lamps, and everything in between.  Probably our most popular products are rain gauges, bud vases, and sponge holders. Other items are cairns, bookends, business card rocks, drawer pulls, paper towel holders, and hangers –rock pulls on paddles, saws, and live edge wood. We sell our products at craft shows, from our web site (www.rockgifts.biz), and on Etsy   (www.etsy.com/shop/NaturallyUniqueRock).

We both enjoy the outdoors and working with natural materials.  Jan is retired from teaching and retail while Mark has worked as a wilderness guide, in the mental health field and retail.  Our business keeps us happy and working and who doesn’t like an excuse to go to the North Shore?

Meet Amy Pendino

A tree in rural Iowa bears witness to generations of human experience—and deadly secrets.

Dani Holden thinks moving to an old farmstead will help her forget her past. She agrees to help neighbors take down a strange double-headed tree that has stood alone between two fields for almost a century. Unexplainable accidents begin haunting those who help, and Dani must uncover a community's secret before tragedy claims her as its next victim.

Dani's not the only one running from her past—two generations ago, young Lilly Bradstreet is not the person her small town wants her to be. She falls in love with a Mexican migrant worker and is forced to choose between her family's wishes, her passionate romance, and the life of freedom she's always dreamed of.

Lilly's long-forgotten quest for independence and Dani's search for answers intertwine at the foot of the Witness Tree, whose secrets are darker and more unnerving than either woman ever expected. Vivid depictions of small-town bonds, young love, racism, and women who've dreamed and been denied make The Witness Tree a moving, page-turning debut novel.

Amy Pendino is a Minnesota native. She works as a middle school teacher by day and a horse midwife by night. Formerly a keyboard player for a local band, she's also waitressed, worked as a secretary, sang backup for an international star, and horseback rides a new mountain range every summer. She belongs to the Twin Cities chapter of Sisters in Crime. Her writing has been published in several magazines and reviews; this is her first published novel. For more information or to read her blog, please visit amypendino.com

Meet L. W. Edwards

L. W. Edwards lives along the Minnesota River with her husband enjoying her gardens and the wildlife of Minnesota. She has enjoyed a career in Medical Devices for many years where she's been privileged to work with some of Americans finest servicemen. Her curiosity of the paranormal and cold cases have lead her on many intriguing adventures.

Welcome Randy Napier

Napier

Photography

My work derives from my passion for Everything Outdoors; wildlife, fishing and hunting. Many of my photographs are inspired by memories from the past. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Advertising/Commercial Photography from Brooks Institute in 1991, and I have been creating and selling my outdoors themed work through art shows full time since 2000. I use both film and digital cameras to capture my images. When photographing outdoors I use natural light, rules of composition and aperture and shutter speed controls to capture my images.When working indoors I build my own sets, create my own lighting and use camera aperture and shutter speed to create my images. I do all of my own printing, finishing and framing and offer my work in limited edition hand signed and numbered photographs on archival canvas and paper in sizes from 8”x 10” up to 40”x 60”. My prices range from $40 to $1200.00 depending on the size, style and framing options needed. Whether you have a limited budget or you need to fill a large wall space, I enjoy working with my customers to accommodate all of their needs.

Meet Marlene Chabot

Marlene Chabot, a semi-finalist in the 2016 Neoverse Writer’s Competition, began writing for magazines such as Her Voice, and other entities in her native state of Minnesota in 2007. A member of Sisters in Crime and Marco Island Writers, Marlene has a BS in education, an AAS in business marketing, and a certificate from the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her other published writings include: six novels—Detecting the Fatal Connection, North Dakota Neighbor, Mayhem With a Capital M, Death At The Bar X Ranch, Death of the Naked Lady, Death of the Pickle King, and six short stories for anthologies. A Visit from Santa, The Missing Groom, the Gulper Eel Lounge, Serving Up a Surprise, The Scarf, and More Than Lessons.

Marlene will also be presenting with the Sisters in Crime Twin City Chapter ‘Murder She Writes Again and Again’ at 11 a.m. in the UCC Sanctuary.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Welcome back Connie Lounsbury!

Connie Lounsbury is an award-winning author and speaker who resides in rural Monticello, Minnesota with her husband David. Telling the stories of life, she writes memoir and historical fiction and does ghostwriting, as well. She has had eight books and 34 short stories published. Shattered Dreams of a Soldier's Wife, her next historical fiction, based on a true story, will be released in March, 2020. She has two new books to offer at NorthWoods Art and Book Festival since her last appearance there three years ago. Presently, her most popular speech is "Hobos of the Great Depression," an educational and entertaining 45-minute presentation that she offers at libraries, history museums, and senior communities. Connie is eager to be part of this lively, well-attended event again.