Zee Lacson is coming to Studio Moonfall’s Kenosha Book Festival 2024 on July 28th & August 25th!
Zee Lacson has had practice in different professions. Engineer. Teacher. Photographer. Visual artist. Writer. But throughout her life she has always been a Dreamer.
She writes young adult magical realism fiction. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines with her grandparents, father, and twin brothers; she currently lives in the northern suburbs of Chicagoland with her husband and twin sons.
This is her dream realized.
Here’s a sneak peek at their book Twice Removed:
As part of an immigrant family, Jay has never felt like he belonged in his hometown of New Orleans. But in the summer before his senior year in high school, he thinks things are finally going his way when Maya, the half-Filipino girl in class he’s had a crush on, starts talking to him.
But Maya has secrets. And the more time they spend together, the further he’s pulled into a world of magic and superstition. When a generations-old family curse is revealed, Jay has to find a way to stop this winged, vampiric monster before sunset on Maya’s 18th birthday.
S&E Black is(are?) coming to Studio Moonfall’s Kenosha Book Festival 2024 on August 25th and September 22nd!
S&E Black are Shannon and Edward, a duo of dark fantasy…
Shannon was born and raised in California and currently lives in Illinois with her husband, Edward, and their cat rescues. She is an urban gardener and an avid seed collector. In the makeup community, Shannon goes by zoomzoommacaron, where she collaborates with fellow MUAS across the world. She hosts a monthly zombie-themed makeup group called the #zombabescollab and adores SFX and other creative makeup. Shannon is also the owner of ShopCorpsicle, which specializes in handmade props, fake food, miniatures, prosthetics, and other accessories. She uses the alias Silence in Shadows for her traditional art. She also enjoys anime, cult-classic horror movies, cooking (and eating), sunbathing, photography, craft beer and kombucha, and singing badly.
Music fuels Shannon’s many passions, especially writing and creating art. She credits music with saving her life on multiple occasions in her teenage and young adult years.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Edward first discovered the joys of creative writing through his early high school studies and has spent many years exploring and developing a deep appreciation for the arts. Since first collaborating with his wife, Shannon, he has sprouted a passion and true affinity for storytelling and crafting literature. In addition to refining his skill in creating written works, his other interests include playing bass guitar, listening to music, and dabbling in photography. Edward is currently based in the greater Chicago area with his wife amidst his ever-growing vinyl collection and a clowder of rescue cats.
Here’s a sneak peek at their book The Chimera Snare: Fragments:
For Rayshell and her best friend Trish, senior year of high school is going to hell in a handbasket. The feud between Celestine and Daeva is bleeding into their world. When a mysterious visitor infiltrates her dreams, Rayshell is thrust into a realm of profound, otherworldly secrets. Together, Rayshell and Trish uncover the unbelievable—they are the living vessels for two banished Celestine guardians.
Amidst mystical recollections and a wondrous magic system that shatters the veneer of their everyday lives, the two friends embark on a journey against time to connect with the Celestine guardians’ allies in hopes of freeing them from their imprisonment. Simultaneously, the shadows cast by Daeva darken. The notorious outlaw, Merisek, has positioned himself to claim dominion over the Order of Existence—a trio of powerful artifacts capable of reshaping reality. Armed with two of these relics, Merisek races against the emergence of the Celestine guardians to claim the third. The stage is set for a showdown that will determine the fate of existence itself.
Rayshell and Trish are all that stand between Merisek and his unhinged desire to twist the fabric of reality into his making. As the threads of destiny unravel, the question looms: who will be the author of existence, and what profound truths will be unveiled in the final, decisive act?
If you can’t wait until you meet the author at this summer’s Kenosha Book Festival, pick up your copy at https://www.thechimerasnare.com/
Rory Graves is coming to Studio Moonfall’s Kenosha Book Festival 2024 on September 22nd!
Here’s a sneak peek at their book Haunted Racine:
Like so many cities bordering Lake Michigan, Racine has a long and storied history. Some of that history is stranger than fiction.
The Live Towerview neighborhood, brimming with stories of the city’s earliest burial sites, is a hotbed of ghostly activity. Former asylums like the ambitious Taylor Home Orphan Asylum and the infamous Racine County Insane Asylum are filled with chilling tales of the unexplained. The local Masonic Temple houses the restless souls of some of the city’s earliest residents. So do Chances Food & Spirits and Ivanhoe, two of the most haunted taverns in southeastern Wisconsin. Historian Rory Graves uncovers some of Racine’s most notorious haunts.
Historian Rory Graves uncovers some of Racine’s most notorious haunts.
Marc McGowan is coming to Studio Moonfall’s Kenosha Book Festival 2024 on September 22nd!
Here’s a sneak peek at their book Hell’s Embrace:
The beautiful demon princess Laustra has waited more than 300 years to lead the armies of hell against mankind. Sadistic, calculating, and insanely powerful, her dream of finally seeing civilization fall is almost at hand. But all is not lost. Through the darkness, one solitary light has finally emerged.
Kim Makibi, a woman chosen by God and endowed with the power of the angels has been called upon to assume the role of humanity’s champion and save the world from Hell’s evil embrace. As the eternal battle between good and evil erupts on Earth once again, the fate of mankind will not be decided by the hands of men.
And Laustra, her allies, and humankind will see that when it comes to saving the world, you never send a man to do a woman’s job…
Kaitlyn Bolyard is coming to Studio Moonfall’s Kenosha Book Festival 2024 on June 23rd, July 28th, and August 25th!
Kaitlyn Bolyard teaches writing and literature at DePaul University and Carthage College. She lives in Wisconsin with her chef husband, who keeps her well-fed. She writes mostly poetry because it can be finished in one sitting, but she has recently released her first novel, Mr. Wilson’s Wives.
Here’s a sneak peek at their book Mr. Wilson’s Wives:
Shunned by the women of her family for writing a tell-all memoir, Elizabeth Rodriguez escapes to northern Wisconsin for peace and inspiration. Before she can even get settled in, an obituary in the local newspaper catches her attention. As soon as she learns about Erwin Wilson and his twenty-three wives throughout his life, she makes it her mission to learn more. She begins by interviewing some of the locals and his remaining ex-wives, and she soon develops plans for her next bestseller. When her younger brother unexpectedly appears at her doorstep, she puts him to work helping her research and gather information. But with each mystery Elizabeth uncovers, she comes closer to the truth: maybe some stories aren’t meant to be told, and maybe building family trust is more important.
If you can’t wait until you meet the author at this summer’s Kenosha Book Festival, pick up your copy at https://amzn.to/3OCSudz
Audrey Wilson is coming to Studio Moonfall’s Kenosha Book Festival 2024 on June 23rd and September 22nd!
Audrey Wilson is an award-winning writer of both screenplays and fiction. Since graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Television Writing and Producing, she has produced nationally and internationally for PBS and National Geographic, as well as locally for WLS Chicago. Her dozen screenwriting award credits include the SoCal Screenplay Competition, the Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards, the Austin Under the Stars Film Festival, the Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival, the Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival, and the Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival. In 2018, she received a regional Emmy nomination for her work with PBS. As a professional screenwriter, Audrey is represented by Entertainment 3:33. Audrey is the author of two traditionally published novels, Wrong Girl Gone and Only Human, and one poetry collection titled Landing Like Rain. Audrey has also spoken professionally at numerous writing events, including the Independent Writers of Chicago, the Southwest Michigan Writers Conference, and the Let’s Just Write! Chicago Writers Conference.
Love can be romantic. It can be platonic. It can be between you and a partner, a family member, a friend, or even with yourself. Whatever the relationship, if love can break your heart, words can mend it.
From the award-winning author of Wrong Girl Gone and Only Human comes Landing Like Rain. This illustrated collection of poetry and short stories weaves together tangible, bite-size tales about the simplest acts of love, such as the feeling of being tangled up in the emotions of your first love, to the painful awakening of what it means to love someone, and what it could mean to lose them. Through laughter, tears, and everything in between, Landing Like Rain is so much more than words on a page – it’s a feeling you won’t want to fall out of.
Here’s a sneak peek at their book Only Human:
Have you ever had a crush?
Have you ever had a crush so astronomically huge you were willing to tell the person anything to make them fall in love with you?
If you’re Annalise Dresden, then the answer is yes. Yes you have. And you’re in way over your head.
Before Frankie, Leece was like any other girl in her mid-twenties – a pre-med student with unreached potential, too much debt, a drinking problem, and no memory of her life before her nineteenth birthday. Alright, maybe she wasn’t like any other girl, but still. Her life was somewhat normal. But Frankie changed everything. Frankie, the simple girl with the first crush eyes, working at a discount store in Northwest Indiana after dropping out of college. Frankie, who somehow changed Leece’s whole life with a single look.
Anne Morse Hambrock is coming to Studio Moonfall’s Kenosha Book Festival 2024 on June 23rd & July 28th!
Since childhood, Anne’s parents steeped her in a soup of classic comedy influences, producing a daughter who would have almost no choice but to view life through a lens of laughter.
She has been writing silly things in a variety of forms since 2006, wearing a dizzying array of hats:
Poet/Cartoonist: “Anne & God: Conversations With The Infinite”
Blogger: “Anne The Passive Aggressive Poet” and “Overbooked & Underpaid: Notes From A Yes-a-holic”
Contributing gag writer: “The Brilliant Mind Of Edison Lee” newspaper comic strip syndicated worldwide by King Features
Columnist: Humor columns for The Kenosha News
Anne’s current passion project is her one-woman-show which combines her comic poems with stories from her hapless life and her original jazz/fusion/celtic/world music for harp and synthesizer.
Her lighthearted exchanges with whatever is steering us through the universe have been gathered into two book collections: “Some Days Call For Chocolate and Other Pick-Me-Up Poems” and the forthcoming “Dear God, Did I Say That Out Loud?”.
The best way to read her current work is to subscribe to her substack “Anne The Passive Aggressive Poet”. The newsletter is totally free – no ads, no spam – just a chance to read some stuff that might make you feel better. If you are into that sort of thing.
Here’s a sneak peek at their book Some Days Call for Chocolate:
Sometimes funny, sometimes inspirational, always true, this first book collection of Anne’s conversations with unnamed supreme being is a perfect way to brighten your day.
Visit us on Friday, June 7, 2024 at Studio Moonfall from 4pm to 7pm to meet Fantasy Author, Richard Sweitzer.
Hang out at the shop and take a peek inside their book, ODE: The Scion of Nerikan:
The old stories were true! Ancient tales speak of the fabled Nerikan Prison where fearful creatures were once locked away. These were thought to be simply fantastic stories, but centuries later the lost prison has been found and its last living captive has escaped! A massive and hateful beast has been unleashed unto the world and is once again rampaging towns and hillsides. What it seeks, no one knows; but what it finds is a little girl who is not afraid. And the bold child has one simple request of the monster: to help her find her home. An ode to timeless fantasy stories of long ago The Scion of Nerikan is an adventure that redefines family and friendship on an epic scale.
Richard Sweitzer is an award-winning author, voice actor, morning radio host, and comedy writer.
He received his Master of Arts degree in English/Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he was an Assistant Editor for the school’s literary journal. During his tenure at UWM, his short story collection won the Faculty Fiction Award.
Prior to that he studied English Literature and Creative Writing at UW-Stevens Point, winning the English Department award four years in a row, the L&S Distinguished Achievement Award, and the prestigious Ellen Specht Memorial Scholarship, all while graduating summa cum laude.
He has taught programs on Creative Writing and Publishing, and one of his novel excerpts won the top prize in a nationwide writing contest.
When he is not writing, he hosts a popular morning radio show in central Wisconsin. His decades-long tenure in radio has earned him numerous broadcast awards and significant recognition for his public service.
See you from 4pm to 7pm on Friday, June 7, 2024 at Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Avenue with Richard Sweitzer!
Since weather forecasters are always 100% correct because of their “science” (and definitely not a blindfolded monkey tossing chicken bones) that they use to “predict” the weather, we’re going to postpone tomorrow’s Kenosha Book Festival to next week – SUNDAY, JUNE 2ND.
Most of the scheduled authors will be able to make it but keep an eye out to see who else might be coming.
And stop by Studio Moonfall tomorrow anyway! We’ll have Séamus Fey setting up in store since they’re traveling in all the way from L.A. to visit home. Plus, we’ll have authors dropping in throughout the day to say hi just in case you happen to miss this message and show up here hoping for a book festival.
So, hope to see you and your umbrella tomorrow and then again on Sunday, June 2nd for Chapter Two (edited edition) of the Kenosha Book Festival!!!
What did we miss???
Not all of the original lineup will be able to make it next week but if you want to see what they do, check it out!
Visit us on Friday, May 31, 2024 at Studio Moonfall from 4pm to 7pm to meet Fantasy Author, B.C. Taylor.
Hang out at the shop and take a peek inside their book, The Lost Witch:
Five deadly Trials. An ancient, sinister evil.
One lost witch with the power to save the world.
Welcome to Asylum.
Twelve-year-old Hayden Black has never been normal, that much she knew, but when her father is abducted by demons, she learns just how remarkable she truly is. Not only is she a witch, but Heaven’s angels have chosen her as the next Salem Witch, destined to protect the world from evil… if she can survive the deadly Salem Witch Trials first.
Now Hayden must traverse the magical world of Asylum and learn to use her powers. If she doesn’t master all five elements — air, fire, water, earth, and Spirit — before her seventeenth birthday, she forfeits her life.
Hayden might have started her journey orphaned and alone, but it doesn’t take her long to forge new friendships and attract new enemies. Hayden thought her only nemesis was the residential bully, but her greatest enemy, a terrible evil lurking in the shadows, has yet to reveal itself.
Will Hayden master her air magic in time to save her friends and find her father? Or will she perish alongside them?
The Lost Witch is the first book in an urban fantasy series intended for readers ages ten and above who love Percy Jackson and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Get a sneak peek at The Lost Witch at https://bookshop.org/a/9574/9781088021484
When not traveling the United States or designing cars at her day job, Brooklyn writes middle grade and young adult fantasy with a hint of wickedness. During her travels, she jumped out of her comfort zone by learning new skills from wake boarding and surfing to country swing dancing to casting spells in Harry Potter World. Despite the adventurousness of her reality, Brooklyn’s magic power is daydreaming of witches and wizards, angels and demons, and other supernatural creatures that live within the shadowy realms of books.
See you from 4pm to 7pm on Friday, May 31, 2024 at Studio Moonfall, 5031 7th Avenue with B.C. Taylor!
VISIT STUDIO MOONFALL 5031 7th Avenue, Kenosha, WI
