The festive business of books

Using their first book festival — the Young Adult Author Festival — as a model, the store began inviting local authors to a fall event. “We found with the Young Adult Authors Festival that having a variety of authors all at one event worked really well,” Perez said. “We learned you get more of a draw, that people will come for one author, and may be drawn by the work of another as well.”

The young adult festival brings together 12 authors of young adult books in various genres. The Northwest Author Festival will feature 11 authors, also in a variety of genres.

The festivals not only draw more potential fans and customers, it allows more authors to be presented, Perez said. “You couldn’t do this many authors individually,” he said.

The festivals generate a lot of buzz, Perez said, and create an opportunity for more sales. “It becomes a real festive atmosphere, readers are talking to the authors, asking questions.”

The authors love it as well, he added, they get to socialize and share ideas as well.

The festivals are also something you can’t find online, he added. “You can’t really have a book signing on the internet,” he said with a smile. The festival began as a way to feature very local authors, but now has a Pacific Northwest draw, Perez said. Authors will be coming to The Dalles from Portland, Cascade Locks, Tygh Valley, White Salmon, The Dalles and as far away as Seattle.

With authors spanning multiple genres, from local history to mystery, there will be something for readers of all ages to enjoy.

The 2016 line-up includes:

Jeff Alworth is a writer living in Portland. His current project is “Secrets of the Master Brewers“ (Storey), scheduled for release in 2017. Other books include his introduction to cider called Cider Made Simple.

Jessica Blackburn studied at Brigham Young University, Idaho, and graduated from her local community college with an Associate of Arts Degree.

She currently lives in the Columbia Gorge as a stay-at-home mom.

The Echoing is the story of Rylee, who has an unusual gift. It brings good luck to those who are kind to her and misfortune to those who are not — at least, that's what the crazy woman in the woods tells her. But Rylee doesn't believe it until strange coincidences start happening.

David Jonathan Brown works as Project Manager at Azure Standard, a forward-thinking company that encourages all to pursue their dreams.

Brown also helps with Azure’s creative media and enjoys writing articles for the company’s newsletter.

Quest for Forgiveness is a book for anyone who has ever imagined themselves on battlefields of old.

Before the rails were up and running along the Columbia River landscape of Oregon and Washington, 19th-century westward travelers faced treacherous conditions.

Burkhardt worked as editor of the White Salmon Enterprise and has published three previous books on railroads.

In Railroads of the Columbia River Gorge, Burkhardt takes us on a journey through nearly 200 archival photographs of the region's first steam locomotives, wrecks, floods, snowstorms, and the entrepreneurs who changed the landscape.

Seeding Hope, book three in the Possibility Series, preceded by Mending Stone & Catching Rain. Seeding Hope begins in Mexico, travels to Seattle and the Columbia River Gorge, Mexico and San Francisco to Central Oregon, as Mia struggles to get her bearings after more loss and change.

Duerst was born in Idaho and raised in the Columbia Gorge.

Samuel Hall grew up in the American Heartland and now lives with his wife near Salem.

Daughter of the Cimarron is set in 1928 as the Great Depression lurks just around the corner. Divorced and forced to provide for herself, she travels the Midwest with a sales crew.

Bart King is a middle school teacher who has written over 20 books for kids. He is author of the extremely popular Big Book of Girls Stuff, Big Book of Boys Stuff as well as the Pocket Guide to Mischief, among others.

The Drake Equation is King’s first novel. It is a funny science fiction adventure about a young birdwatcher drawn into galactic intrigue.

Covering a windsurfing competition should have been a breeze for reporter Meg Reed, but with a killer in the curl, she's headed for rough waters.

Hood River is the setting, and Meg is covering the event for a magazine.

Before the competition gets under way, Meg spots a body snagged on the rocks. The dead man is Justin Cruise, aka Cruise Control, a celebrity windsurfer and not exactly a nice guy. It's soon clear his death was no accident, and Cruise had no shortage of enemies.

Pauls Toutonghi is a first-generation American. He has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, and his writing has appeared in Granta, Tin House, One Story, VQR, The Millions, The Rumpus, Zoetrope, the Boston Review, and many other periodicals. He lives in Oregon and teaches at Lewis & Clark College.

Babe in the Woods: Building a Life One Log at a Time, is a true story of one woman’s survival in the wildernes. It puts an honest and gritty face on the fantasy of living alone in the forest.

Pepin-Wakefield, is also the author of Suitcase Filled with Nails: Lessons Learned from Teaching Art in Kuwait.

At the end of the Civil War Samuel Trace returns home to Philadelphia a bitter, solemn young man unable to settle into his planned future — that is until treachery by Zeke Tuning perpetrated against the Trace family gave Sam reason and opportunity to run away from facing his demons.

Will the journey bring Sam Trace destruction and death or redemption?

Webster lives in The Dalles and started writing after retirement. She and her husband, Dean, divide their time between The Dalles and Salome, Ariz.

(in the Sonora desert outback), both areas rich in history and natural wonders.