Meet the Authors from the Big E

Up Close and Personal with CAPA Authors.

Join the members of Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association as they meet with the visitors to the CAPA Bookstore at the Eastern States Exposition, better known as the Big E.

They urge you to Read Connecticut Authors.

Publishing Non-Fiction Yourself

Peggy Gaffney "Do It Yourself - Publishing Non-Fiction in Your Spare Time"

Cheshire, CT

Have you written a book? Does the thought of getting it published seem overwhelming? Would you like a simple, inexpensive solution that will allow you to publish your book in a short time, with little expense, and do it in your spare time? Then this is the book for you.

Historical Romance

Elaine Violette "Regal Reward"

Niantic, CT

York Blackstone has one obsession, to avenge his family’s destruction. The opportunity arrives when he stumbles upon the lovely Marielle Henley asleep beneath an ancient oak in the dead of night. Her obstinate behavior causes her to leave the safety of her father’s estate and fall into the hands of the ruthless highwayman. Marielle’s beauty and sauciness makes it difficult for York to keep his focus on the prize, a hefty ransom for her return, until he discovers that she can bring him something money can’t buy, his birthright, lost to him when his father was accused of treason.

Marielle’s fear and outrage at her captors turn into a torment of conflicting emotions while York’s cunning and invulnerable nature, hardened by life on the streets, is tested by Marielle’s alluring presence. Her demands to be freed begin to conflict with her unexpected attraction to her captor. She is unable to dismiss his contradictory behavior, one moment a tyrant, the next a gentleman, a much too attractive one at that.

Their relationship, at times, becomes heated with anger, at others, with passion. His previous resolve for revenge resurfaces, however, when he hears of her betrothal to Lord Craymore’s son, Richard. The news fuels his obsession for revenge. Regardless of his attraction to Marielle, York will stop at nothing or allow anyone, including his lovely captive, to divert him from avenging his father’s disgrace.

Inspirational

Kathleen Dolan (Bunte) "I NEED A FACE-LIFT! (Spiritually Speaking)."

Westport, CT

Kathleen J. Dolan is a New York actress and comedienne who takes her greatest pleasure in speaking. She delights an audience with positive humor and spiritual wisdom. With an early background in teaching, she went on to work for the Chicago Tribune as an Advertising Rep, simultaneously pursuing acting in regional theatre in the Chicago area. Like most actresses, she needed a "day job" and took on the management of an Employment Agency. She credits her background though—as a trainer with the Dale Carnegie Organization—as a major factor in giving her a personal vision. She is a genuine encourager and spiritual mentor.

While living in the New York area, Kathleen has done commercials, a few Off-Broadway readings, some TV movies, and a couple of Saturday Night Lives! She performs a humorous and uplifting "One-Woman Show," created directly from her new book, "I NEED A FACE-LIFT! (Spiritually Speaking)." Kathleen is presently living in Westport, CT with her husband. They have two grown daughters. You can contact her through her website at: http://www.kathleenjdolan.com.

Classic Literature

Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"


Hartford, CT


Perhaps the best-loved nineteenth-century American novel, Mark Twain’s tale of boyhood adventure overflows with comedy, warmth, and slapstick energy. It brings to life and array of irresistible characters—the awesomely self-confident Tom, his best buddy Huck Finn, indulgent Aunt Polly, and the lovely, beguiling Becky—as well as such unforgettable incidents as whitewashing a fence, swearing an oath in blood, and getting lost in a dark and labyrinthine cave. Below Tom Sawyer’s sunny surface lurk hints of a darker reality, of youthful innocence and naïveté confronting the cruelty, hypocrisy,and foolishness of the adult world—a theme that would become more pronounced in Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Despite such suggestions, Tom Sawyer remains Twain’s joyful ode to the endless possibilities of childhood.

Literary Essays, Studies & Lectures

James Como "Why I Believe in Narnia: 33 Reviews and Essays on the Life and Work of C.S. Lewis" (foreword by Clara Sarrocco)

Reading WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA provides a panoramic view of C. S. Lewis' multi-faceted genius and its application in fields as diverse as social criticism and children's literature. WHY I BELIEVE gathers reviews and essays that span Prof. James Como's many years as a preeminent Lewis scholar, to which the author of Remembering C.S. Lewis and Branches to Heaven has added several new entries. Chapters range from reviews of critical books, documentaries and movies to evaluations of Lewis's books to biographical analysis. In addition to close-up looks, Como reflects on the "big picture" of the most important contributions Lewis has made, not just in literature, but as a social philosopher and reformer. For the serious student of C. S. Lewis, WHY I BELIEVE IN NARNIA is an invaluable tool for appreciating the breadth and depth of Lewis' thinking.

John Granger, "The Deathly Hallows Lectures: The Hogwarts Professor Explains the Final Harry Potter Adventure"

The fastest-selling book in publication history, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS was a critical success and is loved by fans around the world. In THE DEATHLY HALLOWS LECTURES, John Granger reveals the Potter finale's brilliant details, themes and meanings. Even the most ardent of Harry Potter fans will be surprised by and delighted with the Hogwarts Professor's explanations of the three dimensions of meaning in DEATHLY HALLOWS to include why Ms. Rowling chose to make Lily's eyes green, why Harry buried Moody's eye where and when he did, and why Ollivander prefers the three wand cores he does. Ms. Rowling has said that alchemy sets the "parameters of magic" in the series; after reading the chapter-length explanation of DEATHLY HALLOWS as the final stage of the alchemical Great Work in THE DEATHLY HALLOWS LECTURES, the serious reader will understand how important literary alchemy is in understanding Rowling's artistry and accomplishment. The other seven chapters explore, among other things, the five writing tricks Ms. Rowling uses to work her story magic, the deciphering of the "Triangular Eye" symbol for the three Hallows, Harry's "struggle to believe" in Albus Dumbledore, why Ms. Rowling revealed that she "always thought" of the Headmaster as gay, and the more than 25 echoes of her first book, PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, in DEATHLY HALLOWS. Did you wonder why Fred died in the end? Why Harry went underground seven times in Deathly Hallows? Granger explains how Ms. Rowling's story formula required these twists - - - as well as two trips to King's Cross and two meetings with Albus Dumbledore at story's end. John Granger, the Hogwarts Professor, has spoken about the meaning and magic of Harry Potter at major universities from coast to coast and as a Keynote Speaker at fan conventions in the United States and Canada. Enjoy these lectures to learn the ins and outs and fascinating depths of DEATHLY HALLOWS - - - information unavailable anywhere else!

Michael Travers, Editor,(Essays by Walter Hooper, James Como and others) "C.S. Lewis: View From Wake Forest"

C. S. Lewis: Views From Wake Forest is a collection of sixteen insightful essays that will delight both Inklings scholars and C. S. Lewis readers of all ages and opinions. Walter Hooper, for example, the man most responsible for preserving, publishing, and promoting Lewis' many works after Lewis' death in 1963, shares stories from his work with Lewis, Owen Barfield, Lady Collins, and other friends of Lewis in his essay 'Editing C. S. Lewis,' an inspiring tale as well as a landmark event in Lewis scholarship. James Como, author of Why I Believe in Narnia and a Keynote Speaker at the international conference from which these essays were collected, reveals the neglected C. S. Lewis, the cultural critic and public philosopher whose insights and thinking give Lewis' more popular novels and apologetic works their weight and value. Fourteen more Lewis scholars explore Lewis' invaluable social criticism, his philosophical and theological insights, his Narnia books and Ransom Trilogy, as well as his medieval imagination and mythological artistry. For the serious student of C. S. Lewis as well as for anyone wanting to understand the Narnian novelist and Christian genius more profoundly, C. S. Lewis: Views From Wake Forest is a book that will open up new dimensions and ways of appreciating his multi-faceted brilliance

Paranormal Mystery - YA

E. M. Alexander
"Death at Deacon Pond"

Colchester, CT



A young woman's psychic ability entangles her in a chilling murder mystery that will keep teen readers guessing! Ever since her father's suicide, Kerri Langston has been tortured by visions of his violent death, leading her to believe that he was murdered. With no way to prove her theory, her psychic visions only serve to upset her mother and give her the reputation of being a "freak." When Kerri stumbles upon a body in the woods near Deacon Pond that she realizes her visions are not limited to her father's death, and that her strange connection with the dead might help solve a crime -- if she can convince the police to trust her this time. What Kerri doesn't know is that there is someone close to her who will stop at nothing to ensure that her visions remain hidden. In this small town full of skeptics, who can she trust? Readers will be drawn in by how the protagonist deals with typical teen issues like falling in love, having a dysfunctional family, losing a parent, and feeling isolated. These problems plague her almost as much as do her frightening visions of death, giving the book a strong sense of realism.