Off the Shelf: Local Author Meet & Greet
By Angela Spatafore on May 13, 2026 from Off the Shelf
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 26 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bridgeport Public Library!
We will be hosting a Local Author Meet & Greet.
At this event, you will get to meet local authors, browse their titles and even get a signed copy!
Books from many genres will be present including paranormal romance, horror fiction, historical war fiction, inspirational nonfiction, children's fiction, and many others.
Here is the full list of attending authors:
• Zanna Archer
• Susan Baron
• Lori Fontanez
• Lisa McCombs
• Jo James
• Don Worth
• Jeff Hanlin
• Diana Walker
• James Crosby
• Colleen Driscoll
• Teresa Curtis
Born in Maryland in 1944, Zanna Archer moved to Clarksburg in 1991.
A writer since age 10, she has written for public broadcasting, confession magazines and academic conferences.
After she retired from teaching at Pierpont C&TC in 2014, she has published two paranormal romances, Shiftless in Sheboygan and Shifting into Shadows and has two works in progress: Starshine Shifting (a third paranormal romance) and The Bride of Folly (a historical romance).
S.L. Baron came from the Pine Barrens of New Jersey to West Virginia to go to WVU and decided to stay after she graduated because she loved the beauty of the state.
She writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and historical fantasy, has three books and two short stories available on Amazon, and is working on her fourth full-length book, a vampire historical fantasy.
When S.L. isn't writing, she enjoys reading, sewing, working out, and being out in nature.
Lori Fontanez is an author, mother and avid crafter from Lumberport, West Virginia. She loves to read and spend time with her children, grandchildren and her fur babies.
She has participated in many anthologies including Bite Size Offerings, Fifty Shades Of Slay, Grynn Anthology, and A Very Zombie Christmas.
She specializes in horror writing, with her own most popular novellas being Stalker, The Closet, and her own anthology Faucet of Phantoms.
She has a new book, Tainted Revenge.
For the past 20 years, Ms. Harman was a nurse-midwife on the faculty of The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University and most recently West Virginia University.
In 1998 she went into private practice with her husband, Tom, an OB/Gyn, in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Here they devoted their lives to caring for women and bringing babies into the world in a gentle way.
In 2008 she began writing her best selling memoirs and historical fiction about midwives.
JoAnn James is a columnist for the Exponent-Telegram and the author of Seeds for Enlightenment 101 (2022).
She resides in Bridgeport, West Virginia with her daughter, Dr. Kristi James, and is active in her church and community.
In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling, crocheting, sewing, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Lisa McCombs writes fiction for middle-grade readers because she believes kids are smart, curious, and more resilient than they’re often given credit for.
Through stories infused with empathy, humor, and heart, Lisa invites young readers to explore hidden struggles, spark meaningful conversations, and find comfort in knowing they are never alone.
When she’s not writing or reading, Lisa likes to play with yarn, enjoys crossword puzzles, and camps at her mountain cabin.
During over 38 years as a psychologist and licensed professional counselor in Weston, West Virginia, Dr. Don Worth has been on the frontlines helping families during the ADHD wave, the opioid crisis, and now the pandemic.
He developed an in-school mindfulness meditation program for ADHD, wrote a self-help recovery guide, and recently edited an award-winning anthology documenting the human experience of the pandemic called Good News, Bad News, Who Can Tell? The Pandemic Reveals Wisdom: Stories, Poems, Essays, and Lyrics from the U.S. and India.
Jeff Hanlin represents the clergy in the book Good News, Bad News, Who Can Tell? The Pandemic Reveals Wisdom.
He currently serves as a parish pastor to two churches, one in Grafton, WV and the other in Clarksburg, WV.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Lee University in Cleveland, TN.
He enjoys traveling, biking on the rail trails and spending time with his wheaten terrier, Oonagh. Jeff grew up in Columbia, MD and has made Clarksburg, WV his home for the past 42 years.
Diana Pishner Walker was born in Clarksburg, WV.
She attended Notre Dame High School and graduated in 1977. She attended Fairmont State College, Fairmont WV and was a "Fast For Word" computer aide at East Dale Elementary School.
She is the author of two award winning books, Spaghetti & Meatballs: Growing Up Italian and Hopping to America: A Rabbit’s Tale of Immigration.
James Crosby is a retired educator, author, and publisher who lives in Fairmont, WV.
He has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Fairmont State University and a Master's Degree from West Virginia University in Special Education.
He is an independent publisher under Li’l Rebel Enterprises LLC.
Since 2018, he has published ten books, including six novels, one short story anthology, two non-fiction books of essays under the heading of “The Other Day…”, and just this year published his first Children’s book.
Colleen Driscoll is a romance suspense writer, musician, and lover of crafts.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and worked in the clinical hospital setting until she began raising a family.
Driscoll has published three romance suspense novels in the Euphoria trilogy (under the pen name C. Becker), several poems, and over a dozen middle grade and children’s books.
She enjoys hanging out with her family, taking quiet walks with her husband, playing the piano, reading, traveling, and gardening.
Teresa Curtis is the author of the book, Oni Stories: From Darkness to Light.
Are you a local published author interested in attending a future event? Please email us at library@bridgeportwv.gov, and we will connect you with our program coordinators. You can also give us a call at 304-842-8248 option 5.
