Friends of Fantasy Day – January 31
11am-1pm – Book signings by authors Stephanie Olson and Hannah Baribeau.
1pm – Author panel and Q&A
2-3pm – Book signing with author Jeff Meyer
Free audiobooks from Libro.fm
All day help create a fairy nook between the shelves.
About the Author:
Stephanie Olson (she/her) is a writer, horror movie enthusiast (especially the bad ones), and Halloween-all-year person. The first story she ever wrote was the gripping tale of a haunted bog. It was created in an attempt to scare her bunkmates at summer camp, and the result was so successful she was banned from writing any more stories that week. She’s been chasing that high ever since.
While horror is her first love, she also enjoys fantasy and mysteries.
Stephanie has a short story published in Spontaneous Combustion Volume II, by Sic Semper Serpent, and has written numerous episodes for the horror anthology podcast, Ghost Wax.
She lives in Minnesota with her equally talented husband and not-at-all talented dog.
The Book:
Still Chosen: Another Unwanted Adventure
You’re still The Chosen One. If someone needs to face the new evil in the world, you’re it.
When Phoebe was sixteen, she died to save the world. Not ideal, but it was the only way to destroy the power-mad wizard who was ripping a hole in the universe. Besides, she came back to life, so it all worked out, right? Twenty years later, Phoebe is queen of the realm and while the kingdom is finally at peace, the routine of life has grown dull – until the divine messenger from her youth reappears with evidence of the dead wizard’s return and demands Phoebe stop him once again.
Phoebe has no interest in another harrowing adventure since her personal life fell apart after the last one: her old friends haven’t spoken to her in years, the “love of her life” is long gone, and she hasn’t performed real magic in nearly a decade. But she knows if the wizard turns out to be alive it will be her fault for failing. Oh, and he’ll try to tear apart the universe again. Whatever the evil is, Phoebe needs to get strong enough to stop it from destroying everything she loves, because she’s the only one who can.
It turns out, once you’re The Chosen One, you’re always The Chosen One – and destiny is forever.
About the Author:
Hannah Baribeau was born in Astoria Oregon, grew up in Indonesia, and currently lives in Wisconsin. Writing has always been a passion, and crafting worlds and stories has been something she has always loved. Traveling around the world and learning different cultures and traditions from a young age cemented her love of telling and listening to stories. When not writing, she is the stay at home mom of 4 young boys. Needless to say, life is and has always been an adventure for Hannah. Gradiare is her first publication, with plans of many more to come. To follow along on her progress find her author page on instagram (@baribookly).
The Books:
Gradiare – Pendry liked his peaceful life, living in the capital and working as a peace officer, until he suddenly found himself framed for a crime he didn’t commit by the corrupt and tyrannical King. After escaping the King’s Guard, he finds himself in the company of Jewel, who is doing her best to live quietly away from people on the edge of the woods. Pendry’s world is turned further on its head when he learns that the legends of magical creatures he heard of as a kid are actually real, and that the notorious gang, Gradiare, is the only hope to defeat the King.
Forced to work together, Pendry and Jewel travel to the Gradiare to help in an attempt to overthrow the King and bring freedom to a kingdom that has never known what it truly is to be free.
Once a Lion – The story continues as the Gradiare steps out of the shadows, leading a war against the King. Pendry is now a captain in the rebellion. Between leading his patrol in defense of the outer ring and helping plan an attack on the inner ring, Pendry struggles to balance this new life of war with his budding relationship with Jewel, the previous leader of the Gradiare.
Meanwhile, Jewel struggles with being denied a place in the ongoing war after her recent brush with death, and becomes fearful of losing those she loves and cares for by being kept away from active combat. Torn between her violent past as a powerful Commander and her newfound longing to create a peaceful life for herself and Pendry, Jewel fights to find her place in the Gradiare again while also battling a mysterious pain that begins to consume her nights.
Always the Lion – With Pendry injured and Jewel captured, the fates of the Gradiare and the kingdom hang dangerously in the balance.
While Pendry fights for his life, tormented by the unknown fate of Jewel, the Gradiare musters an army of old and new allies in preparation for a final confrontation with the King’s forces.
Also unaware of Pendry’s fate, Jewel struggles to endure torture at the hands of her enemies. Haunted by her present regrets and ruthless past, hope hangs on by a thread as she attempts to escape before her sanity runs out.
About the Author:
J. Scott (Jeff Meyer) is a Wisconsin-born author whose writing blends faith, endurance, redemption, and imaginative worldbuilding across both fantasy and children’s literature. Born in Milwaukee, raised in Gilman, and now based in Eau Claire, he crafts stories that explore light breaking through fractured places.
He is the author of The Darkened Light of Joshua Clay, the first installment in the planned nine‑book epic fantasy series The Scrollbearer Saga. The sequel, Lighting the Shadows of Joshua Clay, is set for release in 2026 and continues the journey into the deeper mysteries of the saga’s world.
He also writes for young readers through his upcoming children’s series The Creatures of Tiddleton Hollow, which debuts just before Friends of Fantasy Day.
In addition to his fantasy work, he is the author of The Book of John: A Gospel of Endurance, a memoir honoring the life and legacy of his father. He continues to expand the world of Sha-Nor-El through short stories published at sparkybitespublishing.com/tales-of-sha-nor-el-1.
Connect with him on X at @author_jscott and follow his publisher on Facebook at facebook.com/SparkyBitesPublishing.
Across genres, J. Scott invites readers of all ages to discover grace, resilience, and hope in the midst of struggle.
The Book:
The Darkened Light of Joshua Clay: A Story of Grace and Redemption
Joshua Clay has been cursed to walk the swamp since his death a hundred years ago, a Withering shaped by his own sins. In the century since his fall, the world outside has slipped into darkness and decay, poisoned by the consequences of what he did. As the final days of his curse draw near, hope seems all but lost.
But two travelers cross paths at the edge of the Withering: Gillie, and a man without a name. Strangers to each other, yet driven by the same conviction, they choose to enter the swamp knowing the cost. To save their world, they must bind their souls to Joshua’s and help him find redemption before time runs out.
If Joshua finds grace, they all walk free. If he falls, they share his fate, sealed in the darkness of Hell.
Together, they navigate a landscape where the spiritual and physical collide, where truth cuts deeper than any blade, and where every step forces them to confront who Joshua was… and who they themselves must become.
The Darkened Light of Joshua Clay launches The Scrollbearer Saga, a nine‑book epic that blends mythic fantasy, biblical resonance, and the fierce hope that even in the darkest places, light can still break through.
Based on the award‑winning poem written by J. Scott in 1988, “The Darkened Light of Joshua Clay.” https://sparkybitespublishing.com/the-scrollbearer-saga-1/f/the-darkened-light-of-joshua-clay