Winter Park Book Festival

Saturday, March 23 | 10 AM - 2 PM 

Have a favorite romance trope? Imagine the perfect meet-cute? Come celebrate love stories at this year’s Winter Park Library Romancing the Books Festival. Meet authors, win prizes, and mingle with fellow romance-readers. All participating authors’ works will be available for sale. Do it for the plot! Partnership with Writers Block Bookstore and Lorelei's Lit Lair.

 The 10 Professional Secrets of Humor Writing: Cracking the Humor Code with Erik Deckers

10:30 AM

Erik Deckers is a professional writer and humorist from Central Florida. He is the co-author of four books on social media marketing, and has been a newspaper humor columnist since 1994. He has also written several stage and radio plays. Erik was the Spring 2016 writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac House in Orlando, FL, and is now the president of their board of directors.

Staying Relevant in an AI Dominated World: Recognizing Human Value as Automation Skyrockets with Greg Prado

12:30 PM

After writing for almost a decade, Greg Prado is extremely pleased to offer his stories to the public. He enjoys writing anything related to Sci-fi, the future, and especially mystery. This talk will discuss what it is like to be an artist in a rapidly changing world, and some of the things that can still set humans apart from AI so that listeners are not among the many who will be left disadvantaged and confused as automation threatens their employment. Greg lives in Apopka, Florida with his wife, two daughters, and two mischievous cats. He's a bit of a space junkie and is unafraid to discuss it with anyone willing to listen!

Melyssa Allen

Melyssa Allen, MA, CHWC, DipACLM received her Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida and obtained her board certification in lifestyle medicine. Melyssa founded her well-being coaching company, Melyssa with a WHY, to help individuals, companies, and communities adopt habits to support happier and healthier lifestyles. Using her multidisciplinary training in mental health, well-being coaching, and lifestyle medicine, Melyssa is passionate about guiding people to build lasting, positive health habits.

Yuliya Barannikova

Yuliya received a degree in economics in Ukraine and in education management in the US. She worked in a non-governmental sector for six years as a founder of the educational organization for teacher’s professional development in Ukraine. Yuliya is a mother of three boys who are the inspiration behind her stories. Her sons give her lots of ideas for engaging and meaningful stories every day. They are the first to read her stories and give her helpful feedback. Yuliya loves to share her writing and her journey through motherhood on her social media platforms. She loves spending time outdoors and with her family.

Wynter Daniels

Wynter Daniels has authored more than three dozen romances, including contemporary, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance books for several publishers including Entangled Publishing and Carina Press as well as for Kristen Painter’s Nocturne Falls Universe. She now writes for the Cat’s Paw Cove Romance series, which features romance, cats, and magic in small-town coastal Florida. She lives in sunny Orlando with her family and two very spoiled rescue cats who try all day to distract her from writing.

Angela Dunham

Angela Dunham is a Halloween-obsessed writer who loves to tell stories about all things that go bump in the night. Angela's writing spans genres focusing on young adult paranormal and dark fantasy with a sprinkle of horror. When Angela isn't writing, she can be found reading, wrangling her adorable son, and drinking an iced chai tea latte.

Charlie Griffin

Charlie Griffin is a writer and composer. He is the author of the picture book Indy and Jenny – The true story of a dog who fought the odds, inspired a city, and found his best friend, based on the story of Indy the Pit Bull (in cooperation with Indy’s owner). Additionally, his one-act, one-woman play, The Mysterious Life of Amy Thomson McKean, will premiere during the May 2023 Orlando Fringe Festival, starring Karen Shriner (Voices of Liberty). Griffin is an active screenwriter, and several of his short fiction pieces are published on various literary sites on the web.

Nicole McNamara

Nicole M. McNamara is the author of Hot Voodoo. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Rollins College, and lives with her husband, sons, Shih Tzus, and chickens in Central Florida.

Florita Robinson 

Florita Robinson, daughter of David and Erna Robinson, could not contain the impacts her wonderful parents had on her, her family, and all the people they came across. So she decided to share some of these wonderful times with the readers in her bilingual book in Dutch and English titled: Twee Opmerkelijke Mensen/ Two Remarkable People David & Erna Robinson. It's a story of marriage, life, and good deeds of the couple David and Erna Robinson who lived their ordinary lives in extra-ordinary ways. Their daughter Florita is very versatile in careers. She is an author, seamstress, teacher and dental professional.  Florita lives in Orlando, FL and has three wonderful loving supportive daughters, and a beautiful one-year old granddaughter.

Thoburn "Chip" Russell

In Miami, Beach, Florida, in 1952, Thoburn Russell was born. Trained as an Architect in Boston, moved to Orlando to start his career. Being fortunate to secure employment by a prestigious firm and immediately had the opportunity to work on Walt Disney's EPCOT Center on the design and construction of the Mexico Pavilion. Being mentored by Nils Schweizer who in turn was mentored by the famous Architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Having a career in many disciplines of Architectural design, historic preservation, and construction methods in his early career. 

Gabrielle O. Starkes

Gabrielle O. Starkes is a youth entrepreneur and philanthropist from Orlando, FL. She began her career at age six in the natural body care industry by making 100% plant-based soap. At age nine, Gabrielle released her bestselling book, Gabrielle and the Magic Tree. She later released Gabrielle and the Magic Tree Coloring and Activity Book. She aims to help kids understand why we need to protect trees for ourselves, the animals, and the ecosystem.
 

 Lane Trompeter

When he was fourteen, Lane Trompeter said he wanted to write, but writing doesn't feed you until it does. So until his words could fill his plate, he decided to teach and coach. He's lived that promise ever since, and it's time (finally) for his words to pull their weight. Built for Montana but living in Florida, Lane survives the heat through the unfailing love of his wife, Ellen and baby girl, Sylvia, and the unwavering belief that the world might some day be a better place if we take the time to mold children into human beings.

Leah T. Williams

Leah T. Williams was born and raised in St. Kitts, a beautiful island in the West Indies. With her family, she resides in Central Florida where she teaches Language Arts to her sometimes wonderful middle schoolers at Glenridge Middle School. Neither Out Far Nor In Deep is her first novel. Follow her on all social media outlets @kittiwriter1.