HACKENSACK — Over 30 Minnesota authors gathered in August at the Northwoods Art & Book Festival in Hackensack, Minnesota. The annual festival recently celebrated its 31st season, drawing crowds of artists, visitors and residents from the community together, including a strong presence of writers and book lovers, proving that Minnesota is a state rich in literature.
KAXE’s Morning Show host Heidi Holtan and What We’re Reading’s Tammy Bobrowsky attended the festival and interviewed the authors. This 5-part special series of lighting talks concludes with the following group of authors.
Mike Lien, Norwood Young America
Mike Lien gets his writing inspiration at the small cabin he shares with his wife in the state forest south of Bemidji. He writes about their life and times and “the people we meet and the strange things that happen sometimes.”
His latest book is The Last Cabin from his award-winning Cabin Life Series.
“It's a series of stories of some adventures, one out to Isle Royale on my brother's sailboat, another camping out for a night at the end of the Gunflint Trail, and another that chronicles a 10-year long saga of my wife and I trying to find a mysterious hidden waterfall in the Wyoming mountains,” Lien said.
Lien hopes that in his writing he can share his adventures for someone else to enjoy.
“And hopefully in my case, since I really try to push the humor, to get at least a smile if not a laugh out of them,” he added.
Find Mike Lien’s books here.
Marjorie Mathison Hance, Minneapolis
Marjorie Mathison Hance is the author of the North Lakes Murder Mystery Series which take place in northwestern Minnesota. The first book of the series, Murder at Pelican Lake, was published 8 years ago. The most recent book is Under the Ice, which is about a priest who's found murdered under the ice on a frozen lake.
Hance enjoys the talks about books she has with people she meets. “It's been great to have so many people who really enjoy books and getting involved with whatever it is that we're talking about.”
Find more information about Marjorie Mathison Hance on her website.
Brenda K. Massman, Northfield
As a writer, Brenda K. Massman loves the moment when “out of the blue, ideas will come to me or I'll see something in particular that just feels so fitting for my current story.”
Massman’s latest book is a dual story historical fiction set in 1948 Chicago and 1975 Twin Cities titled, Yet Here We Are.
“It explores the life of a woman named Elizabeth who back in the '40s, briefly visited Chicago, which sort of upends her life. And then fast forwarding to the '70s, a visitor from her Chicago past returns and sends her life into kind of a tumultuous state once again. And meanwhile, in the '70s, the Twin Cities food co-op wars are taking place that her adult daughters are involved in. So we have two different stories that come together,” Massman explained.
Learn more about Brenda K. Massman and her books here.
Chris Norbury, Owatonna
Chris Norbury writes “fast-paced mysteries--thrillers that have some action but also have some heart and interesting character studies and things like that.”
His latest book, The Kill Code Collective, is a medical thriller and five-author collaboration. Norbury was joined by authors Julie Holmes, Rob Jung, Brian Lutterman, and John Baird Rogers—each brought in their own signature characters to this “experimental” thriller.
Norbury loves writing books because he loves reading books. “Good advice I got many years ago was write the kind of books that you would like to read,” he said.
Chris Norbury’s book can be found on his website.
Jan Belanger, Hackensack
Writing and reading books has been a passion of Jan Belanger’s for many years. Her current best-selling book is Downsizing & Decluttering for Seniors: A Compassionate Guide to Simplify and Organize Your Home, Create Peace of Mind, and Enjoy Room to Breathe.
About the book Belanger explained, “It's about how you can declutter your home and get rid of the things that you don't want, your kids don't want from you. And it's really fantastic. It takes you through a journey, my journey of having to downsize and declutter my own home, my parents' home…so we can live comfortably--because the less things you have, the easier it is to manage your home.”
Find Jan Belanger’s books here.
Darrell Pedersen, Baxter
Darrell Pederson is the author of Campfire in the Basement, a book on his reflections of his tumultuous childhood growing up in the '50s and '60s in Northern Minnesota.
His newest book is called Who Will Carry the Fire? More Reflections from a North Woods Lake. In this book, Pedersen was inspired by Ojibwe history.
“They would go from one seasonal camp to the next. Somebody had to carry the embers for the campfire, so there'd be a fire in the next village. And so that one person looked out for the whole village,” he explained.
Pedersen loves writing because he loves to tell stories. He stated, “I consider myself a storyteller and I've grown up hearing stories from wonderful people, family members and teachers and so on. And I've found that my stories can maybe brighten someone's day--help them remember their own story. And when they remember their own story, I hope they'll realize they've had an amazing life too.”
Find Darrell Pedersen’s books here.
Scott Welvaert, Chaska
Scott Welvaert writes middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction books. His latest book is a dark mob thriller called Grayduck.
Chicago gangster Jimmy the Grayduck has built a name for himself with the Chicago Polish mob, but his past haunts him. Grayduck combines real-world mob threats with supernatural ones “that lead to a nail-biting, on-the-road romance, with a backstory so dark, you may not recover.”
Welvaert noted that part of the book takes readers to Minnesota. He said, “It kind of takes place in Walker because I love the land up here.”
Learn more about Scott Welvaert’s books on his website.
Find past stories from this series here.
Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234.
What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
