The USU Eastern Library and Learning Commons played host to a special event on Tuesday evening as the 5th Annual Local Author Night drew a crowd. Three local authors were spotlighted at the evening’s event.
Author Shirley Haycock spoke first, stating that she began working on her book years before she published it. Haycock’s book is set in an older time, the 1900s, and follows the struggles of a man that has a uniquely high voice and strives to learn what manhood means to him.
Next up was author Alisa Bates. Bates has published several books, two of them being collections of her own poetry. Her first full-length novel came to life as Bates researched her great-grandmother’s life. This research took Bates and her husband to Liverpool, where she was better equipped to dive into her relative’s life and see the way she lived in the past.
Rounding out the author night was Didi Oviatt. Oviatt, who has a number of novels published, took time to explain her creative process. Oviatt explained that while she wrote her first novel, she wanted it to be a book for young children. However, as her characters progressed in personality and the story gained depth, Oviatt and her husband discovered that the book was geared toward mature readers.
After that, Oviatt published a number of other novels. While Oviatt’s skill and passion leans toward the mystery and thriller genres, she explained to the listening crowd that she has also published a novel of short stories with a fellow writer that resides in the U.K. Their second short story novel is in development and is expected to be released in the summer.
Each author, all self-published, then answered the crowd’s questions. Their novels were available for purchase and the authors were pleased to sign copies for all that wished. The novels from each author can also be found on Amazon’s website.
