Mystery Novelist, Area Native Barbara Levenson to Appear in Columbus, Ohio

Miami, FL (PRWEB) April 20, 2011

Mystery novelist and area native Barbara Levenson will appear the Ohioana Book Festival (Fort Hayes Educational Center, 546 Jack Gibbs Boulevard Columbus, Ohio 43215) on Saturday, May 7, 2011. In addition to appearing on a panel, ?Thrillers, Murders, Mystery and Suspense? at 11:30 AM, Levenson will appear for a reading at 2:00 PM where she will read from, autograph and discuss her most recent novels, Fatal February and Justice in June.

Raised in Columbus, Ohio, Levenson was the first woman elected to the Columbus Board of Education, and later served as the Board?s first female president. Barbara was also the first woman to be named the Ohio Newspaper?s ?Man of the Year.?

A longtime Miami judge, Levenson is author of the Mary Magruder Katz mystery series. Levenson?s novels, Fatal February (Oceanview Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-933515-52-6, Hardcover, $ 22.95) and Justice in June (ISBN: 978?1?933515?71-7, Hardcover, $ 24.95) feature the fun, fearless, and oh-so-feisty Mary Magruder Katz, a half-Jewish, half-Southern Baptist criminal defense attorney who has a knack for getting in way over her head.

Hailed as ?John Grisham in spiked heels,? the Mary Magruder Katz series has earned high critical acclaim, including:

?Excellent.? ?I Love a Mystery

?Engrossing.? ? Reviewing the Evidence

?Lighthearted and frothy fun.? ? The Deseret News

?A winning combination of mystery and legal intrigue.? ?????The Free-Lance Star

?Full of humor and joie de vivre.? ?Library Journal

?A quick, fun read. Readers are sure to want more.? ?Daytona Beach News-Journal

?Fans of Stephanie Plum and Kinsey Millhone will find a new author to love.? ?Review the Book

Barbara Levenson has resided in Miami, Florida, for the past 35 years. A cum laude graduate of the University of Miami Law School, Barbara has served as a prosecutor, and run her own law practice where she focused on criminal defense and civil rights litigation. Barbara was elected to a judgeship in the circuit court of Miami-Dade County where she still serves as a senior judge. Barbara and her husband bred and showed German Shepherd Dogs for 20 years and finished 11 champions in the show ring.

Both published by Oceanview Publishing, one of the country?s leading independent mystery/thriller/suspense publishers, Fatal February and Justice in June are available nationwide.

For more information, please contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone?(615) 297-9875, or by email? maryglenn(at)maryglenn(dot)com.

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Related John Grisham Press Releases

The Secrets of Willow Creek: A New Mystery Novel

Shrewsbury, MA (PRWEB) August 16, 2011

The Mystery Writers of America?s Edgars? Awards celebrated its 64th award season earlier this year, explicating how widely-appreciated the mystery novel continues to be. James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell, John Grisham ? leaders of the pack for sure, but behind them are countless snarling, up-and-coming writer-wolves, ready to tease and frighten unsuspecting readers with their tales of secrecy and macabre. The unknown author today may become the blockbuster of tomorrow. In The Secrets of Willow Creek (published by AuthorHouse) ? the mesmerizing new novel by debut author Diane Elizabeth Kelleher ? this possibility of book fame gains more and more traction with each turn of the page.

Kelleher?s story centers on the raven haired beauty, Elizabeth Hilton, who awakes to find herself restrained in the psychiatric ward of a local hospital, unable to remember how she got there. Before they can release her, the hospital staff of psychiatrists must decipher if Elizabeth?s brush with death was the result of an attempted suicide or an attempted murder.

As an intoxicating plot races to answer the question ? Is Elizabeth Hilton mentally disturbed or a victim of a dreadful circumstance ? a love triangle blooms between the tragic beauty, her internist, the sensual Dr. Cameron Wynchoate, and the rich quadriplegic, Hollingsworth.

The Secrets of Willow Creek is a thrill-ride that puts a perplexing mystery and matters of love on a dangerous crash course.

About the Author

Born and educated in Mass., Diane Elizabeth Kelleher began, at age 16, her undergraduate studies in liberal arts at prestigious Wheaton College in Norton. By 20, she had received a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from Simmons College, Boston. She graduated in the top five percent of her class, while majoring in sociology, economics and art history. Her graduate work in the history of art was undertaken at Boston University, Boston, MA. She is the niece of the late, renowned Hollywood producer Paul W. Keyes. An independent research author in the arts, her books include:

Enchantment: The Art and Life of Lilian Westcott Hale
Marvelous Miniatures and Perfect Pastels: The Art and Life of Laura Coombs Hills
Unlikely Icon: The Art, Culture and Philosophy of Forest Hills Cemetery: A Nineteenth Century Symbol of American Values
How to Research, Write and Publish an Art History Book in American Art
The Fantasmagorical Feline Adventures of Little Miss Libby and the Mystery of the Rare, Turquoise Blue, Boston, Trumpeter Swan
The Secrets of Willow Creek

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industry?s only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse will celebrate 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011.For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

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Archaeological Mystery Novelist Mary Anna Evans Receives 2011 Mississippi Author Award

Jackson, MS (PRWEB) October 14, 2011

Mary Anna Evans has been named the 2011 recipient of the Mississippi Author Award, an annual award given by the Mississippi Library Association. The award is given to living authors who are Mississippi natives or who have lived in the state for five or more consecutive years. Previous recipients include Eudora Welty, John Grisham, and Willie Morris, as well as Charlaine Harris, author of the books on which the Emmy-winning HBO series True Blood is based.

Ms. Evans, a seventh-generation Mississippian, is the author of the Faye Longchamp archaeological mystery novels, which has received recognitions including the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Florida Literature Award, and a Florida Book Awards bronze medal. A current resident of Gainesville, Florida, she says, "I'm so honored to receive this award from some of my favorite people--Mississippians and librarians--and to be in the company of such fine writers. Ellen Douglas was the professor for the writing class I took when I was an engineering grad student at Ole Miss, way back in the 1980s, and Charlaine Harris is a friend, an inspiration, and a wonderful writer. I can't wait to go home for the awards banquet."

The awardwinning book, Floodgates, received a starred review from Booklist, praising its treatment of New Orleans and its history. A previous installment in the series, Effigies, was a nominee for ForeWord Book of the Year for its portrait of Mississippi at the turn of the 21st century.

Ms. Evans will accept the award at the Mississippi Library Association's annual conference. More information on her work is available on her website. High-resolution downloadable photos, are available on her website.

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