Story Monster, Authors, and Surprises Expected at the Seventh Annual Payson Book Festival

CHANDLER, Ariz. (July 15, 2022)—Book lovers of all ages are invited to attend the annual Payson Book Festival for a day filled with books, authors, prizes and surprises. The festival will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino in Payson, Ariz.

This free community celebration of books and literacy provides an opportunity for readers to meet more than 80 Arizona authors. The event schedule includes writer workshops, entertainment, children’s story time and auction items, among others. This year’s theme is “Start a New Chapter: Reading Takes us to Amazing Places.”

Story Monsters LLC is one of the founding supporters of the festival and will have a booth at this year’s event.

“We look forward to this event every year,” said Linda F. Radke, president of Story Monsters LLC and publisher of the award-winning Story Monsters Ink® magazine. “It’s such a thrill to connect with young readers in this festival atmosphere to share our common love of books.”

Several authors will be at the Story Monsters both to sell and sign their books. Among them will be Cynthia Kern OBrien, award-winning author of the A True Story by Granny series.

“I’m so excited to attend this event and meet with families and children about my books,” said OBrien. “Working with Story Monsters has been invaluable to me as a children’s author. It has been a wonderful experience working with Linda and her talented team.”

Radke, who has been in publishing for over 37 years, has been ahead of the game in producing and marketing award-winning books for all ages. Through her portfolio of book consulting services, she will be available at the event to share her expertise with aspiring or seasoned authors who would like to learn more about marketing their books.

Story Monsters will also feature over 30 books at the booth that attendees can request to review as part of a co-op book display. There will be prizes and a special surprise for young readers, too.

“Story Monster will be making appearances at the festival for photo opportunities. This is always a special highlight for families who attend,” Radke said.

Authors attending at the Story Monsters booth include:

Cynthia Kern OBrien, is the author of the A True Story by Granny picture book series: I Used to be a Fairy; The Tooth Fairy and the Baby Elf; and I Don't Want to Go to Preschool, the Fairy Queen Calls. A grandmother of three, she resides in California with her husband and Yorkshire mix, Pickles. She finds inspiration for her writing in her grandchildren and their worldview, aspiring to teach young readers caring and kindness for people and animals of all stripes. Early on her book series became a Readers Favorite and multi-award-winning recipient. Read more about Cynthia at: pickleshousepublications.com.

Dr. Dawn Menge and Kent Duryee are authors of Queen Vernita Visits the Land of Little Rain. In this latest installment of Queen Vernita's Adventures, we find her searching out the warmth of the desert during a cold winter. The friends have one adventure after the other over the course of the year, and the Queen learns so much about the desert, its plants and animals, and the traditions of its native people. This story is ideal for readers in grades 5-6. Read more here: facebook.com/authordrdawnmenge.

Vonda Bland Hamilton, author of Letting the CAT out of the Bag: Learning ABC Idioms with ASL and the upcoming As Easy as 123: No Gray Area Number and Color Idioms with ASL. Learn the secrets about idioms. For children and ASL speakers some phrases have less literal meanings and can be difficult to understand. These books help explain the meaning behind an idiom, along with scripture to help guide our understanding. Both books are perfect for readers ages 3-8. Learn more at: expressionsofemmanuel.com.

There may be more author announcements, so be sure to watch for event updates at storymonsters.com or on the Story Monsters social media pages: @storymonsters. For more information about the Payson Book Festival, visit: paysonbookfestival.org.

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