Many of us harbor dreams of writing a book someday — and some of your neighbors have made that dream a reality.
Johnson County is home to a wide variety of authors, including some bestsellers and award-winners. No matter your age or reading interests, it’s not hard to find an appealing book by a local author. There is so much talent right in our neighborhood.
Make it a goal to read a book or two a year by an author who is practically in your backyard.
If you don’t know where to start, Johnson County Public Library has an entire collection of books written by local authors. The collection features picture books, memoirs, young adult novels, murder mysteries, non-fiction and more. There is a little bit of everything.
The Local Author Collection is currently shelved at the White River branch, and is rotated around the library system every few months. The library has also hosted a popular Local Author Fair, where attendees can meet authors, purchase books and win fabulous literary prizes. While this great event was postponed this year, we look forward to bringing it back in the future.
If you want to scope out some of the local talent, stop by your closest Johnson County Public Library branch and check out a book or two from our special collection. If the Local Author Collection isn’t at your branch, place a hold on the title you want or talk to your librarian.
Here is a small sampling of all the wonderful talent right here in our community:
Saundra Mitchell (Greenwood): All the Things We Do in the Dark; The Prom; Camp Murderface. Fun Fact: Saundra has published nearly 20 teen novels and won the Young Adult Indiana Author’s Award in 2020.
Ted Bishop (Franklin): Unfriended: Power Brokers, Political Correctness and Hypocrisy in Golf. Fun Fact: Ted was the 38th President of the PGA of America, the world’s largest working sports organization.
Terri Roberts-Leonard (Greenwood): Danda the Panda: Welcome to My World. Fun Fact: Terri is a diversity, equity and inclusion trainer and educator whose focus is on community service and education.
Brian Allen Carr (Franklin): Opioid, Indiana. Fun Fact: Brian was the inaugural winner of the Texas Observer short story prize as judged by Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry, and the recipient of a Wonderland Book Award.
Christy Newton (Greenwood): The Trouble with Playing Cupid; Begin Again. Fun Fact: Christy is a hopeless romantic and you can often find her signing books in Sarah’s Hallmark Store.
Lou Ellen Watts (Franklin): Sleeping in Dixie’s Featherbed. Fun Fact: When Lou Ellen’s not writing she gardens, sings in the community choir and volunteers at the Johnson County Museum of History.
