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< Back Judge This Book: The Psychology and Craft of Irresistible Covers Make your cover do its job. Author and editor Marni Graff translates design principles into author‑friendly steps: genre signals, typography, color, and the crucial thumbnail test. With real case studies and before‑and‑afters, you’ll leave with a practical checklist, resource links, and the confidence to brief a designer—whether you’re indie or traditionally published. About Marni: Marni Graff is the author of the Nora Tierney English Mysteries and the Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries, celebrated for a strong sense of place, wit, and classic crime traditions. A contributor to the Miss Demeanors blog and Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press, she frequently visits book clubs and libraries to talk craft and mystery writing. Previous Next

Our volunteers are essential to our success. Consider helping out! Volunteer The Williamsburg Book Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating authors, books, and the joy of reading. Our festival thrives because of the dedication and generosity of our volunteers, whose time and talents make this event possible each year. From planning and setup to welcoming guests and supporting authors, our volunteers play an essential role in creating a memorable experience for everyone who attends. Please click on the below if you are interested in volunteering with us! Fill out this form

< Back Ron Peterson, Jr Ron Peterson, Jr is a bestselling author of five true crime books that explore some of Virginia’s most compelling mysteries. Three of his books have been adapted for television. He is a graduate of Radford University and makes his home in the historic downtown of Smithfield, Virginia. Next

< Back Sonny Hudson Sonny Hudson is the acclaimed author of the Jessica Jansen Thriller series, which includes The Murder Game, Glitz. Glamour. Murder., and Blood & Vengeance. And now, with the release of his latest, Divine Deception, Hudson continues the fast-paced and taut storytelling tradition he’s known for. Fans of political action and spy thrillers by top writers like Robert Ludlum and Brad Thor will love Hudson's debut novel, Let the Truth Be Told. This perennial favorite has captivated audiences at events year after year. Currently residing in Williamsburg, VA, Hudson provides business & technology consulting to Global 1000 companies. Next

< Back Lesley O'Brien Lesley O’Brien is an English American writer, adventurer, sailor, and ailurophile. An accomplished neuroscientist, Lesley has extensive scientific publications as well as an illustrated children's book series. Lesley was born and raised in England but has spent her last 25 years in North American. When not sailing the Chesapeake Bay, or writing stories inspired by her cat Marco, Lesley is finding new mountains to climb. Lesley is a lover of long horizons and salty air, and a proponent of reinventing oneself whenever the conveyor belt of life is no longer in service. Next

< Back Elaine Honeycutt Elaine Honeycutt is a teacher, wife, and mom living in the Richmond, Virginia area. She is passionate about education, travel, animals, and great food. Elaine is a children’s book author whose book series shows the joys of travel and cooking to a new generation of children. Featured on Richmond’s Virginia This Morning, this first book teaches how to bake an amazing apple pie. Elaine currently teaches high school English and is a graduate of Sweet Briar College. Next

< Back John Conlee John Conlee is an Emeritus Professor of English and Medieval Studies at the College Studies where he specialized in Chaucer, the Arthurian Legends, and Celtic Mythology. He has been writing fiction for the last thirty years, and his novels reflect his scholarly interests as well as his youthful years as a baseball player. He grow up on the West Coast and attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In addition to writing fiction for adult readers, he is the author of a series of tales for younger readers that involve King Arthur, Merlin, and Arthur's dog Cabal. Several of his novels are set in Ireland and the U.K. (including Oxford, Wales, and Cornwall) where he has lived and studied. His most recent novel, BE NIMBLE. BE QUICK is set in Southern California. Next

< Back Thomas Guay Thomas Guay is the author of Chesapeake Bound, a work of historical fiction set in the uneasy years just before the American Revolution. A former Capitol Hill reporter, Guay turned from modern politics to the eighteenth century, tracing why ordinary Londoners—pressed by poverty, prejudice, and a rigid class system—risked everything on a passage to colonial America. Set between 1763 and 1765, the novel follows indentured servants and sailors whose Atlantic voyage reveals hopes and dreams tested by deadly storms, hardship, and budding romance. Drawing on years as a historical guide at the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis, Guay brings daily colonial life vividly to the page. Next

< Back Heather Brown Barrett Heather Brown Barrett is an award-winning poet in southeastern Virginia. She is the Membership Chair of The Poetry Society of Virginia, a member of The Muse Writers Center, and a former board member of Hampton Roads Writers. Her work has appeared in Literary Mama, The Ekphrastic Review, Yellow Arrow Journal, formidable Woman sanctuary, Black Bough Poetry, OyeDrum Magazine, and elsewhere, and has been nominated for Best of the Net. She’s the author of Water in Every Room (Kelsay Books, 2025), a collection of poems embodying the fluctuations of emotion and form in new motherhood. Next

< Back Chris Register Chris Register served in the Peace Corps, graduated Georgetown Law, and litigated cases in federal court before embarking on his cross-country cycling and interview project, Conversations With US. Sixteen thousand miles of exploration and inquiry brought Chris and his touring bike into the heart, and along the fringes, of a vast and changing nation, where he sought connection and conversation with hundreds of everyday Americans, hoping to better understand their America. He’s now documenting the unforgettable experiences and heartfelt interviews from that journey with his ongoing Conversations With US book series, and relying on them to inform and inspire his recently-launched campaign to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives as an Independent (with the help of his good and loyal dog, Banjo). Next

< Back Caterina Novelliere Caterina is passionate about history, music, romance, old languages, and travel. She regularly intertwines these subjects in her Servants of Morrigan: Four Horsemen Series and in Tale of Rouen, a romantic tale that combines fantasy, time travel, and historical fiction. Next

Application for the 2027 Williamsburg Book Festival