Six area residents have banded together to form Lake Country Authors, a consortium of published writers of fiction and nonfiction. The group has launched a website and blog for readers of wide-ranging interests. The website and blog can be accessed at www.lakecountryauthors.com . Members of the group will be signing books Saturday, July 9, from 8 to noon at the Harmony Crossing Farmer’s Market.

Writers include Don Adams, author of the novel, The Sawdust Pile; George Heiring, whose children’s book is called I Will Stay with You; Lou Jones, author of the recently released novel, And Then the Monarchs Flew Away; Davis Temple, Jr., PhD, whose latest novel is A Dose of Insanity; Joan Ungerleider, author of Cooking with the Cherry Tomato Lady, and Gail Vail, publisher of the coffee table book, Seasons on Lake Oconee.    

The shared blog will feature observations and commentaries on topics from travel and cultural arts to fishing, cooking and poetic expressions.

“There will be something for everyone in our blog,” explained Adams, a retired Delta Air Lines attorney and the only native Georgian in the group. His coming-of-age novel is based on his experiences in the context of racial and societal turmoil in the Deep South.

“Clearly, we are a group of individuals with diverse backgrounds and origins, but we are bound by our passion for writing,” said Heiring, retired senior partner of a leading international management firm. His newest book, The Seasonal  Heart,  will be released this fall. He grew up in Iowa and moved to this area from Illinois.  

Dr. Temple is the most prolific writer of the group, with four published novels and a fifth underway. A native Mississippian, he was named Mississippi Author of the Year in 2004. He was a senior vice president for a major pharmaceutical firm. The current book, Dose of Insanity, is based on his experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

Vail is best known as an artist.  Her book, which captures life on Lake Oconee through the four seasons,  is a compilation of full-color paintings by area artists complemented by pieces written by members of the Greensboro Writers’ Guild.  A co-owner of the Art of Oconee gallery, she had a career in marketing and human resources with IBM. She was born in Nebraska.

Jones published a collection of poetry, From Microbe to Consciousness, in 2009 and has since won numerous poetry awards. His new book, And Then the Monarchs Flew Away, is set in Key West; it is a story of friendship, love, loss and the triumph of the human spirit. The former Marine and Caterpillar business manager is originally from Illinois.

Ungerleider’s cookbook is filled with recipes and reminiscences of family and friends. Originally from Ohio, she spent half her career as a newspaper writer and editor and half as a national marketing executive with a firm that owned 23 hospitals and nursing homes.

“We welcome everyone to have fun with us on our blog,” she said. “It is interactive, and we hope readers will chime in with their reactions and thoughts.”

All the books are available at Spillin’ the Beans, Traditions – Old and New, Genuine Georgia, Morning Glory’s and Art of Oconee. They also are available on line, most on Amazon.com. Selected books by the authors can be purchased in many other shops throughout the Lake Oconee area.  

The authors are available to speak to local groups. For more specifics on the writers and their books, visit the website www.lakecountryauthors.com