Hear how seven local authors made their books happen. From writing to publishing to promoting, each author found a way to move beyond an idea to the real deal. Learn about their books and the stories behind them. Bring your questions! Books available for purchase at end of event (cash or checks preferred). List of participating authors and titles of their short talks below:

Judith Shenouda
Five Living Well Books: The Why’s and the How’s
Judith Shenouda is owner of Shenouda Associates Inc., a business that assists authors and publishers at any phase of the book publishing process and researches, writes, and edits the many professional publications that streamline processes, launch products, and promote each client’s brand. A seasoned educator and business owner, Shenouda shares bits of wisdom learned about living well and leading a healing life that, in one way or another, found their way into her five books. Her sixth book is underway. Shenouda Associates Inc. handled all aspects of publishing these books and making them available at Amazon, Lulu, and other online stores.

Gary Craig
Seven Million: The $7 Million Brink's Depot Robbery of 1993--Modern Mystery, Big News, Book, Documentary, and Maybe a Film
Gary Craig retired from the Democrat and Chronicle in 2025 after nearly 45 years in newspaper. He won more than two dozen state, regional and national honors for investigative reporting and writing. He is the author of Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA and the Still Unsolved Rochester Brink's Heist and the co-author of The Prison Guard's Daughter: My Journey Through the Ashes of Attica. Gary now freelances and has an active Substack. He and his wife, Charlotte, live in Brighton and have two adult daughters.

George Rollie Adams
Challenges for White Authors Writing Fiction about Southern Segregation
George Rollie Adams is president and CEO emeritus of the Strong National Museum of Play and the award-winning author of three novels about small-town race relations in his native Arkansas during the Jim Crow and Civil Rights eras—Look Unto the Land, South of Little Rock, and Found in Pieces. He is also the author of General William S. Harney: Prince of Dragoons, a finalist for the Army Historical Foundation’s Distinguished Book Award. A former teacher, Adams holds a doctorate in American history from the University of Arizona and has served as director of the Louisiana State Museum and director of education for the American Association for State and Local History.

Nancy Alexander
Bring Your Passions to Life for Readers
Nancy Alexander cared for her father for 18 years after her mother died, which inspired her to write An Unlikely Gift: Finding Inspiration Caring for My Father with Dementia. This was Nancy’s first book. Her second book, Get UP! Defy Aging with Movement, shares what she has learned from her patients over 30 years as a physical therapist and certified fitness professional. This book dispels the belief that activity should decline as you age. Writing and publishing were not Alexander’s day job, but she found a way to bring her passions to life for her readers.

Sandra Fischer-Kierecki
Reaching the Children: Trials and Tribulations of Marketing Your Book
Sandra Fischer-Kierecki is a Reiki Master and retired midwife interested in nurturing children’s awareness of their own energy and the energy around them. As a grandmother of seven, the author understands the importance of teaching healthy choices that decrease stress and increase mindfulness and cooperation. Children who learn to give Reiki Love often feel less stressed, may sleep better at night, have improved concentration, and empathize more with others. Her book provides a joyful tool to teach children how to create a mindful approach to life.

Randi Minetor
Writing Is an Art; Publishing Is a Business
A working writer for 48 years, Randi Minetor is currently at work on her 100th book, Death in Death Valley National Park, her tenth book about people who visit national and state parks and do not survive the experience. She writes on topics ranging from hiking throughout NYS to birding across the U.S. She has written for Globe Pequot, adding more than 60 books to their imprints; and for Bloomsbury on food ingredient controversies, medical tests, the psychology of conflict, and more. Her books Essential Oils of the Bible and Robert's Rules of Order in Action are national bestsellers. More than 40 of her books are illustrated with photos taken by her husband, Nic Minetor.

Christopher Carosa
Finding What Everyone Else Overlooked: How Unusual Stories Become Books, Brands, and Opportunities
A carnival-barking astrophysicist with a flair for finance and the soul of a raconteur, Christopher Carosa is an award-winning journalist, author, speaker, investment adviser, and deputy historian of Mendon, NY. A Yale-trained physicist and astronomer, he built one of the earliest AI stock-picking systems before launching a career spanning finance, publishing, local journalism, and historical research. His nine books include Hamburger Dreams and History Unleashed: Lafayette’s Remarkable Tour of the Greater Western New York Region. Known as America’s Premier Hamburger Historian, Carosa turns overlooked stories into compelling narratives that connect history, curiosity, and opportunity.

Henrietta Public Library is committed to creating inclusive and accessible events. To request a reasonable accommodation or discuss your needs, please fill out the box on the registration form and/or contact hpladultservices@libraryweb.org or call the library at 359-7092.