Here are some of our favorite local authors! We've included a brief profile of the author, a synopsis of one of their books, and have listed other titles by the same author. We want to whet your appetite for more of these fascinating reads! All of these books, and many more, are available for check-out from the La Porte County Public Library. (We've included web sites where applicable.)

Fanny and the Indy 500 Trophy (1986) by Martha Tilson Amos

This is the fourth tale featuring Fanny, a talented fox terrier. Follow Fanny as she goes along with her master to the Indy 500 race and uncovers a dastardly plot within a famous old hotel.

The stories of Martha Tilson Amos are based on her own fox terrier, Fanny. Amos is a former teacher and current resident of Knox, Indiana, where she is a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants.

There's an Angel in My Locker: Devotionals for Junior Highers (1986) by Mary Lou Carney

The daily readings in this devotional book consist of short fictional stories about a kid named Andy who has one thing other kids don't have: Herbie, a G.I. Joe-sized guardian angel with golden teeth and laughter like wind chimes.

Carney, formerly a high school teacher, is now a free-lance writer and speaker. She lives in Chesterton, Indiana, and has also written Heart Cries: Prayers of Biblical Women.

Trouble in the Town Hall (1996) by Jeanne M. Dams

This book finds popular sleuth Dorothy Martin still living in the fictional town of Sherebury and facing a serious dilemma when she notices some movement in the abandoned Town Hall. Being a confirmed snoop, she soon finds a body in the Town Hall and in a further unpleasantness, soon notices that the corpse's arms have been moved and the eyes closed!

Jeanne Dams lives in South Bend, Indiana. A Notre Dame graduate and retired teacher, Dams is also the winner of the Agatha Christie Award for Best First Novel for The Body in the Transept: A Dorothy Martin Mystery.

Duel for the Dunes: Land Use Conflict on the Shores of Lake Michigan (1983) by Kay Franklin and Norma Schaeffer

A study of the classic battle between industrialists and environmentalists, Duel for the Dunes traces the development of the Dunes controversy from the early days of Indiana statehood to the defeat of a proposed nuclear power plant.

Franklin (deceased) and Schaeffer, longtime residents of the Dunes community of Beverly Shores, Indiana, have worked actively for Dunes preservation.

They Don't Wash Their Socks!: Sports Superstitions (1990) by Kathlyn Gay

This book looks at all the major sports and offers a fascinating glimpse at the funny and strange superstitions of teams and individual athletes.

Kathlyn Gay is the author of over 50 books and is well known for tackling difficult subjects such as the environment. She has also written many magazine features, stories and plays, and promotional materials. She lives in Elkhart, Indiana. Some of her other books include Air Pollution and Cleaning Nature Naturally.

Run Fast: How to Train for a 5-K or 10-K Race (1992) by Hal Higdon

Here's a book that tells runners of every caliber everything they need to know to run 5-K, 8-K, and 10-K races faster, as well as performance-boosting race tactics from world-class runners, tips on training for your first race, and proven, step-by-step recovery drills.

Higdon, a long-time runner and coach, lives in Michigan City, Indiana, and was the first American to finish in the 1964 Boston Marathon. He is a free-lance writer who has contributed to Runner's World, Reader's Digest, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, and other magazines. ABC made a movie of his children's book, The Horse That Played Center Field. Higdon also wrote Marathon: The Ultimate Training and Racing Guide.

Higdon's web site: http://www.halhigdon.com/boston/bio.html

Falconara: A Family Odyssey (1993) by Rose Musacchio Higdon and Hal Higdon

This book is the result of a 12-year voyage of discovery to reveal the truth about a family legend which told of seven families who fled Albania in the 15^th century and settled on the western coast of Italy, where they were able to maintain their own language and culture for 500 years.

Rose Higdon is a former president of the Dunes Arts Foundation, is a member of the American Association of University Women and now teaches 5^th grade. She has assisted her husband (Hal Higdon, profiled above) with research on his articles.

Power from Oil: The Life and Times of John Alstyne Secor, Inventor (1988) by William H.C. Higgins

Power from Oil is an account of the life and times of John Alstyne Secor - inventor of the famous kerosene-fueled Rumely OilPull tractor. That machine, manufactured by the Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana, dominated the farm tractor field during the early decades of this century.

William Higgins lived in La Porte, Indiana for much of his youth. He graduated from Purdue University with a degree in electrical engineering, and has been included in Who's Who in Engineering.

Halloween Spook Stories (1995) by Patricia Rose Hoops

This book is a collection of short stories about some youngsters who get the wits scared out of them in various situations. The stories are alive with haunted houses, spooks and spirits, witches and black cats.

Rose Hoops now lives in La Porte, Indiana. She was born in Lakeland, Indiana, in an area known as Dog Patch. Her love for children prompted her to write down some of the original stories she had been telling her children and grandchildren for the past 30 years.

Romancing the Stone (1984) by Catherine Lanigan writing as Joan Wilder

This tale of romance and adventure takes the heroine (a best-selling romance author herself!) from New York City to Colombia to ransom her sister from kidnappers by delivering an ancient map. In this exciting story, the heroine (named Joan Wilder) meets up with wild animals, drug dealers, and Jack Colton - the handsome stranger with whom she falls in love.

La Porte, Indiana native Catherine Lanigan has written many novels under her own name as well as this book which went on to be a hugely popular film starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. She has moved to Texas after living in La Porte for some time. Some of Lanigan's other books include Seduced, Dangerous Love, and Becoming.

Abracadaver: A Father Dowling Mystery (1989) by Ralph McInerny

Father Roger Dowling is the priest who serves the small town of Fox River, Illinois and Abracadaver begins with a magic show at the St. Hilary's parish center. A ring used in a trick has an inscription bearing the initials of a woman who has disappeared without a trace, and when one of his parishioners is murdered, Father Dowling begins to investigate the web of connections behind the ring.

Ralph McInerny is the author of more than 24 novels, including the mystery series featuring Father Dowling. The Father Dowling mysteries were adapted for a television series running on ABC. McInerny has taught at the University of Notre Dame since 1955 and lives in South Bend, Indiana. He has also written A Cardinal Offense, The Case of the Constant Caller, and Frigor Mortis, among others. McInerny also writes under the name Monica Quill.

The Division of Consciousness: The Secret Afterlife of the Human Psyche (1997) by Peter Novak

The death of Novak's wife sent him on a study into the nature of death, where he examined psychology, theology, past-life regression and near-death experiences. The author eventually concluded that the human psyche not only survives but also divides at death, with the conscious mind reincarnating and the subconscious mind judging itself.

Novak, a native of La Porte, Indiana, still lives in La Porte with his daughter.
Novak's web site: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6696

Fiddles by the Fireside (1978) by Kathleen Zmuda

This book is a biography of Joseph and Marie Bailly, the first homesteaders in northwestern Indiana who arrived in the early 1800s. Written to appeal to children, the book is full of details about what life was like back then - fur trading, beaver hunting, weaving and spinning clothes. What did their homes look like? What food did they eat? What was school like?

Katherine Zmuda loves to explore the Dunes and to camp - the modern version of pioneer living. She was an elementary school teacher, and now writes historical fiction, special features for magazines and newspapers, and tales to be told. Zmuda is a professional storyteller and now lives in Beverly Shores, Indiana.