Authors A Through K

Bachleda, F. Lynne (1951 - )   

A resident of Fairview since 1996, Lynne Bachleda purchased her acre of Williamson County with earnings from writing in connection with the state’s bicentennial. A freelance curator and exhibit planner, she researched and wrote materials for the Bicentennial Capitol Mall in collaboration with the Tennessee State Museum. In 1998 Bachleda and museum curators completed the next stage of text for the mall’s Pathway of History. Her spiritual anthology, Blue Mountain, was rated by Amazon.com as one of the Top 10 Inspirational Books for 2000. She continues to research, edit, and write on a variety of subjects.

• A Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway, 2005
• Canticles of the Earth, 2004
• Dangerous Wildlife in California and Nevada: A Guide to Safe Encounters at Home and in the Wild, 2002
• Dangerous Wildlife in the mid-Atlantic: A Guide to Safe Encounters at Home and in the Wild, 2001
• Dangerous Wildlife in the Southeast: A Guide to Safe Encounters at Home and in the Wild, 2001
• Blue Mountain: A Spiritual Anthology Celebrating the Earth, 2000
• Pathway to Tennessee History, 1998
• Network Television News: Conviction, Controversy, and Point of View (with Paul C. Simpson and Patricia G. Lane), 1995

Badger, David (1949 - )

A native of Wilmette Illinois, David Badger received his A.B. degree at Duke University, his M.S.J. from Northwestern, and his Ph.D. in communication from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. He moved to the Nashville area in 1976 and wrote book reviews and columns for the Tennessean for seventeen years and film reviews for public radio station WPLN while teaching journalism and motion picture history at Middle Tennessee State University. In addition to the books he has authored, he has edited more than a dozen others.

• Butterflies, 2006
• Lizards (with photographer John Netherton), 2003
• Snakes (with photographer John Netherton), 1999
• Frogs World Life Library (with photographer John Netherton), 1999
• Frogs (with photographer John Netherton), 1995
• Newscraft (co-author), 1982

Bagnall, Paula Rozelle

Paula Bagnall is a college instructor, author, graphic designer, mother, yogini, and advocate for simple, organized living. She enjoys fixing up old houses, gardening, watching HGTV, and refolding her sweaters. She is a clean freak who would be lost without her electronic label maker. Paula and her family live just outside of Nashville.

• Simple Order: Creating Serenity in a Chaotic World, 2005

Baker, Mark A.

Mark Baker emigrated with his family from Canada to Phoenix, Arizona, when he was four years old. He has a master’s degree in American Studies from Utah State University. For his thesis, he researched the difference between the pop culture image of the longhunter and the real woodsmen who inspired those stories. He expanded his thesis into a book. Baker is a recognized authority in such areas as the handling of a long rifle. For example, he served as a ‘coach’ for Daniel Day Lewis in the movie The Last of the Mohicans. Baker has contributed over 65 articles to Muzzleloader magazine since 1986. He has also contributed chapters to academic publications. As a resident of Williamson County, he has taught English and broadcast journalism at Page High School.

• Sons of a Trackless Forest: The Cumberland Longhunters of the Eighteenth Century, 1997

Baly, Shakira "Anikah Nash" (1974 - )

Shakira has had a varied and busy career as a singer, songwriter, director, playwright, and music journalist. Born in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, she grew up in Sterling, Virginia and now lives in Franklin, Tennessee. Her pleasure in writing surfaced early; she wrote a book in first grade. Although much of her time and energy are spent in performing and writing songs, she established a publishing company for her recent book. She is open to creative endeavors as she encounters them. Shakira is also known professionally as Arikah Nash.

• The Christmas Scene for All Seasons, 2004

Banks, Jay

Jay Banks, PhD, spent over 40 years of his adult life traveling and performing throughout 45 US states, which include various singing groups as a singer, songwriter and musician, professional songwriter, youth minister, not-for-profit director, vice president of a Christian university and a nationally known educator-educator-author. 

EDUCATOR
 Ph.D. in Education - Professional Studies in Education
 Masters in Curriculum & Instructional Technology
 Bachelor of Science in Education
 
 ENTERTAINER
 Appeared on Nickelodeon, Hallmark Channel, Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS
 Written with Phil Card at Disney Productions
 Music video "E-I-O My Goodness" won a Prova Gold Award for "Best Production"
 Former songwriter with A&M Records, Jay wrote ,"C.J.'s Song" for "Little Eva"

• I am Unafraid: Self-Empowering, Research-Based Anti-Bullying Series, 2015
• Elementary and middle school bullying: A Delphi analysis of successful prevention programming. Capella University, ProQuest
   Dissertations Publishing, 2011

Barcus, Sam (1946 - )

Born in Temple, Texas, Sam Barcus attended the University of Texas and the University of Houston. During his employment with Price Waterhouse, he relocated to Nashville. In 1987 he started his own technology consulting firm. His career benefited from a request from IBM for consultative sales training. Barcus moved to Franklin in 1996 and in 1998 started Newleaf Partners, a firm specializing in consultative selling. His books resulted from his work.

• The Relationship Advantage (with Tom Stevenson), 2003
• The Handbook of Management Consulting Services (with Joe Walkman) [editor and contributor], 1994, 2nd edition
• Financial Information Systems Manual [editor and contributor], 1991

Barnes, Sarah

Sarah Barnes lived in Detroit, Michigan before settling down in Tennessee. Writer, editor and avid gardener, Sarah enjoys watching the world go by from her little screened-in porch with her puppy, Rocky.

• Sarah's Story: Once Upon A Time There Was A Little Girl, 2015

Batey, Marie Williams

Marie Batey, a native of Nolensville, attended Williamson County schools.  After business college, she worked 20 years as a secretary. Known for having written the history of the Nolensville Methodist Church and articles for the Williamson County Historical Society, she was asked by fellow officers of the Tennessee Conference of United Methodist Women to compile the centennial year history of the role of women in the Methodist Church in Tennessee. She made extensive contributions to Nolensville: 1797 to 1987 and continues her work in history and genealogy. Batey currently lives in Lewisburg.

• A Legacy of Love: Tennessee Conference United Methodist Women 1878-1985, 1985

Battle, Thelma

Thelma Battle is a Franklin native and African-American historian. Her life's passion has been her continued and unwavering grassroots effort to preserve and protect African-American history in Williamson County, Tennessee.

• Memories That Lead to a Street Named Natchez: Former Home of Claiborne Institute, Franklin Training School, Natchez High School, 1998
• Claiborne Institute, Franklin Training School, Natchez High School, [no date]
• Returning Home to Leiper's Fork, 2006
• Raining in the House and Leaking Outdoors, 2010
• Putting Off and Putting On 'Til I Finally Got Here: A Cultural and Historic Presentation of Six Local African American Men Over the Age of 75, 2014
• Natchez Street Area Revisited, Vol. 1, 2016
• Natchez Street Area Revisited, Vol. 2, 2016
• The Heart of the Taste, compiled and edited by Thelma Battle and Pearl Bransford, 2004
• Historic Franklin Tennessee, essay author, 2009
• Hog Head Cheese, Chitlins, and Pluck: African American Culture and Heritage, 2019

Battle Ground Academy (students)

Quadrangle is BGA's literary Magazine, designed to reflect the writing and artistic talents of BGA students. 

• Quadrangle, Spring 1983
• Quadrangle, Spring 1984
• Quadrangle, Spring 1985
• Quadrangle, Spring 1986
• Quadrangle, Spring 1987
• Quadrangle, Spring 1988
• Quadrangle, Spring 1989
• Quadrangle, Spring 1990
• Quadrangle, Spring 1991
• Quadrangle, Spring 1992
• Quadrangle, Spring 1995
• Quadrangle, Spring 1996
• Quadrangle, Spring 1998
• Quadrangle, Spring  1999, last issue

Bell, Madison Smartt

Madison Bell, the son of Circuit Court Judge Henry Denmark Bell, grew up on Manley Lane. A graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy and Princeton University, Bell is a prolific writer of novels and short fiction. In several of these works he has skillfully re-created the locale of his youth in Williamson County. He has taught creative writing and literature courses at Goucher College since 1984, as well as being a visiting lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, the Iowa Writers Workshop, and the Poetry Center of the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City. His short fiction is often found in anthologies and literary journals, and he has written screenplays, essays, and reviews. Some of his works have been translated into several languages. The Literary Committee of the Williamson County Arts Council elected Bell to the Williamson County Authors' Hall of Fame in 1998.

• Soul In a Bottle: A Journey to Haiti, 2015
• Zig Zag Wanderer: Stories From Here, Stories From There, 2013
• Boy With a Coin, 2011
• The Color of Night, 2011
• Prey, 2010
• Devil's Dream, 2009
• Charm City: A Walk Through Baltimore, 2007
• Freedom's Gate: A Brief Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture, 2007
• Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007
• History of the Owen School: from its early origins to 1984, 1985.
• Lavoisier In the Year One: The Birth of a New Science in the Age of Revolution, 2005
• The Stone That the Builder Refused, 2004
• Anything Goes, 2002
• Master of the Crossroads, 2000
• Narrative Design: Working with Imagination, Craft, and Form, 2000
• Narrative Design: A Writer's Guide to Structure, 1997
• Ten Indians, 1996
• All Souls' Rising, 1995
• Save Me, Joe Louis, 1993–Dr. Sleep, 1991
• Barking Man and Other Stories, 1990
• Soldier's Joy, 1989
• The Year of Silence, 1987
• ZERO db and Other Stories, 1987
• Straight Cut, 1986
• Waiting for the End of the World, 1985
• The Washington Square Ensemble, 1983
• Doctor Sleep, 1975

Bell, Sandy Ward (1964 - )

Sandy Bell, a native of Victor, New York, credits her love of writing from reading. As a child, she would spend Saturdays sitting in a bean bag chair and read Nancy Drew books. Sandy graduated from Geneseo State University of New Your in 1986. She worked as a DJ for 10 years, but after two years of marriage to her radio-programming husband, her career changed to mother and writer. Her family moved to Williamson County after living in New York, Augusta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She credits the tapestry of the different cultures, traditions, and native slang for the depth to the characters of her books. Sandy's writing reflects her motto to learn something new and extraordinary daily. She is working on a second novel with hopes of publication in 2013.

• Parked At the Mansfields': a Modern Twist of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, 2014
• In Zoey's Head, 2010

Bell, Stephanie Renee (1989 to 2010)

Stephanie Renee Bell was born in Nashville, Tennessee, but moved to Williamson County at the age of 1. Stephanie was a prolific writer of five books; four novels and her autobiography. Along with her writing talents, Stephanie was an accomplished classically-trained pianist, guitarist, music composer and lyricist, writing more than forty Christian rap songs. Faith and God were important in her life and she wrote to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stephanie passed away in 2010.

• A Saved Young Life Now in Heaven: The Autobiography and Other Chronological Writings of Stephanie Bell, (Denise Bell, compiler), 2012
• Second Wind, 2012
• Caramelle: There's No Place Like Home, 2012
• Caramelle: Metamorphosis, 2012
• Caramelle: Eternal Hope, 2012

Benedict, Dianne Lackey

Dianne Lackey Benedict is one of seven children and is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. From her upbringing in a large family and raising four children of her own, she has a profound interest in childhood development. A life-long member of the United Methodist Church, Dianne is deeply spiritual. While being passionate about spiritual growth, she is a strong believer in the benefits of psychology. Dianne has committed her life to keenly observing, nurturing and reflecting upon the emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of herself and those around her. Because of her family ties to mental illness and witnessing the devastating impact it has on individuals and families, Dianne is dedicated to challenging the stigmas associated with this silent, invisible, and fragile aspect of human experience. Dianne has lived in Williamson County for the better part of 50 years, and raised her family of four here. She is married to the Rev. Andrew Bell Benedict, III.

• Mental Illness: the Silent Pandemic, 2021

Benesch, James E. (1963 - )

James Benesch came to writing through technical and legal writing when as a young man he served as a military policeman/intelligence officer. He received the Army Commendation Medal for his work. In 1990 he received a law enforcement degree. He developed the craft of technical and legal writing. His interest in writing grew over a lifetime of varied work. He grew up and lived in the Chicago area before moving to Tennessee in 1991. He has held many organizational and advisory positions in private business, government and charitable organizations. One of his specialties is budget and fiscal policy. He served on Mayor Karl Dean's Poverty Reduction Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee. He is pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville. His non-fiction books reflect the principles he has garnered while serving on boards of many non-profit organizations.

• Politics of Immortality, 2010

Bennett, Harold C. (1924 to 2003)

Harold Bennett was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and graduated from Wake Forest University. He did graduate work at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Duke University, and Georgia Tech. Bennett pastored several Baptist churches. From 1967 to 1979, he was the Executive Director/Treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. From 1979 to 1992, he served as President/Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention; after retirement, he served as president emeritus of the Executive Committee. He was an officer of the Baptist World Alliance and a board member of the American Bible Society. He wrote numerous entries for the Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists, in both 1971 and 1982, and authored hundreds of articles for Baptist publications.

• Reflections of Faith, 1983
• God's Awesome Challenge (co-author), 1980
• Faithful to the Lord (co-author), 1973

Benton, Thomas Hart (1782 to 1858)

Born in Orange County, North Carolina, Thomas Hart Benton, and his siblings came to the Leipers Fork area with their widowed mother in 1800. Educated at the University of North Carolina, Benton began to study law in 1804 and became a member of the Franklin Bar in 1806, after which he had a lively practice here. He served in the Tennessee State Senate from 1809 until 1811. After a disagreement with Andrew Jackson led to a duel on the public square in Nashville, Benton moved to Missouri in 1815. He represented Missouri in the United States Senate for 30 years supporting causes that opened the interior of our country to transportation and communication. Above all, Benton was for the preservation of the Union.

• Thirty Years View, or A History of the Working of American Government for Thirty Years, 1854

Berger, Sarah (1961 - )

Sarah Benton Berger was born in Pasadena, California and raised in Walnut, California as the youngest of three girls. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration at California State in Fullerton and met husband Steve while attending Calvary Chapel in Brea. Together, they founded Calvary Chapel Pomona Valley in 1990. In 1994, they moved to Leipers Fork, Tennessee to establish Grace Chapel where she heads the Women's Ministry. Passionate about God's Word, Sarah enjoys Bible teaching and speaking as well as, creating jewelry using stones mentioned in the Bible. Loss of a child in 2009 prompted Sarah to coauthor her book with Steve.

• Have Heart: Bridging the Gulf Between Heaven and Earth, 2010

Berger, Steve (1964 - )

Steve Berger was born in Burbank, California, the youngest of three boys. A former drug and alcohol addict, Steve became a Christian in 1984 and shortly thereafter, attended Calvary Chapel Bible School in Twin Peaks, California. In 1987, he married Sarah Benton Berger with whom he has four children. In 1990, he was ordained by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, California and founded Calvary Chapel Diamond Bar (now known as Calvary Chapel Pomona Valley.) In 1994, he and his family, along with three other families moved to Leipers Fork, Tennessee to plant Grace Chapel, where he continues to serve as senior pastor. He has delivered countless messages and training series. He is also a part of the teaching faculty of the National Worship Leader Conference. He credits Christian greats A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, C.S. Lewis and George Whitefield for helping to mold his life's ministry. Steve is a regular conference speaker.

• 40 Days With the Word of Promise, 2008
• Have Heart: Bridging the Gulf Between Heaven and Earth, 2010

Bernet, William

Bill Bernet grew up in an air force family, living in Washington, D.C, Massachusetts, and Japan, but he calls Oklahoma home. Educated at Holy Cross College and at Harvard Medical School, he is well known as an expert regarding divorce, child maltreatment, and psychotherapy with adolescents, having contributed to many journals and textbooks. Dr. Bernet came to Nashville as medical director of the Psychiatric Hospital at Vanderbilt. He then became director of Vanderbilt Forensic Psychiatry. He lived in Brentwood. Dr. Bernet helped to edit two handbooks on parenting for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology. He has written a book on divorce and co-authored a book on psychotherapy.

• Children of Divorce: A Practical Guide for Parents, Attorneys, and Therapists, 1995
• Fragile Alliance: An Orientation to Psychotherapy of the Adolescent (with Dr. John Meeks), 1990

Bierly, Michael Lee

• Bird Finding in Tennessee, 1980

Birdsong, Toni

Toni Birdsong is a partner in Birdsong Creative, a visual communications, marketing and web firm in Franklin, Tennessee. She's served as a reporter and editor for several newspapers and as a communications specialist for the Walt Disney Company. She has authored more than 2,000 articles and created marketing content for numerous companies.

• @stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online, with Tami Heim, 2010.

Bishop, Michael

Michael Bishop is a sales executive for a major healthcare learning company. In 1997, he accidentally came across a file containing information about the Paula Herring case. Realizing the potentially explosive nature of the contents, he launched a multi-decade private investigation and eventually consulted with top forensic experts while piecing together the new evidence.

• A Murder in Music City, 2017

Blackburn, Marsha

Marsha Blackburn is a member of the U.S. Senate

• The mind of a conservative woman : seeking the best for family and country, 2020
• Camilla Can Vote, by Mary Morgan Ketchel, with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, 2020

Blackmer, Robert B. (1934 - )

A native of the Thousand Island region of northern New York, Bob Blackmer was brought to Middle Tennessee by the United States Air Force in September of 1953. He is retired from the military and from his roles as a company executive and business owner. He provided consultation to organizations and individuals in the fields of business planning and leadership through the International Speakers' Network. He was a Distinguished Toastmaster in the Bellevue and Brentwood Toastmaster Clubs. He was a professional speaker, but his true loves were playing Scrooge at Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin and also portraying Benjamin Franklin.

• A.C.H.I.E.V.E.M.E.N.T.: 270 Tips to Boost Your Career, 1995
• Living with Crippling Arthritis, 1989

Blackwell, Muriel Fontenot

Muriel Blackwell, a native Louisianan, moved to Brentwood in 1970. She holds a B.A. in English and journalism from Louisiana College and an M.Ed. from LSU. She taught English and creative writing in Louisiana public schools and designed curricula for both public and Christian education. She was the Director of the Preschool-Children Bible Teaching Division of the Baptist Sunday School Board (Lifeway) in Nashville. In addition to her books, she has published musicals and multimedia materials, and her work has appeared in educational and denominational journals and in the Cumberland Poetry Magazine. She has received honors both as an educator and as a writer and was listed in Who's Who of American Women, 1984.

• How Do I Become a Christian?, 1990
• The Keeping Shelf, 1985
• The Dream Lives On, 1984
• Called to Teach Children, 1983
• The Secret Dream, 1981
• Working Partners/Working Parents (with William L. Blackwell), 1979
• Peter, the Prince of Apostles, 1976, 1981
• Teaching Children in Sunday School, 1976
• Potter and Clay, 1975
• Adventures in Family Living, 1975
• Outreach for Children, 1971
• Prairie Potpourri, 1966

Blackwell, William L.

A native of Forest, Louisiana, Dr. Bill Blackwell studied social science and psychology at Louisiana College, Louisiana State University, and The University of Tennessee, and received his D.R.E. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth. While teaching at his alma mater, Louisiana College, he met his wife, Muriel. He pastored in Louisiana and then moved to Brentwood in 1970 to serve as Associate Pastor and Director of Counseling for First Baptist Church in Nashville from 1970 until his retirement in 1991.

• Prophets Who Spoke for God, 1981
• Working Partners/Working Parents (with Muriel Blackwell), 1979
• Youth in/on Bold Mission, 1977
• This Is My Bible, 1975
• My Friends in Other Faiths, 1973
• Where I Live, 1971

Blackwood, Cheryl Prewitt

Cheryl Prewitt was the reigning Miss America during 1980. Raised in Choctaw County, Mississippi, she has sung with her family, The Prewitts, since the age of five. She is a pianist and composer of gospel songs. Her book is the story of her recovery from a childhood accident and of her own religious faith. She lived in Franklin for several years.

• A Bright Shining Place: The Story of a Miracle, 1983

Blanton, Brandy B.

I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I had no interest in going to college after graduating from Franklin High School in 1985 - I just wanted to be a wife and mother. It didn't take long for that to come to fruition as I married and had my first child in 1986. 

In 1987 my mother told me should would pay me to iron everything in her ironing basket. Within a week, I had ironed almost 100 items and she wrote me a check for $100. A light went off and I created, Pressing Matters, a home-based business where I would charge $1 an item to iron for teachers, music industry folks and others in my home. This endeavor allowed me to work from home for almost four years and be with what had become my three children. 

In 1991, I was ready for a change and was hired at O'Charley's on Highway 96 East as a hostess. I would stay with that company for 12 years total, working as a server, bartender, assistant dining room manager and office administrator. During my tenure there I would divorce, remarry and have two more children. 

I became a writer out of necessity. In 2002, after briefly working with my brother on a coupon based magazine, I decided to start Southern Exposure Magazine, a publication dedicated to my hometown.  When I started the magazine I had a partner whose focus was sales, while mine was the editorial. With meager beginnings, there was no budget to pay freelance writers, so I tackled the job. I did seek out editing help from Janice Swartz, who owned The Cellar on Main Street, but had also been an English teacher, as well as her cousin who worked with her at the store, Nancy (can't remember her last name) who had been my English teacher at Franklin High School. 

As time marched on, my business partner left the magazine and I had to change positions to sales, however, I remained as publisher and the magazine had grown enough to hire freelance writers. I did continue to pen the publisher's letter as well as periodically contribute articles to the magazine as time allowed. I would eventually sell the magazine to the Williamson Herald after a successful campaign for Alderman At Large for the City of Franklin in 2011, but remain as publisher until my departure in 2018. 

My family grew throughout the years, children got married and my first grandchild, Elliott Grace was born with a very rare, terminal form of dwarfism, Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata (RCDP) in 2015. She received life-changing therapy from High Hopes Development Center and when a dear friend told me they were looking for a director of development, I knew it was my next chapter. 

• Legacy: The Stories of Williamson County (2002-2018), 2018

Boatman, Ellie

See Akin, Genie.

Bond, Octavia Zollicoffer (1846 to 1941)

Octavia Zollicoffer Bond was the daughter of General Felix Zollicoffer, Nashville newspaper editor, and the first Confederate general to be killed in the Civil War. When Fort Donelson fell and Nashville was threatened, Octavia and her young sisters moved to Ravenswood, the home of her older sister on Wilson Pike, and stayed there throughout the war. Old Tales Retold is a collection of early Tennessee stories passed on to the author by her father.

• The Family Chronicle and Kinship Book, 1928
• Old Tales Retold, 1906

Booker, Monroe J. (1921 - )

Born in Hohenwald in 1921, Monroe Booker has lived in Franklin since he was five. He graduated from Franklin Training School, served in the South Pacific in World War Two, and ran a service station on West Main in partnership with his brother for more than 50 years. He and his wife, Mary, have reared and provided college educations for 12 children. His book is a collection of inspirational thoughts and poems by means of which he shared his faith with his children as they grew up.

• Thoughts from the Coffee Table, 1996

Booth, Carolyn J. (1938 - )

A Nashville native, Carolyn Booth worked in the offices of UT- Nashville until she and her environmental-engineer husband began their family of three daughters. Since then she has devoted herself to her family and a host of school and church volunteer projects. For several years she headed the Red Cross volunteer program of in-school visual and hearing screenings. When she learned that her first grandchild was on the way, she began to consider what the child might call her, and in talking to friends learned that the possibilities were myriad. Hence the title of her first book. Its success led to a companion book. Her daughter Mindy collaborated on both projects, as well as a third book.

• Grandparents: Gifts of Love, Humor, and Wisdom (with Mindy Henderson), 2000
• Grandfather by Another Name (with Mindy Henderson), 1998
• Grandmother by Another Name (with Mindy Henderson), 1997

Bowman, Virginia McDaniel (1923 - 2018)

The first inductee into the Williamson County Authors' Hall of Fame and the official county historian of Williamson County for many years, Virginia Bowman has earned these honors through outstanding work as a genealogist and historian. Her book Historic Williamson County, Old Homes and Sites has had an immeasurable impact on our local historic preservation efforts by educating both old and new citizens about our heritage. She has deep roots in Williamson County; both parents' families came here in the early 1800s. She was reared here, married Joseph Hamilton Bowman, a farmer and county building commissioner, and has two children and two grandsons still contributing to the community. She has been an active member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Williamson County Historical Society, and the Carnton Association.

• Historic Williamson County, Old Homes and Sites, 1971, reprinted 1989

Boyd, Lucas G. (1932 - )

Luke Boyd is a native of the rural Mississippi Delta. After graduating from Ole Miss, he taught at Webb School in Bell Buckle while acquiring a master's degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a Ph.D. from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. He retired after 19 years as principal of Battle Ground Academy. Throughout his life, he has been a storyteller. His stories have appeared in Our Voices 1996, 1997, and 1998. He also has an entry on Battle Ground Academy in the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Winner of the Kate Trickey Award in 1997, he was asked to compile a collection of his memories and stories of life in the Mississippi Delta during the Depression.

• Don't Call Me Hero (with Jim McGregor), 2003
• Coon Dogs, Outhouses & Other Southern Samplings, 1998
• Coon Dogs and Outhouses Volume One; Tall Tales from the Old South, 2008
• Coon Dogs and Outhouses Volume Two; Tall Tales from the Mississippi Delta, 2008
• Coon Dogs and Outhouses Volume Three; Tall Tales from Tennessee, 2013

Brackett, P. Richard

Dick Bracket graduated from David Lipscomb College. For 10 years, Dick portrayed Bozo the Clown and other characters on a long list of kids' shows at WSM-TV. As a Sunday School Teacher and church leader, Dick has used the same approach to help struggling teenagers find confidence and strength in themselves to weather the storms of adolescence. Every lesson and activity was underpinned by the idea that we all have in whatever we need to succeed in whatever we attempt. 

• Why Does a Dog Chase a Cat?, 2006

Bransford, Helen

A native of Nashville, Helen Bransford is a jewelry designer and writer for Vogue magazine. She and her writer husband, Jay McInerney, and their twins divide their time between New York City and their home in Williamson County. Older than her husband and a late in life mother, she decided to undergo cosmetic surgery. The experience provided material for her book.

• Welcome to Your Facelift: What to Expect Before, During and After Cosmetic Surgery, 1997

Bransford, Pearl

• The Heart of the Taste, compiled and edited by Thelma Battle and Pearl Bransford, 2004

Brentwood Academy Parents Association

• Plain and Fancy, 1983

Brentwood Academy (students)

Flight is the annual literary magazine of Brentwood Academy students.

• Flight, vol. 1, May  1983
• Flight, vol. 2, May 1984
• Flight, vol. 3, May 1985

Brentwood Senior Group, Senior Citizens, Inc.

• Dew South: An Anthology of Wordsmith, Ink, 2000. Contributors: Laurel Aita, Wm. Fletcher Allen, Georgia Byers, Annabel Janes Higgins, Becky Hime, Stanley E. Hime, Sally Lee, Virginia Lovett, Jim McGregor, Phyllis McGregor, J. E. Moody, Marion Bolick Perutelli, Lynn Phillips, William Douglas Rambo, Bob Ross, Wm. L. Ryle, Jr., and Gene Skelton.

Breuer, Alice Ball (1944 - 2016)

Alice Ball's books grew out of her experiences—one chosen, the other imposed. Both were written in her later years as a resident of Brentwood. Ball majored in interior design at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, had her own shop, and became a consultant in interior design. After years of experience, she wrote on the subject.  The imposed tragic experience, her first husband's illness and death as a young man, led to her second book. The book describes both the corruption and incompetence in parts of the medical world and Ball's healing spiritual experience of forgiveness. This book led to speaking engagements and a screenplay.

•  Patient Betrayal (with Timothy Kaine), 2003
• Beauty Plus Utility: How to Decorate Your Home the Smart Money Way, 1996

Briscoe, Natalie

Britnell, Angela    

Angela Britnell was born and raised in Cornwall, England. She spent six years in the Royal Navy and met her husband Richard (then a serving U.S. Naval Officer) at NATO Headquarters in Denmark. They married and lived in Denmark, Sicily, California Maryland, and London before he retired from the Navy. A few years after moving to Franklin, Angela took a creative writing course and was hooked on writing. Her contemporary romances are frequently set in England or other countries she's familiar with. She is a member of the Music City Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America and the Romantic Novelist's Association.

• A Smoky Mountain Christmas, 2016
• Wedding Table Reject, 2015, ebook
• Sugar and Spice, 2014, ebook
• Celtic Love Knot, 2014, ebook
• What Happens in Nashville, 2014, ebook
• Sicilian Escape, 2014
• Hidden Truths, 2013
• Hushed Words, 2013
• Flames That Melt, 2013
• Playing For Love, 2013, ebook
• Opposites Attract, 2012, ebook
• It's Complicated, 2012, ebook
• Truth or Consequences, 2006

Brock, Beth McLemore

Beth is new to the literary world. This is her first children's book, which was inspired by her special needs grandson, Ryan. She is a retired real estate paralegal, and in a former life, taught ballet, tap and jazz to children. Beth lives outside Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and loves spending time with her grown children and grandchildren, who live close by. When she is not writing, she loves sewing, quilting and tap dancing.

Ryan Walker Tidwell: This is Ryan's first book, too, but you never know where this well lead. He is a student at Blackman Middle School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is also active in C.A.P.E. (Challenged Athletes Playing Equally), supports Tucker's House, a non-profit, and participates in the Rutherford County, Tennessee, Special Olympics thru school. He is always busy.

• My Name is Ryan -- I am just like you, but different, 2019

Brogan, Eileen

Founder of Friends of Bowie Nature Park.

• Bowieland, photography by Wade Hooper, 2008

Brooke, Bonnie

Bonnie Brooke is an author who wrote the 2008 book adaptation of Abby in Wonderland. In 2011, she wrote revised, simplified text for the 1996 book Rise and Shine! (under the new title Up, Up, Up).

Brooke has written books featuring Winnie the Pooh (some illustrated by Art Mawhinney), Mickey Mouse, and Disney Princesses.

• On the Tail Trail (Disney, My Friends Tigger and Pooh), illustrated by Art Mawhinney, 2008
• On the Color Case (Disney, My Friends Tigger and Pooh), illustrated by Disney Enterprises, Inc., 2007
• Abby in Wonderland (Sesame Street), illustrated by Tom Brannon, 2008

Bronleewe, Matt (1973 - )    

Reared on a family farm in central Kansas, Matt Bronleewe found music his first serious creative inspiration while he was an undergraduate at Greenville College in Illinois. He was part of a group, Jars of Clay, for which he wrote music which later became part of the group's recordings. In the mid-1990s, he moved to Nashville where he both played with several musicians and singers and composed, primarily in alternative rock, folk, and Christian genres. He became also interested in writing suspense novels centered around actual mysteries surrounding certain historical books. a subject which involves him in considerable historical research and well as fictional imaginings.

• House of Wolves, 2008
• Illuminated, 2007

Brown, H. Jackson (1940 - )    

Jack Brown, a Nashville native, graduated from Emory University in Atlanta and has been an active citizen of both Nashville and Franklin throughout his career in advertising and his involvement in fund-raising for many causes. His many books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into thirty-two languages. Life's Little Instruction Book is the only book by an American author to be number one on the New York Times Bestsellers List in both the softcover and the hardcover categories at the same time. Brown has devoted much time to encouraging aspiring authors through the Tennessee Writers Alliance.–Book of Love for My Daughter (with others), 2001

• Highlighted in Yellow: a Short Course in Living Wisely and Choosing Well  (with Rochelle Pennington), 2001
• Life's Instructions on Wisdom, Success, and Happiness, 2000
• Life's Little Instruction Book for Incurable Romantics (with Robyn F. Spizman), 2000
• Life's Little Instructions from the Bible: Ancient and Contemporary Wisdom to Fuel Your Faith and Empower Your Life (with Rosemary C. Brown), 2000
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Things that Really Matter, 1999
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Simple Pleasures, 1999
• On Fathers, 1998
• On Mothers, 1998
• A Hero in Every Heart, 1997
• Live and Learn and Pass It On, Volume III, 1997
• Complete Life's Little Instruction Book (3 volumes in 1), 1997
• On Friendship, 1996
• The Little Book of Christmas Joys, 1996 and 1994
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Hope, 1996
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Friendship, 1996
• Life's Little Treasure Book of Christmas Traditions, (with Rosemary C. Brown, and Kathy Peel), 1996
• Life's Little Instruction Book, Volume III, 1995
• Live and Learn and Pass It On, Volume II, 1995
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Love, 1995
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Parenting, 1995
• When You Lick a Slug Your Tongue Goes Numb, 1994
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Success, 1994
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Wisdom, 1994
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Joy, 1994
• Life's Little Treasure Book on Marriage and Family, 1994
• Life's Little Instruction Book, Volume II, 1993
• Live and Learn and Pass It On, Volume I, 1992
• Life's Little Instruction Book, Volume I, 1991
• P. S. I Love You, 1990
• A Father's Book of Wisdom, 1988

Brown, Jesse Glenn (1910 - )

Glenn Brown was born in 1910 into a large, hard-working rural family in Dickson County. In 1923 they moved to the Forest Home community of Williamson County. Brown became involved in the general stores and the trucking of the area that extended from Water Valley in northern Maury County through Hillsboro and Beechville and on to Nashville. He and his wife Marion reared their two children in Williamson County. Brown worked in many businesses and served as a forward-thinking magistrate on the Williamson County Court. His memoirs provide a rich insight into rural Middle Tennessee's past.

• Corn Bread & Sweet Milk: An Autobiography (with Evelyn Vaden), 1998

Browne, Harry (1933 - )

Harry Browne, investment advisor, author, radio personality, and public speaker, was the 1996 and 2000 Libertarian candidate for President of the United States. Reared in Los Angeles, he spent only two weeks in college. He was unknown to the investment world in 1970 when his first book How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation became a New York Times bestseller. Later books have also been bestsellers. His financial newsletter Harry Browne's Special Reports was published continually from 1974 to 1997. He has maintained a busy schedule of live talks and talks on radio and television, as well as posting much of his material on his website. Browne is a resident of Franklin.

• The Great Libertarian Offer, 2000
• Fail-Safe Investing: Lifelong Financial Safety in 30 Minutes, 1999–How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, 1998 reissue, 1973
• Cross Border Links Environmental Directory, 1997
• Cross Border Links Labor Directory, 1997
• Citizen Diplomats Shaping Globalization, 1997
• Spain's Civil War, 1996
• Why Government Doesn't Work, 1995
• Crossing the Line: Immigrants, Economic Integration, and Drug Enforcement on the U.S.-Mexican Border (with Tom Barry and Beth Simms), 1994
• For Richer, For Poorer—Shaping Mexican Integration (with Tom Barry and Beth Sims), 1994
• Zapata's Revenge: Free Trade and the Farm Crisis in Mexico (with Tom Barry), 1994
• Runaway America: U.S. Jobs and Factories on the Move (with Beth Sims), 1993
• The Economic Time Bomb, 1989
• Why the Best-Laid Investment Plans Usually Go Wrong, 1987
• Inflation-Proofing Your Investments (with Terry Coxon), 1981
• New Profits from the Monetary Crisis, 1978
• Harry Browne's Complete Guide to Swiss Banks, 1976
• You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis, 1974
• How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation, 1970

Bryant-Palmer, Kimberly

Kimberly Bryant-Palmer never dreamed of becoming a writer, but always loved reading—her favorite authors being James Michener, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Harper Lee. Kimberly received her Bachelor of Arts degree in both music and biology from Mary Washington College (now The University of Mary Washington). While in graduate school, studying music theory, she worked a short time in cancer research before going on to write and record a CD, Just Enough. But it was when she met an artist named Jerry Palmer and wrote the introduction for a book idea he had carried in his head for 25 years, that she found what she truly loved to do.

• Mr. Zip and the Capital Z, 2015

Buckley, Jerry

In college, I discovered that what I most enjoyed was the writing of term papers and the opportunity to be creative with language. I began writing poetry in the early 90s and started working my novel in 2008. My experiences in writing poetry have helped me to cultivate a colorful and conversational writing style and to appreciate the power of language. Beyond my education, it has been reading, reading and reading that has helped me to find my voice and to learn from the masters.

B.S. in Communications at Freed-Hardeman College, Henderson, Tennessee; M.S. in Speech Communications at Murray State University. Twenty years of sales of industrial equipment in Memphis. Twelve years in commercial truck sales in Nashville since moving here in 2006. High school and collegiate soccer referee since the mid-80s.

• Emergent Victorious, 2018

Buffett, Jimmy    

One of America's most popular musicians, Jimmy Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and reared in Mobile, Alabama. He is a third-generation sailor and pilot. He has written short stories, novels, and in collaboration with his daughter, Savannah, children's books. For several years he lived at Old Town on the Old Natchez Trace. While he was here, he received an architectural award for the restoration of this historic home. He has since moved back to Key West, Florida.

• Tales from Margaritaville: Fictional Facts and Factual Fiction, 2002, 1989
• The Pirate at Fifty, 1998
• Daybreak on the Equator, 1996
• Where Is Joe Merchant: A Novel Tale, 1992
• Everyone in the Woods Wants to Eat a Quail (Including Me), 1992
• Trouble Dolls (with Savannah Buffett), 1991–The Jolly Mon (with Savannah Buffett), 1988

Bumpus, Paul Franklin

Paul Franklin Bumpus was born in Maury County and attended Cumberland University in Lebanon. For many years, he lived on Old Hillsboro Road in Williamson County. He was district attorney general in Columbia, a lawyer in Nashville, and a member of the staff of the Metro Legal Department. He was the first attorney to be assigned on a regular basis to the Metro Police Department. A friend of Edward Carmack's son, Ned, he undertook the biography of this important Tennessean.

• Carmack: Edward Ward Carmack, 1977

Burbank, Sally Willard

Sally Willard started life on a small dairy farm near the Canadian border in Derby, Vermont. Her parents, Everett and Dorothy Willard, still live in the county. Sally moved to Montpelier at age ten and graduated from Montpelier High School in 1977. She attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth where she graduated summa cum laude in 1980. She completed her medical training at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington in 1986. During medical school, she married her longtime sweetheart, Nathan, and they moved to Nashville where she completed internship and residency. She established a private practice in internal medicine in Nashville in 1989, where she has been doctoring patients ever since. Sally has published multiple stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Angels on Earth magazine, and several anthologies. She co-leads Nashville Christian Writers and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.

• Patients I Will Never Forget, 2014

Burnett, Peter H.  (1807 to 1895)

Peter Hardeman Burnett was born in Nashville. As a young child, he spent time on his grandfather's farm near Lewisburg Pike in Williamson County. He moved to Missouri, from where he became the leader of the first wagon train on the Oregon Trail in 1843. He served in a judicial post in Oregon and later became the first elected American governor of California. His autobiography, entitled Recollections, and Opinions of an Old Pioneer, was published in New York in 1880.

• Reasons Why We Should Believe in God, Love God, and Obey God, 1884
• Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer, 1880

Burrus, Barbara (1931 - )

Barbara Burrus was born in Columbia, Tennessee, but moved to Franklin with her family while in her early teens. She attended Peabody Demonstration School and Martin College and graduated from Peabody College. Early in her marriage to Dr. George Burrus, she taught school in Nashville, where they have lived for many years while rearing their large family. Her book recounts her experiences as a helpmate to a heart surgeon who has taken leave from his practice to serve as a medical missionary in Belgium, India, and the Congo. They have returned to Africa yearly to take supplies and to serve in a hospital they built in memory of two of their children who have died.

• Sharing Four Cultures: A Journey of Love, 1997

Caldwell, Ambrose (1920 - )     

Ambrose "Red" Caldwell was born in Shelbyville. He attended grammar school in Franklin but never finished. At the age of 18, he managed the Brothers Grocery in Franklin and two years later quit to join the Marine Corps along with his brother, Charles, and two other friends, Brice Hughes and Charles Warf. In February of 1943, he was appointed to the Diplomatic Service. He worked under three secretaries of state and visited more than seventy-four countries, including the major nations involved in World War Two.

• Secrets of a Diplomatic Courier: World War II, 1992

Caldwell, James E. (1854 - 1944)    

After the Civil War, James E. Caldwell, as a small boy, moved to Franklin from Mississippi with his family and lived north of town near Roper's Knob. He became known throughout the South as a financier and banker, and he was one of the wealthiest men in Tennessee. His memoirs, Recollections of a Lifetime, detail his youth in Williamson County and his subsequent business career. One of his sons, Rogers Caldwell, founded the securities house Caldwell & Company and later returned to Franklin to live.

• Recollections of a Lifetime, 1923
• Eleven Leaves

Calia, Mary (1958 - )    

High school and college in New York City and degrees in biomedical sciences and graphic design gave Mary Calia a springboard from which she has expanded into worlds of business, art, finance, ethics, international relations, and communications. In partnership with Marcel Knicht, she has owned her own financial communications company which operates in the United States, Canada, and France. Married to portrait painter Igor Babailov, Mary takes an interest in art and has helped place works of art in many museums and public settings. With so many interests and skills, she can turn her attention to new ideas and formats as she has in this book.

• Ford and the American Dream (with Clifton Lambreth), 2007

Callicott, Catherine Dorris (1911 - 1981)    

A native of Nashville, Catherine Callicott started collecting dolls in 1941 when her daughter was born. Her studies of interior design at Ward–Belmont School in Nashville encouraged a lifelong interest in houses and antiques. With her attorney-husband, Claude Callicott, and their children, she moved to a farm in Williamson County in 1959 and began a lengthy restoration of a huge tornado-damaged antebellum house on Old Hillsboro Road. Callicott was president of the United Federation of Doll Clubs and later built dollhouses as reproductions of real, historic homes.

• In Praise of Doll Houses, 1978

Campbell, W. Cothran "Cot"     

The few years spent in Williamson County made a huge impact on "Cot" Campbell's life. His love of horses and horse racing was sparked when his father moved the family to Williamson County from Des Moines, Iowa, and bought a horse farm. Campbell attended Battleground Academy for one year; he joined the Navy in 1944 after his sophomore year at a boarding school in Georgia. Born in New Orleans, Campbell has also lived in Oklahoma and Florida before settling in Aiken, South Carolina, where he is president of Dogwood Stables, home to 65 racehorses. His success in horse racing has produced a Breeders' Cup victory, a Preakness winner, and six Derby entries. His experience in writing dates back to his days in Florida where he was a newspaper reporter and sports editor for a Winter Haven paper. From being an advertising copywriter in Atlanta, he graduated to owning his own advertising firm, Burton-Campbell.

• Memories of a Longshot: A Riproarious Life, 2007
• Rascals and Racehorses, 2002
• Lightening in a Jar, 2000

Canaday, Bob and Jackie ( - 2022)

Robert "Bob" Canaday spent 47 years in Franklin and operated Canaday Photography. He and his wife published "Franklin: A Photographic Collection" Volumes I and II. He also assisted in publishing the "History of Williamson Medical Center." His vast collection of photographs have been used in decorating many banks and establishments, like the Chop House in Franklin, and as well in many books. Prior to moving to Franklin in 1974, Bob spent many years as a medical researcher in Miami. He was instrumental in developing the heart/lung bypass machine and silastic tubing now used everywhere. He was also on the first kidney transplant team.

• A Photographic Recollection, in two volumes, 1989
• History of Williamson Medical Center, 1997

Cannon, John B. (1874 - 1915)    

Born and buried in Franklin, Reverend Cannon lived in several places throughout Tennessee. He attended the University of the South at Sewanee, then Vanderbilt Law School. He was admitted to the Tennessee bar and practiced law in Nashville. He then returned to Sewanee to become an Episcopal priest. He served his diaconate in Mount Pleasant and Pulaski and then was ordained in Christ Church, Nashville, January 24, 1908. He served Trinity Church, Clarksville and Grace Church, Memphis, before being called to be Chaplain of the University at Sewanee. There he was a great success before his early death at the age of forty-one. The university published his sermons as a memorial.

• The Sermons of John B. Cannon, 1917

Cannon, Sarah Ophelia, aka "Minnie Pearl," (1912 - 1996)

• Minnie Pearl: an Autobiography (with Joan Dew), 1980
• Minnie Pearl Cooks, special author's ed., 1970

Card, Michael (1957 - )    

Michael Card is a well-known singer/songwriter who specializes in religious lyrics. He has been praised for the biblical accuracy and integrity of his lyrics. His compositions include "El Shaddai," rated the number one song of the 1980s by Christian radio broadcasters and named one of the "365 Songs of the Century" by the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition to songwriting, he is a student and teacher of the Bible with a master's degree in biblical studies from Western Kentucky University. In 1997 he received that university's Distinguished Alumni Award. In 1998 he received the National Religious Broadcasters Chairman's Award. Several of his books have been nominated for the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Gold Medallion Award.

• A Fragile Stone, 2003
• Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity, 2002
• The Walk: A Moment in Time When Two Lives Intersect, 2001
• Violent Grace, 2000
• Tell Me Why: Eternal Answers to Life's Timeless Questions, 1999
• The Homeschool Journey (with Susan Card), 1997­
• Unveiled Hope: Eternal Encouragement from the Book of Revelation (with Scotty Smith), 1997
• Joy in the Journey (with Timothy R. Botts), 1996
• Close Your Eyes So You Can See, 1996
• Parable of Joy: Reflections on the Wisdom of the Book of John, 1995
• Come to the Cradle, 1993
• The Promise: A Celebration of Christ's Birth, 1991
• Immanuel: Reflections on the Life of Christ, 1990
• Sleep Sound in Jesus, 1989

Card, Susan (1960 - )     

Growing up in an air force family, Susan Card had Franklin, Kentucky, as a home base. While studying nursing at Western Kentucky University, she met her husband, Michael, and worked as a registered nurse before starting her family. She and Michael homeschooled their four children. When not writing or traveling, the family enjoys being together on their farm in Williamson County.

• –Season of Joy: Celebrating the True Meaning of Christmas, 1999
• –The Homeschool Journey (with Michael Card), 1997

Carey, Bill

Bill Carey was a reporter in the 1990s and at various times worked for the Tennessean, Nashville Scene, and NashvillePost.com, which he co-founded. He founded Tennessee History for Kids in 2004. The non-profit organization helps teachers cover Tennessee history, American history, civics, and basic social studies and uses booklets, posters, in-service programs, and the website www.tnhistoryforkids.org. Carey has published six books while also publishing a monthly history column for Tennessee Magazine and a weekly history column published in about forty-five Tennessee newspapers. Bill has two grown children and lives in Williamson County with his wife, teenage son and a cattle do, Riley, with whom he runs daily.

• Fortunes, Fiddles and Fried Chicken: A Nashville Business History, 2000
• Runaways, Coffles and Fancy Girls: A History of Slavery, 2018
• True Tales of Tennessee: Earthquake to Railroad, 2023

Carlisle, Derry

• Who's Who in Williamson County, vol. 1 and vol. 2, 2015

Carlisle, Robert Z. II

• The Lotz Family: Survivors of the Battle of Franklin, 2011 and 2017

Carrillo, Gina

Gina Carrillo, originally from Flint, MI, moved to Franklin, TN in 1989. She inherited a creative streak from ancestors on both sides of her family, talented in different genres. Some of her interests have included both drawing and painting, as well as poetry. She has even dabbled in music.
 She was able to study oil painting in NY with T. E. Britenbach, as well as Art at O'More College of Design and Columbia State College. Although her favorite medium is Acrylic on canvas, her work also includes watercolor, oils, and chalk. 
 Her art is colorful, bright, expressive and unique. Some of her work has been displayed at a few popular restaurants in Downtown Franklin.
 Just as painting is an expression of one's innermost feelings, her poems also show the same passionate depth of emotions. Some of the well-known poets who have influenced her style, are Edgar Allan Poe, Chaucer, as well as Shakespeare.
 Her Poetry is thought-provoking and soul-searching. Gina's creative art and poetic writing are a heartfelt and loving gift to society. They will continue to touch others, for generations to come.

• Kaleidoscope: Broken Pieces Put Back Together Beautifully,  2021

Carrington, Frances Courtney (1845 - 1911)

Frances Courtney was born in Franklin and served as a Union nurse during the Battle of Franklin. She married Lieutenant George Grummond after the war and moved to present-day Wyoming, where her husband was killed in the Fetterman Massacre of 1868. She later married Grummond's former commander, General Henry B. Carrington, and lived in Boston, where she died in 1911. Her major work recounts her life at Fort Phil Kearney, where the death of her husband occurred.

• My Army Life and the Fort Phil Kearney Massacre with an Account of the Celebration of "Wyoming Opened," (title page), or, My Army Life on the Plains (title on cover), 1910, reissued 1971

Carroll, Ann    

Born and educated in Natchez, Mississippi, Ann Carroll began dancing at age two and a half. At Northeastern Louisiana University, she studied music and dance. She met and married her husband, Ray, while still a student. After the couple came to Vanderbilt in 1970, she began her first private dance classes. For many years she has operated the Ann Carroll School of Dance in the Grassland community of Franklin, widely known for its excellence. Her book reflects her awareness of God's guidance in her life and in her teaching. She continues to write poetry.

• Together We Dance: A Teacher's Collection of Miracles and Memories, 1996

Carrozzo, Guy A. 

Guy Carrozzo is a retired high school teacher and football coach. He has coached football on the middle school, high school and community college level. Guy has been named Teacher of the Year, Coach of the Year (twice), and has been inducted into the Elsinore High School Football Hall of Fame. He received his B.S. degree from Humboldt State University and his M.A. degree from Azusa Pacific University. He has had articles published in coaching journals and newspapers. Both of his self-published books, "Just Go" and "Left Coast Coach" are fictional stories based on his personal experiences at Humboldt State and as a coach respectively. Guy and his wife, Annette moved to Franklin, Tennessee to be closer to their daughter, her husband, and their two grandchildren.

• Left Coast Coach, 2021
• Just Go, 2019

Carter, Gregory A. (1949 - )    

Greg Carter grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and graduated from the University of Missouri in business administration. A family friend in the hotel industry introduced him to that line of work, where he has remained since 1972. He has been associated with Opryland Hotel and also has held the position of Director of Convention Services for the Sheraton Downtown Nashville Hotel. His industry association has endorsed his convention guidebook.

• Meetings Made Easy, 1995

Carter, Jeannine (1940 - )    

A native of Dallas, Texas, Jeannine Carter has bachelor and master's degrees in religious education. During her husband's career in the army, she taught school. In 1981 Carter took her first of seventeen mission trips, some evangelistic, some educational, and some to distribute Bibles. On her trip to China, she was singled out for interrogation and had her Bibles confiscated. This experience prompted her to write a narrative of her travels with tips for people considering a mission trip. When in Franklin, she has often been a substitute teacher. Since the publication of her book, she has traveled to many countries in Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe.

• Have Heart, Will Travel, 1997

Carter, Rosalie (1901 - 1991)

A dentist in Franklin for nearly 60 years, Rosalie Carter was a granddaughter of Moscow and Lucy (Gross) Carter, who owned and resided in the Carter House in 1864 at the time of the Battle of Franklin. Born in Franklin and graduated from Vanderbilt University, she was one of the first women dentists in Tennessee. Dr. Carter was a member of the Women's Dental Association, the American Dental Society, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Allied Arts Club. She was listed in Who's Who of American Women. In addition to her historical work, she also wrote poetry.

• Tragedy at the Carter House
• Captain Tod Carter of the Confederate States Army, 1978
• A Visit to the Carter House, 1972

Carter, William "Buddy" (1960 - Present)    

William Alton Carter IV, known as Buddy, was born in Americus, Georgia, and grew up in nearby Plains in the shadow of his famous uncle, Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States. After college at Georgia Southwestern, Buddy Carter came to Franklin to work for Tom T. Hall, a friend of his father, Billy Carter. He fell in love with Franklin and returned here with his wife in 1987 to rear their two sons. He has worked as a landscaper and confesses to being a voracious reader, reading one genre for a while, then turning to another. He has been writing for about 15 years and has published a few short stories in addition to the works cited below. He dedicated his first published novel to his mentor, Tom T. Hall.

• Billy Carter, A Journey Through the Shadows, 1999
• The Search for Savin' Sam, 1998

Carver, William (1951 - Present)    

A Nashville native, Bill Carver was educated in local parochial schools before attending St. Mary's in Baltimore with the intention of becoming a priest. Instead, he has worked for many years in the human resources field. In 1996 he and his family returned to this area, settling in Franklin. Carver is Human Resources Corporate Manager for Columbia HCA. His book combines his spiritual background with his experience on both sides of the employment desk and is designed to help both those job hunting and those contemplating a career change.

• The Job Hunter's Spiritual Companion, 1997

C. J. Casciotta

CJ Casciotta is a writer and serial media maker passionate about helping people discover and own their unique identity or in other words, what makes them weird. As a writer and communicator, he's traveled all over the world inspiring communities like Lululemon, The Salvation Army, TEDx, and Charity:Water. As a media director and producer he's collaborated on projects with MGM Studios, The United Nations Foundation, and more. He created the popular podcast, Sounds Like a Movement, which has hosted culture-shaping voices like Seth Godin, Shauna Neiquist, and Krista Tippett. In addition, CJ's work has been featured by MTV, RELEVANT, Catalyst, and Q. A native New Yorker, he now lives in Nashville with his wife, Kelly, and his two kids, Selah and Mack.

• Get Weird: Discover the Surprising Difference to Making a Difference, 2018

 Cassady, Carolyn  Robinson (1923 - )    

Though her family had Michigan roots, Carolyn Robinson Cassady lived as a child in Nashville where her father was a member of the Vanderbilt medical faculty. During her teen years, her family moved to a farm on Wilson Pike and later to the Cool Springs house now preserved in Crockett Park. She is a talented artist from an early age and received a scholarship to Bennington College where she majored in theatre arts. In 1947 while at the University of Denver seeking a master's degree, she met Neal Cassady and became part of the Beat generation, marrying Cassady and enjoying intimate friendships with both Jack Keroauc and Alan Ginsberg. In 1968 Neal Cassady died. Carolyn Cassady continued to play a large role in the beat culture despite a move to London, England in 1984.

• Off the Road: My Years with Cassady, Keroauc, and Ginsberg, 1990
• Heart Beat: My Life with Jack and Neal, 1976

Catalano, Susan Sammer (1969 - )    

Susan Sammer Catalano, a native of New York, has been a Williamson County resident since 2001. Possessing a BA and MA in English, Catalano has used her writing skills to pen a book about families with special needs kids and "typical" kids.

• Like Walking on Your Hands: Insights from a Life with Special-Needs Children, 2013

Chaffee, Janice    

Janice Chaffee grew up in the desert of Arizona and went to college in California. A vocal music major led to a career path in the Christian music industry, first as a performer and then as a producer, author, and speaker. In 1994 she settled in Williamson County. Her first book grew from relationships and experiences while producing two albums celebrating Christian sisterhood and from her observations while organizing an annual retreat for women in the music world. Other books followed from similar interests. She continues to write, and she maintains an active speaking schedule.

• If the Prodigal Were a Daughter, 2003
• One Silent Night, 2000
• Sisters: The Story Goes On, 1995

Chaney, Jim

Jim Cheney was raised in North Georgia and has written professionally for more than 25 years. He has been published in media outlets throughout the United States. This is his first novel. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife, two boys and three dogs.

• All is Set Anew, 2021

Chapdelaine, Perry A. (1925 - )    

A mathematician, Perry Chapdelaine finished his B.S. at the University of North Iowa and his master's degree at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. He used mathematics professionally in academic, business, and technical venues. He is the father of ten children, five of whom attended Fairview High School at the same time. In 1982 he helped found the Arthritis Trust of America with offices in Fairview. He has written copiously, both science fiction and on the subject of arthritis and has posted much of his writing on the internet.

• The John W. Campbell Letters, editor (with Isaac Asimov and A.E. van Vogt), 1993
• The John W. Campbell Letters, Volume I, editor, 1985
• Spork of the Ayor, 1978
• The Laughing Terran, 1976
• Swampworld West, 1974

As: Anthony di Fabio

• Arthritis: Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Disease Including Rheumatoid Arthritis (with Gus J. Prosch, Jr. M.D.), 1997
• Arthritis: Little Known Treatments, 1995
• Rheumatoid Diseases Cured at Last, 1982

Chapman, Steven Curtis    

Steven Curtis Chapman, one of the most active songwriters/performers in the Nashville music world, has not only sold millions of recordings but has also received over a hundred awards from a wide variety of sources. His strongest contribution is in the field of Christian music. As a lover of books, he reads extensively in inspirational Christian literature. A sabbatical year from stardom resulted in a new crop of songs, as well as the book he wrote in collaboration with his pastor, Scotty Smith, at Christ Community Church in Franklin. Other books followed.

• Let's Roll: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage (with Lisa Beamer and others), 2002
• I Will Be Here (with Mary Beth Chapman), 2000
• Speechless: Living in Awe of God's Disruptive Grace (with Scotty Smith), 2000
• Finding Heaven in the Real World (with Ken Abraham)

Chappel, Joannie (1948 - )    

During her youth in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Joannie Chappel became interested in dancing. For eleven years she taught ballroom dancing in various cities around the country. In 1978 she settled in Los Angeles to become a songwriter, writing lyrics for country, pop, and gospel music. In 1991 she moved to Franklin to pursue her songwriting career. More recently, she has added writing novels and children's books to her interests. Her first published book for children ages four through nine is written in rhyme with the theme that every achievement has been first thought.

• Thinking Caps, 2004

Charter, Leah     

• Tennessee Flood 2010, 2010

Cheesman, David Ray

A Fort Worth, Texas, native and now retired from a career in Public Relations, David Cheesman has published numerous books relating to genealogical research. He moved to Franklin in 2004 and is currently working on cataloging the graves of smaller cemeteries surrounding Franklin.

• The Cheesman Dossier : Cheeseman, Cheesman, Cheseman, Chesman, Chessman, Chisman Who's Who, 2003
• 19th Century Wills Index of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1999
• 19th Century Wills Index of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1994
• Barcus, Concord, Cosby & Stingley Cemeteries of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1994
• Jackson Township Cemetery Index: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1994
• Past & Present Towns, Villages, and Cemeteries of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1994
• Spring Grove Cemetery of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1845-: Wea Township: an illustrated garden of stones -01991Union Township cemetery index: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1994
• Wayne Township Cemetery Index: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1994
• Wild Cat Cemetery, Wea Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1831-: an illustrated garden of stones, 1992
• Cheesman Marriages, 1992
• Conarroe Cemetery (Conroe Cemetery), Wea Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1830 -: an illustrated garden of stones, 1992
• O'Neall Cemetery, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1835 -1859:an illustrated garden of stones, 1992
• Wea Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, cemetery index – 1991
• Cheesman Death Records & Tombstones, 1991
• Cheesman Immigrants, 1990
• Cheesman Wills, 1990
• Farmers Institute Cemetery of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1831-: an illustrated garden of stones, 1990
• Fink Cemetery of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1831- (Wea Township): an illustrated garden of stones, 1990
• Cheesman Family Heritage, 1989, 1992
• Hickory Grove Cemetery: Taylor's Station Burial Ground of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1829-1910: an illustrated garden of stones, 1989
• Kenny Cemetery of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1844 -: plus, the 1864 railroad disaster: an illustrated garden of stones, 1989
• Pinhook Cemetery of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1828-1901: an illustrated garden of stones, 1989
• Sickler Cemetery of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 1861-1977: an illustrated garden of stones, 1989

Christoph, Renuka    

Born and educated in Wisconsin, Renuka Christoph received her B.A. at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. She moved to Williamson County in 1993 because of her husband's work. Christoph began her professional career in graphic design, but in the process of working for several Nashville publishers, she moved to marketing, then marketing management. From that vantage point, she observed that there is much room in the field of children's books for more emphasis on diversity. Therefore, she included children of many backgrounds in one main character's adventures.

• JayCee Goes to the Park, 2001

Christopher, Betty Jean (Pennie)    

Pennie Christopher grew up in Nashville. She received a B.S. in Education from the University of Memphis and an M.A. from Trevecca Nazarene University. She and her husband lived in Fairview for 29 years, rearing their four daughters there. For twenty-one of those years, she used her artistic talents in the classroom as a teacher at Fairview Elementary. Christopher was active in Westview United Methodist Church while in Fairview. Her book is a spiritual autobiography, recounting her walk with the Lord for 29 years of her life. Since her retirement to Fairfield Glade, she has been on mission trips to Africa, the Philippines, and Argentina.

• Not Just Life: The Abundant Life, 1999 

Chumbley, Ralph B. 

Ralph B. Chumbley is a retired college administrator who graduated with bachelor and master degrees from the University of Florida, and a doctorate from Florida State University. He now lives and writes in Franklin, Tennessee. Ralph's first published work of fiction was A Christmas Carol - A Retelling in the Oral Tradition; his second was Under the Northern Cross - A Story in the Micronesian Oral Tradition. This volume is his first memoir. Ralph also enjoys writing poetry and has published two volumes of his poems: Ancient Dreams - Inner Experiences of Manhood in 2014 and Side Streets in 2018. He has had individual poems published in literary magazines: The Mankind Project's Journal; Memphis' Writers on the River, and Southwest Tennessee Community College's Hieroglyph. Several of his poems and short stories have been published in Montage 10 - An Anthology of Creative Writing. 

• Under the Northern Cross - A Story in the Micronesian Tradition, 2019
• The Quest - My spiritual Journey , 2020
• Recollections of Pohnpei 1971-74, 2022

Circle of Confusion

Since 2013, this group of retired men, all photography enthusiasts, have met every Wednesday morning for breakfast to discuss photography and other similar topics. The group named itself Circle of Confusion, not because of the photographic term, but because "most of us are confused about something at least some of the time." After many breakfasts together, the group decided to select a project to expand their photographic skills, learn new techniques, and perhaps, create a legacy for our group. After successfully completing a project on Nashville neighborhoods, and subsequently a book, their latest project focused on rural Williamson County, where most of their members live. Circle of Confusion includes local photographers Jim Atnip, Rick Borchert, Jerry Clark, Durwood Edwards, Tom Keller, Bob McReynolds, Scott Oberle, Miles Tudor, Tom Welch, Rick Wise, and Al Wood.

• Rural Communities of Williamson County, 2020

Clements, Paul (1947 - )     

While growing up in Nashville, Paul Clements attended Battle Ground Academy and Williamson County summer camps. As an adult, he has lived near the Natchez Trace with his wife and four children. Professionally, he has been in the investments business; recreationally, he has coached youth sports for many years. In 1975, disturbed by the rapid growth of Nashville, he started researching his neighborhood and eventually all of Davidson County and compiled information on its remaining antebellum homes. His massive illustrated two-volume book was the result.

• A Past Remembered: A Collection of Antebellum Houses in Davidson County, 1987
• Hit the Red Gate Running: the Tommy Owen Story, 1994
• Robert Inman: A Memoir and a Tribute, ed., 1999
• Chronicles of the Cumberland Settlements, 2012
• An American Life, 2002 (ghost writer for Jimmy Gentry)
• Parables of Light, by McChesney Allen, 2020
• Tell Them We Were Rising, 2021

Clemons, Donnie (1961 - )    

Donnie Clemons was born in Williamson County and attended school here through the tenth grade. He studied technical education and industrial arts at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. After teaching in Dalton, Georgia, he moved to Maury County with his wife, Beverly, and taught in the Williamson County Schools. In addition to having poetry published, he has had short fiction published in Our Voices 1995.

• Greed, 1998
• Quest for the Eye of Light: The First Book of Mankiah, 1997

Clopton, Christa

Christa is a newly established illustrator with a love for children, nature, and the creative process. She spends her time raising her three children in Franklin, Tennessee, with her loving husband and their dog, Teddy.

• Montana's New Day, based on the true story of a horse named "Montana," story by Pam Nightingale, illustrations by Christa Clopton, 2021

Cochran, Bobby (1949 - )    

A family of musicians nurtured Bobby Cochran as he grew into a songwriter, producer, and musician. Growing up in Los Angeles and Orange County, California, at twelve he entered a school talent show, which led to a position in his first band. Bobby went on to work with many famous groups including Steppenwolf, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Leon Russell, and Bobby and The Midnites (featuring Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead). After years of playing and touring, he, along with his family, moved to Middle Tennessee, which he had visited and liked for its rural beauty and focus on music. His book is about his uncle Eddie Cochran, the inspiration for much of his work.

• Three Steps to Heaven: The Eddie Cochran Story (with Susan Van Hecke), 2003

Cole, Jennifer 

See Zach, Cheryl.

College Grove Senior Citizens Center (SeniorCitizens, Inc.)

• Hands to Heart: The Collection Works of Writing, ETC. (A Creative Writing Class), 2000. Contributors: Wanda M. Barr, Barbara Bouthier, Luke Boyd, Marie Crunk, Laneive Eudailey, Frances Greathouse, Jacqueline Price hatcher, Jim McGregor, Phyllis McGregor, Leigh Pettus, Peggy Malone Phelps, Edwin Daniel Schreiber, Nancy Tackitt, and Mary Waller.

College Grove United Methodist Church

• Goodies from the Grove (Cookbook Committee: Beverly Collins, Karin Gill, Donna Hazelwood, Franklie Gen McPeak, Sharron miller, Frances Morgan, Jeanne Reisel (photographer), Phoebe Smith, Bobbie Tackett, Georgann Waddey, and Gail Ward), 2005

Collie, Nathan

Colln, Louise    

Louise Colln grew up in southern Illinois but spent much of her adult life in Missouri. She wrote in her spare time while pursuing a nursing career and raising a family. She has been writing full time since moving to Franklin, both historical and contemporary fiction. Her short fiction, nostalgia, and verse have been published in national magazines and in anthologies, including all three editions of Our Voices. Her second novel has been translated and published in Norway. She has been a Newsletter Editor and a member of the Governing Board of the Scottish Society of Middle Tennessee and has been active in the Council for the Written Word.

• Time Removed, 2018
• War Trees, 2016
• Echoes of Two Voices, with Nancy Fletcher-Blume, 2008
• San Antonio Seduction, 2006
• Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, 2003
• A Little Princess, condensed and adapted, 2001
• Black Beauty, 2001
• Birdsong Road, 1999
• Falling Water Valley, 1997
• A Place for Love, 1995
• Mountain House, 1993

Condra, Estelle ( - 2021)

Estelle Condra grew up in South Africa. She came to the United States in 1973, bringing with her a wealth of native folklore and stories. With her performance and storytelling abilities, she has explored the worlds of theater and art as well as writing. Estelle died in 2021.

• See the Ocean, illustrated by Linda Crockett-Blassingame, 2004.

Cook, Tom (1920 - )    

Tom Cook was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he grew up and attended Middle Tennessee State University. He became a photographer and then a minister. In his early ministry, he served churches in Dunlap, Tennessee; Dayton, Ohio; and Cookeville, Tennessee, where he completed his B.S. and M.A. degrees at Tennessee Tech. Cook moved to Nashville, where he served several churches, and then moved to Williamson County in 1985. Retired, he has assisted at Fourth Avenue Church of Christ as an Elder in Residence. With his senior minister, Tom Riley, he wrote a book in response to the needs of small prayer groups that meet in homes.

• Praying with Jesus: Experiencing New Depths in Prayer (with Tom Riley), 2001 

Coomer, Sandy    

Sandy Coomer was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee but has lived in Brentwood (Williamson County) since 1997. Though her education and career was based in the life sciences, specifically Microbiology and Immunology, she continued to pursue creative writing endeavors, graduating from The Writers Loft, a creative writing program at Middle Tennessee State University in 2009. Her poems have been published in numerous journals and anthologies, most recently POEM, Number One, Fields Magazine, and Third Wednesday. Her poetry chapbook, Continuum, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2012. A mixed media artist as well, she sells her work in her Etsy store, Sparrow House Art and in gift shops and boutiques. She is an avid endurance athlete and regularly trains and races in triathlons and marathons. Sandy lives with her husband, Tim, and their four children.

• The Presence of Absence: A Collection of Poems, 2014 - Janice Keck Literary Award

Coppernoll, Christopher (1963 - )    

Chris Coppernoll grew up in Leslie, Michigan, and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1994 he founded the nationally syndicated radio program "Soul2Soul." He has conducted over 300 interviews with Christian recording artists and authors on living faith in contemporary times. Coppernoll has also written for magazines.

• Screen Play: a Novel, 2010
• A Beautiful Fall: a Novel, 2008
• Providence: Once Upon a Second Chance, new ed. 2007
• God's Calling, 2004
• Secrets of a Faith Well Lived, 2001
• Soul 2 Soul, 1998

Costello, Karen (1956 - )

First place in a high school writing contest suggested to Karen Costello that she might like to be an author. Later she majored in English and became a high school, then home school teacher for her four children, professions that suggest many topics for writing all sorts of articles and books. After twenty-six years as a teacher which included four years as President of the Middle Tennessee Home Education Association, she has come out with a book on the subject she knows best: success in homeschooling.

• Go Fly a Kite: Ten Surprising Strategies for Homeschool Success, 2009

Cotham, James C., III (1937 - 1994)     

James C. Cotham III was born in Clarksville, and graduated from Austin Peay State University, the University of Tennessee, and Indiana University. He was an executive with the Nashville Gas Company, South Central Bell, Nashville City Bank, and First National Bank in Clarksville. He was Commissioner of Economic and Community Development in the cabinet of Governor Lamar Alexander. He spent the last years of his life as a professor of management in the Jack Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University.

• Improving Organizational Effectiveness in the Global Economy (editor), 1993
• Organizational Management (editor), 1993
• Career Shock, 1988

Cotham, Perry C.    

Perry Cotham graduated from David Lipscomb University and received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Wayne State University where he studied communications, American history, and politics. His titles reveal a special interest in labor relations and ethics. He has taught at David Lipscomb and Belmont Universities and at Nashville State Technical Institute. Cotham has also served as Minister of Administration and Involvement at Fourth Avenue Church of Christ in Franklin. His 1995 book, Toil, Turmoil and Triumph, received the 1996 Tennessee History Book Award.

• Footprints: a Century and a Half of Following the Steps of Jesus at Owen Chapel, 2009
• Heart and Soul of Business: A Christian Perspective, 1998
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Losing Your Soul, 1998
• Harsh Realities/Agonizing Choices, 1996
• Toil, Turmoil and Triumph: A Portrait of the Tennessee Labor Movement, 1995
• Handbook of Labor History, The Tennessee Edition, 1989
• Trust at Work, 1987
• Marriage in the Fast Lane, 1983
• The Church of Christ in Warren County, 1982
• Christian Social Ethics (editor), 1979
• Politics, Americanism, and Christianity, 1976
• Obscenity, Pornography, and Censorship, 1973

Cothron, Kristen

• The Space (Music CD), 2002

Courtney, Richard    

A native of Nashville, Richard Courtney has been buying and selling real estate for most of his adult life. He has also been a publisher, having founded Eggman Press. He is an alumnus of the University of the South and a member of the Nashville Board of Realtors. He has received the Million Dollar Sales Club Award and the President's Award of Excellence.

• Buyers Are Liars & Sellers Are Too!, 1992

Cox, Jesse  (1793 - 1879)    

Elder Jesse Cox, great-grandfather of former Franklin City Recorder Marshall Liggett, is thought to have come from the Theta community. He married Elizabeth Brown in 1816, and they had three children by 1820. He preached at the Wilson Creek Primitive Baptist Church, one of the oldest churches in Williamson County, from 1848 to 1862, and his written works were published in several periodicals. His one book went through two printings and contains more than 500 pages. Cox is buried in the McConnico Church Cemetery just west of I-65 on Highway 96 West.

• An Exposition of the Revelations of St. John the Divine… and Connections of the Kingdoms of the World with the Prophecies, 1873

Cox, Joyce

• Jonesborough's Historic Churches, with W. Eugene Cox, 2006

Cox, W. Eugene    

• Jonesborough's Historic Churches, with Joyce Cox, 2006

Cregar, Craig

Raised in New Jersey, resided for most of his life in Austin, Texas, and retired to Franklin, Tennessee, Craig Cregar travels onward via numerous journeys annually. In addition to traveling and writing, he paddles, fishes photographs, and hikes throughout his wanderings. Follow him along the way on his travel blog, www.terrafirmiteinmotion.blogspot.com.

• The Journey of a Lifetime, 2019

Crockett, Joseph Parkes (1901 - 1974)    

Joseph P. Crockett, son of a prominent Franklin lawyer, was born and reared in Franklin and educated at Vanderbilt. He then worked with the consular service until he came back to Tennessee to obtain a law degree from Cumberland University. He spent more than 30 years as a federal tax lawyer and official with the Departments of Justice and Treasury in Washington. Crockett also served as technical advisor to the finance ministries of Cuba, Paraguay, and Nationalist China.

• The Federal Tax System of the United States, 1970

Cross, Nancy Caroline Jones

• A Delightful Life, 1998

Crossan, Jeff    

Jeff Crossan is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter. His hit songs include the number one country tune, “You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation,” which received a BMI Million Air Award. A graduate of the University of Richmond with a degree in journalism, he is a former newspaper reporter/photographer, music journalist and syndicated radio writer. For several years his cartoons appeared in the Presbyterian Voice. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife, Linda. They have a daughter and a son who have helped them assemble a fine assortment of mammals, reptiles, fish and insects.

• I Ate a Cicada Today, 2014

Crow, Robin

After spending years as a touring and recording musician with nine albums and 5,000 concerts to his credit, Robin Crow decided to settle and live a different kind of life on Old Charlotte Pike in Franklin. Using his knowledge of the music world and a plan for living successfully, he started the Dark Horse Recording Studio. He was able to attract major recording artists to his label. With that kind of success, Crow decided to branch out into speaking and writing, there again succeeding with a best-selling book.

• Jump and the Net Will Appear, 2002

Crutcher, Ronald

A Williamson County, Tennessee native, Ronald Crutcher is retired from The Parent Company, a construction management firm he helped found in 1984. He was formerly with Foster and Creighton Company, a 100-year-old Nashville-based construction concern, where he helped lead the first major expansion of Vanderbilt Stadium since its establishment in 1923.

He played a major role in the construction of The First American Center in downtown Nashville, at which time a prehistoric cave was discovered during excavation. The relics unearthed in 1971 were secured by archaeologists and later became the inspiration for naming Nashville's professional hockey team, The Predators. His assignment to oversee the expansion of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was his second experience overseas and one that solidified his love of the "good old USA."

Beginning in the eighties, he managed the construction of nearly two dozen schools in his home community of Williamson County, as well as the building of a new courthouse. A graduate of Battle Ground Academy and Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Ronald Crutcher is a Vietnam veteran of the US Army Corps of Engineers. He has volunteered his time and talents to support such non-profits as Habitat for Humanity; The Housing Fund; The Franklin Rotary at Breakfast; the Boys and Girls Club; and Franklin Tomorrow.

He and his wife Joyce reside in Franklin, Tennessee, where they attend Franklin First Presbyterian Church. The couple has two adult daughters, who reside with their respective families in Missouri and Virginia.

• Crossing Creeks, Bridging Rivers and Laying Cornerstones, 2020

Crutchfield, James A. (1938 - Present)

The 1996 inductee into the Williamson County Authors' Hall of Fame, Jim Crutchfield was born, reared, and educated in Nashville. He moved to Franklin in the 1970s. A past editor of the Tennessee Valley Historical Review, he has also been a publisher. Two of his books, The Harpeth River: A Biography and Franklin: Tennessee's Handsomest Town were awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the American Association for State and Local History. As well as local lore, he has also written copiously about the American West. He wrote the Colorado, New Mexico, and Georgia sections for Fodor's Road Guide USA-2001. Crutchfield won the Western Writers of America Spur Award for "Best Short Non-Fiction" work in 1991.

• Wagons, Ho!, 2011
• Historic Tennessee, 2010
• Historic Franklin Tennessee, editor, 2009
• It happened on the Mississippi River, 2009
• George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, 2005
• The Way West, editor, 2005
• Celebrate Virginia! Cookbook: The Hospitality, History, and Heritage of Virginia (with Rowena J. Fullinwider and Winette Sparkman Jeffery), 2002
• Second Annual Williamson County Public Library History Lecture Series, with Bob Holliday, 2000
• It Happened in Georgia, 2000
• It Happened in Georgia, from Button Gwinnett's duel to the Olympic Games bombing, 2020
• The Story of an American Classic: Opryland Hotel, 2000
• Franklin: Tennessee's Handsomest Town (with Bob Holladay), 1999
• Mississippi River Tales, 1998
• Mountain Men of the American West, 1997
• A Treasury of Tennessee Tales by James Ewing, reissued and edited with additional tales by J. C., 1997
• Franklin, A Photographic Recollection, Volume Two (with Bob and Jackie Canaday and  Rick Warwick), 1996
• It Happened in Texas, 1996
• It Happened in Texas, from the U.S. military's Camel Corps tp the Branch Davidian shoot-out, 2020
• The Tennessee Grassroots Writer (with Peter S. La Paglia), 1996
• Eyewitness to American History, 1996
• The Santa Fe Trail, 1996
• America's Yesteryears, 1996
• A River Through Time, reprint of Early Times in the Cumberland Valley, 1996
• It Happened in Washington, 2008, 2016
• Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee (with Daisy King and Winette Sparkman), 1995
• Tragedy at Taos: The Revolt of 1847, 1995
• Legends of the Wild West (with Bill O'Neal and Dale L. Walker), 1995
• On This Day… A Short History of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, 1995
• It Happened in New Mexico, 1995
• It Happened in Oregon, 1994
• It Happened in Arizona, 2010, 2017
• It Happened in Colorado, 1993, 2017
• It Happened in Montana, 1992 and 2017
• Pioneer Architecture in Tennessee, 1988
• Tennesseans at War, 1987
• A Primer of the North American Fur Trade, 1986
• The Tennessee Almanac and Book of Facts, 1986
• Williamson County Trivia, 1986
• The Natchez Trace: A Pictorial History, 1985
• Timeless Tennesseans, 1984
• Yesteryear in Nashville, 1981
• A Heritage of Grandeur, 1981
• Williamson County: A Pictorial History, 1980
• A Primer of Handicrafts, 1976
• Early Times in the Cumberland Valley, 1976
• Footprints Across the Pages of Tennessee History, 1976
• The Harpeth River: A Biography, 1972, revised 1994
• Hail, Castle Heights!, 2003

Cullom, Jeremiah (1828 - 1851)    

The Reverend Jeremiah Cullom was born and reared on a farm in Davidson County. At the age of 18, he began to learn the tanner's trade and at about the same time felt the call to be a preacher. In 1851 he became a circuit rider.  He married into the Hyde family of Triune and lived for the remainder of his life at what is now the intersection of Highway 96 and Horton Highway. A descendant, Mrs. W. P. Wilson of Clarksville, gave permission for the journals of his circuit ministry to be published.

• Warm Hearts and Saddlebags, 1968 

Cutrer, Clyde Willis 

Clyde Cutrer is a native of kentwood, Louisiana. A graduate of Louisiana State University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he completed his doctoral studies at Vanderbilt University. A Baptist pastor for twenty-four years, Cutrer has spent the last twenty years teaching at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he is professor emeritus in religion. He has two grown children and lives in Madison Tennessee, with his wife, Helen.  

• Breakfast at the Henpeck Market: helpful advice in case you ever grow old, 2011
• A Walk Through the Bible in Modern Parables, 2001
• Frog Pond Millennial Tales & More, 1998

Cyrus, Miley

Miley Cyrus grew up on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee, before heading to Hollywood and superstardom playing Hannah Montana on the hit Disney Channel show. A triple threat, Cyrus has acted, sung, and danced her way to numerous awards, including Favorite TV Actress and Best performance in a TV Series at the Kids' Choice Awards as well as Favorite Artist at the Teen Choice Awards (to name a few). In 2008, she was chosen as one of Time Magazine's World's 100 Most Influential People as well as The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100.

• Miley Cyrus: miles to go, 2009, with Hilary Liftin

Damon, Judith Riker

• A Genteel Spy: the Inspiring Odyssey of Martha Broyles Royce and her family During the Civil War, editor and illustrator, 2010

Danner, Kathy Kline (1967 - Present)

While Kathy Danner's father was in the United State Marine Corps she grew up in many locations. She learned to adapt and to see the possibilities in the variety of communities where they lived. She attended Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. In later life she and her husband gave up two-thirds of their combined income in order for her to become a stay-at-home mother. The experience and the values it encourages are reflected in her writing and other activities. She publishes an online magazine featuring advice and encouragement for busy mothers. Her interests include gardening while she works from home. She is also involved in politics and was elected a county commissioner for Williamson County. Her book on managing finance came out in the recession of 2009.

• Enjoy Freedom from Financial Stress, 2009

Darby, J.N. 

See Govan, Christine Noble.

Darby, William J. (1913 - 2001)

Dr. Darby was born in Galloway, Arkansas. He earned his B.S. and M.D. degrees from the University of Arkansas and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biological chemistry from the University of Michigan. He joined the Vanderbilt Medical School Faculty in 1944. From 1949 to 1971 he served as chair of the Department of Biochemistry. Dr. Darby was a professor of both biochemistry and nutrition and president of the Nutrition Foundation. In 1972 he was elected to the National Academy of Science. He traveled extensively in third world countries to study nutritional problems. Interested in the history of medicine, Dr. Darby collected early works about various nutritional problems. He was honorary curator of the History of Medicine and Nutrition for the Eskind Biomedical Library of Vanderbilt University to which he bequeathed his collection of rare books on nutrition. He lived many years in Thompson Station. Dr. Darby is considered one of the leading nutrition researchers of the 20th century. Among his numerous technical publications are the following:

• Founders of Nutrition Science (with T. H. Jukes), 1992
• How Serious a Problem Is Alcoholism? (with Glenn Everett), 1985
• Annual Review of Nutrition, 1981
• Fermented Food Beverages in Nutrition (with C. F. Gastineau and T. B. Turner), 1979
• Food: The Gift of Osiris (with P. Ghalioungui and L. Grivetti), 1977
• Food and Science with Gwen Lan, 1961
• Nutrition and Diet in Health and Disease (with J. S McLester), 1952

Davidson, Donald

Donald Grady Davidson was a U.S. poet, essayist, social and literary critic, and author. An English professor at Vanderbilt University from 1920 to 1965, he was a founding member of the Fugitives and the overlapping group Southern Agrarians, two literary groups based in Nashville, Tennessee. (Wikipedia)

• Lee in the Mountains and Other poems including The Tall Men, 1938
• The Long Street Poems, engravings by Theresa Sherrer Davidson, 1961

Davis, Cindy

Cindy Davis holds a PhD in social work and is a university professor. She has written extensively in academic journals and has published academic books. This is her first travel book and first book for children and young teens. This book is coauthored by her ten-year-old daughter, Ali Rollason. Cindy spent several years backpacking around Southeast Asia and Africa with her partner, Steve Rollason. They have lived in Hong Kong and Australia. Their son, Zak, was born in Australia in 1999. She currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee, and travels overseas whenever possible.

• We're Doing WHAT For Summer Vacation?, 2013

Davis, Cos

I was born on a snowy December day in 1944 in the mining town of Oceana, West Virginia. Soon after my dad enlisted in the Navy, my mother brought me and my older brother back to a little farm near Doyle, Tennessee where my dad had grown up. I attended the Doyle Elementary School and White County High School before attending Belmont College in the fall of 1962.

My interest in writing was stirred by poetry contests in high school and other creative writing projects. Stories I encountered in English literature classes in high school and college inspired me to try my hand at it. After a one year stint as principal, teacher, and coach at a two-room school in the mountains outside of Fall Creek Falls State Park, I enrolled for ministry training at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. While at Belmont and my six-plus years at the seminary, I served as pastor of small congregations.

My first major piece of writing was the dissertation for the completion of my doctorate degree at the seminary. The whole process was captivating and highly educational. This work was the foundation for several magazine articles I was asked to write for a religious literature publishing board. There would be at least fifty published articles on various subjects in the following years.  

I taught at the seminary for about four years before coming to the Nashville area in 1980 to work at the Baptist Sunday School Board (Lifeway). My first book, Children and the Christian Faith, was published in 1979, just before coming to live in Williamson County. I worked at Lifeway until 1996 and transitioned to working as a Licensed Clinical Pastor Therapist from 1996 until 2011. I have several self-published books and continue to write a weekly blog which is available each Wednesday on my website cosdavis.com.

My wife Cecelia and I were married in 1969, have two adult children and four grandchildren. When moving from Louisiana to Franklin in 1980, our son Nathan (4) requested two things for his new home, a creek and grape vines. We were able to accommodate his wish and have lived on the same plot of ground we purchased for our family all those decades ago. I journal daily and enjoy the challenge of providing blogs and other materials that may encourage individuals and families to become all God created them to be.

• Heaven's Currency: Investing in the Things that Matter Most, 2022
• Children and the Christian Faith, 1979

Davis, John Neely

I was raised at Chesterfield, a small rural village mid-distance between Memphis and Nashville. One year after graduating from Lexington High School, I married Jayne Swafford, my high school sweetheart, and became a father at twenty. We have two daughters who live here in Franklin.  I retired twice-once at 59 from Federal service and ten years later from private industry. My entire working career was in real estate appraisal. After retirement, I started writing seriously. My novels have rural settings, in either the mountains of East Tennessee or the plains of the west. Short stories have varied settings. 

• The Sixth William, 2012
• Filtered Through Time, Anthology, 2012
• Western Tales, Volume 6, Anthology, 2014
• Western Tales, Volume 8, Anthology
• Bear Shadow (Janice Keck Award Winner), 2014
• By Blood or By Marriage, Anthology, 2015
• Showdown, Anthology, 2016
• The Chapman Legacy, Novel, 2018
• Words on Water, Anthology, 2019
• Contention and Other Frontier Stories, Anthology, 2019
• Hobnail and Other Frontier Stories, Anthology, 2019
• Stephen Dennison, Novella, 2021
• Rule of the High Plains, Novel, 2021

Davis, Kathleen

Kathleen Davis is a retired teacher of ten years, wife, mother of three, and author. She has her Master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Florida, and she spent her career searching for and reading good children’s books to her students. She believes that books not only provide a fountain of information, but are also a way to enter a new world and completely change a perspective. 
  
“Feathers From Above,” is a rhyming children’s book for ages 3-7. The book discusses how feathers are often found on the ground randomly, but may not be random at all. The book is a beautiful depiction of how Guardian Angels watch over us throughout our lives and protect us in all situations. When bad things happen they are with us to remind us we have nothing to fear. 
  
“Feathers From Above,” was inspired by Kathleen’s children. They would find feathers and tell her that their Guardian Angel must have paid them a visit. She knew right away that this would be the framework for her next book. 
  
“BRAVE,” her first book, was based on her children’s fears at night. They were not sleeping well and were waking her up through the night. She could not find a book that was age appropriate, did not create more fears in children, and reinforced that they were safe and loved. Six months later, her book was self-published.
  
Kathleen is hoping to encourage children to be brave, know that they are loved, and remember that God is with them through good situations and bad.
  
You can follow Kathleen on instagram @kathleendavisbooks 

• Brave, 2020
• Feathers from Above, 2022

Davis, Skeeter (1931 - Present)

Skeeter Davis was born Mary Frances Penick in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, the oldest of seven children. She began her singing and recording career in 1953 as half of a duo called the Davis Sisters. In 1958 she started an independent career under the guidance of Chet Atkins. In 1959 she joined the Grand Ole Opry and recorded her first top-ten record. Her song "End of the World" was the first female country-pop crossover. Her autobiography tells her life "with humor and vitality." A resident of Williamson County, she appeared regularly at the Opry for many years. With Cathy Pelletier, she has authored an inspiring Christmas memory.

• The Christmas Note with Cathy Pelletier, 1997
• Bus Fare to Kentucky, 1993

Dawson, Bobby

• Anansi's Challenges: a Tale of Tales, adapted by Jan Hayes; illustrated by Bobby Dawson, 2011
• Wise Oonagh : an Irish folktale,  adapted by Jan Hayes ; illustrated by Bobby Dawson, 2010
• Twas the Night Before Christmas, by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Bobby Dawson, 2008
• The split tongue sparrow : a traditional Japanese folktale, adapted by Jan Hayes ; illustrated by Bobby Dawson,  2007

   

Dean, Robert Diel (1954 - Present)

A Missourian by birth and education, Robert Dean developed his Civil War interest in Texas and Tennessee. While working for Word Records in Dallas, he joined a Civil War re-enactment group. After his move to Williamson County in 1993, settling in Franklin's Cottonwood, he remained interested in the Civil War and was involved in many kinds of writing. When TNT made a TV movie on Andersonville Prison, Dean was an extra in it. Later, in 1996, finding a little time between jobs, he started on his book, the story of a captured 15 year-old Union drummer boy and a bitter young Confederate prison guard. The fact that his son was twelve at the time influenced him to choose a teenaged protagonist and to write for a young audience.

• Echoes of Andersonville, 1999

DeGrasse, Samantha (1981 - Present)

Samantha DeGrasse, a transplant of New York, grew up in the Bronx. She was into writing and the arts at an early age. At the age of eight she started writing in her journals, at age nine she created and sold her own handmade cards, and started her life in theater arts. From then on she knew her life was destined for greatness!

Throughout high school and college Samantha was in Off, Off-Broadway plays and performed in children's plays every weekend. She also kept writing in her journals, telling herself that one day she would write books of her own. This is when the ideas started flowing about wanting to start, run and head a women's only self publishing company. In 2006 she self published her first children's book, "Jordan and the Red Silk Scarf." Samantha is still writing and publishing her children's books and anticipates the opening of her publishing company.

• Taber is Beautiful, 2011
• Jordan and the Red Silk Scarf, 2005

Demonbreun, Brenda Elizabeth

Brenda Elizabeth Demonbreun is the daughter of the late Mary Ruth Hughes-Demonbreun and the late Air Force Staff Sargent and Veteran of the Vietnam war, Homer Demonbreun, Jr. Brenda resides in the beautiful serenity of Franklin, TN. The legacy of her family is in the countryside of College Grove, TN. Born June 14, 1969, in Oscoda, Michigan on Wurtsmith Air Force Base. A rising accomplished writer and poet for the Kingdom Throne with a patriotic heart for the heartbeat of The United States of America. Brenda’s debut book, “The Soul of a Soldier” is a collection of prose poetry, pictorial revelation and study and script in honor of the Vintage American Soldier and this great soil. Her career has been in banking and currently property management. Her mission is envisioned in the heart of her calling Holy Antiseptic™, a ministry and publishing house she created to write to a nation from the still quiet knowing from the Kingdom Throne. Visit her website holyantiseptic.faith.

• The Soul of a Soldier, 2021
• Present-Day Psalms, 2021

DeMoss, Amelia Noland

• Historic Franklin Coloring Book, 1996 (illustrator)

Depp, Barbara

Barbara Depp, an Indiana native, spent some of her childhood years in New Jersey. She has B.S. in elementary education and an M.A. in therapeutic recreation from Indiana University. She and her husband reared their two daughters in Williamson County where she taught fifth grade at Scales Elementary School. The book cited below is an aid to teachers in developing higher-level thinking skills for students at every grade level. Depp wrote units for upper elementary grades. She made outdoor education her specialty and co-authored The Guide to the Scales Nature Trail.

• Creative Pathways: A Curriculum Guide for the Talented and Very Able Child (with others), 1983

DeYoung, Angela

While Angela is best known for her expertise and professionalism in interior design, the biggest impact she hopes to impart on her clients comes from her philosophy of self-worth and awareness. According to Angela, your home is a reflection of what is happening in your heart and mind. It is of the utmost importance to Angela these spaces honor the individuals who inhabit them. This philosophy is realized in every project Designs by DeYoung decides to be a part of.

• The Third House, 2015

Deutschman, Ben (1908 - 1975)

Ben Deutschman, the son of Jewish immigrants, was born in New York City. When he was one year old, the family moved west. He was a schoolteacher in Alabama, a disc jockey, a department store buyer, publicity man for Capitol, Mercury, and Decca Records, and educational director of Children's Record Guild and Decca. He was a member of the National Music Educators' Association, the American Musicalogical Society, the National Photo Technical Society, and the National Symphony League. Deutschman's novel is based on his childhood.

• In a Small Town a Kid Went to Skul and Other Stories, 1971

Deweese, Charles W. (1944 - Present)

Charles Deweese was born in Asheville, North Carolina. He received a B.A. degree from Mars Hill College and his master of divinity and Ph.D. degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. From 1973 until 1994, he worked at the Historical Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. From 1995 to 1998, he worked at Providence House Publishers in Franklin, where he was in charge of denominational and academic publishing. Since June, 1999, he has served as Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist History and Heritage Society in Brentwood. He and his wife, a teacher, have lived in Brentwood since 1981.

• The Power of Freedom: First Baptist Church, Asheville, North Carolina-1829-1997, 1997
• Defining Baptist Convictions: Guidelines for the Twenty-first Century (editor), 1996
• Baptist Church Covenants, 1990
• Prayer in Baptist Life: A Historical Survey, 1986
• The Emerging Role of Deacons, 1979
• A Community of Believers-Making Church Membership More Meaningful, 1978
• Faith, Stars, and Stripes: the Impact of Christianity on the Life History of America, (with A. Ronald Tonks), 1976

Di Fabio, Anthony

Perry Chapdelaine, Sr. writes for the Arthritis Trust of America under the pseudonym of Anthony di Fabio.
Chapdelaine/de Fabio has BA and MA in Mathematics with minors in chemistry, physics and psychology. He taught mathematics at college level for a number of years and he's proudly worked for the Air Force as a civilian. Later he established a number of private businesses, but is now retired except for his work for a charity organization.
His early and long running love of science fiction and fantasy started him on the trail of writing science fiction full time until he developed so-called "incurable" rheumatoid arthritis. While seeking and at last finding the cure to this horrible disease he began work for the non-private, tax-exempt charity, the Arthritis Trust of America. It is for the Arthritis Trust that he's written a number of medical books and articles dedicated to helping folks, all under his pseudonym of "Anthony di Fabio." 

• Arthritis, with Gus J. Prosch, Jr., M.D., 1997
• The Art of Getting Well, 1988
• Arthritis: Little Known Treatments, 1995

Dickinson, Maxwell

Maxwell Dickinson grew up at Travelers' Rest Farm around Arabian horses and near the area where the Tennessee Walking Horse was being developed. Later she lived on farms in Williamson County. She has shown horses from Middle Tennessee to California, where she later made her home. Her revulsion at seeing the current mistreatment of Walking Horses led her to write a fictitious expose of current practices in the industry.

• Big Lick: A Novel Dedicated to Animal Lovers, 1992

Dirugeris, Daphine

Daphine Dirugeris lived near Lewisburg Pike and taught at Scales Elementary School for several years. She wrote units for the upper elementary grades for the work cited below. Fellow teachers remember her for the creative energy with which she enriched both students and faculty, especially with projects involving plants and crafts. Upon retirement, she and her husband moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, to be with her family.

• Creative Pathways: A Curriculum Guide for the Talented and Very Able Child (with others), 1983

Doolittle, Melinda (1977 - Present)

Born In St. Louis, Missouri and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Melinda came to Middle Tennessee as a student at Belmont University majoring in music. She went on to be a successful professional musician achieving national recognition. She was a finalist on season six of American Idol, then released her debut album, "Coming Back to You." Residing in Franklin, she works from the base of the Nashville music scene. Melinda has sung at the White House, the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Kennedy Center. She has also visited Zambia, Africa with Laura Bush in 2008 to promote the charity "Malaria No More." Her first book is an autobiography based on her belief that her success is directly proportional to her investment in encouraging others.

• Beyond Me, 2010

Dorfman, Joan F.

Legal assistant.

• Wills -- The Big Myth: What You Don't Know Can Hurt Your Family, with Robert M. Dunn, 2005.

Downing, Sue

Sue Downing has directed Christian education and coordinated large church children's programs for United Methodist churches in Knoxville and Franklin. She has also been a teacher at the day school of the Brentwood United Methodist Church. She has served as the Tennessee Conference Children's Coordinator of the United Methodist Church and is trained in special and elementary education from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.

• Hand in Hand: Growing Spiritually with Our Children, 1998
• Prayers for the Seasons of Life, 1997
• Listening to Children, 1989

Draper, James T, Jr.

A native Texan, James T. Draper Jr. received a B.A. from Baylor University and advanced degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Howard Payne University, Dallas Baptist University, and Campbell University. Draper served as pastor of Baptist churches in Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. He is a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, trustee of the Southern Baptist Annuity Board, vice president and president of the executive board of Tarrant Baptist Association. Draper has served as president of the Baptist Sunday School Board (LifeWay Christian Resources) since 1991.

• Biblical Authority: the Critical Issue for the Body of Christ (with Kenneth Keathley), 2001
• Where Real Worship Begins, 1995
• Bridges to the Future, 1994
• Basic Bible Sermons in Psalms for Everyday Living, 1992
• Trusting Thy Word, 1989
• The Unveiling, 1984
• If the Foundations Be Destroyed, (with Forest E Watson), 1984
• Authority: The Critical Issue for Southern Baptists, 1984
• Almost: The Conscience of a Nation, 1983
• Colossians: A Portrait of Christ, 1982
• James: Faith and Works in Balance, 1981
• Ecclesiastes: Life Without God, 1981
• Jonah: Living in Rebellion, 1980
• Philippians: The Believer's Joy in Church, 1980
• Foundations of Biblical Faith, 1979
• I and II Thessalonians: The Hope of a Waiting Church, 1979
• Titus: Patterns for Church Living, 1978
• Proverbs: The Secret of Beautiful Living, 1977
• Hebrews: The Life That Pleases God, 1976
• Say, Neighbor, Your House Is on Fire, 1975
• The Church Christ Approves,1974
• Job: A Devotional Study
• O Desafio da Palavra

Dreier, Ted A. (1938 - Present)

Ted Dreier was raised on a Kansas dairy farm and educated at Bethel College, a Kansas Mennonite institution. He earned a Master's Degree from Wichita State University. His experience has been in teaching, administration, business, and consulting. Eventually he cut back his life style by 75% and moved to a Breckenridge, Colorado where he wrote Take Your Life Off Hold. Later he created Moozie (registered name), a robotic cow in his garage; Moozie proved to be quite attractive to children. Dreier founded the Children's Kindness Network, a non-profit organization, with the purpose of teaching children kindness values, beginning with Pre-K. The network includes educators and writers who create the workbooks, games, and websites accompanying the Moozie books. Dreier lives in Franklin, Tennessee.

• Moozie's Cow Wisdom for Loving to the "Uddermost", 2003
• Moozie's Cow Wisdom for Grabbing Life by the Horns,1999
• Moozie's Cow Wisdom for Life's Little Beefs, 1998
• Take Your Life Off Hold, 1987

Drescher, James

James 'Jay' Drescher graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1982. He was a member of the Law Review, the Board of Advocates and the Order of the Coif. As a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps, he served in Okinawa, Japan; Parris Island, South Carolina and London, England. He has tried over forty jury trials including capital murder and was a member of the National Security Task Force in 1987 investigating and prosecuting cases arising from the Moscow USSR Embassy scandal. Jay has been a civil litigator and trial attorney in Nashville, Tennessee since 1991. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2000. His wife, Amy Drescher, is a licensed private investigator and has been featured on local and national television news programs. Jay and Amy have three children and reside in Franklin, Tennessee.

• Glasby's Fortune, 2017
• Glasby's Pirates, 2020

DuBose, Martha

As a child, Martha Dubose lived on Beech Creek Road in Williamson County, where she attended Grassland School. She graduated from Harpeth Hall and Vanderbilt and then received her master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri before moving to Australia, where she was a reporter and film critic at the Sidney Morning Herald. DuBose won an unsolicited grant from the Australian Commonwealth Arts Ministry for achievement in critical writing. Returning to Tennessee in 1979, she was an editor and worked in advertising before venturing into freelance work. In 1989, she moved to Bedford County, where she has lived ever since, editing, ghostwriting, assisting with re-writing, as well as teaching for Motlow State Community College. Her interest in writing a mystery led her to look at the work and lives of other women mystery writers. The result is a study of twenty mystery writers and how their lives reveal the backgrounds of their books.

• Women of Mystery, 2000

Dunn, Robert M. 

Robert Dunn is an attorney whose law practice is devoted to preparing wills and trusts, and designing and implementing detailed estate plans. Joan Dorfman works with Robert as his legal assistant.

• Wills -- The Big Myth: What You Don't Know Can Hurt Your Family, with Joan Dorfman, 2005

Dunnigan, Gary and Tami

• Peaches on Patrol, 2006

Durham, Jamey

Born and raised in East and Middle Tennessee, Jamey Durham attended the University of Tennessee and did graduate work at Regent University in Virginia. While living in Williamson County, he garnered extensive experience as a film producer, working for Intermedia Television, based in Brentwood. He is a professor at Northwestern College in Iowa, where he teaches screenwriting, media writing, and film making. His book career was launched from the Iowa campus; it was followed up with the filming of his book..

• The Prairie Pirates, 2007

Dyer, Christopher (1981 - Present)

Christopher Dyer lives in Franklin, Tennessee in Williamson County. He was born and raised in Panama City, Florida. His interest in writing began with his wife and children. His wife gave him the inspiration and motivation to begin his first writing that resulted in his first book. His children were the inspiration for writing eBook stories for children. Before he began writing, he was a fugitive recovery agent and bail bondsman for Rutherford County, Tennessee. He enjoyed that career because he was able to help people find their way again after having lost it.

• Quotes for the Journey Through Life, 2010

Dyer, Gary (1954 - )

Several years ago, living with his family in Williamson County and working for the IRS in Nashville, Gary Dyer's surroundings seemed quite normal. When the Nashville office of the IRS downsized, he applied for a post in south Florida. His Tennessee experience with the IRS made his adjustment there easier, but the work was different. One result is his mystery thriller, which is fiction but based on the inner workings of the IRS. He writes under the pen name Vernon Gary.

• Shadows of IRS, 2000

Dyer, Lucinda (1947 - )

The childhood pleasures of reading books and riding horses came together in adulthood for Lucinda Dyer. She grew up in the mid-west and Texas. She attended Southern Methodist University where she majored in film. She went on to work for an ad agency and in public relations at the Dallas Symphony, the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas and J.P. Tarcher Publishing before becoming a freelance book publicist. After living in Los Angeles for many years, she was invited to Williamson County while representing Peter Jenkins of Spring Hill, author of Walk Across America. She moved to Williamson County, Tennessee in 1990 and continues her career as owner of Publicity Etc. and contributing editor at Publishers Weekly magazine from her home in Franklin. Living in Franklin provided her the opportunity to have a horse and enjoy her love of riding. Her horse became ill and while caring for his rehabilitation, she saw the need for a book to help owners care properly for their injured horses. She suggested this to Trafalgar Square Books and the result has been a new career as an equine author.

• Eco-Horsekeeping, 2009
• Back to Work, 2007

Eades, Charles (1928 - )

Orphaned when young, Charles Eades and his brother lived in a children's home and then with foster parents who permitted the boys to keep their family name. After working his way through school and serving in the army, Eades began working as a CPA in the corporate offices of Emery Industries. Later he moved to Nashville as vice president of Ingram Industries and president and CEO of Tennessee Insurance Company. He has served as a County Commissioner of Williamson County. In 1990, upon retirement, he located an uncle on his mother's side of the family and began finding the relatives he had never known. This discovery led to the five volumes of family history he has published. In May 2002 he became the eleventh inductee of the Goshen High School Hall of Fame at their 107th commencement for lifetime achievement and outstanding service to our nation, state, and community.

• Descendants of Michael Arbogast (ca. 1734-1812), 5 Volumes, 1996

Eaton, John Henry (1790 - 1856)

A native of Halifax County, North Carolina, John Eaton moved to Franklin in 1809. He was a staunch supporter of Andrew Jackson and served in the U.S. Senate from 1818 until 1829 when he resigned to become President Jackson's Secretary of War. He later served as territorial governor of Florida and as minister to Spain. He wrote on political subjects and was a co-author of The Life of Andrew Jackson, published in Philadelphia in 1824 and reissued in 1974 with introduction and notes by the famed Southern historian Frank Lawrence Owsley.

• Letters of John Henry Eaton, 1821-1840
• Candid Appeal to the American Public, 1831
• Life of Major General Andrew Jackson: Comprising History of the War in the South from the Commencement of the Creek Campaign to the Termination of Hostilities Before New Orleans, 1828
• The Life of Andrew Jackson (with John Reid), 1824, reissued 1974

Eaton, Peggy (Margaret)

Margaret O'Neill (or O'Neale) Timberlake Eaton (December 3, 1799 – November 8, 1879), was the wife of John Henry Eaton, a United States Senator from Tennessee and United States Secretary of War, and a confidant of Andrew Jackson. Their marriage was the cause of a national controversy known as the Petticoat Affair. While better known in history as Peggy, Margaret stated in her autobiography, "I never was called Peggy in all my life. . . . I was ordinarily called by my proper name of Margaret." - Wikipedia

• The Autobiography of Peggy Eaton, 1932

Ehresman, Marie Little (1929 - )

Marie Ehresman grew up in Brentwood, was educated in Davidson County schools, and graduated from Peabody College. She taught physical education in Davidson County schools before marrying and moving to a dairy farm in Triune. She and her husband have one daughter, a Vanderbilt graduate. Ehresman has enjoyed sports as well as genealogical research. Her books have been well received, requiring additional printings.

• The McCanless Family of Crystal Valley, 1996
• Williamson County, Tennessee 1830 U.S. census, 1994
• Lewis Johnson and Related Families: Edwards, Morton and Lawrence, 1991

Elam, Erica

A native of Franklin, Erica Elam has lived here most of her life and is a graduate of Franklin High School. Her second-grade teacher first interested her in writing. The professors at the Governor's School for the Humanities, which she attended after tenth grade, were very helpful. Elam attended Emerson College in Boston, majoring in drama and English. Her book contains more than ninety of her poems, mostly from the Governor's School experience and beyond; their general theme is growth and increasing awareness.

• Eleven O'clock in the Park, 1997

Esmer, Lydia

Lydia Esmer is a Spanish specialist and a classically trained soprano, fluent in English and Italian as well. She has taught Spanish at all academic levels and was employed as a church soloist before her marriage. Lydia's poetry reflects her love of beauty, not only through the descriptive images that appear on every page, but also through her use of color and rhythm.  Her poems are upbeat and reflect the joyful hope that characterizes her life as a Christian.

• Potpourri of Poetry and Song, 2011

Eudailey, Laneive W.

Born in Murfreesboro, Laneive W Eudailey moved to Williamson County in 1937 and graduated from Franklin High School in 1941. Her father was a Primitive Baptist minister. Eudailey was a member of the Williamson County Senior Citizens Advisory Committee and wrote articles for the Senior Sentinel, published by the Knowles Senior Citizen Group. She participated in a writing class at College Grove Senior Citizen Center. She has since moved to North Carolina to be near her daughter.

• We Baptists of Wilson Creek Primitive Baptist Church 1804-, 1984

Evans, Sara (1971 - Present)

Born as the eldest of seven children in a New Franklin, Missouri, farm family, Sara Evans was early exposed to music and performance in her family's band. She sang as a child and began to have personal gigs by age sixteen. At twenty years old, she came to Nashville and soon rose to success as a singer/songwriter. Her skill in using the traditional country sound as well as more mixed musical styles possibly gives her special insight into the moods of traditional music. Thomas Nelson, Publishers, approached her to write a "Songbird" series of novels in collaboration with Christian novelist Rachel Hauck.

• Sweet By and By, with Rachel Hauck 2010

Ewing, James (1917 - 1989)

Descended from one of Nashville's first families, James Ewing graduated from the University of Michigan. A veteran reporter, he was former bureau chief of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. He joined the Nashville Banner in 1973 as a copyeditor. In 1974 he moved to the editorial department and took over the paper's book page and op-ed page. Ewing lived in Franklin until his death. In his honor, the Banner gave an annual award to the best book reviewer for the paper.

• It Happened in Tennessee (compiled by James Ewing), 1986
• A Treasury of Tennessee Tales, 1985 (revised edition with additional stories by James Crutchfield, 1997)

Falwell, Marshall, Jr.

Marshall Falwell Jr. was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and attended Florence State College and Vanderbilt University as a Lily Peter Scholar and Fellow in English Literature.  While pursuing his education, he was a freelance writer and photographer, taught at Vanderbilt University, and coordinated music jamborees.  Since 1985, he has owned Falwell Estate Sales in Nashville, specializing in personal property and estate sales with particular expertise in rare books and antiques.

• Just Country  (with Robert Cornwell), 1975
• de re Militari: An Edition of the Middle English Prose Translations of Vegetius' Epitoma-rei militaris, 1973
• Allen Tate: A Bibliography, 1967

Farnsworth, Russ    

• Growing Up In Old Franklin, 2015

Fender, Elise

Elise Fender lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, with her husband and three children. She studied journalism at the University of Miami, and earned her Masters of Education from Harvard University. The Last Text You Sent is her debut novel.

Ferdowsi, Farsheed (1955 - )    

In 1973, eighteen-year-old Ferdowsi came from Teheran, Iran to Nashville, Tennessee to enter Vanderbilt University as a student in civil engineering. From there, he went to California to the University of California at Berkeley for a master's degree in Structural Engineering. Further study was interrupted by his entrepreneurial spirit which led to starting up software development companies. As a Brentwood, Tennessee resident for most of his life, he has taken positions on the board of directors of several Middle Tennessee nonprofit organizations. His experiences of life in two cultures, an interest in science and business, as well as, executive roles requiring perspective and analysis, have all contributed to his thriller novel.

• Mushroom in the Sand, 2009

Fiebiger, C.A.    

C. A. Fiebiger is a native of Roseville, Minnesota, attended Eastern Montana College in Billings, Montana, now MSU- Billings, receiving his BA in History, with a minor in Philosophy in 1987. He released his first book, The Baker and Malachi, in the summer of 2013. He currently resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area with his wife Shirreen and daughter Tara. He has two older children, Gary and Candace, and four grandchildren.

• The Keeper's Son, 2015
• The Pilgrims, 2015
• Curse Of The Eraser, 2014
• The Baker and Malachi, 2013
• The Keeper, 2010

Fifty Forward History and Genealogy Group, College Grove

• College Grove, William county, Tennessee: History and Families, 2011

Finger, Michael

Michael Finger is the senior editor of Memphis magazine and the Memphis Flyer. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Memphis and a master's degree in English from Louisiana State University. The author of three books on local history, his work has appeared in MBQ: Inside Memphis Business, American Archaeology, Atlanta magazine Baltimore magazine, and Mississippi magazine. 

• The First 150: The First Tennessee Story 1864-2014, 2014

Finamore, Lucille    

Lucille Palis Finamore lived in Bloomfield and Glen Ridge, New Jersey, for most of her life. When her marriage of twenty-five years dissolved, she was determined not to be divorced and poor. To support herself, Finamore chose real estate. Once active in the field, she began to keep a journal of the interesting properties and people she encountered. In 1995 she came to Williamson County to be near her family in the Temple Hills community. Here, she shaped her journal into a book of short stories which Coldwell Banker Realtor, Inc. now uses as suggested reading for new and seasoned sales associates.

• What I Did For Money, 2001.

Fioravanti, Kayla  

Kayla Fioravanti is a wife, mother, and author. Kayla's easy-breezy explanations and instructions make her how-to books easy to digest and follow. Kayla was born in Dallas, Texas, but now makes her home in Franklin, Tennessee. She is happily married and mother to three children.

• Puffy & Blue: A Chronicle Of Nine Lives Together, 2014
• 360 Degrees of Grief, 2014
• How to Self-Publish: The Author-preneur's Guide to Publishing, 2013
• When I Was Young I Flew the Sun Like a Kite, 2012
• The Art and Science of Aromatherapy: Your Guide For Personal Aromatherapy, 2011
• How to Make Melt & Pour Soap Base From Scratch: A Beginner's Guide to Melt & Pour Soap Manufacturing, 2011
• DIY Kitchen Chemistry: Simple Homemade Bath & Body Projects, 2011
• The Art, Science and Business of Aromatherapy: Your Guide for Personal Aromatherapy and Entrepreneurship, 2011

Fisher, Marilyn M.    

Born and reared in Buffalo, New York, Marilyn Fisher believes that the diversity of cultures of the city have all influenced her writing. She took advanced degrees in British and American literature and taught college writing and literature courses. This was a time of coming to grasp the structure of various genres, including the novel, and to appreciate the various levels of meaning often present in many forms. Her essays and literary criticism have been published in journals, newspapers, and newsletters. Only in the last decade has she begun to write fiction. As an adult, she became interested in horses. She rides them, writes about them, and maintains a website which recommends films, books, and gives other news about horses. Her novel is a clear outgrowth of both her literary and her equine interests.

• He Trots the Air, 2011
• The Case of the Three Dead Horses, 2004

Fitzgerald, Sheila Preston

Dubbed "Sweet & Sassy," Sheila Preston Fitzgerald's love of people, love of life, and most importantly, her love for God, radiates the Light of Life. As a highly sought after professional manicurist by day, Sheila finds great joy in helping others not only look beautiful but feel beautiful, too. Publicly, Sheila shares her incredible passion for life through various speaking engagements. She shares her miraculous true story wherever she's called to encourage, inspire and give hope. Sheila has greatly impacted lives from a wide range of audiences -- civic groups, non-profit organizations, schools, including a juvenile detention center, and church communities. Sheila's service and commitment to others has presented her with some very prestigious awards from the Tennessee chiropractic Association and the American Red Cross, and the coveted Paul Harris Fellow Award from the local Franklin Noon Rotary Club, an award that is rarely given to non-members.

Sheila's heart smiles when she's able to spend time building up others, having intentional quiet time with God in prayer and meditation, and lovingly serving her church family as a part of the prayer ministry team. Sheila admits she has a love affair with all things pen and paper -- from devout journaling, working on a second book, to sending hand-written notes of encouragement via snail-mail, she is grateful for the gift of written words. When there's not a pen in her hand, Sheila cherishes her time with quality friends and family, relaxing with a good book that renews her soul, sharing her God-given gift of hospitably hosting guests in her home, and, of course, loads of snuggles with her little dog, Daisy.

Sheila lives in Southern Williamson County where she loves life and finds great joy in serving others.

• One Foot in Heaven; Finding Hope in the Hopeless, 2019

Fitzsimmons, Judith (1954 - )    

Fitzsimmons is a certified aromatherapist and the owner of Aromatherapy Solutions, an aromatherapy blending business. Her book is available in both English and Spanish and has received international promotion. She lives with her family in Williamson County.

• Not At Your Child's Expense: a Guide To Constructive Parenting, 2015
• Aromatherapy Answers: Your Practical Guide to Common Ailments, with Paula M. Bousquet, 2005
• Seasons of Aromatherapy (co-author Paula M. Bousquet), 1998

Flagel, Thomas R.

Thomas R. Flagel is a historian with degrees from Loras College, Kansas State University, and Creighton University and additional study at the University of Vienna.

• The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War, 2003
• The History Buff's Guide to World War II, 2005
• The History Buff's Guide to Gettysburg, 2006
• The History Buff's Guide to the Presidents, 2007

Fleet, William F. (1933 - )    

Bill Fleet was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, raised in Inverness, Mississippi and now lives in Brentwood, Tennessee. He was a pediatrician for twenty-five years before retiring in 1998. He writes an online column called Sawdust and Turnip Greens for Brentwood Homepage. Bill says his writing is influenced by his earlier years on the bayou.

• Tuesdays Twice a Month, 2004
• Sawdust and Turnip Greens, 2013

Fletcher-Blume, Nancy    

Nancy Fletcher-Blume lived her early years in Anderson, South Carolina, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. An only child, she sat listening to adults and absorbing their cadences. She attended Forrest College, and for several years did mostly "mother things" and taught piano. As a resident of Franklin, she has been president of the Council for the Written Word and on the Board of Governors of the Scottish Society of Middle Tennessee. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in 1996, 1997, and 1998 editions of Our Voices. Her entry in the first edition of Our Voices won the Kate Trickey award and was the piece chosen that year for separate publication as a book for young readers. Cast Iron Dogs listed was illustrated by her grandson Jason Blume.

• Echoes of Two Voices, with Louise Draper Colln, 2008
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (condensed and adapted), 2001
• Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (condensed and adapted), 2001
• Cast Iron Dogs, 1996

Flygt, Sten Gunnar  (1911 - 1978)    

Before coming to Vanderbilt University where he taught German, Swedish, and Old Norse, Flygt taught at Wesleyan, Northwestern, and Princeton Universities. He served for two years as University Specialist for the U.S. government, re-establishing universities in Bavaria. Professor Flygt received a John Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in 1958. He and his family lived on a small farm near Franklin.

• Friedrich Hebbel, 1968
• Friedrich Hebbel's Conception of Movement in the Absolute and in History, 1966, 1952
• The Notorious Dr. Bahrdt, 1963
• Review of German Grammar Based on Selected Texts, 1959
• Modern Course in German (with C.R. Goedsche), 1947

Flynt, Mike

Mike Flynt grew up in Odessa, Texas, graduating from Permian High School in 1966. In 1965 he was first-team, all-district defensive back for the first state championship football team for the Odessa Permian Panthers, starting the winning tradition at Permian High School, and later inspiring the movie Friday Night Lights. After completing his senior year of eligibility at Sul Ross State University at fifty-nine years old, Mike has returned to his responsibilities at Powerbase Fitness, LLC, where he continues to help people of all ages live a better, more productive life through strength training. mike has been married to his wife, Eileen, for the past thirty-five years, and they have three children. Contact Mike at www.mikeflynt.com. 

• The Senior: My Amazing Year as a 59-Year-Old College Football Linebacker, with Don Yeager and foreword by LeBron James, 2008.

Fontana, Matt    

A native of New Jersey, with family ties to Kentucky, Matt Fontana graduated from The Citadel in 1974 and then served in the marines. He has been in the Nashville area since 1983, living in Franklin since 1990 with his wife, Teresa, and their four children. In college, he wrote poetry, was an editor of the literary magazine and worked on the newspaper. He collaborated with a close college friend to write a volume of poetry with the intent of bringing that medium back to its previous popularity.

• Whispers of Madmen (with Gordon Bell), 1996

Foster, Lark    

After growing up in the Grassland area of Williamson County and witnessing the growth of her father's business, Flower Power, Lark Foster attended O'More School of Design and began to work full time in the family enterprise. She appeared with her father on "The Southern Lawn and Garden Show," for the Tennessee Radio Network, and on television. She has taught classes at Cheekwood and spoken to garden clubs. Foster published a five-segment video entitled Gardening with Lark, which has a section for children.

• The Tennessee Gardener's Guide (with Walter Glenn), 1996

Fox, Angela (1974 - )    

Angela Fox was born in Macon, Georgia, where as a child she wrote stories, poetry, and letters, all with a Southern flavor. After obtaining a BA degree in political science as a pre-law student at Mercer University and then a Masters in Counseling at Reformed Theological Seminary, she discovered that she was a writer at heart and gave herself to it. She wrote articles for trade magazines, worked as a publicist for Thomas Nelson Publishers, and finally risked the life of a freelance writer who also has a weekly column in two local newspapers. She often writes about other writers. Her book is the result of a friendship with someone who opened a chocolate shop.

• Chocolate Covered Friendship, with Bethany Thouin,  2008

Fox, Shari

Shari Fox, originally from Brentwood, Tennessee, is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at O'More College of Design. She holds a BS in Psychology and an MA in English, both from Middle Tennessee State University. Before her now sixteen years at O'More, she was an adjunct instructor at Middle Tennessee State University and Columbia State Community College and then a full-time English professor at Tennessee State University. Reading is Shari's true passion, but she also enjoys mothering and cooking in her Franklin, Tennessee, home.

• Abbey Leix Anthology: O'More Articles on the Art and Design of Education, edited by Rosemary Hilliard, Jenifer Lowry, and Jessa R. Sexton, vol. 1, 2010. See entry entitled "A Literary Diet."
• Abbey Leix Anthology: O'More Articles on the Art and Design of Education, edited by Rosemary Hilliard, Jenifer Lowry, and Jessa R. Sexton, with illustrations by Bruce Bazaire, vol. 2, 2010.  See entry entitled "The Luddite Reader."

Friend, Ronda    

Ronda Friend grew up on a farm in Ohio called "Friendly Acres." She writes about her life growing up there in the 1950s and 60s. She worked with children for over thirty years as a preschool director; her desire is to share stories with children that count for character.

• Love Me, Love Me to Bed, 2010/2019
• Pass Love Along, 2016
• Scared Silly Secret, 2015
• Woolly Baaad Lies, 2011
• P. U. You Stink, 2008
• Panic in the Pig Pen, 2007
• Hats Off to Heroes – Down on Friendly Acres, 2005
• Time Out at Home – Down on Friendly Acres, 2005
• Swallows Her Pride – Down on Friendly Acres, 2003, 2004, 2005

Fugette, Eric (1965 - )    

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, educated in electrical engineering at Vanderbilt, Eric Fugette came with his family to Franklin in 1997. He had been interested in the Book of Revelation. After he had read several commentaries, Josephus, Tacitus, other histories, and reference books, he found that his engineering background seemed to be a useful tool in helping him understand some of the puzzling passages in Revelation. His book expresses his personal understanding.

• A Personal Revelation, 2003

Fulcher, Richard Carlton (1941 - 2004)

Born in Nashville, Richard Fulcher was a resident of Brentwood and a researcher in genealogy and history since 1968. He was an instructor in genealogy at Watkins Institute and the publisher of a periodical, Tennessee Genealogical Review, as well as the author of numerous family histories and books on genealogy, local history, and the Civil War. He served as president of the Brentwood Historical and Genealogical Society. He moved to Petersburg in Lincoln County, where he served as mayor.

• The Confessions of a Clansman from Franklin, Tennessee, 1999
• Williamson Adventure: A Bicentennial History, 1999
• The History of Brentwood, Tennessee, 1999
• Whatever Happened to Carter's Court?, 1998
• Thunder on the Harpeth, 1998
• Civil War Bibliography: The Battle of Franklin & the Civil War Years in Williamson County, Tennessee, 1998
• McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Franklin, Tennessee: History and Record, 1997
• Confederate and Federal Regiments which Served in Williamson County, Tennessee, 1997
• Civil War Soldiers from Williamson County, Tennessee—Federal & Confederate, 1997
• Legends of Williamson County, Tennessee, Report #1: The Generals on the Carnton Porch, 1997
• Legends of Williamson County, Tennessee, Report #2: Captain "Tod" Carter and the Battle of Franklin, 1997
• Legends of Williamson County, Tennessee, Report #3: Brentwood, not Cottonport!, 1995
• Civil War Casualties: Williamson County, Tennessee—Confederate and Federal, 1997
• 1890 U.S. Census of Union Veterans and Widows in Williamson County, Tennessee, 1996
• United States Genealogical and Historical Sources: Mississippi Records, 1997
• Union Loyalists' Claims in Williamson County, Tennessee (with Karen Harris Fulcher and Carla Michelle Fulcher), 1996
• United States Genealogical and Historical Sources: North Carolinas Records (with Linda Allen Suber), 1995
• United States Genealogical and Historical Sources: Tennessee Records (with Linda Allen Suber, 1995
• Brentwood, Tennessee: Early Settlement and Growth, 1995
• Presley Family, 1994
• United States Genealogical and Historical Sources: Arkansas Records (with Linda Allen Suber), 2nd ed., 1993
• United States Genealogical and Historical Sources: Alabama Records, 1993
• Brentwood, Tennessee—The Civil War Years, 1993
• Battle of Spring Hill, Tennessee, November 29, 1864, 1995
• The Battles of Thompson's Station, Tennessee, 1997
• Guide to County Records and Genealogical Sources in Tennessee, 3rd ed., 1994
• Civil War Diary of Corporal James Walsh, 124th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 1990
• 1770–1790 Census of the Cumberland Settlements, 1987
• Tombstone Inscriptions of Davidson County, Tennessee (10 volumes), 1976 through 1986
• How to Organize and File Your Genealogical Research Notes and Files, 1982     

Fulks, Matthew W.    

Matt Fulks grew up in Overland Park, Kansas. As a youth, he played baseball but took an avid interest in all sports. He began broadcasting while he was a student at David Lipscomb University in Nashville. After graduation, he worked as sports director for WAKM radio in Franklin and as a sports writer for the Review Appeal. He moved to Atlanta, where he wrote and managed his publishing business. In 2000 he moved to the Kansas City area, where he has been employed by a publishing firm.

• Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio (with Denny Matthews, Fred White, and George Brett), 1999
• The Sportscaster's Dozen: Off the Air With Southeastern Legends, 1998
• Behind the Stats: Tennessee's Coaching Legends, 1996

Gafford, Charlotte K.    

Charlotte K. Gafford, a former resident of Fairview, attended Birmingham Southern College and received an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. A professor at Norwich University and the University of Alabama in Birmingham, she has published poems in many journals and was a documentary scriptwriter and consultant for the Vermont Council on the Humanities.

• The Pond Woman, 1989

Gage, Wilson (see Steele, Mary Q.)

Gant, A. Mac (1899 - 1983)    

A. Mac Gant served with the U.S. Navy in World War I and then worked for the Illinois Central Railroad in Georgia. Following the death of his first wife and his remarriage, he started a wholesale lumber business, which he operated for 41 years. During the Depression, he bought Cool Springs Farm in Williamson County, where he lived with his second wife and their combined children, all of whom made active contributions to their communities.

• Destiny's Plan: The Story of a Combination Family, 1982

Garrett, Jane Gillen

Jane’s story of survival and achievement is borne from a long period of silence, written six decades after her story began.  Throughout her adult life, she refused to look back – refused to unpack the childhood memories hidden away in her heart and mind.   Eventually, however, she was persuaded that her story of loneliness, hunger, and abandonment was not one to be hidden.  God deserved the honor and glory for guiding and protecting her path throughout childhood and adolescence.

Born in Paducah, Kentucky, she and her husband, Chuck, lived in Bartlett, Tennessee throughout most of their married life.  They have one son, Trevor.  Today, Chuck and Jane are happily retired in Franklin, Tennessee.  

An undergraduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, Jane also holds a Master of Business Administration from Murray State University in western Kentucky.  Throughout her life, she has written and taught Bible lessons for adult and high school ladies’ classes and retreats.  One of her studies teaches an overview of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation in six lessons, and is intended for those with limited Bible knowledge.

Jane’s craft projects and hobbies take priority over mundane household responsibilities.  She scrapbooks, creates her own greeting cards, plays mah jongg and Canasta, sews, reads, and enjoys boating.  Her love for waterskiing is only surpassed by her love for family and friends.

You can visit her online at www.janegillen.com.

• A Fractured Life: A Memoir of God's Provision and Protection, 2021

Garrett, Lewis (1772 - 1869)    

Lewis Garrett was born in Virginia around 1772 and moved to Kentucky with his family in 1779. His father died on the journey, leaving his mother a widow with eight children. In 1794 Garrett joined the Methodist ministry and served twelve consecutive years in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He was part of the revival movement of 1799-1800, in the role of presiding elder of the Cumberland district. He helped scout the Missouri territory to ascertain its readiness for Methodist missions. In 1806, upon returning from the Missouri journey, he settled in Franklin, Williamson County, working as a laborer during the week and preaching once or twice on Sundays within a 50-mile range. His book is quoted in many early accounts of Kentucky and Tennessee.

• Recollections of the West, 1834

Gaskin, Ralph Malachias (1974 - )    

Ralph Malachias Gaskin spent twenty years as a professional landscaper and during that time did nine years in the Indiana Army National Guard. He then signed an active duty contract and did eight years at Fort Stewart, Georgia, with two deployments to Iraq. Gaskin was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and retired. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the basis of his book, A Warrior's Garden.

• A Warrior's Garden, 2013

Gee, Connie    

Connie Gee grew up in Nashville and received her B.S. and M.A. degrees from Peabody College. Her two children were born in Oak Ridge, where she began her teaching career. She then moved to Brentwood and taught at Scales Elementary School. She developed units for the lower grades in the work cited below. In addition to teaching, Gee has been a full-time volunteer for breast cancer issues; she has written speeches and newspaper articles on the subject and served as a member of the peer review panel of the cancer research division of the Department of Defense.

• Creative Pathways: A Curriculum Guide for the Talented and Very Able Child (with others), 1983

Gentry, Cindy White    

Cindy White Gentry, a lifelong resident of Williamson County, graduated from Franklin High School and Middle Tennessee State University with a major in history and a minor in English. She has been a researcher and freelance writer. Gentry has also been a docent at the Carter House in Franklin and has worked with the Heritage Foundation's Classroom program. Married to Allen Gentry, she has three children. She and Allen have developed educational field trips to their farm, focusing on history, farming, and nature for preschool and elementary school age children.

•  A History of Battle Ground Academy, 1995

Gentry, Jimmy (1925 - )    

Author of a true local tale, Jimmy Gentry not only grew up in Franklin but also taught at various high schools in Williamson County for fifty-two years. His book tells of hardships during the Great Depression, when as a young boy he literally had to trap and hunt to get food for his family. After service in World War Two, he returned to his Williamson farm and began a long teaching career.

• An American Life, 2002

Nancy Gentry

Nancy Gentry, former reading teacher, has combined her love for reading and writing into creating her own stories for children. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee.

• Little Blue, Little Gray, illus. by Sarah Keaggy, 2012

Gerhard, Lee C.

Lee Gerhard is a well-known geologist, adventurer, outdoorsman, and fanatic fly fisherman. Raised on a dairy farm in upstate New York, he learned to love the natural world and solitude. He has avoided cities for most of his career. His professional career included being tenured in four different academic settings, working for three oil companies, and being state geologist of two states. His forte is short stories and he focuses on the natural world. Preceding non-technical books are "Of Cowboys and Carpenters and Rifles and Rods" and "Rocks in My Pocket and Mud on My Boots," both collections of short stories. He writes regularly for one outdoor magazine and for regional and local magazines. "The Meeker Conspiracies" is his first novel. Originally a farm kid from upstate New York, he and his family have always lived west of the Mississippi River. He has walked on every continent, dipped his toes into every ocean, and been as close to space as a normal citizen can be. As for being a geologist, he says "I've never had to work for a living, my career has been filled with fascinating and interesting challenges."

Lee was a prolific writer of technical geologic and climate change scientific literature before starting to write outdoor stories and fiction. He now writes to amuse himself with the hope that others might also enjoy his work. 

• Geological Perspectives of Global Climate Change, with William E. Harrison and Bernold M. Hanson, 2001
• Of cowboys and carpenters and rifles and rods / Lee Gerhard, 2010

Giger-Norman, Naomi    

Born and reared near St. Louis, Missouri, Naomi Giger-Norman is a visual arts specialist, quilt maker, fashion designer, and weaver. She and her family have lived in Franklin since 1988. As a Tennessee Artist-in-Residence, she taught art in three Williamson County schools and helped the students at Walnut Grove Elementary design a quilt commemorating the school's first year. Giger-Norman published a series of 23 patterns, which include pieced pictures.

• Picture Perfect Patchwork, 1993

Gillum, Jamie

• The Battle of Spring Hill: Twenty-five Hours to Tragedy, 2004

Glenn, Mike

Dr. Mike Glenn is the Senior Pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. Under his leadership since 1991, the church has grown to a church with eight campuses and a membership of over 11, 000. He graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Glenn has written three books and writes frequently on his blog, mikeglennonline.com, and for Patheos.com. Glenn is married to Jeannie, his wife and best friend of 39 years. They have twin sons, Chris (Deb) and Craig (Nan), and three granddaughters, Mackenzie, Rowen and Brooklynn. 

• In Real Time, 2009
• The Gospel of Yes, 2012
• Coffee with Mom, 2019

Glenn, Walter    

A native of West Virginia, Walter Glenn received a B.S. degree in agriculture from the University of West Virginia. He farmed for a short time before joining a company that sold agricultural chemicals. He then came to Nashville to develop garden centers for the Hardy Garden franchise. Settling in Grassland, he began his own landscaping business, named "Flower Power" by his daughter Lark. In the mid-1980s, Flower Power moved to Franklin and began to focus on design. A great lover of golf, Glenn designed a course in West Virginia.

• The Tennessee Gardener's Guide (with Lark Foster), 1996

Glenn, John C., Jr. and Glynn, Kathryn

John is a graduate of George Washington University, a retired naval officer and presently a District Director for the United States Department of Homeland Security. He is a member of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Sons of the Revolution, a Commissioner for the Stewart Society of Edinburgh, Scotland, and has written articles for publications about his direct ancestors King Robert Bruce and the Royal Stewarts of Scotland.

Kathryn is a former airline stewardess, realtor, tea and etiquette consultant, business owner and member of Daughters of the American Revolution. They both study the American Revolution and Scottish Wars of Independence and lecture to organizations, historical societies, and schools.

• His Sacred Honor: Judge Richard Stockton a Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Goldblatt, Joe Jeff  (1952 - )    

Formerly a resident of Brentwood, Joe Jeff Goldblatt was the founder of the Wonder Company, 1970 to 1996, a firm that produced White House events for Presidents Reagan and Bush. In 1993, he was awarded a special study grant at George Washington University where he worked on his doctorate in the special events field. He wrote the first textbook on the subject of producing special events, as well as several books and numerous articles. He has assisted with hundreds of special events in and around Washington D.C.

• Special Events: Global Management in the 21st Century, 2001
• Ultimate Guide to Sports Marketing (with Stedman Graham and Lisa Delpy Neirotti), 2001
• International Dictionary of Event Management (with Kathleen S. Nelson), 2001
• Dollars and Events: How to Succeed in the Special Events Business, 1999
• Special Events: Best Practices in Modern Events Management, 1997
• Dictionary of Event Management (with Carol F. McKibben), 1996
• Ultimate Guide to Sport Event Management and Marketing (with Stedman Graham and Lisa Delpy), 1995
• Special Events: The Art and Science of Celebration, 1994

Golden, Tom

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and educated in Catholic schools, Tom spent nearly four decades in the newspaper business in marketing and advertising. After taking early retirement at age 59, Tom moved to Franklin, Tennessee, where he spends most of his time volunteering for community organizations in Williamson County. The rest of the time, he writes. 

• Ramblings of a Baby Boomer Wannabe, 2019

Gomez, Michael

Michael Gomez is a Franklin photographer who creates images for the music industry, publishers, and advertising agencies across America.

• Historic Franklin Tennessee, photographer, 2009

Goodpasture, H. McKennie (1929 - 2001)    

In the late 1940s, Ken Goodpasture moved with his family to Old Town Farm on the Old Natchez Trace where his parents took an active part in the political and cultural affairs of the county. Soon he left to explore the world as a Ph.D. student in Scotland and then a Presbyterian missionary in Lisbon, Portugal, finally ending as professor of missions at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. His work led him to travel frequently to Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and he returned often to Middle Tennessee to visit family.

• The Story of Richmond Hill: The First Twelve Years, 1999
• Cross and Sword: An Eyewitness History of Christianity in Latin America, 1989

Goodpasture, Henry (1896 - 1999)    

Henry Goodpasture lived for more than thirty years in one of Williamson County's most historic homes, Old Town, which was first an Indian village and then an antebellum estate on the Old Natchez Trace. A lawyer for sixty years, he first moved to Nashville with his family in 1914 and to Williamson County in 1947. Goodpasture was a member of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Association and was active in civic affairs, three times a member of the board of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. He served many years as a Williamson County commissioner, especially interested in bringing utilities and good roads to the county.

• Old Town (with Virginia Goodpasture), 1950
• Memoirs of Henry Goodpasture

Govan, Christine Noble (1898 - 1986)    

Christine Noble Govan was born in New York City but moved to Sewanee at the age of four. As a child, she moved to Franklin and lived on Fair Street. She married Gilbert Govan, Civil War historian, and librarian, and the couple lived on Signal Mountain where they reared two daughters and a son. Govan was a prolific writer of children's books and mysteries but is chiefly remembered in Williamson County for her trilogy about the Plummer children and their misadventures.

• Danger Downriver (with Emmy West), 1972
• The Trash Pile Treasure, 1970
• Phinny's Fine Summer, 1968
• Return to Hackberry Street, 1967
• Curious Clubhouse, 1967
• Mystery at the Echoing Cave (with Emmy West), 1965
• Number 5 Hackberry Street, 1964
• Mystery at the Weird Ruins (with Emmy West), 1964
• Mystery at Ghost Lodge (with Emmy West), 1963
• Mystery of the Dancing Skeleton (with Emmy West), 1962
• Delectable Mountain, 1962
• Willow's Landing, 1961
• Mystery at the Snowed-in Cabin (with Emmy West), 1961
• Mystery at Fearsome Lake (with Emmy West), 1960
• Mystery at the Haunted House (with Emmy West), 1959
• Mystery at Plum Nelly (with Emmy West), 1959
• Mystery of the Vanishing Stamp (with Emmy West), 1958
• Mystery at the Deserted Mill, (with Emmy West), 1958
• The Mystery at Moccasin Bend, (with Emmy West), 1957
• Mystery at the Indian Hide-Out (with Emmy West), 1957
• The Mystery at the Shuttered Hotel, (with Emmy West), 1956
• Mystery at the Mountain Face (with Emmy West), 1956
• Mystery at Shingle Rock (with Emmy West), 1955
• Rachel Jackson, Tennessee Girl, 1955
• The Pink Maple House, 1950
• Mr. Hermit Miser and the Neighborly Pumpkin, 1949
• Jennifer's House, 1945
• Sweet Possum Valley, 1940
• Narcissus an' De Chillun: Final Adventures of Those Plummer Children, 1938
• The House with the Echo, 1937
• Murder on the Mountain, 1937
• Judy and Chris: Further Adventures of Those Plummer Children, 1936
• Five at Ashefield, 1935
• Those Plummer Children, 1934

As J.N. Darby:

• Murder in the House with the Blue Eyes, 1939

Gragg, Sherri

I was born in Nashville and have lived here for the past 22 years. I love this town. It is where my family grew from one rambunctious two-year-old to five children between the ages of 16-24. My kids attended Franklin public schools, spent endless hours in the Williamson County Library searching for treasured books and listening to story time, climbed the Tinkerbell playground in Pinkerton Park, and played under the fireworks on the 4th of July.

For 22 Christmas Eves, we have attended church and then walked around downtown Franklin under the lights of the best Main Street in the world. We made the kids' pictures in front of the Christmas tree on the square and then walked over to St. Philip's to stand in wonder in front of the nativity, the manger empty and waiting for the Christ Child.

Franklin is the best town in the world, and we never forget it. 

• Advent: The Story of Christmas, 2019

Graham, Fred    

Born in Arkansas and educated at the University of Southern Mississippi, Fred Graham moved to Middle Tennessee in 1982. He lived in Brentwood and then moved to Triune. There his children attended Eagleville Elementary School, where their experience was the genesis for his book. When a rabbit did funny things at school, Fred Graham wrote a story about it. The children and teachers liked it, and Graham went on to publication, using photographs of the classroom children as part of the book.

• A Calf Named Nan, 2002
• The Rabbit That Went to School, 2001

Grant, Amy

Amy Grant lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, country music star Vince Gill. She has four children, Matt, Millie, Sarah, and Corrina, and one stepdaughter, Jenny.

• Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, 2007

Grant, George (1954 - )    

George Grant has been the director of the King's Meadow Study Center, the editor of the Arx Axiom and Stirling Bridge newsletters, a regular columnist for both World and Table Talk magazines, the editorial director for Highland Books, the president of the Covenant Classical School Association, and an instructor at several classical schools, colleges, and seminaries. He is the author of many books in the areas of history, biography, politics, literature, and social criticism; he has written hundreds of essays, articles, and columns. Grant's work on behalf of the homeless, for international relief and development, and for the sanctity of life has been profiled in national and international communications media, including ABC's Nightline and the Wall Street Journal. He lives on a small farm in Williamson County.

• Blood of the Moon: Understanding the Historic Struggle Between Islam and Western Civilization, 2002, 1991
• Garden Graces (with Karen Grant), 2001
• Killer Angel: A Biography of Margaret Sanger, 2001, 1995
• Christian Almanac: a Dictionary of Days Celebrating History's Most Significant People And Events, (with Gregory Wilbur), 2000
• Legacy of Truth: The Covenantal Character of Classical Education, 2000, 1998
• The Pocket Patriot: Citizenship Basics for the New Millennium, 2000
• Lost Causes: the Romantic Attraction of Defeated Yet Unvanquished Men and Movements (with Karen Grant), 1999
• Shelf Life: How Books Have Changed the Destinies of Men and Nations (with Karen Grant), 1999
• Christmas Spirit: the Celebrations of the Season (with Gregory Wilbur), 1999
• Micah Mandate: Balancing the Christian Life, 1999, 1994
• Going Somewhere: a Dan and Bea Adventure, 1999
• Just Visiting: How Travel Has Enlightened Lives and Viewpoints Throughout History (with Karen Grant), 1999
• The Christian Almanac: A Daily Guide to History, 1998
• Kids Who Kill (with Gov. Mike Huckabee), 1998
• Y2K: A Novel, (with Michael Hyatt), 1998
• Think on These Things: A Lifetime of Learning, 1998
• The Happy Man: The Wit and Wisdom of G. K.  Chesterton, 1998
• Best Friends: Lessons from Extraordinary Relationships Through the Ages (with Karen Grant), 1998
• Common Roots: The Ideas that Shaped the Worldview of the Founding Fathers, 1998
• Grand Illusions: The Legacy of Planned Parenthood, 1998, 1993, 1988,
• Faithful Volunteers: The History of Religion in Tennessee (with Stephen Mansfield), 1997
• Letters Home: Counsel from the Sages of the Past to Their Loved Ones (with Karen Grant), 1997
• Logomorphs: A Politically Incorrect Dictionary, 1997
• The Reader's Journal, 1997
• The Dittohead's Little Instruction Book, 1996
• You Might Be a Liberal If, 1996
• Our Character, Our Future: Reclaiming America's Moral Destiny (with Alan Keyes), 1996
• Immaculate Deception: The Shifting Agenda of Planned Parenthood, 1996
• Buchanan:  Caught in the Crossfire, 1996
• Moral Earthquakes (with O. S. Hawkins), 1996
• Bless This Food (with Karen Grant), 1996
• Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt, 1996
• The Patriot's Handbook, 1996
• Carry a Big Stick: the Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt, 1996
• Changing of the Guard: the Vital Role Christians Must Play in America's Unfolding Political and Cultural Drama, 1995, 1987
• The Family Under Siege: What the New Social Engineers Have in Mind for Your Children, 1994
• The 57% Solution: A Conservative Strategy for the Next Four Years, 1993
• Where Do We Go From Here: An Agenda for Conservatives During Cultural Captivity, 1993
• Trial and Error: the American Civil Liberties Union and Its Impact on Your Family: 1993, 1989,
• Legislating Immorality: The Homosexual Movement Comes Out of the Closet  (with Mark Horne), 1993
• The Last Crusader: The Untold Story of Christopher Columbus, 1992
• Hilarious: The Wacky Wit and Wisdom and Wonderment of Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1992
• Perot: The Populist Appeal of Strong-Man Politics, 1992
• The Quick and the Dead, 1991
• Homelessness in America: Its Causes and Its Cures, 1991
• Unnatural Affections: The Impuritan Ethic of the Modern Church (with Mark Horne), 1991
• In Defense of Greatness: How Biblical Character Shapes a Nation's Destiny (with PeterLeithart), 1990
• The Walls Came Tumbling Down (with Peter Leithart), 1990
• Clean Air (with Peter Leithart), 1990
• Third Time Around, 1990
• The Catechism of the New Age: A Response to Dungeons and Dragons (with Peter Leithart), 1987
• Rebuilding the Walls: A Biblical Strategy for Restoring America's Greatness (with Peter Waldron), 1987
• In the Shadow of Plenty, 1986
• The Dispossessed: Homelessness in America, 1986
• Bringing in the Sheaves, 1985
• The American Vision, 1984

Grant, Karen    

Karen Grant has been vice president of the Covenant Classical School Association and has served on the board of the Franklin Classical School. The founder of several community action organizations to help impoverished women and families in crisis, she has served the Mission to North America as women's consultant for urban ministry and racial reconciliation. Grant lives with her husband, George, on a farm in Williamson County.

• Garden Graces (with George Grant), 2001
• Lost Causes: the Romantic Attraction of Defeated Yet Unvanquished Men and Movements (with George Grant), 1999
• Just Visiting: How Travel Has Enlightened Lives and Viewpoints Throughout History (with George Grant), 1999
• Best Friends (with George Grant), 1998
• Letters Home (with George Grant), 1997
• Bless This Food (with George Grant), 1996

Graves, John Pittman

• Northwest Davidson County: The Land -- It's People, 1985

Graves, Kirk Walker

Kirk Walker Graves is a writer from Tennessee at work on his first novel. A graduate of Princeton University, he lives with his wife and son in Nashville.

• My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, 2014

Grayson, Sharilyn

Sharilyn Grayson was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, right around the corner from the Kennedy Space Center, and she used to love watching shuttle launches from her grandparents' back yard. Now she lives with her loud and interesting family in Franklin, Tennessee, in an old farmhouse surrounded by a lot of soybeans. She is a wife, mom, writer, and editor who loves outer space, good stories, and hot tea, and who wishes superheroes were real.

• Dawn Hyperdrive: the Galactic Handbag of Death, 2013

Green, Sharon (1942 - )    

Sharon Green was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where she graduated from New York University in 1963. She married and had three sons. She has worked for AT&T, a construction company, and an import firm. Green began writing full time in 1984, publishing novels and short stories in the four categories of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and romance. She also has several titles online. Green moved to Franklin in 1996.

• The Blending Enthroned, Book Three: Destiny, 2002
• The Blending Enthroned, Book Two: Deceptions, 2001
• The Blending Enthroned, Book One: Intrigues, 2000
• To Die For, 2000
• The Blending, Book Five: Prophecy, 1999
• The Blending, Book Four: Betrayals 1999
• Haughty Spirit, 1999
• The Blending, Book Three: Challenges 1998
• The Blending, Book Two: Competition, 1997
• The Blending, Book One: Convergence, 1996
• Game's End, 1996
• Wind Whispers, Shadow Shouts, 1995
• Enchanting, 1994
• Silken Dreams, 1994
• Dark Mirror, Dark Dreams, 1994
• Werewolf Moon, 1993
• Fantasy Man, 1993
• Flame of Fury, 1993
• Silver Princess, Golden Knight, 1993
• The Hidden Realms, 1993
• Dawn Song, 1990
• Haunted House, 1990
• Hellhound Magic, 1989
• Mists of the Ages, 1988
• The Warrior Victorious, 1987
• The Far Side of Forever, 1987
• Lady Blade, Lord Fighter, 1987, 2002
• The Warrior Challenged, 1986
• Rebel Prince, 1986
• To Battle the Gods, 1986
• The Will of the Gods, 1985
• Gateway to Xanadu, 1985
• Mind Guest, 1984
• The Warrior Rearmed, 1984
• Chosen of Mida, 1984
• An Oath to Mida, 1983
• The Warrior Enchained, 1982
• The Warrior Within, 1982
• The Crystals of Mida, 1982 

Green, Steve    

During his childhood in Argentina with his missionary parents, Steve Green's experience with music was simply as part of the weekly church services his father conducted. After returning to the states at age eighteen and enrolling at Grand Canyon University, he intended to major in pre-law but a professor recognized his musical talent and encouraged him to develop it. He auditioned for the musical group TRUTH, thus beginning a singing career which eventually led him to Middle Tennessee and Williamson County. In 1984 Green released his first recording with Sparrow Label Group in Brentwood. He has had great success, garnering eighteen number one songs, six Dove awards, and four Grammy nominations. Music is the means by which Green communicates his faith.

• Morning Light: Meditations to Awaken the Dawn (with members of the Empty Hands Fellowship), 1999
• The Power of the Cross, 1994
• Hymns: A Portrait of Christ, 1992
• Himnos: Un Retroto De Cristo, 1992

Green, Walter R. Jr. 

Walter is a retired professional civil-structural engineer who has written documents for use by the City of Franklin and for publication in the Journal of the Williamson County Historical Society. He lives in Franklin, which is a key location along the Nashville and Decatur Railroad. He hopes that his book will inspire and encourage the building of a replica of the 1901 L&N passenger depot in Franklin.

• The Nashville and Decatur in the Civil War: History of an Embattled Railroad, 2022

Gregory, Joseph Charles McLean (1964 - )    

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Joseph Gregory moved to Franklin when he was ten years old. He went to Franklin High School and Belmont College where he majored in communications. He has worked in the cosmetic industry for many years. Gregory is the great-grandson of the last private owner of the Hope Diamond. He first saw the diamond at the Smithsonian Institute when he was in the eighth grade. However, he knew stories of his great grandmother and had a copy of her 1936 autobiography and some memorabilia from her eccentric life. To tell her story has been a life long ambition. Five years of research went into this book which includes her autobiography, 40 pictures, and the last eleven years of her life story, said Gregory. He continues to be interested in writing.

• Queen of Diamonds (with Carol Ann Rapp), 2000

Griffin, Sheryl (1966 - )    

Sheryl Griffin was born and raised in Northern California and has made Franklin, Tennessee, her home since 1998. Sheryl is an Author, Encourager, Wife, & Mom. Sheryl wrote her first book, A Scarlet Cord of Hope, after her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and panic/anxiety, in 2007. Sheryl is also a speaker who offers encouragement and hope to her audience. She writes and speaks with passion and confidence gained from her own journey in search of hope.

• A Scarlet Cord of Hope ... My Journey through Guilt, Shame, and Fear to Hope, 2010

Griffin, Tonya T. (1970 - )

Tonya T. Griffin was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. A respected author, public speaker, finance professional, wife and mother, Tonya is living the life of her dreams. A life, that 20 years ago, she never thought she'd live to experience. Just after she reached her 21st birthday, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tonya's story has been featured in numerous media outlets and profiled in a video documentary. She tells her story best in her debut novel, Eagles Angels and Butterflies.

• Eagles Angels and Butterflies: How We Got Our Wings, 2006

Grissom, Michael Andrew

• Southern by the Grace of God, 1988, 1989

Gross, Robert L.  (1928 - )    

Robert L. (Bob) Gross was born in Missouri on August 5, 1928. He was raised on a farm and is a graduate of Missouri University and Midwest Baptist Theological Seminary. He served two years in the armed forces, eight months of which were in Korea during the Korean Conflict. Bob served as a North American Baptist Missionary of the Southern Baptist Convention for thirty years, ten as Director of the Hope Migrant Mission Center located in Hope, Arkansas. Bob, now retired and a resident of Franklin has published his autobiography.

• Life in the Roaring Twenties, 2014
• Amarugia, 2009
• Sonrise to Sonset, 2006

Guider, John (1949 - )    

John Guider was born and grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1972 he received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating from Vanderbilt he embarked on a career in photography. In 1975 he opened his own commercial photography studio and went on to establish a national reputation receiving numerous awards. He continued his interest in fine art photography and in 1984 he became the first artist to have a one-man photographic exhibit at Cheekwood in Nashville, Tennessee. He then gave up his studio and entered fine art photography full time. His first major project resulted in a popular traveling museum exhibition and his first book—a work that chronicles his 2500-mile trek down America's waterways solo by canoe.

• The River Inside, 2008
• Bless This Food (with George Grant), 1996

Haddox, Freddie (1947 - )    

Freddie Haddox grew up on his family's farm on Coleman Road in Williamson County. After graduating from the old Natchez High School and a four-year stint in the navy, he studied medicine at Michigan State, where he helped finance his education with his first book of poetry. A twenty-year medical career with the navy sent him worldwide, often as the only medical person on small ships or in isolated clinics. He returned to the farm to pursue courses at Vanderbilt Divinity School with intent to establish a ministry in community service. Two of his interests have been the Mamushi Nature Farm Initiatives which helps reduce hunger and Mamushi Books, a publishing service to help people get worthy literature published when they have no other means of getting help.

• Just Call Me Legion, 2003
• The Hospital Corpsman's Survival Manual, 1988
• Mixed Blood, Mixed Emotions: Black Wisdom Writings in the Language of the People, 1979

Haglund, Richard    

Born in Washington, D.C., Richard Haglund grew up in Iowa, received his B.A. in physics from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and served in the army before earning a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of North Carolina. Before moving to Brentwood to work at Vanderbilt University, he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Haglund is a serious classical pianist and is active in the Mormon Church. In addition to the book cited, he has published numerous articles in physics journals.

• Laser Desorption and Ablation (with John C. Miller), 1997

Halbert, Christy (1980 - )    

Christy Halbert grew up in Williamson County and attended the county schools, where she gained recognition for her athletic achievements. She graduated from Western Kentucky University and in 1999 received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Kentucky. Her interest in boxing grew out of scholarly research on the topic, and she eventually became a certified amateur boxing coach and official. She is one of only two women nationally to have achieved the highest level of boxing coaching certification. She has served as Coach of U.S. teams at several international boxing events, including the first Women's World Championships. In 2001 she founded the Boxing Resource Center, a club that teaches scientifically based boxing principles.

• The Ultimate Boxer, Understanding the Sport and Skills of Boxing, 2003

Halbert, John E. (1942 - )    

John Halbert grew up in Arkansas, attended Ouachita Baptist University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and the University of Arkansas. He taught sociology for several years. In 1979 he came to Williamson County and founded his own company, Impact Seminars, which assists businesses in leadership development. His books reflect his interest in the ways human interaction impacts organizations. I Could If I Wanted To is written and illustrated in the style of a children's book, but its purpose is to help organizations show their appreciation to volunteers.  His book on management uses humor to assist managers in learning effective leadership techniques.

• I Could If I Wanted To, 1998
• The Tacky Manager, 1991

Halbert, Marjorie (1946 - )    

A musician, Marjorie Halbert grew up in Arkansas and earned her master's degree at Ouachita Baptist University. When she and her husband moved to Middle Tennessee in 1979, she began teaching at Belmont University. Halbert has taught voice and has been Director of Musical Theater at Belmont. She also became Minister of Music at Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville. She has given studio classes, workshops, and master classes in vocal performance and song interpretation.

• Releasing the Inner Voice: A Guide for Singers, 1995

Hall, Dixie - (abt 1935 - 2015)

Dixie Hall was a bluegrass and country music songwriter, a music journalist, an animal rights activist, an independent record label boss and a devoted wife of 46 years to Country Music Hall of Famer Tom T. Hall. Most of all, she was a collector and encourager of people. A community organizer of sorts, known as "Miss Dixie," there to help those who raised voices in song. Mrs. Hall, who died Friday Jan. 16 at age 80 after a lengthy illness, wrote more than 500 commercially recorded bluegrass songs, more than any female songwriter in bluegrass history. Her compositions were also sung by country hit-makers from Johnny Cash to Miranda Lambert. But she was most interested in gathering talented musicians together, and in including outliers the way Mother Maybelle Carter, Tex Ritter and others included her when she came to America in 1961, on a ship from her native England. 

"I'm trying to ease their way, in the same way that the Carters and so many others have eased mine," she told Nancy Cardwell for a 2013 cover story in "Bluegrass Unlimited." "If a few dollars worth of studio time, or groceries, or conversation can make someone feel a part of the bluegrass family, then that's what I want to do. It's a family, and it's important that it stays that way, so that tradition continues." Mrs. Hall was a Distinguished Achievement Award-winner from the International Bluegrass Music Association. She and her husband won the Grand Masters Gold prize from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America, after notching 10 straight songwriters of the year awards. PHOTO: Dixie Hall, left, accepts the Grammy award on the behalf of her husband, Tom T. Hall, for Best Album Notes during the champagne breakfast and the final 36 presentations of the Grammy awards at the Municipal Auditorium after the nationally televised show March 4, 1973. 

"I was born in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, and spent my whole life trying to get out of there," Tom T. Hall told Geoffrey Himes for a "New York Times" story. "Maybe our bluegrass songwriting works so well because we have such different views of Appalachia..... She can see the trees, while all I can see is the forest." She saw the trees, and then planted some more. Mrs. Hall cultivated community, bringing hundreds of musicians together to record at her home, the Brentwood farm called "Fox Hollow." A recent "Daughters of Bluegrass" boxed set featured more than 100 women singing and playing bluegrass songs, with Tina Adair, Sierra Hull, Laurie Lewis, Fayssoux Starling McLean, Pam Tillis, Donna Ulisse and others performing numerous songs penned mostly by Mrs. Hall. 

"When Dixie speaks, we walk," said Lorrie Bennett, a "Daughters" contributor and the granddaughter of Mrs. Hall's late and dear friend, Mother Maybelle Carter. "Dixie is a good person, she knows good people and she knows good music." Born Iris Violet May Lawrence, Mrs. Hall was raised in England's West Midlands, near Manchester. Early on, she sought outside influences, winning a BBC poetry contest with a verse about Canada. She often watched cowboy movies, and rode horses herself. "When I was 10, I wrote a poem about the west, and I submitted it to a program called "Children's Hour" on the BBC," Mrs. Hall said in a 2013 interview with "The Tennessean." "They had a poetry contest, and I won it and got to go to London to read the poem on the radio. That kind of triggered it for me." 

Years later, she was set to take a train to London and she heard a deep, American voice saying, "Who are you, young lady, and what are you doing with a Stetson hat and a pair of boots?" The voice was, to young Ms. Lawrence, familiar. It was cowboy movie star Tex Ritter. They rode in the train carriage to London, and Ritter said he'd love for his records to be released in Europe. With the Halls is Lynn Waggoner of KEBC in Oklahoma City, who was voted the CMA's top major market deejay this year. "I said, 'Oh, I'll take care of you,'" Mrs. Hall said. "I didn't at all know what I was doing, but I took some of his material over to EMI Records." EMI released some Ritter material, and Nashville noticed. Don Pierce of Starday Records offered her a job in promotion and publicity, and in 1961 she took a ship to America. Before long, she was in Nashville, living with Mother Maybelle Carter of The Carter Family, country music's first superstar ensemble. "The music the Carters made was the pure stuff," she said. "It was the origin, to me. And the family reached out and pulled me in." 

With Maybelle, Mrs. Hall played "Don't Get Mad" and Canasta on many nights, sitting around the kitchen table. She answered the phone sometimes. "Is Mother Maybelle there?" "No, I'm sorry." "She sure is a wonderful lady." "I'll tell her you called. What is your name?" "Bob Dylan." There, she also watched Maybelle teach Earl Scruggs the guitar part to "You Are My Flower." Sometimes, she and Maybelle wrote songs, with Mrs. Hall writing under the name "Dixie Dean." "Johnny Cash was chasing June at the time, and Maybelle loved him, and he'd stay with us when he was in town," Mrs. Hall said. "Once, I was at the table with a legal pad, working on a couple of songs that Maybelle and I had started, and John came in and started looking over my shoulder. He said, 'Mind if I look at that?' I said, 'No.' He looked at the songs, said, 'Hmmmm,' and as he was leaving he said, 'Those two songs, I want to record 'em. If I may.'" She told Cash that'd be fine, and he did in fact record both "A Letter From Home" and "Troublesome Waters." 

He has become a popular bluegrass writer, and will be performing in the upcoming International Bluegrass Music Association's Fan Fest. She also co-wrote Dave Dudley's hit "Truck Drivin' Son Of A Gun" with Ray King, a single backed by "I Got Lost," by a little-known writer named Tom Hall. The two met at the BMI Country Awards in Nashville in 1964. Later, "Tom Hall" would add the initial '"T" in the name of show business, and he and the former Iris Lawrence would build a life together. For a time, she wrote for country music publications, including Faron Young's "Music City News." (She wound up as that magazine's editor.) 

She and Tom T. Hall married in March of 1968, and she set songwriting aside for many years. She focused on charity work, on raising and showing contest-ready Bassett Hounds, and on working with Nashville's Humane Society, helping that society raise more than one million dollars via various fundraisers. "We raised all the money ourselves," she told Cardwell. "A lot of it was through making pickles and jellies and selling hundreds of thousands of jars at the lawn and garden show, the women's show, and Uncle Dave Macon Days, places like that." 

In the 1990s, Tom T. Hall retired from a remarkable career, determined to set music aside. Mrs. Hall told him, "Music is too much of a treasure to throw it away." "I kept on him," Mrs. Hall said in 2013. "And he finally said, 'If it's such a treasure and so easy to do, you do it." So she did it. PHOTO: Mother Maybelle Carter, second from right, pose with Dixie Hall, left, Hank Snow, and Johnny Cash, right, backstage after she receives an award as the Grand Ole Opry celebrates their 41st birthday party at the Ryman Auditorium Oct. 21, 1966. 

Mrs. Hall wrote a handful of songs for bluegrass talent Nancy Moore, and Tom T. Hall then began contributing his own ideas. Newly enthused, Tom T. Hall finished a song called "Little Bitty," which wound up topping country charts after Alan Jackson recorded it. Jackson's success funded the renovation of the Halls' dog kennel into a state-of-the-art recording studio. And Mrs. Hall worked to turn newly created Blue Circle Records and Good Home Grown Music publishing into effective entities. "She built this studio, started a publishing company and a record label," Tom T. Hall said. "She built the whole thing, while I was playing golf and mowing the grass." Mrs. Hall sometimes kicked herself for not entering the bluegrass fray years earlier. "Sometimes I think to myself, 'Oh, if I had another twenty years to write bluegrass songs, what could I do,'" Mrs. Hall told Cardwell. "But we got into it a little late. Just think, all those foolish years, frittered away on (Tom T. Hall country classics like) 'Homecoming' and 'Harper Valley (PTA).'" Bluegrass artists gravitated to Mrs. Hall's songs, the ones she wrote herself and the ones she wrote with her husband. 

"She's one of the most driven women I've ever met," Tom T. Hall said. "She would not take 'no' for an answer. She'd call people three times a day, tell them, 'We've got a song for you.' If they didn't want that one, she'd call them back with another." Dixie Hall, center at the microphone, accepts the award for Best Recorded Event with other members of the Daughter of Bluegrass at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards show Oct. 1, 2009. When she wasn't pitching songs to others, Mrs. Hall wrote, voraciously. She wrote alone, with her husband and with friends including Jeanette Williams, Troy Engle and Billy Smith. 

"Songwriting is an escape, a retreat and a haven for me," she told Cardwell. "It's somewhere to go. There's nothing like the feeling when a song's completed. You see what it is you've brought into the world. And then you have to let it go, and hope someone doesn't put drums on it." Sometimes, Mrs. Hall didn't mind when someone put drums on her creations. She was particularly pleased with Miranda Lambert's 2014 version of "All That's Left," which the Halls wrote together. Featured on Lambert's CMA Album of the Year-winning "Platinum," "All That's Left" features swing band The Time Jumpers. Mrs. Hall called Lambert's recording "A blessing." 

More than a half-century after arriving in Nashville, Mrs. Hall was not only a bluegrass force, she was a contemporary country songwriter. "She accomplished everything she wanted to accomplish in life," her husband said. Mrs. Hall's favorite self-penned song was called "Let Me Fly Low." It's about a dying woman who begs to keep watch over her mate. "Sad is the feeling, dreadful the grieving, when one remains and the other must go," she wrote. "It won't be Heaven without him beside me/ Please tell the angel, Lord, let me fly low." Mrs. Hall wrote songs even as a brain tumor and other health woes took their toll. 

In late 2014, she released her first bluegrass single, a self-penned song called "Sunny Flower One." "This song is my gift to you," she wrote, in a message that accompanied a free MP3 download of the song. "Running out of time here but it's your earth, and your music. Please save it and give generously. God bless you forevermore. I love you." Mrs. Hall's funeral service will be private, though down the road Tom T. Hall expects to gather friends and fans for what he says will be "A cheerful and joyous celebration of her life and music." From The Tennessean (Obituary), January 17, 2015 

• The Animaland Cookbook, vol. 2, 1993

Hall, John

John Hall has never forgotten the language of childhood. He has the magical gift of seeing the world through the prism of a child's imagination. A former elementary school teacher and educational consultant, John teamed with renowned artist and close friend, Stephen Gilpin, to start Red Rocket Bookworks.  Mickey McGuffin's Ear is their first collaboration with many more soon to come. John often can be found in grade school classrooms inspiring children to write their own books. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his family.

• Mickey McGuffin's Ear, illus. by Stephen Gilpin, 2005.

Hall, Tom T.    

Known around the world for his country music talent, Tom T. Hall is a native of Olive Hill, Kentucky. He attended Roanoke College in Virginia, where he studied journalism and American literature, with an emphasis on Mark Twain, Sinclair Lewis, and Ernest Hemingway. His first hit song was "Harper Valley PTA." Hall published two books in the 1970s and continued to write after he moved to Williamson County, where he and his wife have contributed in many ways to the community.

• What a Book!, 1996
• Spring Hill, Tennessee: A Novel, 1990
• Christmas and the Old House, 1989
• The Songwriter's Handbook (Revised), 1987
• The Acts of Life, 1986
• The Laughing Men of Woodmont Coves, 1982
• The Storyteller's Nashville, 1979
• How I Write Songs: Why You Can, 1976

Ham, Bob    

Bob Ham was born in Virginia. In the early 1990s, he lived in Williamson County where he was an auxiliary deputy with the sheriff's department and served as foreman of the grand jury. He is the author of an ongoing series of adventure novels, the Overload Series, written for truck drivers.

• Alabama Bloodbath, 1991
• Vegas Gamble, 1991
• Rolling Vengeance, 1991
• Huntsville Horror, 1991
• Michigan Madness, 1991
• Nebraska Nightmare, 1990
• Ozark Payback, 1990
• Atlanta Burn, 1990
• Personal War, 1989
• The Wrath, 1989
• Highway Warriors, 1989
• Tennessee Terror, 1989

Hamilton, Scott

Scott Hamilton has experienced the heights of accomplishment and the depths of disease, from winning the Gold to becoming a cancer and brain tumor survivor. But through his successes, struggles, and setbacks, Hamilton has never lost his trademark humor and honesty. More important, he has never lost his faith and optimism.

• Finish first : winning changes everything, with Allison Fallon, 2018
• The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (even when you have every reason to be miserable, 2009
• Landing It: My Life On and Off the Ice, 1999

Hammer, Randy (1955 - )    

Randy Hammer grew up in East Tennessee and began his ministerial career while studying for a degree in philosophy, religion, and English at East Tennessee State University. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Memphis Theological Seminary and a Master's degree in English from Tennessee State University. Hammer taught English at Columbia State Community College while serving as pastor of Grace Cumberland Presbyterian Church. After thirteen years in Williamson County, he accepted a call to a church in Albany, New York.

• Dancing in the Dark: Lessons on Facing Life's Challenges with Courage and Creativity, 1999
• Celebration and Joy: Worship Resources for Contemporary Churches, 1996

Hancock, M. Donald    

M. Donald Hancock, a native of Texas, lived in Williamson County from 1979 until 1991. Professor of political science and director of the Center for European Studies at Vanderbilt University, he has published articles in the Wilson Quarterly and Comparative Politics and often writes for the American Political Science Association.  He has contributed articles on Germany and Scandinavia to The Encyclopedia of Democracy.

• Transitions to Capitalism and Democracy in Russia and Central Europe (with John Logue and others), 2000
• German Unification: Process and Outcome (with Helga Welsh), 1994
• Politics in Western Europe (with others), 1993, revised 1998, 2001
• Managing Modern Capitalism (with John Logue and Bernt Schiller), 1992
• West Germany: The Politics of Democratic Corporatism, 1989
• Bundeswehr and the National People's Army, 1973
• Politics in the Post-Welfare State: Responses to the New Individualism, 1972
• Sweden: The Politics of Post-industrial Change, 1972
• American Foreign Policy in International Perspective, 1971
• Comparative Legislative Systems: a Reader in Theory and Research (with Herbert Hirsch), 1971
• Sweden: a Multiparty System in Transition?, 1968

Hankins, Caneta Skelley (1951 - )    

The sixth generation of her family to live in Williamson County, Caneta Hankins has spent a lifetime preserving the culture and traditions of Middle Tennessee and helping others to appreciate them. Educated at Martin Methodist College and Middle Tennessee State University, she majored in both English and history, she then received a Masters degree in Historic Preservation. Now assistant director of the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, she directs its "Tennessee Century Farms" program. Caneta writes articles for scholarly journals, books, and online sites. An active writer since the first grade, she chose a profession that requires writing on a daily basis for reports, building assessments, exhibit descriptions, and history.

• Plowshares and Swords: Tennessee Farm Families Tell Civil War Stories, co-authored with Michael Thomas Gavin, 2013
• Barns of Tennessee (with Michael T. Gavin), 2007
• Hearthstones: the Story of Rutherford County Homes, 1993
• At Home with Working Folks in Williamson County, editor (Rick Warwick) 2018
• Barns of Williamson County, with Rick Warwick, 2019

Hannas, Warren F.  (1924 - )    

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Warren F. Hannas became a resident of Thompson's Station. He was an independent insurance agent for 20 years before he retired. He has been very active in the YMCA, particularly Men's International, and a service club, where he conducted group studies on awareness and self-esteem. His book is the result of 15 years of study.

• A Little Humor Never Hurt Anyone, 2009
• Be Somebody, 1980

Harlin, Camille

Writer/Artist Camille and photographer Mimi are mother and daughter. Camille lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee, as an Assistant Professor of Art Education at Lipscomb University. She enjoys painting and exhibiting her work and currently is completing a novel. She is blessed to have Rudy, Ping, Tango and Lola May as her own cats of Harlinsdale. 

Mimi is a 2008 graduate of the University of Memphis Law School. In her high school and college years, she worked during the summer breaking and showing Tennessee Walking horses. With a love of animals, she used her interest in photography to capture the feline families at Harlinsdale.

• The Cats of Harlinsdale, with Mimi Hickerson, 2009

Harney, Sylvia    

After growing up in a small Tennessee town and attending Belmont University, Sylvia Harney Widck became a wife, mother, and country comedienne who specialized in finding humor in everyday life. She began writing observations of life when at the age of eight, she developed her first comedy character, Aggie Mae. Later, as an adult, she was approached by a publisher who asked her to write a book of humor. She continues to write, but much of her time has been devoted to motivational speaking engagements across the country.

• Married Beyond Recognition, 1988
• Every Time I Go Home, I Break Out in Relatives, 1990

Harper, Virginia M. (1956 - )    

Virginia M. Harper lived the first seven years of her life in Chile where her family had the luxury of going to markets every day for fresh food. When they immigrated to the United States, the family fell into the typical American way of eating convenient, refined foods from the supermarket. By the time Virginia was eleven, she had developed digestive problems; at nineteen, she was diagnosed with a rare blood disease called Takayasu and suffered a stroke. She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at twenty-two and treated with drugs. At twenty-three, she learned about macrobiotics which means eating locally grown organic foods. She quickly began to improve and found she could live a normal life without drugs or surgery. Harper founded The Ki of Life Foundation to help others with chronic diseases find assistance with healthy living. Drawing from her personal health experiences, she wrote her book.

• Controlling Crohn's Disease the Natural Way (with Tom Monte), 2002

Harpeth River Writers    

The Harpeth River Writers is a collective of award winning authors from Tennessee, whose divergent talents include fiction, memoir, and poetry, spanning 18 published books. The collective consists of Sandy Ward Bell, Suzanne Webb Brunson, Catherine Riddle Caffey, John Neely Davis, Micki Fuhrman, Catherine  Moore, Michael J. Tucker, Tom Wood, and Bill Woods. 

• By Blood Or By Marriage, 2015
• Words on Water, 2019

Harris, Margaret Killiffer (1904 - 1992)    

Margaret Killiffer lived in Franklin as a child when her father was Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Later the family moved to Monterey, Tennessee, where the church had a mission. Her parents gave her both the analytical skills of education and the ability to love the good in the world. When she married Luther Harris, a young mountain farmer, she used these skills to encourage him both to appreciate the mountain life which was his heritage and to move his life to a position of helping others of his community as a state rehabilitation officer. Margaret Harris was able to love her life on the Cumberland Plateau and yet see it as an outsider might. In 1961 she asked a friend to help write about an old relative. The result was an account of one mountain woman's life around which the authors clustered many oral histories from family and community in Overton County, Tennessee.

• Granny Lindy (with S.R. Lee), 2005

Harris, Mike (1948 - )    

For several years, British illustrator Mike Harris worked full-time from his home studio on Fourth Avenue in Franklin. He was born and educated in Rochester, England, earning a degree from the Midway College of Design. Twenty years ago he came to America and finally settled in Franklin. His talent for humor led him to collaborate with friend Victoria Jackson in research on the Internet that developed into a book, which he illustrated.

• Dates From Hell (and a Few Moments Made in Heaven) [with Victoria Jackson], 1998

Harsha, Diane "Sticks"

Diane "Sticks" Harsha is the author of "Sticks and Stones: How to Hike the Appalachian Trail in Thirteen Years." As a Tennessee wife, mother, and FBI agent, Sticks walked 2200 miles from Georgia to Maine when she could spare the time from the demands of her career and the responsibilities to her family. From 2005 through 2017, she lived with one foot on the Trail and one foot off; her heart always in two places. But this was a blessing and a gift - a pleasure doubled rather than halved. Her memoir is an account of all the obstacles and joys she faced on this odyssey: the incredible beauty of nature, the physical challenges of the mountains, the charm of small-town America, and the extreme generosity of strangers. Sticks retired from the FBI in 2014 and lives in Franklin, Tennessee.

• Sticks and Stones: How to Hike the Appalachian Trail in Thirteen Years, 2021

Hartman, Mary Jane (1923 t- )    

A native of central Iowa, Mary Jane Hartman has been a public school music teacher and a teacher of private piano lessons. During her husband's career on the General Board of the United Methodist Church, she planned and led a series of workshops in church music and on churchwomen's issues. She has been a contributor to many denominational publications, including The Upper Room. 

When radical orthopedic surgery made it necessary for Hartman to give up her music career, she found creative expression in writings that reflect her personal journey as she has learned to respond positively to life's physical challenges. Hartman and her husband live in a retirement community in Franklin and enjoy reading, traveling, and collecting and refinishing antiques.

• Queen Anne's Lace Blooms Again, 2002
• Queen Anne's Lace and Other Weeds, 1997
• Power for This Day, 1964

Harvey, Alex    

Alex Harvey was born in Brownsville, Tennessee, but lived for 15 years in Texas.  In recent years he has lived in Franklin. He has worn many hats—songwriter, screenwriter, producer, performer, and author. Harvey has written songs that have sold more than 70 million records, including "Delta Dawn" for Tanya Tucker and "Reuben James" for Kenny Rogers. While in Texas, he had a radio show entitled "True Tall Tales from No Place But Texas" that was broadcast over 130 stations. The show specialized in local history and folklore and was the inspiration for his two published books.

• Texas 101, 1998
• No Place But Texas, 1995

Harvey, Donald R. (1948 - )    

After growing up in California, Don Harvey majored in history and met his wife while attending college in Oklahoma. He received his master's degree in counseling from the University of Alabama and a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Harvey has been the clinical director for Christian Counseling Services of Nashville and director of the graduate marriage and family therapy program at Trevecca Nazarene University. He has also maintained a private practice.

• Talk Your Way to an Intimate Marriage, 2000
• I Love You, Talk to Me, 1996
• Surviving Betrayal, 1995
• Love Secured, 1994
• A Change of Heart, 1993
• When the One You Love Wants to Leave, 1993, 1989
• The Spiritually Intimate Marriage, 1989
• The Drifting Marriage, 1988

Hastings, Wayne (1949 - )    

Wayne Hastings was born in San Bernardino, California where he grew up. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California with a BA in Economics in 1971. He is an author, speaker, and business consultant, known for delivering one of the most critical messages in business today: trust. A respected business leader for more than thirty years, Wayne has first-hand experience in areas of publishing, retail, wholesale, distribution, and marketing. He is also a Resource Pastor for Grace Chapel in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. He lives in Franklin with his wife and two children.

• Trust Me, 2004
• If You Take My Hand My Son, 2001
• Trusting Enough to Parent, 2000
• The Sound of My Daughter's Voice, 2000

Hatcher, Howard W.    

Howard W. Hatcher, a Williamson County native, attended Forrest Home, Arrington, College Grove and Franklin High Schools in Williamson County and graduated from Eagleville High School in 1953. He received his B. S. Degree from Middle Tennessee State in 1957. His post-college career includes eight years with Borden Foods, thirty-four years with USDA's Farmer's Home Administration and ten years as Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce at Dunlap, Tennessee. He wrote a popular column for the Dunlap Tribune and for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for several years. Both books are a collection of short stories of his childhood in Williamson County. 

• Parables and People: Stories of Yesteryear, 2011
• Granddaddy Tell Me a Story: Stories about a Farm Family Who Refused to Give Up, 2010

Haun, Mildred Eunice (1911 - 1966)    

Born in Hamblen County, Mildred Haun grew up in Haun Hollow, the Hoot Owl District of Cocke County and the setting for most of her stories. She attended Vanderbilt University and earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees, studying under Donald Davidson.  While attending Vanderbilt, she lived in Franklin with an aunt and uncle. In 1941, Haun published The Hawk's Done Gone, her only book to be published during her lifetime.  After her death, Vanderbilt University Press reprinted the book, which greatly enhanced her literary reputation. Set in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, Haun's stories of Appalachian life capture the simplicity of the legends and ballads that still live in the rural hollows. 

• The Hawk's Done Gone and Other Stories, 1967
• The Hawk's Done Gone, 1941

Hayes, Jan

Jan Hayes spent thirty-five years teaching children's literature courses at Middle Tennessee State University. She is a storyteller of folktales. The Split-tongue Sparrow was her first book for children. She has written several books for teachers and administrators on positive self-concept development. Hayes served on the O'More College of Design Board of Directors and is Professor Emeritus at MTSU. 

• The Split-Tongue Sparrow: a Traditional Japanese Folktale, illus. by Bobby Dawson, 2007
• Wise Oonagh: An Irish Folktale, adapted by Jan Hayes; illustrated by Bobby Dawson; 2010
• Anansi's Challenges: a Tale of Tales, adapted by Jan Hayes; illustrated by Bobby Dawson, 2011

Haynes, Keeda J. 

Keeda Haynes is a criminal justice reform advocate and a former Nashville public defender. She currently serves as the Voting Rights Campaign Strategist with The Sentencing Project, and formerly served as the legal advisor to the nonprofit organization Free Hearts. In 2020, she campaigned with hopes to become the first Black congresswoman to represent Tennessee. She lecture nationwide and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

• Bending the Arc: My Journey from Prison to Politics, 2021.

Hayworth, Lynne    

Lynne Hayworth published all three volumes of her romance trilogy in one year.  A resident of Brentwood, she is a medical textbook editor for Vanderbilt University and McGraw-Hill, the largest educational and professional publisher in the world.  A twelfth-generation native of Maine, she has traveled extensively in the Caribbean on behalf of a service agency and has served as director of communication for the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

• Summer's End: The Clan MacLean, 2001
• Autumn Flame: The Clan MacLean, 2001
• Winter Fire: The Clan MacLean, 2001

Hechtkopf, Jacqueline    

Jacqueline Hechtkopf (pseudonym: Jacqueline Jules) has published short fiction, articles, poetry, and essays in magazines. She has also been a book reviewer for local newspapers. Her first book for children, The Grey Striped Shirt, is the story of a young girl who discovers a concentration camp uniform in her grandparents' closet.

• The Grey Striped Shirt: How Grandma and Grandpa Survived the Holocaust, 1993

Heim, Tami

Tami Heim is a brand development partner in The A Group, a tech, marketing, media, and consulting firm in Brentwood, Tennessee. She previously served as the executive vice president and chief publishing officer at Thomas Nelson Publishers and president of Borders, Inc.

• @stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online, with Toni Birdsong, 2010.

Heirich, Beverly    

Born in South Dakota, Beverly Heirich grew up in Seattle. She attended several colleges, receiving her M.A. from Regent University in Virginia. For several years she lived in Franklin, teaching communications at Columbia State and O'More School. She owned property near Leipers Fork on which she hoped someday to build a writers' retreat. Heirich moved to Colorado to run a literary institute where she offered communications services and training. She was interested in teaching creative writing techniques in technical writing. She was also a conference speaker on "the non-traditional college student" and on "the ancient art of Christian meditation." The latter topic relates to her book, a guide for meditation in which she pairs quotes from Fulton Sheen with scripture from Proverbs.

• Mornings with Fulton Sheen: 120 Holy Hour Meditations, 1998

Heller, J. Roderick III (1937 - )    

Rod Heller is a direct McGavock descendant and Franklin resident. Heller is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School with a master's degree in history from Harvard. He is chair and CEO of Carnton Capital Associates, a private investment corporation in Washington, D.C.

• Democracy's lawyer: Felix Grundy of the Old Southwest, 2010
• The Confederacy is on her way up the spout: letters to South Carolina, 1861 to 1864, 1998

Henderson, Jerry    

Jerry Henderson is a native Tennessean, having been born in Ashland City and growing up in Nashville. He attended David Lipscomb High School and University and furthered his education in Southern Illinois University and Louisiana State University, where he earned a doctorate in theater. After teaching at Lipscomb University for a number of years, Jerry became Professor of Theater at Murray State University, Tennessee Tech University, and finally to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, from which he retired in 2005. His interest in writing began early in his teaching career and centered mostly on playwriting. His first one-act sold and others had productions, but soon his interest turned to short stories. During his thirty years living on the west coast, screen-writing took first place, but when he turned to Tennessee, his focus returned to the short story. In addition to his interest in writing, his life has been filled with directing and acting in theatre. Over the years, he has had the opportunities to be seen in some choice roles:  Beverly in August, Osage County, Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, Nonno in The Night of the Iguana, Dr. Sloper in The Heiress, Sidney Bruhl in Deathtrap, Juror #9 in Twelve Angry Men and some interesting background work in TV and Film: Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, Charlie Wilson’s War, and others.  His directing credits range from great classic tragedies (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Streetcar Named Desire) to world-renowned musicals (My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, A Chorus Line, Hello, Dolly!) and on and on.

• The Little Box and Other Stories, 2019
• Here & Now, Then & There, 2015

Henderson, Mindy B. (1960 - )    

After growing up in Nashville, Mindy Henderson graduated from Tennessee Tech University with a degree in business. Working in sales from her home has given her the opportunity to be with her two children. She and her mother collaborated to write accounts of what children have called their grandmothers and followed that with accounts of what children call their grandfathers.

• Grandparents: Gifts of Love, Humor, and Wisdom (with Carolyn J. Booth), 2000
• Grandfather by Another Name (with Carolyn J. Booth), 1998
• Grandmother by Another Name (with Carolyn J. Booth), 1997

Henry, Sarah J.    

Sara J. Henry's novel Learning to Swim, a USA Today bestseller, won the Anthony and Agatha awards for best first novel and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. An auspicious debut, says Daniel Woodrell (Winter's Bone) and emotional, intense, and engrossing - Lisa Unger. A Cold and Lonely Place, her second novel, won the Silver Falchion award and was nominated for the Anthony Award for best novel. Sara has written for sports and fitness magazines, was an editor at Rodale Books and Women's Sports & Fitness magazine, wrote health and fitness books, and was a newspaper and magazine editor. A native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, she now lives in southern Vermont.

• A Cold and Lonely Place, 2013
• Learning To Swim, 1911

Hernandez, Betsy    

A native of Idaho, then a wife and mother in Williamson County, Betsy Hernandez, and her husband owned Heartchild Productions. She became active in a ministry to the unchurched and collaborated with others to write music for it, including "Music Machine," which went platinum, and "Bullfrogs and Butterflies." She and her husband made a children's music series called "Hide 'Em in Your Heart" with artist Steve Green, and they also produced a video series called "The Adventures of Prayer Bear," both for Sparrow Records.

• Silent Night, a Mouse Tale (with Donny Monk), 1992 

Hickerson, Mimi

Writer/Artist Camille and photographer Mimi are mother and daughter. Camille lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee, as an Assistant Professor of Art Education at Lipscomb University. She enjoys painting and exhibiting her work and currently is completing a novel. She is blessed to have Rudy, Ping, Tango and Lola May as her own cats of Harlinsdale. 

Mimi is a 2008 graduate of the University of Memphis Law School. In her high school and college years, she worked during the summer breaking and showing Tennessee Walking horses. With a love of animals, she used her interest in photography to capture the feline families at Harlinsdale.

• The Cats of Harlinsdale, with Camille Harlin, 2009

Hickey, Kate

Kate Hickey is the author of Have Fun Be Safe I Love You. She holds a Master’s in Education and taught in Williamson County High Schools for ten years. She currently works as a mental fitness facilitator for Fortune 500 companies and her writing has been featured in Glamour, Forbes, Nashville Voyager Magazine, and Yahoo News. She is the owner of HickeysEverywhere.com. This book is the result of her passion to help students understand and manage their emotions, realize their potential, and fearlessly create their own future. She was featured on House Hunters International in 2019 and currently resides in Valencia, Spain with her husband and two children.

• Have Fun Be Safe I Love You ... and everything else I want to say to my kids about college and beyond, 2021

Hickman, Martha Whitmore (1925-2015)

As a freelance author, Martha's best known book is Healing After Loss, a set of meditations for people dealing with grief, which has provided comfort for many thousands of readers throughout the world. Her other writings include fiction, personal essays, and children's books. She was active in many church and community pursuits and had a natural ability to connect with people, developing close friendships throughout her life. She was an expert knitter with a wry sense of humor, and was always handy with a pun or a well-turned phrase. Based on her own experience, Hickman often wrote on the themes of death and dying. Her books and thoughts are highly regarded throughout the world.

• The Walls Come Tumbling Down, 2009
• Then I think of God, 2003
• Wade in the Water: 52 Reflections on The Faith We Sing, 2003
• Prayers and devotions for teachers , 2003
• A Day of Rest: Creating Spiritual Space in Your Week, 2002
• Waiting and Loving: Thoughts Occasioned by the Illness and Death of a Parent, 2000
• Fullness of Time: Short Stories of Women and Aging, 2000
• The Growing Season: The Sights and Sounds of Middle Life, 2000
• A Baby Born in Bethlehem, 1999
• Such Good People, 1997
• Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations For Working Through Grief, 1994.
• I Will Not Leave You Desolate: Some Thoughts for Grieving, 1994
• Robert lives with his grandparents, 1995
• And God Created Squash: How the World Began, 1993
• When Andy's Father Went to Prison, 1990
• When our church building burned down, 1986
• When James Allen Whitaker's Grandfather Came to Stay, 1985
• Good Manners for Girls & Boys, 1985
• Last week my brother Anthony died, 1984
• Eeps creeps, it's my room!, 1984
• When can daddy come home?, 1983
• When our church building burned down, 1982
• The Reason I'm Not Quite Finished Tying My Shoes, 1981
• My friend William moved away, 1979
• Love speaks its voice: The sights and sounds of life, 1976
• I'm Moving, 1975

Hicks, Robert    

Robert Hicks grew up in a small town in Southern Florida. In Middle Tennessee, he has worked as a music publisher and developer/manager of both rock and country musicians. His contributions to Williamson County include his long-term commitment to the restoration of Historic Carnton Plantation and other work as "citizen architect." He has also served as president of the Williamson County Historical Society and the Tennessee Valley Preservation Alliance. He has been listed among the top one hundred collectors in America, his collection focusing on outsider art and regional material culture. His essays on southern material culture and regional history, as well as music, have appeared in many publications.

• A Separate Country, 2009
• Historic Franklin Tennessee, essay author, 2009
• A Guitar and a Pen: Stories by Music's Greatest Songwriters, 2008
• The Widow of the South, 2005
• Nashville: The Pilgrims of Guitar Town (with photographer Michel Arnaud), 2000

Hilliard, K. Mark (1957 - )    

As the son of a missionary, Mark Hilliard grew up with cultural contacts and experiences beyond the usual, as do many missionary children. He attributes his interest in holistic wellness to his exposure to Native American beliefs and practices. At Middle Tennessee State University, he earned a doctorate in Higher Education and Wellness, the primary subject of his books. He has been Medical Director of the Tennessee branch of the American Cancer Society, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University, and finally President and CEO of O'More College of Design in Franklin, Tennessee. He is simultaneously an educator and a minister at Cherokee Church of Christ for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina. He does much of his writing in a mountain cabin near the Reservation.

• The Best of O'More, 2011
• Educational Wellness, 2008
• Spirit Ritual, 2006
• The Catcher of Dreams, 2002

Hillin, Hank    

A retired FBI agent, Hank Hillin has many stories to tell from his twenty-six years of FBI work, from his private detective experiences, and from his interest in current events. Some of those stories and interests have made it into print. For five years he investigated Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton for the FBI and then stayed in Brentwood to set up a private agency.

• Al Gore, Jr.: His Life and Career, 1992
• Al Gore, Jr.: Born to Lead, 1988
• FBI Codename Tennpar: Tennessee's Ray Blanton Years, 1985

Hime, Stanley (1924 - 2018)

Stanley Hime was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1924. His father died in 1938 and he was raised by a wonderful mother who supported all his whims, as long as they didn't get him in trouble. He was a movie projectionist and an artist. He spent three years in the Navy during WWII where he started to write fiction while on night watches in the alarm room of a firehouse. He returned to Nashville and bought a house on the G.I Bill. Married twice, he now has a wonderful wife, five children, ten grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. He did still photography and 16 mm movies filming sporting events and commercials. He once got a standing ovation while filming a rodeo when a bull stared at him through the lens. (The wide-angle viewer made the bull look very far away.) Other interests include wood carving, lino blocks designing quilts, observing Mother Nature, carpentry, target shooting, genealogy, and mowing five of his eight acres. He belongs to a military collectors group and a writing group. They have published three anthologies. His articles have appeared in the Williamson A.M., the Tennessean and Nashville Retrospect. 

• Stanley's Quilt Book; Sue Stays Busy, 2011
• You Will Love This Book, 2011
• It Was All About Sects, 2005

Hines, Stephen W.    

Stephen W. Hines grew up on a farm in eastern Kansas and graduated from the University of Kansas. He earned an M.A. degree from Ball State University. Hines worked for the Presbyterian Journal and the Asheville Citizen before moving to Nolensville in the Nashville area, where he worked as an editor with Thomas Nelson Publishers and Wolgemuth and Hyatt Publishers. He also worked as a project director for the American Association of State and Local History. He edited the work of Laura Ingalls Wilder and made it available to the public. Hines then expanded his interests to Louisa May Alcott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He has found some of Louisa May Alcott's Christmas stories for which he has written an introduction and done some editing.

• Titanic: One Newspaper, Seven Days, and the Truth That Shocked the World, 2011
• Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder, vol. 1: On Wisdom and Virtues, (editor) 2006
• Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder, vol. 2: On Life as a Pioneer Woman, (editor) 2006
• Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder, vol. 3: As Told by Her Family, friends and Neighbors, (editor) 2006
• Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury (editor), 2002
• Kate's Choice; What Love Can do; Gwen's Adventure in the Snow; Three Fire-side Stories to Warm the Heart by Louisa May Alcott, (editor) 2001
• The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (with Steven Womack), 2001
• The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story, (editor) 1999
• I Remember Laura: Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1999, 1994
• Laura Ingalls Wilder's Fairy Poems, (editor) 1998
• Saving Graces: The Inspirational Writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder, (editor) 1997
• Words from a Fearless Heart: A Collection of Wit, Wisdom, and Whimsy Laura Ingalls Wilder (editor), 1995
• Little House in the Ozarks: a Laura Ingalls Wilder Sampler: The Rediscovered Writings (editor), 1991

Hoesel, Don (1970 - )

Don Hoesel credits his education as a mass communications major with a focus on film at Taylor University, Indiana, with helping him structure his active novels. He grew up in Buffalo, New York, but has lived in Spring Hill Tennessee, for much of his adult life. Both settings appear in his second published novel. He first became interested in writing when a middle school teacher encouraged him, and he has had the tenacity to continue through years of writing while raising a family and working in communications for a Medicare carrier in Nashville. Now he has come out with two works published and several future plans.

• Hunter's Moon, 2010
• Elisha's Bones, 2009

Hogan, Melissa J.

Melissa J. Hogan, JD, is a parent to a child with a rare genetic disease who has faced countless surgeries and specialists and, as a result, medical trauma. Her co-author, Meghan L. Marsac, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist with expertise in helping children and families adjust to and deal with medical conditions.

• Afraid of the Doctor: Every Parent's Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma, with Meghan Marsac, PhD, 2021

Holladay, Robert    

Bob Holladay was a member of the Williamson County Literary Committee from its inception, serving as its chairman and a major contributor to the first five Written Word bibliography publications. Descended from one of Nashville's first settlers and from an old Williamson County family, Bob Holladay was born and raised in Nashville and graduated from Vanderbilt University. He worked for various Williamson County publications including the Review Appeal and the Williamson Leader. He also worked in public relations for the City of Franklin, as News Editor for Williamson Homes and Lifestyles magazine, and freelanced for other publications. 

• Second Annual Williamson County Public Library History Lecture Series, with James A. Crutchfield, 2000
• Franklin: Tennessee's Handsomest Town (with Jim Crutchfield), 1999

Hood, Lauren

Lauren Hood is a freelance photographer and a graduate of Battle Ground Academy and Pratt Institute in New York with a BFA in filmmaking.

• Historic Franklin Tennessee, photographer, 2009

Hood, Robin    

Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Robin Hood has received international acclaim for images that capture the beauty and diversity of America. Hood studied painting at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the school during its centennial celebration in 1986. He was commissioned lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1969 and served as an information officer in Vietnam. In 1971 Hood joined the staff of the Chattanooga Free Press and in 1977 was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his riveting portrait of a legless Vietnam veteran as he pensively watched an Armed Forces Day Parade. Hood was named director of media services for the State of Tennessee in 1980 and established Robin Hood Photography in 1985, producing images for corporate publications and national advertising campaigns. His work has been honored by The New York Art Directors Club, Communications Arts, and the Ad Federation. Hood is co-founder and president of Parker Hood Press, a publisher of large format books for organizations and the retail market. Collections of his work have been published in the United States and abroad. He lives in Franklin with his wife and three daughters.

• Historic Tennessee, photographer, 2010
• Historic Franklin Tennessee, photographer, 2009
• Tennessee Country: In the Land of Their Fathers, essays by Marilou Awiakta, John Egerton, John Rice Irwin, Peter Jenkins and Jeff Daniel Marion, 2005
• Neyland: Life of a Stadium (with John Ward and Barry Parker), 2000
• Williamson County: The Land and Its Legacy (with Barry Parker), 1999
• Memorial: a Ministry of Healing, photos by Robin Hood; text by Barry Parker,  1997
• The Tennesseans: A People Revisited, photos by Robin Hood; text by Barry Parker, 1997
• Friends: Japanese and Tennesseans (with Gov. Lamar Alexander), 1997
• Tennessee: A Universal Portrait, photos by Robin Hood; introduction by Diane Ballard, 1988
• The Tennesseans: A People and Their Land, photos by Robin Hood; text by Barry Parker, 1981    
• Magnificent Ensemble: The Story of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, with Sarah Buckland, Randy Powers, Michael Gomez, Jeff Carroll, and John Robertson, 2006

Hooker, Henry    

A true Nashvillian, educated at Palmer, Montgomery Bell Academy, Oxford University, and Vanderbilt, Henry Hooker went away to Tulane to law school and then returned to enter the law firm of Hooker and Hooker on Union Street. He became involved in a variety of businesses as well. At the time of his marriage, he became a horseman and went on to become the Master of the Cedar Knob Hounds in Fayetteville and since 1975, Master of the Hillsboro Hounds in Cornersville. Since 1990, he has also been chairman of the Iroquois Steeplechase which benefits the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. He lives in Franklin on Vaughn's Gap Road near the steeplechase track. In addition to fox hunting, Henry Hooker has fished for Atlantic salmon in Canada and Iceland, and Pacific salmon in Alaska, and has done much ocean and river fishing. He has gone quail hunting in Georgia and hunted driven red-legged partridge in Spain and grouse in Scotland.

• Fox, Fin, & Feather: Tales from the Field, 2002

Hooper, Charles    

A Nashvillian who tried a variety of liberal education, Hooper settled on art and attended the Harris School of Commercial Art while announcing on public radio WPLN. Since then, he has spent a lifetime as a commercial artist. He has also found time to write two novels and says he finds the long form of fiction most compatible with his skills.

• The Resurrection Tree, 2000 As William Ash
• The Bones of Jesus, 1998

Hooper, Jerry L. (1932 - )    

Jerry Hooper is a native Nashvillian who spent forty years in the publishing business, first with Harper & Row Publishers in New York. He was recruited by J.B. Lippincott in 1964 to manage their special marketing program. He was transferred to Philadelphia when promoted to an editorial position in 1976. Recruited in 1980 by Cambridge University as Director of their North American Branch, he relocated to New York City. Retired in 1992 he came back to his roots and now lives in Franklin, Tennessee. His interest in writing developed during those years in the publishing field. His book, published in 1977, sold 50,000 copies.

• The Holman Bible Atlas, 1997

Hooper, Judy Lee (1945 - )    

Judy Lee Hooper was born in Cherokee County, Georgia where she lived until moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 1995. She has since moved to Thompson's Station, Tennessee in Williamson County. She attributes her life experiences as being most significant in her writing. Even as a young child she wrote imaginary stories. While in her 20's she wrote letters to the editor of a Canton, Georgia newspaper. She wrote and produced a radio show on cooking in the late 1990s which spawned a book in response to her listeners. She had the benefit of listening to stories told to her by her father of his ramblin' life which she remembered and wrote down.

• Old Time Southern Cooking, 2009
• Travels of a Ramblin' Man, 2010

Hoover, Brad W.    

Brad Hoover of Franklin, Tennessee is an emergency room physician and father to Liam Hoover, who passed away at the age of 12 in 2005. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer 15 months prior and underwent treatment at both St. Jude and Vanderbilt Children's Hospitals. Brad chronicled his son's journey through his illness, including vignettes from his classmates, teachers, and family and friends along the way. This collection of journal entries told from the unique insight of a physician with the moving memories of a father will be sure to touch every heart.

• Hero In a Bandana, 2014

Horne, Mark    

Mark Horne has been a freelance writer in Franklin.  He has written two books with George Grant and several cover stories for evangelical magazines. 

• Victory According to Mark, 2002
• Legislating Immorality (with George Grant), 1993
• Unnatural Affections (with George Grant), 1991 

Horton, Lucy Henderson (1851 - 1947)    

Born in Williamson County, the daughter of Dr. Samuel Henderson, Lucy attended Tennessee Female College and "The Institute" in Franklin. In 1878 she married Henry Claiborne Horton and went with him to his home state of Alabama where they remained for the first 11 years of their marriage. After they returned to Franklin, she became a charter member of the Old Glory Chapter of the DAR and wrote several articles for publication.

• Family History Including Hughes, Dalton, Martin, Henderson, All Originally of Virginia and Many Kindred Branches, 1922

Houghland, Mason (1888 - 1959)    

Known for helping to found several of the great horse organizations in Middle Tennessee, Mason Houghland moved to Williamson County from the Midwest. He attended the University of Chicago before "wildcatting" for oil in Wyoming and Texas. During this western time, he hunted bear, coyote, and panther and played cowboy polo with Will Rogers. During World War One he served with the U.S. Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas. He settled in Brentwood on Old Smyna Road when he came to Nashville to start the Spur Oil Company and become a respected business leader. He founded the Hillsboro Hounds in 1932 and served as Master of the Fox Hounds and also Huntsman. Farmers in the area around his land agreed to have the Hunt panel some of their wire fences so that the horses could safely hunt over the land. He also founded and held the first year of races on Green Pastures, his own farm, for the Iroquois Steeplechase in 1941. Very few copies of his books remain. In addition to his book on fox hunting, his wife published after his death his hunting diaries.

• Gone Away, 1933, 1949

Howard, Cate    

Cate Howard grew up in Alexander City, Alabama. She earned a degree in drama from Judson College and a degree in children's theater from the University of Georgia.  Working in theater, television, and early childhood education led Howard to become a storyteller. For many years she performed as a storyteller and puppeteer. She moved to Franklin in 1996. Howard has spent many vacations working in Central America at archeological sites.

• I'm No Sleeping Beauty, You're No Prince Charming, and There's Not a Fairy Godmother in Sight, 1996

Howell, Charles Andrew III

Charlie Howell is a son of the Old South, the "Great Depression," the Roosevelt Administrations and Pearl Harbor. Born in an old farmhouse in the village of Brentwood, he lived in a cold in the winter summer house on his great grandfather's farm until a move to the city. As the first son of a first son of a first son, he was the beneficiary of lots of love from the women in the family and a clear understanding of personal honesty and his responsibility to honor the family name from the men. The rest is not important. 

• Home to Hardscuffle and All That Jazz, 2008

Howell, Gayle    

Gayle Howell is a motivational singer and teacher in biblical and family arenas. He is also an author and arranger of Christian music. He currently shares his vision of prayer, worship and Christian family values with many local churches and community groups

• Things My Mother Taught Me: Life Lessons From the Greatest Generation, 1986

Howell, Sarah (1929 - 1995)

Born in Birmingham Alabama, Sarah Howell earned a home economics degree from the University of Louisville and an M.S. from the University of Tennessee. She taught private art classes and displayed her fiber and clay art forms at several galleries.  She was a past president of the Nashville Artists Guild and a member of the Tennessee Artist-Craftsman's Association and the American Crafts Council. Howell worked as a therapeutic dietitian at hospitals and retirement homes and as a home economist. She considered stewardship of time and her home as her top priorities. Howell lived in Franklin.

• More Home Cooking in a Hurry, 1986
• Home Cooking in a Hurry, 1985
• Creative Crafts for Self-Expression, 1978

Huddleston, David M.    

When one of David Huddleston's children wanted to play soccer, the father found himself coaching a team of six-year-olds. Not only did he lack coaching experience, but he had never played or even seen a soccer game. He was given no guidance by the group that recruited him. Many books, videos, and soccer practices later, he researched and wrote a book for beginning coaches that would fill the need he had experienced. Huddleston came to Brentwood in 1997.

• Coaching Youth Soccer, Simplified, 1999

Hudgins, Helen Hawes    

Helen Hawes Hudgins was born in Tiptonville, Kentucky, the great great granddaughter of an early Kentucky pioneer. Educated in Washington, D.C, she moved to Franklin with her husband, Ward Hudgins, an attorney, in 1939. A songwriter for Acuff-Rose Publishers and a member of v, Hudgins has written songs for Eddy Arnold, Joni James, Ray Price, the Osmond Brothers, Bob Wills, the Texas Playboys, and Kirk McGee. She has been a member of many historical societies, including the DAR, UDC, and the Kentucky Historical Society.

• Saga of the Red Son of Blue Thunder, 1991
• McGavock Confederate Cemetery (with Helen Potts), 1989
• The Richard Hawes Family of Kentucky, 1986
• A Sketch of Simon Bolivar Buckner, 1983

Hudgins, Ross E.

Ross Hudgins was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 2, 1950 to Charles and Claudia Jones Hudgins. At that time, his family was living at the Separation Center located between Radnor Yard and Franklin Pike. His family moved to East Nashville in the early 1950s and subsequently to Williamson County, Tennessee, in 1958. There at Old New Hope School while in the second grade he met Miss Marsha D. Hughes. They were close friends throughout their school years, dated after graduation, and married in 1970. The marriage produced five wonderful children and four beautiful grand-children. Except for a six-year military service and several years out of the area with the Tennessee Valley Authority, Fairview has been their family home since 1973.

• Maggie : the Civil War journals of Maggie N. Vaulx / (compiled and edited) by Ross E. Hudgins ; sketches by Pepper Mayfield.

Hullett, Robert    

Bobby Hullett was born in Nashville and has lived in Williamson County since 1979. He spent 7 years in private and public education before moving back into the corporate business environment. Bobby holds a BBA in Marketing and a Masters in Education Supervision and Administration. He is also an active entrepreneur. Ethics Everyday is his first published work in a series currently in production. EE was created to serve not only as a metacognitive reflection tool to discover why we think the way we think but as a device to reset and calibrate our moral compasses. Bobby resides in Brentwood.

• Ethics Everyday, 2006

Hunt, Charlotte D.    

• Damaged Goods: An Autobiography, 2009
• Damaged Goods: Learning to Dream Again, 2010

Hurd, Heather Kemp    

Heather Hurd grew up in Williamson County and graduated from Battle Ground Academy, after which she majored in marketing and business at the University of Maryland. Married to a fellow Franklinite, her life has been totally focused on family. She and her brother both work with their father, Cecil Kemp, in the family business, The Wisdom Company, through which they hope to help others and to leave a legacy for their children.

• A Book of Hope for Mothers (Celebrate the Joy of Children), 2000
• A Better Way to Live (with Cecil Kemp), 2000 

Husband, Elaine    

Elaine Husband is an author and illustrator from Franklin. She has taught art in several private schools and given private lessons to adults and children.

• Gathering in the Garden, 2003

Hussung, Raleigh McDonald    

Raleigh Hussung grew up in Atlanta but came to Vanderbilt, married, moved to Brentwood, and has been enjoying her house, family, gardening, needlepoint, and especially cooking ever since. She is descended from James Bell, one of the earliest settlers in Brentwood. She has won several regional awards for cooking and has two recipes in Southern Living. Hussung began to feel the need to write down all the things I have been told. Her lively cookbook is the result, passing on the knowledge of generations of cooks and family love.

• Momma Always Said, Pigs Is Pigs and Folks Is Folks, 1997

Hyatt, Michael

Michael Hyatt was CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers for eight years and now serves as its chairman. He is a professional blogger, author, and speaker whose blog is consistently ranked in the top three for Productivity, Leadership, Publishing, and Social Media Marketing. Hyatt and his wife, Gail, live outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

• Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, 2012

Ingram, Bowen 

See Ingram, Mildred Rebecca Prewett.

Ingram, Mildred Rebecca Prewett (1906 - 1980)

Mildred Rebecca Prewett Ingram wrote under the pen name Bowen Ingram. She was born in Gordonsville, a town named for her ancestor, John Gordon.  Always interested in writing, Ingram published her first poem at age 12. She married Daniel Taylor Ingram, Commandant of Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, and began to write for publication after her three children reached school age. Five stories appeared in the New Yorker; one short story, "Death of a Slave," became the basis for her novel, Milbrey. Ingram spent the last several years of her life living on her daughter's farm in Williamson County, the place where she had lived with her sister in a log house.

• Milbrey, 1972
• If Passion Flies
• Light as the Morning, 1954

Irvin, Susie Sims  (1927 - 2015)    

Born and reared in Nashville, Susie Sims Irvin moved to Franklin after her marriage to Shearer Irvin. Many of her Franklin years were spent on a farm that is now part of the Fieldstone Farms subdivision. A graduate of Vanderbilt University where she studied with Fugitive poet Donald Davidson, she has twice been a participant of the Sewanee Writers' Conference and twice read at the Southern Festival of Books. Irvin served as the founder and first president of the Church Women United of Franklin and Williamson County and as the founder and chairman of Franklin Childcare Center Board. She has been a member of the Stoney Crest Garden Club and The Study Club of Nashville and often used her poems as part of their meetings. She developed into a poet/painter, having studied painting at The University of Tennessee - Nashville, MTSU, the Vermont Studio School, and the Stonington Maine Workshop. Irvin has been published in a number of poetry collections and periodicals and has won awards in several poetry contests. She is a member of First United Methodist Church in Franklin. In 2003 she was inducted into the Williamson County Authors' Hall of Fame.

• Too Tall Alice, 2008
• Clouds for the Table, 2001
• Falls Even Now the Seed, 1993
• SHHHH . . . It's Time for the Devotional, 1981, 1993

Isaacs, Leonard

Leonard Isaacs grew up in Franklin and wrote about the wonderful little town he called home. "The years before WWII were a much simpler time than present day. Therefore, you will enjoy a glimpse of small town life in Middle Tennessee through the eyes of a boy who was a very keen observer of his town and its citizen."

• Franklin, Tennessee ... Nestled in the Valley of the Harpeth, 2014

Jackson, Denise

A former flight attendant and elementary school teacher, Denise Jackson currently devotes most of her time to her husband, country music superstar, Alan Jackson, and their three daughters, ages seventeen, fourteen, and ten. Apart from spending time with her family, Denise enjoys playing tennis and is an avid student of the Bible. 

• It's All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life, with Ellen Vaughn, 2007
• The Road Home: Footsteps of Faith, Hope, and Love, with Ellen Vaughn, 2008

Jacobson, Eric A.

Eric Jacobson is originally from Minnesota and grew up with a love for history. He came to Franklin in 2005 with a passion for Civil War history and after working at Carnton and the Carter House, Eric is now CEO of the Battle of Franklin Trust. He has worked tirelessly in his efforts to preserve the land and property that were significant to the Battle of Franklin for future generations.

• For Cause and for Country, co-author Richard A. Rupp, 2006

Jamieson, Shelley Palmer (1939 - )

Shelley Palmer Jamieson was born in Sheffield, Alabama, and spent her childhood in various communities, including Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the towns of Blue Mountain, Slayden, Fulton, and Chalybeate in Northeast Mississippi. She resided in Brentwood, Tennessee for 29 years, and now resides in Franklin. Before retiring, she was a teacher, a school guidance counselor, and a social counselor. Her interest in writing got its start after her retirement when she began recording family history to pass on to her descendants. She has had several published magazine articles.

• How Did I Get Here: From the Ground Up, 2010
• How Did I Get Here: The Root of the Matter, 2008

Janosky, Jim    

A native of western Pennsylvania, Jim Janosky earned a B.S. in biology and an M.A. in horticulture. He worked as a horticultural extension agent in Erie County until the winters sent him to Florida. While living there from 1986 until 1991, he spent all his extra time exploring Lake Okeechobee with his camera and learning all he could about that area. The result is his book, a nonfiction photo essay. He began visiting Nashville in 1977 because of his interest in songwriting. In 1991 he moved to the Leipers Fork area and began teaching science and photography at Hillsboro Middle School, as well as pursuing his career as a singer/songwriter.

• Okeechobee—A Modern Frontier, 1996

Jarman, Amos

Murfreesboro - Pastor Amos "Jug" Jarman, age 88, passed away peacefully on December 14, 2020. He was former pastor at West Main Baptist Church in Alexandria, Tennessee, and retired from First Baptist Church, Spring Hill in 2001.

• Christian Poetry, 2007
• Christian Poetry, vol. 2, 2007

Jeffers, Chad (1975 - )    

Chad has been on stage middle school, playing first with father's band at fairgrounds and small stages. He came to Belmont University in Nashville to major in marketing and music business. While a student, he worked in the music profession and after graduation, he became a full-fledged music professional. He has written songs, organized his own band, toured nationally and more recently performed for the military in Afghanistan and Germany. Talented on several instruments, he has played with many prominent musicians. His book is a manual for those in the music industry.

• 25 Notes for the Successful Musician, 2009

Jefferson, Virginia Carson (1893 - 1993)    

Born in 1893 in Coffee County, Virginia Carson Jefferson was the daughter of a country doctor. In 1922 she became the second University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Agent for Williamson County and remained in that position until 1944 when she married Bob Jefferson. After her retirement, she stayed in Williamson County, continuing to provide people with the details of the early days of the Agricultural Extension Agency. Her book of recollections was published in her ninety-ninth year of life.

• Recollections of Virginia Carson Jefferson: A Childhood in Manchester Tennessee, Coffee County, 1993

Jenkins, Barbara (Milom)    

Born in Doniphon, Missouri, Barbara Jenkins graduated from the College of the Ozarks with a degree in English. She worked her way through college as a photographer; since then her work has appeared in National Geographic, People, and other magazines. She appeared on several national television shows. Jenkins lived in Spring Hill for several years.

• Wit and Wisdom for Women: How to Stay on Track in These Fast Times, 1996
• I Once Knew a Woman: A Patchwork of Seven Unforgettable Americans, 1990
• The Road Unseen (with Peter Jenkins), 1985
• The Walk West: A Walk Across America 2 (with Peter Jenkins), 1981

Jenkins, Peter

When he's not having an adventure in some faraway corner of the world, Peter Jenkins lives and works on a 150-acre horse and cattle farm in Tennessee. He is the author of four best sellers: A Walk Across America, The Walk West, The Road Unseen, and Across China. Peter Jenkins was awarded am Emmy for his on-camera work in a continuing news broadcast based on his book The Tennessee Sampler.

• Looking for Alaska, 2001
• Close Friends, 1989
• Across China, 1986
• The Walk West: A Walk Across America 2 (with Peter Jenkins), 1981
• Along the Edge of America, 1980
• A Walk Across America, 1979

Jerkins, Terri Wood (1956 - )    

Terri Jerkins grew up in the Madison area, but her family moved to Williamson County after the Rivergate development bought their family farm. She graduated from David Lipscomb University and the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis. Dr. Jerkins now practices endocrinology, specializing in diabetes, in Nashville. She, her pharmacist husband, their five children, and their horses live on a 220-acre farm in western Williamson County.

• On Wings and Prayers, 2001
• Searching for Paul: a Novel, 2000
• Going Forward, Looking Back, 1995

Jobe, Ben A.

Ben Jobe has ben a juornalist, advertising copywriter and jingle writer, book copy editor and a published author. He holds graduate degrees in communications and music and has taught speech and music appreciation at three Nashville area public colleges.

• Common Threads: My Family's Journey from Slave Owner to Abolitionist

Johnian, Mona (1938 - )    

Mona Johnian and her husband, Paul, have used many forms of art to express their inspirational ideas---music, painting, writing, drama, printmaking, and combinations of these. Growing up in Alabama, Mona was interested in writing by sixth grade; in her early twenties, she discovered her talent as a painter. When she and her violinist husband began traveling on concert tours for the military, painting became more difficult; she turned once again to writing. For thirty-five years she wrote songs and books while making frequent journeys through Europe and Asia. With her husband, she also pastored a church in Boston. 

In 1998 they founded a nonprofit professional drama company, The Millennium Music Center, which presents stage productions on Christian values. They moved the company to Nashville and lived in Franklin where she began painting once again. Her books have been published in as many as eight languages. She has published eighteen songbooks of original music and has had songs top the charts. Her productions for stage and television have been viewed in Boston and Nashville as well as on satellite television. She is a multi-media talent.

• Star Codes, 2009
• The World Stage is Set for the Battle, 2007
• Worship, 1997
• Dancing in the Glory, 1996
• The Bargaining for Israel, 1996
• Countdown to the Millennium, 1995
• Revival 2000, 1995
• The Fresh Anointing, 1994
• Renewing Your Mind, 1994
• God's Message to the Nations, 1994
• The Godly Fragrance, 1993
• The Great Fire Tongue, 1992
• Life in the Millennium, 1992, revised with study guide, 1995
• Raising the Standard of Morality, 1991
• The Voice of God, 1991
• The Light, 1985
• Don't Stop with the Miracle, 1984
• The Piper's Pipe, 1976
• Five Words That Can Change Your Life, 1976
• The Cattle on a Thousand Hills, 1975, reprinted 2008
• Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 1976
• The Call to Mt. Moriah, 1975

Johnson, Ben

Ben P. Johnson has spent his entire life in Franklin, Tennessee. A graduate of Battle Ground Academy, Class of 1979, he received his professional training at Harris School of Art. In 1985, he started Ben Johnson Illustrations and since that time has produced high quality architectural renderings for architects, contractors, and builders. Building solid relationships with clients that have lasted for years, in 1992, he was awarded the American Institute of Architects Award for Architectural Graphics by the American Institute of Architects of Middle Tennessee. He also produces hand-illustrated fine art prints of local historic landmarks in and around Franklin. Ben, a Smith Kindergarten graduate, and his with Jill, have two sons, Jack and Benny.

• The Crooked Tree, text by David E. Wood, 2012
• The Little Toad and the Big Flood, text by Jill Johnson, 2011

Johnson, Jill

• The Little Toad and the Big Flood, illustrated by Ben Johnson, 2011
• My Name is Jack Johnson, but I'm not the Singer, 2018

Johnson, Tiffini    

Once upon a time, a little blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Her formative years were spent traveling across the United States and Canada with her family; she and her younger sister would often argue about who got to sit in the front seat of the car! As a child, Tiffini was complacent, obedient, observant—and a budding writer! She doesn’t even remember writing “Sweet Shelby,” her first story but by age 9 was reading her stories out loud to classmates during circle time. By the time she would graduate high school, Tiffini had written over 100 short stories and novels, covering topics like the Holocaust and the Orphan Train. All of her books at that time were hand-written; the longest was 2,243 pages! Today, Tiffini is a motivational speaker and author of seven published books, most of which deal with abuse in some format. She uses her own traumatic past as a bridge to helping others realize they are not alone and that God will hold their hand just as He held hers. She is a mother who delights in immersing herself in a wonderland of imaginative games like Elephant in the Jungle, Picasso Days and tea parties. She is a volunteer who works with children in church and in schools. She is a chocolate-lover and could play in a creek bed all day. She is an insomniac who writes late at night while consuming plenty of Dr. Peppers! She is a dreamer, an optimist and a storyteller who believes the best stories are the ones we create with our families.

• Dance For Me, 2013
• Sing Me Home, 2013
• Broken, 2013
• Holding Home, 2012
• Forget Me Not, 2011
• The Character, 2010
• Me, 2009
• Mountains of Hope, 2009

Johnston, David Owen (1930 - )    

David O. Johnston was born in Williamson County. He attended Franklin schools, Peabody College, MTSU, the University of Mississippi, and Vanderbilt University, where he did post-doctoral research in chemistry. Johnston taught chemistry at Franklin High School and at David Lipscomb University, where he was Justin Potter Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, retiring in 1990.

• World of Chemistry (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1991
• World of Chemistry Essentials (with Melvin D. Josten et al.), 1991
• Laboratory Manual, World of Chemistry (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1991
• Chemistry: Impact on Society (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1988
• Chemistry and Society (with Melvin D. Josten et al.), 1986
• La chimica, l'uomo e la società : le basi della chimica, 1976, 1983
• La Chemica E L'Vomo (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1983
• Chemistry and the Environment (with John T. Netterville et al.), 1973
• Laboratory Manual for Chemistry, Man, and Society (with Mark M. Jones, et al.), 1972
• Chemistry, Man, and Society (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1972
• Quimica (with John W. Dawson et al.), 1971
• Laboratory Manual for Chemistry: A Brief Introduction (with James L. Wood et al.), 1970
• Chemistry: A Brief Introduction (with Mark M. Jones et al.), 1969

Jones, Barry

Barry Jones has been a high school history teacher and basketball coach in Tennessee for the past fifteen years. Teaching mostly seniors, each year, the author has concluded the academic calendar with a three-week-unit on the JFK assassination. Jones' conclusions have been based on the research he has conducted on a yearly basis to prepare for this particular unit.

• Coup d'Etat: The Overthrow of an American President, 2014
• Flagrant Foul, 2008
• Letters to Toby, 2012
• Wilderness of Mirrors, 2017

Jones, David F. (1955 - )    

David Jones writes a practical book, reflecting the life he lives. Born and raised in Portland, Tennessee, he earned a degree in business at the University of Tennessee. After receiving an M.B.A. at the University of Houston, he worked for thirty years in Human Resources and Operations Management with a major energy company. Writing a book was always a goal. The opportunity arose when he lost his job and realized that his experience would be helpful to others who lose jobs and struggle trying to make life and career decisions.

• Surviving and Thriving After Losing Your Job: How This Could Be the Best Thing That Has Ever Happened to You, 2009

Jones, Denise Hildreth

Denise Hildreth Jones of Franklin is an author and an international speaker. She graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of South Carolina in 1992 and has been involved in numerous writing projects since then, including a  number one hit single, written with her husband, recording artist Jonathan Pierce.

• The Will of Wisteria, 2007
• Flies on the Butter, 2007
• Savannah by the Sea, 2006
• Savannah Comes Undone, 2005
• Savannah from Savannah, 2004

Jones, George

George Jones has been called the greatest country singer of our time. 

• I Lived to Tell It All, with Tom Carter, 1996

Jones, Nancy    

Nancy Jones grew up and worked in Louisiana until a chance encounter led her to spend an evening with the famed country music singer George Jones, whom she married. Since then she has lived in various parts of the south as his work dictated. Now in Williamson County, she collaborated with Jones' biographer to let the wives of the great country singers speak in their own voices.

• Nashville Wives  (co-author Tom Carter), 1998

Jones, Madison  (1925 - )    

Although he grew up in Nashville, Madison Jones spent part of his youth on his father's farm, first in Cheatham County and then on the Harpeth Valley Farm on Hillsboro Road in Williamson County. These early experiences are evident in his novels. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and taught at Miami of Ohio, the University of Tennessee, and Auburn University. His most famous novel, A Cry of Absence, was set in Franklin, and one of his novels, An Exile, was made into the movie I Walk the Line starring Gregory Peck. Jones' work won serious critical acclaim. The Williamson County Arts Council inducted Jones into its Authors' Hall of Fame in 1995.

• Herod's Wife, 2003
• Nashville 1864: The Dying of the Light, 1997
• To the Winds, 1996
• An Exile, 1991
• Last Things, 1989
• Buried Land, 1987
• Season of the Strangler, 1982
• Passage Through Gehenna, 1978
• A Cry of Absence, 1971
• Forest of the Night, 1960
• History of the Tennessee State Dental Association  (with Thomas Dow), 1958
• The Innocent, 1957

Jones, Timothy (1955 - )    

By combining the worlds of religion, editing, and writing, Timothy Jones has found a variety of ways to fulfill his love for communicating, conveying insight, and moving people. His youth was spent in Phoenix, Arizona, and southern California where he earned a B.A. in religion at Pepperdine University. He followed this interest with a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. He has been an associate editor for the magazine Christianity Today. Timothy has edited and compiled a collection of Henri Nouwen's writings in Turn My Mourning into Dancing. He led a campus ministry at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro before becoming a senior associate priest at St. George's Episcopal Church, Nashville, Tennessee. He has an active blog entitled "Life Changing Prayer." His books reflect his experience and interest.

• Turn my Mourning into Dancing by Henri Nouwen (compiler and editor), 2001
• Prayer's Apprentice: a Year with the Great Spiritual Mentors, 2000
• A Place for God, 2000
• The Next American Spirituality (with George Gallup), 2000
• Nurturing a Child's Soul, 2000
• Workday Prayers, 2000
• Awake My Soul: Practical Spirituality for Busy People, 1999
• Spiritual Formation Bible: Growing in Intimacy with God Through Scripture  (general editor), 1999
• 21 Days to a Better Quiet Time with God, 1998
• Finding a Spiritual Friend, 1998
• The Art of Prayer, 1997
• Celebration of Angels, 1994
• Friendship Connection, 1993
• Saints Among Us (with George Gallup, Jr.), 1992
• Mentor and Friend, 1991

Jordan, Jeff    

Jeff Jordan is a native of Williamson County and a graduate of the University of Tennessee. For several years, he taught English and psychology at Franklin High School where he coached the wrestling team. Married and the father of three children, Jordan turned to farming, writing, and coaching high school wrestling in Palmyra, Tennessee. 

• Beyond the Rainbow, 1993

Jordan, Jennifer (1962 - )    

Dr. Jennifer Jordan was born and grew up in Natchez, Mississippi. She now resides in Fairview, Tennessee. Her medical school training has allowed her to express compassion for children who grow up without their biological fathers playing a role in their lives. She became interested in writing after she experienced the death of the man she called "Daddy" for so many years. She says Fairview provided the peace and serenity needed to write her book.

• A Father's Gift, 2008

Jordan, Raphyel M.

• Prossia, 2010

Jordan, Richard

• Franklin the Way it Was, 1998

Jorjorian, Byron

Recognized as one of America's premier nature photographers, Byron Jorjorian has been capturing vibrant, one-of-a-kind images of the outdoors for more than 30 years. Over the past three decades, his love of nature has taken him from the Amazon jungles to the tundra of Alaska. He has had 11,000 images appear in publications such as Time, National Geographic, and Smithsonian Books. More than 19,000 of his fine art prints have been installed in settings ranging from government buildings to hospitals and hotels. He has had several art exhibitions, including at the Parthenon in Nashville and two juried shows at Nashville International Airport.

• Treasures Untold: Uncovering Masterpieces of Nature Across Tennessee, text by Paul Kingsbury, 2014

Judd, Ashley

Ashley Judd is an actor, advocate, and activist. She recently graduated from Harvard Kennedy School and continues to appear in films. She serves on the board of directors of Population Services International, Defenders of Wildlife, Shaker Village of Mt. Pleasant, and the leadership councils of International Center for Research on Women and Apne Aap Worldwide. She has addressed the United Nations, the Senate Foreign Relations committee, and the National Press Club, has served as an expert for the Clinton Global Initiative and the International AIDS Conference, and her op-eds have been published in major newspapers. She and her husband, race-car driver Dario Franchitti, live in Tennessee and Scotland with their many beloved animals.

• All That is Bitter and Sweet, with Maryanne Vollers, 2011

Judd, Naomi    

Naomi Judd was born in Ashland, Kentucky, the daughter of a gas station owner and riverboat cook. She and her two daughters moved first to Hollywood, then to Williamson County, where she became a nurse at the Williamson County Medical Center. While working as a nurse, Judd tried to make it in the music industry, achieving success in 1984 when she and daughter Wynonna began a career as a country music duo. All of their albums went platinum, and the Judds won eight Grammy Awards. Judd's other daughter, Ashley, is a well-known movie actress. All three of them have lived on farms in Williamson County.

• River of Time: my descent into depression and how I emerged with hope, with Marcia Wilkie, 2016
• The transparent life: 30 proven ways to live your best, 2005
• Naomi's Breakthrough Guide: 20 Choices to Transform Your Life, 2004
• Naomi Judd's Guardian Angels, 2000
• Love Can Build a Bridge (with Wynonna Judd and Bud Schaitzle), 1994
• Naomi's Home Companion: A Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food for Thought, and Kitchen Wit and Wisdom, 1997

Judd, Wynonna

Wynonna Judd came to prominence as part of the legendary mother-daughter duo. The Judds, selling more than twenty million records worldwide and winning more than sixty industry awards, including five Grammys, nine Country Music Association Awards, and eight Billboard Music Awards. As a solo artist, Wynonna has gone on to sell over nine million albums, receive the coveted Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music, sing on every stage from the grand Old Opry to the Apollo Theater, and has been recognized as a compassionate humanitarian. Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Wynonna now lives on a hundred-year-old farm outside Nashville with her husband, children, cats, dogs, buffalo, and deer.

• Coming Home to Myself, with Patsi Bale Cox, 2005

Jules, Jacqueline 

See Hechtkopf, Jacqueline.

Junior Auxiliary of Franklin

• Main Street: A Tasteful Passage through Historic Franklin, 1996

Karnes, Mitchell Scott

Born in Kansas and reared in Illinois, Mitchell Karnes arrived in Tennessee as a student at Belmont University. There he completed a B.A. in English and later finished the Masters of Education in Composition where he was the first student to use a novel as a Master's thesis. He went through the creative process himself as part of learning how to teach it.

In Williamson County, he has been both a minister and a teacher at Page High School where he sponsored their writing club. Karnes has published a one-act play, an essay, and two short stories, one of which appeared in the Williamson County anthology, Our Voices 1997. His novel was published online.

• Crossing the Line, 2000
• The Pact, 2013

Kays, Roland

Roland W. Kays is the Curator of Mammals at the New York State Museum. His research centers on the ecology and conservation of temperate and tropical mammals, especially carnivores. 

• Mammals of North America, with Don E. Wilson, 2002

Keaggy, Sarah

• Skyler and the Sea, illustrator, 2012

Keckley, Paul    

After growing up in Chattanooga, Paul Keckley received his education at David Lipscomb University, Oxford University, and Ohio State. He started as a pre-med student and moved into economics in the healthcare curriculum. He has been president of PhyCor Management Corporation. Keckley has lived in Williamson County since 1987.

• Integration Questions in Physicians/Hospital Affiliations (co-author), 1994
• 99 Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor and Why,1994
• The Modern Handbook of Healthcare Research,1988

Keith, Keely Brooke (1977 - )    

Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Keely Brooke Keith was a tree-climbing, baseball-loving ‘80s kid. She grew up in a family who frequently relocated. By graduation, Keely lived in 8 states and attended 14 schools. Keely is a bass guitarist and plays on worship teams and for Christian artists. When she isn’t writing stories or playing bass, Keely enjoys having coffee with friends, preparing homeschool lessons, and collecting antique textbooks. She resides in Franklin.

• Christmas With the Colburns: An Uncharted Novella, 2015
• Uncharted Inheritance, 2015
• Uncharted Redemption, 2015
• The Land Uncharted, 2014

Keith, Patty (1958 - )    

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1958, Patty Keith is the author of the children's book series, Duck Ponder. Duck Ponder utilizes photography of waterfowl to illustrate God's word with a simplistic and heartwarming approach. Each book includes Ponder This facts about the species and life lessons as well. The author has been a resident of Williamson County since 1987.

• No One Wants To Play With Me, 2015
• Adopted and Adored, 2015
• Never Fear, God is Always Here, 2014
• It's Not Okay to Disobey, 2014
• Bully Be Gone, 2014
• Hank the Honking Goose Learns How to Listen, 2013
• I Wish I Was a Mallard but God Made Me a Pekin Instead, 2013
• Will You Be My Friend Even If I Am Different From You?, 2013

Kelley, Janda Sims (1950 - 2007)    

Janda Kelley of Franklin is the author of Forget-Me-Not, a richly illustrated, sentimental ladies' gift book with a Victorian theme. She hosted ladies' retreats and spoke to ladies' groups about tea and etiquette. She enjoyed decorating, entertaining, and antique collecting.

• Forget-Me-Not: Timeless Sentiments for Lifelong Friends, 2004

Kelton, Susan (1946 - )    

Born and raised in Louisiana, Susan attended Louisiana State University. An important time in her spiritual growth was when she had the opportunity to attend L'Abri, a residential international study center in Switzerland. During a long marriage including children and grandchildren, Susan made time to organize support for overseas missions. She has helped local ministries with financing and has taken an interest in innovative education. She has brought her spiritual skills into helping people with their transitions.

• My Grandmother Is Praying for Me, 2009 with Pamela Ferris and Kathy March

Kemp, Cecil O., Jr.    

Cecil Kemp began his career as an accountant, and by age 30 he had become the chief financial officer of a large publicly held company. In the financial crisis of 1982, his world crumbled. After the near tragedy, he returned to the faith of his youth. Starting again, he and his wife, Patti, formed The Wisdom Company, a financial consulting group that has helped thousands apply the laws of wisdom the Kemps learned through painful experience.  Kemp lives and works in Brentwood.

• The Seven Laws of Highest Prosperity  (with Kathryn Knight), 2001
• The Hope Collection, 2000:
• A Book of Hope for the Storms of Life (Healing Words for Troubled Times)
• A Book of Hope for a Better Life (with Heather Hurd)
• A Book of Hope on Abiding Faith
• A Book of Hope We're Forgiven
• A Book of Hope for Relationship Heartaches
• A Book of Hope for Making Higher Connection
• A Book of Hope for Shaping a Life of Honor
• A Book of Hope for Leaders
• A Book of Hope for Parents
• A Book of Hope for Lasting Peace
• A Book of Hope on Prayer
• A Book of Hope for Achieving True Greatness
• Wisdom, Honor, and Hope, 1998, 2000
• Wisdom and Money, 1997

Kempfer, Lewis

Lewis Kempfer is an award-winning author and performing arts jack of all trades from Denver, Colorado. After completing his studies in print journalism at Arizona State University, he earned a development deal to be a country recording artist and relocated to Nashville. He co-founded the Boiler Room Theatre in 2000 where his design work eventually landed him a dream job with the Walt Disney Company in L. A. His 2019 literary debut of Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life: a Memoir, earned seven awards. After three decades of fulfilling his dreams, Lewis returned to Denver, where he and his bet canine mate, Marty McPug, make a dynamic duo.

• 120 Seats in a Boiler Room: the creation of a courageous theater, 2022.

Kennedy, William

Like all guys and some gals, I never gave cooking a thought. While growing up,  meals were made by Mom, or perhaps by a neighbor or a relative. Sometimes a group effort, civic or church related, was the provider. then came college or the military service. Again, meals were provided. Marriage came after 2 years of this bachelor life. my wife was and is an excellent. I am retired now for the second time. In my "idle" moments a though came to me. learn to cook. i did. It is great fun and Wow! It turned out well. Perhaps this book and its contents can help you kick-start a social gathering that is fun and rewarding. At least, it will help keep you from nightly "fast food" offerings and frozen dinners.

• 100+ Recipes that Work, 2008

Kenyon, Sherrilyn 

Growing up in a family of historians, Sherrilyn Kenyon knew she wanted to be a writer as long as she can remember. All through her schooling from kindergarten to university, she acted on that knowledge, thus racking up considerable experience. Finishing a Ph.D. in history, she continued with some journalism experience and articles for major magazines, then soon hit her stride with romance and paranormal novels in series which have found major publishers. She approached her work with energy for research as well as prolific creation of narratives. She has written under two names: Sherrilyn Kenyon and Kinley MacGregor. Each has several series.

• Born of Legend, 2016
• Born of Betrayal, 2015
• Infinity: Chronicles of Nick, 2010
• Born of Night, 2010
• No Mercy, 2010
• Night Pleasures, 2009
• Whispered Lies, 2009
• Born of Ice, 2009
• Bad Moon Rising, 2009
• Dream Warrior, 2009
• One Silent Night, 2008
• "Shadow of the Moon, anthology Dead After Dark, 2008
• Phantom of the Night, 2008
• Upon the Midnight Clear, 2007
• Sin's Book, 2007
• Dream Hunter, 2007
• Devil May Cry, 2007
• Bad Novel, 2007
• Acheron, 2007
• Bad Attitude, 2006
• Dark Side of the Moon, 2006
• Unleash the Knight, 2006
• Playing Easy to Get, 2006
• Seize the Night, 2005
• Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, 2005
• Sins of the Night, 2005
• Born to be Bad, 2005
• Big Guns Out of Uniform, MM release, 2005
• What Dreams May Come, anthology, 2005
• Untitled BAD, anthology, 2005
• Too Hot to Handle, 2005
• Bad Attitude, 2005
• Night Pleasures, reissue 2004, Kiss of the Night, 2004
• Night Play,2004
• Five Seasons of Angel, 2004
• Fire & Ice reissue (Man of My Dreams anthology) 2004
• Stroke of Midnight, 2004
• Night Embrace, 2003
• Seven Seasons of Buffy, 2003
• Phantom Lover (Midnight Pleasures Anthology) 2003
• Big Guns Out of Uniform, 2003
• Dance with the Devil, 2003
• Fantasy Lover, 2002
• Dragonswan (Tapestry Anthology), 2002
• Night Pleasures, 2002
• Born of the Night, 2001
• Fire & Ice, 2001
• Born of Night, 2001
• Naughty or Nice, 2001
• Master of Seduction 2000
• All I Want For Christmas 2000
• A Pirate of Her Own 1999
• Born of Fire (e-book) 1998
• Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference 1996
• Born of the Night 1996
• Everyday Life in the Middle Ages, 1995
• Daemon's Angel 1995
• Character-Naming Sourcebook 1994
• Paradise City 1994

As Kinley MacGregor

• The Warrior, 2007
• Sword of Darkness, 2006
• Knight of Darkness, 2006
• Return of the Warrior, 2005
• A Pirate of Her Own reissue, 2005
• Master of Seduction reissue, 2005
• Master of Desire reissue, 2005
• Where's my hero?, 2004 large print
• A Dark Champion, 2004
• Midsummer's Knight (Where's My Hero), 2003
• Born in Sin, 2003
• Taming the Scotsman, 2003
• Claiming the Highlander, 2002
• Master of Desire, 2001

Kerfoot, Cecilia    

After graduating from the University of Alabama, Cecilia Kerfoot became a public accountant until "motherhood called." In 1997 she moved with her family from Virginia to Williamson County and completed her book about first-time motherhood.

• Two Foot Tyrant, 1999

Ketchel, Mary Morgan

• Camilla Can Vote, with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, 2020

Keyes, Michael J.    

Born and reared in Williamson County, Michael J. Keyes became a psychiatrist in Fon du Lac, Wisconsin. As a fishery biologist for the state of Tennessee, he taught angling and wildlife preservation. He was also a director of the U.S. Olympic shooting team. Keyes has written extensively for Shotgun Sports magazine, Fisherman, and he has been editor of North American Carp Angler magazine.

• Mental Training for the Shotgun Sports, 1996
• Modern Bank Fishing, 1992

Kezar, Dennis (1968 - )    

Dennis Kezar grew up in both Florida and Tennessee and earned a B.A. at The University of the South and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He moved to Franklin in 1997, accepting a professorship at Vanderbilt where he taught courses in Shakespeare and Milton.

• Solon and Thespis: Theater and Law in Renaissance England, 2004
• Guilty Creatures: Renaissance Poetry and the Ethics of Authorship, 2001

Kile, Joan (1940 - )    

Joan Kile was born in Ohio. She graduated from MTSU with a Master's degree in early childhood education while teaching at Scales Elementary School. She taught more than twenty years in public and private schools. Kile is the author of Musty, the Mustard Seed books. She did the voice of Musty, the Mustard Seed on a children's gospel radio program in Nashville. The idea for this series of books was conceived after she wrote, directed, and produced the program. Kile lives in Franklin.  

• God's Protecting Angels, 2005
• God's Fruit Tree, 2005
• God's Fig Tree, 2005
• God's Rugged Cross,1996
• God's Mustard Seed, 1993

Killen, Buddy (1932 - 2006)    

Originally from Florence, Alabama, Buddy Killen came to Tennessee immediately after high school graduation to play at the Grand Ole Opry. His music career grew through the years until he was able to found Buddy Killen Enterprises, an entertainment complex including restaurants, recording studios, and numerous music companies. Known as an astute businessman, he became a country music publisher, a songwriter, a musician, and a record producer. He has been instrumental in the discovery of some of the industry's greatest stars.  Killen has also been known for his many charitable activities, his support for the arts, and his work with the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, as well as city and state governments. He lives in rural Williamson County and raises Arabian horses.

• By the Seat of My Pants (autobiography), 1993

King, Cindy

Cindy King is a writer of short fiction, an avid reader, and a keen observer of life and its many fascinating contributors. Her unique insights provide fodder for the interesting characters in her stories, King earned her BA in Liberal Arts from Cal State Polytechnic University and her MA from Cal State Los Angeles. After a long career in education, she left her home state of California, sunny beachers, coastal mountain ranges, and retired to historical Franklin, Tennessee, south of Nashville. She is a member of two writing critique groups and the founder of a local book club. Of the many titles she is known by, her favorites are Mom and Nana.

It Happened in the Meadow, 2022

King, Daisy    

Daisy King grew up in the Atlanta suburb of Buford, Georgia. She came to Nashville in the 1960s to attend Belmont College where she acquired a B.S. in home economics. She has taught and worked as a home economist in addition to her many years as proprietor of Miss Daisy's Restaurant, a popular eating place which began in Franklin's Carter's Court and later expanded to Nashville. King and her family have made their home in Williamson County for many years.

• Miss Daisy's Healthy Southern Cooking, 2004
• Miss Daisy's Blue Ribbon Desserts, 2000
• Hosting Without Hassle, 1996
• Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee (with James Crutchfield and Winette Sparkman), 1995
• Miss Daisy Cooks Light, 1994
• Taste of Homecoming (editor), 1989
• Gracious Entertaining, Southern Style, 1987
• Miss Daisy Entertains, 1986
• The Original Tennessee Homecoming Cookbook (editor), 1985
• Recipes from Miss Daisy, 1978

King, Raylene (1958 - )    

Raylene was born and reared in Smith County in the small community of Rome, Tennessee, near Carthage. She credits her high school English teachers with helping her develop her knack for writing. She said, "Writing sort of slipped up on me! I've always been a huge note-taker and I just began over the years to jot down thoughts, feelings, and observations from my life." Now residing in Nolensville, Tennessee, Raylene is the wife of pastor Dennis King. She has published her first book, a 31-day devotional based on parallels she has observed between herself and her beloved dog Cosmo and her personal relationship with God.

• 31 Spiritual Lessons I Learned from My Dog, 2007

King, Thom  ( - 2020)  

A native of Franklin,  and lifetime Williamson County resident, Thom King attended the University of Tennessee's School of Journalism on a Sigma Delta Phi scholarship based in part on his writing and photography done for the Review Appeal while in high school. King has written for radio news, cable TV, newspapers, and magazines. He is an award-winning photographer and was the official U.S. government staff photographer for the 1982 World's Fair. He and his co-author interviewed 5,000 women for his first book.

Remembering Writer, Photographer, and Entrepreneur Thom King, Nashville Scene, April 27, 2020,                          by Keith A Gordon

Nashville writer, photographer, videographer and entrepreneur Thom King died Friday, April 24, from complications following a heart attack. He was 65. Although not a household name, King was an important contributor to the city’s arts and media communities through the years. Thom was — full disclosure — also a longtime friend of mine. We went to high school together in Franklin in the early ’70s. When we met, he was already a writer and photographer for the Review-Appeal newspaper in Franklin. His “As Teens Tell It” column was widely read across Williamson County. King, his brother John, and Tom Rutherford opened King Brothers Productions, a photography studio, in Franklin in the mid-‘70s. During the same period, King formed the local rock band Hardscuffle, and opened one of the first recording studios in Franklin.

In 1977, returning to Franklin from school in Knoxville, King launched Take One, the first Nashville-area alternative magazine. Take One ran more or less monthly until 1980, covering the city’s arts and music scenes as well as topics like the death penalty, environmental issues and the Gov. Ray Blanton pardon controversy. King later co-founded the short-lived Metro Reader with former Take One editor Daryl Sanders and writer/businessman John Lomax III.

King served as the staff photographer for the U.S. Department of Commerce at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. Meeting delegates from across the globe, he created laminated pins using colorful stamps from his new acquaintances' home countries as gifts, an idea that later led to the formation of his company, Kingpins. 

King continued to write through the ‘80s, contributing to The Metro magazine and the Nashville Scene, among other publications. In the late ’90s he published two books on personal relationships via Random House. In the early 2000s, King began working with several prominent Nashvillians in co-writing their memoirs — most notably country music legend Danny Davis of the Nashville Brass, with whom he penned the book Guess Who I Met Today! King wrote or co-wrote a total of 53 books over the course of 25 years.

In recent years, King worked to build a young independent film community in Nashville. With the Nashville Filmmakers Group, he mentored aspiring talents while also shooting “micro-budget” independent films, music videos (notably, videos by Amy Grant and Jamaican reggae legends Morgan Heritage), TV pilots and commercials. Before his heart attack, King traveled to the Philippines with a group of treasure hunters, documenting their efforts to salvage World War II-era gold. 

Thom King and I were friends, frequent collaborators, and occasional business partners for nearly 48 years. As I've dug through several thousand emails we tossed back and forth after I left Nashville in 2006 for New York — sharing stories, book projects, YouTube videos and so on — they've shown a talented and creative individual who was glad to share his knowledge and experience with those around him. King left his mark on Nashville, and his humor and creative ambition will be missed.

King is survived by his brother, John King, a professor in the United Arab Emirates; two nieces in Tennessee; and numerous cousins in Tennessee, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina and Kentucky.

• Sex, Intimacy and Lying About Love (with Debora Peterson), 1998
• The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex (with Debora Peterson), 1997
• Guess Who I Met Today! The Danny Davis Story (with Danny Davis), 2008
• The Big Walk : A Study in Faith, Determination & Good Music, The True Story of the Balph Brothers' American Journey (with David Balph)

Kingsland, Rosemary (1941 - )    

Rosemary Kingsland was born and educated in India. She worked in London as a journalist and screenwriter and lived in Tuscany, Italy, for three years. Kingsland has also lived in Fairview.

• Secret Life of a Schoolgirl, 2003
• Savage Seas,1999
• After the Ball Was Over,1985
• Cassata,1985
• Saint Among Savages, 1980

Kinnard, Richmond E. (1935 - )    

A native of Williamson County, Richmond Kinnard was educated in its public schools of the 1940s, then took Bachelor and Master of Science degrees at Tennessee State University to become first a soil scientist and soon a college professor at Langston University, Oklahoma. In retirement, he returned to Williamson County, the scene of most of his book. The book brings together the memories of several siblings living through the many changes of the past seventy years.

• Memories of the Past, 2004

Kirwan, Paula    

Paula Kirwan was born in the South and moved to Brentwood in 1991. Most of her career has been spent as an office administrator, both as an industry employee and as a business owner. Her book is a guide to shopping in the Nashville area.

• You Don't Have to Pay Retail, 1992, 1994

Kline, John (1931 - )    

From touring the world as one of the Harlem Globetrotters to establishing his own company on Health Promotion and Wellness, Dr. John Kline has exhibited many skills, followed many interests, and written about several of his ideas. He played basketball at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, dropped out to be a Globetrotter, suffered through and overcame a period of ex-celebrity drug abuse, then returned to Wayne State to take Bachelor, Masters, and Ph.D. degrees in history and philosophy of education. His experiences combined with his interests led him not only to form his own wellness company but to hold government appointments in the Detroit city government, then both state and federal governments in the areas of controlling drug abuse and helping inner-city youth to make better lives for themselves. His background in sports led him to use them as inspiration to middle school youngsters.

He also worked for recognition of the African-American contribution to the game of basketball, influencing several resolutions in the United States Congress. He lives in Brentwood.

• Barnstorming', 2009
• Black Pawns in the Cold War: Ambassadors of Goodwill, 2007
• The Life and Times of Junín' Johnny Kline, 2003
• The Power of Positive Living, 2003, 2nd edition 2009
• Urban Rites of Passage, Volume II, 2002
• Urban Rites of Passage, Volume I, 2001
• Never lose, 1996, 2nd edition, 2009

Knight, Anna

Anna began her writing journey by documenting her life events for 22 years, not knowing that they would become a book. She has been a stay at home mom for 24 years and mentions her background as “just a wife and mother trying to keep my family intact for 27 years.” Writing her memoir was a cathartic experience for her and brought her closure. While writing her book, she released a song in 2019 by the same name, available on Spotify.

• They Get Your Highs (I Get Your Lows), 2021

Knight, James R.  

James Knight grew up in the small town of Alma, Arkansas, where history buffs were "pretty much stuck with whoever happened to come by." Knight attended Harding University, majoring in general science, and then entered the Air Force to become a pilot. After military duty, he worked for Federal Express. However, he always remembered that "who came by" when his mother as a child stood in her front yard was the brother of Clyde Barrow (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) who had just shot a man. His mother saw the rifle in Barrow's brother's hand. Local research revealed that books about the outlaws differed from local newspaper accounts and people's memories. This gave Knight the platform for his book. Knight was also fortunate in owning some Civil War letters written from Maury County, Tennessee. Now a resident of Franklin, he has been developing these into a book.

• Hood's Tennessee Campaign: The Desperate Venture of Desperate Man, 2014
• The Battle of Pea Ridge: The Civil War Fight For the Ozarks, 2012
• The Battle of Fort Donelson, 2011
• The Battle of Franklin: The Devil Had Full Possession of the Earth, 2011
• Letters to Anna, 2007
• Bonnie and Clyde: a Twenty-first Century Update, 2003

Knight, Kathryn

As an Air Force child, growing up in both Europe and the United States, Kathy Knight had plenty of opportunities to learn about people and places. While still a child, she began writing stories and has never stopped. She went to William and Mary and then held a variety of teaching and private tutoring positions. At one time she was a copywriter and manager for an advertising firm. With her husband, a freelance photographer, Knight moved to Franklin in 1998. When she can find time between editing, ghostwriting, and freelance article assignments, she works on her first love of writing children's books. As Kathryn Knight:

• What Child is This?
• Farmyard Friends, 2002
• Pretty Kitty, 2002
• Playful Puppy, 2002
• Where Do You Live?, 2002
• What Do You See?, 2002

As Anne Alexander:

• In the Toyshop, 2002
• Santa's in Town, 2002
• In the Manger, 2002
• Our Christmas Tree, 2002
• What Child Is this, 2001

As Katie Kobble:

• Holly Has a Nose for Christmas, 2002
• Puppy Dogs!,  2002
• Big Dino Fun, 2002  As Slade Stone

The Booville Books Series (by Slade Stone): 

• A Big Night in Booville, 2002
• Frank Junior's 1st Pumpkin, 2002
• Kate's Tricky Treat, 2002
• The House on Haunted Hill, 2002

As K. R. Knight

• Kitty: Giant Flap Picture Book, 2002
• Zoo Friends: Giant Flap Book, 2003

Kosser, Michael    

Reared in Westchester County, New York, Michael Kosser received a degree in history and political science from Alfred University in upstate New York. He was an army lieutenant in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Kosser came to Nashville as a songwriter in 1971 and was a Williamson County resident for several years. He has written historical novels under the pen name Mike Roarke.

• Warriors' Honor, 1999
• Walks on the Wind, 1998
• Autumn Thunder, 1997
• Hot Country Women,1994
• Hot Country, 1993
• Country Music '88, 1988
• The Conway Twitty Story, An Authorized Biography, 1986
• How to Become a Successful Nashville Songwriter,1981
• Those Bold and Beautiful Country Girls,1979 
• Bringing It to Nashville, 1975  As Mike Roarke
• Blood River,1995
• Shadows on the Longhouse,1994
• Silent Drums,1994
• Thunder in the East,1993

Kramp, John  (1954 - )    

A native of Garland, Texas, John Kramp graduated from Baylor University and Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth. After serving as a pastor for several years, he became involved with Christian publishing, working with the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board.  He has written many articles for denominational magazines. The best known of his songs is "The Touch of the Master's Hand," which was recorded by Wayne Watson. Kramp has lived in Franklin since 1992. 

• Getting Ahead by Staying Behind: How to Be a Better Follower of Jesus,1997
• Into Their Shoes: Helping the Lost Find Christ (with Allen Jackson), 1996
• Out of Their Faces and Into Their Shoes,1995

Kroeger, Carroll V.

• Turning Points: Observations from Life in the Real World, 2011

Kubica, Cindy    

Born and educated in Michigan, Cindy Kubica moved to Tennessee for its music industry in 1979 but discovered that her true calling was in helping people learn how to present themselves successfully to the world. She found that she had more success in modeling and acting than in the music industry and within a year she was giving seminars. Her natural inclination to be a teacher led her to teach, as well as pursue her work in modeling and professional photography. Finally, her speaking and seminar programs became a full time profession.

• In Search of Normal, 2002
• I Want a Love Story to Happen to Me, 1998
• Frank Junior's 1st Pumpkin, 2002
• Kate's Tricky Treat, 2002
• The House on Haunted Hill, 2002

Kosser, Michael    

Reared in Westchester County, New York, Michael Kosser received a degree in history and political science from Alfred University in upstate New York. He was an army lieutenant in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Kosser came to Nashville as a songwriter in 1971 and was a Williamson County resident for several years. He has written historical novels under the pen name Mike Roarke.

• Warriors' Honor, 1999
• Walks on the Wind, 1998
• Autumn Thunder, 1997
• Hot Country Women,1994
• Hot Country, 1993
• Country Music '88, 1988
• The Conway Twitty Story, An Authorized Biography, 1986
• How to Become a Successful Nashville Songwriter,1981
• Those Bold and Beautiful Country Girls,1979 
• Bringing It to Nashville, 1975  As Mike Roarke
• Blood River,1995
• Shadows on the Longhouse,1994
• Silent Drums,1994
• Thunder in the East,1993 

Kramp, John  (1954 - )    

A native of Garland, Texas, John Kramp graduated from Baylor University and Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth. After serving as a pastor for several years, he became involved with Christian publishing, working with the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board.  He has written many articles for denominational magazines. The best known of his songs is "The Touch of the Master's Hand," which was recorded by Wayne Watson. Kramp has lived in Franklin since 1992. 

• Getting Ahead by Staying Behind: How to Be a Better Follower of Jesus,1997
• Into Their Shoes: Helping the Lost Find Christ (with Allen Jackson), 1996
• Out of Their Faces and Into Their Shoes,1995

Kubica, Cindy    

Born and educated in Michigan, Cindy Kubica moved to Tennessee for its music industry in 1979 but discovered that her true calling was in helping people learn how to present themselves successfully to the world. She found that she had more success in modeling and acting than in the music industry and within a year she was giving seminars. Her natural inclination to be a teacher led her to teach, as well as pursue her work in modeling and professional photography. Finally, her speaking and seminar programs became a full-time profession.

• In Search of Normal, 2002
• I Want a Love Story to Happen to Me, 1998