One of the reasons I keep traveling out to Tucson each March is to attend the Tucson Festival of Books, which has become one of the country’s top book festivals by attendance and by the quality of authors it attracts. This year 140,000 patrons were exposed to books and authors––fiction and non-fiction, geared to readers of all ages. I prefer sessions where I can hear fiction authors talk about their books and writing careers. Here’s a sample of authors readers might look for in their librarys and bookstores.

Rachel Kadish. Kadish is the author of The Weight of Ink, a complex historical novel that took her 12 years to write. The story takes place in London in two time periods—the year 2000 and the mid-17^th century and traces the lives of two women––a history professor nearing the end of her career and an orphan who becomes the scribe to a blind rabbi.

Amy Meyerson. The author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays. Read Sally Whitney’s excellent interview with Meyerson on this website.

Jennifer Robson. Another historical novelist. Robson’s latest is The Gown, the story of the women who participated in makin Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Leif Enger. Author of novels set in northern Minnesota, Enger’s latest is Virgil Wander, the story of a community coming together to support one of their local cornerstones.

Tammy Greenwood. A native of Vermont who teaches in San Diego, Greenwood also won an award issued by the Maryland State Arts Council. She is the author of 13 novels. Her latest, Rust & Stardust, is her account of the true crime story that inspired Nabokov’s Lolita.

Brandon Hobson. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Hobson’s Where the Dead Sit Talking was a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award in Fiction. It is a “coming of age” story set in rural Oklahoma in the 1980s.

Ann Weisgarber. Author of another historical novel, Weisgarber’s The Glovemaker takes place in Utah Territory in the winter of 1888 where a group of Mormons are seeking to remain apart from the outside world.

Alan Jacobson. Writer of two series of thrillers, both featuring a female FBI agent, Jacobson’s books offer up-to-the-minute accuracy about the techniques and technology of the war against international terrorism. His latest is Dark Side of the Moon. I also recommend The Lost Codex, which I’ve reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

Gregg Hurwitz. The author of 20 thrillers, Hurwitz’ latest, Out of the Dark, features Evan Smoak, a man whose goal of helping others is compromised by his past as having been raised in a secret program to train assassins.

Matthew Quirk. Now living in San Diego, Quirk relies on his years reporting in Washington, D.C. for inside information on the workings of the FBI and other spy agencies. His latest, The Night Agent, features an agent whose origins forces him to question his every move.

Jonathan Lethem. Another east-coaster who has migrated to the left coast. Lethem’s latest, The Feral Detective, his first novel in almost two decades, features a young woman searching for a friend’s missing daughter.

T. Jefferson Parker. Winner of three Edgars––the award given annually to mystery writers––Parker brings back Roland Ford, a private investigator who is on the trail of someone who is killing CIA drone operators in Swift Vengeance.

That’s just a dozen of the amazing authors who presented at this year’s festival. To learn more and get on the mailing list for next year’s event, visit http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org.