VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Dean Hughes has published more than 100 books.   He has written fiction as well as non-fiction for all ages: children, young adults and adults. He is best known for Children of the Promise, a series of historical novels about the World War II.   He and his wife Kathy have three children and nine grandchildren.   They live in Midway, Utah. VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Dean: I have always gone about writing as though it’s a regular job.   I write most days, but keep my evenings and weekends free for family time, house-keeping, entertainment and church.   My wife and I have had an empty nest for a long time now, so we do many things together.   In addition, I play some golf, do some amateur photographic work, fly fish and read a lot. VS: How long have you been writing? Dean: I published my first book in 1979, so I’ve been putting out books for 35 years, but I was writing long before th...

It's Saturday October 19th and the St. George area community begins making its way into the Lexington Hotel Ballroom. It's still early as authors are setting up their tables to greet, talk and sign books for eager lovers of the written word...and it's only 9am. The day is just beginning. David W. Smith and VS Grenier welcome those who have begun to show up. It's time to get the Book Expo underway and all the exciting events Smith and Grenier have planned for the day. Guest speaker John Sebba shares some poetry with our gathered audience before winners of the 2013 Youth Poetry is announced. Author and poet Lin Floyd steals the show as she announces the 2013 Youth Poetry winners. Many of the winners are present to not only receive their award, but also to read their poems to all in attendance. Now for a bit of fun. David W. Smith and VS Grenier have added another fun treat to the St. George Book Festival this year beyond the Charity Dinner Friday Night (Oct....

Speakers & Events 2013 St. George Area Book Festival October 14th—19th, 2013 Jon Sebba, 2013 Utah Poet of the Year Recipient, was born in South Africa. As a student in Jerusalem, he worked cataloging 19th Century medical journals, as well as at the Hydrology Institute. He also worked as a laborer in the construction of Jerusalem apartment buildings and of evaporation lagoons at the Dead Sea (1400 feet below sea level) with summer temperatures topping 115°F. When the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six Day War began, he was married with one child. As a reservist, he was mobilized to fight in Jerusalem. Among the things he learned from that experience are: death in war is random; wars should definitely be avoided; and given the choice, few soldiers would ever start one. In 1968, Jon immigrated to the US to study civil engineering, arriving the day before Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated. En route, he worked as a lorry driver in London for four months. He has ...