For Immediate Release:
U.P. Publishers and Authors Greet Readers at Erickson Center’s Art on the Lake
Erickson Center for the Arts
August 1, 2012—Two popular U.P. Authors will be part of this year’s Art on the Lake event at the Erickson Center in Curtis on Saturday, September 1.
Gretchen Preston, author of the endearing Valley Cats series of children’s books, and Tyler R. Tichelaar, Upper Michigan’s most prolific historical novelist, will be attending Art on the Lake for the first time this year. In previous years, such U.P. authors as Jerry Harju and Lon and Lynn Emerick have attended the event. Because the Emericks will not be part of this year’s event, Preston and Tichelaar decided they needed to attend to remind people of how much local authors are a part of Upper Michigan’s vibrant arts scene. And they will have autographed copies of Lon Emerick’s most recent book Paradise North to sell for fans who will miss the Emericks.
Gretchen Preston
Preston said she was excited to be part of Art on the Lake this year. “I love to travel around the Upper Peninsula to meet readers, and I’m especially excited to meet children and bring the Valley Cats to their attention. Kids need characters they can relate to, and my cats Boonie and River, just like kids, are adventurers right here in our U.P. backyard.” Preston is the author of Valley Cats: The Adventures of Boonie and River and its sequel More Valley Cats: Fun, Games and New Friends. The characters, Boonie and River, will also be making an appearance, and Preston will be giving out free character trading cards with every book purchase.
Tyler R. Tichelaar
Tichelaar, who is president of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (www.uppaa.org), believes it’s important for authors to meet the public outside the usual bookstores. “U.P. literature is about the U.P. and its people and we want to bring it to those people, letting them know it’s relevant to their lives and exploring through books the ways that living here matters to them.” Tichelaar has penned numerous historical novels set in Upper Michigan, including The Marquette Trilogy and Spirit of the North: a paranormal romance, as well as My Marquette, a combined history of Marquette and personal memoir.
Preston and Tichelaar have participated in numerous events individually and together, including the Outback Art Fair and TV 6 Christmas Craft Shows in Marquette, the U.P. Book Tour 2011, and book signings throughout Upper and Lower Michigan from Ontonagon to St. Ignace, and from Traverse City to Detroit.
Authors Preston and Tichelaar will be in Booth 38 by the bandstand for Art on the Lake, which is open from 10-5 on Saturday, September 1 at the Erickson Center in Curtis. For more information on Art on the Lake, visit www.EricksonCenter.org. Additional information on Preston and Tichelaar can be found at their respective websites, www.PrestonHillPress.com and www.MarquetteFiction.com.
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