Greg Lilly

Greg Lilly is the author of ABINGDON'S BOARDINGHOUSE MURDER (The History Press, May 2024), a true crime that caught America's headlines in 1945. --- A widow shoots her young WWII veteran boarder, leaving him to die on the floor of his room, tossing the gun under the neighbor’s porch, and taking a taxi to join her teen daughters at a movie. After several conflicting statements, she settles on the claim he shot himself – four times. The State says it’s murder from her jealous rage. --- Greg Lilly grew up in Bristol, Virginia then lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. The rich storytelling tradition of the South captivated him and he began writing. Moving to Sedona, Arizona, Greg chronicled the high desert characters–past and present–in his books. Greg relocated to Williamsburg, Virginia, where he wrote and edited a regional magazine and served on the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission. Today, he lives and writes in Abingdon, Virginia. Along with the true crime ABINGDON'S BOARDINGHOUSE MURDER, he is the author of the TALES OF THE ABINGDON WOLVES series for the Virginia Highlands Festival. His novel, STRAY, set in Southwest Virginia, follows a son searching for his womanizer father who left almost 30 years before, a daughter grasping for her distant mother, and the shadows cast on them by the Lost Colony of Roanoke and Virginia’s witch trials.

Bonnie Kelley

Shamrock Studios specializes in custom pet portraits and animal sports photography. Artist Bonnie Kelley has been drawing, painting, and photographing for more than 30 years. In 2017, she opened Shamrock Studios and began to pursue art as a career. A lifelong equestrian and dog enthusiast, Bonnie's years of experience show through in her realistic art. She also enjoys photographing dog and horse sports.  Currently accepting commissions at www.shamrockstudios.net or shamrockstudios2017@gmail.com. You can also follow her work on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShamrockStudios2017.

Amanda Lee

Amanda Lee of A Lady's Slipper Studio is a SWVA native and Wytheville based jewelry artist. Her resin work has been featured in Virginia Living, The Etsy Holiday Guide, as well as published in Jewelry Affaire and GreenCraft magazines. For the past several years, she has concentrated in silver and stone as a self-taught metalsmith. Amanda uses both sterling and fine silver in her work, and all of her stones are ethically sourced. Most of her inspiration is nature-based, and when she's not in her studio, or chasing around her 10 year old son, Amanda can usually be found roaming the hills and hollers of Appalachia, searching for native wildflowers.

Lago Luna Metal Art Studio

Marc's wind bells, windchimes, garden art, Damascus knives, and home decor items have the time-honored craftsmanship of our ancestors which shows in the small irregularities and beauty of hand-crafted products and hand applied patina finishes. Marc's work includes contemporary art pieces of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, bronze, and mixed-media sculpture. Examples of Marc's larger sculptures can be found at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sarasota, Florida, and at Powhatan State Park in Powhatan, Virginia. His original art, wind bells, and chimes are in demand with collectors throughout the country.