We often highlight JoCo’s many artisans on our blog and website; from moonshine makers to local potters to goat soap producers… but Johnston County is also home to some very talented writers. If you are looking for engaging books of varying genres to add to your reading list, here are the latest books by local authors in literary Johnston County (organized by genre).

Fiction

Charles M Clemmons, Clayton: Aila’s Journal: A Tale of Southern Reconstruction (Wiltonwood Productions LLC, 2023)

Leo Daughtry, Smithfield: Talmadge Farm (Books Forward, 2024)

Donna Everhart, Dunn: When the Jessamine Grows (Kensington, 2024), The Saints of Swallow Hill (Kensington Books, 2022) and more are available at www.donnaeverhart.com. 

Karen Lauritzen, Clayton: Just the Right Amount of Wrong (independently published, 2023). Available at Pauper’s Books & More.

Margaret Maron, Willow Spring: The late award-winning mystery novelist and North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee is best known for her Deborah Knott Mystery Series. Her novels are available at the Johnston County Museum gift shop and online. 

Carol Dougherty, Smithfield: Smiling at Grief (Independently published, June 2024). She has a permanent page on I Heart Sapph Fic, which tells more about her book: https://iheartsapphfic.com/bookinfo/smiling-at-grief/.

Robert M. Price, Selma: Flashing Swords #8 (Cushing Publishing, 2023). 

Health and Wellness

Mindi Miller Jentes, Selma: Pain to Peace: Setting the Songbird Free (Black Eyed Susan Media,  2024). 

Debbie Jordan, Clayton: Grief's Deception: Overcoming the Twelve Lies Whispered to a Broken Heart (EA Books Publishing, 2023). Learn more at her website: https://www.debbiepjordan.com/.

A man and a woman sit on a wooden bench surrounded by bookshelves at The Story Keeper Bookstore in Downtown Selma, NC.

Non-Fiction 

Cindy Brookshire, Pine Level: A Heart for Selma: 12 Stories of Activate Selma (independently published, 2021). Available at the Johnston County Museum. 

James M. Parker, Smithfield: Ghostly North Carolina: Hauntings from Mountains to Coast (Exposit Books, 2024). Available at the Johnston County Museum. 

Susan Perry Benson, Angier: My Little Blue Branch: A Texas Memoir (Benson Tropical Press, March 2023)

Treisha Parker Combo, Smithfield: Ain’t No Shame: Embrace the Past, Accept the Present, and Move on to the Future (Open Door Publishing, November 2023)

Barbara Crowley, Benson: Liberty’s Scrapbook: An Autobiography by the Coolest Polydactyl Cat Ever! (independently Published, January 2022)

Curtis M. Harvey Jr., Clayton: The Perfect Pair: A StayCoppinKicks Story (World of Wonders Publishing, March 2024); 10 Rules for Financial Success (independently published, July 2023); Saxophone Essentials & Music Theory (independently published, May 2023). You can find more information and all titles at https://curtismharveyjr.com/books/.

Poetry

Teresa McLamb Blackmon, Benson: Daddy Said (Finishing Line Press, 2020). Available at the Benson Museum of Local History.

T.C. Carter, Four Oaks: Just Passin’ Thru (Cushing Publishing, 2023). 

Shelby Stephenson, McGee’s Crossroads: ninth poet laureate of North Carolina (2015-2018) and North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee. Stephenson’s work is featured in the Johnston County Literary and Historical Journal (2024, 2021). Both volumes, and his other works of poetry, are available at the Johnston County Museum and online.

Romance

Hope Toler Dougherty, Smithfield: Forever Free (2024), Forever Home (2022), A Hatteras Surprise (2022) and Forever Music (2020), all four published by Scrivenings Press LLC. Learn more at www.hopetolerdougherty.com.

Dot La Motta, Garner: The Italian Charmer (independently published, 2023) Oliver the Octopus and the Spooky Ghost (independently published, August 2021); The Adventures of Sir Crumsby Cricket (independently published, July 2021) . 

A shopper reads on a couch at The Story Keeper Bookstore in Downtown Selma, NC.

Children’s Books

Julie Johnson, Pine Level: Bessie (independently published, 2024). Available at Pine Level Hardware & Furniture and online.

Tracy McKinley, Smithfield: Orville Finds Friendship (independently published, 2023), available at Woodard Drug Store.

Jim Munroe, Angier: The Alligator’s Red Shoes (Parson’s Porch, 2024), The Sneezing Toucan (Parson’s Porch, 2021)

Gary Ridout, Smithfield: James J. Bug (independently published, 2023).  

Char Vinar, Clayton: Ignis, The Mighty Dragon (independently published, 2024). 

Evelyn Wool, Pine Level: Eve’s Big Day on the Farm: Stories from the Wool Family Farm (independently published, 2022)  

Cindy Draughon, Clayton: The Little Girl Who Talks to Trees (Riveting Dreams Publishing, November 2023)

Local Anthologies

Johnston County Creates: 50 Years of Creativity (Johnston County Arts Council, June 2023)

Johnston County Literary and Historical Journal (independently published – Volume 2, January 2024; Volume 1, December 2021)

County Lines: A Literary Journal (independently published – Volume 11, November 2023; Volume 10, October 2022; Volume 9, October 2021; Volume 8, November 2020)

Johnston County also has two bookstores and a museum that carry local books:

Pauper’s Books & More: Owner Casey Kelly has local author shelves and hosts book signings. They also have a great selection of comics and graphic novels!

Johnston County Museum: Executive director Todd Johnston carries many local authors’ books in the museum gift shop, including those of the ninth poet laureate of North Carolina and North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee, Shelby Stephenson, and late Margaret Maron, award-winning mystery novelist and North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee – both residents of Johnston County.

Pauper's Books book display from Good Vibes article located in Clayton, NC.