beach reads
Dana Haynes
Caitlin Starling
Valerie Davisson
Lincoln City library goes dark this October
Longer evenings tend to mean fewer twilight walks
on the beach, which is sad. But they also signal a distinct
uptick in the amount of time available for curling up with a
good book, preferably one with a twist in the tale.
And anyone looking for recommendations on which
books to choose will fi nd plenty as the Dark & Stormy
Night series returns to Lincoln City’s Driftwood Public
Library for its 16th year.
Every Th ursday throughout October, the library will
welcome mystery writers to read from their works and chat
with readers.
Th e series begins on Th ursday, Oct. 3, with a return visit
from Dana Haynes, reading from his new mystery-thriller
novel, “St. Nicholas Salvage and Wrecking.”
Haynes has spent 25 years in Oregon newspaper
newsrooms, split between weeklies and dailies. He currently
serves as managing editor of the Portland Tribune and
several associated newspapers. He has won awards as a
reporter, columnist and editor. A native of the Pacifi c
Northwest, he also served as spokesman and speechwriter
for the mayor of Portland. He lives in Portland with his
wife, Katy King.
Th e series continues on Th ursday, Oct. 10, with a visit
from Christa Yelich-Koth, whose most recent book, “Th e
Jade Castle,” is the fi rst in the “Land of Iyah” cycle. Yelich-
Koth comes from a varied educational background, from
Spanish immersion primary school, to studying vocal
music at an arts high school, to a bachelor of science degree
in Biology. She has published fi ve novels to date, as well
as a graphic novel and a comic book series. She has also
worked as a professional editor for many years and has been
fortunate to work with several bestselling writers, both in
the US and Internationally. She currently resides on the
Oregon Coast.
On Th ursday, Oct. 17, the library will welcome Valerie
Davisson, who published the fourth book in her Logan
McKenna series last November. Having grown up all over
the world, including in Italy, Germany and Japan, Davisson
eventually earned her master’s degree in Anthropology from
UC Irvine. She has taught Cultural Anthropology and 6th
graders in Southern California, and it was while teaching
that she started writing the fi rst two Logan McKenna
books. She is the mother of two grown sons, and currently
resides with her husband, John, in their dream cottage in
the middle of an old-growth forest on the Oregon Coast.
Alexandra Mason will visit the library on Th ursday,
Oct. 24. Mason has lived a life devoted to reading, writing,
teaching and publishing. As a Shakespeare scholar, she
wrote one of the fi rst essays to focus on the language of
Ophelia rather than of Hamlet; and helped shine a light
on the work of Elizabeth Cary, the fi rst woman playwright
in England. After a full academic career as a professor and
6 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • September 27, 2019
dean, Mason has authored fi ve books, including the novel
“Th e Lighthouse Ghost of Yaquina Bay,” which critics
have called “the Mother of all Ghost Stories!” and is sold
at lighthouses nationwide. With the Tuesday Writers
of Waldport, she has been working on memoirs and a
sci-fi fantasy novel called “Shakespeare’s Pipe.” She lives
overlooking the sea on the Central Oregon Coast.
Th e series wraps up on Th ursday, Oct. 31, with a visit
from Caitlin Starling. Equipped with an anthropology
degree and an unhealthy interest in the dark and macabre,
Starling writes horror-tinged speculative fi ction of all
fl avors. Her fi rst novel, “Th e Luminous Dead,” tells the
story of a caver on a foreign planet who fi nds herself
trapped, with only her wits and the unreliable voice on her
radio to help her back to the surface. Starling also works in
narrative design for interactive theater and games, and has
been paid to design body parts. She’s always on the lookout
for new ways to infl ict insomnia. She lives, writes and
wrangles spreadsheets near Portland.
Dark & Stormy Night series are free and open to all.
Each session starts at 4 pm at Driftwood Public Library,
located on the second fl oor of the Lincoln Square civic
complex at 801 SW Hwy. 101.
For more information, contact Ken Hobson at
Driftwood Public Library, 541-996-1242 or khobson@
lincolncity.org.