AUGUST 3, 2017 // 7
The Electric Fences Festival
presents free-spirited gathering
PHOTO BY COLIN MURPHEY
Seaside author Melissa Eskue Ousley
Seaside author
teaches suspense
writing workshop
SEASIDE — Melissa Eskue
Ousley, an award-winning
Seaside author, will give a
talk on the paranormal 5 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 4, at Book Ware-
house (1111 N. Roosevelt
Drive).
The author will be signing
copies of her novels “Sunset
Empire” and “Pitcher Plant,”
which are set on the North
Coast and feature murder and
restless spirits.
Then, at 5 p.m. Friday,
Aug. 11, come to the ware-
house for a workshop on
writing spooky and suspense-
ful scenes.
“The author will share her
secrets for scaring the socks
off readers,” organizers said.
“You might not sleep that
night, but you’ll learn how to
write an engaging story.”
Fellow Oregon writer Deb
Vanasse, author of “Cold
Spell” and “Out of the Wilder-
ness,” has offered high praise
for “Pitcher Plant”: “Seaside
setting, haunted house (or is
it?), creepy dolls — all the
makings of a bewitching tale.
Toss in a bit of romance and
prepare to be up way too late,
turning pages.”
“Sunset Empire” received
a five-star review from Read-
ers’ Favorite, which called
it a “fun story, a mixture of
fantasy, paranormal, and
NEHALEM — From noon to midnight
Saturday, Aug. 5, in the sprawling
meadow of a farm in the Nehalem
River Valley, the Electric Fences Fes-
tival will present a day of live music
and revelry.
The 16 performers at the third
annual event run the gamut — from
the moody, cinematic wild-western
twang of Portland’s Roselit Bone,
to the lilting, literary folk of Los
Angeles’ Alex Dupree, to the cheeky
garage punk of The Dumpies, from
Austin, Texas.
A handful of local acts will join
the cross-country roster.
Tickets are $20. Camping is
available for an additional $10. Both
can be purchased at the gate or at
electricfencesfest.com.
In curating Electric Fences, or-
ganizer Travis Champ envisioned a
free-spirited, aesthetically motivated
gathering, as opposed to the spon-
sored, profit-driven and increasingly
homogenized modern festival model,
organizers wrote.
“The main goal is for everyone in-
volved to have a good time,” Champ
said. “So I’ve been trying to find the
middle ground between an organized
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
ABOVE: Roselit Bone LEFT: Alex Dupree
festival environment and a looser
party atmosphere.”
As such, Electric Fences is
BYOB. Food will be available for
purchase from Taqueria Guadalajara.
Located off Oregon Route 53,
Electric Fences is 10 miles from the
Pacific coastline and 75 miles west of
Portland. For directions, a complete
lineup and ticket information, visit
electricfencesfest.com.
THE COASTER THEATRE PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS
downright creepy at times. It
is part thriller and starts off on
a high note, just getting better
as the story moves along.”
“Sunset Empire” debuted
in the bestselling Secrets and
Shadows young adult boxed
set.
Melissa Eskue Ousley’s
first novel, “Sign of the
Throne,” won a 2014 Read-
er’s Favorite International
Book Award and a 2014 Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Her third
book, “The Sower Comes,”
won a 2016 Eric Hoffer Book
Award. Her short stories have
been included in Rain Mag-
azine and The North Coast
Squid.
Connect with her at Melis-
saEskueOusley.com.
JUNE 16 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2017
JUNE 23 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
ALL PERFORMANCES BEGIN AT 7:30 P.M.
TICKETS: $20 OR $25
ALL PERFORMANCES BEGIN AT 7:30 P.M.
TICKETS: $20 OR $25
Sponsored by
The Ocean Lodge, Inn at Cannon Beach,
Lodges at Cannon Beach and Candi & Jon Holzgrafe
Sponsored by
The Ocean Lodge, Inn at Cannon Beach,
Lodges at Cannon Beach, Probuild/Milgard
and Leland E.G. Larson
108 N Hemlock Street,
Cannon Beach, OR
Tickets: 503-436-1242 or
coastertheatre.com