By SANDRA ANNONIO / Guest Columnist

The Shelby County Arts Council will be hosting a variety of literary authors for the 2015 Visiting Writers Series, which is funded in part by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

On the calendar are writers from across the state of Alabama.

Author talks and book signings are free and open to the public, with a start time of 6 p.m.

The Shelby County Arts Council is located at 104 Mildred Street, Columbiana, Ala.

List of authors/dates:

June 5 – Brian Weimer, “Nexus: Two Realms, One Reality” and “Nexus: Polaris.” Brian Weimer is an author and digital artist from Birmingham, Ala. He has written two novels, Nexus and Nexus: Polarity, both supernatural, science fiction thrillers. Mr. Weimer is a graduate of the Southeastern Bible College with a degree in theology.

June 14 – Carolyn Haines, “Bone to be Wild.” Her 15th book in the Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series,Carolyn is a prolific mystery author and former journalist specializing in mysteries set in the Mississippi Delta.

June 19 – Amy Strickland, author of the Olympic Heights and the Royal Goldhawk series for Young Adults. Her Olympic Height books chronicle the lives of teenagers in Miami, Fla., who find out that they are the Greek gods reborn into mortal bodies. The author’s Royal Goldhawk series falls into the “Steampunk” genre, where settings and stories are based in the early 1900s Industrial Revolution era.

Aug. 14 – R. Kyle Hannah – “Assassin’s Gambit,” “Time Assassins” and “To Aid and Protect.” Sci-Fi writer of the Time Assassins Series, avid reader and military veteran, the author combines historical facts with science fiction in his stories that have been described as “intriguing and sensational” to read.

Sept. 10 – J.M. Brennan – “Class of ’39.” The “Class of ’39” is the first chapter in a four-book story of air combat in World War II. Its characters both real and fictional were children of that Great Depression––people who had learned the importance of “Pulling Together.” Mike Brennan is a military veteran and businessman whose books are “perfect for the reader with a keen interest in American History.”

Visit the website Shelbycountyartscouncil.com for information about the upcoming author talks or call the Shelby County Arts Council at 669-0044.