It’s no surprise that a group supporting writers should be imagined in the way many stories are – as a result of an innocent conversation.

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And to be clear –neither of the participants in that conversation could have dreamed that Columbia County Authors Alliance (CCAA) would be an eventual outcome. Because they were talking about real life for small-town authors, who often have a difficult time connecting with their readers.

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“What if we created a shared anthology?” Sharon Hughson, multi-genre author of both traditional and indie published works, asked. It was a rhetorical question. Really. Something to think about and consider for many months.

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“What would that look like?” Indie author of cozy mysteries and romantic comedies Ellen Jacobson always wonders about specifics.

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Hughson talked about how every published author in the county could contribute a short story that introduces readers to their work—a story that showcases their style or their series story world.

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Hughson imagined those stories would be formatted into a volume that ALL the authors could promote to their reader lists. That would result in Hughson’s readers being introduced to Jacobson’s story world and storytelling style. And Jacobson’s readers would discover other authors based on the stories in the collection.

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Hughson walked away from that coffee shop meeting relieved of her burden of ideas.

Jacobson walked straight toward the leaders of the local writing groups with the idea, still in its half-baked state. Members of both groups—the St. Helens Writers Guild and the Scappoose Library Writing Group—were enthusiastic about the idea. Jana Mann, leader of the St. Helens group, and Mike Exinger, facilitator for the Scappoose writers, were suddenly part of this caffeine-induced project.

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More writers heard about the anthology. Other writers asked about it. Writers who worked in isolation joined the writing groups to learn more about the collaboration. 

 

First, the writing groups offered up ideas for the theme of the anthology. Once there was a nice selection, the organizers created a Google Form and it was posted for the writing groups and emailed to them.

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Hidden World won the ranked voting.

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More than twenty writers (other than the four organizers) expressed interest in submitting to the anthology. That was enough to keep planning.

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Soon, the four organizers (later to become the core group of the CCAA) were making a publishing timeline, writing submission guidelines, and creating a framework for the anthology from thin air. And words.

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Jacobson, who’d been running an author business for several years, raised her hand to lead the project. That’s when the serious organizing began. One Google folder became a bouquet of folders dedicated to every aspect of the project, from budget to communication to submission tracking.

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Once contracts of intent were signed, the writing began in earnest. Write-ins –informal meetups where writers could discuss their current project, brainstorm, and write the words—were scheduled to help the participants, many who were new to publishing.

 

As a freelance developmental editor, Hughson volunteered to give developmental feedback to anyone who wanted it. Six writers sent their early drafts to her, and through those one-on-one meetings, the community the organizers imagined began to take shape.

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Exinger handled much of the submission tracking. All four organizers read every submission.

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While working on the anthology, the organizers began thinking of ways to connect local authors with readers. This led to several meetings of local authors, and a group dedicated to advertising events where authors could set up a book table emerged. Different authors took the lead planning author events. Some members of the group attended different events, including the Columbia County Fair.

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Exinger worked behind the scenes with the Scappoose library staff to create an event showcasing twelve local authors. Scappoose Public Library Author Festival (SPLAF) debuted in October 2025 and was a hit with the community.

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As word spread about the anthology, more people in the community became aware of the local writers and published authors. Some retailers offered to sell books on consignment. 

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And Mann and Jacobson, both members of the St. Helens Library Board, lobbied for the anthology to be available at the library. Furthermore, they expressed an interest in hosting more educational events for writers.

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Once again, casual conversation led to exciting changes. One of the library staff members expressed interest in adding local indie author books to the library’s collection. With the Library Director’s support, things snowballed. Next thing they knew, the collaboration which became the Stories by the River Festival sprouted wings and took flight.

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With such a variety of activities and community interest, a formal organization to handle the myriad details became necessary.

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In one of their monthly meetings, the four writers agreed to make a plan to do it. 

The big test was whether they could prove their mission and get official community support. Thanks to the Columbia County Cultural Commission, the CCAA applied for and received a grant.

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None of this would have been possible without the writers and community members who believed in the vision. Looking forward, we're committed to expanding our board and sharing the workload so even more writers can be involved.

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Come build this thriving community with us.