A great escape
A Lower Columbia County
writers Anthology
Coming April 3, 2027
Escape into 24 original works from 21 local writers. Poetry. Short fiction. Memoir. Each piece invites you to discover what A GREAT ESCAPE means to each author and the characters they’ve brought to life on the page.
A GREAT ESCAPE is the second annual anthology published by the Columbia County Authors Alliance (CCAA). Twenty-one writers spent three months brainstorming, writing, revising, and supporting one another. The result is a vibrant collection reflecting the diversity of our community.
contributors
Tamelia Aday
Tamelia Aday writes what she calls Miracle Fiction and is crafting a cozy mystery series. She lives in St. Helens, Oregon, with her husband and two cats.
Ruby Barnedt
Ruby Barnedt writes mostly dark fantasy and has loved exploring alternative worlds since childhood. When she isn’t lost in her stories, she’s baking or crafting hand-knit socks.
Sarah Brookhart
Sarah Brookhart is a lifelong reader and writer making her publishing debut in A GREAT ESCAPE. She lives in a small Oregon town and loves chocolate, travel, and crafts.
Kathrin Classen
Kathrin Classen’s domestic thriller, Best Left Forgotten, debuted in October 2026. She has published short stories with HellBound Books Publishing LLC and the Columbia County Authors Alliance.
Justin M. Davis
Justin M. Davis writes cross-genre fiction that blends humor, heart, and emotional depth. His stories range from quiet absurdities to fantasy worlds, seeking meaning in both the extraordinary and the everyday.
Sue Evergreen
Sue Evergreen runs the blogs Dropping Rocks and Onward Sister and is working on a debut novel. She publishes essays on Medium, believing small stories create ripples of change.
Carol M. Ford
Carol M. Ford studied writing and Zen meditation with Natalie Goldberg for twenty years. She is finishing a memoir about her blended Japanese-American heritage and lives in rural Columbia County, Oregon.
Claudia Fox
Claudia Fox writes speculative fiction, primarily fantasy, and holds an MFA in Creative Writing. When she isn’t juggling motherhood (in theory), she sneaks outside to tend her garden.
Sarah Francois
Sarah Francois traded the Sonoran Desert for the Pacific Northwest eight years ago. Through photography and journaling, she has found her voice and her way back to wholeness.
David Fryer
David Fryer is a Portland author and semiconductor engineer whose short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. When he isn’t writing, he’s usually hiking Oregon’s waterfalls.
Sharon Hughson
Sharon Hughson believes readers are the heroes of their own stories. She has published short stories and novellas across multiple genres, and when Oregon sees the sun, she’s outside reading or walking.
Ellen Jacobson
Ellen Jacobson lives in northern Oregon with her husband and an imaginary cat. She is the author of the Mollie McGhie Mysteries, North Dakota Library Mysteries, and Smitten with Travel series.
Shaun C. Kennedy
Shaun C. Kennedy writes speculative science fiction and fantasy rooted in history and theology. He studies Biblical Hebrew and Greek and teaches Northern Shaolin Longfist and Praying Mantis Kung Fu.
Marc Knutson
Marc Knutson is a military and church veteran who flew two combat tours in Vietnam. He spent thirty years in Christian ministry and now lives in Portland, Oregon.
Kevin Lay
Kevin Lay has just finished his first novel, Ephemera, and has published essays in Deep Times Journal. By day, he’s a composer who believes music tells stories as powerfully as words.
Heidi MacDonald
Heidi MacDonald writes creative nonfiction, memoir, and poetry, and her essays have appeared at EssayDaily.com. A sober, feminist, punk-rock birdwatcher, she lives in St. Helens after decades in Houston and Tucson.
Jana Mann
Jana Mann grew up in a family of storytellers and has been turning her outlandish tales into stories since childhood. Her free time is spent working yarn with needle or hook or fishing.
Buxton Manning
Buxton Manning is the pen name of Mike Exinger, who writes humorous, mostly weird Oregon novels with happy endings. A former freelancer, he has also written five nonfiction books.
Jason D. Riley
Jason D. Riley is a lifelong history enthusiast whose work is shaped by a deep love of place. He settled in Oregon after a childhood moving with his military family.
Rick White
Rick White has published fiction and nonfiction and tries to categorize life as neatly as his stories. He returns to St. Helens between adventures and believes hats should make a comeback.
Rubina Wiedemer
Rubina Wiedemer is a young writer whose debut novel, Word War: A Study in Perspective, launched her career. She lives in rainy Oregon and has won three OPA Youth Poetry contests.
cover Photographer
The cover of A GREAT ESCAPE features work from local photographer and anthology contributor, Sarah Francois, celebrating another form of Columbia County creativity. Sarah entered her photograph taken on the Crown Zellerbach Trail in Scappoose into our cover photo contest. The photo, "Fly Away" moved through two rounds of judging and was finally selected by popular vote of the 21 contributors to the anthology.
A Great Escape: A Lower Columbia County Writers Anthology
Publication Date: April 2027
Publisher: Columbia County Authors Alliance
Editors: Sharon Hughson, Kathrin Classen, Sue Evergreen, Mike Exinger, Ellen Jacobson, and Jana Mann
Cover Design: Columbia County Authors Alliance
Cover Image: Sarah Francois
BISACs:
LCO000000 – Literary Collections / General
LCO010000 – Literary Collections / Essays
POE023000 – Poetry / Anthologies