hidden world
A Lower Columbia County
writers Anthology
Your neighbors have secrets. Extraordinary ones.
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Seventeen writers from Columbia County, Oregon, reveal the hidden worlds living right next door—worlds tucked inside lighted fairy trees and buried beneath nondisclosure agreements that hide the impossible. Worlds hidden in the minds of artists and authors, fantasy realms and even in plain sight.
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Hidden World gathers award-winning and multi-published authors alongside six debut voices from the St. Helens Writers Guild and the Scappoose Library Writing Group. These twenty-seven stories, poems, and essays range from whimsical flash fiction to haunting fantasy, from backyard surprises to insightful revelations.
Some will make you laugh. Others will linger in your mind long after you close the book. All of them prove that the most remarkable stories are being written in the most ordinary places—by the people who live just down the street.
Step inside. The extraordinary has been waiting next door all along.
ELISA MANN
Scappoose Public Library
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“Hours of delight! Stories from the minds and hearts of our local authors will stay with you long after the last page is read."
MARC KNUTSON
South Columbia County Chamber of Commerce
"The way these authors unfold their Hidden Worlds in this treatise oozes off the pages and spills out all over your hands. As you read, you become fully immersed . . ."
MICHAEL FITZGERALD
Journalist​ & Author
"Like all anthologies, readers will find some pieces more compelling than others. But anyone who thumbs through Hidden World is going to discover some very creative and interesting gems . . ."
Contributors
Tamelia Aday
Tamelia Aday has loved writing since grade school and is happiest crafting novels at home. Her debut novel is The Filbert Ridge Miracle, and she lives with her family fueled by coffee and chocolate.
Kathy Appel
Kathy Appel is a Pacific Northwest resident, avid reader, and ukulele player. Her contribution to this anthology marks her fiction debut.
Kathrin Classen
Kathrin Classen writes thrillers from the Pacific Northwest and hosts the Writers in the Wilderness podcast. Her debut thriller is currently on submission.
Cate Cross
Estella Edgewater
Mike Exinger (Buxton Manning)
Cate Cross writes and illustrates stories for children with heart and humor. A Pacific Northwest native, she also has a background in medical research.
​Estella Edgewater creates immersive fantasy worlds and is the founder of Foxbridge Fantasies. They live in the forest with two cats and their wife.
Mike Exinger writes fiction for adults as Buxton Manning, stories for younger readers as Rex Michaels, and gaming guides under his own name. He lives in Warren, Oregon.
David Fryer
David Fryer is an author and engineer from Portland, Oregon, whose short fiction blends mystery and imagination. When not writing, he hikes Oregon’s waterfalls.
Sharon Hughson
Sharon Hughson writes short stories and novellas exploring themes of faith, family, and friendship. Her perfect day involves reading in the sun, cuddling her cat, or hiking near her home in Oregon.
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.
K.D. Jewell
K.D. Jewell writes interactive young adult fantasy, including Angel in Repose. She lives in Warren, Oregon, where she enjoys horses, dogs, and horror movies.
Elaine Kelley
Elaine Kelley is a longtime nonprofit advocate focused on environmental protection, peace, and social justice. She currently serves on the board of the Oregon Conservancy Foundation.
Shaun C. Kennedy
Shaun C. Kennedy writes speculative fiction and theological nonfiction from Southwest Washington. He is currently working on The Corrected King James Bible.
J. LaRiviere
J. LaRiviere writes speculative fiction that bends perception and reality. They dwell in the woods with cats and alleged humans Icarus and Estella.
Kevin Lay
Kevin Lay is a composer, writer, and president of Cascadia Composers based in Portland. He is developing software to help writers access and organize their creative work.
Jana Mann
Jana Mann has been turning “lies” into stories since childhood. She leads the St. Helens Writers Guild and lives in St. Helens, Oregon, where she enjoys fishing.
Linda Paul
Linda Paul is a writer and musician in Saint Helens, Oregon, whose work spans stage, print, and prose. Her first novel is nearly complete.
Dawn Shipman
Dawn Shipman is the author of the YA fantasy series The Lost Stones of Argonia. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a lively collection of animals.
Hidden World: A Lower Columbia County Writers Anthology
Publication Date: March 2026
Publisher: Columbia County Authors Alliance
Editors: Ellen Jacobson, Sharon Hughson, Mike Exinger, and Jana Mann
Cover Design: Columbia County Authors Alliance
Cover Image: Traci Wolfe
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BISACs:
LCO000000 – Literary Collections / General
LCO010000 – Literary Collections / Essays
POE023000 – Poetry / Anthologies