By the Book/Michelle Haring
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Local Authors Are a Part of the Community
aria V. Snyder is a New York Times bestselling author and an integral part of the Central Pennsylvania community. In 2018, One Book One Community, a collaboration of local library systems, selected Poison Study as their book to read for the year. Maria spoke at many libraries and events to share her book and knowledge with the community. Currently, she attends several local book clubs and loves to discuss literature and interact with readers. After graduating from Penn State, Maria began her career in the Harrisburg area as an Environmental Meteorologist. Weather plays an important role in several of Maria’s books. Her recently rereleased contemporary middle grade novel, Stormwatcher, contains themes about grief, coming of age, and the power of storms. Her first book, Poison Study, debuted seventeen years ago to rave reviews. Twenty-one books later, she continues to impress readers with her strong characters and fantastic world building. She has written several fantasy series including the Chronicles of Ixia, the Healer Series, and Archives of the Invisible Sword. Her science fiction works include the Sentinels of the Galaxy trilogy and the Inside duology. Her latest new release, Up the Challenge, is a collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories. In addition to her writing, Maria teaches and mentors for the Seton Hill University master’s in fine arts program for genre fiction writing. Maria’s an amazing instructor, and she occasionally offers classes through local organizations. She also loves to learn and has taken classes on everything from sword fighting to glass blowing to horseback riding. Maria loves to travel around the United
States and the world. She has visited all seven continents and over seventy-one countries. She’s always thrilled to meet fans everywhere she goes and goes above and beyond to make herself accessible to her readers. Maria makes friends at the various conventions where she presents panels and signs books. I met her at the RT Convention in Pittsburgh over fifteen years ago. I loved her Study books and asked if she would do a book signing at Cupboard Maker Books. She shared that her first signing was at Readings and Greetings in Summerdale, so she’d enjoy coming to the West Shore for another signing. At Cupboard Maker Books, the employees enjoy Maria’s works, and love hand selling her titles to readers. We carry all of Maria’s titles in store, and often ship signed copies to fans all over the United States. For the past several years, Maria has celebrated her new book releases with fans at Cupboard Maker Books and makes regular appearances to sign her books throughout the year. Her next book, the highly anticipated, The Study of Poisons, will be released in Spring 2023. Maria Day, otherwise known as Small Business Saturday, has been a regular event for several years, where new and returning fans can meet and interact with Maria, and of course, get books signed. 7 Michelle Haring is the owner of Cupboard Maker Books, a 6,500 square foot store in Enola, Pennsylvania, with ample parking on Routes 11/15. The store is across the river from Harrisburg and contains over 120,000 curated, unique, previously loved paperback and hardback titles including Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Children’s, History, Art, Religion, and many other genres. The bookstore cats and foster cats from Castaway Critters roam freely and love visitors. Cupboard Maker Books hosts book signings and monthly book clubs and carries thousands of new titles including fiction and nonfiction by local traditionally published and independent authors.
Nourishing Bites/Alyssa Myer
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Comfort & Nutrition: Healthy Eating Tips for the Fall
omfort food does not necessarily mean unhealthy! With a few easy tips, we can turn our favorite comfort foods into nourishing dishes. By serving seasonal ingredients, prioritizing protein, and choosing whole grains we can make the most out of our favorite fall comfort foods. Choosing fresh, in-season vegetables provides our bodies with a variety of essential nutrients. At peak freshness, in-season produce has its highest nutritional value and may even cost less! Squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, kale, broccoli, and brussels sprouts are all available in the fall. These vegetables are all great sources of vitamins A and C and are rich in potassium and magnesium. Together these powerful nutrients support eye health, immune function, collagen 10 HARRISBURG MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2022
formation, muscle contractions, and blood pressure. Kale also supplies our bodies with the vitamin K it needs to help with wound healing and bone density. Try roasting these veggies to make them tender on the inside with a lightly crisp outside. Roasting also gets rid of that bitter taste by bringing out their natural sweetness. Eating more vegetables doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your favorite foods. Blend pumpkin or squash into pasta sauce for a hidden source of veggies to satisfy even the pickiest eaters. Add kale