Two Oregon authors share readings, insights, and book signings.
Join us for an engaging literary event with two acclaimed Oregon authors from Regal House Publishing. Steven Mayfield will present Sixty Seconds, his fourth work of fiction with Regal House, released in July 2025. Michael Strelow will share from his forthcoming novel, John and Julie and Robert, launching in September. Together, they will offer readings, discussions about their writing process, and book signings. Don’t miss this chance to connect with two distinctive voices in contemporary fiction during this joint author event.
About the Novels:
Sixty Seconds by Steven Mayfield
As the clock ticks down the final minute of World War II in Europe, Sixty Seconds tells the stories of nine people on both sides of the Atlantic—a legendary war correspondent, a madwoman and her unwitting accomplice in a deranged assassination attempt, a fifteen-year-old girl singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Times Square, her soldier brother still in Germany, a Nazi war criminal undergoing interrogation, a German foot soldier frantically dodging Russian patrols as he attempts to surrender to Americans, and a Polish couple who endured the seemingly unendurable only to be separated by an ocean as they are about to become parents. Individually and together, these seemingly disparate and yet inextricably intertwined people hurtle toward their own climactic finishes as midnight and the official beginning of V-E Day approaches on 7 May 1945. Foreword gave the book five stars and described it as “…a captivating novel in which history unfolds moment by moment;” Kirkus Reviews called it “An artfully composed latticework that captures the moral chaos of war;" and Midwest Book Review wrote, “Replete with the blood, sweat, and tears of the common man on the cusp of multiple life changes after a long period of struggle, Sixty Seconds is a standout in World War II fiction."
John and Julie and Robert by Michael Strelow
In a small town, three childhood friends—Julie, John, and Robert—forge an unbreakable bond beneath the sprawling branches of a maple tree. As kids, Julie dazzles them with her imaginative adaptations of Shakespeare, igniting their dreams of adventure. Now adults, they’ve taken divergent paths: Julie becomes a globe-trotting activist, Robert a successful lawyer, and John a passionate environmental crusader, often finding himself in trouble for his bold stand against pollution. As John battles against leaf blowers and other threats to their hometown, he relies on the stories of heroes and the power of their friendship. But can love truly navigate the complexities of their changing world? With Julie’s guiding light illuminating their paths, the trio confronts the realities of adulthood, grappling with the weight of their shared history and the challenges ahead. John and Julie and Robert is a poignant tale of loyalty, nostalgia, and the enduring ties of friendship as the past and present collide, reminding us that some narratives shape our lives forever.
About the Authors:
Steven Mayfield is the award-winning author of four novels and one collection of short stories. A past guest editor of the literary journal, Cabin Fever, his short fiction has appeared in Event, The Long Story, and the anthology From Eulogy to Joy, among others. A former physician, he also has over forty publications as author or co-author in the medical/scientific literature. He followed his children and grandchildren to Oregon where he has resided for the last ten years.
Michael Strelow is a professor emeritus from Willamette University writing books in Salem, Oregon. He is an accomplished Oregon author whose diverse body of work spans adult fiction, middle grade literature, poetry, and creative nonfiction. His latest novel, John and Julie and Robert, will be released by Regal House Publishing on September 2, 2025, followed by A Confluence of Strangers in April 2026. His earlier novels explore a wide range of themes: environmental pollution in The Greening of Ben Brown (2005), a finalist for the Ken Kesey Novel Prize; the life of 19th-century brewer Henry Weinhard in Henry: A Novel of Beer and Love in the West (2014); the intersection of DNA and artificial intelligence in the Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated Some Assembly Required (2017); and literary mystery in The Moby-Dick Blues (2018). His middle grade trilogy—The Princess Gardener, The Alyssa Chronicle, and Jake’s Book—playfully critiques the notion of “royal” blood and is published under the Our Street Books imprint.
In addition to his novels, Strelow’s poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction have appeared in numerous literary and commercial magazines, including Orchid Magazine, Oregon Quarterly, Sou’wester, CutBank, Northwest Review, Kansas Quarterly, Midwest Poetry Review, Poetry Midwest, Bellingham Review, and Willow Springs.
He actively promotes his work through social media—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter—and his personal website. Over the years, he has made public appearances at venues such as Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, and even as far afield as Galway, Ireland. He has also given university readings, led writing workshops, and engaged with book clubs, writing groups, and civic organizations across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Questions? Contact beccar@dpls.lib.or.us
AGE GROUP: | Adult |
EVENT TYPE: | Write Here | Adult Program |
The two-story, 38,855-square-foot library opened in 1998 and features exposed beams and high ceilings, complemented with eastward-facing windows, looking over Bend’s civic square.
