Owner and Manager Tanya Parker Mills is also an author. Her first novel, The Reckoning, was the 2009 Indie Book Award Winner for Multicultural Fiction and the 2010 Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award Winner for Mainstream/Literary Fiction. Her second book, A Night on Moon Hill, was a 2012 Whitney Finalist. When it comes to reading, she particularly enjoys literary fiction, biography, mystery/suspense/thriller, and historical fiction. Favorites include The Poisonwood Bible, A Prince of Our Disorder, and Pope Joan.

Her son, Jason Mills, a true Disney fan and aspiring writer, oversees the Children's and YA sections of the store. His favorite titles include Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Alice in Wonderland, and The Book Thief.  

Jackie Jones has extensive experience in retail, including serving as systems trainer for Nordstrom in Southern California and as the buyer for the University of Utah Bookstore. With an eye for what sells, she will be invaluable in arranging displays. She reads about a book a week and is most fond of historical fiction, though she tries to read widely to avoid getting stuck in one genre.

Kathy Habel runs the popular website I Am A Reader and, given her experience with interviewing authors in all genres, will serve as our Events Coordinator. She's eager to draw upon her high school experience of working in an independent bookstore in California. Her personal reading preference tends toward romance (hence her other website, Clean Wholesome Romance), with Jane Eyre as her all-time favorite, and her favorite authors are Jane Austen and Amy Harmon.

Markay Brown is our resident poet and, as such, will help coordinate and schedule our monthly Poetry Nights. She won first place for Eve's Child, her book-length collection of poetry submitted in the 2014 Utah Original Writing Competition, and serves as president of Red Rock Writers, a chapter of the Utah State Poetry Society. Her favorite authors include Wallace Stegner and Ivan Doig. She likes many poets, of course, but counts Robert Frost, Billy Collins, Lance Larsen, and Joyce Ellen Davis among her favorites.

Julie Wright is an award-winning author who has written 23 novels in the romance, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Having also run several bookstores for writing conferences, she will help out occasionally with displays and offsite events. Her three favorite novels are Pride and Prejudice, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Princess Bride.

Sharon Link is a former Kindergarten teacher, an avid reader, and a current creator of artisan soaps (that will be available for purchase in the bookstore). She will oversee and help present our "Story Time For Kids," to be held on Saturdays. When she's not reading to her grandkids, her favorite genres are historical fiction and spy thrillers.

Lynne Godfrey has as much energy as all her grandkids put together and will help make "Story Time For Kids" a memorable experience twice a month. At home, she's usually got her nose deep into a murder mystery, historical novel, or a biography. Favorite authors include Agatha Christie, Lee Child, Rosamunde Pilcher, Anna Quindlen, and Nevil Shute. Besides having served in management and sales at Nordstrom, she's been published in Parenting Magazine, spoken on empowering women, and served as Director of SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome).

Sherri Ligtermoet, another avid reader, likes nothing more than to curl up in the corner with a good book. Besides self-help books, she's into real-life experiences and adventures that veer into the dangerous. And I've already got her busy reading an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in preparation for when we open. Her most recent reads included The Distant Hours and The Inn at Ocean's Edge.

Sheila Rincon, originally from Colombia, brings an international eye to our curated collection. Everywhere she travels (and she's on the road a lot!), she stops in at the local bookstore. She, too, is currently reading an ARC along with several other books. Some of her favorites include Caleb's Crossing, The Pilot's Wife, and The Joy Luck Club. Before retiring, she translated records and helped design brochures for the Veterans Administration in Denver, CO.

You'll get to know us all a bit better as you see our Staff Recommendations each month. Look for our Shelf Talkers throughout the store! (And in case you're wondering why such a small store requires such a large team, let me explain. Many of us lead such busy lives that we'll need to spell each other when some are traveling, visiting, or tending grandkids.)