Three Jim Thorpe area authors are gathering on Saturday at Dimmick Memorial Library for a free writing workshop and book signing.

Richard Strack, Jeff “J.L.” Davis and Michael E. Riley will be present to discuss their works.

Richard Strack, author of “Upon a Field of Gold,” said three authors have known each other for some time and got the idea is to promote writing and literacy.

Strack is a retired teacher and Times News columnist, sports and feature writer.

His book, published in 2017, talks of a modern day man who has flashbacks to the Battle of Gettysburg. The book has been made into a screen play. He has also written four plays, which have been performed on local stages.

Strack is working on a new book, an autobiography of a fellow teacher who battled alcoholism and turned his life around.

Strack said the afternoon with writers will include writing exercises for prospective authors and high school students.

He shared some of his thoughts about writing.

“To be a successful author, you have to work at the craft of writing,” Strack said.

“A good wordsmith holds the attention of his reader, not just with language, but with a subtle style.”

He compared writers to an artist with a canvas. “An author paints a vivid picture in the minds of his audience as he creates a story that must come full circle from beginning to end,” Strack said.

Davis, who uses Jim Thorpe as the setting for most of his work, published “The 7th Jackal” in 2015.

The thriller begins in 1993 at a top secret facility conducting telekinetic research.

Something dangerous has escaped. A young woman in Jim Thorpe is found brutally murdered and a local boy vanishes without a trace. A group of teenagers set out to find their missing friend and confront an unstoppable enemy.

Years later, that same group has returned home for the funeral of friend. Together they recount the terrifying story of their youth and a hidden secret buried deep within the past.

The successful book developed into a sequel, “Jonas Blackheart.”

He has written seven book in all, with six on audiobooks and “Jonas Blackheart” being turned into a screenplay. Six are thrillers, but “Nesting with the Loons” is a satire about bureaucracy.

Davis said he did book signings before the pandemic and is excited to be back out meeting with people.

He talks about the dedication to being a writer. Though he works full-time during the day, “I usually write a couple hours every night,” he said.

What does it take to be a successful writer?

“Discipline,” Davis said.

“You can’t be a person who needs to be with people all the time,” he said. Writers have to be comfortable being alone to hone their work.

He uses some of his childhood experiences as the basis for his books, basing characters on people he knows.

But, he said you need a big imagination. “You have to be able to place yourself in the story,” Davis said.

Michael E. Riley spent 25 years on the Philadelphia police force, and 52 years total in law enforcement. That has provided a lot of inspiration for stories.

Riley began his writing career four years ago at age 70. He had the plot in mind for “The Long Last Out,” but having his first granddaughter prompted him to write it.

In 2021, he published the mystery-science fiction book based on a Philadelphia police officer on the midnight shift. “In the cold hours of darkness on the last out shift, anything can happen,” he wrote about his book.

One night, both the officer and the car disappear. His young partner begins the investigation.

He also wrote, “One Wish Away,” a book similar to Mitch Albom’s style of magical realism.

The book begins with a gifted third-grader who is a sandlot baseball all-star. In school, a fire breaks out and traps five classmates inside the gym. By the end of the day, four students and a school janitor are dead, with only the boy left alive. For years after the tragedy, survivor’s guilt haunts him, spiraling him downward until one night, he begs God to grant his one wish.

Riley said his secret to launching a writer career at age 70, was “making up his mind and sticking to it.”

“When I first started, I stared at the blank page,” he said. But then he discovered, “You just need to get words on paper and edit it later.”

Strack, Davis and Riley will conduct the workshop at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dimmick Memorial Library, 54 Broadway, Jim Thorpe. The authors will have signed copies of their books for sale. The event is free and refreshments will be served.