Five Independent Works Bring History, Personal Experience, Fiction, and Poetry to Frankfurt Book Fair 2026

Five books representing markedly different subjects, genres, and perspectives will come together at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2026 as part of The Maple Staple’s exhibition from October 7 to 11 at M esse Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The selection will include works by Bud W. Hunton HMC USN RET., J o Anne Jeffries, Becky Larson Bloom, Jennifer Beland, and Elsa Johnson, with the titles available for visitors to view in person at Hall 5.1, Stand D86.

Bud W. Hunton’s “The History of Scamming …and how to stay safe” traces deceptive practices from an ancient Greek maritime fraud dating to 300 B.C. through scams associated with trade, commerce, technology, and modern digital life. Drawing on historical accounts as well as personal experiences, the book examines how scams have evolved and the vigilance required to recognize them.

Hunton’s background includes Navy medical service, hospital administration, 22 years as a Sinclair Community College instructor, and work editing and writing medical textbooks. His writing career began after his retirement from the Navy in 1975, and by September 2025, he had published 19 nonfiction books.

Jo Anne Jeffries’ “Sunward: Our Zigzag Path to High-Functioning Autism” is a personal memoir about raising her son during a period when autism was widely misunderstood. Jeffries recounts her family’s experiences with diagnoses, treatments, and their efforts to find approaches they believed would help their son.

A former educator and executive director of the Autism Society of North Carolina, she has spent decades advocating for autistic individuals and their families. During her five years as executive director, the organization expanded its annual budget to $750,000, became a United Way agency, and established the first group home in the nation for individuals with autism who could be competitively employed. She later served as a vice president of the Autism Society of America and worked on government affairs involving services for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Romance takes center stage in Becky Larson Bloom’s “A Chance Meeting,” which follows Ann, a woman shaped by heartbreak and solitude, whose spontaneous trip to Italy leads to an unexpected connection with Jay, a soldier on leave. Their relationship unfolds through Rome and the Mediterranean as they confront past wounds and reconsider love and trust. The novel draws on Italy’s landmarks and landscapes as Ann and Jay move through the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Mediterranean shores while discovering whether their unexpected connection can become something lasting.

Bloom, who grew up in a small country town in Minnesota, spent years writing stories, plays, and poems before publishing her first erotic love story, “New Beginnings,” in 2023 at age 70.

Jennifer Beland’s “Buster, the Delicate Doodle” introduces children to Buster, a Goldendoodle who learns to recognize his strengths while navigating anxiety and his own quirky tendencies. Designed for classroom use, the picture book encourages conversations about differences, personal strengths, and social-emotional learning. The book is intended for counselors, parents, and teachers working with students in grades 2 through 5, with additional lessons connecting social-emotional learning to Common Core ELA reading and writing standards.

Beland brings 20 years of experience in education and mental health, including work with children with disabilities. She holds a Master of Education in Education/Special Education from Cambridge College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Bridgewater State College.

Completing the selection is Elsa Johnson’s “The Wind Speaks: Poems,” winner of the 2020 Hopper Poetry Prize. The collection moves through the natural world using unconventional poetic forms and voices, including poems imagined from the perspectives of creatures such as the praying mantis, vulture, and whippoorwill. The poems move from observation and imagination toward the internal and personal, ultimately arriving at what the collection describes as a celebratory grief.

Johnson has spent most of her life among the hills, valleys, ledges, streams, and bogs of northeastern Ohio and works across poetry, writing, landscape design, and art. She is also an environmental sustainability advocate, invasive species volunteer, and writer and co-editor for Gardenopolis Cleveland.

Together, the five books reflect the range of independent publishing and the varied experiences that can shape a writer’s work. At Frankfurt, visitors will have an opportunity to encounter the physical books and explore the selection at The Maple Staple’s Stand D86.

Information about the full Frankfurt presentation is available through The Maple Staple’s Frankfurt Connect profile and its Frankfurt Book Fair 2026 website feature. The featured titles are also available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other leading book retailers worldwide.

Contact Information

Emmanuel Laguardia

Director

Bookside Press

Contact via E-mail