By Grace Heimsness

Austin ArtWorks Festival intern

Welcome to the Austin ArtWorks Festival preview column. Each Sunday, I’ll be taking you through a few of our stellar artists and getting you pumped for this Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 24 from 11 a.m. to ­5 p.m. We’ll be there before you know it, so don’t blink.

First up: the authors.

From bestselling thrillers to self-­published young adult fiction, our 2014 ArtWorks Festival authors run the gamut. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have things in common.

P.S. Duffy and Lydia Emma Niebuhr both carved out careers in the sciences before turning to the pen. Niebuhr has been writing children’s books for more than 20 years, while Duffy’s “Cartographer of No Man’s Land” was named a 2013 Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers pick. Grant Blackwood is the New York Times bestselling author of the Briggs Tanner series.

Having spent three years aboard a guided missile frigate as an operations specialist and a pilot rescue swimmer in the U.S. Navy, it’s no wonder Blackwood writes page-­turners.

Journalist-­turned-­novelist Julie Kramer joins Blackwood on the thriller front.

If laughs are your thing, look for Al Batt on our stage. Batt, an ornithologist and humorist, has contributed to a number of magazines and books, including the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series.

And if it’s soul you’re looking for, stop by to hear former pastor Phil Formo speak about his fictional memoir, “Papa: A Life Remembered.” Rounding out our bill are Kristy Bina, Sherrie Hansen, and nonfiction writers Carole Hyder and Charlotte Keller.

Be sure to check our website (www.austinareaarts.org) for the most up to date info on these authors, and stay tuned for next week’s preview.