Who We Are

An introduction.

Who are we?

Authors For Public Lands is a collective of authors who write books set in National Parks and other public lands. Out of our love for America’s “Best Idea,” we’ve joined together to advocate for the protection and preservation of this country’s public lands.

Members of the collective:

Jeff Ayers co-authors the National Park thriller series for Minotaur as A.J. Landau, and the Jigsaw Puzzle Mysteries for Crooked Lane as J.B. Abbott. He has interviewed hundreds of authors for magazines, newspapers, and podcasts, and reviewed books for The Associated Press and Booklist. He currently reviews suspense thrillers and mysteries for Library Journal, Criminal Element, and firstCLUE. A retired public librarian and former co-executive director for ThrillerFest, he lives near Seattle, Washington. His website is jeffayersbooks.com.

Scott Graham is the National Outdoor Book Award-winning author of the National Park Mystery Series, published by Torrey House Press. A special 10th Anniversary Edition of book one in the series, Grand Canyon Sacrifice, featuring a foreword by Anne Hillerman, was released in April 2025. Scott’s nine critically acclaimed mysteries feature archaeologist Chuck Bender and his family as they encounter villainous intrigue in America’s iconic national parks, illuminating environmental and social justice issues specific to the parks along the way. Scott is an avid outdoorsman and public lands advocate who lives in southwest Colorado. In addition to his mysteries, Scott is the author of five nonfiction books. Visit him at scottfranklingraham.com.

Nicole Maggi is the author of A MURDER IN ZION, the first in the National Park Mystery Series (Oceanview Pub), which Publisher’s Weekly called “a winner.” She also penned THE FORGETTING, an International Thriller Writers Thriller Award Finalist, a Junior Library Guild selection and a #1 Kindle Bestseller, as well as the YA contemporary WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW. Nicole holds a B.F.A. from Emerson College and has spoken at numerous conferences and book festivals. When she’s not writing, she’s either driving her teenager to the mall or plotting her next escape to a National Park. Find her online at nicolemaggi.com.

Pamela Beason is a mystery author, a wilderness and wildlife enthusiast, and a former private investigator. She is the author of 15 full-length novels in 4 different series. When she's not working the next mystery, she's out hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing, or scuba diving in the national and state parks, forest lands, and waterways of the United States and Canada. Find her online at pamelabeason.com.

Kathleen Donnelly is an award-winning author and former K-9 handler who writes the National Forest K-9 and Colorado K-9 series, both set in the Colorado mountains. Her debut, Chasing Justice, and follow-up, Hunting the Truth, have received national acclaim, including honors from the Colorado Authors League, PenCraft, and Silver Falchion Awards. Her upcoming release, Colorado K-9 Rescue, launches a gripping new series featuring working dogs, mystery and romance. Born and raised in Colorado, Kathleen’s passion for mountains, dogs, and horses inspires her stories. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged friends. Visit kathleendonnelly.com to learn more.

John Goodwin served 27 years as a National Park Service ranger at Rocky Mountain, Mount Rainier, Everglades, North Cascades, and Golden Gate. A survivor of two lightning strikes and a 10-year battle with PTSD, he went on to serve as a two-term councilmember and mayor of Colma, California. John is the author of Echoes of the Badge and a fierce supporter of veterans, first responders, mental health treatment, and lung health, raising thousands for critical causes. His journey is one of resilience, service, and a relentless commitment to helping others. Visit echoesofthebadge.com to learn more.

Peggy Townsend is an award-winning newspaper journalist and author of the 2023 domestic thriller, The Beautiful and the Wild, which is set in the Alaskan wilderness and drew on a seven-week trip through the Yukon and the state. She is a mini-adventurer who has rafted rivers, including the Colorado and the Middle Fork of the Salmon, and makes her winter home in a small cabin in the woods where she regularly hikes and skis the mountains at Palisades Tahoe. She has rock climbed, slithered through caves, fished in the Gulf of Alaska, and mountain biked miles of trails, although she is accomplished at none of these things. Her newest mystery novel, The Botanist’s Assistant, will be released November 18, 2025. Find her online at peggytownsendbooks.com.

Why We’re Here

Through executive orders calling for public forests to be logged, through massive firings gutting the agencies that oversee public lands, and through an agenda that clearly states for the privatization of public lands in order to open them up for development, the Trump Administration has posed a grave threat to the continued protection and conservation of National Parks, Forests, and Monuments.

As authors who write books set in these beautiful places, we don’t just write about them; we experience, love, and cherish them. We believe that these places are truly what makes America great, and that they should be preserved for generations to come.

We’ll be posting once a week, rotating posts between the seven of us, with the occasional guest post. Our hope is to bring awareness to the threat to our public lands, and to promote advocacy for them. Knowledge is power, and that’s what we hope to give to you.

If you love our National Parks, subscribe to learn how you can help protect them, too.