Now accepting submission for the "Tales On The Yellow Brick Road 2025" Anthology! Free to enter! Click HERE for more information.
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JACK GANNON
OWNER, CO-FOUNDER, PRODUCTION & FINANCE MANAGER, ONLINE MANAGER, WEBMASTER
Jack Gannon began his literary career with high school best friend Cyndi Williams-Barnier after they were both retired from their respective careers, writing the stories they talked about way back in high school. Together they have written nine books, both self-published and by another publisher.
YBR Publishing was born when Jack wrote and published his first solo book, "I WALKED IN SANTA'S BOOTS", a coffee-table-sized hardbound autobiography about his quarter-century as Santa Claus for Beaufort, SC. "SANTA" was entered into the Beaufort County Library Historic District Collection as an important book reflecting the history of Beaufort, SC, as well as the Columbia State Library as an important book in South Carolina history.
His decades in print media gave him the experience to put together that first book in a unique and attractive scrap-book style, and now serves as the Production Manager for YBR Publishing. Jack works one-on-one with each author to create a distinctive visual signature in the book from cover to cover, a trademark style individual to each author with YBR Publishing. In addition, Jack is YBR Publishing's webmaster, online manager, and finance manager.
Jack also serves as the Emcee for its annual Fall Bazaar every October.
He is retired from The Beaufort Gazette & The Island Packet after 24 years in management plus another ten years prior as a motor route delivery carrier and intern reporter.
In January 2021, Jack was double honored by Marquis Who's Who with inclusion in the Marquis Who's Who Top Executives and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifetime careers in print media and publishing. Jack was just included in the ninth edition of "MILLENIUM: Honoring the Legacies of Professionals from Around the World" for his career in publishing (he can be found on Page 57).
Jack lives in Beaufort, SC, with his wife Mendy. Their beloved Pomeranian, Tasia, passed in July 2022 just three months shy of her 16th birthday, and has been succeeded by a new solid black Pomeranian they named Kieran. Also, they have Mister Grey, an 8-year-old Russian Blue who is "a lot of cat"!
LOREEN RIDGE-HUSUM
ART DIRECTOR and INDEPENDENT CONTRACT ILLUSTRATOR
Loreen Ridge-Husum is YBR's Art Director, overseeing original art used in manuscripts and covers.
Loreen was born on the Atlantic side of the former Canal Zone, later moving to the United States to study and graduate from Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC, with former classmate Jack Gannon. While at Winthrop she worked on the college newspaper and wrote press releases as a student assistant for the Winthrop Public Affairs Office.
She is currently a Visual Arts tutor at Greenville Tech in South Carolina; is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA); and is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, serving as the local chapter yearbook editor.
With her brother-in-law Ed, she wrote and illustrated WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE CANAL ZONE, an historical coloring book published by YBR in 2019. She is currently developing a new WHERE IS coloring book with her daughter, Piper. Loreen also provided the illustrations for YBR's first children's book, THE ADVENTURES OF HARRIET THE SAUSAGE DOG and the cover design for YBR's O.Z. DOESN'T DIGGS G.C.C. AT EMERALD CITY. Currently she is completing the coloring for ZIGGY ZIG-ZAGS THE LIGHT- THE ICE QUEEN HATETH when the artist was unable to complete it himself.
Loreen can be contracted separately for book cover art & design and non-book related artwork.
Loreen lives in West Pelzer, South Carolina, with her husband Ray.