Meet the authors shaping the Cape Region’s literary scene.
For nearly 21 years, novelist and nonfiction writer Maribeth Fischer has helped establish a home for the growing community of wordsmiths, artists, and poets drawn to the Cape Region. As executive director and founder of the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild – a nonprofit with more than 500 active members – she’s helped cultivate a creative haven.
“This is like a writing Mecca. We are so lucky for a number of reasons,” Fischer said. “We have local bookstores and the Lewes History Book Festival, which is great and features big-name authors.”
That festival is slated to begin this year with a ticketed keynote Friday, September 26, followed by free presentations by nearly 20 authors across three locations in Lewes.
“They’re getting audiences of up to 800 people when big names come to town,” she said. “So what happens is, publishers now want more authors to come here. It just keeps growing and growing.”
Accessibility is a core value for Fischer, who teaches many of the classes offered through the RBWG. Recent offerings include novel-writing, poetry, and short story classes, as well as creative nonfiction and an introduction to Substack.
Part of that accessibility comes from keeping prices reasonable. As a nonprofit, the guild has kept its annual membership fee incredibly low – rising just $5 in 20 years, from $50 in 2004 to $55 for the guild’s 20th anniversary. Members enjoy discounts on classes and access to a wide range of creative opportunities. But nonmembers are also welcome, and the guild hosts freewrites – informal writing gatherings – at libraries in Lewes, Rehoboth, and Bethany Beach.
“I want it to be easy and affordable,” Fischer said. “We’re a nonprofit, so I feel like we’re doing something important for the community – and that matters to me.”
In addition to teaching and running classes up and down the coast, Fischer continues to write. Her most recent novel, “A Season of Perfect Happiness,” follows Claire, a Rehoboth native who moves to Wisconsin after a personal tragedy and confronts the secrets she left behind.
Though Claire shares Fischer’s love for Rehoboth and running, the author says the story is firmly fictional and an opportunity to explore themes like privacy and what we choose to reveal.
“I steal things from my life, but it’s not me,” Fischer said. “The character is starting a new life and deciding whether to share her past, asking, ‘Do we have the right to our secrets?’”
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Inspired by the open-armed community at the writers guild, Crystal Heidel – writer, graphic designer, and author coach – has published two award-winning novels, designed the guild’s 20th-anniversary collection Our Stories, and launched her own publishing company: Byzantium Sky Press. Her goal? Helping women and LGBTQ+ authors share their voices and self-publish.
“I never would have published my novel without them,” Heidel said of the RBWG. “My novel became a novel with all those little pieces from freewrites.”
Heidel now teaches the Meraki writing masterclass, independently of the guild. It is offered in 3-, 6-, or 12-month formats. For more information, go to byzantiumskypress.com/coaching.
“I work one-on-one with clients,” she said. “I tailor it to your needs as a writer.”
She currently has a fantasy novel in the works – a retelling of the Daphne and Apollo myth. Prior publications include “Wanderlust,” a historical novel set in the Vietnam War era, and “Still Life in Blood,” about a Rehoboth Beach artist and a Delaware State Police detective entangled in a murder case.
At Byzantium Sky Press, Heidel opens for submissions twice a year and seeks stories featuring strong, and complex women.
“I want stories that are creating a new path,” she said. “I want something to inspire me.”
FINDING HER FLOW
Gina Marie Wilson is an executive coach and author who splits her time between Fenwick Island and Hockessin. A member of the RBWG since 2020, she’s published three books inspired by her background in psychology, business, and coaching.
“As a coach, I can only manage so many clients at a time,” Wilson said. “I thought, a lot of these techniques can be put into a book for further reach.”
Her first title, “Skills That Build: The Hard Science of Soft Skills for Work and Life,” translates her professional coaching strategies into accessible nonfiction for readers looking to level up their careers.
She shifted to fiction with her debut novel Silicon Valley East, released in February 2025. The book explores themes of imposter syndrome and workplace challenges through the story of a woman navigating the male-dominated healthcare tech industry of the 1980s. The protagonist’s career journey takes her from Delaware to New York, Philly, California, and beyond – offering a behind-the-scenes look at the digital revolution in hospitals.
“A big part of coaching is helping people find what brings on a ‘flow state,’” Wilson said. “When I started writing, I realized it brought on that flow state for myself. And when you can bring that flow into your life, everything gets better.”
THE GLOW-UP
When comedian and copywriter Alex Csedrik moved to Dewey Beach full-time in 2020, it marked both a return to his roots and a personal creative rebirth.
After spending his tween and teen summers at the beach, Csedrik stepped away from the fast-paced world of content strategy in NYC and NJ. Since relocating, he’s embraced the slower pace while diving into creative and civic life. As former chair of the Dewey Beach Marketing Committee, he even coined the town’s playful tagline: Delaware’s Favorite Playground.
His muse? Dewey Beach itself.
Csedrik has published collections of satirical sci-fi stories, including his latest, “Mars is for Millennials: The Glow-Up Edition.” His writing style, which he describes as “Kurt Vonnegut meets South Park,” uses humor to explore serious topics like AI and censorship.
“Dewey Beach interactions just keep the creative juices flowing,” he said. “Something about this place is magical.”
SEAT 3A
Best known as the managing partner of Big Fish Restaurant Group, Eric Sugrue added “author” to his resume in 2024 with the release of his debut crime thriller, Seat 3A.
An avid fan of authors like John Grisham and James Patterson, Sugrue never considered writing a novel – until he thought he saw a dead body out of his airplane window while flying from Philadelphia to Miami. He was in seat 3A.
Once he realized it was just a trick of the light, the idea stuck. He jotted down notes as soon as he landed. Over the next few years, he kept refining the idea, especially during quiet moments on trips to Florida.
When the pandemic shut down restaurants and life slowed, Sugrue dug into the idea more seriously. Holed up in Rehoboth, he dusted off his notes and started writing. His protagonist, Christian Stone, is a restaurateur who sees a real body from his plane window – an event that sets off a whirlwind of secrets, crime, and high-stakes danger.
“I made a pact with myself that I’m going to write this book – even though I haven’t written and it’s not what I do for a living,” Sugrue said.
With help from a friend and editorial support from Kevin Anderson & Associates, Sugrue finalized a fast-paced manuscript and published “Seat 3A” through Greenleaf Book Group.
“I don’t always sit in seat 3A on flights,” he said. “But I do like to sit by the window, and if I see it’s open when I’m booking the flight, I’ll usually take it.”
Find upcoming classes, events, and freewrites with the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild at rehobothbeachwritersguild.com.
