Brenda Haas’s debut novel was awarded the 2025 Literary Titan Gold Book Award. (Submitted photo)

LAKESIDE – Local author Brenda Haas recently received the 2025 Literary Titan Gold Book Award for her debut novel, “Finding Sutton’s Choice.” The story, set in Lakeside, explores complicated parent-child relationships, failing mental health (Alzheimer’s), and the domino effect family choices have on who we become.

According to its website, the Literary Titan organization – with reviewers comprised of professional editors, writers, and professors – bestows the Gold Book Award “upon books that exemplify exceptional standards” and seeks works with “unique writing styles, the construction of vivid, immersive worlds, complex characters, and innovative ideas.” “Finding Sutton’s Choice” received a five-star review from Literary Titan when the book first came out in May. The Gold Book Award was announced this fall. Haas is also the November winner of an International Impact Book Award in the categories of Aging and Women’s Fiction.

“Any book award is a surprising but wonderful bonus in my debut year. I’m blown away by such positive feedback,” Haas said.

Raised in the cornfields of Coshocton County, Haas indicated her plot allowed her to revisit her Ohio roots and truly analyze the complexities of living in a close-knit community.

“It’s a small-town story about second chances,” Haas said. “That’s what is at the heart of my novel.”

“Finding Sutton’s Choice” centers around the Sutton Family – specifically Charlotte Sutton, a 28-year-old writer who unwillingly finds herself back in her hometown of Lakeside after a decade gone. Her estranged father, Chuck Sutton, doesn’t recognize her, and a surprise half-sibling has taken her place.

A newspaper editor, retired baseball player, and the town’s most beloved celebrity, Chuck is thought to have Alzheimer’s disease, an illness that leads Charlotte to revisit memories of her complicated past and reevaluate her own misconceptions about growing up in the small Ohio town that still holds her heart.

“Finding Sutton’s Choice,” a poignant novel by local author Brenda Haas, is set in Lakeside. (Submitted photo)

Haas indicated nearly 1,000 copies of “Finding Sutton’s Choice” have sold in six months of publication. Traci Richards, Owner of Millie Magoo’s & The Fine Print – Ottawa County’s only bookstore – keeps the novel stocked in Lakeside.

“Going home has never felt more real,” Richards said. “This heartfelt family drama makes us reflect on whether our perceptions about childhood tell our full story and also question whether there is room for understanding and forgiveness.”

Richards and Haas may be found at the Gideon Owen Holiday Market on Dec. 19, 20 and 21. Millie Magoo’s “pop-up” bookstore will offer something for everyone’s stocking—books by local authors (signings daily, noon – 4 p.m.), bestsellers, classics, puzzles, games and regional photography by Haas. Readers may also visit the Lakeside brick-and-mortar location at 229 Walnut Ave., Lakeside, during fall hours: Thursday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Finding Sutton’s Choice” is also available locally at Canoe Club Wine Bar & Gallery, Bassett’s Market, and The Arts Garage or may be purchased online in print and Kindle formats. For more information, visit brendahaas.com.

Award-winning author Brenda Haas lives in Lakeside, Ohio – the setting for “Finding Sutton’s Choice” and a circa-1870s Chautauqua resort community attracting generations of annual vacationers, artists, and educators. Currently a magazine feature writer, Brenda spent many years as a reporter and columnist for Penn Franklin Publishing Company, a Pittsburgh press. Her writing has appeared in Leisure Living Magazine, The Beacon, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and My Outer Banks Home magazine, among other publications. Learn more at brendahaas.com, on Instagram @WriterBrendaHaas, or by visiting lakesideohio.com.