The Sacramento Book Festival returns Saturday with more than 140 authors, expanded programming and a community book drive — all part of a growing literary celebration now drawing big-name writers and deep support from across the capital region.

Hosted by the Sacramento branch of the California Writers Club, the all-day, free event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Shepard Garden & Art Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. in east Sacramento. Last year’s debut event, held modestly at the next-door McKinley Farmers Market, featured just 25 authors. This year, organizers fielded such a strong response that they filled every available slot and added a waiting list.

“We’ve gone from about 25 authors last year to over 140 this year, with 30 authors on our waiting list,” said Tim Schooley, one of the festival organizers and a committee chair for the club.

The lineup of speakers and panelists includes bestselling thriller writer James Rollins, who lives in Sacramento, and mystery novelist Catriona McPherson, who now lives near Winters. The festival will feature author panels, book signings, readings and a children’s activity area with balloon animals, face painting and storytelling sessions. Nearly all offerings are free, with books available for purchase.

Organizers began preparing for the festival months in advance, coordinating with local writing groups, bookstores and literacy organizations.

“Last year, we just kind of threw it together ... and held it at the McKinley Farmers Market on a Sunday,” Schooley said. “And we were overwhelmed by the response.”

He said since the group started working on a full event in November, they “immediately sold out the number of slots.”

“The response from the author community has been huge, and we’re just hoping and praying the response from the reading community matches that interest,” he said.

The event next to McKinley Park will also feature a family-friendly scavenger hunt with prizes including a $50 Zocalo gift card, two tickets to a show at Broadway Sacramento and a season pass for two to Capital Stage.

LOCAL WRITERS

Rollins, a former Sacramento veterinarian whose thrillers put him atop the New York Times Best Seller list, will headline the festival with a keynote address at 11:40 a.m. Rollins, author of the Sigma Force series including recent titles “Tides of Fire” and “Arkangel,” is known for blending cutting-edge science with fast-paced suspense, and has sold more than 20 million books worldwide. He will sign books after his talk and again later in the afternoon.

Also featured is McPherson, the Scotland-born bestselling author who calls Yolo County home. She’s penned the Anthony Award-winning “The Day She Died,” the 2021 novel “The Turning Tide,” and the 2024 novel “Deep Beneath Us.” The “Last Ditch” and “Dandy Gilver” series creator will speak as part of the historical fiction panel in the afternoon.

The morning thriller panel brings together a powerhouse lineup of suspense writers including James L’Etoile, a former prison warden turned award-winning novelist of “River of Lies” and “Sins of the Father.” He’ll be joined by Richard Meredith (“Maskirovka — The Russian Science of Deception”), Terry Shames (Samuel Craddock mysteries including “The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson”), Simon Wood (“The One That Got Away”), and Robin Burcell (co-author of Clive Cussler thrillers).

The mystery and crime panel just after lunch will feature a lineup of seasoned authors, including Claire Booth (“Home Fires”); Jennifer K. Morita (“Ghosts of Waikiki”); Karen A. Phillips (Rocky Nelson Boxing Mystery series); Burcell; and Cara Black, the New York Times-bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc series and its latest installment, “Murder at La Villette.”

Opening the day at 10 a.m., the Black Women Write Panel will showcase the voices of local and regional authors BJ Davis, RoseMary Covington Morgan and Kathy Lynne Marshall. Their recent works include Davis’ thriller “My Only Friends Are Pirates,” Marshall’s historical nonfiction “Finding Olevia,” and Morgan’s novel “Swimming Through Mud.”

The sci-fi/fantasy panel comprises authors J. Scott Coatsworth, whose latest release is “The Dragon Eater”; Kim Fielding, winner of the BookLife Prize for “Hotel Pens”; Michael R. Johnston, author of the Remembrance War series; Amy Rogers, known for her biotech thrillers like “The Han Agent”; and B.J. Sikes, whose newest book “Lady Changeling” blends history often with a steampunk twist.

At 3:10 p.m., the romance panel will close the day with authors Edie Cay (“A Lady’s Revenge”), Michele Drier (Kandesky Vampire Chronicles series); Loucinda McGary (“The Wild Sight”) and R.A. Frick (“Truth or Dare, Cinderfella?”).

FUN FOR CHILDREN

In the Kids Zone, families can meet authors like Bryan Patrick Avery (“Mr. Grizley’s Class,” “Black Men in Science”); Cortney Cino, (Piper’s Adventures series); Theresa Chao Rother, whose bilingual books draw from her Sacramento roots; and Kate McCarroll Moore (“Chelsea Skye, Nature Spy”). Crafts and book giveaways will run throughout the day in the area, which starts with a reading by author-illustrator Sharon Fujimoto- Johnson (“The Mochi Makers”).

The festival also includes a major community effort: a book drive benefiting the Mustard Seed School, a private school for children experiencing homelessness operated by Loaves & Fishes. Attendees are encouraged to bring new or gently used early-reader children’s books.

“We’re asking all of our attendees to bring a new or gently used children’s book,” Schooley said. “Mustard Seed will have a big box, and we’ll probably fill it up three times.”

The Sacramento Literacy Foundation, 916 Ink, the Friends of the Sacramento Library and numerous independent bookstores — such as Underground Books, Avid Reader and Capital Books on K — are backing the event.

With a packed schedule and strong community backing, Schooley said the festival aims to become a staple in Sacramento’s cultural calendar.

“We’re trying to build this bigger and better every year,” he said.