No, author doesn't need to be capitalized.
Yes.
You capitalize it
No - not unless it's the first word of the sentence.
no, but you do capitalize mum
No, you do not capitalize the word drama.
You capitalize the first A but not the last a.
Capitalize the first word in a sentence. Capitalize proper nouns, such as the names of people and places. Capitalize the pronoun "I." Capitalize the first word of a quote. Capitalize days of the week, months, and holidays. Capitalize the titles of books, movies, and songs. Capitalize the first, last, and important words in titles.
do you capitalize roaring twenties
do you capitalize the word protestant
You capitalize Huntington
Capitalize challah bread
The author may have capitalized "Secret" in "Hatchet" to emphasize its importance as a key element in the story. By capitalizing it, the author signals to the reader that the secret will play a significant role in the plot and character development.