Meet the Authors

*Dito Abbott: Dito (rhymes with “Cheetoh”) was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Saudi Arabia, and sailed around the world with his family by the age of twenty-seven. His debut YA Fantasy novel, Debunked, draws on his love for adventure, googly-eyed slime beasts, and sarcastic swords of legend. Dito lives in Phoenix with his wife, two daughters, and an invisible dragon named Clyde.

Learn more at DitoAbbott.com

*Timothy J. Boyer: TJ was born in Allegan, MI, in 1955. He has been telling stories his whole life, but writing since he was 17 years old. His Mirror Gate Chronicles series, begun in 2005, took off and turned into a romping adventure spanning eleven completed novels. Married to Elizabeth, TJ has two children, and three grandchildren, and they all live in Phoenix, AZ.

Find out more about the series at MirrorGateChronicle.wordpress.com

*Bullseye the Clown: Bryan Lee (aka Bullseye The Clown) has been a performer for over 30 years. Not only as a clown and a stand-up comedian, he even had a stint teaching drama to prison inmates. His career began as an actor touring in the one-man show “Mr. Wizard’s Supermarket Science”. As an actor he also appeared in the movies Seabiscuit and Jason Bourne.

Bryan and Bullseye continue to write for Jest For Clowns Magazine, create Bully-Proof Blueprints for various companies and organizations, and tours the world as a humanitarian clown and professional speaker.

Learn more at BullseyeTheClown.com

*Chrisann Dawson: Beginning in 1991, Chrisann and her family lived in Congo for seven years doing mission work, providing her with first-hand insight into the setting and culture. They were there for the 1995 Ebola Outbreak that shocked the world and they experienced war, trauma, and the hardships of daily life. Chrisann speaks Lingala fluently.

Chrisann and her husband, Gale, have been married for 30 years. They have three grown children. Their second daughter was born in the Congo. Currently they live in Payson, Arizona where Chrisann works part-time with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.

Learn more at www.ChrisannDawson.com

*Jodi Decker: Dr. Jodi Decker, Ed.D, is a college professor, family historian, and the granddaughter of Martha Nasch. She is a contributing writer for the book Poems From the Asylum, in collaboration with great-granddaughter Janelle Molony. The book delves into committal to an insane asylum for 7 years, medical diagnosis and treatment, medical analysis, narrative bio, poetry, and sensationalist journalism.

See Facebook for more information.

Authors (listed alphabetically)

*Elizabeth Ajamie-Boyer: Elizabeth is from Phoenix. She graduated from East High School, South Mountain Community College, and Arizona State University. She is married to, and co-writes with her husband, TJ Boyer, primary author of The Mirror Gate Chronicles series. As a Christian writer, Elizabeth feels called to write about the accomplishments of Christians who made the United States of America a great country. Elizabeth and TJ have two children and three grandchildren.

See MirrorgateChronicles.wordpress.com

*Tom Alberti: Tom is a 51-year resident of Arizona and has enjoyed riding his horses all over Arizona. He has written a seven-book series, ‘The Horseman.’ This series highlights the adventures and history of a young ranching couple and includes danger, romance, and historical background in the Arizona Territory.

Tom has also published a book of western short stories and two independent novels. Nine of his ten books take place in the Arizona Territory. Most of the horses written about in his ‘Horseman’ series are his own horses and the trails described in his books are actual trails he has ridden.

Find out more at TomAlbertiNovels.com

*Bonnie Bahn: Bonnie graduated from Oregon State University, raised her family on a ranch in Eastern Oregon, and then moved to Arizona. Her first book, Bumblefoot, Murder is for the Birds, features a telepathic screech owl and a team of teenage detectives. Next she wrote children’s holiday books, Christmas Alligator, Raccoon Rainbow, Saving Yankee and Doodle, and Moon Balls. The heroes of these magical books were disabled. Recently she wrote Fire Below Mystery Mountain about a wildfire near Payson, AZ with a family with two children and the golden eagle who shares their lives.

Visit Bonnie at BonnieBahn.wordpress.com.

*Susan Budavari: Susan has always been an avid mystery reader. After years as a scientific writer/editor and encyclopedist in the pharmaceutical industry in New Jersey, she moved to Arizona and began writing fiction. She writes the Merano & Bell Novel series featuring a small-town Arizona PI (and ex-NJ cop) and his physician wife. Reason to Hide is the latest book in the series. She co-authored with Merle McCann, Beyond the Broken Door, 2020 Winner of the Anthology/Fiction Award, New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. She has served as an advisor on the board of directors of Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter.

Learn more at SusanBudavari.com

*Caren Cantrell: Caren is a children’s book author who writes stories about characters who capture her imagination. They might have a too short flipper or curly whiskers. Or they might just be curious about the world around them. Her most recent book is a middle-grade novel, called The Sun Thief. She also has a non-fiction Kindle series, under the pen name Matthew Taylor, called Planet Discovery Books for Kids. Caren’s three favorite words—Read It Again!

She lives in Cave Creek, AZ, with her husband, Bill, and dog, Daisy, but travels frequently to visit her five children and ten grandchildren.

Visit Caren at CarenCantrell.com or join her on Facebook

*Tam Chronin: Tam is a figment of the imagination, which might be why she lives there often enough to find her main characters and convince them to share their stories.

Before becoming an author, she slayed trolls for many years in the wilds of the Internet. She was occasionally granted the legendary weapon, Ban Hammer. It was a relief to retire from such harrowing adventures, but for a coin and a stiff drink she might recount them over a campfire.

She lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her family and pets, including a vicious attack tortoise who guards the back yard.

Find out more at TamChronin.com

*Connie Cockrell: A 20-year Air Force career, a manager at a computer operations company, wife, mother, sister and volunteer, provides a rich background for Connie Cockrell’s story-telling.

She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genre. She’s published 20 books, has been included in five anthologies and been published on EveryDayStories.com and FrontierTales.com. Connie’s always on the lookout for a good story idea. Beware, you may be the next one.

If you’d like to know more, go to ConniesRandomThoughts.com or to Facebook.

*Rebecca DalMolin: In 2014, Rebecca’s world changed when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with Down syndrome. Since then, she has devoted herself to advocating for her daughter and others in the DS community. Currently enrolled in Arizona State University’s Master’s program for Special Education (ABA), she plans to use her love for writing to continue to teach others about those with special needs and promote inclusion through the power of children’s literature. When she isn’t writing, you can find her chasing her three littles, opening gates for her favorite cowboy and husband, or eating her secret stash of chocolate.

See SmallThingsPublishing.com

*Jennifer Deibel: Jennifer is the bestselling and award-winning author of A Dance in Donegal and The Lady of Galway Manor. She’s also a middle school teacher whose work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine, and others. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children.

You can find her online at JenniferDeibel.com

*Amy Despain: Amy is a mother, a grandmother of eight and a half grandkids, and a children’s author. She has what she considers the three best jobs in the whole world. She also has an amazing husband and family that she adores. She grew up visiting her grandparents in Belly Button in the summer, the winter, and for school holidays. She is always excited to be with her cousins for any reason. Family is everything, and adventure can always be a part of it.

Find out more at LawleyPublishing.com

*R. A. Douthitt: Former writing teacher, R. A. Douthitt is an award-winning author of many books for middle grade readers and adults in fiction and non-fiction. She is the winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Books Award-Bronze Medal for Best Book Series and First Place in the 2022 Christian Indie Awards in the YA category. She currently works for Grand Canyon University and lives in Phoenix with her husband Scott and their little dog. When she isn’t writing, Ruth loves to run, draw, paint, and garden.

Learn more at ArtByRuth.com

*C.S. Elston: Chris Elston has worked as a writer in various mediums, including the film and television industry, since the 1990’s. He primarily grew up in the northern suburbs of Seattle, Washington, went to college southwest of Portland, Oregon and then lived in the Los Angeles area for fifteen years. He now resides in Chino Valley, Arizona with his wife and business partner, Andrea. Together, they own and operate Shine-A-Light Corp, which includes a publishing house, and a non-profit organization called Shine the Light Ministries.

See more at CSElston.com

*Sherry E. Engler: Sherry E. Engler: Sherry resides in Payson, AZ with her husband of forty-three years, Don, retired police chief of Payson. Their daughter and son are law enforcement officers inspiring Sherry to write Living with LEO: Law Enforcement Officers, a humorous, insightful perspective as wife and mother to LEOs. Sherry has written and illustrated Daisy Doo! Daisy Doo? What? Who?, Holden’s Magical Blue Marble, and Princess Dixie, Princess Ella & 7 Crazy Hens. Sherry writes articles for Outdoors Southwest. She has been featured in Voyage Phoenix Magazine and Shoutout Arizona. Sherry enjoys hiking and spending time with family.

See SherryEngler.com

*Annemarie Eveland: In her new book Hurrah for Humans she shares true-life stories that inspire and celebrate humanity’s kindness and courage. Be The Ripple (stories that show how small events in a day can have lasting effects on us), Real Women Don’t Wear Glass Slippers (stories of challenges that bring us deeper insights and gratitude from life experiences) are two of her other books.

A self-guided book, At First Glance, What Faces Reveal teaches how to instantly read people’s personalities by understanding human behavior through our physical structure.

Learn more at AnnemarieEveland.wordpress.com

*Laurie Fagen: Laurie is a long-time “writer by habit” who has written for radio and television news; corporate video, films and documentaries; magazines and newspapers; and now crime fiction mysteries. An honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine’s Mysterious Photograph short story contest and a love of reading whodunits led to three published short stories in Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter anthologies.

Laurie is a former publisher of a Chandler, AZ community newspaper with her late husband, Geoff Hancock, a jazz singer and artist. She is a member of Sisters in Crime (SinC) & Arizona Mystery Writers and lives in Chandler.

Learn more at ReadLaurieFagen.com Follow her on Facebook

*Cynthia Anne Finefrock: Cynthia lives in Scottsdale, AZ with her furry roommates, Winston and Sparrow. Before she ventured into the world of writing, Cynthia graduated from the University of Southern California before obtaining her Masters in Physician Assistant Studies from Cornell University. Academics aside, Cynthia’s true passion is experiencing as much of the world as possible through the lens of her camera. After designing a website to showcase her diverse photography, Cynthia decided to edit her dog Winston into her travel landscapes. What started as a comical exchange between friends has transpired into a published book.

Stay updated on Winston’s fabulous life by following him on Instagram @WinstonTravels_. Visit CynthiaAnne.com for updates.

*Suzanne Flaig: Suzanne is the author of the Missy Jenkins musical mystery series, Terror in Double Time, Death in 3/4 Time, and Killing in Quarter Time. Her short stories have appeared in print and online, including several in various anthologies. Two books of original short stories, Thrilled to Death, and Deadly Droplets, are available on Amazon and Kindle. Suzanne is a past president of the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime and a member of the Mesa Writers Guild.

Learn more at MissyJenkinsMysteries.com

 

*Terrie Gardner: Writing has been a passion since childhood. The sensation of writing with a great pen on a crisp sheet of paper is still excites her. Although it has always been a passion, writing was placed on hold while Terrie taught elementary education and raised a family.

In January 2021 she released her first book; Landslide, a Story of Faith Hope and Love to inspire others that may be dealing with a similar circumstance, living with an addict. Along with releasing the book Terrie has become a motivational speaker and shares her story to inspire and encourage others.

Find out more at LifestreamPublishing.com

*Howard Gershkowitz: Howard is 65, married (42 years) with one child (age 34), and has lived in Arizona since 1981. Maintaining a journal for most of his life, he’s accumulated a significant amount of material to write about. To date, he has published a dozen short stories along with a poetry chapbook, Observations. His debut novel, The Operator, was published in October 2018 by All Things That Matter Press. His latest release, Not on My Watch, is out now.

Visit his website at GershWriter.com.

*Rita Goldner: Rita has a passion for the natural world, sustainability and environmental responsibility. This agenda, coupled with a love of drawing and writing made picture book writing/illustrating a great fit for her. Through written word and illustrations Rita shows her love of nature, endangered animals in their habitats, and global ecology. Her storytelling style, with colorful, whimsical pictures and lively action-packed plots, make learning fun.

She hopes that her award-winning books will bring awareness of the environment’s importance and will ensure that her readers will join the fight to preserve all this when they grow up.

Learn more at RitaGoldnerBooks.com

*David Gordon: David was a social studies teacher, principal, and is a founding owner of the Grand Canyon College Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona. He grew up reading and watching science and historical fiction and is a big baseball fan. David has combined his various passions in the Jigsaw series, which focuses on time-traveling teens thrust into major historical events—many of which never made the standard history books. Born in New York David now lives in Arizona with the love of his life, Gwyn. They are dog people, and enjoy travel and food—Italian, Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines in particular.

Learn more at DavidAlynGordon.com

*Michael Hale: Michael is an author and illustrator of children’s picture books. He illustrated his first book, UP UP UP written by Phoebe Fox, in 2016. It was published by First Edition Project Books. He wrote and illustrated his second book, Bad Monkey Business in 2017. It was published by Simian Books.

Michael spends most of his time writing and drawing. When he’s not doing that, you can find him sharing his work with young readers. He loves his job.

You can see more of Michael Hale’s work by visiting MichaelHale.me

 

Julie Hammonds: Owner of Soulstice Publishing. Soulstice brings to life “books with soul” that inspire readers with stories of human potential realized and celebrate our unique position in the Southwest. Founded in 2019, we are proud to publish books by Arizona authors. Our goal is to create meaningful books that meet the highest standards of the publishing industry. We use a partnership publishing model with our authors and arts patrons. This means the author (and sometimes a sponsor) subsidizes publication costs in return for a higher share of sales proceeds and greater involvement at every step in creating their “book with soul.”

Find out more at SoulsticePublishing.com

*Lindsay Harrel: Lindsay is a lifelong book nerd who lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. She writes romantic women’s fiction under her own name and closed-door romantic comedies as Kristin Canary. When she’s not writing or chasing after her children, Lindsay enjoys making a fool of herself at Zumba, curling up with anything by Jane Austen, and savoring sour candy one piece at a time.

Connect with her at LindsayHarrel.com and KristinCanary.com.

*Robert Hershberger: Robert Hershberger, Ph.D., FAIA is a retired architect and educator living in Payson, Arizona. He received degrees from Stanford, U. of Utah and U. of Pennsylvania. He served as professor of architecture at ASU from 1969 – 88 and dean at UA from 1988 – 2022. He published many articles and two academic books: Architectural Programming by McGraw-Hill, 1999, and Predesign Planning by NCARB, 2019. His architectural work received over a dozen design awards. His paintings are exhibited online and at galleries and resorts in Arizona. He cared for his wife as she battled Alzheimer’s disease from 2010 to 2015. Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver is the result.

Go to HershbergerArtist.com or TheRimGallery.com to learn more.

*Lori Hines: Lori is an award-winning author and psychic medium. Her books include factual elements of the paranormal, metaphysical and Native American culture. Publishing credits include The Ancient Ones series; paranormal murder mysteries set among the Southwestern U.S. that include The Ancient Ones, Caves of the Watchers, winner of an honorable mention in the 2013 Great Southwest Book Festival, and Whispers Among the Ruins—2016 Book Excellence Award Winner in the Multi-Cultural Fiction category. Lori’s latest release, Visions of Time, is a 2021 International Book Awards Finalist in the New Age Category.

Follow Lori on Facebook

*Patrick Hodges: Patrick lives in his native state of Arizona with his wife, Vaneza. By day, he is a medical biller, and by night, he continues to discover new passion as a writer of Young Adult fiction.

Visit Patrick at PatrickHodges.weebly.com and follow him at Facebook.

*Liz Johnson: By day Liz Johnson works in marketing. She finds time to write late at night. She is a Christy Award finalist and a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist. Liz makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona where she enjoys theater, exploring local history, and doting on her nieces and nephews. She writes stories filled with humor, heart, and happily ever afters.

Find out more about Liz at LizJohnsonBooks.com.

*Jan Kelly: Jan is a native Arizonan with an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University where she taught for 30 years. She has one daughter and lives with her husband in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Find her on Facebook.

*Kathleen Kelly: Kathleen worked as a Registered Nurse specializing in Critical Care and Emergency Medicine for more than thirty years. Trained as a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner, she worked with victims of violence. Kathleen is the Coordinator of Gila County Child Fatality Review for the Arizona Health Dept. She has studied extensively in alternative healing, embracing the richness of a holistic approach in her work as a medical intuitive. She believes her work lends the illuminating voice of each child after death.

Her short stories, penned in her journals over the years, celebrate the best in all of us.

Find out more at Myss.com/Profiles/Kathleen-Kelly

*Steven King: Steven is a well-seasoned graphic illustrator and designer. His artwork has appeared in books, packaging, games, and toys around the world. Among Steven’s many recognitions, he is known for creating all the iconic U-Haul educational illustrations you see on the roads today. While working directly with leading scientists on these educational illustrations, he was inspired to write his own picture books to make learning fun while helping children understand science. His first book, Have you ever Met a Morphosis? earned the seal of approval in the Picture Books and Best Illustrations categories at the 2021 Story Monsters Approved Awards!

Learn more at KingIllustration.com

*Barbara Lacy: In collaboration with Vernon Mayes, a range-conservation instructor at The College of Ganado (Ganado, Arizona) and the staff at the NHA, Barbara put together the plant book, NANISE’, a Navajo Herbal, a user-friendly resource book that showcases the deep understanding Navajos have of plants that grow in the harsh Southwestern region. In 1990, the book earned an honorable mention in the annual National Federation of Press Women communications contest.

Barbara was one of the authors of the recently published Skirting Traditions, Arizona Women Writers and Journalists 1912-2012 and wrote Pictures of the Navajo, Their Health and Environment in 1980.

Learn more at NaniseNavajoHerbal.com

*D.G. Lamb: D.G. is a clinical neuropsychologist and spends his days helping people become more independent after some type of neurological injury. Although his professional experiences certainly inform aspects of his writing, he also draws on his love of cooking and backpacking the mountain trails of Arizona. His debut novel, The Deepest Cut, won three awards. DG is thrilled to have recently completed the Driven to the Hilt series with Book 5, At the Cutting Edge. He is currently working on a new fantasy series with the first in the series due out later this year.

See DriventotheHilt.com

*Lara Law: Lara is a happy little artist, especially surrounded by craft supplies and compelled by an idea or opportunity. She spends her time creating magic in all its colorful forms, dancing in the kitchen, singing in the shower, and laughing out loud. She is the mother of five children and a growing number of grandchildren and fur/scale/feather babies. Her creative energy began in the salty beach air of Southern California. Now, she enjoys the vibrant sunsets of Arizona with her high school sweetheart and love of her life. Lara is determined to follow her heart in all her artistic endeavors, never grow old, wear her cheerful overalls to make her friends smile, and allow her childlike spirit to soar.

*Nikos Ligidakis: Award-winning author, Nikos Ligidakis, writes with clarity and passion in an ardent voice, not to just recount adventures, but with an expression of feelings, to encourage the reader to think, to find hope in the eternal struggle for the meaning of life and the awareness of harmony. Today Nikos devotes his life to coaching new authors encouraging and assisting them to write and publish their books.

Nikos has founded several charitable organizations with the most notable his Thanksgiving Project to Feed the Hungry, a program that provided food to tens of thousands during its 21-year run. His selfless work with people has earned him several humanitarian awards over the years.

Follow him at Facebook.

*Ed Loughlin: Ed Loughlin is a retired faculty member from Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona where he worked as a Counselor, Advisement Coordinator and Health Instructor. Ed attended Northern Arizona University (NAU) where he received his undergraduate, graduate and nursing degrees. He has worked as a psychiatric nurse and taught both elementary and junior high school. Ed was also a radio announcer and loves to chat about music from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

Find out more at SelfishService.com

*Betsy Love: Betsy is a fun, spunky grammie from Mesa, Arizona who loves writing quirky sci-fi romances. She’s been creating stories since she could hold a pencil. In high school her English teacher told her one day she’d be published. Love proved her correct and now has six published titles and plans to release three more books in her StarBride Chronicles series and a Christmas novel in 2018-19.

You can find her online at BetsyLove.com

*Bill Lynam: Bill’s children books are Bernie, the Flying Squirrel and Lucky Foxes (2018), Bernie, la ardillita voladora (2019 in English & Spanish); and Steampunk Mashup, a YA collection of short stories (2017). He is also the co-author of Footloose Pilgrims, a coming-of-age travelogue (2014). All can be found on Amazon and Kindle.

Coming soon: Shorty, Alien Dog, an obedience school drop-out comes to earth for adventures, and The Confederate Canuck, historical fiction about a Canadian lumberjack who travels to Mississippi and becomes a Rebel officer as the Yankees are fighting their way upriver to split the South.

Find out more at Bill-Lynam.com

Wilma MacLiver: Wilma began writing at age 10 to relieve the pain of her mother’s unrelenting abuse. She discovered that writing brought some relief.

Years later, she searched for a book on mother-daughter sexual abuse (MDSA), from a daughter’s perspective and found none. She decided then, that if she found the courage, she’d write her story for other daughters searching. Life Behind the Masks is the true account of the unspeakable abuse she suffered and her inspiring healing process.

Wilma is a public speaker on the issues of child abuse and bullying and she works with trauma support groups.

Learn more at LifebBehindTheMasks.com

*Jan M. Martin: Jan would rather write than eat or sleep, which is handy for authors—not so much for husbands. Favorite writing moment: meeting famous moonshiner Popcorn Sutton during research for Heir of Deceit. She has won national contests for her comedic poetry on subjects such as Black Friday, Eskimo Pies, and her messy kitchen. She wrote for a local newspaper at age 11, and worked for her high school and college journalism departments. She is the author of novels Heir of Deceit and Impressions of Innocence; My Word, That’s Absurd! (Humor); and Maintaining a Youthful Appearance (in progress).

Visit her website.

*Merle McCann:  Merle McCann, award-winning author, is known for her national literature award-winning Longjohners Mystery Series for middle readers. Her adult novel, Vagabonds & Kings, won Grand Prize at Louisiana’s Dixie Cane Memorial competition. The sequel, Katherine, is now available. There are six novels now in her collection, all enjoying excellent reviews. The Parmeter File won first place in the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. She lives in Cave Creek, Arizona.

Find out more at MerleMcCannAuthor.com

*Andy McKinney: Andy writes a movie review column for the local paper. A Gross of Zombies is his second non-fiction book after The Armed Forces of Iran. Both can be purchased on Amazon.com. These reviews of zombie movies will educate the reader as to which films are worthy of the time of the movie watcher. Some movies are just as good as any other, some watchable but not great, and some are absolute rubbish. Author Andy McKinney names names and tells it like it is. As he says about some zombie movies, “I watched this one so you won’t have to.”

*Kathie McMahon: Kathie is the author of the humorous, award-winning chapter book series, Mortimer and Me, about eight-year-old Jimmy and a moose named Mortimer. Kathie taught elementary school for 32 years, where she composed several school musicals. She also collaborated on many youth theater musicals, receiving four ariZoni awards for Original Music Composition. She is a member of SCBWI and hosts the East Valley KidLit Mingles. Kathie lives in Gilbert, Arizona, where you won’t find any moose, but plenty of snakes, gila monsters, and mountain lions.

For the latest news involving the adventures with Jimmy and Mortimer, visit KathieMcMahon.com.

*Ron Mealka: Ron served in the USAF as an aircraft mechanic during the Vietnam era. Upon discharge, he spent a few years as a 6th-grade schoolteacher and enjoyed challenging his students to be creative.

Many years ago, he scribbled down on paper an idea to write a children’s book and custom write and illustrate it only for his two small children, Jennifer and Jason. It was supposed to be a family book only, but then he realized that teachers and parents could use his book as a teaching tool. That is how Jason, Jennifer, and the Fun House came to be.

Follow Ron on Facebook.

*R Gregg Miller: After twenty-five years of chasing the bad guys on the streets of Los Angeles, Gregg retired from the LAPD to chase his toddler around the house. Instead of dragging a war bag to the trunk of a police car every day, he began tossing a stroller and a diaper bag into his SUV for another “daddy and daughter adventure day.” Now, with his daughter working on her PhD, the aging street cop lives in the White Mountains. When he isn’t building furniture or strolling through the forest, he’s working on another entertaining novel that blends his personal experiences with history.

Learn more at GoodGuyPublishingHouse.com

*Virginia Mohler: Virginia is a retired teacher from Mesa, Arizona, who now writes children’s books with a purpose to educate and inspire young minds. Virginia was born in Lancaster, Ohio. She attended college in Indiana where she received her elementary education degree before moving to Arizona. Jinny has taught students from kindergarten through high school, however, she found her love in the kindergarten classroom and has spent the last 35 years teaching that grade level. She has discovered that old teachers never retire, they just lose their class (and retread). Jinny believes that you should never stop learning or reading.

Find out more at VirginiaMohler.com Follow her on Facebook

*Stephanie Morris: Steppie has been obsessed with books since she could read but gained her nickname, Steppie Dance because she’s a dancer and her brother’s just plain crazy! She is happiest surrounded by her family and has loved raising her five kids with a bedtime story nearly every night (even when they were teens—shhh, don’t tell)!

When not reading, she can be found writing, cooking, in a yoga pose, or sneaking an extra chocolate chip cookie—with milk, of course. She lives in Arizona, where she enjoys the gorgeous winters, loves monsoon season, and doesn’t mind the heat.

Find her books at LawleyPublishing.com

*Tom Morrissey: Tom Morrissey is a retired Chief Deputy US Marshal, martial artist, veteran of the US Army, former member of two hit rock groups and a song writer for Ray Charles and Richie Havens. He was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, to a blue collar family, in a culturally diverse neighborhood. An animated film based on Tom’s children’s book is in the pre-production stage. He is co-writing an action thriller series with actor/martial artist Steven Seagal. He loves to tell a good story about his dream of the return of this country’s founding principles, with power back to the people.

Follow him on Facebook

*Margaret C. Morse: Margaret  loves murder mysteries—the sooner the corpse appears, the better! Whether it’s a cozy, a paranormal, or romantic suspense, she likes to watch the puzzle unravel. If not reading mysteries, she’s writing her own series featuring Petra Rakowitz, a lawyer who finds out she has magic powers. Margaret used to practice law, so she knows a lawyer can transform into a witch.

Margaret lives in Phoenix with her husband Duane and their several rescue dogs. When not engrossed in murder, Margaret tries new recipes, grows weird succulents, and goes birdwatching with her husband.

Find out more at MargaretMoreseAuthor.com

*R.L. Nelson: Randee Lee, professionally known as R.L. Nelson, has been writing stories as long as she could hold a pencil. What started as a childhood passion for storytelling, has become her lifelong passion. There is nothing Randee enjoys more than writing (and reading) stories that are heart wrenching, along with some humor and a hint of romance. When she’s not dreaming up new stories to tell, you can find Randee spending her time with family, playing video games, and painting, or binge-watching true crime dramas.

For more information visit her website AuthorRLNelson.com

*Glenda Sue Paradee: Glenda grew up in the Bay Area of California. She moved to Arizona following her parents move there in the 70s. Eventually, her brother and three sisters also moved to Arizona. Glenda is a retired Computer Programmer. For the love of music, Glenda, started her company, Thanks For The Music in the 90s, and still publishes country music news on her website:  ThanksForTheMusic.com. She lives in Gilbert, Arizona with her loving husband, Sam, and her cocker spaniel, Taffy. They all enjoy the summer months up at their cabin in the cool pines in Overgaard, Arizona.

Find out more at ThanksForTheMusic.com/tinkerbell-book-may-2020

*Kathleen Parrish: Kathleen lives and writes in Arizona on a two-acre homestead in the Sonoran Desert. These days she’s a wife, mother, grandmother, and gleefully retired nuclear engineer. Her first writing project was revising a massive manuscript written by her late uncle, Herman Willis Logan, at the family’s request. Second Son, published in 2021 by Touchpoint Press, chronicles the coming-of-age of Towanna Whitaker, a poor sharecropper’s son, during the last years of the Great Depression and the hardships of WW2. Kathleen is currently working on Southern Woman, which continues the story of the Whitakers into the next chapter of their lives.

Learn more at Kathleen-Parrish.com

*John Jay Pelletier: John has had a life full of adventure, starting out in Boy Scouts where his troop raised enough money selling fireworks to travel down the Grand Canyon on a river trip. He became an Explorer Scout, worked at Disneyland as a Matterhorn climber, and joined the Army where he became a Green Beret. He attended survival schools and eventually became an instructor at the Air Force Academy teaching survival skills. Now retired, he teaches desert safety and survival at the Superstition Mountain Museum and has written Desert Safety and Survival Guide.

Follow him at Facebook.

*Jonathon Pembroke: A lifelong fan of fantasy fiction, Jonathan Pembroke is the author of five books, including the trilogy The Holly Sisters, about a gang of drug-running faeries, and Pilgrimage to Skara, a finalist in a contest for self-published fantasy. He served twenty years in the military and now resides in the highlands of Arizona with his wife and their unruly dogs.

See more at FlintHatchet.wordpress.com

*Karen Perry: Karen is a trained pilot and flight attendant for a major airline. As an aviator, she’s a commercial pilot and flight instructor and formerly worked as an EMS, corporate and regional airline pilot. Thanksgiving Eve of 2011, Karen lost all three of her children, and their father, in a plane crash. The story was featured on OWN Network Super Soul Sunday. Everyone wanted to know—how does a mother comprehend, let alone process, such a loss? Her memoir Angels Three: The Karen Perry Story answers that question and faithfully documents her life journey as an aviator, mother and survivor.

Learn more at 3WingsOfLife.org

*Wayne Purdin: Wayne is the author of several spiritual fiction and nonfiction books and acknowledges that he is just the writing instrument for divine muses. For the God Is Mother and A Divine Romance books, he is donating all profits to the Mt. Graham Safe House for victims of domestic violence and their children in Safford, Arizona. He has worked at the U.S. Geological Survey, nonprofits, and universities. Wayne and his wife Julie live in Safford at Devi Loka, a shelter and retreat center for abused women.

You can find more about him and his mission at Devi-Loka.org.

*Mary Rechkemmer-Meyer: After hearing the words, “You have cancer,” Mary knew that everything in her life had prepared her for that moment. Her blind faith in God and her focus on the inner voice led her to find integrative treatments for cancer.

Mary’s vision is to share her story in hopes of helping other people know they, too, have options and can choose what is right for themselves.

Mary’s memoir, I Meant it for Good, will take you on a journey from life on the North Dakota prairie to sunny Arizona as she learns to overcome obstacles and dream…visualize…and become her authentic self.

Learn more at MaryRechkemmerMeyer.com

*Barbara Renner: Barbara started writing children’s picture books when she retired from teaching. Inspired by being outdoors, the stories in her books revolve around wildlife main characters. After taking several writing courses at ASU and earning a reading endorsement, she decided to enhance children’s literacy by incorporating facts about the birds in her books. An avid animal lover, Barbara has always owned a dog. She and her husband rescued a yellow lab mix, Larry, and he became the subject of a photo book filled with feel-good messages as seen through the eyes of a dog.

Find out more at RennerWrites.com

*Vicki Riske: Vicky has been interested in puppetry and storytelling for many years. Vicki has her own business, We Are Puppeteers. She writes and illustrates children’s books, designs and builds custom puppets. She has written and illustrated four books, The Polka Dot Tea Party, My Teeth Are Too Big, Fishy Tales, and Los Pececitos Aventureros, the Spanish translation of Fishy Tales, translated by Sonia Elizabeth Urrutia de Soto. Vicki also wrote Grandma Bibi, and collaborated with local Phoenix artist Laura Best, who provided illustrations for the book.

Visit her We Are Puppeteers website.

*Hayley Rose: Hayley Rose is a #1 best-selling, award-winning author, dedicated to bringing fun, educational and inspiring books to kids through her brand Books by Hayley Rose. Hayley’s children’s books have won numerous literary awards, including the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards®, KART Kids Book List Award®, Creative Child Magazine’s Preferred Choice® and four Reader’s Favorite International Book Awards®, an honor she shares alongside actor Jim Carrey. In 2012 Hayley was selected as one of “The Top 50 Writers You Should Be Reading” by the AuthorsShow.com.

Visit Hayley at HayleyRose.com or follow her on Facebook.

Myles Schrag: Myles is co-founder of Soulstice Publishing in Flagstaff, Arizona, and author of eight books. He holds a master’s degree in kinesiology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has helped more than 200 books reach publication as either an acquisitions editor, developmental editor, publisher, or manuscript broker.

Find out more at SoulsticePublishing.com

*R.S. Scott: R.S. Scott hails from Canyon Diablo, AZ, born to a Navajo Christian preacher. As the last unruly sibling of 4 brothers and 3 sisters, he grew up herding sheep while armed with a rifle and a horse named Prince for company. He currently resides in Phoenix, AZ where he continues his education studying theoretical math and collecting vinyl records of jazz and blues greats of yore. As a self-professed geek, he expertly juggles school, work, and his love of writing and music while surviving on pub food, pizza, and the occasional binge on sushi.

He writes in Native American, paranormal, and thriller genres.

Find out more at Facebook and at AuthorRSSscott.com

Charlie Seraphin: Charlie, originally from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, population 7,800, was a senior executive at CBS News, and in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer. Charlie managed radio stations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, and San Diego. Adventures include college professor, living with monks at a monastery, and helping convince David Koresh to release children the night of the shootout at Waco, Texas. His first two books in retirement have 5-star Amazon ratings. A Payson resident since 2019, he hosts the Forum weekday mornings on KMOG and is working on two new books.

Find out more at OneStupidMistake.com

*Jody Sharpe: Jody had a rewarding career as a Special Education teacher. Writing about angels became healing after losing her daughter and then her husband. The valuable lessons she learned about moving forward and loving life in the now have set her on a mission to tell stories with love, humor and spiritual awakening. The fictitious town of Mystic Bay has given her an avenue to put characters and themes together hopefully enlightening the reader towards contemplation of the precious life and memories we are given.

Find out more at JodySharpe.com

*Susan Starr: Susan moved to Payson from Phoenix in 2007 to take a job as a Certified Veterinary Technician at Star Valley Veterinary Clinic, where she is still employed. She joined Tonto Rim Search and Rescue in 2009 and became Dog Team Leader the following year. At this time she is on the board as Secretary. She taught accounting for seven years at Gila Community College. Susan has her MBA and also an Associates in Veterinary Technology from Mesa Community College. She has four dogs, three that are SAR, two cats and three birds.

*Pam Knight Stevenson: Pam Knight Stevenson has been involved in researching and writing about Arizona history for more than 30 years. A native of Los Angeles, she earned a History degree from UCLA and moved to Arizona in 1972. She served as Managing Editor of the Phoenix CBS TV news department and as Manager of Production for KAET-TV, the Phoenix PBS station. She has conducted hundreds of oral history interviews, including Arizona Historymakers; journalists; quilters; Harvey Girls; and Navajo Code Talkers. Focusing on women’s history, Stevenson co-authored the books, Grand Endeavors: Vintage Arizona Quilts and Their Makers and Skirting Traditions: Arizona Women Writers & Journalists 1912–2012.

Find more about Pam Knight Stevenson at Facebook.com

*Susan Stoltz: Susan, on her adventure into children’s book authorship, “It’s not as easy as some would think,” she explains. “You have to know age-appropriate vocabulary, relevant topics, how to stimulate learning and inspire critical thinking, and then wrap that all up into something entertaining as well. Not a task for the weak of spirit.” Her latest publication, Dash and Zoom: Little Miss Sneakypants, is hitting the children’s book market with very positive reviews. Susan lives in Arizona with her two Jack Russells and is well known for eating chocolate cake for breakfast.

Find out more at SusanRStoltz.com Follow her on Facebook.

*Bruce Stratton: Bruce began drawing and painting as a child. That is until his high school-aged daughter needed a cartoon strip for her art class. She thought about copying Disney characters, but Bruce thought an original character would be better. It was a process of false starts and abrupt stops but then they decided on an airplane. With tentative scribbles then some more sketching, a shape began to appear. A small plane with large eyes, a big grin and flappy wings came to life at the end of his pencil. Lil’ Cub was created.

Find out more at LilCubAdventures.net

*Jenifer Tull-Gauger: Jenifer knows what it’s like to be an “old soul” and a painfully quiet kid struggling to fit in. Her journey to 7th degree black belt is a testament of how she found inner strength through traditional karate training. Now in leadership for an international martial arts alliance, she heads up a private dojo with her husband.

Jenifer combined her passions for illustrating and writing, with what she’s learned from 22-plus years of teaching kids karate, to create a children’s character-building picture book series. The Dojo Kun Character Books encourage children to find their own power in their lives.

Learn more at JeniferTullGauger.com

*Carrie Turley: Carrie’s writing career began when she won an elementary school contest, and her submission wound up in the school library. These days, stories and rhymes pop into her head at the most inopportune times, making her laugh out loud in quiet places and spurring her imagination onto bigger and brighter things.

Carrie is the mother of three grown children who’ve provided her with seven more opportunities to let her kid side shine. She can often be found in a world of make-believe with her grandchildren frolicking right alongside her. Carrie revels in creating stories of grand adventures and true friendship, hoping to share her love and belief in anything being possible with everyone who will listen.

Follow Carrie on Facebook.

*Mark D. Walker: A contributing writer at Literary Traveler and Revue Magazine, Mark was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala and worked with international agencies like MAP International, Hagar, and Make A Wish International for over forty years. Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond is his memoir, to be followed by My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road. Two of his articles were recognized by the Solas Literary Awards for Best Travel Writing recently with a Bronze for “Travel Adventure.” His wife and three children were born in Guatemala.

Book reviews and articles can be found at MillionMileWalker.com

*Jim West: Author Jim West spent over 40 years in radio working up and down the dial in places like Indianapolis, Baltimore, Albuquerque, Tucson and Phoenix. He served on the Board of the Academy of Country music in Hollywood. Jim was a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame in Nashville. He volunteers his time with the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame where he got the idea to document the early Arizona recording and rockabilly music scene in his book The Phoenix Sound. Jim also helped co-write the book Ray Odom, A Lifetime of Radio, Records & Racehorses.

Find out more at JimWestMedia.com

*Charlotte Whitney: Raised on a family farm in Michigan, Charlotte is the author of historical fiction set in the rural Midwest. Her most recent work, The Unveiling of Polly Forrest, a stand-alone historical mystery, follows her groundbreaking novel, Threads: A Depression-Era Tale, which was met with much critical acclaim. She has authored I Dream in White, a contemporary romance, and How to Win at Upwords, a nonfiction book about her favorite word game. She received a master’s degree in English and served as associate director of the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts at the University of Michigan.

Learn more at CharlotteWhitney.com

*Paula F. (Pfeiffer) Winskye: Paula, a North Dakota native, began writing stories about horses at age 12. She released her first novel in 2003 and published her 24th this year. The Reverend & the Writer is the 12th in her Tony Wagner mystery series. It also features the protagonist from her Randy McKay mysteries.