L. Christian Amougou

ONE HELL OF A JOURNEY chronicles the triumphant journey of a young man who was propelled from the heart of the African jungle, where he grew up, to the bright lights of Hollywood by the sheer power of a dream – the American dream.

Driven by ambition, and guided by faith, Christian had endured tremendous hardship along the way. He almost died alone in Gabon; was homeless in the cold and mean streets of Harare for months; went hungry for nine straight days; and got stranded in Zambia for almost a year.

During his chaotic quest, Christian’s body had been battered by the elements, his soul rattled and his faith tested incessantly. But even though his spirit almost broke, he managed to stay the course and learned that life is a package deal that comes with the good and the bad, and it all begins with one of the most important gifts to human kind… a dream.

L. Christian Amougou has managed to combine his love for words, sharp imagination with the magic of entertainment. While studying literature at University of Yaounde, in Cameroon, where he was born, the art of filmmaking captured his interest, so he began the learning process by asking basic questions to the people who seemed to have answers. The seed was planted, and the quest for entertaining the world was on.

For his first experience in the field, Christian wrote and directed his first no-budget film, La Djamboula, at age 17, in Cameroon. He was then brought on to do production assistant work on Quartier Mozart, a French production that was shooting in Yaounde, his hometown. In 1994, Christian moved to Gabon, where he created and produced a successful television show titled Cinema-Cinema. He simultaneously served as producer on Bhat Power Show, a weekly music show for TeleAfrica.

As Christian’s experience grew, so did his love for the entertainment business. In 1996, he moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he focused more on another facet of his multiple skills – acting. He worked on several projects from television shows such as: Generations, 25 Degrees South, Egoli, to commercials like: Seiko, Smirnoff, McDonald’s, Guinness, and films like: A Walk in The Night. Christian kept his momentum going, but Africa seemed to have gotten smaller for his burning drive and thirst for success. He was after the world, and that only meant one thing… Hollywood!

Upon arrival in Hollywood, Christian hit the ground running. He completed his first feature screenplay, wrote, produced and directed his first short film: Last Minute, and began the process of mingling with the movers and shakers of Tinsel Town. In 2007, Christian launched his production company: Amougou Entertainment, through which his has produced television talk show pilots, and is developing feature films, television series, reality shows, game shows, and documentaries. His first published book is titled: One Hell of a Journey: A True Story. It chronicles the long journey that has taken him form the little African village where he grew up to the doorsteps of Hollywood.

As a student of human nature, Christian knows that there is always much to learn about this challenging industry, but he also believes that his imagination will always buzz out of control, itching to entertain the world one way or another.

Learn more at: www.onehellofajourney.com

Book is available at: www.xlibris.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com

Sara Beacham

Sara Beacham has been writing fiction since the Sixties.  The native Texan has written a science fiction novel, three children's books, and numerous short stories.  Sara holds a Bachelor of Science degree as well as a master's degree in educational psychology counseling.  Still writing at the age of 71, Miranda and the Tiger’s Eye is Sara’s first published work. 

Miranda and the Tiger’s Eye is a young reader’s book that tells the story of a girl’s journey into a vivid fantasy land where she learns life lessons and makes treasured friends.  Miranda’s adventure begins with a gift and a wish.  The gift, from a collector’s shop in India, is a special stone that fell from a statue stolen long ago. 

The stone, called a Tiger’s Eye, is said to have magical powers.  Her wish to return the stone to its original owner soon becomes her quest.  Along the way, she is joined by a talking secretary bird and barn owl, both of whom bear similarities to real people in her life.
Audience:  Young readers and fans of Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan will love Miranda and the Tiger’s Eye.

Follow Miranda at:  www.MirandaAndTheTigersEye.com, www.facebook.com/MirandaAndTheTigersEye,
www.Amazon.com, or www.myspace.com/SaraBeacham

Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQd3l2g44Ko

Sarah Beach has both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in English, specializing in medieval literature. Her personal studies of mythology led her to write THE SCRIBBLER'S GUIDE TO THE LAND OF MYTH, about the mythic structures writers use to enhance their stories.

She spent 18 years on the research staff of the quiz show JEOPARDY! She has published a range of writings, from literary scholarship to comic book short stories.

She was the Chair of the Mythcon 40 Convention held at UCLA in 2009.

"The years of working in libraries along with my time at Jeopardy! have given me very strong research skills. I apply all this background not just to my own writing projects, but also to consulting and coaching (in any creative medium)."

Sarah is also a Writing Coach & Consultant and Author , and specializes in the Analysis of mythic motifs in stories; structure concerns; developing characterizations; and preparing research.

Sarah Beach Website | Buy Books Here

Samia Boctor

What If?…a reflection on hair is a book that asks children a series of fun, light questions which leads them to ponder the BIG question: if you have different hair, or no hair at all, would you be a different person? It emphasizes that each and every one of us is so beautiful exactly as we are. It helps children value diversities of appearance using hair as an example and is a perfect vehicle to introduce children at a young age to the concept of accepting oneself and others exactly as we are. It will aid them in coming to grips with the self image issues that can affect them throughout life.

This book is also very inspiring for children who have hair loss either from alopecia or during and after cancer treatments or brain surgery.

Samia Boctor is a first time children’s author. She considers her book, What if...a reflection on hair, a work of love that sends young readers the message that they are so beautiful exactly as they are. The book also reminds parents, friends and family to constantly echo this message to their kids and to each other.

Samia is a physician, wife, mother, and grandmother. She has been working with student health departments at universities in the Los Angeles area for many years. Samia lived and studied in Egypt, Canada, and the USA. She has been living in the Los Angeles area for the past 30 years. She enjoys hiking, dancing, and travel.

http://www.boctor-whatif.com

Gayle K. Brunelle

Murder in the Métro, is an enthralling historical study of an unsolved murder.

On the evening of May 16, 1937, the train doors opened at the Porte Dorée station in the Paris Métro to reveal a dying woman slumped by a window, a nine-inch stiletto buried to its hilt in her neck. No one witnessed the crime, and the killer left behind little forensic evidence. This first-ever murder in the Paris Métro dominated the headlines for weeks during the summer of 1937, as journalists and the police slowly uncovered the shocking truth about the victim: a twenty-nine-year-old Italian immigrant, the beautiful and elusive Laetitia Toureaux. Toureaux toiled each day in a factory, but spent nights working as a spy in the seamy Parisian underworld.  Just as the dangerous spy Mata Hari had fascinated Parisians a generation before, the mystery of Toureaux’s murder held the French public spellbound in pre-war Paris, as the police tried and failed to identify her assassin.

In Murder in the Métro, Gayle K. Brunelle and Annette Finley-Croswhite unravel Toureaux’s complicated and mysterious life, assessing her complex identity within the larger political context of the time. They follow the trail of Toureaux’s murder investigation to the Comité Secret d’Action Révolutionnaire, a secret right-wing political organization popularly known as the Cagoule, or “hooded ones.” Obsessed with the Communist threat they perceived in the growing power of labor unions and the French left wing, the Cagoule’s leaders aimed to overthrow France’s Third Republic and install an authoritarian regime allied with Italy. With Mussolini as their ally and Italian fascism as their model, they did not shrink from committing violent crimes and fomenting terror to accomplish their goal. In 1936, Toureaux—at the behest of the French police—infiltrated this dangerous group of terrorists and seduced one of its leaders, Gabriel Jeantet, to gain more information.  By examining documents related to Toureaux’s murder—documents the French government has sealed from public view until 2038—Brunelle and Finley-Croswhite link Toureaux’s death not only to the Cagoule but also to the Italian secret service, for whom she acted as an informant.  Their research provides likely answers to the question of the identity of Toureaux’s murder and offers a fascinating look at the dark and dangerous streets of pre-World War II Paris.

Gayle K. Brunelle is a member of a relatively rare breed – a native-born Vermonter. Raised in Rutland, Vermont, she attended Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, where she earned her baccalaureate in history. Perhaps because of the affect of the New England atmosphere in her upbringing, she has always had an affinity for tales of crime, mystery and mayhem, and since her undergraduate days, when she originally majored in creative writing before switching to history, she has written murder mysteries as a hobby. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Emory University in Atlanta Georgia, and is currently Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton. Her first book, The New World Merchants of Rouen, 1555-1630 (1991) developed out of her research for her doctoral dissertation.

Gayle is of French Québecois descent, and The New World Merchants of Rouen, as well as her forth-coming book, Champlain: Founder of New France (forthcoming, Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, December 2011), grew out of her interest in the earliest French colonial ventures in the New World. She is currently writing Tropical Chimeras: France in Guiana, 1605-1655, on the 17th century French struggle to colonize the coast of South America, a project that lets her combine her affinity for murder and mayhem with her interest in French colonization, since these early French South American colonies ended in mutinies, native uprisings and massacres. She is also writing a fictional murder mystery set in Saratoga, New York. Gayle and Annette intend to pursue their love of “Paris-noir” with two sequels to Murder in the Métro – Vengeance: Vichy and the Assassination of Marx Dormoy and Terrorists of the National Revolution. Gayle resides in Brea, California.

Annette Finley-Croswhite is a professor of history and chair of the department of history at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She is also the author of Henry IV and the Towns: The Pursuit of Legitimacy in French Urban Society, 1589-1610.

Deborah Chesher

In the coffee-table book Everybody I Shot Is Dead, photographer/author Deborah Chesher pays tribute to forty-eight musicians she shot in Vancouver and Los Angeles between 1974 and 1979, who have since passed away. With access to the world of rock’n’roll that most can only dream of, she not only captured amazing images of these legendary performers, but also personal memories and captivating behind-the-scenes stories.

Chesher’s collection of over four hundred of her never-before-seen iconic photographs is accompanied by biographies and her personal reflections of a time when music was the magic that drove a generation.

Deborah Chesher began her creative adventures as a rock and roll photographer and journalist in Vancouver, B.C. She shot hundreds of concerts up and down the west coast, including groups such as Led Zeppelin, Elton John, the Eagles, George Harrison, and the Bee Gees, to name a few. She relocated to Los Angeles with the idea to do a book featuring art by musicians, believing that a person with one creative talent could also be equally talented in another.

The result was coffee-table book Starart, showcasing the fine art of Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Cat Stevens, Klaus Voormann, Commander Cody, and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones. Starart debuted in 1980 to rave reviews and was featured in publications across the country, including Rolling Stone, People and Playboy. Deborah produced art gallery shows of original works from Starart, with gala openings attended by the artists in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Laguna Beach.
 
She then fulfilled her dream to work in film, freelancing as a still photographer, designer and reader before accepting a staff position at Cannon Pictures as the Creative Director in advertising and marketing. Her efforts were instrumental in garnering millions of dollars in foreign, domestic feature and video revenues. She left Cannon to start her own design company, providing creative advertising services to 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and many independent production and distribution companies.
 
Deborah produced and starred in Final Placement at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, raising thousands of dollars for the child abuse charity, Childhelp USA.  She also recently produced the filming of a Mick Fleetwood concert in Coachella, CA that will be released worldwide soon.
 
She wrote her first screenplay in 2002 and has since optioned two screenplays.  She returned to her rock and roll roots with the release of her coffee table Everybody I Shot Is Dead, honoring 48 musicians she photographed who have since passed away.  And many of the characters in her forthcoming music driven movie My First Kiss are inspired by her own experiences in the wild and wonderful world of rock and roll.

Website:  www.cheshercat.com

Cynthia J. Cordell

Cynthia Cordell’s book “Sharing Short Stories” was a way for her to express herself creatively.  These stories aspire to boost the reader’s ego.  The reader only needs to get into the mind of one her characters to feel virtually immersed in the closeness Cynthia has felt with each of her literary creations.

Writer’s block helped her to focus on getting around creative obstacles and created challenges along her writing path that she described as ‘life experiences,’ rather than struggles.  Determined to transform even the most awkward of writer’s stumbling blocks into something positive, her short stories reach out to the optimist in all of us!

Both leisure time and work time – the internet has brought it all together for this young author.  Cynthia J. Cordell, who on the back of her mind, aspires to do a blog, reads and critiques the work of others on online writing communities and forums.

In fact the sunrise each and every morning is a welcome occurrence for her because it’s a chance to get on the internet.  Challenges (great and small), usually those that have to do with researching her writing, are just keyboard clicks away from being resolved.

When she’s not writing, she’s drawing clip art and submitting them to online greeting card websites.

Writing her book “Sharing Short Stories” was a way for her to express herself creatively.  The stories aspire to boost the reader’s ego.  The reader only needs to get into the mind of one her characters to feel virtually immersed in the closeness Cynthia feels with each and every one of her literary creations.

Writer’s block has helped her to focus on getting around creative obstacles and has created challenges along her writing path that she likes to describe now as ‘life experiences,’ rather than struggles.  Determined to transform even the most awkward of writer’s stumbling blocks into something positive, her short stories reach out to the optimist in all of us!

In the 1990’s, Cynthia also worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a software engineer.  Her work there has introduced a smattering of technical insight into her writing.

Charles Domokos has taught post-production classes at the University of Southern California (U.S.C.) School of Cinema & TV and at the U.S.C. Summer Production Workshop from 1988 to 2003 (various Avid platforms). He has also taught TV and post-production courses at Loyola Marymount Univ. (Avid & FCP) and (currently) at Los Angeles City College School of Cinema-TV. He has served as an Avid consultant to TV post-production houses and edited short-form and long-form projects including TV documentaries and independent features. His most recent film RETURN TO VIETNAM won a 2007 Silver Telly (highest award) in the feature tv documentary category.

“Non-linear Editing: The Cutting Edge” provides the foundation for the college-level media student to make the leap into the world of film and HD-based professional post-production, as practiced in the Hollywood media community. This soft-cover text covers basic techniques and generic procedures fundamental to popular visual non-linear editing software from AVID, ADOBE and FINAL CUT and PRO TOOLS audio editing software. This book teaches the basic procedures including synchronization of audio to visuals, film-to-tape conversion, output to tape, output to film, standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) conversions, and everything in between. There is special emphasis given to sound editing techniques to achieve professional level sound quality. “Non-linear Editing: The Cutting Edge” has been chosen to be part of the Los Angeles Public Library film book collection.

Gardner’s Guide to NLE: The Cutting Edge: ISBN 1589650212; available from www.Amazon.com, www.Barnes & Noble.com, and the Garth Gardner Publishing Company,
1 866 GO GARDNER or www.GoGardner.com

Ann Finnin

“I was only an apprentice. I swear it. By all the angels in Heaven.”

Condemned to death by the Holy Office for sorcery, fifteen-year-old Michael de Lorraine is about to be consumed by flames when he is saved by Abbot Francis and granted refuge at Sainte Felice, a Benedictine monastery in fifteenth-century France. Michael learns that this strange and wonderful place, famous for its healing wine, harbors renegade monk-sorcerers, enchanted gargoyles, and a closely guarded secret that could spell violent death for the Abbot.

As the church intensifies its cruel pursuit of Michael, Abbot Francis and the brotherhood find themselves in grave danger. Michael will do anything to protect his mentor, but are his powers great enough to save the monastery from the merciless, bloodthirsty Inquisition?

Ever since escaping from a convent school at 15, the life of Ann Finnin has been a continuous journey into magic, mysticism and fantasy. She has studied a variety of esoteric traditions and has experience in many schools of magic and mysticism. Not content with being stuck in the twenty-first century, Ann has been active in historical re-enactment groups and renaissance fairs and has been, at various times, a Celtic Druidess, a Renaissance scholar, a pirate, a saloon floozy and a gypsy dancer.

In the ordinary world, Ann has degrees in Biology and Experimental Psychology and currently works as a technical writer. In-between forays into other times and places, Ann and her husband Dave live in the hills of Tujunga, California with a big black Lab named Hunter.

Jen Grisanti

FINDING THE GOLD IN YOUR LIFE STORY is about fictionalizing your truth in your writing. It is for anyone who has a story and wants to learn about the best platform to write your story in. It is a writing book for television and feature writers but also a business, life and spiritual book for anyone who has a desire to learn how to add fiction to their truth and bring it to the page.

Jen Grisanti is a Story Consultant, Independent Producer, Writing Instructor for NBC’s Writers on the Verge, Blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the upcoming book, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story.

Grisanti started her career as an assistant to Aaron Spelling 15 years ago. Aaron was her mentor for the next 12 years as she climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Jen was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered shows including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends. While at CBS/Paramount, she served as a mentor in the CBS Diversity Program, which seeks out and nurtures young writers and directors.

In January 2008, Jen launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. By drawing on her 12-year experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Jen personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches, and focus their careers. Since launching, Jen has worked with over 250 writers working in television, features and novels. Twelve of her clients have staffed as writers on television shows and two have sold pilots that went to series. In 2008, Jen was hired to be the Writing Instructor for NBC’s Writers on the Verge. Jen is also a blogger for The Huffington Post. Jen wrote Story Line: Finding  Gold In Your Life Story in 2010. It is being published by Michael Wiese Productions and will be out in March of 2011.

Her brand is Developing From Within. Her company hosts Storywise Seminars and Teleseminars as a way to get this message out. She has CDs and workbooks for “How To Write a TV Spec Script” and “How To Write A TV Pilot Script” and a Storywise Workbook: Gearing Up for Staffing and Development Season and "Story Structure For The TV Spec and Pilot Script.  All her products are available on her website at www.jengrisanticonsultancy.com and at The Writers Store. Jen also has a Storywise Podcast Series available on iTunes and her website. The podcast digs deep into the story behind some of our top storytellers as a way to inform, motivate and inspire listeners to go after their dreams. Final Draft/Script Magazine are now promoting the podcast series as well. Jen has taught classes for the Scriptwriters Network, Screenwriting Expo, the Northwestern Screenwriter’s Guild in Seattle and the Alameda’s Writer’s Group. She has served on panels for the WGA and The Writer’s Bootcamp. In 2009, her company hosted a Writing Retreat in Hawaii at the Turtle Bay Resort.

Jen meets writers who are interested in her services for a free initial half hour consult that can be done in person or on the phone. She then specially designs between 2-5 proposals to fit the client’s needs and help them attain their goals.

http://www.jengrisanticonsultancy.com

Millie Johanna Heur

Millie Johanna Heur snaps photos and is a writer who uses both mediums to document and share the poetry she finds in her every day experiences. She was a co-editor of A.K.A. Magazine, a “little magazine” which published poetry and prose by writers such as Billy Collins, Charles Bukowski, and Gerald Locklin. She served as the co-director of a poetry reading series at various art venues in the Los Angeles area. Millie Johanna Heur is a longtime practitioner of yoga, meditation and ecstatic dance and enjoys writing short or micro pieces about her experiences with each. The creation of Two Friends Press and the editing of Tequila Tales are her first ventures back into editing and publishing.

Tequila Tales edited by Millie Johanna Heur and Roy Anthony Shabla

Tequila Tales is an anthology of short anecdotes, autobiographic memoirs and longer works of creative fiction unified by the presence of the iconic alcoholic beverage. 

The tales included in the book span genres.  Besides a humorous tale about a spiritual healer’s encounter with the beverage under the most unexpected circumstances while on a teaching trip to Mexico, there is a science fiction story about the use of tequila by visitors to Earth from another planet, a mystery set in the middle of the current home-foreclosure crisis, and a metaphysical tale where tequila and tantra weave concepts of reincarnation and the transmigration of souls into a modern love story.

The list of contributors to Tequila Tales includes well-known, career writers as well as newcomers; respected editors and publishers as well as painters, musicians, teachers, and writers of all walks of life.  Some of the more recognizable names include Philip Daughtry (whom Beat poet Gary Snyder called "a raven of transatlantic magic, a writer of quick craft and sure language.") Gerald Locklin (whose most recent books include New and Selected Poems and New and Selected Prose both from World Parade Books), Gary Phillips (most recently the editor and contributor to the bestselling Orange County Noir from Akashic), and Ken Kuhlken (whose stories have appeared in Esquire and dozens of other magazines and anthologies, been honorably mentioned in Best American Short Stories, and earned a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship).

More information and details about Tequila Tales and the full biographies of all the contributors can be found at the website www.tequilatales.com or at the Two Friends Press website www.twofriendspress.com.

John Johnson

John Johnson, Pastor, RAS, CSC is the author of, Alcoholism, Wrongly Diagnosed.

The book shows how to overcome alcoholism, and drug addiction, without ever attending a 12-Step meeting, by learning how to properly approach God, in a way that guarantees recovery, with everlasting results.

Understanding, the true nature of addiction, and the 12-step program not-being as effective, as many believe it to be; is why Triumph House Press author, John E. Johnson set out to pen a book, on the hidden and disbelieved cause of addiction, and the 12-step deception, and its ineffectiveness.

Based On A True Story, within the pages of this eye-opening new title, Alcoholism, Wrongly Diagnosed, The Real Reason Why Its So Hard To Break The Cycle of Alcoholism & Drug Addiction, and How to Win With God’s Help, ($15.95, 254pg. paperback, ISBN 978-0-61541-074-6), John Johnson will show the reader, the underlying cause of addiction, and how to overcome addiction, without ever having to attend a single 12-step meeting. Reader will learn the proper way to approach God to secure recovery.

Sharilyn Grayson, Freelance Editor, says Wrongly Diagnosed is an unflinching look at the true nature of addiction. Pastor Johnson gives the reader an inside look at this national tragedy and the path he has found to healing. The book is the work of a refreshingly honest and engaging writer who repays the time you invest in him with substantial hope.

John Johnson has extensive knowledge in demonology and addiction. He is the co-founder and former Director of the Wings of Healing Alcohol/Drug Ministry in Los Angeles, CA at Greater Bethany Community Church, from 1993-1999. In 18 years of counseling, he has helped many addicts to overcome their addiction to alcohol and drugs. Johnson is now, an Ordained Pastor, HIV Prevention Counselor, a Registered Addiction Specialist-(alcohol and drug counselor), from Breining Institute; a Chemical Dependency Counselor certificate from, Be Well Now Institute.

Order here or Order Here

Kristi Koons

Kristi Koons’ book “Great Falls, Virginia!” is a novella 20+ years in the making, the book captures the free spirited times of the 70’s and those who rocked with them.

Mother Dusty Rose has written her daughter Virginia a letter upon her high school graduation. It turns into a 90’s book-length cautionary tale of wild times and misadventures as well as what can happen to young women who trade “belonging” to a guy for the dreams they hoped to have come true – as in the case of Virginia’s classmate, Roberta who was murdered by her boyfriend on the eve of graduation.

In rediscovering the book in a storage box, Dusty gives Virginia a ‘heads up’ that maybe it’s time to pass it on to her granddaughter Shelly who has just come of age.

Drugs, sex, rock and roll and even a Christian cult lead up to Dusty’s young single momdom and what came after. Most events and happenings were based on actual occurrences in Ms. Koons’ life. Her writing mantra is “What's true in fiction stays true fiction to protect both the innocent and the guilty." Written with humor, zest and heartfelt “telling it like it was”, “Great Falls, Virginia!” allows the reader to explore another time through the eyes of a young woman full of heart and hope; a woman who holds on to the belief that light and a life worth having for her and her daughter will surely follow after the darkness she’s created from her choices in love and life. Ultimately they do.

Color to your heart’s content while reading Kristi Koons’ story of “Heather on the Heather”, an adventurous tale of a spunky little girl on her way home from school after the rain. Caught by surprise when the wind blows a bubble onto the tip of her umbrella, Heather is at a loss to know what to do next when she discovers the three little men inside of it. Now in an adventure she can’t get out of, Heather seeks advice from her woodland friends, Lila the Ladybug and Gatsby the Owl. Neither have the answer but send her to someone who will – Electra the Wonder Wing. What happens next is a lesson in teamwork, believing in oneself and one’s ability to be part of a solution even in new situations, and the importance of trusting your inner knowing even when others tell you that you’re wrong or too young to know what’s really true and real.

Kristi Koons is a writer/photographer with a long history of performance tendencies. Her writing skills were first honed in middle and high school public speaking courses in Coronado, California. Sometimes she’d overwrite a skit and need most of the class to have all the characters she needed.

At L.A. Valley College she initially pursued journalism until her then angsty nature let theatre arts get the better of her, and she switched majors. This new direction led her to join a drama workshop that traveled to New York after the impending threat of the “Big One” in 1969 frightened away her native New Yorker drama coach. Nothing too significant happened there for her theatrically so she returned to L.A. where, other than her poetry, both acting and writing went into hiatus for a while. Eventually Ms. Koons regained an interest in writing, and wrote some short stories and “Blue Biscuits and Salt Water Tea”, a one-act play which was read by Alan Bates, but never acted upon.

After seeing the movie “Rocky” in 1975, Ms. Koons felt L.A. calling her home from San Diego where she had moved to raise her daughter. This in conjunction with the inspiration from a real life character from one of her short stories reinstated her resolve to honor her acting dream and she moved her family back to L.A. Another decade passed with small successes in both acting and writing. This included a short stint of writing for Arthur Godfrey’s new radio show “Time of Your Life”, which stretched her writing chops as a 30-something to take on the mindset of a senior citizen – and, of course, Arthur. Within that same time frame, Ms. Koons originated and voiced a three-minute comedy spot, “The Fairygodmother Commentary” for KDB Santa Barbara.

Intoxicated with how well things seemed to be going with the addition of a part in a non-union film and an equity waiver play, and sure money must be almost ready to follow, Ms. Koons arranged her own audition for the tv show “Fridays”, an 80’s Saturday Night Live type show with Michael Richards and Jack Burns, among others.

Posing as a singing telegram, she went as her Fairygodmother character after she had carefully arranged a time that would not disrupt production. It was planned as a quick five-minute audition of a comedy monologue with a song at the end in the producer’s office. What happened was an interception by Jack Burns who took her down to the soundstage while one of the P.A.s located the producer, thereby disrupting production. After she performed to the amusement of everyone in the cast and crew – except the producer – Ms. Koons made her way to her car where she remained stranded in costume until AAA could show up.

After this point Ms. Koons faded back into writing mode and took on the job of project manager at an audiovisual firm, switching modes to behind the scenes. Other than an unfortunate breakfast with one of the animation companies about her “Heather on the Heather” book – who knew fantasy had to be logical? – Ms. Koons kept her writing under wraps until after she and her daughter moved to Las Vegas. Here she published her first magazine article in the Nevada Business Journal. More assignments followed there and with Las Vegas Style magazine, putting Ms. Koons back on track with her writing. She even got to perform live at the Las Vegas Convention Center's VSDA convention as both Yogi Bear and Dino the Dinosaur during the launch of Turner Entertainment's 'The Flintstones' movie. Over the years Ms. Koons has freelanced as well as worked at several newspapers and magazines. Some of her community stories have also included her work as a photojournalist, a skill she picked up when she went back to college in 1997 to get a pre-press certificate. Since that time, Ms. Koons has had both stories and photos published in the Denver Post, Press-Enterprise, LoDo and online at Winners Within Us.com, where she received a Reader’s Choice award for her story about Justine, a formerly homeless teen.

Prior to coming to L.A. a year ago, she was proud to be of No Shame, a writing/performing troupe in Eugene, Oregon. There in Eugene Ms. Koons also exhibited her photography, once at DIVA’s Members Gallery and twice at the Museum of Unfine Art. Since arriving in L.A. Ms. Koons has joined multiple writers’ organizations to move her screenwriting efforts to the next level. Currently she has two screenplays in the works – one a short film, the other feature length. She also starred in a production of “Gray Matters” at L.A. Valley College last summer – where her acting dream first began. Currently working as a freelance writer, she has spent the last month and a half writing marketing content to promote another author’s book.

Now, it’s Ms. Koons’ turn as her first novella “Great Falls, Virginia!” makes its debut at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books; a work that has been 20+ years getting to market. “Heather on the Heather” will also have its’ official L.A. debut - only this time without the hollandaise.

Marcia Meier

Marcia Meier is an award-winning writer, teacher, published poet and former director of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

She is the author of Navigating the Rough Waters of Today's Publishing World, Critical Advice for Writers from Industry Insiders (Quill Driver Books, 2010), which was named one of “10 Great Books on Writing from 2010” by The Writer magazine. She also wrote Santa Barbara, Paradise on the Pacific, a coffee table book published in 1996 by Longstreet Press in Atlanta.

She has freelanced or written for numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times, The Writer magazine and Santa Barbara Magazine. She also is a contributing writer to Miller-McCune Magazine online and an occasional blogger with The Huffington Post. Marcia also had two poems and one short story accepted for publication in 2010.
Before joining the writers conference in 2004, Marcia was director of college communications for a small, liberal arts college, where she was responsible for marketing and community and media relations. She also taught the college’s journalism course and advised the campus newspaper for six years.

A print journalist for more than 20 years, Marcia worked for four daily newspapers in the roles of reporter, copy editor, assistant city editor and editorial page editor. She was with the Santa Barbara News-Press for nearly 10 years, and served as editorial page editor for most of that time. She also wrote a personal column for five years.

She has a degree in journalism and has taught a number of writing classes for various institutions in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, CA, including Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Westmont College, Brooks Institute and Santa Barbara City College Adult Education.
Marcia is a member of the Author's Guild and Pen USA, and has served as a member of the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Journalism Department Advisory Committee and the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Advisory Council. She also served on the boards of the Santa Barbara Mental Health Association, the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, and Transition House, which helps homeless families. She loves to take photographs, walk on the beach with her dogs, write poetry and read good fiction.

She has recently had two of her poems and a short story accepted for publication, and is at work on a novel and a memoir. Marcia is a member of Pen USA and the Author's Guild.

Navigating the Rough Waters of Today's Publishing World, Critical Advice for Writers from Industry Insiders, by Marcia Meier, is the quintessential guide to finding success in a turbulent publishing atmosphere.

Meier, the former director of the acclaimed Santa Barbara Writers Conference, has gathered the latest thinking on the future of publishing from the top names in the industry, including The Writer publisher Elfrieda Abbe, literary agents Paul Fedorko and Jeff Herman, RedRoom.com founder Ivory Madison, and publisher and author Dan Poynter.

Navigating the Rough Waters of Today’s Publishing World shows both new and experienced writers what’s happening now in fiction and nonfiction book publishing, including the new rules on packaging your book, working with agents, getting published in magazines and newspapers, online and e-book publication, and marketing and promotion. Written with clear-cut directions and filled with advice from the publishing world’s top experts, Navigating the Rough Waters of Today’s Publishing World is the writer’s must-have guide to getting published in the toughest market ever.

"Navigating the Rough Waters of Today's Publishing World is a compendium of practical, 'real-world' advice, insight, commentary, and instruction for writers seeking publication in today's increasingly volatile, rapidly evolving, and fiercely competitive publishing industry. (It) should be considered mandatory reading for anyone and all aspiring authors seeking to become successful professionals." - Midwest Book Review

Leslie Ann Moore

Ms. Moore is the author of Griffin's Daughter, her debut novel and the first in her romantic fantasy Griffin's Daughter trilogy, was named 2008 IBPA Ben Franklin Award Winner for Best First Fiction. Griffin's Shadow, the second book in the series, has been officially endorsed by both Publisher's Weekly and The Library Journal. Both books are available online at Amazon.com and at local booksellers everywhere.

A native of Los Angeles, Ms. Moore received her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of California at Davis in 1988. Dr. Moore lives and works in Los Angeles, CA and in her spare time, she practices the beautiful and ancient art of belly dance.

Griffin's Destiny, the third and final volume of the Griffin's Daughter Trilogy is now available in paperback direct from the publisher. You can order a signed personalized copy by going to www.ridanpublishing.com

Visit Leslie Ann's website at www.leslieannmoore.com/

Paul Michel

Houdini Pie is an outlandish, historical and essentially comic novel that draws on a true chapter from the dark days of Los Angeles during the Great Depression—an officially sanctioned hunt for mythical Indian treasure buried deep beneath the City. It follows the fortunes and misfortunes of a rag-tag assortment of would-be gold diggers including an outsized semi-pro baseball player, his spiritualist mother, an unrepentant bootlegger, a reluctant psychic, a grandiose geologist, a greedy and inept attorney and an ageless Hopi shaman.

It is set amidst the bread lines and beet fields of the Los Angeles Valley, in the halls and haunts of the young City itself, beneath the bright lights of barnstorming baseball at its best and shoulder-to-shoulder with the inglorious poverty of 1930s America. With its roots in fact as much as folklore, it is a tall but plausible tale of greed, loyalty, desperation, mystery, deception and love.

PAUL MICHEL was born in Philadelphia in 1957.  In 1962 his family moved to central Ohio, where he graduated from Kenyon College in 1979. In 1981 he made his way to Seattle, WA, where he immersed himself in the traditional music scene and learned to make a living as an environmental consultant and investigator. A storyteller all his life, he began writing fiction in the early 1990s and published his first story in 1995.  In 1998 he received an MFA from the Warren Wilson College Program for Writers in Swannanoa, NC, the oldest low-residency MFA program in the country.  Along with writing and playing music Paul is an avid baseball fan, cook, photographer, gardener and amateur naturalist.  Though the Pacific Northwest has been his home for a generation there remains something indelibly Midwestern about his soul.

Paul writes songs as well as stories, and he’s proficient on guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo. He has produced and done studio work on a number of CDs of original and traditional music.  His fiction and occasional poetry has appeared in over two dozen journals, including Glimmer Train, Southern Indiana Review, Harpur Palate, Short Story Journal, Inkwell, Ballyhoo! Stories, New South and the Roanoke Review. He has won several writing awards and been recognized in over 30 national competitions.  He began working on “Houdini Pie,” his first published novel, in 2003, after reading a chance excerpt on-line from an article in the LA Times about the historical treasure-hunt on which the story is based.  He currently is at work on a new novel and continues to write short fiction as well.

www.paulmichel.com | www.houdinipie.com

Nora Novak

Originally from Antwerp, Belgium, Novak is featured in a new European Reality series "Vlaamse Hollywoodvrouwen". Novak currently resides in Newport Beach and is the author of 'Art Damaged', her first novel of contemporary fiction. Ms. Novak is a mixed media artist, actress and writer. Novak has worked in both commercial galleries and a contemporary art museum. Originally from Antwerp, Belgium, she currently resides in Newport Beach and has recently published her first novel of contemporary fiction, Art Damaged which received the Editor’s Choice award.

Art Damaged is a glossy insider’s tale that is set behind the scenes of the contemporary art world in Orange County. The story follows Nina Valliere, a glamorous and alluring artist who works in a contemporary art museum. Nina copes with a man-hungry boss from hell, an alcoholic director and juggles the men in her life while pursuing credibility as an emerging artist. Complications arise and a scandalous turn of events threatens to compromise the museum and Nina’s future. A stylish romp through the recesses and chicanery of the art world, museum administration politics, and inner office intrigues, Art Damaged is an insightful debut novel that gives the reader a peek into the life of an up-and-coming mixed media artist.

For more information on Nora Novak and Art Damaged, please visit:

noranovak.com  |  artla.com |  artdamaged.net

Kathy Porter

Kathy Porter grew up in Endicott, NY the birthplace of IBM and only a short distance away from where one of her favorite TV series creator, Rod Serling was raised. Kathy’s lifelong interest in Science Fiction ignited when her father, a science teacher, showed her craters on the moon and taught her the constellations. She grew up watching science fiction movies and TV shows. Ray Bradbury’s “Martian Chronicles” was her first delve into a science fiction novel and she has been hooked ever since.

“I think I was born telling stories,” Kathy explained during a recent interview. “As second to the oldest of seven children, my sisters and I shared a bedroom. I loved making up bedtime stories, with an eerie edge and frightening my sisters. Things about fairies, leprechauns, and aliens even back then. If they couldn’t sleep I knew I succeeded.”

In September of 1961 reports of Barney and Betty Hill’s alien abduction claims took the media by storm. Kathy has been fascinated by their story and any story that delved into the “we are not alone” theory ever since.

Earth's Ultimate Conflict is the first novel in Kathy Porter's Gray Guardians Series. Escape From Nuur, the second in the series will be released next year.

What if the treat of a world-wide pandemic, increased seismic activity, and global warming, were all linked to alien abduction?

In the near future this frightening senerio forces Rosa De Angelo t flee Earth with her three alien hybrid children. In doing som she leaves behind Tony, her soul-mate and husband. Ellen McCarthy is faced with the agonizing choice of abandoning her love-starved hybrid children or finding a way back to her three-month-old human child Griffin, before it’s to late.

With Earth’s inhabitants faced with seemingly insurmountable illness and destruction, two rival alien species offer them salvation. United States President Barbara Unger will make the ultimate decision of who to trust the Grays or the Guardians.

www.grayguardians.com
http://www.booktour.com/author/kathy_porter

Deborah M. Pratt is a significant force in Hollywood. She is a five-time Emmy nominee, a Golden Globe nominee, and the recipient of The Lillian Gish Award from Women in Film, The Angel Award, The Golden Block Award, and Six B.E.N. Awards. From the award-winning series Quantum Leap to the internationally acclaimed Masterpiece Theatre's Cora Unashamed, Deborah M. Pratt’s vision is an inspiration to audiences worldwide. A master storyteller with a spiritual dream for a better world, Deborah M. Pratt breaks the mold of science fiction and creates a genre of science fantasy with the soul of the universe and a key to the human heart. Intricately layered with scientific fact and fascinating detail, The Vision Quest is a riveting journey.

The Vision Quest Trilogy opens when the harmony of Book One’s The Age of Light is torn into factions of the beings—human and the array of new species that now share our planet—who must grapple with forces and technologies at once ancient and frighteningly new. Here we find seventeen-year-old Cole “Lazer” Lazerman, a young man bent on both revenge and redemption. With his beloved father murdered and his Atlantian home under the control of the biodroid Black Guards and their evil leader, Five, Lazer enters a series of explosive battlefields—spiritual, virtual and real. His personal fight to control his own emotions can ultimately bring salvation or the world’s impending doom.

In Book Two’s The Odyssey Lazer, along with his friends—and the newfound love of his life—must master the Visionistic Arts, harness the limitless power of the human mind and spirit, survive the perilous odyssey to get home in time to save himself, his mother, his war torn home in Atlantia and ultimately the world from Five and his biodroid army.

The Vision Quest is an action-packed, Science Fantasy adventure based on the science and technology of today--projected into a very probable tomorrow. Get your books here »»

Amy Reiley

Amy Reiley is an American aphrodisiac foods authority, author of aphrodisiac cookbooks Fork Me, Spoon Me and Chile Aphrodisia, culinary journalist and owner of food and wine publishing and consulting company Life of Reiley. She has been called “one of the foremost educated women in food and wine” by Just Cause and Playboy Magazine.

Reiley attended Le Cordon Bleu, France’s culinary temple. In 2004, she become the second American to be named a Master of Gastronomy by Cordon Bleu. During her tenure at the culinary institute, Reiley became known for her work in culinary aphrodisiacs. Since that time, she has become the premier culinary authority on aphrodisiac foods for inspiring romantic experiences and sexual pleasure.

The FDA may have turned down approval of the new sexual aid for women, aka pink viagra, but who needs popping pills when you have The Love Diet? A lifestyle plan for a healthy sex life for life, The Love Diet shares ingredients and recipes known to sustain a healthy libido as well as promote energy, mood, glowing skin and cardiovascular health.

The Love Diet is not a starvation program or crazy fad. No one food is off-limits on our plan. We just help readers understand how to reduce unhealthy ingredients and pack the diet with desired nutrients and more sustainable ingredients at the same time as delivering sensual textures and taste bud tittlating flavors. This is the book to approach diet from a food lover's perspective.

Fork Me, Spoon Me: The sensual cookbook through Life of Reiley celebrates the power to cook up passion with recipes with natural aphrodisiac ingredients, including almonds, vanilla, rosemary, mint, chocolate, chile, ginger, mango, peaches, saffron, honey and figs. In this cookbook and many interviews, Reiley asserts that cheese is a better aphrodisiac than the widely-believed chocolate. She states that cheese contains approximately ten times a much serotonin and phenyl ethylamine [PEA], which can give a hormone rush that feels like the rush of intercourse.

Life of Reiley began with a free food in wine newsletter in 2002, and has since grown into a publishing, food and wine research, consulting and speaking venture. Life of Reiley offers information on food and romance, wine and romance, aphrodisiac cooking and dining and fun food or wine diversions for events, groups and publications. In 2005, Reiley was singled out as one of the five best female wine professionals in the world of the year by France’s Wine Women awards. Amy Reiley’s Pocket Vineyard was created in 1999 and became the first comprehensive wine program for PDAs. In 2001, she launched the companion program, Amy Reiley’s Pocket Gourmet. Both were named “must have” PDA programs by Worth Magazine in 2002.

Chile Aphrodisiac is lauded as a sensual celebration of colorful, contrasting flavors. Reiley is also an internationally-known journalist, providing food and wine articles for several publications, including Variety, Gault Millau, Daily Candy and Las Vegas Magazine. Her column, “Woman on Wine,” has been syndicated to numerous publications throughout the world. Reiley still publishes her monthly newsletter, now called Aphrodisiac of the Month. The newsletter is free and provides information highlighting the aphrodisiac history and science of one notable ingredient each month. Reiley believes that culinary aphrodisiacs are like vitamins: “Aphrodisiac foods have nutritive properties that are beneficial to your sexual health.”

http://www.lifeofreiley.com/

Linda Reid

Fired from her job as a Washington TV producer, Sammy needs a second chance. Her midnight to 3 am show “Sammy Greene on the LA Scene” at a small radio station soon has her ruffling the feathers of a popular Orange County congressman. And everyone is listening.

December, 1999. Ten days before the new millennium, Already on edge with Santa Ana “devil wind” fanning fires threatening to engulf the city and Y2K looming, Sammy’s callers imagine Armageddon- the perfect setting for a rogue CIA operative to manipulate fears as cover for his deadly plot.

A young woman’s burned body identified as the wayward daughter of old friend, Gus Pappajohn, spurs the ex-campus cop to join Sammy in what may be a murder investigation, along the way exposing the seamy underbelly of Tiinseltown. If Sammy’s not careful this time, someone will make sure she’s off the air for good.....

Linda Reid: I began my own neighborhood newspaper at age 10 and continued to write in high school and at the University of Maryland, where I also worked at the campus radio and TV stations. In medical school, I became “The Doc Around the Rock” on radio until I started my clinical training. Then, after my residency, I wrote for the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Tribune International, Salon.com, the Baltimore Sun, and the Huffington Post. I also worked as a medical feature reporter for the CBS-affiliate in D.C., and as a medical editor and host for Lifetime Medical Television. The first Sammy Greene thriller, Dead Air, was awarded the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award for best thriller, and my sci-fi novel Where Angels Fear to Tread/Renegade Paladins was awarded the 2010 Mensa Best Young Adult Novel award. I feel truly blessed to be part of the brotherhood of physician-writers.

Short: Deborah Shlian is a physician, healthcare consultant, and author of five award winning medical mystery/thrillers, three co-authored with her husband, Joel. Linda Reid is a physician-broadcaster-author and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA. Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid are also authors of Dead Air, which won first prize in the Thriller category of the National Indie Excellence 2010 Awards.

www.sammygreene.com | Sammy Greene's blog: http://sammygreene.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/hello-world/

Darlene Quinn

Darlene Quinn is an author and journalist from Long Beach, California. Webs of Power, the first novel of her Web Series, was the Winner of the 2009 National Indie Excellence Award for Fiction and a Finalist for the National USA Best Book Award for General Fiction. The highly anticipated sequel, Twisted Webs, also won the National USA Best Book Finalist Award for General Fiction. Webs of Fate, the prequel to Webs of Power, will be released October 2011, and currently, Darlene is working on Unpredictable Webs for a Fall of 2012 release. Quinn's first published novel, Sizzling Cold Case, published in January of 2007, was a somewhat unusual collaboration as well as labor of love for her dear friend, Buddy Ebsen. His work-in-progress was a Barnaby Jones novel, which at his widow's request, Quinn was thrilled to complete.

In addition, she has published articles in both "Inskeeping World" and "Savvy Magazine" highlighting the business knowledge she gained during her time as Corporate Training Director for the Bullock's Department Stores and as Director of Personnel/Organization Development for Bullocks Wilshire (West Coast Divisions of the former Federated Department Store conglomerate, which is now Macy's Inc.)

As part of a nine-member management team for the Bullocks Wilshire Specialty Department Store Division, Darlene Quinn has the insider's perspective on the rise and fall of major department stores. Twisted Webs, continues the saga of corporate greed and raw human struggles with characters we have come to know and love.

Quinn became interested in storytelling at an early age but did not begin writing until her adult life. Prior to being an author, Quinn was a teacher in the public school system, a self-improvement and modeling instructor, a private contractor for various department stores (Bullock's/Robinson's) and hospitals. She has two children, John and Jodie, six wonderful grandchildren, and happily lives with her husband and greatest supporter, Jack, a restorer of valuable art, in Long Beach, California.

Readers crisscross America, from LA to New York, as vivid Scenes of luxury, envy, retail empire power plays, back stabbing, lust, haute couture, and manipulation play out among the supporting cast of spirited, talented, and oftentimes snarky personalities.

“On first opening the pages of Darlene Quinn’s Webs series, readers may well feel that they are in for an engaging ‘all about’ novel-- in Quinn’s case all about the glamorous, dangerous, byzantine, and ultimately exciting world of fashion and high-end retail—and those readers would be right. But wait! There’s more! Quinn develops her storylines and plot in a way that keeps the world engaging and the books charging forward. And don’t get complacent—nothing is what it seems and no character is without great secrets that will twist events and surprise the reader in breathtaking ways. There’s a great deal of fun and entertainment to be had in falling into these beguiling webs.”

--Frank Gaspar, author of Stealing Fatima and endowed chair/distinguished professor and writer in residence, University of Massachusetts.

Learn more and order books at:www.darlenequinn.net

Roy Anthony Shabla

Roy Anthony Shabla is an esteemed poet and writer with credits in both fiction and nonfiction on various subjects. His work is known for its humanity and its startling epiphanies on the reality of human nature, often with a humorous bent. He is the author of several books, most notably, eating God and (PEACE) WORDS, each of which chronicles the progress of a spiritual person in the physical world. Excerpts from eating God have been used in several short art-films, one of which is the poetic masterpiece, body of water.

eating God is the updated and expanded version of the highly acclaimed book of ecstatic poetry, eating God. It is a transcendent cycle of poems documenting the spiritual awakening of a simple man in the modern world. It will delight and refresh you with its reality and compassion. This is a book you will read and read again. And share with others. "If poets could be superstars, at least in this time and country, Roy Anthony Shabla would be the man to watch!" ~Spirit of the Valley

(PEACE) WORDS is the most autobiographical book I have written thus far. It is a "portrait of the artist as a young vandal" complete with confessions of illegal international activities. Updated with important, early blog entries on poets and poetry. It is also a moving story of finding one's artistic self in the world despite current trends and styles. The backdrop of the narrative is the peace, human rights, and ecology movements and it is a beautiful primer on the work of peace, protest, and public art. It is even more important and powerful during this time of lingering war. Karma yoga is selfless and benevolent activity ~ from personal acts of kindness, generosity, and hospitality to charity and activism in the world. This book documents a search for self through the personal journey of art and activism, graffiti and rebellion. (PEACE) WORDS is a highly engaging and motivational read. It will alter your perspective on the world.

Feng Shui Every Day
This is a feng shui book anyone can use. Simple, clear ideas about architecture that will change your life. Includes secret information most masters will not reveal. Do not buy or remodel a house without it. This book is your most important purchase during difficult economic times. Highly praised by feng shui experts.

Child Harold at the Zoo
This is the coming-of-age story of a regular boy in an irregular world, the story of a divine boy in a mundane world. It is perfect reading for anyone trying to find a relationship with his own family or anyone trying to find a place for himself in society. Very quirky and funny, very real and enchanting. Gives you hope about being in this crazy world.

Roy Anthony Shabla is also a bookmaker specializing in small, limited edition, letterpress books and chapbooks. His website is: RoyAnthonyShabla.com

He is a longtime publisher and editor, recently collaborating with Millie Johanna Heur as Two Friends Press. Their first book together is Tequila Tales, an anthology of short fiction featuring the iconic alcoholic beverage, tequila

M.M. Shelly

For centuries magical beings have hidden in the darkness, waiting. Some good, some evil. A battle is brewing, and only twins, Grasiella and Tatiana, have the power to stop it. It’s the summer of the year 2045, and sixteen year old Grasiella, along with her twin sister, Tatiana plan to visit their grandmother in Hawaii. They have no idea that when they arrive on the island of Kauai, they are about to be drawn into a secret, the secret, of their family’s dark origins and magical powers.

On the first day of their arrival, their grandmother is accused of a horrible crime involving a faerie. Whispers have spread throughout the islands about the disappearance of a faerie named Sita Knook and her connection to a mysterious group known only as the Cinerians. Before long, Grasiella and Tatiana are doing battle with ancient races and magical beings. All the while trying to retrieve an ancient stone of power and impress a couple of local surfers, Kana’i and Kye, cousins who have some pretty exciting family secrets of their own. It’s pretty serious stuff for two girls who were planning to spend the summer at the beach getting tans, but then that’s the trouble with secrets, sometimes they just don't stay buried.

M.M. Shelley is a storyteller, wordsmith and dreamer. MISHAP AND MAYHEM, a captivating story of faerie's and magic, is her debut novel. She has traveled the world extensively in search of the magic which is often overlooked in every day life. M.M. Shelley is a native of southern California, and a student of mythology from which she gets much inspiration. Her novel MISHAP AND MAYHEM is an exciting tale of young adult fantasy, sci-fi adventure.

www.mmshelley.com |  http://mmshelley.blogspot.com/

Johnny Severin

Men Are Stupid, Women are Mean is a fictional, humorous account of why relationships are so difficult. That men are stupid and women are mean is the first, most fundamental truth about relationships. If you do not understand this point, then you will not understand why relationships fail. Why? Because men are stupid and women are mean.

What is so frustrating about this truth is that women are mean only because men are stupid, while men are stupid only because, well, because we're born that way. And that is what women never understand.

Men Are Stupid, Women Are Mean is a romantic comedy that also teaches the reader about relationships. It explains why men are so stupid and why women are so mean by telling the story of the narrator's past failed relationships.

Johnny Severin was born in Dayton, Ohio, raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and currently lives in Venice, California. He is a graduate of John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri, and Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. He is co-writer of the movie, The Secret Lives of Dorks.

Website & ordering info coming...

Enilde "Ginger" Ingels-Van Hook

"The Kingdom of Nuts and Bolts" is a story about a families living in Argentina in the 1930’s told from the perspectives of a fly, a witch, a seagull, an angel, a demon and two little boys.  This story explores the fictions and mythologies of the South American culture of Argentina’s rich grasslands and spiritual histories. This is a comedic look at the eccentricities of vivid human characters interplaying with colorful imaginative creatures from the spirit world. It is a journey  through rich folklore and magical realism as the characters go  about their lives in community activities where magic spells go wrong on occasions and the Virgin Mary makes appearances.

The themes throughout the novel explores nuts and bolts in a delightful approach to how things are invented and produced.  The spirit of invention (Hector) conflicts with the spirit of destruction (Torech). By the end of the battle between the two forces, there are new chairs, tapestries on the walls and cutting boards all created out of thin air. This story is the first in a series of adventures.

Written works by Enilde Ginger Ingels-Van Hook:
Waiting in the Wings Poetry - 1991,
The Trilogy of Private Showings:  Poetry - 1992,
Gypsy Spurs, Twisted Rainbow,
The Haughty Naughty Tipsy Gypsy
A Magnetic Attraction Poetry - 2004,
      by Ginger & Luke Van Hook
The Kingdom of Nuts & Bolts - A novel - 2004
A Sliver of My Private Thoughts - 2007

www.gingervanhook.com | http://gingersartjournal.blogspot.com | www.enildeingelsvanhook.com

Vic Warren

With a phenomenal career that started out writing and designing over 100 children’s books published with Scholastic and McGraw-Hill, as well as a Clio award-winning advertising career, Vic Warren was ready for a new writing challenge.

In his new novel, Stairway of the Gods, Warren takes the legendary story of Japanese officer, General Tomoyuki Yamashita—who is rumored to have buried priceless spoils of war in the Philippines just before the end of World War II—and turns it into riveting fiction. Warren’s tale of skullduggery unfolds on the slopes of the Banaue rice terraces when an earthquake reveals Yamashita’s treasure, and Joan and Paul Webster are stuck on the mountain. When Joan is faced with trying to keep the discovery secret, they find themselves confronted with deceit, betrayal and murder. Their marriage may be falling apart and someone wants to kill Joan to get the treasure.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Warren was drawn to the Philippines for many reasons. Before starting his advertising career, he met two Filipino brothers who invited him into their extended family. From that moment forward, Vic developed a close bond with the Filipino community and traveled to the Philippines. He was fascinated with tribal art from the Cordillera Mountains that he found in the marketplaces of Manila and Baguio. With the idea of starting an import business, he brought several boxes of artifacts back to Seattle. His research gave him a deeper understanding of the art and culture of the Cordillera—sometimes referred to as the Sierras of the Philippines.

For 30-plus years, Warren worked as an advertising executive in the travel industry. He is a recipient of a Clio award and is best known for creating the Alaska Airlines Eskimo logo. His experience with Alaska Airlines opened many doors for him in the travel and tourism industry and he started his own company called Turning Heads. He also became a book packager, editor, designer and writer in collaboration with several illustrators, producing more than 100 children’s books. He attended the San Francisco Academy of Art, majoring in graphic design and art direction. Warren is an avid traveler to Asia, Europe and the South Pacific.

Warren is currently at work on his second novel, Hong Kong Blues, which takes a newly-married couple through the streets of Hong Kong in a Hitchcock-style thriller. It is due out later this year.

Warren lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Laurel, and their three-legged cat, Oscar. To learn more about his novels, Stairway of the Gods and Hong Kong Blues, please visit www.vicwarren.com.

Mina Wildfeuer

Mina Scheller - Wildfeuer was born in Poland (Ukraine) and was educated as a teacher in Germany. As a young adult, she immigrated to the USA.
     Writing always had been her passion, interrupted only by raising five children. As a student in college, Mina was editor of a school paper and wrote short plays for school productions. Since then, she had published short stories in magazines and newspapers.
      Mina also has a shorter version of her memoirs ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN in print. Three novels CHANCE ENCOUNTER -- GRIEVOUS DECEPTION and HUBRIS are underway. Mina studied psychology and likes her characters to be complicated.

ODDS AGAINST ME is not only a memoir; it is also an illuminating portrayal of a lost generation’s history. It depicts the plight of refugees from the perspective of a youngster whose idyllic childhood was cruelly interrupted by air raids on the very first day of WW II. It narrates a homeless odyssey of six years, always on the forefront of a raging war. It shows life during the Nazi era and a short encounter with its evil leader -- Adolf Hitler.
     It continues to describe immigration to the USA and the consequential culture shock. It gives a witty account of an adventurous camping trip through Central America. It tells further of three failed romances -- one with a gay man in the unforgiving 1959s and marriage to a gambler. Compellingly, it shows the victory over a personal demon -- alcohol addiction.
 It is the true story of a survivor.

Learn more and order books at: www.oddsagainstme.com --Amazon -- Borders.com --BarnesandNoble.com--Sony Kindle e-book