| 2007 Features - Archive
| | | PWP MEET YOURSELF
Bios are written by the featured PWP members.
December 2007 Featured Writers:
Chris Hoy & David Quinn
Chris Hoy
I have a Bachelor’s degree in business and a Master’s degree in English, both from Colorado State University. I won the CSU fiction-writing contest two years in succession, and used the prize money to buy new shoes. I taught writing, literature and the history of cinema at Genesee Community College in Batavia, New York for three years (and also at our branch campus inside nearby Attica State Prison). During my brief teaching career I wrote a short story titled “Cache La Poudre” published by Little, Brown in a book containing stories by Phillip Roth and Erica Jong. I left teaching and went into business, but I never stopped writing. I wrote play and film reviews while living in Great Falls, Montana. Later, as a Senior Fellow at Denver’s Center for the New West and while working for the State of Nebraska, I regularly published articles about applications of the Internet in rural economic development. And I authored and delivered countless speeches on that subject across the US and Australia. US West and SCORE sponsored nationally distributed videos about my work as a “digital pioneer.” I currently write crime fiction and, when the mood comes over me, tongue-in-cheek short stories. I have finished a novel called “Club Red” about a feisty old lady who believes she knows the real story behind the JFK assassination, but gets tangled up in nearly calamitous political intrigue when she decides to make a few dollars by sharing what she knows with the world. And I’m outlining a mainstream novel about a stranger who jumps to his death from a building in an obscure little village and has a huge impact (pardon the pun) on almost everybody who lives there. I am president of Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG), vice chair of the mayor’s economic development advisory committee, and librarian for the Professional Writers of Prescott. I chaired the  first Urban Wildlife Symposium in Prescott in 2005 and assisted with the second one in 2007. And I am a guest curator at Sharlot Hall Museum, helping to write the captions and select the images for a 2008 exhibit on the story of water in the West. As all fiction writers know, it’s fun to create imaginary worlds, but it’s real-life stuff that provide authentic material for those stories. I hope my friends don’t mind that I sometimes put their personalities into characters in my stories. Or, if I need a particular kind of cadaver . . . their bodies. Chris is the author of The Elk in the Attic (Primrose Press, 2007), a children's book whose proceeds support the historic Prescott Elks' Opera House.
David Quinn
 David Quinn was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in 1945 and grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. He studied political science at Wheeling Jesuit University (B.A.) and Fordham University (M.A.). During thirty years in the telecommunications industry, he was involved in international projects in Asia and Europe, finally completing his career with a five-year assignment in London. David made the decision to leave the  corporate world in 1999. Following his passion for genealogy led him to uncover the remarkable story of his great, great uncle Michael Quinn. After two years of research conducted in Ireland, England, and the United States, David was ready to embark on the writing of a historical novel, It May Be Forever: An Irish Rebel on the American Frontier, based on Michael Quinn’s extraordinary life. David and his wife, Betsy, live in Prescott, Arizona, and have three grown children.
It May Be Forever was a finalist in the Best Books Awards 2006, National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards 2007, and the Arizona Book Publishing Association - Book Awards 2007.
Read what the critics say about Quinn's novel.
November 2007 Featured Writers:
Amber Polo & Terri New
Amber Polo
 From a career as a librarian to yoga teacher with a few stops in between, Amber Polo lives in Camp Verde on an airpark mesa. A recovering English major and librarian (two ways to make sure writing fiction is the last thing you’ll ever do) Amber turned to stories because . . .
Her first novel, Romancing Rebecca (The Wild Rose Press) a comic-paranormal romance set in Sedona, offers a light-hearted look at romance authors and the business of the New Age. Rebecca is now out as an ebook and will be in print March 21, 2008. Amber produced a podcast interview for Rebecca (listen to it on her website or her publishers’) and is working on a book trailer. Wild Rose Press also published her Wired for Love, a short story, available in eformat. In another publishing venture, her guided relaxation CD, Relaxation One Breath at a Time, available through CDBaby and iTunes, is a twenty-minute listen guaranteed to solve plotting dilemmas or help you fall asleep. Besides writing quirky romance, Amber’s volunteer work includes writing newspaper articles and publicity for the Camp Verde Library and the CV Library Endowment Fund. And from time to time she reads quirky essays at the Well Red Coyote Bookstore’s Open Mic for Writers. Amber is also a member of RWA and NARWA. Visit Amber at her website and blog!
Terri New  Musician, writer, and multimedia producer Terri New combines a unique blend of Arts & Activism, starting with Project Booklift, a nationwide project which airlifted 400,000 books to the new democracies of Eastern Europe. New was awarded the Santa Barbara Woman of the Year for 1995 and the Soroptimist’s Woman of Distinction in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara in 1993. In David Forward’s book “Heroes After Hours,” she is described as a woman “who makes things happen.” Creator/Producer of many national and international projects, Terri has produced many different kind of artistic projects for 30 years.
Terri has been a singer-songwriter-recording artist for 30 years and her arranger/partner is Bob Esty who has produced the likes of Barbara Striesand, Bette Middler, Donna Summer, Cher, Julio Iglesias to name a few. As a playwright, in 1990 Terri wrote and produced with Bob, Voices of the Velvet Revolution at the Wilshire Ebel Theater. They took the show to Europe with Poet James Ragan, a Pulitzer Prize nominee with Terri performing the songs of the show. She has recently been getting airplay in London on SW Radio Africa for a song she wrote and recorded “Zimbabwe Drums”. This song features the musical talents of many well-known international musicians including Castle Wall, the famed horn section on Michael Jackson’s Thriller album. Denny Seiwell (credits include Joe Cocker, Wings, Pablo Cruise) Bassist, Bob Glaub (credits include Jackson Brown), percussionist Bill Summers (credits include Herbie Hancock) and on Drums, Rick Slazer (credits include James Taylor, Rod Stewart). Terri’s backup singers include Beth Anderson who is known for her vocals on the “Never Ending Story” theme song. Terri was also invited to sing at President Havel’s, (the playwright President from the Czech Republic) convocation at UCLA Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA. She also performed as the headliner for fundraising efforts for Childhelp USA in Montecito, CA at the Music Academy to sold out performances. In 1991, Terri created a documentary “Rebirth of a Nation,” associate-produced it with KEYT, an ABC affiliate, and won the Golden Mic Award for best documentary. She produced a project in India on Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) and shot footage for the Rotary Polio Plus Campaign. As a Producer, Writer and Videographer she specializes in creating multi-media applications using video, the World Wide Web, and CD-ROM/DVD. Terri has spent the last ten years developing an educational-entertainment family musical Theater Arts curriculum project in  a multi-media venue. This is an activity-oriented series with a creative musical theater emphasis and incorporates the use of the World Wide Web, CD-ROM & DVD in engaging active participation from its viewers. Terri also served as associate producer of an educational video series with The California Seafood Council (CSC), about "Fisher Folk" in collaboration with the California State School of Education. She also composed and produced the musical score for the series. Terri produced a CD-ROM highlighting the work of internationally renowned photographer Emil Muench. Terri also produced three CD-ROM and a DVD projects on the Fishing Industry. Among projects currently in production are several promotional DVD projects for African Companies highlighting the safari industry. Terri operates Incite Productions, her multi-media facility, out of her ranch in Prescott, AZ, which she shares with her husband, Louis van Tonder of AfricanSafaris.com in Williamson Valley. She and Louis take numerous trips to Africa each year. Terri produces the promotional DVDs for his and other African companies.
October 2007 Featured Writers:
Agnes Franz & John J. Rust
Agnes Franz Agnes Franz actually worked in newspaper, studied journalism but somehow ended up in advertising. She compiled and edited Smirk~1450 Smiles for Your Face by checking through her love of brief, pithy phrases from time spent as an Advertising Director at Rodale Press. The second volume of Smirk is about to go to press. Once she had moved to Prescott she established a publishers’ ad representative business and also published Classified Communication, a business-to-business newsletter. Editorial material addressed trends in advertising, supplied small budget advertising tips and sported a few pertinent quotes or quips in each issue. These became the grandparents of  Smirk. Historic Prescott (now in second printing) was her earlier book. In addition to researching, interviewing wonderful Prescott citizens she photographed some artwork for the book, using her nom de plume, Magda Gregory.
 Communication and a love of the English language keep the brain cells moving. Franz spent ten years in Prescott as a SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) business counselor. That combined communication with business experience for local businesses.
There’s a bunch of other stuff about Agnes Franz on her web site — www.smirkbooks.com.
John J. Rust
 Hometown: Trenton, NJ
Current Occupation: Sports Director/Sportscaster, The News, 1490 AM, Prescott, AZ
Publishing Credits: Sci-Fi novel EPSILON (Xlibris); articles in magazines "Lighthouse Digest" and "True Crime Stories," numerous stories on Fanfiction.net
Graduate: Mercer County Community College, Trenton, NJ; College of Mt. St. Vincent, Riverdale, NY
Favorite Authors: Tom Clancy, Harry Turtledove, Clive Cussler, Jack DuBrul, J.K. Rowling, John Birmingham, Janet Evanovich, Dale Brown
Favorite Hobbies: Exercising, collecting T-shirts and ballcaps, studying history, watching sports
Favorite Teams: Philadelphia Phillies & Boston Red Sox (Baseball); Philadelphia Eagles (Football); New Jersey Devils & Philadelphia Flyers (Hockey)
Favorite Bands: Led Zeppelin, Nightwish, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Rush, Heart
Recently I had a creative explosion and now have a bunch of stories up. No, this doesn't mean I've given up on original novels. Basically I got stuck on the story lines for a couple manuscripts I'm working on, so I just set those aside until the ideas come to me (that has  always worked in the past). Meantime, writers must keep writing, and this is a good forum for it. I've got stories with a little something for everyone; adventure, humor, angst, sci-fi, time travel, parallel Earths, hockey, love stories (yes, I can write those, and no I won't call them "romance" because I have this weird hang-up about it) and my personal favorite, stories where lots of stuff gets blown up. Most of my stories are in the Harry Potter universe, a few of which include my original character Jimmy O'Bannon, an American wizard from Boston who's obsessed with hockey. I also have a Star Blazers story, Footprints In Time, and a Dr. Who/Star Trek: The Next Generation Crossover story, The Brink Of Assimilation, which is my most popular fanfic (1800+ hits and 21 reviews so far). Visit John and Epsilon at the Rust Page.
Photo of John J. Rust with David Morrell by Joe Dibuduo, © 2007
September 2007 Featured Writers:
Marlene Baird & Lady Mathers
Marlene Baird  Marlene Baird is from Canada and became a US citizen in June 2001. She is the recipient of several contest awards, both for novel writing and for short stories. Four of her novels are available at her website or through her publisher, AuthorHouse. Her website always features one of her short stories.
For the past three years she has been a judge in the Arizona Authors Association annual writing contest, which she won in 2003 with her novel, Minnie and the Manatees. A long-standing member and supporter of PWP, Marlene served on the association's board for two years. Once asked, "Is there a continuing theme in your novels?" she answered: "Though all my novels are very different and always center on adult situations, I find that I manage to insert something about children -- their value and the love they need." Marlene lives in Prescott, AZ with her husband, Bob, and their dog, "Friday." Acquiring the dog was a total accident and too long a story for this space. But Marlene believes that seemingly random things happen for a reason, and that someday Friday will save she and Bob from a burning house. It might make up for the cramp she has put in their travel plans. Marlene's most recent novel is Claire Walker. 
Lady Mathers
Lady  Mathers has been a resident of Prescott for fourteen years. She was born just outside Detroit, Michigan, however, Southern California was her home for many years. The written word became a vital part of her expression as far back as the fifth grade; poetry being her main interest. In 1986, Lady was invited to Orlando, Florida to receive an award for her poem, In A Child's Room. Keynote speakers at the World Of Poetry event were Vincent Price, Maya Angelou, and the Natica Angilly Poetic Dance Theather. Vincent Price recited The Raven and Thriller. In 1993, the Sedona Journal Of Emergence accepted her piece entitled, Talking Drums. Her fourth book of poetry is currently in the works. In January of 2000, "Poet's Corner" made its debut on Prescott's local channel, Public Access13. The purpose of Poet's Corner is to interview and showcase local poets in theQuad-Cities. In 2003, Lady was invited to tape a show in Benson, Arizona at the home of Baxter Black, well known Cowboy Poet and NPR personality. When Lady rode into the opening shot on horseback with Baxter, she said: "Meeting Baxter Black was a defining moment for me as a poet. He inspired me deeply through his work, his gracious demeanor and he is the true measure of a gentleman." Other guests on Poet's Corner have been Mary Bragg and Carl Hitchens (PWP members), Dan Seaman of the Prescott Area Poet's Association (PAPA), Lenny Lambert from Lenny's Place on KJZA radio, Pat Beary, and many more. "I would like to thank each and every poet who contributed to the show since the first airing. You've inspired me to write some wonderful poetry. Thank you." In 2005, 250 people gathered at the Elk's theater for an Evening of Blues & Jazz, which Lady coordinated to raise funds for victims of hurricane Katrina. Headliners were: Steve Annibale (trumpet), April Manchester (vocals - currently performing in the Arizona Revue at the Elk's Theater), Blossom (vocals), Dave Russel (sax), Les Lyman (guitar), Steven Ayres (bass), and many others. "This was one of the classiest events to ever dazzle Prescott," says Lady. "People are still talking about it. The event raised over $5,000.00, which was divided between the American Red Cross, Habitat For Humanity, and The Humane Society. We met with many obstacles, but we were determined to make this work and we did."
The spring of 2006 marked a defining moment for Lady when she traveled to Ireland for her 50th birthday for 10 days. "Thirty-five years of waiting and my dream came true, thanks to a wonderful friend. Ireland is enchanting, and if you've ever wanted to go there, go soon. The old Ireland is fast changing. The west coast is my favorite with it's green pastures, endless farmland and lovely sights. The Cliffs of Moher is one of the most beautiful places on earth."
Here is a poem she wrote after her return from across the Atlantic. Swans Of Ross Castle The moment I first saw Ross Castle, I entered the realm of medieval lore. Men defended these lands and fortress, when enemies threatened this peaceful shore.
For centuries, these grand stone towers, have weathered the seasons at Lough Leane, surrounded by mountains and valleys, bearing patchworks of lush Irish green.
Killarney in spring is food for the soul, each blossom, flower and creeping vine. Colors these eyes have not before seen, where giant yews grow amid the pine.
Above my head fly the whooper swans; creatures of beauty and gentle grace, adding their calming regal presence to the magic unique to this place.
The smooth glassy surface of Lough Leane reflects Ross Castle’s timeless allure. The cold wind speaks of its bygone days; departed souls whisperings, I’m sure. O, spirits of water, land and air, some distant memory connects us still. A life beyond this one, yet veiled, stirs my soul and perhaps always will.
Lady Mathers
2006
August 2007 Featured Writers:
Susan Lanning & Kathryn Wilkens
Susan Lanning  Susan Lanning, author of Harper’s Bluff, The Danesboro Line and other suspense and mystery novels, is an English teacher from Ohio. She retired with her husband Bruce to Arizona in 2000 and is the mother of two children and grandmother of five.
Susan started writing in her thirties when she was a stay-at-home mom. She loved to read but was often disappointed in the novels. So, instead of complaining about others, she decided to write one herself. She felt her first attempt was lacking but enjoyed the experience so much she wrote another, meanwhile reading everything she could get her hands on about the craft. With each book she wrote, she felt she grew as a writer. To date, Susan has written 15 complete novels and half a dozen partials. And since the writing was morefun than trying to get published, she concentrated on the former. Susan has now self-published two of her early novels with iUniverse. She’s sold a number of them and has gotten excellent comments back on her writing, making her feel that it was all worth while. She is working on her new mystery series that takes place in Arizona – in between gardening and having fun with her grandchildren. “Doing what you love keeps you young,” she says.
Kathryn Wilkens
 Kathryn Wilkens grew up in Indiana and has lived in Spain, California and Arizona. She graduated from Purdue University and has a Masters degree in linguistics from California State University, Fullerton. A retired teacher, she now spends her time taking photos, reading, traveling, swimming, biking, ice skating, solving puzzles and, of course, writing. Her nonfiction has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Personal Journaling, Writers’ Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Romantic Homes, ByLine and Verbatim. Two essays have been included in anthologies: "Freedom Trails" in The Walker Within (The Lyons Press, 2000) and "Buddha and the Fig Tree" in Gardening at a Deeper Level (Garden House Press, 2004). In addition to PWP, she belongs to the California Writers Club and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Kat Wilkens Photo Gallery 
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July 2007 Featured Writers:
Richard Kimball & Diane Line
Richard Kimball
Richard  W. Kimball grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has been living in Prescott since 1986. He has a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from the University of New Mexico Kimball has been writing since grade school and his first articles were published in teen magazines. Although now retired, he has worked on newspapers throughout the West as a reporter and editor. He enjoys writing history articles and has sold many to national and regional magazines and has won several writing awards. He has self-published (via desktop publishing) more than 150 books and booklets—mostly narratives of Indian captivity, but also books on Zen Buddhism, Native Americans and frontier themes. Kimball also has two limited edition books shelved in the Brannigan Library in Burlington, Vermont: THE BOOK OF QUETZALCOATL and MAYAN TRAVELS. His most recent books, published by instantpublishing.com in 2006, are: COYOTE ZEN and ENGLISH CAPTIVES IN MEXICO. He recently released his book about Quetzalcoatl. In June 2007, Kimball’s poem RAISING THE SUN won a first place award in the Spirituality section at the 14th Annual Whipple Voices Writing Festival at the Prescott VA Hospital. His poem may be included in a national veterans publication at a later date. Kimball is legally blind (the result of a bicycle accident in Tucson ten years ago), but he continues to write, albeit much more slowly, with the aid of his computer.
Diane Line
Diane Line is  an active member of the Arizona Authors Association, Toastmasters International, and the Professional Writers of Prescott. A Chicago native, Diane and her husband Lloyd moved to Prescott, Arizona in 2002. Their daughter Valerie, son-in-law Mark, and two grandchildren, Alexis and Victoria, live in Illinois. An inspirational writer, actor, director, counselor, hypnotherapist and metaphysician, Diane has appeared at speaking engagements with Toastmasters International, nursing  homes, hospitals and other clubs and organizations. Diane was raised in the Lutheran tradition and attended Zoar Lutheran School and Church in Elmwood Park, Illinois. She attended Luther North High School in Chicago. Diane graduated from Triton College in River Grove, Illinois with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Therapeutic Recreation Therapy. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Metaphysics, the title Metaphysical Consultant and a certificate in Hypnotherapy from the Academy of Advanced Thinking. Diane's inspirational memoir, AT HEAVEN'S DOORWAY, is available at Authorhouse. Read a review by Richard Fuller of Metaphysical Reviews.
June 2007 Featured Writers:
Ernest Giglio & Gene Garrison
Ernest Giglio
I was born and raised in New York City but spent the last thirty years in Pennsylvania. I am a college professor by training and profession and have taught at various colleges in the U.S. as well as abroad. I retired from full-time teaching in 2001 and moved to Prescott last month (April). Two years ago I taught at Yavapai College for a semester.
I have written six books, four edited and two authored. Most of the  works have been written for use in college courses, but the two authored books were written for both students and for general readers. The first authored book, RIGHTS, LIBERTIES & PUBLIC POLICY (Ashgate Publishers) was published in England in the 1990s. The most popular of the books in terms of readership and revenue has been the last, HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU: HOLLYWOOD, FILM & POLITICS (Peter Lang Publisher). First published in 2000 the book was revised as a second edition in 2005. It details the relationship between the reel world ( Hollywood) and the real world of politics (Washington) through practical politics and film content. It is a critique of the film industry that has made me "persona non grata" in Hollywood. But the book has brought me good exposure as I have appeared on PBS, NPR, and BBC World.
Gene Garrison
My father and I sat in forest-green rocking chairs on the front porch of our white clapboard home. We often did that when the weather was nice. He would say, “Talk to me, Gene.”  This time it was a question to start things off. He asked if I minded having a “boy’s name.”
I said, “No. Maybe when I grow up I can be an artist or a writer, and it could be an advantage.” My nine-year-old mouth surprised my father. His blue eyes popped as he wondered where that came from. He simply repeated, “an artist or a writer?” I said yes, and he nodded. He didn’t blow it off. I could see the wheels turning in his bald head.
Even though essays were occasionally assigned in school, there was nothing taught about creativity. Maybe it can’t be taught.
Years later when I dropped in at my parents’ house he was reading an article in the Sunday supplement of our local Phoenix newspaper. He looked up from the magazine and said, “I was reading this, thinking how good it was, and looked up to see who wrote it. You did!” He was pleased.
A lot had happened since that day on the porch — I married the love-of-my-life when I was barely nineteen, I became a perennial student, and in a most respectable period of time a son appeared on the scene, then another. After three or four years of being a stay-at-home mom, I took one dead-end job after another, most lasting two years, although I did work for a lawyer for a record six years.
When the boys went out on their own, I went into my own. The first thing I did was call the New Dick Van Dyke Show near Carefree, Arizona, to see if they had any job openings. I knew this was not the proper way to apply for a job, but I deliberately did it anyway. Dick Powell’s son, Norman, interviewed me, and soon I walked onto the sound stage as script supervisor Marge Mullen’s assistant.
It was a dream job for me. I was actually disappointed when I didn’t have to go to work. I loved seeing the show take form from the first rehearsal with scripts in hand, right up to filming before an audience. I didn’t have to go to the evening performance, but I went because I wanted to. I didn’t want to miss anything. As trite as it may sound, the actors, directors and crew, from Van Dyke on down, were fun to work with. They welcomed me, and Dick actually came over and introduced himself to me even though I already knew who he was.
During the run of that job, we moved from Phoenix to Cave Creek — and stayed there for 27 years. Nineteen-seventy-two was my favorite year. It was when my writing career took off. It started with frequent magazine articles in the Arizona Days & Ways Sunday supplement of the Republic & Gazette.
One day I noticed that a bicycle shop had been vacated, but its ad was still running in our local magazine, so I called Marge Rinehart, the editor, to let her know that she probably wouldn’t want to run their ad any longer. I didn’t know her, but as soon as she heard my name she said, “Gene Garrison? I’ve been meaning to call you. Would you write for us?”
She had been impressed by the articles I wrote for Arizona Magazine. Would I write for her? “Sure,” I replied. The job of feature articles writer lasted for 20 years — through three sets of editors/publishers.
During that time I founded Desert Artists, A Cooperative Gallery, in Carefree, Arizona. My husband and I were active in it for 16 years. In 1975, when Anne and Carl Nusbaum arrived from Chicago with theater on their minds, I became a charter member of the Desert Foothills Community Theater and did every job from Assistant to the Directors, to actor and producer — and, yes, historian. It was a valuable 20-year experience.
I have a thing about 20 years. I consider it the length of a job, although I’ve been a professional writer for thirty-some years. What a change from those two-year dreary secretarial jobs.
During the seventies I also started writing books. The first was FROM THUNDER TO BREAKFAST, about Hube Yates, a popular, kind, friendly, helpful man who happened to be a great storyteller, so I became the writer of his adventures. He had a comfy, colloquial way of speaking that added to his charm. Hugh Downs was so impressed by him that he wrote the foreword to our book. He had been on some horseback rides with Hube, and was as fascinated with whatever Hube had to say as the rest of us were.
I tested the waters by freelancing one of our stories. It was accepted the first time out. That was a signal to us that a book might just work. I chose the name From Thunder to Breakfast because it was a phrase he used often. He said it was a variation of a Texas expression, from hell to breakfast. He didn’t curse, so he substituted thunder every place that anyone else would say hell. It was “What in the thunder?” or “We were in a thunder of a fix.” He said his minister father’s cuss word was tarnation.
I sent the manuscript out to about six different publishers, one at a time. They were all rejected. I didn’t realize that six isn’t very many, so I decided to publish it myself. I didn’t do all that work for nothing. And Hube’s delightful personality, and his ability to see humor in almost anything deserved to be preserved. He was Southwestern Americana personified.
We were almost sold out when Arizona Highways magazine published a fine review of our book. I called Northland Press, told the publisher about it in hopes that he would publish the second edition. I did not like being a publisher. He asked me how many copies we had left. When I said fifteen, he almost shouted, “FIFTEEN?” He would really have to get the wheels turning to turn out a few thousand more before the momentum slowed down.
I grinned at the thought that an excellent publisher was picking it up. Hube laughed out loud. The book would live on. We had a traditional publisher. Read an internview of Gene by PageOneLit. And the feature Singular or Plural: Does Anyone Care? Gene is also the author of WIDOWHOOD HAPPENS, and the nonfiction children's book JAVELINA! Have-uh-WHAT? Her most recent book is THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT CAVE CREEK (It's The People). 
May 2007 Featured Writers:
Connie Johnson & Willma Gore Connie Johnson
Connie's first book, Farm Kids, A 1950s Wisconsin Memoir,  was co-authored with her sister, Dianne. They grew up rural on an 160-acre dairy farm in St. Croix County. After perusing family photo albums and archives, they highlighted their Norwegian heritage with humorous vignettes.
The writing stimulus was seeing a sale sign in a store window advertising, "mid-century modern" items. They knew someone needed to correct at least a few of the romanticized misconceptions. Adding a second twist to the book, they chose chapter names and then each sister wrote her version without consulting or comparing with the other. Each chapter has two takes, sometimes similar, sometimes very different. Connie, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-EauClaire, taught high school for ten years before venturing into business. Her non-fiction writings have been published in The Galenian, The Galena Gazette (Galena, Illinois), Julien's Journal (Dubuque, Iowa) and her poetry in the Prescott Audubon Society's Wingtips. Connie believes writing one's story is so important she put together a memoir workshop; the premiere presentation was for the Prescott Valley Historical Society. She says, "Writing has many rewards, and one of the best "is when readers share their stories with me."
When asked about another book - "There's one percolating already," she quips.
For more info on Farm Kids or workshops,
email Connie @ clotheslinepress@earthlink.net
Willma Gore
Willma grew up on a small dairy farm in California where 22 cows were hand-milked twice a day by her father and a hired man. Her first jobs were helping bottle the milk, wash the bottles, and “run the bottles,” the term used to describe taking them from the delivery truck and placing them on the customer’s doorstep.  The eldest of three girls, she was licensed to drive the delivery truck (Model-A Ford) at age 13 when her mother was hospitalized for an appendectomy. Her father took her to the local Highway Patrol rep, saying that he needed her to drive delivery while her mother was incapacitated. (Mom had let her drive from time to time on a lonely road out in the country where deliveries were made three times a week. The Patrolman took her out for a test drive behind the wheel and gave her a temporary license until she could be formally licensed by the state at age 14. Her personal memoir about this time of her life, Back When We Were Milk Maids is scheduled for the June/July 2007 issue of Farm & Ranch Living to which she has contributed many stories and photos through the past 20 years.
Willma arrived in Sedona from California in April 2004. A life-long writer who sold her first article at age 20, she has led writer workshops for more than 40 years. In Sedona, she has launched five writers’ workshops, taught a class “Write For Fun Or Profit” for the Sedona Adult Center, and two classes for the Women For Women Learning Center, Cottonwood. Her column Sedona’s Sassy Senior appears once a month in the on-line publication, Sedona.Biz . Her work has appeared in more than 80 national and regional journals through 60 years of freelancing. She has written seven, and shared the byline on an additional 12, children’s books. Her adult nonfiction book for the better half of life, Just Pencil Me In—Your Guide to Moving and Getting Settled After 60 was  published by Quill Driver Books, Sanger, California in 2002. Her humorous novel, Something’s Leaking Upstairs came out in May 2005 with Publish America. A second book for Quill Driver, Wit & Wisdom From Long-Distance Grandparents will be on the publisher’s Fall 2007 list. In 2006 Willma's work appeared in the San Luis Obispo Journal, Plus Magazine, the Home Forum, Christian Science Monitor, and her WW II memoir in an anthology, Duty Honor & Valor, published by the Society of Southwestern Authors. A poem and an essay will be published later this year on Home Forum Page of the Monitor. She was named one of three Accomplished Elders by the Northern Arizona Agencies on Aging and honored with the other two at an awards luncheon in Prescott in September 2006. She is a member of the Professional Writers of Prescott, Society of Southwestern Authors, Society of Children’s Book Publishers & Illustrators, and a new member of Phoenix Writers Club. Willma spoke in six cities in California on a book tour in April 2006. She has spoken to writers groups and libraries in 25 cities in California, Nevada and Arizona. Her humorous talks include lessons from a “A Lifetime of Writing for Love, Fun and Profit” and what you can sell while you are “Waiting to Market Your Great American Novel.” Willma welcomes inquiries about and visits to her workshops:
(928) 284-7447 or willmagore@msn.com.
April 2007 Featured Writers:
Kathleen Ewing & William Smith
Kathleen Ewing  A native of Northwest Ohio, Kathleen Ewing freelanced as a writer while she raised, trained, and barrel raced Quarter horses for twenty years." My brother (Prescott professional artist Douglas Miley) taught me how to write when I was four," she says. "It was his way of keeping me out of his oil paint set."
Aside from the usual hobbies of reading, photography and rock hounding, Kathleen has raced sports cars and dragsters, gone ice-sailing and jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.
"With two big brothers, I had to be a tomboy. I played basketball, baseball, tennis, football. I was a runner, too…a real adrenaline junkie," she admits. "But horses were my grand passion. Still are." When she moved to Prescott in 1977, she became first a machinist, then a plant manager and a manufacturing engineer in the aerospace industry. That career ended abruptly when the world tilted on its axis on 9/11/2001. "I was out of work for ten months. So I used the downtime to get back to my writing." Her article, A Pair of Nothings, was published in the anthology A Cup of Comfort for Teachers. And she spent a year and a half as a feature writer for the regional Connection Magazine. I wrote about horse trainers, mayors and the local zoo. A flight school, a truck farm and a Christmas light display. A horse rescue shelter, poison-proofing pets and what to do if you are told to evacuate your home at once." A widow with two grown children, she currently lives in Prescott Valley, her base camp for hiking, horseback riding, target shooting and four-wheeling in Arizona's backcountry. She is a fulltime writer with the best of both worlds. In her day job, she writes newsletters, brochures and grants as well as creates and maintains the website for a large non-profit organization with all the fringe benefits of an employee. In her spare time, she freelances. Her more recent credits include features for Hobby Farms, Art Calendar, American Falconry and Funds for Writers.
 MY LIFE AND TIMES
By William Smith
I was born in South Bend, Indiana on August, 1946. After high school graduation in the mid-1960’s, I was unable to find work due to the fact that the draft was in full swing, and most employers were afraid to hire someone of draft age, only to have that person inducted, so that they would need to hold a position for them for the duration of the enlistment. At that time, I signed up for the army voluntarily. Upon separation from the regular Army, I continued with my military career in the Army Reserve, then into the Army National Guard, serving outside the continental United States on several occasions. While in the National Guard, I worked at several jobs, while getting my degree in chemical engineering. After completing my military career, in 1996, I moved to Arizona, settling in Chino Valley, and going to work at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. While at the university I started my writing avocation, publishing my book THE MELANCHOLY SPY in 2005. I have had several of my poems published on-line at Electric Scotland, a website for people of Scottish decent. At the end of 2005, I joined the Professional Writers of Prescott and have never regretted joining. In January of this year, I had two articles accepted by the CQ Press for the forthcoming Encyclopedia of International Security, and have started a short story based upon one of my experiences in the field of espionage (fictionalized to save several people and groups embarrassment). Bill's photo courtesy ERAU Admissions Office - 2005 Wild-West themed October-West parade and party.
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