Dr. Jim Aarons has a unique view of the world, having spent a lifetime doctoring animals. Since graduating from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine in 1982, he has been responsible for the physical and mental soundness of a variety of critters and their human friends.

With his unique and upfront writing style, Dr. Jim artfully mixes the softness of romance against the harsh canvas of science and history. Penning experiences from a long life working at zoos, horse farms, cattle round-ups, and companion animal medicine cases Doc mixes animal medicine with human nature. He has created the Katie Reynolds series, a saga of our early attempts to find a real reason for us to be here.

Dr. Jim aims to craft fictional stories that are not your garden variety of veterinary tales. His books include his first attempt, “Fear of Failure” an autobiography, followed by the Katie Reynolds series.

Scandinavian, Army Brat, Wife, English Teacher, High School Principal, Golfer, Boater, World Traveler, Author. Now add a competitive nature and a love for ‘makeovers.’ As a principal, Rolynn Anderson and the staff she hired, opened a cutting-edge high school; as co-captain with her husband on INTREPID, she cruised from Washington State to Alaska and back. As a writer, she delights in creating imperfect characters faced with extraordinary, transforming challenges. Her hope: You'll devour her ‘makeover’ suspense novels in the wee hours of the morning, because her stories, settings and characters, capture your imagination and your heart.

I’m the author of twenty published books including two spy thrillers, a popular history, and a number of ghost-written biographies, self-help books and similar non-fiction. I’ve also written many TV documentaries for PBS, the Discovery Channel, and A&E. In addition, I've written pieces for Business Week, the Atlantic Monthly and Esquire. I have a MS in journalism from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and a BS in journalism from Northwestern University.

David Brandin is a retired mathematician and computer scientist. He was VP of SRI's Computer Science Division and president of the Association for Computing Machinery. He's a fellow of ACM and the Economic Strategy Institute. David co-authored a trade book: The Technology War, J. Wiley, 1987, and the definition of the Internet in the 3rd ed., Encyclopedia of Computer Science. He's written fiction for fifteen years and published four novels and several collections of short stories, including The Horns of Moses, A Novel, IUniverse, NY, 2007. The Lodge - A Tale of Corruption, IUniverse, NY, 2009. The Earthquake Prophet and Wings (Flash fiction) contain his short stories. Most recently, he published Project Moses, a sequel to his first novel.

Leonard Carpenter, as most-published author of Conan the Barbarian novels, has a dozen books in print plus prize-winning tales of science fantasy and terror.

His latest novel is LUSITANIA LOST from Mango Publishing and Amazon Books. This greatest sea epic since Titanic dramatizes the tense final voyage of the famed luxury liner, and the 1915 U-boat attack that brought America into World War I.

Carpenter’s forthcoming novel TROPIC OF CUBA is a fantasy-reality chronicle of travel, romance, and a quest for the Fountain of Youth in modern-day Cuba.

Soon to be published from his central California home is the Life Extension manual LIVING INDEFINITELY, revealing his original and vital anti-aging secret.

Hemalata C. Dandekar, PhD grew up in Maharashtra, India cooking and eating delicious, home cooked food made by family members who were connoisseurs of the details. Dandekar's experimentational approach to traditional dishes is reflected in the recipes in Beyond Curry. In her other life, Dr. Dandekar is Professor and former Department Head, City and Regional Planning, California Polytechnic State University. She is the author of several scholarly books and numerous articles on current topics in urban planning and international development including Men to Bombay Women at Home, Michigan Family Farms and Farm Buildings, and Planners Use of Information.

Vivid imagery, humor in the ordinary, and the complexities of intimate relationships are what propel Marylu Downing's writing. Described as imaginative, and colorful, her fiction, poetry, art and essays have been published in books, anthologies, on-line, in newspapers and magazines. Marylu is a life-long Californian who never strays too far from the Pacific Ocean.

Eldonna Edwards is a beloved writing instructor, keynote speaker and former creative journaling facilitator, who grew up in a large family nestled between cornfields and churches in the provincial Midwest, an upbringing that provided a fertile background from which to harvest setting and characters. The voice in her award-winning debut novel THIS I KNOW comes straight from the heart. In her second novel, CLOVER BLUE, Eldonna once again explores themes of otherness and belonging, and the true definition of home. She's also the subject of the award-winning documentary "Perfect Strangers" that follows one kidney patient and one potential kidney donor in their search for a possible match. Her memoir LOST IN TRANSPLANTATION also chronicles this life-changing decision. 

Barry Garelick taught 7th and 8th grade math in California as a second-career after retiring from the federal government. He majored in mathematics at the University of Michigan. He has written articles on math education that have appeared in the Atlantic, Nonpartisan Education Review, Education Next, Education News and AMS Notices. He is also the author of four books, all dealing with math education. He is currently at work on a fifth book with a co-author called "Traditional Math: An Effective Strategy that Teachers Feel Guilty Using" to be published by John Catt Educational in fall of 2022.

Douglas Garland, M.D. practiced orthopedic surgery for 37 years in Southern California. In addition to serving as Medical Director of their total joint service at his local hospital for five years, he served as chief of four service units including spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. Doug was also a Clinical Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Southern California. He presently resides on the California central coast with his wife, Cindy.

Editor of the SLO NightWriters column in Tolosa Press for five years, Judythe has been published in many online publications and local publications, nine anthologies, and one novel. She regularly presents to writing organizations and writes monthly columns for their newsletters. Judythe has edited four anthologies, and coached numerous writers in their writing efforts.

Steve Kliewer, a retired geophysicist, and educator has been fascinated with the Sierra Nevada all his life. He is part-owner of the historic Cliff Camp property situated in a remote area of the forest beyond the far reaches of civilization.

Steve's fascination with the natural world led him into physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy, engineering, and technology. He loves to learn and learns best when he is sharing his knowledge with others.

Steve also writes apps for iPhone and iPad. Visit Apple's App Store for "Precise Audiobook Player" (a full-featured audiobook player), and "Crystal" (A detailed introduction to the marvelous world of minerals and crystals).

Debra's mother, the Sunday school teacher, said, "She always tells the truth." I guess that's why she writes creative non-fiction. She can't write fiction because it feels, to her, that making up stories is lying. She has a ham radio license, night vision goggles and enjoys watching animals from her deck and she likes to metal detect. Debra is the co-author of THIS 'N THAT with Shirley Radcliff Bruton, published in September 2020. OODLES OF BLOG POST IDEAS... will be published in late 2020. She has three more books coming in 2021 - 2022, Meow Poetry 1 - 3 and a memoir in 2022. Debra coordinated and contributed to TALES FROM A ROCKY COAST, VOL. 1, AN ANTHOLOGY. She is the co-author of TEARS TO LAUGHTER: EMBRACING THE FUTURE WITHOUT FORGETTING THE PAST. She contributed to TALES FROM THE CORNER, AN ANTHOLOGY. Debra is an award-winning author, narrative poet who lives in San Luis Obispo, CA and enjoys working on her writing while her three black cats, that were hand raised, vie for her attention. Debra lives with her husband, German Shepherd and six cats. The cats give her never ending comic relief and ideas for poems and stories. Her thought provoking and whimsical poetry has been published in the SLO Tribune and Woman's Press. If you want to be bored, just keep reading. She is the current leader of the Friday Night Writers' Group. She is the Webmaster of fridaynightwritersgroup.com and several other websites. She is the past Webmaster of SLO NightWriters' website. She also has a few Facebook and YouTube sites. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with emphasis in Information Systems from California State University, Long Beach.

Founder of the Tongue Fu!® Training Institute, a conflict resolution / prevention consultancy hired by hundreds of companies, associations, government agencies, nonprofits and schools.

CEO of the Intrigue Agency, a branding, positioning, messaging company working with global executives, entrepreneurs and organizations to create intriguing offerings.

Executive Director and Emcee of the Maui Writers Conference, named “The Best Writers Conference in the world for 17 years by Writers Digest.

International speaker addressing more than 500,000 people in 12 countries including China, Germany, Greece, Canada, Mexico.

Hired by NASA, Richard Branson’s New Now Leaders, TED Fellows, and EO to train Executives and PM’s in media and public speaking.

Former Pitch Coach for Springboard Enterprises whose grads have generated $26 billion in funding/valuation.

3 TEDx talks with 500,000+ views. Her talk on INTRIGUE is often shown at staff meetings to help employees turn speeches into conversations.

Dianna Jackson's first book is about her family which starts in 1850 when her great great grandfather left Beloit to go to California during the gold rush. Her great grandfather and mother ended up living in Paso Robles, raising a family and farming on a 3,000 acre ranch known as the Dresser Ranch. Dianna has written over 400 blogs, is a graduate of San Jose State, participates in Anne Allen's writing group, dragon boats, golfs, enjoys cooking and has a husband, labradoodle and great kids.

My path to speech-language pathology was quite mysterious and it began in the fourth grade. I think many children experience something in their childhood, which eventually leads to their future work life. I never imagined that I would be working in Alaska. I practiced for 37 years, 31 of those years in Alaska.

Working in Alaska as a speech therapist was an amazing adventure. I never thought I would have such an exciting, adventurous, and historical career. Very few speech therapists had been out to the villages when I started working there. The law requiring speech therapists in schools had just passed the year before. It was so remarkable, I had to write it down.

I have retired to California and live with my husband, two dogs, and a cat. I have a lovely stepdaughter. For fun, I play and sing in an all-ukulele band and continue with the meditation practices I learned in Alaska.

Marianne Kennedy has authored and co authored screenplays, radio dramas, and literary and historical recordings. The movie, "Melinda's World" (www. melindasworld.com), based on several stories from Faces of Exile, was produced by DawnTreader Films in 2004. She also co authored and co-produced the award winning feature film, "So Love Returns" (www.solovereturns.com), based on a novel of the same name by Robert Nathan.

Janice Konstantinidis, joined SLO NightWriters in 2010 with the goal of developing her writing skills. Janice immigrated to the the USA from Australia in 2005. She lives on the Central Coast of California. She has been writing shorter pieces, prose, poetry most of her life. Janice is currently writing her memoir, which chronicles her time spent as a child laborer in a Magdalene Laundry in Australia. She published a book of ekphrastic poetry last October. The book is a collection of photographs of birds with accompanying limericks. Janice won four awards in the 2013 Lillian Dean Writer's Contest. First and second place in 'Creative Non Fiction Memoir', and second and third place in Poetry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Tasmania, a Bachelor of Letters in English Literature from The Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Canberra. She also practiced as a Gerontologist for many years. Janice is currently the Program Director of SLO NightWriters.

Some fifty years ago, my wife Ann Marie and I met the first of what would become a constant part of our lives for the ensuing decades … my parishioners. I cannot say who was the more astounded, they or me (not to mention family and friends), but the journey that began in the Nebraska Panhandle would continue in churches in California and the Upper Midwest, and an unexpected detour to Maui.

I am a Protestant Minister and have served both Congregational and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pastorates. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Riverside and two professional degrees, a Master of Divinity from Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Indiana, and a Doctor of Ministry from the School of Theology at Claremont, California.

The majority of my career has centered largely on the local church but I have enjoyed my involvement in the wider church as well, most notably a four-year term as Moderator of the International Congregational Fellowship that ended with a quadrennial meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

Of personal interest is exploring desert and wilderness spirituality and the intersection between religion and the arts. Since retiring and moving to the Central Coast of California, I have been a member of the Board of Directors of People of Faith for Justice, an interfaith voice for social and environmental justice and an advocate for Ecological Civilization in the San Luis Obispo area.

Ann and I are outdoor enthusiasts. The time on Maui revived my interest in surfing although these days the cold Pacific waters on the Central Coast have given way to kayaking on the quieter waters of a nearby lake. We have two children and two grandchildren.

Dr. Steven Mintz spent almost forty years of his life in academia. He has held positions as a chair in Accounting at San Francisco State University and Texas State University. He was the Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at Cal State University, San Bernardino. He recently retired as a professor emeritus from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo.

Dr. Mintz received his doctoral degree from The George Washington University. He has published dozens of articles on ethics and a textbook titled Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in Accounting: Text and Cases.

Dr. Mintz received the Accounting Exemplar Award from the Public Interest Section of the American Accounting Association in 2015, which evidences his lifetime of accomplishments in researching and teaching about ethics. He is most proud of this award because it reflects the role model dimension of his life’s work.

Transitioning from a life in academia to writing for a commercial audience, Dr. Mintz developed three blogs on ethics written under the name Ethics Sage. Each of his blogs have received an award as one of the best in its field. His Ethics Sage blog was designated as one of the top 100 blogs on philosophy. His Workplace Ethics Advice blog has been recognized as one of the top 30 in corporate social responsibility.

Dr. Mintz published his first book for a commercial audience in June 2019. Beyond Happiness and Meaning: Transforming Your Life Through Ethical Behavior explains how to make ethical decisions that bring happiness and greater meaning to life.

Beyond Happiness and Meaning offers the opportunity to practice making ethical decisions in the context of personal relationships, in the workplace and on social media. Acting ethically towards others helps to make a kinder world, one in which we transcend our own needs to enhance the well-being of others.

Beryl Reichenberg is an artist who in the past several years has also written and illustrated children’s stories. “Remembering when I was young, my grandfather told me stories in an old, rocking chair by the fireplace, I started writing for my own grandchildren.” Beryl now has produced over 35 titles, illustrated with her drawings and photographs. A traditional publisher, Oak Tree Press, published six of her books and she has self-published the rest. All of her stories are available on Amazon.com. For more information, visit her website: berylreichenberg.com. Beryl holds a Master’s Degree from UCLA and taught high school English and Social Studies in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. She now lives in San Luis Obispo, California. “I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy creating them.”

Teresa Rhyne is the pack leader of heart-felt, funny, original dog memoirs.

Her debut memoir The Dog Lived (and So Will I) was published by Sourcebooks in October of 2012 and reached #1 on the New York Times Non-fiction and E-book best-seller lists twice, #1 on the Wall Street Journal Non-fiction best-seller list, and #6 on USA Today’s Top 100 books in the USA. The Dog Lived (and So will I) has been translated into seven different languages (German, Turkish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian), was on the best-seller list for 9 consecutive months in Brazil, and is sold around the world.

Her second memoir, The Dogs Were Rescued (and So Was I) was released by Sourcebooks in October of 2014 to immediate acclaim. It won the Pat Santi Memorial Friends of Animals award from the Dog Writers Association of America. Oscar nominee Quinn Cummings, author of The Year of Learning Dangerously and Pet Sounds called The Dogs Were Rescued “…a love letter to our animals, to who they are and who they make us want to be. [Teresa] also reminds us of what her beagles always knew: love deeply, move forward, and never turn down a snack.”

Her latest memoir Poppy In The Wild: A Lost Dog, 1500 Acres of Wilderness, and the Dogged Determination to Bring Her Home was published by Pegasus Books on October 6th, 2020. It is currently available wherever books are sold.

When she is not writing best-selling dog memoirs, Teresa is a full-time estate planning attorney with offices in Paso Robles on California’s Central Coast and in Riverside in Southern California. A graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara and Loyola Law School, she is a dedicated vegan and an animal rights activist and dog rescuer.

Sara Roahen writes, edits, coaches, teaches, and otherwise dabbles in storytelling—for fun and for hire.

Her memoir, Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table, was the chosen reading for the One Book One New Orleans reading initiative in 2009, and it received the Louisiana Library Association’s Louisiana Literary Award in 2010. Sara co-edited and contributed writing to The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook. Her work has additionally appeared in Saveur, Bon Appetit, Tin House, Oxford American, and Garden & Gun magazines, and in/on a host of other magazines, newspapers, books, and websites.

Sara honed her listening, documenting, and backroad-driving while conducting extensive fieldwork for the Southern Foodways Alliance’s extraordinary oral history initiative.

She holds a copyediting certificate from UCSD and currently teaches life story writing in San Luis Obispo, California, through Cuesta College’s Emeritus program. Sara finds great joy in helping others express themselves; to that end, she offers private editing and manuscript coaching services.

Sara is currently working on two book projects: Memories on the Page: A Primer for Writing Your Life Stories, release date early 2024, and Memories on the Page: A Year of Tips and Prompts for Memoir and Life Story Writers, release date Fall 2024.

I have been writing poetry for over 30 years and fiction more recently. I published a short volume of poetry on Amazon in 2018, No One Told the Redwood. In December 2020 I published my first novel, The Search for Blue Sky.
Lover of grandchildren, animals, and travel. I love the Central Coast and Hawaii and love the creative and abstract!

Award winning ballet teacher and choreographer, Jimelle Suzanne began dancing at the age of seven and performed in her first ballet company at the age of twelve. At fourteen, she went on to join the Sacramento Ballet Company under the artistic direction of Dean and Barbara Crockett.

While in grammar school, she enjoyed story-telling and writing plays. She was the editor for the Roseville Union High School newspaper and wrote inspirational essays as librarian for Job’s Daughters, a Masonic based organization for young women.

As a young adult, she performed for the Los Angeles Regional Opera Ballet Company. Jimelle formed her own dance studio in Roseville, California and later she created the Golden West Theater Ballet Company. There, she was responsible for the artistic content including music selection, costume design, choreography and production.

After becoming a homemaker and mother, she developed her own psychic abilities. Her psychic knowledge was increased through the study of Edgar Casey’s work and books authored by Rudolph Steiner. During yoga meditations, Jimelle began having visions which led to the enhancement of her abilities.

In 1985, while living on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, she facilitated group meditations and mediumship classes. In 1994, she created and published a meditation tape, The Rainbow is You, which was distributed by New Leaf.

For the past twenty years, Jimelle has been a ballet instructor, choreographer and professional psychic while making her home in Apex, North Carolina. She volunteered at the 1994 Maui Writers Conference to gain insight into story development through lectures by well known authors, agents and publicists.

Jimelle Suzanne’s passion is to author the stories that come to her through her experiences and psychic abilities. She has written BLUE VISION, SILENT WHISPERS, and has begun work on the third book of the series.