National Award Winning Author – ​Speaker
Brain Injury Awareness Advocate
M. A. Appleby is an artist, avid reader, and retired Certified Landscape Designer. She is a mystery buff who enjoys traveling and lives in Southwest Florida with her husband and son. The concept for her books came from a journal written the day her son suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury). This tragedy threw their family into turmoil as they tried to understand what lay ahead for them.

As a caregiver, it is important not to lose your ‘sense of self’ and that’s where writing became cathartic for her. She thought they would wake up from the nightmare and their lives would go back to ‘normal’, but that didn’t happen. That ‘recovery’ journal was the impetus Ms. Appleby needed to write The Ancient Whisper, Whispered Dreams, and Journey of a Thousand Steps that comprise A Whisper of a Mystery Trilogy. Each chapter starts with an inspirational saying, uplifting quote, or a prayer sent or given to her throughout the recovery phase of her son’s ordeal.

After the third book in the series was published, Ms. Appleby realized she finally had closure. She was then able to write her son’s story, RAISING DAVID AGAIN. As a brain injury advocate, she now lectures to support and caregiver groups where they share their stories of encouragement and hope as they move forward in this ever-changing and ever-evolving situation.

Marjorie’s books.

DL Havlin is an eclectic author whose novels, novellas, and short stories mirror his rich, varied background. He has packed three lifetimes of experiences into one brim full existence. He believes, “The one big advantage writing at an advanced age provides is that life is what you know and not what you project it might be.” An avid lover of the outdoors and sports enthusiast, his passion for fishing, hunting and camping are frequently included in his writing. A deep love for nature and especially wild Florida often furnish settings for his work, but his travels make places such as Kiev, Singapore, London, New York, Modena, or Saxonhausen backgrounds for his stories as well . His unique combination of a vivid imagination and his ability to weave intricate plot lines, seasoned by his life-time exposure to fascinating story possibilities and his knowledge of human nature, provides the heart-felt, enjoyable reading his novels provide. He answers, “Why do you write?” by saying, “To entertain—that’s first, but to provoke thought is a close second. I firmly believe both are done through the heart, for the mind is seldom opened until it is emotionally conditioned to respond.” Come by and see me at www.dlhavlin.com and SandySays1.wordpress.com

DL Havlin’s Books