Ken Hyde

Joni Marie Iraci

In the 1970s, Joni Iraci worked as a staff and charge R.N. in a northern New Jersey hospital, before moving to New York City where she worked as a night nurse on the breast and bone oncology unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She subsequently made a life changing career move when she accepted an offer to work as a staff nurse on the EENT (eye, ear, nose, throat) and plastic surgery unit at Lenox Hill Hospital. It was there that she met her husband, who was a surgical intern at that time. They married and relocated to Pittsburgh for one year for a critical care fellowship. Returning to New York, Joni helped her husband with his surgical practice and raised three children. Once the nest was semi-empty, Joni returned to school to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. In 2013, she earned a BA in liberal studies with a concentration in writing and literature from Sarah Lawrence College; in 2017, she earned an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. She is a fiction writer. After publishing several short stories in literary journals, her debut novel, "Reinventing Jenna Rose," was published in May 2019. It has received favorable reviews. It recently won The Firebird Book Award. It took first place for women’s issues and coming of age and second place for new adult fiction and legal thriller. It was re-issued as a second edition in November 2023. She has spoken publicly on many occasions, discussing her journey as an adult returning to school and the trials and tribulations of publishing in your later years. She was invited to talk at Shakespeare and Company and The Strand bookstore in New York City. Along with Hollywood Historian and author, Tom Santopietro, she gave an in-conversation talk which can be found on youtube.com. She is a retired R.N. who has completed the novella, Unsolicited, and her second novel, "Vatican Daughter" is in production with Collective Ink Publishing Co. It will launch on May 1 and is available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble; she’s completed a third novel, "The Women of the 13th Rione," like Vatican Daughter is set in Italy, Iraci’s home away from home. She is currently working on a fourth novel. In 2021, she was interviewed by Pat Rullo on the podcast, Speak Up Talk Radio and on February 7, 2024, on centralvalleytalk.com/BriggsonBooks (available on YouTube.com Joni Marie Iraci welcomes emails from readers and is available for speaking engagements about her work or the joys and angst of returning to college in one’s older years. She is a freelance writing tutor available to assist college and grad school-bound students with research, essay writing, and college applications.. She is a member of the National League of American Pen Women and an active elite member of the Author’s Guild. Joni is delighted to hear from readers.

Martha Jeffers

Gina Jones

Victor Scott Kingdon

Kathy Klagg

David Kratzke

David Kratzke has spent more than 25 years working in the journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising and publishing arenas. Throughout his diverse career, he has written stories to engage a wide range of audiences and has crafted award-winning campaigns to sell numerous products and services. He is the author of the book – It’s okay to not eat you peas. And he is the owner and creative director of Big Kat Kreative, a publishing, digital marketing and advertising company. His work as a sportswriter and editor has been published by the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, the Cecil Whig and the Fort Myers News-Press. While working at a national non-profit association, he was editor-in-chief and the driving force behind developing a quarterly trade magazine for the kitchen and bath industry. Throughout his career in advertising, his words and strategies have steered the creative vision for countless advertising campaigns. He has advised a multitude of companies primarily in the industrial, construction, education, financial, insurance, medical device and transportation industries on how to boost their brand identity. A native of Buffalo, N.Y., he now resides in Florida.

Shoni Landis

Hi, my name is shoni landis I live on a farm in Michigan but split my time there with time in Fort Myers Beach. A deep connection to animals coupled with an overactive imagination has led me to write about our everyday farm life with a twist. I create characters and storylines about my pets and livestock. I began sharing some of my stories on our farm Facebook page as a fun way for customers to get to know us, our animals, and way of life. Over the years, our animals have garnered quite a Facebook following and enjoy being local celebrities; they have a large fan base nationally. When one of our main characters, Officer Blu (the Great Dane) passed away, we received gifts and condolences from all over the United States; that was quite a neat experience!

Mary Beth Leopold

Mario Lew

Published short story: Nowhere to Hide in Meat for Tea: The Valley Review. Nominated for a pushcart prize in 2023 Published short story: ...And Blow Out the Candles in Meat for Tea: The Valley Review Published 6 flash fiction pieces for the South Florida Writers Association

Betsy A. Martin

Kate Matthews

I work full-time in the fields of orthopedic research and medical writing and am a co-author of nine peer-reviewed medical journal publications and four book chapters. I’ve ghostwritten several medical manuscripts (all published) and have substantively edited many more; I am a board-certified editor in the life sciences. Other published work includes a short story (WWII romantic fiction) in Grit and a travel article in German Life.

Tom Mayer

T. Milton Mayer Is an award winning author. He's a fromer Major in The United States Air Force and a retired Head & Neck Surgeon. He has written five works of fiction and one non-fiction book. He and his wife divide their time between Greater Cincinnati and Naples, Florida.

Patricia Mcanulty

I am a retired Airline Pilot of American Airlines. I write mainly science fiction and published a novel on Amazon called The Beginning. It can be found on Amazon by writing Pat McAnulty on the search line. I am currently combining a revised version of that manuscript with two others into one book. I am also working on a memoir about my flying career.

Robert McCarthy

Jeanne Meeks

Jeanne Meeks is an outdoors woman, an author, a late-bloomer, and a cheerleader for women who try. She was inspired to write when tragedy struck while backpacking across the Grand Canyon in 2007. Rim to Rim, was nominated for Best First Novel at Love is Murder, a Chicago writers convention. Four additional novels soon followed. In another lifetime, Jeanne and her husband, Bob, formed a security surveillance company. She was recognized as the Illinois Small-Business Person of the Year. She has been the township Tax Collector, President of the Chamber of Commerce, and on the boards of a local bank and a hospital. After twenty-eight years in business a British corporation bought the business, and Jeanne and Bob retired early. To escape Illinois weather, Jeanne winters in Florida. Days in Fort Myers are filled with tennis, golf, pickleball, book discussion and writing groups, and volunteering. Jeanne comes from a family of ten, has two sons, loves wildflowers, kayaking, camping, reading, and gardening, and occasionally has fits of baking. She adores her five grandchildren and two great-granddaughters but doesn’t see them often enough. Now Jeanne is Membership VP for Gulf Coast Writers Association, the golf league president, and is trying to hatch a novel for boys, ages 10-12. Life is an adventure. Check out her website at www.JeanneMeeks.com.