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

Carol Light

Carol Light is an avid reader and writer of mysteries. She loves creating amateur sleuths and complicating their normal lives with a crime that they must use their talents and wits to solve. She's the author of the Windy City and Southern Secrets mystery series released by Tule Publishing. Carol has traveled worldwide and lived in Australia for eight years, teaching high school English and learning to speak “Strine.” Florida is now her home. If she’s not at the beach or writing, you can find her tackling quilting in much the same way that she figures out her mysteries—piece by piece, clue by clue.

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

Pam McDonald

I am a former career elementary educator. I developed my passion working with children in my hometown of Chicago and continued that passion at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and through my Masters work at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. I have taught in a variety of school district throughout the midwest. I am now retired and split my time in Fort Myers, FL and the shores of Lake Marion in Lakeville, Minnesota. When I am not writing I enjoy spending time with my husband, my four daughters and their husbands and my twelve grandchildren.

Gary McLouth

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.

Laura Mercury

Laura Mercury grew up in Bay City, Michigan before attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. After graduation, Laura began a career in finance and has called many cities home, including Moscow, London, Frankfurt, New York, and Chicago. She speaks four languages. Today, Laura lives in southwest Florida, where she teaches high school math, plays tennis and pickleball, and is putting the finishing touches on her thriller, How to Murder Your Man's Mistress. Laura has one daughter; she studies applied math at Harvard University.

Deborah Merritt-Mathis

Graduate of Rutgers University MSW Worked for Office of Education NJ Mental Health Therapist Inspira Health Network Private Practice Mental Health LCSW Retired EMDR Trained Therapist Rutgers Certified First -Responder(Mental Health)

Beth Meyer