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.

Julie

As listed on the Author page of my book: Julie Moore has spent much of her adult life serving her country in the U.S. Army. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Julie and her husband now reside in Southwest Florida. She has two children, Kate and Adam, and two grandchildren. While serving in the military, Julie completed her master’s degree in Performance Improvement and received a certification as a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She retired with numerous meritorious awards, but her greatest reward was the many friendships she developed over the years. Julie discovered journaling when she left home at the age of 18. Missing her family and friends she left behind she found comfort in writing about her daily routines, adventures, as well as new loves and losses. She continued this practice throughout her career and leaned on it heavily during her time as a caregiver. This book is the result of those writings of her experiences caring for her oldest brother and mother. Although she would tell you that she doesn’t have any hobbies, she does enjoy time with her family, the occasional quiet time alone, listening to nature like birds and waterfalls, a sip of fine bourbon, and dancing. She loves to dance!

Michael Nelson

I'm retired twice, first from the Air Force and then as a college professor. I'm not sure yet if writing is a third career or just something I enjoy - as I used to tell my students, if you're not making money at it then it might just be a hobby. I write mostly science fiction but I've also written a few short stories that can be classified as fiction, mystery, and/or just downright ridiculous.

Alice Oldford

Paul Anthony Petruzzi

Paul Anthony grew up in mid-twentieth-century Brooklyn surrounded by the cultural influences of his grandparents, who had emigrated from Italy at the turn of the century. This cultural background provided the inspiration and perspective for many of his characters, poems, and stories. Recent publications include: Brooklyn 4, New York: Lyrical Voices (copr Paul Anthony Publishing, LLC, November 2024) is a collection of narrative poems based on the experiences of early twentieth-century emigrants who arrived in America with little more than hope. "The Shooting Gallery" from this collection received a Bronze Award (Genre: Poem, Unpublished) from the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards 2022. Sorrow: the legacy of cio-cio-san (copr Paul Anthony Publishing, LLC, July 2021) a lyric novella that chronicles the journey of Sorrow, son of Madama Butterfly and Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton, from the motherless toddler at the end of the opera through adulthood. "Sorrow" received a Gold Award (Genre: General Catch-All, Published) from the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards 2022. Minimum Wage: Brianna received Third Place (Genre: Poetry) from the Gulf Coast Writers Association Writing Contest 2022. “on the morrow” was published in “Storm Stories: Hurricane Ian.” (copr Gulf Coast Writers Association, September 2023) Paul Anthony earned a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in Literary Studies/Humanities from Drew University in Madison, NJ; and a Master of Arts (MA) in English Literature from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ.

Amy Pontius

Amy Pontius is a former educator residing in southwest Florida and summering in northern Vermont. She is the author of the children's book Molly the Mockingbird. Her work has been published in Kaleidoscope™ Reflections on Women’s Journeys: In My Shoes; Voices of Cleveland: A Bicentennial Anthology of Poems; and Bacopa Literary Review (TBA). Her writing has also been recognized and published online by Press 53, Florida Weekly, Gulf Coast Writers Association, and Kaleidoscope WoJo.

Malaina Purdon

Malaina Mote graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2015 with her bachelor’s degree in communications, concentration public relations. Since graduating, Malaina has held various roles within the nonprofit sector, including positions in community outreach, relationship building, education, program management, strategy, fundraising, and development. Currently, she is the Director of Development at Lee Health Foundation. She deeply believes in giving back to the community and inspiring others. In her spare time, she volunteers as a board member for the Florida Gulf Coast University Alumni Association and Our Mother’s Home, and she is vice chair of the City of Bonita Springs Outreach Committee. Recently, she concluded her term as a community board member of the Newspress-SWFL/Naples Daily News and a branch member of the Resilient Lee Housing Branch. She is a published author of a children’s book, Lavender, What Are You?, that sold copies in Italy, the UK, Canada, and the USA. She has been recognized by Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40 2021 and was awarded FGCU’s Soaring Eagle Award. When she is not busy in any of her positions, Malaina enjoys writing, doing anything creative, reading, spending time with her husband and watching her son make goals on the soccer field or plays on the football field.

Amie Raterman

Margaret Roche

Robin Slider

Brian Sluga

Brian Sluga is an award-winning writer, an author, a cancer survivor and a customer experience consultant. He has written two books and his poems have been honored and published in a variety of books and magazines. Brian has a background in public relations and change management, and these disciplines bring fresh perspectives to his writing, which has been influenced heavily by music and dreams. When he’s not daydreaming about his next book, poem or article, you can find Brian reading biographies, watching soccer, laughing at Progressive Insurance commercials, or listening to '80s music.

Irene Smith

Sheryl Stillman

I am the proud mom of two young adults and a Mini-Bernedoodle. I've lived in Southwest Florida since September 2022, hailing from Minneapolis, MN. By day, I am an Executive & Life Coach and consultant focusing on communications strategy and change management. At night, I write. I cover topics related to parenting, aging, self-care, healthcare, business, travel, and anything else that sparks my curiosity. I've been fortunate to be published at Insider, WIRED, and PBS's Next Avenue. I'm working on a memoir and a self-help book (in my head). I joined GCWA in spring 2024 and was elected to be part of the Executive Team as Vice President, Communications.

Lori Joan Swick

Lori Joan Swick writes novels about women whose contributions to religious history have been neglected and misrepresented. She also edits historical fiction, nonfiction, or academic/dissertation work in the humanities. Her published written works include the historical fiction novel, Comfort and Mirth (TCU Press, 2009), and a nonfiction book entitled Dreaming~ The Sacred Art (Skylight Paths Publishing, 2014). She is an award-winning poet and essayist. She is a Doctor of Philosophy in the Humanities with concentrations in religion and women’s studies. She instructs English, religion, and philosophy as a university professor, and resides in Southwest Florida.

Lori Joan Swick

Chris Underwood

I started seriously writing back in 2012 when my concerns of a power grid failure began to creep into my mind. My concerns festered into a storyline that continued to bug me until I got it on paper. I’ve heard that good writing is like sharing a good secret. It took five years of honing my craft to get the first book out, but it has been fun sharing this secret. I have always loved to write, even as a kid in elementary school. I still have my first book about a three-headed snake, complete with a Crayola cover stapled together. Several short stories were written in high school and college, but no attempts to be published. College courses in creative writing were taken at Ohio State, but again, another path was chosen. A business degree in Computer Science and Accounting was selected as a more promising road to success. My original career path was in accounting and included the CPA exam, of which I passed two of the four parts. However, I soon found that I was too creative to be an accountant, and I moved to computer programming. My rationale was that creative accountants usually ended up in prison. My computer consulting career has allowed me to be creative, but I have more passion for my artistic pursuits. During the housing boom leading up to 2008, I did a lot of woodworking and restoring antique furniture. The quiet times of working on the pieces were great; I enjoy my solitude. But the initial interaction with the customer to make the sale was a fun process as well. This is why I do so many book signings in person. I enjoy the conversations and the feedback I receive from these events. I am certainly not an introvert who wants to stay locked away in my writing laboratory weaving my tales! My other passion is sailing. I have worked on a sailing charter boat in Key West and taken some sailing classes to develop my skills. I have a sailboat in Ohio, and I spend more time aboard each season. A blue water sailboat in the Gulf of Mexico is my next goal, and it feels to be not far away. I pine for the day that writing and sailing consume my life, and hopefully I can take a few readers along in my stories!