Our Authors

My name is Christy Diane Farr and I am The Unruly Woman. It is my heart’s mission to help women change their lives. What’s “normal” feels too formal and doesn’t capture the most powerful parts of my story. Yes, I have a degree. Yes, I went to school to learn to be a life coach. Yes, I’m a published writer, I belong to relevant professional organizations, and I’ve collaborated with oodles of extraordinary women over the last seven years. And sure, these statistics are important but only in that they represent the experiences that carried me home to the truth of who I am. These are but a handful of the many pieces woven into the fabric of life and frankly, I prefer to collaborate with women who want to know about my unruly bits because that is what makes it possible for me to do this thing I do.

Claudia Sternbach is the author of two previous memoirs, Now Breathe, a very personal journey through breast cancer (Whiteaker Press) and Reading Lips, a memoir of kisses (Unbridled Books). Claudia was a newspaper columnist for many years and has been published often in The San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco Examiner, and The Chicago Tribune. She has also been published in several anthologies and is the former editor-in-chief of the literary journal, Memoir. When she isn't writing, Claudia paints. When she isn't writing or painting, she can be found on her daily walk on the beach. And at the end of the day she enjoys a cocktail on her back yard swing while watching the squirrels trapeze branch to branch in the redwoods. Claudia lives on the coast of Northern California with her husband, Michael.

Daniel is a non-binary, autistic author passionate about stories ranging from realistic coming-of-age romances to the fantastical to the bizarre. A resident of Long Island, New York, and a graduate of the University of Idaho, they're currently earning their MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. They're also far too obsessed with dragons. Luckily for everyone, their cat doesn't mind the competition so long as she gets fed.

Elisabeth Hegmann is a speculative fiction writer whose work has always been informed richly and powerfully by music. She grew up in a family of classically-trained dreamers and musicians, and, despite brave attempts otherwise, she has failed to understand anything about the box, let alone how to fit inside it. She has a B.A. in creative writing from IU and an MFA in fiction from NCSU. In addition to slipstream stories, novellas, and novels, Elisabeth writes librettos for musical stage works. Her work has been published in a variety of journals, produced on regional stages, and won several small awards. She lives in her hometown of North Vernon, Indiana, where she works diligently to be worthy of the love of a dog and teaches every imaginable kind of writing to tolerant college students. For information about her current projects, visit her website eahegmann.com.

Flavia was born and raised in Arena, a medieval hill town in Calabria, the ancient "instep" of the Italian Peninsula, and studied Classics and European Literature at the University of Naples. She wrote her first short story when she was 12, and ever since then, writing has been the most important thing she does. When she was 28, she came to live in San Francisco, where she learned English by watching children's television programs with her son Adam, then four years old. She loves English as much as she loves Italian, for different reasons but in the same measure. She writes in English and in Italian, she thinks in English and in Italian, and she dreams in English and in Italian. In 1984, she graduated Summa Cum Laude in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, where she also got her Master's Degree. The six years at SFSU were without a doubt the happiest of her life; she remembers those long hours spent in the library with books as a wonderful time spent with dear friends. From a student of Creative Writing at SFSU she went on to become a teacher of Creative Writing, a most rewarding job where she met many young people with a true gift for writing. She was the recipient of the Emily Dickinson Award sponsored by the Poetry Society of America. She has taught Italian at the Italian Institute of Language and Culture in San Francisco and in several other schools throughout the Bay Area. She has also worked for many years as a translator and consultant for the Italian Consulate General, specializing in Citizenship applications; another rewarding job where over her fourteen years she has helped hundreds of people of Italian descent reach their goal of reconnecting with the land of their ancestors. She lives in Pacifica, California, right at the edge of the ocean where the continent ends. She can be found at Flavia's Voice.

Gary Beck has worked as a theater director and an art dealer, when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. He has also been a tennis pro, a ditch digger, and a salvage diver. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced off-Broadway. His poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines, and his published books include 37 poetry collections, 14 novels, 4 short story collections, 1 collection of essays, and 7 books of plays.

Greg began his career as a writer at Time Inc. in New York and later worked as a TV reporter in Minneapolis, Boston, and on PBS. He estimates that he has done 15,000 interviews, with people from every imaginable occupation or situation. Greg’s professional honors include three Emmy nominations. Turning down an offer to anchor at CNN in New York, he founded Stone Communications, dedicated first to independent production and now to media consulting. Assignments have brought him all across the US, and to the UK, South Korea, Poland, and Albania. Greg has written two business books on inspired management: Branding with Personal Stories: The Villains, Victims, and Heroes Model and Artful Business: 50 Lessons from Creative Geniuses. He is also co-authoring a third book called Defining Hybrid Heroes: The Leadership Spectrum from Scoundrel to Saint, under contract at Anthem Press. Greg and his wife reside in Belmont, MA, just outside Boston. They have a daughter in medical school, a son who works in financial technology in New York, and a rescue dog who rarely barks.

Jeffrey Penn May has won several fiction awards, including one from Writer’s Digest. He has received a Pushcart nomination and was a Landmark Prize finalist. Jeff wrote and performed a story for Washington University Radio and was a consultant to a St. Louis theater company. Among other occupations, Jeff has been a waiter, hotel security officer, credit manager, deckhand, technical data engineer, and creative writing teacher. Jeff’s adventures include floating a home-built raft from St. Louis to Memphis, navigating a John boat to New Orleans, digging for Pre-Columbian artifacts, and climbing mountains from Alaska to South America. For more information about Jeff’s world and works, visit askwritefish.com.

John Kachuba is the award-winning author of twelve books of fiction and non-fiction. His most recent work, Shapeshifters: A History, was a finalist in the Horror Writers Association’s Bram Stoker Award. John holds M.A. degrees in Creative Writing from Antioch University Midwest and Ohio University. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, universities, and libraries, and on podcasts, radio, and television. You can find out more about John on his website, johnkachuba.com.

Jory Post was an educator, writer, and artist who lived in Santa Cruz, California. He and his wife, Karen Wallace, created handmade books and art together as JoKa Press. Jory was the co-founder and publisher of phren-z, an online literary quarterly, and founder of the Zoom Forward reading series. His first book of prose poetry, The Extra Year, was published in 2019, and was followed by a second, Of Two Minds, in 2020. His novel, Pious Rebel, also appeared in 2020. His work has been published in Catamaran Literary Reader, Chicago Quarterly Review, Rumble Fish Quarterly, The Sun, and elsewhere. His short stories “Sweet Jesus” and “Hunt and Gather” were nominated for the 2019 Pushcart Prize.

Karen Beatty’s early childhood was anchored in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. During the mid-1960s, she was a politically active university student and became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand. In addition to raising an amazing daughter, she achieved a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, trained in trauma-informed psychotherapy, and taught in the Counseling Department of John Jay College of the City University of New York. Karen has over 30 essay and short story publications in the United States and abroad. You can visit her website at karenbeattywriter.com.

Lauren Massuda wanted to be a writer ever since her grade school principal read her poem to the entire school. She was 12 at the time, and the memory sticks to her to this day. Lauren graduated from Goucher with a B.A in English and a Creative Writing concentration. She also participated in UCLA’s Professional TV Writing Program and turned one of her scripts into a 120-page screenplay. She hopes that one day, her script could be transferred to the silver screen, but she’s content with the fact that she can share her debut novel with the world.

As a sexual trauma survivor, Leah RS Braun is committed to helping others discover that recovery and joy and a fulfilling intimate life are fully possible when we ask for help, do the work, and practice new thoughts and behaviors. A life‐long guide at heart, Leah spent the first half of her career as a wellness professional, personal trainer, and yoga studio owner. She now coaches private clients and groups to find and do the work they love as #thework4joycoach. Leah lives in Minnesota with her family. She is available for speaking engagements, professional coaching, copy writing, and other collaborative projects.

Lisa Jacob has been writing since she could hold a pencil and draw a straight line. She wrote fan fiction before branching out into novels and short stories. In the early 2000’s, Lisa was a carny in a traveling circus for a summer, where she met her husband. Interested in magic(k), cards, and divination, she lives in Rhode Island with her son and three cats. Lisa is also the author of the "Grimaulkin" and "War Mage" fantasy series, as well as Real Magic for Writers. You can find out more about Lisa Jacob at her website, lajacob.com.

Marlene Anne Bumgarner was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. Following World War II she and her parents sailed to New York, then lived on a family-owned poultry farm in Zephyrhills, Florida and in a rural community in Victoria, Australia, before settling permanently in California. Marlene put herself through college working as a technical writer, then felt the draw of the land. In 1973, she moved to a piece of rural property with her husband and daughter. Following a decade teaching elementary and preschool children, Marlene taught Child and Adolescent Development for 30 years at a community college. Her first book, The Book of Whole Grains, grew out of a cultural history curriculum she developed for fourth grade. Organic Cooking for (not-so-organic) Mothers was inspired by letters written to her by readers of the "Naturally Speaking" newspaper column she wrote for the San Jose Mercury News. Working with School Age Children was written for the thousands of young people working in before- and after-school programs around the country, and is used as a textbook in many colleges and universities. In 2001, Marlene was awarded the Educator of the Year award by the Chamber of Commerce of Morgan Hill, California. Since retiring from full time teaching, she volunteers in the Young Writers Program at local schools, and writes a monthly blog addressing topics of interest to parents and grandparents. Find out more about Marlene’s family life, cooking, and gardening at marlenebumgarner.com.

Before settling into the writer’s life, Mary taught environmental education, English, and art for over twenty-five years in California public schools. She lives in a cottage on the Central California Coast with her husband — a retired NASA climate scientist — and their dog, koi, chickens, and gopher herd, where she spends her time practicing permaculture gardening, plein air painting, making pottery, bird watching, swimming, and enjoying life on the Monterey Bay … and, of course, writing. An early draft of Fruit of the Devil was a finalist for the Pen Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Fruit of the Devil is Mary’s first published novel.

Matthew Legare is what happens when you tell someone they can be anything they want to be — but provide no further guidance. A performer and creator of “stuff” since he was able to stand upright, he can check off the boxes for “actor”, “writer”, “director”, “renter of fishing boats”, “painter of bathrooms”, “wrangler of technology”, and a number of other jobs which look good in an author’s biography. Unable to stop making stuff up (he’s tried; we checked), Matthew is credited (or blamed) with a number of radio plays and spoken-word performances, as well as being “Tobias the Adequate” at fairs, festivals, and themed gatherings. Since so many people responded to “I’m a magician.” with “Oh? What instrument do you play?”, Mr. Legare has branched into geeky, nerdy, goofy music with his “Troubadork” show, streaming regularly and coming to the aforementioned gatherings. Matthew lives in an undisclosed location in San Antonio, Texas, with his extremely patient and supportive partner, Ami, and somewhere between zero and too many cats.

Michael Thal is a freelance writer and author in Los Angeles, California. Michael began his career in public education. Due to a severe hearing loss, he left his tenured sixth grade teaching assignment to learn the writing craft. Michael has written over 80 articles for magazines like Highlights for Children, Fun for Kidz, Writer’s Digest, and San Diego Family Magazine. His novels include Goodbye Tchaikovsky, The Legend of Koolura, Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback, Koolura and the Mayans, and The Abduction of Joshua Bloom. You can learn more Michael and his works at michaelthal.com.

Mike Sherer has been writing his entire life. His first published work was a record review column in his college paper. His novels include his paranormal/suspense novel, A Cold Dish (James Ward Kirk Fiction), horror novella, Under A Raging Moon (World Castle Publishing), paranormal mystery novel, Souls of Nod (Breaking Rules Publishing), and his middle grade novel, Shadytown (INtense Publications). The movie from his screenplay Hamal_18 is currently available on Amazon Prime. Mike Sherer lives in West Chester in the Greater Cincinnati area of southwest Ohio. You can learn more about his works and world on his website mikesherer.org.

Nancy Wood grew up in various locations on the East Coast and now calls Central California home. Recently retired, she spent 35 years as a technical writer, translating engineer-speak into words and sentences. She likens it to translating ancient Greek — when you’re not too familiar with the Greek part. Since retiring, she and her husband have been traveling the world. So far, they’ve visited France, Spain, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands, India, and Vietnam. They are not anywhere close to done and have many more trips planned. Nancy is also a passionate photographer, focusing on macro photography. She can be found at Nancy Wood Books.

Paola Bruni is a writer, wife, and doggie mom living on California’s Central Coast. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, winner of the Morton Marcus Poetry Prize, and winner of the Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Prize judged by Ellen Bass, as well as a finalist for the Mudfish Poetry Prize. Her poems have appeared in such prestigious journals as The Southern Review, Ploughshares, Five Points Journal, Rattle, Massachusetts Review, and Catamaran Literary Reader, among others. Her short plays have been produced by Actors Theater, Santa Cruz as well as short-listed for play festivals around the globe. You can learn more about the world and works of Paola Bruni at paolabruniwriter.com.

To bring new works of fiction and art to light. To give people a chance to realize their dreams.

Paul S. Moore was born in the Missouri Ozarks, raised in St. Louis, and eventually settled in the sand of central Florida. He calls each of these places home. His inner mix of hillbilly river rat, lowlands daydreamer, sand road hermit, and reader of nineteenth-century history writers form the base of a non-elite education. These roots allow imagination to turn historic events into serendipitous thoughts. Those thoughts organize into stories, and stories become novels. With the remedial help of a good critique group, and the birth of publishing companies that read a manuscript without asking first, "What are your credentials?", he's found a voice to share those stories. Paul is also the author of the "Stories in the Glass" series and "The Alchemist Daughter".

Paul Skenazy grew up in Chicago and studied at the University of Chicago and Stanford University. He taught literature and writing for thirty-five years at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His nonfiction works include a book on James M. Cain, a collection of essays on place in San Francisco literature, and a selection of interviews with Maxine Hong Kingston. He has published more than three hundred reviews of fiction and nonfiction for newspapers and magazines nationwide, and was twice nominated for the National Book Critics Circle award for reviewing. For a dozen years, he was a mystery review columnist for the Washington Post. His short novel, Temper CA (2019), won the Miami University Press Novella Contest. He revised and edited La Mollie and the King of Tears (1996), a posthumous novel by Arturo Islas, and his autobiographical piece on Chicago and Saul Bellow was a “Notable” essay in The Best American Essays, 2015. His stories and essays have recently appeared in Catamaran Literary Reader, Chicago Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. He lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife, the poet Farnaz Fatemi.

The child of Caldecott Award-winning children’s book authors, Rachel Zemach grew up surrounded by literature, art, and humor. After becoming Deaf suddenly at age ten, she attended a series of schools that had one thing in common—a lack of accessible education—until, four years later, she found herself at a school for the Deaf. Thus began a love for American Sign Language and the richly idiosyncratic, passionate, and innovative culture and community of the Deaf. While raising a family, after completing a degree in education, Zemach began teaching in the Deaf classroom of a local public school. Shocked at the deprivation she encountered there, she retired with a sense of urgency to write this book. She now lives with her husband in Northern California.

Steven Owad is an award-winning writer and editor living in Calgary, Canada. His novels have been praised in publications such as Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Kirkus Reviews, and his stage plays have been produced in theaters throughout North America. In his previous life as a newspaper editor, Steven lived in Thailand and Poland, where he begged journalists not to use “impact” as a verb. Before that, there was a degree in English, with a lot of thousand-page Victorian novels. These days shorter modern novels and plays are more his speed. Steven loves the outdoors when there’s no risk of frostbite. Learn more about Steven’s world and works at stevenowad.com.

Sylvia Patience has written three books for middle grade readers: Toto’s Tale and True Chronicle of Oz, the beloved Oz adventure retold from the point of view of Dorothy’s little dog, and The Double Crossing, the tale of thirteen-year-olds David and Hannah as they attempt to escape Nazi Germany, and The Weaver’s Daughter, which follows a young girl’s immigration journey from Mexico. The Weaver’s Daughter received a 2020 Moonbeam Children’s Book award. Several of Sylvia’s short fairy tales have won prizes in the international Hans Christian Andersen contest in Sestri Levante, Italy, including first prize for a foreign entry in 2022. Her poems have appeared in The Porter Gulch Review, Calyx Journal, and poetry anthologies. Sylvia is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Sylvia lived in Mexico for several years. She speaks fluent Spanish and volunteers with the Santa Cruz Welcoming Network which helps new immigrants in the community. She lives in Santa Cruz, California with her family and small dog, where she enjoys seeing the variety of birds found along the coast, in the wetlands, and the mountains. You can find out more about her world and works at her website, sylviapatience.com.

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray writes science fiction and fantasy exploring the challenges of communication and attachment in a diverse, complex universe. She’s the author of All That Was Asked, with a two-book sequel coming in early 2023. She’s a member of the Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy consortium, with “Coke Machine” and The Smugglers. Her short fiction has appeared with Dragon Gems and in the award-winning anthology Fault Zone: Reverse. She hosts regular online open mics for the California Writers Club and acts as a guest host for the podcast Small Publishing in a Big Universe. She is also an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). As an energy systems engineer, she has analyzed electric power systems, studied climate-safe technology, and written extensively on energy issues. The oddball robots she builds out of kids’ toys and stray parts do not seek to destroy humans — instead, they brew tea and play music. Vanessa lives in farm country, where fields of strawberries and artichokes hold the developers at bay. When not arguing with her cats, she works on new stories, her email journal Messages from the Oort Cloud, and her website, Cometary Tales. Find all her connections at https://linktr.ee/Vanessa_MacLarenWray.

Wallace Baine began his career in daily journalism in October 1989. By the end of his first day’s overtime shift, he had contributed to the front-page story of the Gilroy Dispatch on the largest earthquake to strike Northern California in generations, trumpeted on the newspaper’s headline as “7.0 MONSTER”. Wallace then worked for the Santa Cruz Sentinel for many years as a columnist, critic, and editor, winning awards locally and nationally for his writing. He has also served as a staff writer for the weekly Good Times and is now the City Life Correspondent for the news site Lookout Santa Cruz. Wallace is the author of A Light in the Midst of Darkness, a cultural history of the independent bookseller Bookshop Santa Cruz. He is also the author of the novel Rhymes with Vain: Belabored Humor and Attempted Profundity, and the story collection, The Last Temptation of Lincoln. His work has been syndicated in newspapers nationwide, and his fiction has appeared in the Catamaran Literary Reader and the Chicago Quarterly Review. His play, “Oscar’s Wallpaper”, was adapted from one of the stories in The Last Temptation of Lincoln. His fiction was also included in the anthology, Santa Cruz Noir.