California Writers Club, Mt Diablo Branch

Welcome to CWC Mt. Diablo Branch!

This page lists our members who have published material. Authors are listed in alphabetical order by surname.  Viewers will find links to members’ websites/blogs and latest publications.

*NOTICE* Profiles can now include an author bio, author photo, and more book covers. If you are a current member and want to update your profile, or if you are a new member (Active status) or newly published author, click below to submit your information. We’ll add you to the list!

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OUR AUTHORS

Ellen Aubry

Ellen Aubry is the author of “Rough Water” California Writers’ Club Literary Review Magazine, “A Suitable Place” and “Hardship Duty” in the anthology Beyond the Window, and “My Soul’s Gone Away”, RumbleFish Press.com’s story of the day on November 18, 2017. Her story “Hardship Duty” won honorable mention. She has a new story “Loud and Clear” coming out in the California Writers’ Club Tri-Valley Branch 2018 Anthology in December of 2018.
Ellen is an MA Candidate at the University of Denver in their Professional Creative Writing Program with an emphasis on fiction writing.

Michael BanisterMichael Banister Author

 

Barbara Bentley

 

Susan Berman

 

JDBlair authorJ. D. (Jerry) Blair

Jerry “J.D.” Blair was born and raised in Taft, California in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. He graduated from Taft Junior College and attended San Jose State with majors in drama and communications.
His earliest writing efforts were focused on commercial and news copy for his first job as a radio disk jockey. After a stint in the service he began a 30 year career in journalism and television production as a Writer/Producer for NBC in San Francisco and later with the PBS outlet in Sacramento. He was nominated twice for Emmy Awards in writing and producing documentaries and in 1998 was a awarded a Chris Award at the Columbus Film and Video Festival and was recipient of a Telly Award in 1999 for writing and producing the statewide program “California Heartland”. He was granted a Knight Journalism Fellowship at UC Berkeley for media coverage of urban development.
Since leaving television his focus has been on writing one-act plays, short fiction, essays and poetry. His stories and poetry are targeted at literary magazines and competitions. His work has appeared in Writers’ Journal, Third Wednesday, Carve Magazine, Pearl, California Quarterly, Conium Review and Commonline Journal. His prose and poetry won or placed in competitions with Writer Advice, Orchid Literary Review, Fog City Review and Writers’ Journal. His one-act play “Vincent” was produced as a staged reading with the Ross Valley Players of Marin County California in May 2009. He has published three eBooks and was presented with awards for excellence in writing at the 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference. Blair says his goal is to shoot for the moon and place a story or poem in The New Yorker.
Jerry names Raymond Carver, Ethan Canin and Woody Allen as three writers who have inspired him in navigating the tricky waters of short fiction.

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  • Janus: Private Eyes, BookBaby, 2016
  • Latest Award (2010): Be My Carlotta, Honorable Mention, Short Story Contest, Carpe Articulum Literary Review

 

 

Virginia Burns authorVirginia Burns

Virginia Burns has been a professional writer since 1970. She got her start writing articles for the monthly magazine, California’s Health, published by the California Department of Public Health in Berkeley. She was editor of the health department’s employee newsletter until 1974, when she went back to San Francisco State University to complete her bachelor’s degree in creative writing in 1976. Her poems have been published in numerous literary magazines. In 1982, she won first prize in the Hawaii International Film Festival script writing contest for a script entitled “The Last Voyage of Captain Cook.” She founded an organization called the Hawaii Scriptwriters’ Association, hosting monthly workshops and meetings with guest speakers from Hawaii, Asia, and the mainland U.S. From 1986 to 1993, she was writer/editor/photographer of a quarterly magazine and a monthly employee newsletter for Hawaiian Electric Industries, winning numerous awards from the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators. In 1993, she joined the U.S. Foreign Service, working overseas in such far-flung places as Yemen, Burma, Jordan, Turkey, and Hong Kong. She retired in 2013 and began writing a romantic historical novel about her grandparents called Bessie Lane. 

Fran Cain

  • Founding member of Writers on the Journey critique group
  • What to Know Before You Store Patient Credit Card Numbers, Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News, Issue No. 1, 2013
  • WiFi: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly (Southern California Physician, January 2012)

Nannette Rundle Carroll

 

Nanette Cooper-McGuinnessSLM4GS 16

 

George CramerGeorge Cramer

George Cramer began his investigative career in local law enforcement. He has over forty year’s investigative experience and is certified as Professional Certified Investigator (PCI), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Professional Investigator (CPI), and Certified Fraud Specialist (CFS). He is a licensed Private Investigator in California and Arizona.
He left the corporate environment as head of Global Investigations, Safety & Security for the Palm, Inc. Division of Hewlett-Packard. He has specialized in Standards of Business Conduct; undercover operations; insurance and corporate fraud; crimes against business; and the protection of intellectual property.
George has conducted thousands of successful investigations throughout the Americas and Asia. He is recognized as an expert in the area of Interviewing and Interrogation. He has presented numerous seminars on that subject including ASIS International and High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA) international conferences.
George has been published in numerous online and printed anthologies. He was the editor-in-chief for Impressions, the Las Positas College 2015 anthology. He is currently working on two writing projects: a mystery novel spanning four decades and a memoir.
George has lived in Dublin, California with his wife Cathy for thirty years. They have three adult children.

Maya Mitra DasMaya Das

Maya Mitra Das is a physician, poet, and performer of the Indian classical dance Bharatnatyam. Her poetry has appeared in Tuesday’s Poetry, edited by Jerry Ball, two narrative poems have been anthologized in What’s in a Name, edited by Elaine Starkman, and she has also authored several scientific publications. Her fiction has appeared in Tremors: Short Fiction by California Writers and in her full-length collection of short stories, Silhouettes of Time.

Rhythms Primeval coverSilhouettes of Time

 

 

Melanie DenmanVisiting_the_Sins

 

Marlene Dotterer

Marlene Dotterer has an itchy soul. That sounds like a good character trait for a fantasy/adventure book, but in real life it just means she’s always starting a new project, usually before the previous project is finished.
This may be why her four books are written in three genres. Or why she earned a degree in geology, then worked in nuclear waste before starting a business as a personal chef, and then taught natural childbirth classes.
There’s just always something else to do. This may or may not be the reason Marlene volunteered to take over duties as Mt. Diablo Branch membership chair and eventually, president.
Marlene joined CWC in 2009, when she had just finished her first novel – a time travel/historical fiction account of Thomas Andrews, the builder of the Titanic. As of this week, Marlene writes science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance, with four books available online at all major retailers. She is still working on novels 5 – 8, but has no immediate plans to add a new genre to her repertoire. She keeps the option open though, just in case.
Marlene lives in Pleasant Hill with her husband, who has recently retired. This means they spend lots of time traveling up and down the west coast and points inland, to visit their six children, eleven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Her motto is, “If one door closes and another one doesn’t open, break a window.”

Contact info and Books

Website 
Worlds Apart, Time Travel Journals (2-part series), Moon Over Donamorgh

Latest Award (2014):  Big Al’s Books & Pals Reader’s Choice Nominee for The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder

      

Patricia EvansPatricia Evans author

Internationally recognized, Interpersonal Communications Specialist, Patricia Evans, is the bestselling author of five books, including The Verbally Abusive Relationship, Verbal Abuse Survivors Speak Out, Controlling People, The Verbally Abusive Man: Can He Change? and Victory Over Verbal Abuse. She has single-handedly brought the subject of verbal abuse to the forefront of American consciousness. Newsweek commended her first powerful book on the subject as “A groundbreaking new book.” Evans has spoken on the devastating effect of this secret form of control on more than two hundred radio programs, and seventeen national television shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show. She has consulted to thousands of people and presented in talks and workshops throughout the US, Canada, Madrid and in five cities in Australia. Patricia lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and can be reached via her website at www.VerbalAbuse.com

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Linda Forcelinda-force

  • The Influence of Causal Attribution on Work Exhaustion and Turnover Intention of Traditional Discipline Engineers in the United States (2008)

 

 

Lynn FultonLynn Fulton author

Lynn Fulton is the author of She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein, illustrated by Felicita Sala. This children’s picture book, published by Alfred A. Knopf, is based on Mary Shelley’s own account of how the idea for Frankenstein came to her in a “waking dream” one stormy night in 1816.
Lynn is a California native who grew up loving books and wanting to write them, but never actually finished anything until she learned to type. Her keyboard skills led to one PhD dissertation and three novels for adults. She has worked as a college instructor, insurance investigator, seventh-grade English teacher, and writing tutor.
Lynn lives in Martinez with her husband and son, and enjoys painting and drawing as well as writing.She Made a Monster

 

Alla Gakuba

Alla P. Gakuba, BSCE, MAS, PhD, is a published author, engineer, and innovator.

 Alla was born in the former Soviet Union. Fate propelled her to work in 4 countries: the Soviet Union, Rwanda, Tanzania, and the United States; in 3 languages: Russian, French, and English; and under 2 radical systems: socialism and capitalism.
She received her BSCE from Odessa Civil Engineering University in the Soviet Union; she earned her master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; and she received her PhD from George Washington University, Washington, DC.

Some of Alla’s contributions to engineering, health care, and women:
* She designed alone, one person, a 10-span bridge with 4 ramps, I-95, in downtown Baltimore, over the Patapsco River.
* She found the solution, and then designed 3.5 miles of the Baltimore subway aerial structure which is considered to be the most challenging engineering design.
* She was the 1st woman to receive a PhD in the Management of Science, Technology, and Innovations field.
* Her dissertation is considered to be in the top 5% among 250-300 dissertations written in the last 15 years.
* In health care, Alla P. Gakuba created several innovations. One of her innovations sparked an entirely new industry. It created hundreds of thousands of new jobs. As it grew, it started bringing millions, and then $120-$140 billions, of dollars yearly in new revenue to many companies.

  • Find Alla’s 3 nonfiction books and 60 nonfiction short stories on Amazon.

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David George

  • Blog: Writers on the Journey (Cheryl Spanos, David George, Jack Russ, Jill Hedgecock, Susan Berman), Musings on Creative Writing and the Path to Publication
  • Latest award (2009): Frog Song, Short Story, First Place, San Francisco & Peninsula Branch, California Writers Club contest

Aurelia GincauskasAurelia Author

Aurelia Gincauskas was born in Kempten, a war torn German town. She emigrated, as a child with her Lithuanian parents, to East Chicago, Indiana. There she was raised between two cultures–American and Lithuanian.
She received her bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois where she met her future husband. Four years later she earned a medical doctor’s degree from Indiana School of Medicine, Indianapolis. Later she became board certified in Family Medicine. After living for many years in Urbana, Illinois and Orange County, California, she and her husband eventually settled in Walnut Creek for the past 25 years where she continued her medical profession.
She has been an active competitor in tennis and an avid mountain hiker not only in California but also in mountainous places in Europe.
After her retirement three years ago, she has turned her attention to writing. Since many images of her childhood in Germany and memories of stories narrated by her mother about the WWII tragic experiences kept surfacing, she decided to place all those fragments of memories together like a puzzle, before they faded away. From those fragments a picture emerged and a memoir was written.
“The Scattered Autumn Leaves” was published last year (2017). She is now writing a fiction romance book. The story will touch important issues that face our veterans today as they continue to suffer consequences of war and PTSD.The Scattered Autumn Leaves

 

 

 

 

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J. Gary Gwilliamgetting_a_winning_verdict

 

 

 

Jill Hedgecock

  • Website
  • Between Shadow’s Eyes: A Suspense Novel, Goshawk Press, 2019
  • Rhino in the Room, Goshawk Press, 2018
  • YA Short Story: One Year and a Day, appeared in the anthology What Doesn’t Kill You, 2018
  • Essay: Rhino-cide, appeared in the anthology Africa vs. Asia, 2018
  • Short Story, The Plot in Question, CWC Literary Review, 2017
  • Personal Essay, Round, CWC Literary Review, 2016
  • Short Story Broken, appeared in the anthology: West Winds Centennial, California Writers Club, 2010
  • Bookends monthly book review (Diablo Gazette): 2016-present
  • Book review columnist for Books ‘N Pieces Magazine, 2018 – present
  • Latest award: 2019 Medalist Winner for Travel/Adventures Abroad – New Apple Literary Indie Book Award for Rhino in the Room
  • Lost Cause, Second Place, Short Story Contest, CWC Inland Empire Branch, 2010
  • Story Pitches Award: Rhino in the Room—logline selected out of 200 submissions to be promoted as BEST NOVEL for August 2019
  • CWC Distinguished Service Award, 2018
  • CWC Distinguished Service Award, 2014

 

Neva Hodges

Phyllis HousemanPhyllis Houseman author

Curiosity and an admiration of Renaissance goals, has helped guide Phyllis Houseman through life.
It may explain why she has been a student of the sciences, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, a High School teacher, a team manager of a software security firm, and a writer who has published award-winning romance books.
Phyllis was born in Detroit, MI. She earned a B.S. in Biology and Physical Sciences at the University of Michigan, and following two years in Ecuador, completed a Master’s in Science Education at Wayne State University.
She then married Jack (whom she met when they were both eight), had a daughter and son, and taught for many years in Detroit and California.
After adding a concentration in Computer Science to her resume, Phyllis went to work in the computer industry.
Rounding out her desire to live up to Renaissance ideals, she has also written several contemporary novels.

Callback to our YesterdayThe Verdict is LoveThese is a Season

 

 

 

 Judith Ingram

DevotionalWalkForgivenessIntotheMist 500x750Judith Ingram weaves together her love of romance and her training as a counselor to create stories and characters for her novels. Her time-travel trilogy, Moonseed, which is set in old San Francisco and rural Sonoma County, won the Persie award for best fiction at the William Saroyan Writers Conference in Fresno, CA. Judith has also published a Christian nonfiction book, A Devotional Walk with Forgiveness, which gives her  a platform for speaking and leading classes in the art and skill of healing interpersonal wounds.

Judith and her husband enjoy life in the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more about her, or to sign up for her weekly blog on forgiveness, please visit her website at www.judithingram.com.

Denise Kalm51LkbGB+M3L._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_career_savvy

Ken KerkhoffPaper Boat Cover

 

 

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Dennis KollerDennis Koller Author

After many years as a senior level marketing administrator at California colleges and universities, Dennis Koller began his career as a full-time writer in 2013. He published his mystery-thriller “Kissed By The Snow” in the fall of 2014. In May of 2016, his political mystery-thriller, “The Oath”, was released in hard-copy. “The Oath” was honored to win the prestigious 2016 BAIPA Book Award for Fiction and the 2017 Military Writers Society of America silver medal for Mystery/Thriller. Koller’s newest political mystery-thriller, “The Custer Conspiracy”, was published in October of 2016. In January of 2017, it received the great honor of being reviewed by Publishers Weekly.
Mr. Koller holds an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and a graduate degree in Business Administration, both from Saint Mary’s College of California. He is published by Pen Books and lives in Pleasant Hill.The Custer ConspiracyThe OathKissed by the Snow

 

 

Joanna Krausnight_tamales_roses

 

Chloe Laube41AbmvAvjNL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_

 

Lani Longshoredeath_by_chenille

 

 

Judith MarshallHusbands Larger 300 dpi. jpg

 

William Martin authorWilliam Martin

William Martin is currently enrolled at the Pacific School of Religion to obtain a double masters in divinity and social justice. He published his second book in May 2019, Dance of the Animal Spirit through History, a memoir about feeling alive. He has three other books in various stages of draft.Dance of the Animal Spirit book cover

 

 

 

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Lenore McKnightEating Disorders book cover

 

Camille Minichino

madness_in_miniaturequotient_of_murder

 

 

Susan Pace-KochSusan Pace-Koch author

Susan Pace-Koch was born in Alaska, raised in Washington and now resides in California. A trip to the Grand Canyon gave her an idea that she ‘couldn’t get out of her head’; creating marvelous, wonderful children’s books.
Get Out Books creates delightful books that take children outside of their normal realm, and into their imaginations. Books published by Get Out Books are enjoyed by the parents and grandparents as much as the kids, thanks to Susan’s careful selections of the just the right artist for each book.The Lamp ThievesThe Mermaid and the MoonThe Four Bears

 

 

Jeffrey Mark PaullJeffrey Mark Paull

Dr. Jeffrey Mark Paull was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He earned his BS in Chemistry and Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Pittsburgh, and his MPH and Doctorate of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Paull’s career as an environmental toxicologist and scientific expert in the field of occupational and environmental health spans over thirty years (1976 – 2008).
Since that time, Dr. Paull has devoted himself to his passion for Jewish genealogical research and writing. His first book, entitled: “A Noble Heritage: The History and Legacy of the Polonsky and Paull Family in America,” traces his family’s ancestry over a millennium of history, and discovers their lost rabbinical heritage tracing back to Rashi (1040–1105). His book was recently featured on the PBS website, “Finding your Roots, with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.”
Dr. Paull is very active in the field of genetic genealogy, and has published numerous pioneering autosomal and Y-DNA studies in which he has identified the unique genetic signature of some of Eastern Europe’s most renowned tzaddiks, rabbinical lineages, and dynasties.
In addition to his Jewish genealogical research studies, Dr. Paull is conducting pioneering Y-DNA research studies of America’s Founding Fathers. The first of these published Y-DNA studies focuses on the descendants of John Hart, the thirteenth signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Dr. Paull’s many genealogy-related book chapters, research articles, and publications have surpassed 20,000 views, placing him in the top one percent of all researchers on Academia.edu.

Lee PaulsonRolys_Relicplague_of_scoundrels

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 John Schembra

John Schembra spent a year with the 557th Military Police Company at Long Binh, South Vietnam in 1970. His time as a combat M.P. provided the basis of his first book, M.P., A Novel of Vietnam. Upon completing his military service, John joined the Pleasant Hill Police Department, where he retired in 2001 as a Sergeant. He then joined the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Dept as the Lead EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course) instructor.

In addition to M.P., John has had several articles published in law enforcement periodicals, including, Law and Order, Police Officer’s Quarterly, and The Backup. He is also a contributing author in True Blue – Police Stories by Those Who Have Lived Them, a collection of short stories released by St. Martin’s Press. His second novel, Retribution, a fictional story of the hunt for a serial killer in San Francisco, published in the spring of 2007, was awarded the Silver Medal for writing excellence by the Military Writer’s Society of America. His third novel, Diplomatic Immunity, the story of a deadly sniper killing foreign consuls in San Francisco, was published in 2012. The three books are part of the Vince Torelli series. 

John’s fourth book, Sin Eater, a paranormal thriller, is now available in both electronic and print. His fifth book, Blood Debt, the fourth in the Vince Torelli should be released soon. John is currently writing his sixth book, Echoes of Lies and resides in Concord with his wife of 46 years, Charlene. 

MPRetributionSin Eater

 

Pearl Atkins Schwartzbox_camera_chronicles

 

 

 

John G. (Jack) Sharp 

John G. (Jack) Sharp is a graduate of San Francisco State University, MA History. Jack writes frequently on military, labor, and racial history for a variety of different organizations and periodicals. His Diary of Michael Shiner 1813 -1869 is widely utilized and featured on the Library of Congress web page https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-war-in-america/biographies/michael-shiner.html. He has taught history, political science, and served as consultant to private and governmental organizations. His most recent article was written for Department of Navy to commemorate the 204th anniversary of the Battle of Bladensburg fought 24 August 1814. The article highlights the largely unknown participation of young sailors 12-18 and enslaved and free African Americans in the battle. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/r/register-patients-naval-hospital-washington-dc-1814.html

 

 

 

 

Aline Soules

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Cheryl Spanos

  • Website: Writers on the Journey
  • “Counting,” short story, Beyond Centauri, October 2010
  • “Bones in the Cellar,” short story, Hunger Mountain, Spring 2010
  • Latest award (2008): Tougher than Dragon Hide, Children’s Fiction (Middle Grade Novel); Runner-Up, San Francisco Writers Conference Contest; Two Honorable Mentions, 77th Annual Writers Digest Writing Competition for Bones in the Cellar, and Pote Tha Fthasoume? (Are We There Yet?), both in the mainstream/literary short story category

 

Bill Stong

 Christine Sunderland

Christine Sunderland has written six award-winning novels set in Europe, Hawaii, and California. Her stories that draw from the past but take place in the present, dealing with themes of love, suffering, faith, family, and freedom. 

 

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Cathy Turney

Cathy Turney is the author of Get 10,000+ Twitter Followers—Easily, Quickly, Ethically, available on Amazon. Her humorous tell-all about the real estate sales industry, Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success, won the American Business Association Stevie Award for Best Business Book of the Year in 2015. She is a contributor to Huffington Post.

 

Cheryl Vaught

 

 

Jerry Vaught

 

 

Sarah Wilsonlove_and_kisses

 

 

Frances Bries Wojnareliza_an_iowa_pioneermagdalenas_conflict

 

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