Porch Guests

These wonderful folks have all joined me for a chat on my front porch swing. Yes, I’m from the South and proud of it. We get a lot done on the front porch. 🙂

Each guest here is an author, editor, agent or professional in the publishing industry, and we’re chatting about things that will help other writers along their journey.  Please stop by and visit my guests websites and support them by buying their books and sharing their information. We all need a little helping hand now and then, and I’d be pleased if I can pay it forward for these folks. A little knowledge is worth a pound of gold.

Here’s our view as we chat

Our View From The Porch

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Judy Snider

Judy’s interests are writing,laughing a lot, spending time with family, seeing movies with my girlfriends, traveling as she can, writing song lyrics with her husband, talking to other writers, and writing in a sunlit room with my two cats….

She also loves sitting on porches reading with a cup of coffee and a good rocking chair. She writes as it moves her, and in spurts. She has written since third grade, The Mystery of the Green Hand, starting her lifelong love of writing and books.

Her books and songs are on YouTube, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords.

Connect with Judy on through the following sites:

Her website www.judysnider.com

Amazon Author Page 

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Vicki Taylor

Hi, I’m Vicki M. Taylor.

I have been writing for about 30 years. I started my writing career as a Technical Writer and worked for private corporations writing computer user manuals, standards and procedures manuals, and other corporate communications. I challenged myself and my management skills by branching out into my own Technical Writing Consulting business which I ran successfully for several years until I closed my business to write fiction full time.

Since then, I’ve had twelve novels and/or novellas, along with numerous short stories, hundreds of articles published in both print and electronic format. You can read more about me and my books on my website.

I am a founding member of the Florida Writers Association, a previous member of the Romance Writers of America and EPIC. I’m a current member of the Association of Coaching and Consulting Professionals on the Web, The Indie Writer’s Network, The Blogger Connection, the Independent Author Network, and more.

I have a page on LinkedIn, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Klout, Triberr, and others.

My other blogs include:

My Balanced Life
Living Stone Faith

I am on Twitter @VMTwriter
I am on Twitter @YrWritingCoach
I am on Twitter @Writecovery
I am on Twitter @BipolarBLogs

You can contact me via e-mail at coach@vickimtaylor.com

I am a Christian by faith and infuse my love for God in all I do. Titus 2:7-8 “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

I am an honest person. I will not lie to you. I will give you honest and insightful feedback for all that you work towards.

I love writing and I love helping writers.

I hope we can chat soon about your writing goals. If you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m open to chatting with you. It’s all about seeing if we can work well together.

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Fran Orenstein

Fran Orenstein was born in New York. Growing up in Brooklyn and the Bronx, she experienced a fine education in the public schools and the varied culture of New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College, a master’s in counseling psychology from the College of New Jersey, and a doctorate in Child and in Youth Studies from Nova Southeastern University.

She thrives on reading 3-4 novels a week, which she considers an escape from the real world. Her favorites are detective stories, legal mysteries , horror and intrigue. She likes books written by women about women, but also loves heroes like Jack Reacher, Harry Bosch, and JP Beaumont. Among her favorite authors are Dean Koontz for the beauty of his poetic metaphors, and Janet Evanovich, whose amazing characters make her laugh.

Fran wrote her first poem at age 8, and submitted her first short story at age 12. After a brief spell as an early childhood teacher, and full-time mother, she was an editor/writer for three national career education magazines, and then spent 22 years working for New Jersey State Government in a variety of positions. These included rehabilitation counselor, manager of women’s programs including writing policy and legislation, developing programs in child care, gender equity, and creator of The NJ Coalition on Women and Disabilities. Prior to retirement, she served as Special Projects and Disability Officer for AmeriCorps. Fran has many years of experience writing and publishing academically and professionally. She has written, articles, newsletters, political speeches, brochures, and has presented at national and international conferences on gender equity and violence prevention.
She considers her children and grandchildren her finest legacy. Fran currently resides in the Tampa Bay Florida with her cats.

Her philosophy is three-fold:
1. There is a solution to every problem using creative and positive thinking.
2. Help others, either by a simple act of kindness, or a volunteer project. It will come back, even though it might not be obvious or immediate.
3. Life is an adventure, live it.

www.franorenstein.com

Ann Hite

Ann Hite’s debut novel, Ghost On Black Mountain, not only became a Townsend Prize Finalist but won Georgia Author of the Year in 2012. Her personal essays and short stories have been published in numerous national anthologies. The Storycatcher, her second Black Mountain novel, will be released by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster on September 10th. Lowcountry Spirit, an eBook novella, will be available from Pocket Star, also an imprint of Simon & Schuster, on August 13th. Ann is an admitted book junkie with a library of over a thousand books. She lives in Smyrna, Georgia with her husband and daughter, where she allows her Appalachian characters to dictate their stories.

Charlene Carlberg

Born in Illinois, Charlene Carlberg, the younger of two daughters from Reynold and Donna Carlberg-Eckstein. Her father was a carpenter by trade and later ran a marina in Florida. Her mother was a stay at home mom who was always by Charlene’s side. Full of life as a young girl, Charlene embraced the power of the moment and always searched for understanding of people and the world. Her career in education for twenty-two years gave her the opportunity to share her love of literature and writing to many students. As a mother of three she continues to explore the world and serves as an example of resilience and perseverance to her children. Charlene has utilized past abuse as a tool to honor her blessings and embrace her role as a source of optimism to everyone she encounters. Charlene’s poetry is expressions from her heart as she learns and grows in all areas of her life.

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Frank Allan Rogers

Writing is one of the great passions of my life, and I’ve been creating stories since I learned to talk. By age 15, I knew I had to write novels, but a few years went by before I got serious about it. Now I’m a full-time fiction writer on a mission. I want to create stories that matter, stories that sparkle with true-to-life characters whose dramatic lives leave a lasting impression on the readers.

My ambition is not to be a great writer, but a good storyteller, because readers deserve more than a story; they deserve a good story well told. So I was honored that Georgia Author of the Year Awards nominated Upon a Crazy Horse for Best First Novel.

I love to lose myself in the world of a novel, especially if I’m the one writing it. Maybe all of that proves I’m a bit crazy. But, in the words of a Waylon Jennings song, “I’ve always been crazy; it’s kept me from going insane.” Life is good.

http://www.frankallanrogers.net

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 Jenifer Ruff

Jenifer Ruff is the author of dark thrillers, Everett and Rothaker (Spring 2015) and two other YA books that she has yet to send out in search of a home.  She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Yale University and spent twenty years in health care administration, consulting, and being a full-time mother before discovering that she loves to write.

http://jenruff.com/

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Cynthia Ley

Cynthia received her Masters’ degree in History and Political Science from the University of Portland with a minor in music. She was a nationally certified college writing and reading tutor, and worked extensively with second language students. She is currently an editor for Solstice Publishing and loves it.  She is a longtime member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and teaches a number of medieval subjects, particularly those revolving around the arts. Her many interests include medieval culture, paranormal studies, folklore and legends, storytelling, music, and embroidery.

Elizabeth Seckman – Sittin’ On The Porch 11/29

Elizabeth is a wife, a mom, and a writer. She has four wonderful boys, one dusty house, and three published books to her credit. Feel free to check them out  HERE! Erm, the books, not the kids or the house…though all things in life are negotiable 😉

You can find her here – Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Website

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David K. Bryant

David started writing fiction after retiring from journalism and public relations. He supposes the books waited their turn during all the years he wrote articles, features, speeches and promotional material for other people. His career included running a district office for a daily newspaper, helping to introduce professional PR into the British police service and promoting a major parliamentary Bill for Margaret Thatcher’s government.

He lives in Somerset, one of the nicest counties in England, and am blessed with a wonderful family. David and his wife Stepanie have been married for forty years. They are proud of their two children Matthew and Melanie, grandson Henry, son-in-law Jamie and daughter-in-law Fleur.

www.davidkbryant.com

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Missy Turner

Missy Turner is a 27 year old wife, and mother of three. She loves all things wordy. She was born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia, but  now lives in Baltimore.

She am a Nurses Aid by day, but creator of magnificent dream lands by night. When she’s not ‘Momming’, she draws, knits, writes or reads.

Susanne Matthews

Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Eastern Ontario, Canada. She’s an avid reader of all types of books, especially those with a happily ever after. In her imagination, she’s travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Follow Susanne on her:  Website    Blog    Facebook page    Twitter @jandsmatt

Amazon author page    and    Goodreads author page

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Margaret Milmore

Margaret A. Millmore is a native Californian and currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and two cats. She’s the author of six books (two novels, a 3 book series, and book one of a new series): Doppelganger Experiment (World Castle Publishing, September 2011; republished via Amazon, January 2014), The Four Series – Book I, II and III (World Castle Publishing 2012/13), The Dragonfly Door (October 2013), and What Haunts Me (Ghost Killer – Book 1) (November 2014).

http://www.margaretmillmore.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Millmore/e/B005ME8QTQ

https://www.facebook.com/margaret.millmore

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/margaret-millmore/4/a6b/6a9

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5157106.Margaret_A_Millmore

Doppelganger Experiment: paranormal thriller

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZ0YZEK

The Four Series: paranormal thriller

Book I: http://www.amazon.com/The-Beginning-Four-Volume/dp/1938961099

Book II: http://www.amazon.com/The-Change-Four-Series-Volume/dp/1938961382

Book III: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BY8G83U

The Dragonfly Door: suspense/thriller with a time-travel element

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FL572Q4

What Haunts Me – Ghost Killer Book 1: supernatural thriller

http://www.amazon.com/What-Haunts-Me-Ghost-Killer-ebook/dp/B00NH0QU40

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Rocky Rochford

My name is Rocky Rochford and I am a Scuba Diving, Photo taking, Adventure Seeking, Sword Collecting, Writer & Marine Conservationist. I’m a handful of years into my twenties, but after living life on the road, going town to town before finally settling down, I’ve gained great insight into the world and her workings. From Day 1 I have been a Writer and a Writer I shall forever remain.

I like to consider myself to be a Student of Everything, and yet a Master of Nothing, who does not choose what he writes, but writes what chooses him, be it fantasy, crime, poetry, philosophy or even adventure. After all life is a journey we all get to experience, just like a good book.

Every read of one of my typed works, is another trip into the imagination of my mixed up, crazed and deranged mind. Welcome to the World of Rochford.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/IamRockyRochford?fref=ts

Twitter: @RockyRochford

Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/RockyRochford

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7310280.Rocky_Rochford

My personal Website:  rockyrochford.wordpress.com

Rabmad: http://www.rabmad.com/authors/Rocky-Rochford/

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Jack Strandburg

Jack Strandburg was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio.  He is a degreed professional with a background in Accounting and Information Technology and recently retired after more than 33 years working for a Fortune 500 company.  He has been writing since his teenage years.

His first published novel through Solstice Publishing is Hustle Henry and the Cue-Ball Kid, a parody of the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

He is currently rewriting his first mystery novel, A Head in the Game, writing journals for an inspirational non-fiction book, and has completed 70% of the first draft for a second mystery novel titled War Zone.

In addition he is writing short stories and working hard to establish a blog presence.

Jack currently lives with his wife and two grown children in Sugar Land, Texas. He has two grandchildren.

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S. Evan Townsend

S. Evan Townsend has been called “America’s Unique Speculative Fiction Voice” and writes novels that cause thrills and rapid page-turning.  After spending four years in the U.S. Army in the Military Intelligence branch, he returned to civilian life and college to earn a B.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Washington. In his spare time he enjoys reading, driving (sometimes on a racetrack), meeting people, and talking with friends.  He is in a 12-step program for Starbucks addiction. Evan lives in central Washington State with his wife and has three grown sons.  He enjoys science fiction, fantasy, history, politics, cars, and travel.  He currently has five published fantasy and science fiction novels.

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Maralee (Marty) Wofford

Marty Wofford found it easy to describe the beautiful surroundings of her mythical city of Gold Bluff, as she was able to draw extensively from her own experiences of living in Siskiyou County, California’s northern most county.  When it came time to people her mythical city, she happily drew upon some of her most treasured memories from her childhood summer vacations spent in Sierra City, CA, a city located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Ms. Wofford, writing under the name of Maralee Lowder, is the author of several romance novels and, more recently, three horror books.  Not wanting to confuse her readers by this change in genres, she has chosen to write her lighter books as Marty Wofford, the name her family and friends know her by.  While writing horror books has been a fun change of pace for her, she finds that lighter stories, such as The Gold Bluff Deception, come straight from her heart.

The link to her website is: http://www.maraleelowder.com/index.html

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Din Ka

Din Ka was three years old when his family first moved to the United States. He’s a graduate of California State University of Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in TV/Film writing. Where Tomorrow Waits is his first novel. He lives in southern California with his lovely long time girlfriend, Tiffani and their dog, Jezebel.

You can visit his Facebook fan page @ www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007077078990

And follow his twitter adventures @

https://twitter.com/DinKa0217

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Fran Orenstein

Dr. Fran Orenstein was born in New York. Growing up in Brooklyn and the Bronx, she experienced a fine education in the public schools and the varied culture of New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College, a master’s in Counseling Psychology from the College of New Jersey, and a doctorate in Child and in Youth Studies from Nova Southeastern University.
Fran wrote her first poem at age 8 and submitted her first short story to a magazine at age 12. In her teens, Fran wrote for her high school newspaper and continued to write poetry and stories for her own pleasure.
Fran has over 30 years experience writing and publishing academically and professionally. She has written articles, newsletters, political speeches, and brochures. Fran presented workshops and papers on gender equity, violence prevention, sexual harassment and disabilities at local, national and international conferences both here and abroad.

Fran Orenstein, Ed.D.

Author, Poet, Presenter

Fran Orenstein, Ed.D.

Author, Poet, Presenter

www.franorenstein.weebly.com

DEATH IN D MINOR

MURDER IN DUPLICATE
Murder mysteries for adults

REFLECTIONS

A  book of poetry for adults

GAIA’S GIFT

A contemporary  adult novel

 THE BOOK OF MYSTERIES

YA fantasy

http//youtu.be/Gy5-MZ10-5E

THE CALLING OF THE FLUTE

Coming in 2014

THE SPICE TRADERS DAUGHTER

YA historical novel

Novels for ‘Tweens and Kids

FAT GIRLS FROM OUTER SPACE

‘tween fiction of self-image, bullying, and mastering 7th grade.

THE MYSTERY UNDER THIRD BASE

THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN GOBLIN

ONE AMBER TOO MANY 

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1253621499

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-fran-orenstein/1b/278/295

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1051466.Fran_Orenstein
Twitter – @Hubysmom
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Fran-Orenstein/e/B004ILD540

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Ralph Peluso

Ralph was born and raised in New York City. At a very young age his father introduced him to baseball. He has been a sports enthusiast since. Active in youth sports for over thirty years, he has coached high school and middle school teams to many successful seasons. He has served on the board of several regional youth team organizations. He is an advocate of player and parent sportsmanship. In 2006 he became a member of the Society of American Baseball Researchers and currently serves on the Overlooked Legends committee.

He has an MBA in Finance from Bernard Baruch College (Zicklin School of Business) of the City University of New York. Ralph has had a successful and award winning business career, serving in senior executive positions for several major corporations including MCI, WinStar and Cisco. Today he is a partner in a boutique consulting practice that helps emerging companies fulfill their promise.

Ralph has published a series of short stories including ‘Outer Banks Chronicles’ and ‘Jersey Shore Fever and Other Seaside Maladies”; and is beginning work on his second book.

Ralph and his wife Renee currently reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

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Leigh Michaels

Leigh Michaels researched the Regency era for decades before daring to set her own stories in that historical period – and she still finds new tidbits to add to her own work. She writes sassy, sophisticated Regency-period romance, as well as contemporary romance novels and books about writing (including On Writing Romance, from Writers Digest Books). Her newest Regency romance is Gentleman in Waiting, and Getting the Regency Right, a reference book for Regency writers, will be released in June. She teaches romance writing online at Gotham Writers Workshop. Her website is www.leighmichaels.com.

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Would you like to be a guest on my porch? Fill out this form and let’s chat.