Sonoma County Literary Update

Sonoma County Writers Published in 2023

Claire Drucker—The Life You Gave Me

In the striking and profoundly tender collection, The Life You Gave Me, Claire Drucker skillfully probes what it means to be a daughter, a mother, and an occupant of a climate in crisis. There is devastating loss and grief in lines such as, “What am I left holding? Who am I now?” and also a buoying of something sweeter: “jade hues,” “apple heaven on our lips,” “shared comfort of cool, sun-kissed skin.” I keep returning to these poems, moved by the way they chart the terrain of love, identity, and renewal. This is a capacious and wise book that reckons with the indelible nature of ancestry, the fragility of a fractured democracy, and the community and meaning found when “we lean in with love, for any kind/of freedom.”
—Emily Jern-Miller, author of You Are Not a Bird

ISBN : ‎ 978-1639804443
Available on Amazon

Jonah Raskin—The Thief of Yellow Roses

Thirty-six new poems by the writer and critic Jonah Raskin. The Thief of Yellow Roses features a main character who is a poet, a thief and a sailor. The book follows his journeys on land and sea and offers a portrait of San Francisco and the author himself.

46 pages, paperback
Regent Press: Published October 1, 2023
The book can be purchased through Barnes and Noble and Amazon, or send a message to Jonah Raskin via his Facebook Page.

Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky—Tyranny of the Minority

Professors Daniel Ziblatt (native to Sonoma County) and Steven Levistsky are two of America’s very best comparative political scientists, with expertise that makes them uniquely well-equipped for the subject they’re examining. From global best-seller How Democracies Die, Ziblatt and Levitsky now “write with terrifying clarity how the forces of the right have co-opted the enshrined rules to exert their tyranny,” (Washington Post) and how we can fight to save our democracy. This searing, unsettling, new book is essential for everyone interested in understanding why, and how, democracy has come under assault and what should be done about it.

Publisher/imprint: Crown (September 2023)
Available on Amazon: amazon.com/dp/0593443071

Redwood Writers Club—2023 Anthology: One Universe to the Left

Aliens, dragons, spirits, multiple types of wizardry, clones both magical and technological; what might you find in a world different rom ours? Come explore the possibilities in the 2023 Redwood Writers prose anthology, where the theme of this year’s anthology is speculative fiction: sci-fi, fantasy, and related flavors of the fantastic. Writers from throughout the California Writers Club have joined the Redwood Branch in giving you a glimpse of what’s happening one universe to the left.

Mara Lynn Johnstone, editor
Purchase: https://books2read.com/b/3kBqyR
Also available on Amazon in kindle and paperback editions.

Mark Tate—Butterfly on the Wheel: A Young Man’s Journey to Find Himself

An autobiographical novel about a troubled youth in a troubled time. Riding solo on a bicycle from the Bay Area to British Columbia, a twenty-year-old recalls boyhood experiences such as a dead man in a swimming pool, balanced against the crises of the Vietnam war, the Kennedy assassinations, racism, domestic violence and madness, his low draft number, a love affair and more.

Mark Tate is the author of three previous books of poetry Pommes de Terre (2001), Sur lie* (2002), and Rooms and Doorways (2003), and three novels, Beside the River, its sequel River’s End (McCaa Books, 2021), and Butterfly on the Wheel.

Republished, 2023, McCaa Publishing
Available on Amazon, $12 

Jeane Slone—She Was an American Combat Nurse During WW II

Meet Beatrice Harrington a Chief nurse at the White section of Grady Hospital in Georgia and Dora Mae Williams a Chief nurse at the Negro section of the same hospital in 1941. The two chiefs never meet because of the segregation of the races during that period of time. Both nurses worked in jungle hospitals. Bea in Bataan. Philippines and Dottie in Tagap, Burma. With opposing chapters in this historical book, you will compare and contrast the strong, dedicated and skilled nurses in the face of combat danger, human suffering, as well as discrimination. Each nurse will display extreme fortitude and personal resilience while enduring potential lethal combat conditions. This book portrays keen historical depictions of this era with photographs and dialog that deftly convey the experience of the impact of segregation in armed forces. The strength and dedication of both nurses will leave an indelible impression upon the readers.

Walter J. Willey Book Company, 448 pages
Available at: jeaneslone.com

Judith Day—Glowing in the Dark: Stories of Wounded Healers

“I’m often on fire with love for my patients. Sometimes I’m frozen with fear—for them, with them, of them.” So states a suicidal psychiatrist in this remarkable collection of three stories about troubled healers.

Glowing in the Dark is a book of fiction that portrays the inner worlds of several physicians—psychiatrists and an ICU doctor—as they discover healing through encounters with other people. In authentic voices and a range of moods, these three compelling stories follow each healer’s personal, unconventional path on an unprescribed journey.

“Glowing in the Dark is the perfect title for this collection of stories, which are deep, clear-eyed visions of our interconnected souls’ dark places as well as their light ones. The compassion glows. The prose glows.” —Arlene Bernstein, psychotherapist and author of Growing Season: Life Lessons from the Garden

Available at bookstores and on Amazon.

Wordrunner Press
ISBN: 978-1-941066-61-4
136 pages, 5 x 7 inches
$12.95 paperback; $3.99 kindle

Susanne Arrhenius, Jaime Zukowski, Jeffrey Bartfeld—Sonoma Valley Sonnet

The three poets’ recently released anthology, Sonoma Valley Sonnet, is a collection of poems and images of their unique and beautiful environment. The book is a creative collaboration that marries their love of the Sonoma Valley with their art though visual and oral expression.

Published by Valley of the Moon Press. The book may be purchased at readings ordered via email: info@valleyofthemoonpress.com.

Waights Taylor Jr.—Nevermore: A Novel

Fourteen-year-old Steve Thompson, a beneficiary of white privilege in the Jim Crow South, finds himself as the lead witness for the prosecution in a murder trial of Ku Klux Klansmen who went on a killing spree in what became known as the night of terror in Westtown, Alabama. A poignant condemnation of the tragic consequences of racial hatred.

Available on Amazon

Shawn Langwell—Today’s the Day

Inspiration, Encouragement, and Wisdom to Overcome Mental Blocks and Live a Happier, More Productive, and Fulfilling Life, One Day at a Time

Whether applied to artistic endeavors or used to build stronger more meaningful personal and professional relationships, or simply as a morning muse for personal growth or self-improvement, this book will help you:

• Start your day with an attitude of gratitude.
• Stop the steady din of fear, doubt, worry, overthinking, imposter syndrome, etc. before you even get out of bed in the morning.
• Silence your inner critics with effective and easy-to-practice insights, strategies, and tidbits of inspirational wisdom you can use throughout your day.
• Awaken and embolden you to live a happier, more productive, meaningful, and fulfilling life.

Learn more at: www.shawnlangwell.com
Available on Amazon.

Bob Burnett—Death Is Potential: A Kate Smith Mystery 

When U.S. Marshall Kate Swift enters a trauma-recovery workshop, she never expects to be caught up in a fiery romance and a violent crime wave. As Kate and Tom Scott grow close, their bond is tested by series of murders. After fire shuts down access to Big Sur, and the workshop, Kate takes control of the police investigation. To save Tom’s life, Kate must find the killer. 

Softcover is $17.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org. 
E-Book is $2.99 on Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Rakuten-Kobo, and most other e-book sources, Audible book is coming.
https://bobburnett.net

Redwood Writers—2023 Poetry Anthology: Phases 

Editors: Les Bernstein and Fran Claggett-Holland 

The famous poet Audre Lorde has said “Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. ” Phases, Redwood Writers 2023 poetry anthology, celebrates the varied aspects of what it is be human. In this collection of poems you will encounter poignant reflections of well-earned experiences. Phases is a tapestry of life expressed thru well curated words. 

Available on Amazon.

Rafael Block—The Dreams We Share

Rafael Block’s fifth poetry collection, The Dreams We Share (Poetic Matrix Press, 2023), contains 86 poems and is described by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D, Sufi teacher and author, editor of Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Soul:

“Nature, the first book of revelation, tells her story in these pages. The Northern California landscape speaks in a multitude of voices, wild iris, coyotes, starfish, turtles, and the many birds that belong to this shoreline. And within all these images, sounds, is the pulse of the Earth Herself, asking us to be present, mindful of her beauty and wonder. Take time to walk through these words, to become immersed in this mystery that reaches deep into the soul.”

You can watch the book trailer, learn more about the book and its author, and purchase a signed copy at raphaelblock.com or order it from your local independent bookstore.

Carrie Lara, Psy.D.—Out of the Fires: A Journal of Resilience and Recovery

“Let me tell you about that one day everything was there, and then there was nothing.”

This book, written in a journal format, aims to help victims of a natural disaster as they follow a boy who is healing after a devastating wildfire in his neighborhood. The story is filled with drawings, news clippings, and coping strategies, this book is chock full of information on cultivating resilience after a natural disaster. Things may never be “normal” again, but he discovers that he is resilient and strong—even when hard things happen.

The book is written by a Sonoma County children’s book author and clinical psychologist, who lived through the wildfires and worked with many families who had similar stories as the little boy in the book. It is an 8-12-year-old reading level, but a topic and storyline that is approachable for all ages. Included in the back of the book are resources for parents, caregivers and teachers on trauma recovery, natural disasters and building coping skills and resilience for children.

Illustrated by Colleen Larmour
Published by Magination Press, Children’s Imprint of the American Psychological Association

Available for purchase July 3rd, 2023 online or in person at your local bookstores.
www.apa.org/pubs/magination/out-fires
www.amazon.com/Out-Fires-Resilience-Recovery-Disaster/dp/1433840693
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-the-fires-carrie-lara-psyd/1142260344?ean=9781433840692

Rachel Zemach—The Butterfly Cage: A Memoir

Drawing on her personal experiences and her extensive work with Deaf and hard of hearing children and adults, Rachel Zemach sheds necessary and sometimes startling light on the experiences of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Her stories about individual students and how the school system disempowers them are funny, powerful and memorable. 

Zemach’s book is a heartfelt effort to bring attention to this situation, which is largely unknown to the hearing world, yet common knowledge among the Deaf. Nationwide, parents are not learning, nor encouraged, to sign with their Deaf children, and this has created an epidemic of language deprivation in Deaf children. Public schools overlook the power and benefits of Deaf students embracing a Deaf identity, which wreaks havoc on many Deaf student’s potential and psychological well-being. Through poignant, humorously told, true stories, describing both public schools and the dramatically different setting of a renowned Deaf school, her book aims to show you how and why, as well as bringing you behind the usually closed doors of schools and of the lively, idiosyncratic and passionate, Deaf culture. 

For more information and to order the book: https://www.rachelzemach.com

Thonie Hevron—By Force or Fear

By Force or Fear is a police procedural thriller about a brave, young deputy who identifies and faces her enemies—both within herself and the real world.

The shocking end to a hostage situation brings Meredith Ryan, a courageous Sheriff’s Deputy, to the attention of a powerful young judge. As the magistrate’s obsession grows, he continues exercising his considerable influence, and Meredith is stuck juggling the inner workings of her career—all the while tracking down a violent killer in the Sonoma wine country. After losing almost everyone close to her, Meredith realizes that she must take a stand. Even if it costs her. But as Meredith is finally closing in on the Sonoma murderer, she gets snared in a trap that she may not walk out of alive. 

A Meredith Ryan Mystery, re-edited and republished with new cover 4/4/23 by Rough Edges Press
Available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BYWG4B55
https://thoniehevron.com

Thonie Hevron—Intent to Hold

Intent to Hold is a police procedural thriller about a brave, young deputy who identifies and faces her enemies—both within herself and the real world.

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Reyes answers a call from his estranged wife in Mexico to help find her kidnapped brother. When he and his partner Meredith Ryan arrive, they are betrayed and caught by the police and sent home. Returning to Puerto Vallarta secretly, the detectives battle nature, Federales, crime cartels, and even Nick’s own family to rescue his brother-in-law. To complicate their mission, Nick must face the end of his marriage while Meredith hasn’t yet put her own nightmares to rest.

A Meredith Ryan Mystery, re-edited and republished with new cover 4/25/23 by Rough Edges Press
Available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZLYZWSK
https://thoniehevron.com

Thonie Hevron—With Malice Aforethought

With Malice Aforethought is a police procedural thriller about a brave, young deputy who identifies and faces her enemies—both within herself and the real world. 

Detective Meredith Ryan is tagging along with newly promoted Sergeant Nick Reyes on a homicide investigation in the remote Sonoma County hills when they unsuspectingly stumble into an army of white nationalists. Fighting to survive against the militia—and a voracious wildfire—they uncover a plot to release a dangerous pathogen into the local water supply that could devastate local law enforcement agencies. Making their way to safety, Meredith and Nick vow to stop this terrorist plot before it’s too late. But as they fight to keep their heads above water and race against the clock to get information, it becomes increasingly clear that they may not make it out alive. 

A Meredith Ryan Mystery, re-edited and republished with new cover 5/16/23 by Rough Edges Press
Available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C2FFSGPL
https://thoniehevron.com

Jo Lauer—Unarmed: A Little Old Ladies Mystery

In this fifth book of A Little Old Ladies Mystery series, Marion and Amanda, the frazzled psychic-sleuthing duo, return home from closing the murder case in Las Vegas and look forward to kicking back. Easily done, since the COVID pandemic has arrived. Even though shelter in place is in effect, cabin fever overcomes them and they’re off to the beach. In the dunes, they discover a missing body part that leads them to a friendship with a mysterious woman who disappears soon after. They get a surprise visit from Gert, the helicopter-piloting lesbian they met in Santa Fe, who becomes part of their extended family, and from Marion’s slimeball ex-husband, who does not. The three women plan a future together and invest in a bedraggled yet elegant lavender Victorian that comes with its own “cursed” treasure. Will they choose unimaginable wealth that may lead to sudden death? The camps are divided. They celebrate this difficult choice by a weekend trip to a bed and breakfast at the ocean where they stumble upon Shaun, dwelling in a cave at the beach, having run away from a battering relationship. Shaun joins the Lavender Lady household in time to lend her nursing skills when Chase, Amanda, and Marion’s adopted daughter, goes into labor during the holiday meal and brings a new generation into the family.

Available on Amazon

Karen Pierce Gonzalez—Coyote in the Basket of My Ribs

“In her newest chapbook, Karen Pierce Gonzalez wanders the liminal spaces between self, existence, and dream. Woven throughout Coyote In the Basket of My Ribs is the urge to protect the sacred wilderness that haunts within, all the while attempting to navigate the intangible aches of grief and memory. Set in the gorgeous landscapes of ‘cotton duvets,’ ‘sky maps,’ and ‘southwestern mesas,’ this collection is a gentle dream-dappled journey that examines the fragile balance between a longing to hold and a longing to let go.”
–Jenny Wong, author of Mouthed (Kissing Dynamite Press) and the short poem film series, “Compostable Morsels”

Chapbook trailer: https://bit.ly/3JWUSsu
Order from Kelsay Books: https://bit.ly/3G8Uk1B

Rebecca Rosenberg—Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne

Champagne, France, 1860. Madame Pommery, an etiquette teacher and orphanage founder, loses her husband and is forced to support her family. With no experience, the forty-year-old widow decides to make champagne. Her unique vision is to change it from a sweet dessert beverage to a dry, crisp wine to be enjoyed anytime. When champagne makers refuse to teach her their craft, she forges ahead on her own and secretly begins the excavation of champagne caves under the Reims city dump. 

Soon after, her son and her entire crew are conscripted to fight the Franco-Prussian war, leaving Madame Pommery alone to struggle with her champagne dreams. After the Prussians invade France and occupy Madame Pommery’s house as an army headquarters, she uses her secret wine caves to hide the Francs-Tireurs, resistance fighters for France. But when her former lover, a Scottish baron, unexpectedly proposes marriage, Madame Pommery must choose between nobility and her passionate quest for fine champagne and the most beautiful winery in the world.

Based on a true story, Madame Pommery is a heroic novel about a mother and widow who fights the Prussians, the social class system, champagne patriarchs, and champagne tastes to create a champagne legacy.

Available for pre-order on Amazon

Frances Rivetti—The House on Liberty Street

Uncover the dark side of Christmas in this taut, 24-hour-compressed timeline, a compact, deep and gratifying tale of a resilient, all-female household on the brink of irreversible change. It is December 24th 2019 in a Victorian home in the small, Northern California Gold-Rush-era riverfront city of Petaluma. Festive tables are set, a roaring fire warms the tree-lit parlor and empty pillowcases rest at the end of the twin beds of widow Adamaria’s excited young granddaughters. Rain begins to fall as the four women of the house settle in for a cozy, uneventful holiday. What could go possibly wrong?

The House on Liberty Street is an intricately worked, ultimately uplifting story. It unfolds within slow-pleasured holiday preparations as Adamaria and her daughter Gracie prepare for a traditional Italian American wine country Christmas despite their meagre funds. In turn, heartwarming and harrowing, unexpected events unfold after a stranger disturbs the sleep of the widowed matriarch in the early hours of Christmas morning, intensifying the physical, financial and emotional conflicts faced by these formidable women.

Illustrated by Gail Foulkes 

Available to purchase at Copperfield’s Books, online at any bookseller in print and ebook format, preferably https://bookshop.org/lists/the-house-on-liberty-street-home-of-second-chances or in print directly from the author for $21.95 with tax, via PayPal (plus media mail) with a button on her blog site homepage: www.southernsonomacountrylife.com

Gwynn O’Gara—We Who Dream

The poems in We Who Dream strike so many deep chords—intimate, sexual, environmental, mythical, visionary. Gwynn O’Gara’s gift is the unexpected. There are lines that transport the reader to the threshold of the familiar, inspiring visions of what’s possible just beyond; others pirouette on that edge, opening to an utterly different reality. Mating harbor seals become sleeping beauties; a clam slowly unfolds into “secret, stranger, lover, moon.” Ultimately, these poems kindle a connection, take us to our human core where, like paper cranes, we are threaded each to each by miracles, by incantation, by dreams.
—Terry Ehret, author of Lucky Break and Night Sky Journey

Available from Copperfield’s Montgomery Village and Sebastopol and Finishing Line Press
https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/we-who-dream-by-gwynn-ogara

Stephen Altschuler—To Live a Life: 200 Ways to be the best person you can be

In To Live a Life: 200 Ways to be the best person you can be, Altschuler relies on his own experiences as well as spiritual and practical wisdom from Eastern and Western traditions, some of which he has practiced and taught. He is a retired mental health professional who has worked with a wide array of people in many community mental health settings. All of that has been distilled  into an easy-to-read volume that can be turned to at any point and place for some advice and guidance on…well…being a better human being. The late Barbara Renard, a long time Sonoma County resident whose photo is on the book’s cover, was an inspiration to the author in writing this book.

Sacajawea Press. You can find it in ebook or paperback format at Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/3u3xny9r. 

Susanna Solomon—Paris Beckons

“Evocative and personal, heart-wrenching and illuminating, Susanna Solomon’s Paris Beckons showcases 34 stories revealing what lies beneath our deepest fears and memories. Poignant and for those with pasts that refuse to remain buried.”
—Cara Black, author of the award winning Aimee LeDuc Mystery Series

“Often heart-rending, sometimes surreal, but always intriguing, Solomon’s Paris Beckons transports the reader to amazing places in and around Paris and in and around the human heart.”
—JT Morrow, artist, author

Sandra J. Anfang—Finishing School

“In these poems, a teacher urges her students to curiosity and sensory delight. She is the first in her school to tune in to Nine-Eleven and be the messenger of horror and fear. Perspectives vary: the Special Ed student, drawn out of self-rejection into feistiness; at the Continuation High, the “Throwaway kids . . . with meth-head fathers, cocaine mothers;” in science class, the “goofy” boy who earnestly asks about aliens. Ultimately, everything craves connection, like “the infant navigating the air with / the periscope of her lips.” This wise book, full of vitality, compassion and striking detail, should delight teachers and all readers of poetry.”
— Dorothy Gilbert, author of Fox Woman: Poems and Marie de France: Poetry

“Sandra Anfang’s poetry glides across the page and knows just how to land. The poems in Finishing School light the way and take us there, exploring the art and craft of teaching, as well as the wonder, and sometimes pain, of being a student, artfully illuminating how teacher and student discover and learn, together. These poems pulse with empathy and understanding and heart that move us “beyond speech or poetry or belief.” This collection is a bouquet of color, joy, and sorrow and connections and discoveries that evoke the beauty and power of poetry to understand, to heal, and to love, each poem crafted with eloquence, wisdom, and grace.”
— Guy Biederman, author of Nova Nights

Available from Kelsay Book: https://kelsaybooks.com/collections/all

Lakin Khan—Home Turf: A Bestiary of Sonoma State

Sonoma State University sits on the Russian River flood plain in Sonoma County, California. With a moderate climate, dry summers and wet winters, it is a welcome home to many endemic species of animals and plants. Anyone who explores the college campus with open eyes and heart can encounter an array of wildlife close up. Supported by the illustrations of Shane Weare, Lakin Khan communicates the special environment that comprises Home Turf.

Henry & Poppy Press
Available on Amazon and at Copperfields Books, Petaluma

Redwood Writers —On Fire: 2022 Prose Anthology

Redwood Writers is proud to announce the release of our latest prose anthology, On Fire. Presented by editor Cynthia Gregory, this collection of memoir and fiction stories written by Redwood Writers members shares a theme of fire, from literal to symbolic. Fire is a primal and mythic symbol in life, literature, and the evolution of humankind. Since the discovery of fire, igniting a flame has been a hallmark of warmth and comfort. We share ancestral stories around campfires, and a robust hearth is a symbol of a well-kept home. As a symbol, fire can mean being consumed by passion. Flames can be a comfort or a danger. Intense heat can refer to a supernatural world beyond our planet as in blazing comets and lava spewing interstellar volcanos. The mythology of fire has been used to represent transformation, ambition, and purification. In On Fire, members of Redwood Writers share true and fictional stories inspired by what fire means to them.

Price: $15
Available on Amazon.

__________

Redwood Writers Club 2023 Author Launch Books

The following books, to be featured at the Redwood Writers Club 2023 Author Launch on Saturday, February 18, 2023, were published between January 1, 2022 and February 1, 2023. Books by Redwood Writers previously announced on this site and not included below are: Mario Dell’Olio’s Letters from Italy, Robin Gabbert’s The Clandestine Life of Paintings in Rome, Mara Lynn Johnstone’s A Swift Kick to the Thorax, Crissi Langwell’s For the Birds, and Shawn Langwell’s Ten Seconds of Boldness. For descriptions of these books, see: https://socolitupdate.com/sonoma-county-in-print/2022-soco-writers-in-print. Susanna Solomon’s Paris Beckons (described above) will also be featured at the Author Launch.

Tenisha Bernal—Little Chef’s First 100 Words

Here’s a baby’s First Words book with a culinary twist! Little Chef’s First 100 Words introduces babies and toddlers to items that can be found in the heart of the home: the kitchen. This book presents everything from cooking utensils and common appliances to international cookware and baking supplies. The perfect gift for budding chefs & bakers!

Available on Amazon

Neil Burgstahler—A Trip Through Time & Other Short Stories

The animal version of the A-Team, rescuing their kidnapped loved one. A termite hosting a farewell party. An animal lover in trouble in school and at home. A mysterious visitor who helped a lonely youngster and his widowed dad. A bitter recluse who almost lost his two best friends. One abandoned youngster who learned what love is.

Simona Carini—Survival Time

Simona Carini’s poems are rooted in quiet observations of life events past and present. Illness imbues love and time with an intense flavor. There is blue in the poems, not all dark. There are stars, not all in the sky. And there is water—ocean, lake, lagoon, glacier. The book reflects a life lived fully immersed in spaces born or made sacred.

Purchase here: https://sheilanagigblog.com/sheila-na-gig-editions-quick-shopping/simona-carini

Nadine Condon—Confessions: Stories to Rock Your Soul

“The chronicling of an amazing woman and life, of an inspiring story arc that goes from rock and roll fanatic—and professional—to heart-felt work in hospice, and of lessons learned at both ends, thanks to her discovery of the Spirit.”
—Ben Fong-Torres, Sr. Editor, Rolling Stone

Available on Amazon

Pamela Heck—Amazing Animals: Fun Facts for Kids

Amazing Animals packs a powerful 1-2-3 punch with twenty-seven full color illustrations, whimsical rhymes, and truly amazing fun facts. Find out how elephants communicate with their feet, why crocodiles cry, and much more. A two-page glossary introduces children to new words specific to book content. Ideal for children ages 4 to 8.

Available on Amazon

Jon G. Jackson—Mostly in His Own Words

The story of the Jackson family in America begins when Maryland was still an English penal colony. In 1749, John Jackson and his wife-to-be, Elizabeth Comings, had both been convicted of stealing in England, and they were individually sentenced to transportation to America. They met on board the merchant ship Litchfield.

Purchase from Ink Monkey Press: www.artandpoetry.com/inkmonkeypress

Jeanne Jusaitis—Dragonfly Dreams

Dragonfly Dreams is a beautifully illustrated book of 17 read-aloud poems for children. The whimsical poems are in four categories: memories, seasons, this and that, and story poems. Most of the poems are written in rhyme and have a pattern. These are key elements in childhood literacy.

Available on Amazon

Dr. Carla Marie Manly—Date Smart: Transform Your Relationships and Love Fearlessly

Date Smart offers uplifting guidance in the art of creating authentic, empowering relationships through increased self-awareness. Using powerful mindset shifts and case studies, readers learn to replace illusions with healthy discernment. Date Smart draws the reader into an introspective realm to support healthy relationships from the inside out.

Available on Amazon

Brigitte Mendoza—The Emotions: The Impact of the Pandemic on Emotions

The book has two parts: One, analyses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s emotional health & how to avert future psychosocial crises. Two, provides the Comprehensive Method of Emotional Health Regulation, integrating mind – body – spiritual approaches to process the psychosocial impact of the pandemic, regulate emotions & regain wellbeing.

Available on Amazon

J. Curtis Moran—Lost & Found

An eighteen-year-old leaves his home in Philadelphia to get away from a drug-addicted mother and her abusive partner as well as to track down the man he thought was his deadbeat dad. His bus trip across the country and adventures in San Francisco, bring answers and unexpected discoveries for him—a young woman and fresh insights about his parents.

Purchase at: https://www.jcurtismoran.com

Rod Morgan—
A Wicked Web

Detective Dietrick, faced with the end of his career, decides to finally stand-up to the corrupt DA.

Dana Rodney—The Last Polar Bear

Part wildlife thriller, part nature narrative, The Last Polar Bear is a spellbinding journey into the near future of the earth’s vanishing wildlife.
In 2040, as poachers close in on the last polar bear on earth, an Inuit must use her shamanic abilities to save the bear’s life, even at the risk of her own.

Available on Amazon

Steve Trenam—Moonlight and Reflections: Nine Sonoma Poets

The nine poets in this anthology first met through my poetry-writing class in the Santa Rosa Junior College Older Adult Program. Our formation of Poetic License Sonoma led to a collaboration with the Sebastopol Center for the Arts for monthly poetry readings via Zoom.

Purchase: https://poeticlicensesonoma.com

Tommie W. Whitener—
The Circassian Beauty

Even after Pavel stole her heart and whisked her away from her lout of a husband, the beautiful Natalia didn’t know if the dashing young cavalry officer could be trusted. He promised her a glittery new life in the best salons of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but would he deliver?

Available on Amazon

Books by Sonoma County Authors Published in 2022

For details, see: https://socolitupdate.com/sonoma-county-in-print/2022-soco-writers-in-print

• Sandra J. Anfang—Finishing School
• Robin Gabbert—The Clandestine Life of Paintings in Poems
• Guy Biederman—Translated From the Original: One-Inch Punch Fiction
• Mara Lynn Johnstone—A Swift Kick to the Thorax
• Mario Dell’Olio—Letters from Italy
• Chester Arnold and Bart Schneider—The Daily Feast
• Linda Bello-Ruiz—Betrayed
• Joan Frank—Juniper Street
• Joan Frank—Late Work: A Literary Autobiography of Love, Loss, and What I Was Reading
• Shawn Langwell—Ten Seconds of Boldness
• Jon G. Jackson—Practicing Silence
• Patrick Fanning—Three Layer Watercolor Landscapes: Try It Yourself
• Phyllis Meshulam, editor—The Freedom of New Beginnings: Poems of Witness and Vision from Sonoma County
• Stephen Altschuler—Beating Insomnia: A No-Nonsense Way to Natural Sleep
• Mara Lynn Johnstone—Spectacular Silver Earthling
• Hemu Aggarwal—The Forbidden Letters
• Redwood Writers 2022 Poetry Anthology—Crossroads
• B.K. Sweeting—Pearlized
• Crissi Langwell—For the Birds
• Stefan Kiesbye—But I Don’t Know You
• Nancy Cavers Dougherty—Heaven is in Truckee
• Ulalume González de Leόn—Plagios/Plagarisms, Volume Two (A bilingual edition, translated by Terry Ehret, John Johnson, and Nancy J. Morales)
• Kathleen Winter—Cat’s Tongue
• Redwood Writers Club—Remember When: Fiction & Memoir Tales of Memories and Times Past
• Molly Martin—Wonder Woman Electric to the Rescue
• Michael David Fels—Bodies in Motion: Short Trips in An Expanding Universe
• Leeann Lidz—Adventures on the Gringo Trail: An Artist’s Awakening
• Ed Davis—The Last Professional

Redwood Writers Club Author Launch Books, 2022:

• Richard Boyd—Irradiated: An Alien Perspective
• Robbi Sommers Bryant—The Darkness
• Joan Goodreau—Where to Next?
• Cynthia Gregory—What Is Possible From Here
• Kathy Guthormsen—The Story of Jazz and Vihar
• Lenore Hirsch—Schooled: Confessions of a Rookie Vice Principal
• Karl Kadie—Revenge of Nature
• Bruce Koepp (pen name, Bruce Ruben)—Pitfall
• Karen Misuraca, Secret Sonoma: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure
• Joan Prebilich—Some Men Must Live
• Rebecca Rosenberg—Champagne Widows
• Steve Trenam—An Affront to Gravity
• Tommie Whitener—California Vignettes: Some Stories
• Natasha Yim—Luna’s Yum Yum Dim Sum