Edited by Kimberly Lee and Kate Manning

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

August 11, 2024 (San Diego) -- Published by San Diego Writers, Ink, The 17^th Volume Anthology: A Year In Ink, is an anthology of the creative work of San Diegans. In the 2024 version, 281 entries were submitted from all genres.

Of those, 46 pieces were selected to be in this year's anthology (23 poetry and 23 prose). Submissions include short stories, novel and memoir excerpts, creative nonfiction, satire, flash fiction/nonfiction, and poetry.

East County News Service

 

Hear full interview aired on KNSJ Radio

May 10, 2024 (San Diego) – East County Magazine Bookshelf host Reina Menasche recently interviewed author Ken Schafer regarding his first young adult novel,. An Otherwise Perfect Plan: A Novel of Mystery, Love, and Chocolate that Defies Description  Schafer started his professional writing career as a screenwriter, working for companies as diverse as Disney, Paramount and ABC, and on projects ranging from a prequel to "Sleeping Beauty" to "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and ABC Night at the Movies. He also founded Moon Jumper Press.

Kirkus Reviews praised the novel's cinematic structure, though Schafer says,"Screenwriting and novel writing are two completely different beasts," because screenplays are fundramentally visual. But he says screenplay writing's tight time requirements have influenced his writing.

An unusual facet of this coming-of-age novel is that there are no villains, Meansche notes. Schafer says this arose from the story and decisions made by the young girl's mother. "The conflict is just getting through life," he says. "We all know there's enough stress in the world without actual bad people." He's currently finishing up an audio version that will be available on Audible.

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

May 6, 2024 (San Diego)-- World surfing champions Milton and Michael Willis share their love for riding waves of any size in their latest book, 100 Foot Wave: The Official Book. Their book provides a deeper understanding of the hows, whys, and dangers of this exciting discipline. For the Willis brothers, who grew up in San Diego's North County and Hawaii, riding big waves is a spiritual practice. They share the rigors and dangers of the sport, as well as the spiritual highs.

Their book is comprehensive, covering:

• Contest winners and who really rode the biggest waves
• How boards are designed and made, along with the development of surfing equipment innovations
• The best places to find waves and how to train for riding a big wave
• Notable male and female surfers and their contributions to the sport, and
• Commemorations of those who have died while surfing.
  

The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power, by Courtney B. Vance & Robin L. Smith (Hatchette Book Group, New York, NY, 2023, 268 pages).

“Papa was like a shadow that was always hanging over me.”

                                    -CORY MAXSON, FENCES

Book Review by Dennis Moore

How fortuitous and ironic that I would make this book, The Invisible Ache, the last of my more than 400 book reviews written, as I now go into retirement. This spellbinding and historic book co-written by Courtney B. Vance, a member of my church here in Los Angeles, compels me to write this review.

Along with co-author, Dr. Robin L. Smith, The Invisible Ache, pulls back the covers on social taboos, and makes this book a profound and historical commentary on race and mortality, and it resonates with me for so many profound and personal reasons full of ironies.

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

March 9, 2024 (San Diego) – San Diego author J. Elke Ertle was born and raised in West Berlin during the aftermath of World War II, when the city had become the focus of an escalating Cold War between East and West.

In her memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, she beautifully describes how her strict rearing was similar to the restrictions of the Wall on her city’s people.  

The following excerpt gives a sense of her conflict:

Book by Jennifer Silva Redmond

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

February 15, 2024 (San Diego) -- In 1989-90, Jennifer and Russel Redmond set off from San Diego for Baja California on their 26-foot sloop, Watchfire, shortly after they married. After traveling through the Panama Canal, they sailed all the way to Canada, before turning around to end their honeymoon in New York City. The trip was intended to be an extended honeymoon, a chance to properly get to know each other and settle into married life, but over the months and then years, it became a way of life. However, they did eventually upgrade to the 35-foot Watchfire 2. 

Honeymoon at Sea is written as a travel log much of the time, with the author sharing her thoughts and feelings about the sights and people. Redmond also chronicles details of life at sea, ranging from deep sea diving to catch their next meal, to fixing a blocked toilet, to swimming to get away from sharks.

East County News Service

January 27, 2024 (San Diego) – Monsters on the Loose—a true crime novel by award-winning author and historian Richard L. Carrico—is set in San Diego in 1931. With forensic evidence at the time not quite what it is today, many murders went unsolved. In this gripping novel, San Diego historian and anthropologist Richard L. Carrico details the unsolved murders of three young women including one crime that took place in today’s Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP). In Monsters on the Loose, the author walks readers through the victims’ last days, the search for their killers, and the criminal trial of one suspect.

Cooked vs. Uncooked Spaghetti, by Dr. Tania Hormozi, PSYD, LMFT (Made in the USA, Muncie, IL., July, 2023, 137 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

January 12, 2024 (San Diego) - Dr. Tania Hormozi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in San Diego, California for over 10 years. She holds a Doctorate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University and a Master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is in private practice and provides therapy to individuals and mostly couples. She helps clients gain perspective, understanding, and identify solutions to problems using their own strengths and skills.

With those credentials one would think that she could have saved my marriage. After reading this book(s), you will have a better understanding of the differences between men and women, how to listen, how to express feelings, and be supportive emotionally, mentally, and physically for your female and/or male partners, and reconnect on a different level. You will have the tools to understand and truly connect with your partner. Wishful thinking!

By  Pennell Paugh

January 3, 2024 (San Diego) – Odyssey's End  is the tenth book in the Rick Cahill series by local author Matt Coyle.  Private investigator Rick Cahill lives in the San Diego region and as in the series’ other books, he takes the reader on real streets and neighborhoods.in  He accepts a lost-person assignment from a man he knows is a killer. The murderer is also connected to others from Rick’s dark past. Immediately, Rick’s life and those of his family members are threatened.

Here’s a sample of writing from the book:

I hadn’t seen Peter Stone in five years. Not since the night he saved my life. When he’d wielded a shotgun with deadly efficiency. Five years before that, he’d tried to kill me with a handgun. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so lucky the first time if he’d had a shotgun.

Stone had changed a lot since the night he’d blown away two assassins in his lair up in the hills above La Jolla.

Book by M.A. Richter

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

December 9, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Local author M.A. Richter announces the release of Mystic Prince: Vixen. The book is a fantasy-adventure that follows Khael, an enlightened prince in 2773, who has just regained his crown. He reestablishes a government and places his mother, a princess, to oversee day-to-day governance of the realm. He wishes to travel and to negotiate treaties with other realms. He also wants to continue training to become a master mystic under a mentor.