No Cats, No Chocolate, by Ken Kuhlken and Alan Russell, Hickey’s Books, La Mesa

Book review by Miriam Raftery

February 10, 2013 (La Mesa)--What happens when a pair of formerly acclaimed but now down-on-their-luck mystery novelists hit rock bottom? 

In No Cats, no Chocolate,  local authors Ken Kuhlken and Alan Russell  pen themselves in as the main characters.  Best noted for their literary-quality mystery works,  they resolve to make some quick cash writing a romance novel after an outline sent as a lark lands an assignment from a publisher.  Delilah Bluefeather and Violet St. Claire ( the authors’ noms de plume), are born. Worse, they must complete the task in days, while on a road trip to jump-start their careers  with a coveted appearance on Oprah’s show.

The book  is a sequel to Road Kill, in which the same quirky duo embarked on a journey to convince readers across America to buy their books.  It’s a clever literary trick for the authors to write themselves in as characters in their own works—and create a series to boot.  As a former participant in a writing critique group led by Kuhlken, I can’t help wondering how many quirky traits described in the book are fact – and which are fiction?

February 7, 2013 (San Diego) – Marsha Kay Seff, a former seniors writer for the Union Tribune, is teaching a class a class on storytelling at the College Avenue Older Adult Center, 4855 College Ave., on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 12:45 p.m.  The classes began February 6 and the next one will be Feb. 20.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

February 4, 2013 (San Diego)--The San Diego Public Library's 47th Annual Local Authors Exhibit : The Library is going to display it in the exhibit, which will run the entire month of February 2013 in the lobby of the Central Library downtown.

January 15, 2013 (Descanso) – The Descanso Branch Library will be holding a Customer Appreciation Open House on January 17 from 12 – 2 p.m.  Meet the Library Director, Jose Aponte, enjoy lunch provided by the Friends of the Descanso Library and listen to bilingual storytime.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

January 7, 2013 (San Diego)--The San Diego Public Library's 47th Annual Local Authors Exhibit: The Library is going to display it in the exhibit, which will run the entire month of February 2013 in the lobby of the Central Library downtown.

December 30, 2012 (Alpine)--Twas the Day after Christmas, and all through the Alpine Library, beautiful Pageant princesses appeared wearing formal gowns and tiaras. Each took a turn reading a Princess story to the preschoolers, who were mesmerized by the glitter and glam.

Photo Caption: L-R: Kamryn Hill, Pre-Teen Miss San Diego County; Alyssa Rosales, Junior Miss San Diego County; Dahna Bennet, Miss Teen San Diego County, and Jessica Jennings,Miss  Jr. Teen San Diego County &Miss  Jr. Teen California.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

December 24, 2012 (San Diego)--The San Diego Public Library's 47th Annual Local Authors Exhibit : The Library is going to display it in the exhibit, which will run the entire month of February 2013 in the lobby of the Central Library downtown.

Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons – a Dialogue with America’s Young Leaders, by Gregory J. Reed, Esq., (Amber Books, Phoenix, Arizona, 2012, 294 pages).

Update: Obama Talks Back has received an NAACP Image Award nomination for literature. The winner will be announced live on TV from Hollywood February 1, 2013.

Book Review by Dennis Moore

December 17, 2012 (San Diego)--Gregory J. Reed, Esq., CEO and Founder of Keeper of the Word Foundation, has written a poignant and heartfelt book that resonates with me for a number of reasons: Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons – A Dialogue with America’s Young Leaders.

Athenia Torpedoed: The U-Boat Attack that Ignited the Battle of the Atlantic. By Francis M. Carroll. Annapolis, MD. Naval Institute Press, 2012. 254 pp. 41 photographs. Notes, bibliography and index. $29.95

Reviewed by Walter Hall

“It’s the end of the world; the end of everything.” US Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy reported to President Roosevelt on eve of Britain’s declaration of war, Sept 3, 1939.

December 14, 2012 (San Diego)--Very few readers today will remember that the first Americans killed in World War II were not at Pearl Harbor. Almost two years earlier, 30 Americans were among the 112 lost when the German torpedo that opened the Battle for the Atlantic struck and doomed the Donaldson Lines ship Athenia. 

November 13, 2012 (El Cajon) – The Grossmont College English Department is holding a Write-A-Thon, an all day creative writing fundraiser for the Department’s Creative Writing Program.  To participate you must raise a minimum of $50 in pledges to support literary arts programs and events.  Check-in is at 9 a.m. at 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon.

Lost Girls, by Caitlin Rother (Kensington Publishing Corp., New York, NY, 2012, 372 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

November 10, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--New York Times Bestselling author Caitlin Rother, a San Diego resident and journalist, has written a true-crime book that I am sure will resonate with all parents: Lost Girls. Pulitzer-nominated author Rother delivers an incisive, heartbreaking true-life thriller that touches our deepest fears. It is the story of John Gardner, who raped and murdered local San Diego teens Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

Rother dedicates her book to the memories of King and Dubois, and all other girls and boys who have been lost to sexual predators. She feels that by shedding light on these dark events, she can only hope that it will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.

November 3, 2012 (San Diego) -- For complete Calendar, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

October 7, 2012 (San Diego) –Good news!  www.SDWriteWay.org webzine is now back on line — Sam Warren, editor

Scroll down for literary events in October and early November countywide.

Hope Begins In The Dark: 40 Lymphoma Survivors Tell Their Exclusive Life Stories, By Jamie Reno (Edwards Brothers Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2012, 246 pages).

Book review by Dennis Moore

October 2, 2012  (San Diego) -- Cancer, in all its forms and manifestations is an insidious disease, that does not discriminate.  It comes in the form of breast cancer, leiomyosarcoma, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), prostate cancer, Askin's Sarcoma, or lymphoma, among many more. PSC, a rare disease that scars the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine to aid digestion, is the form of cancer that took the life of former NFL star Walter Payton.

Jamie Reno, journalist, singer-songwriter, patient advocate and 15-year survivor of stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, has written an all-new edition of a book that I had earlier had the honor of reviewing; Hope Begins In The Dark: 40 Lymphoma Survivors Tell Their Exclusive Life Stories.

Participants must post photos of their bites to win

September 17, 2012 (San Diego) – To promote the release of his new novel Shady Palms in October, San Diego author Allen Dusk is holding a contest to give away signed copies of his book, set in El Cajon. Victims of bedbug attacks are encouraged to post photos of their bites on Twitter and Instagram with the hastag #ShadyPalms. On October 1, 2012 Allen will announce the winners on his website http://www.allendusk.com.