October 26, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - A scientist, a novelist, and now a guest columnist... Ask An Author is happy to welcome multiple award-winning author and physicist Massimo Marino, whose science fiction trilogy sold more than 10,000 copies in the US and abroad before being picked up by a publisher. Also, get one of his novels free Nov 9-14, as well as 200 more!
Hear our interview with author David Schmidt, originally aired on KNSJ, including the author reading a spine-tingling excerpt from his book, Holy Ghosts. To listen, click the red arrow or download the mp3.
October 4, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Do you believe in ghosts? Is it possible to be a person of faith, a scientifically-minded person, and take ghost stories seriously?
When doors and windows open on their own, when footsteps echo down an empty hall, when shadows move in the darkness and voices whisper when no one is around...what is going on? These are the experiences that stick with us, frighten us, incite our imaginations, and, ultimately, connect us to the past.
Answering your questions about writing, publishing, and marketing books
By Sarka-Jonae Miller
July 13, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) --This week I'm happy to welcome #1 best-selling author, Caroline Fardig, to the Ask An Author column.
Caroline is the author of the Lizzie Hart Mystery series of hilarious cozy mysteries. She recently got a book deal with Penguin Random House for an upcoming mystery novel, Death Before Decaf, and she just self-published her third novel, Bad Medicine. Caroline also happens to be one of my favorite authors.
July 6, 2015 (San Diego) – East County Magazine’s Bookshelf host Reina Menasche sat down for an interview with Cherie Kephart, author of A Few Minor Adjustments, A Memoir on KNSJ.
Cherie Kephart, the sweet girl next door who longed for adventure, traveled the world from the remote villages of Central Africa to the majestic coastlines of New Zealand until a mysterious illness thrust her to the precipice of death. Cherie spent seven frantic and comical years seeking support from both medical specialists and eccentric New Age healers to find her life saving answers. A Few Minor Adjustments will move you with its fiercely inspirational and humorous account of one woman's incredible journey to answer the age old question—is life worth living?
June 4, 2015 (Lemon Grove)—Five local living legends were honored on May 29th at the Lemon Grove Library, where their portraits by prominent artist Mona Mills were unveiled. Those honored reflect a diverse cross section of our community, each with stories to tell.
May 30, 2015 (Alpine)--The Alpine Library Friends Association (ALFA) announces an anonymous challenge grant pledge of $10,000. The Donor will match any contribution of $250 or more from an individual or group, up to a total of $10,000. The Challenge period runs from June 1st to July 15th The money raised by this challenge will be used to outfit the Library. San Diego County provided $10.7 million for the construction of the Library; but the Alpine Community must raise the money needed for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E ) the cost of which is estimated at $675,000. ALFA has, so far, raised about $350,000.
May 28, 2015 (Alpine) – Local award-winning author Sarka-Jonae Miller recently launched “Ask the Author,” a column for East County Magazine. You’re invited to join us as she discusses her experiences as a publicist and journalist at the Alpine Library on Saturday, June 6th at 1 p.m.
April 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) -- Deborah M. Pratt, noted author, writer, director, producer and actress was in East County for a signing of her latest book, The Tempting: Seducing the Nephilim. East County Magazine Show’s Bookshelf host Reina Menasche sat down with Pratt for an exclusive interview aired on KNSJ radio, which you can now hear online here: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...
Pratt has been executive producer of “The Net” for the USA network as well as head writer and co-executive producer of the NBC TV series “Quantum Leap.”
For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org
Readers
February 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - February 22 (Sunday, 2:00 pm) — Local children's book author Henry Herz's new picture book, Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes (from Pelican Publishing), has garnered considerable praise, including: "For all of us who grew up loving Dungeons & Dragons and Tolkien, Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes is an excellent way to introduce our little ones to the world of fantasy!"
February 18, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - There’s some good news this weeks for fans of Dr. Seuss the beloved San Diego children’s book author who died in 1991. Three new manuscripts have been discovered that were written by Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodore Geisel.
January 26, 2015 (Descanso)—Friends of the Descanso Library needs volunteers—including a new treasurer this month! The current treasurer will train you on Quick Books and treasurer’s duties.
November 20, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – As part of our coverage of Native American Heritage Month, East County Magazine Show’s Bookshelf host Reina Menasche interviewed local writer Paula Margulies. She is the author of Favorite Daughter, Part I, a story about Pocahontas told from a Native American point of view. She has also written a novel, Coyote Moon, set on the Pala Indian Reservation here in San Diego’s inland region.
July 26, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—The East County Magazine Show sat down with Anat Tour, whose passion is illustrating and writing children’s books produced in multi-media format with CD/DVD audio to delight youngsters.
Hear our interview here, which originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM:
Her works include Mama’s Shoe,The Rainbow Animals and her latest work, I Dream of Puffy Clouds. East County Magazine book reviewer Dennis Moore has called Anat Tour East County’s “own Renaissance woman.” Originally from Canada, Tour is a master of mathematics, art, music, writing and more. By day, she is a mother of four and a math teacher at a local high school By night she is a lead singer in a local band. In between, she is a writer and illustrator of children’s books as well as an animator. She has also been an international model. Stay tuned for more works by this intriguing author!
July 20, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Santee resident Simonetta Carr’s book, Anselm of Canterbury, was named Best Biography in the San Diego Book Awards. East County Magazine recently interview Carr on the Bookshelf segment of our East County Magazine Radio show on KNSJ.
For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org
Readers
July 6 (Sunday, 4:00 pm) — Young adult writer John Corey Whaley will sign his book at The Yellow Book Road, 2750 Historic Decatur Road No. 101, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.yellowbookroad.com/ or call (619) 955-5188.
May 24, 2014 (San Diego) – East County Magazine Show’s Bookshelf host, Reina Menasche, announced this week that her second novel, Silent Bird, is a finalist in this year’s San Diego Book Awards in the romance category.
For more details, see the links below. Congratulations, Reina!
April 27, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A podcast of our interview with Caitlin Rother, author of the true-crime book Lost Girls, is now online. Listen here: http://kiwi6.com/file/1segvv83yg Rother discusses the story-behind-the-story of her research and writing this landmark book on two high-profile and heart-wrenching cases of missing, murdered teen girls. Rother also discusses her other works, including her latest, "I'll Take Care of You."
East County Magazine book reviewer Dennis Moore said of Lost Girls, "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.
February 19, 2014 (San Diego) - A library would seem to be a safe haven for both children and adults who are looking for a quiet oasis to escape the crime and commercialism on the streets, to find refuge in a great read or to complete a project.
Win prizes for your prose--including admission to a writers conference and a literary festival
April 25, 2014 (San Diego's East County)-- Love to write? East County Magazine invites you to enter our 1st annual East County Writing Contest. Description: Crank up your creative juices and send us your best short story, or first chapter of a novel, set in our inland region, East County (mountains, deserts, cities or towns east of I-15 in San Diego County). Your story can be historical or contemporary, in any genre or style you choose – dramatic, romantic, mystery, humor, time travel…The only limit is your imagination!
November 14, 2013 (Alpine) – When Amy Gorence saw an email in her inbox from Scholarshare, she didn’t open it because she assumed it was advertising. It turns out she overlooked a notification that her daughter, Ryley, had won a scholarship for $529 through a contest, “Reading Makes Cent$,” at the Alpine Library.
Luckily, the folks with California’s official 529 College Savings Plan didn’t give up too easily. A few weeks later, Amy got a phone call asking if Ryley was still interested. “Interested in what?” she asked. The answer was a big surprise: Ryley’s name was chosen, out of all the entries from the San Diego County Library system, to receive $529 in a tax-advantaged savings plan for her college education. As if this weren’t enough good news, there’s more: the Alpine Library will receive matching funds—another $529—to spend on materials.
September 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – In 2011, the SoCal outdoor community lost Jerry Schad, the seasoned hiker who spread his appreciation for the outdoors throughout the San Diego region through his popular books and photographs.
Now Wilderness Press has released the first update to Schad's classic 101 Hikes in Southern California since his passing two years ago. The first edition was published in 1996.
David Money Harris – fellow outdoor writer, hiking leader, and frequent collaborator with Schad – took on this most recent update with Jerry's legacy in mind. Harris worked with Schad on the 2005 revision to the work, and has contributed to Schad's popular Afoot & Afield series.
July 21, 2013 (San Diego) – Two of Sunbelt Publications’ titles received awards from Foreword Magazine at The American Library Association Meeting in Chicago.
Representatives John Lewis and Susan Davis talk with ECM on civil rights and voting rights
“Comics can change history.” – Andrew Aidyn, coauthor
By Nadin Abbott
Photos by Tom Abbott
July 21, 2013 (San Diego)—Congressman John Lewis (D-GA-5) came to San Diego Comicon International to launch his story from the Civil Rights movement. This graphic novel is the first in a trilogy put out by Top-Shelf called March. It will be released to the general public next month.http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog/march/760
“This is another way, another method of reaching people, telling the story, making it come alive,” the Congressman said, “especially for young people.”
March 18, 2013 (San Diego) – The Congress of History of San Diego and Imperial Counties has named San Diego regional publishers Diana and Lowell Lindsay as the recipient of their Media Award at their 2013 History Conference held this year in Vista, California. The award was given in recognition of their contributions to the preservation of “The History of this Region” through their publishing house, Sunbelt Publications, located in El Cajon.
The Media Award was one of several awards made during this year’s conference. The awards are given to individuals, organizations, and programs that have made significant contributions to the preservation and development of the regional history of San Diego and Imperial Counties and Baja, California, Mexico.
March 20, 2012 (San Diego)--Sarka-Jonae Miller's debut novel set in San Diego achieved what few self-published books accomplish: a spot on a best seller list. Miller's novel, Between Boyfriends, appeared on three Amazon best seller lists last month, including #9 for humorous fiction, #11 for humor ebooks and #54 for women's fiction.
To celebrate, Miller is gifting 22 copies of the Kindle version of her book that she will personalize through Authorgraph.com. The Kindle book is readable on any computer, tablet or smartphone using a free app. Winners will be selected on March 22, and also receive a download of Taylor Swift's hit song “22.”
Call for Submissions Answered by Hundreds, Exhibit Brings Exposure to Local Talent
October 8, 2012 (San Diego)--The San Diego Public Library is calling on San Diego county authors who have published books in 2012 to submit them to the 47th Annual Local Authors Exhibit. The aim of the Exhibit is to nurture writers, foster the pursuit of the writing arts and to create a great opportunity for the recognition of San Diego literary talents. The deadline for registering and submitting books is Monday, December 10, 2012. Authors may register online at www.sandiegolibrary.org.
July 21, 2013 (San Diego) – Two of Sunbelt Publications’ titles received awards from Foreword Magazine at The American Library Association Meeting in Chicago. 
“Comics can change history.” – Andrew Aidyn, coauthor
March 18, 2013 (San Diego) – The Congress of History of San Diego and Imperial Counties has named San Diego regional publishers Diana and Lowell Lindsay as the recipient of their Media Award at their 2013 History Conference held this year in Vista, California. The award was given in recognition of their contributions to the preservation of “The History of this Region” through their publishing house, Sunbelt Publications, located in El Cajon.
Call for Submissions Answered by Hundreds, Exhibit Brings Exposure to Local Talent
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