To be included on the Authors page, your book must have been published within the last year. Send the author’s name; their chapter letter(s), city, state/province/district; the title of the book; a brief, objective synopsis of the book and a photo of the cover of the book or of the author to: editor@peodsm.org  Authors are published in the order in which they are received and new authors are added in conjunction with the release of new issues of The Record. 

Kathy Bostrom, XX, Carlsbad, California, wrote “Daddy, Tell Me a Story,” a silly picture book that celebrates the special bond between fathers and daughters with a tale of a bedtime story gone awry.

Virginia Franklin Campbell, EL, Colorado Springs, Colorado, wrote “Your Likeness of Me is True,”the story of a young woman, who defied all odds and won the commission to carve the statue of Abraham Lincoln which stand in the United States Capitol Rotunda. Written for young people ages 12 – 16.

Donna Sullivan, FJ, Montrose, Colorado, wrote a chapter in medical textbook “Diagnosis and Treatment of Fungal Infections: Second Edition.” The chapter describes the classification of new species of the fungal genus Blastomyces, their epidemiology, clinical disease presentations, and treatment. It is primarily of interest to infectious diseases specialists.

Mary McQueen Porter, T, Birmingham, Alabama, wrote “A Life Recollected in Prose.”  This memoir gives an account of the author’s life from birth in 1943 until early adulthood and offers reflections on both her life and her predecessors’ lives It is grounded in stories of her ancestors (Porters, Finleys, Albes, Schneebergers, Murfees, Owens, and Smiths) and her memories of grandparents and extended family. The author reflects on the the following: the impact of war (especially World War II), her call to ministry and decision to pursue ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.). She alludes to issues of race, slavery, Jim Crow, and civil rights in Birmingham and the South and reflects on how she is different at age 80 from how she was as an adolescent.

Ruth Buys (writing as C.V. Alba), AY, Charlottesville, Virginia, wrote “e-llegal commerce,” which won a Bronze Medal from the 2024 Global Book Awards for crime fiction.

Computer whiz Mat Briscoe is looking for a new start to escape a disappointing love affair and a stagnant career. A big city seems the perfect answer, a chance to start fresh and forget in the high-tech business world of the 1990s..

Hired to replace someone who was killed in the office she now occupies, Mat has questions but they are met with silence, evasive answers and hostility. She shares her curiosity with Zorah, her housemate and a struggling artist who paints at night and is fascinated with the supernatural.

Greg, the owner of the Victorian house she shares with Zorah and Mat’s love interest, wonders about her sanity. When Zorah is kidnapped and another body turns up, Mat realizes someone has heard her and is willing to do anything to stop her.

As she pieces together the clues, she uncovers a network of drug dealers, questionable business practices, and surprising links to her own past. But who is behind it? The brilliant technical expert with a personality problem? Her old flame Curt? Zorah’s close friend? And what are they trying to hide?

Susan Coryell, O, Clemson, South Carolina, wrote “EABLEBAIT,” a young adult anti-bully novel that is a valuable resource for parents, teachers, counselors and all who work with youth. Susan’s book won both The International Reading Association’s “Young Adult Choice,” and The NY Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age” awards.

Wardy Spinks has been a loser for as long as he can remember. Freshman year in high school Wardy becomes the victim of malicious bullying. Eventually his life begins to change. A charismatic science teacher becomes his mentor. Then, quiet Meg seems friendly. And Big Vi takes on a life of her own. Wardy discovers his attitude makes a difference in how he’s treated. If Wardy doesn’t feel like a loser, maybe he won’t be one.

Valerie Barnes Lipscomb, IY, Bradenton, Florida, is lead editor of the “Palgrave Handbook of Literature and Aging.” Valerie is a 2002 P.E.O. Scholar Award recipient. This volume offers a comprehensive survey of the growing field of literary age studies and points to new directions in research. The project involved more than 30 scholars from three continents contributing 200,000 words of new scholarship.

Gayle Westerberg, IB, Dillon, Colorado, co-wrote A Educator’s Guide to Dual Language Instruction” with Leslie Davison.

Patrica Dey Cuendet, KL, Carbondale, Illinois, wrote “The Ghost in the Garden.”

Denise Benny, JE, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, wrote and illustrated “Do You Gnome the Alphabet?”a book to uplift, encourage and nurture a love of reading in little ones. The book is 9×12”, has sturdy pages and wipeable covers, designed for little fingers.  It can be used to teach not just the alphabet, but counting, printing in upper and lowercase, spelling, body parts, colors, concepts like friendship, and feelings that maybe the child can only express to a gnome.

Mary Ann Kennerly Clinton, K, Lincoln, Nebraska, wrote her memoir “Not Your Average Tidewater Girl.” Mary Ann contracted polio at age six, and spent the rest of her life in braces, on crutches, and in wheelchairs. At age 81, Mary Ann released this collection of her writings, and through the pages of the book, her life as teenager, college student, wife, mother, and grandmother unfolds. Told early on that she would never bear children, Mary Ann defied her doctors’ predictions. She delivered a son who would become an internationally recognized pianist and college professor.

At age six and a half, Mary Ann Kennerly Clinton contracted polio. From that day on, braces, crutches, wheelchairs, and scooters defined her existence. But they could not define Mary Ann. Resilience, determination, pluck, and good humor define the girl who at age 81 has recorded her life’s journey as a polio survivor. To this day she will still challenge you to a race. Why? Well, Mary Ann just loves the feel of the wind in her hair.

In this collection of memories across eight decades, Mary Ann describes the peaks and valleys of life in a wheelchair.

Julie Johnson, GT, Beverly Hills, California, wrote “Stop and Smell the Daisies: Blooming in Belonging: Meditations on Mindful Living.” “Stop and Smell the Daisies” encourages readers to notice the magic around you. Let these meditations, intentions and practices bloom in your life, dig into the possibilities, and root your life in the things that matter most to you.
Geared to be savored, each meditation encourages you to embrace your turth, build on your resiliency, and infuse your life with intention. This book can be used as a daily meditation, flipped open at random for inspiration, or even used to center a group before a meeting. Whether used as adults for ourselves or as a teaching aid for young adults, it holds simple truths and words to live by, making it both accessible and aspirational.

Beth Thompson, NS, Naperville, Illinois, wrote “Shasta.” The Shasta daisy, a commonly grown perennial flower, blooms year after year, symbolizing hope and renewal. Its simple yet delicate appearance embodies a gorgeous duality: the resilience and fragility of life, which reminds us that great beauty often resides in the simplest of moments.

“Shasta” is a collection of poems that remind us of how we can change the world for the better, starting with self-reflection and ending in bold, brave, vulnerable action. Through poetic exploration, these verses encourage us to blossom anew, turn our faces towards the sun, and impact the world around us with strength and hope.

Joanne Dodds, GO, Pueblo, Colorado, wrote “It Was a Dark & Scary Time: COVID-19 in Pueblo, Colorado.” COVID-19 pandemic changed our world.  It was also an historic event that needs to be recorded to help the survivors process what they experienced and to think about the world we are responsible for creating.

This book is historian Joanne Dodds’ attempt to record how Pueblo, Colorado, and its citizens responded to the pandemic.  Its four sections include general pandemic information including a glimpse into the Command Center that directed the community’s response to COVID-19, 100 interviews recording the experiences and contributions of various citizens and how they coped, newspaper coverage, and copies of original documents illustrating the complexity that officials faced while trying to take care of Colorado’s citizens.  It’s like a COVID diary!

Paula Clinedinst, DC, Denver, Colorado, and Cottey alumna, wrote children’s book “Chinook Dreams of Butterflies,”a story about a dreamy young horse who chases a butterfly, only to get lost in a wild storm. Thanks to the butterflies who give her hope, and the people who give her comfort, Chinook learns the valuable lesson that home and happiness really are wherever the heart is.

Robyn Wilson, Chapter FW, Naples, Florida, wrote “American Mah Jongg 2024 The Analysis.”

Would you like to be a better player and win more often? Would you like to know what hands your opponents are playing? This book will show you how to do both along with many other winning strategies.

The Analysis is for intermediate and advanced players and analyzes hands from the National Mah Jongg League’s 2024 Official Card. This novel strategy is based on grouping like-numbered tiles together to determine whether the tiles are the same, touching, or skipped numbers and whether the numbers are in the same or in different suits. It will elevate your decision-making skills so that you can:

• Determine what hand opponents are developing by their tile exposures.
• Decide which hands to pursue during and after completion of the Charleston.
• Learn how and when to pivot to an alternate hand.
• Know when and when not to expose tiles.
• Know when and when not to discard tiles.

Alycia Christine Sears (writing as Alycia Christine), HE, Rockwall, Texas, wrote “Fireforger, Book 3 of the Sylvan Cycle.”
The full moon revealed her true form. Now she must reshape his destiny.
To save what is left of their world, Katja and her packmates must destroy the vampire High Elder Luther before he can discover the secret of divinity. This requires the packmates to hunt down the remaining eight Keystones, but they are not the only ones seeking them.

During the hunt, the vampire Daeryn offers Katja an exchange: the packmates’ Keystones for two of their imprisoned companions. Whether she denies or appeases him, Katja risks losing her friends, the war, and the realm.

As conflict roars across their world, a holy prophecy whispers hope within the shadows. But being obedient to that prophecy means allying with the very enemy who threatens every freedom the packmates still hold. Can Katja and her packmates give voice to one last hope, or will the vampires finally silence freedom’s cry forever?