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| Author and Journalist Abdul Wakil Sulamal Shinwari Abdul Wakil Sulamal Shinwari was born in the Haska Maina district of Nangarhar Province in 1963. He got his elementary and secondary education in Jalalabad. He was sent for higher education to the former Soviet Union, where he obtained his master’s degree in military pedagogy. He returned to Afghanistan in 1987, working as an instructor in various military institutes of the Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan. In 1994 he worked as a journalist with the Writers Union of Free Afghanistan in Peshawar. In 1995 he quit this job and went to the Slovak Republic, later moving to the United Kingdom. Wakil Shinwari has written a number of academic, research, analytical, political, and literary essays, which have been published in various journals in and outside Afghanistan. Shinwari is fluent in Russian and Slovak, as well as being well versed in the Dari language. His mother tongue is Pashto. He has to his credit two books of short stories in Pashto, Old Castle and Fifty Million. The twelve short stories in this book were also translated into Urdu by the same translator. Nowadays he is working on his novel and a collection of dramas. His newest book consists of short stories, all about the lives of Afghan women. It has been published in Pashto and also translated into English, Urdu, and Persian.
Founder and president of TAME, Inc. Donald E. Sheffield, Ed.D. Donald E. Sheffield, Ed.D., has a B.A. from Geneva College, a master’s from Slippery Rock University, and a doctorate in higher education from Penn State University. He spent most of his career in higher education with the last twenty-six years at Penn State University until his retirement in 2002. He was former administrative assistant to Joe Paterno and Director of the Academic Support Center for Student Athletes at Penn State. Prior to retirement, he served as Director of Diversity Outreach for the Office of the Outreach and Cooperative Extension. Dr. Sheffield developed field programs to improve the multicultural education of undergraduate students for Penn State. He is the founder and president of TAME, Inc. (Techniques Assisting Motivation and Excellence), a consulting firm dedicated to cultural excellence. A resident of Beaver Falls, PA, Dr. Sheffield has three adult sons and three grandchildren.
Professional Journalist Irene Chek A member of the Russian Union of Journalists and the International Union of Journalists, Irene Chek enjoys target shooting, painting, and kayaking. She has a master’s degree in journalism and currently resides in New Jersey.
Retired Carpenter, Mason & Rotary Member Ross Minton Ross Minton was born in Loma Linda, California, and raised in Dumas, Texas, the setting for his Memories of the Boys from Dumas. A retired carpenter, Mr. Minton has been active in Carpenters Local 16, the Masonic Lodge, Rotary International, the local school board, and youth summer baseball. He and his wife of forty-two years are the proud parents of two children and grandparents of four grandsons. They presently reside in Springfield, Illinois, where Mr. Minton enjoys woodworking and collecting Coca Cola memorabilia.
Former Television Hostess Emmalee Elizabeth Robbins Having received her master of fine arts degree in theatre, Emmalee Elizabeth Robbins is a freelance artist who teaches and directs theatre, dance, and speech communication. As a member of Northeast Presbyterian Church and the Daughters of the American Colonists, she has always been associated with church, civic, and fine arts organizations. South Carolina will always be home for Emmalee, for she has lived and worked in many of the towns in her state. She is a speech instructor at the Buckley School of Public Speaking. A former television hostess, Emmalee has turned her attention to writing, performing, and storytelling. Joy and Grace are the words that come to mind when she thinks of her children and grandchildren. With Dr. Dick Goodwin, who composed the music, Emmalee wrote All Aboard The Lighthouse Learning Express (ten books) as educational tools to help Lugoff Elementary School promote character education.
Professor and Researcher Theodore I. Malinin, M.S., M.D. After graduating from the University of Virginia and completing an internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Theodore I. Malinin joined the Public Health Service and was assigned to the National Cancer Institute. For the past thirty-eight years, he has been a professor and researcher at the University of Miami. He and his wife, Dorothy, have four children. Dr. Malinin has previously published Surgery and Life, a biography of Alexis Carrel, four scientific books, and over two hundred papers in scientific journals. In his spare time, he enjoys music and the outdoors. Former Florida State Representative Robert Elrod, Didrick Through Robert Elrod’s interest in genealogy, his research revealed a story that needed to be told; Didrick is Elrod’s compilation of research, thoroughly orchestrated into a dramatic and inspiring story. Elrod received a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University. Since then, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. Elrod and his wife, Jean, live in Orlando, Florida, where he works as a Realtor. They share two children, Thomas and Deborah.
Previously Published Academic Dr. Frank Irgang, Ph.D., Beneath the Snows of Stalingrad: Betrayed by Fate Dr. Frank Irgang grew up in Lapeer, Michigan, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1955. He taught in public schools in Michigan for five years before accepting a position at San Diego State University. A professor emeritus and active member of organizations including the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, San Diego Writers and Editors Guild, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, Dr. Irgang currently resides in San Diego with his wife, Virginia, and enjoys traveling to historical sites around the world. He has published two previous books, "Etched in Purple" (1949), based on his own wartime experiences from Normandy to Berlin, and "The Wyandotte" (1997), an historical adventure of the French and Indian War.
WWII Correspondent Paul H. Pazery, Gold and Black Diamonds A native of Epsom, England, Paul H. Pazery was inspired to write Gold and Black Diamonds by his experiences as a correspondent during World War II. He is a graduate of the University of Paris and, after passing the necessary tests, succeeded in being accepted into the French diplomatic service. A retired consultant to a pharmaceutical company, he became an American citizen in 1941 and currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A widower, he and his wife, Anne Marie Leon, raised four children: Marie Paule, France, Michael, and Mark.
Test pilot and former Presidential Commission Member John C. Macidull, The Chiang Imperative Born in Philadelphia, John C. Macidull is a former accident investigator of airliners and spacecraft (Challenger Presidential Commission). Macidull obtained his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. A test pilot in jet and helicopter aircraft, he enjoys aviation, as well as history and music.
Fashion Model/Writer Norma C. Davis, Just Before Sunset (Risks and Rewards) With her purchase of a Vogue magazine in high school, Norma C. Davis began to dream of a career in fashion merchandising. She went on to earn a degree in retail/merchandising from the College of William and Mary (R.P.I.) and spent her summers modeling in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Richmond. A move to New York with her husband, after he returned from World War II service, afforded many career opportunities for Davis. She signed with the John Robert Powers modeling agency and soon learned the beaten pathways of the garment district. However, a surprise addition to the family brought her modeling life to a halt. She became a buyer’s assistant for the renowned Balch-Price Store to help finance a basement apartment in Brooklyn, where the Davis family stayed for several years. Relocating to North Carolina and pregnant again, the author realized it was impossible to continue her previous line of work. Dusting off her college resume, she decided to explore her second area of interest – history. She enrolled in night classes and eventually earned a degree in U.S. history. After a third child was born, she was ready to begin her new career. Over the next quarter century, Davis worked as a teacher and a real estate agent and they raised their three children. After they had all grown and married, Davis finally had time to write, if not fashion copy for Vogue, perhaps a novel.
Husband and Wife Team and Repeat Dorrance Authors Richard and Jackie Gridley, Royal Blood: The Well-Kept Secret Richard Gridley has a BA from the University of Minnesota and a Th. M. degree, including Greek and Hebrew, from Dallas Theological Seminary. He took two summers of intensive linguistics studies with the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma and served four and a half years as a linguistic-missionary with the Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Philippines. Since returning to the United States, he has pursued personal Bible study and has established the Sword of His Mouth Ministry in Pueblo, Colorado. He has translated from the Greek, Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, Romans, and Revelation, and has written complete expositions of the latter two books. He has also done extensive work in Bible interpretation. Jackie Gridley has a BS degree with a behavioral science major and a minor in psychology from S.C.S.C. (University of Southern Colorado). She has been a practicing nurse and served twenty-four years as a social worker for Pueblo County Social Services. She has written short stories and poetry and is now working with Richard in the Sword of His Mouth Ministry, composing books and doing radio Bible teaching. They have co-authored The Song above All Songs (Dorrance Publishing, 2001), to which Royal Blood, The Well-Kept Secret is the sequel.
Married/divorced/widowed/mother/grandmother/business woman Kiki Hays Faktor, My Journey to Serenity: Learning to Set Responsible Boundaries The diverse vignettes learned through trudging the road from chaos to serenity compelled Kiki Hays Faktor to share, with honest dialogue, humor, and compassion with the readers of My Journey to Serenity. Ms. Faktor is a California resident and attended Westlake School, the University of Southern California, and the Chouinard Art Institute. She is an accomplished artist, writer, and an avid reader. Married/divorced/widowed/mother/grandmother/business woman, she has experienced life to it’s fullest and her insights will take you places many fear to tread. Visit the author’s website, www.girltalkwithKiki.com or contact her at talkwithKiki@mindspring.com Ask Kiki Faktor what her bottom line is and, with a wink and a smile, she will reply, "Don’t worry, don’t hurry, and remember ‘No’ is a complete sentence."
International Interpreter Adina Mantchik Cherkin, A Collection of Terse Verse & Oodles of Doodles Adina Mantchik Cherkin was born in Geneva, Switzerland to Russian parents. In 1940 she emigrated with her family to the United States and settled in Los Angeles. Two years later, after having completed her pre-medical studies at UCLA, she was offered a job as a multi-lingual censor in Washington, DC. While in the Capitol, she was invited by the Roosevelts to have dinner at the White House, and Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for her to be interviewed for several government positions. However, instead of pursuing a career, she married Arthur Cherkin, a biochemist in the pharmaceutical field. They had two children, Della and Daniel, and five grandchildren. While raising her family, Adina acted as an interpreter in French, English, German, and Russian for Baxter Laboratories, Walt Disney Studios, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, and as a science translator for UCLA Medical School. Moreover, she occasionally took up acting in stage and radio productions. She was also involved in political campaigns. After her children left the nest, Adina returned to UCLA where she earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Russian linguistics and literature. In 1973, after her father’s passing, she took over his leadership of the Herz Mantchik Amity Circle, a cultural forum for Jewish studies. This subsequently earned her a Los Angeles City Council "Award for Contributions to the Community." Some of Adina’s poetry, mostly medical satire, has been published at the California Institute of Technology, University of Michigan Press, and others. A Collection of Terse Verse & Oodles of Doodles is her first book.
U.S.A.F Engineer of the Year H.J. Gall, Even Better than Store-Bought Donuts He has had an illustrious career as an engineer. He began his extensive training at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was graduated with a bachelor of science engineering. He also holds a military science degree from the University of Maryland, as well as masters of science and masters of business administration degrees from the U.S.A.F. Institute of Technology. He had the honor of being named U.S.A.F. Engineer of the Year, has received four U.S.A.F. Commendation Medals for Technical Excellence and was awarded the Silver Snoopy Award from N.A.S.A. Adding to his contributions to the field of engineering, he is an active member in the following societies: Registered Professional Engineers, New York Academy of Science, American Military Engineers, National Association of Corrosion Engineers, American Railway Engineering Association and Society of Senior Aerospace Executives. He has enjoyed sharing his accomplishments with his wife, Helene, and their children: Gary and Allen.
Accredited Counselor Leticia S. Isidro-Clancy, Exploring the Roots of Your Marriage: Understanding the Influence of the Family of Origin Leticia S. Isidro-Clancy is a native of the Philippines who now works for the Department of Defense Army Substance Abuse Program as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Ms. Isidro-Clancy received her Master of Arts degree in Counseling from New York University. She is a member of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals; the New Jersey Association of A/D Counselors; and the European Branch of the American Counseling Association.
Award-winning Mom Deborah G. Ezell, Tongues of Fire: A Book about the Holy Spirit A minister and mother, Deborah G. Ezell spent her formative years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was baptized at Greater Union Baptist Church. As an adult, the author became a born again Christian in 1987 and heard her call to the ministry some twelve years later, at Gospel Tabernacle Church in Dallas, Texas, where she now resides. Ms. Ezell began her professional writing career as a technical writer at a Plano-based company more than seventeen years ago. Ms. Ezell received a BA in English from California State College in Bakersfield. She holds several awards in her field including The National Library of Poetry for a couple of poems she wrote in 1993 and 1994. In 1996 and 2000, she was nominated for a place in Who’s Who of American Women. Currently the author splits her time between various creative endeavors such as developing workshops and composing gospel music, attending to her ministry, and spending time with her three children and three grandchildren. Ms. Ezell recently completed a screenplay and is now working on her next book.
Noted Greeting Card Writer M. LaVora Perry, Taneesha's Treasures of the Heart LaVora has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Cleveland State University. In 1995 she became American Greetings Corporation's® (AG's) first African-American staff greeting card writer. Since then her writing has appeared on gift items in six countries and on three continents. She was the lead editorial conceptor for AG's innovative In Rhythm card line. While at AG she earned Creative Excellence awards in the years 1999 and 2000. Presently, LaVora writes a monthly column for "Friends for Peace," which is the children's section of the nationally distributed World Tribune weekly Buddhist newspaper. For more information about her, addtional reviews of Taneesha's Treasures of the Heart and articles on Buddhism for children and adults, visit her Web Site- www.fortunechildbooks.com
Child Writer Star Erian Shannon, Erian’s Friend Jeremiah the Owl Star Erian Shannon was ten years old when she wrote this book and was in Mrs. Flint’s homeroom and went to Mrs. Berman’s reading class when she was attending school. She got ideas for this book by listening to and reading other stories.
Internationally known former model Eileen Glasco, Carousel of Dreams: The World through the Eyes of Children Eileen Glasco is a native of Liverpool, England. She immigrated to New Zealand and later lived in Queensland and Tasmania, Australia. Meeting her husband, Roy, in Auckland while he was stationed on an American submarine in the Pacific, she moved with him to California and then to Hawaii, where she worked for a major cosmetic company. When they moved to Japan, Ms. Glasco continued working with the same company; she also modeled at the Tokyo Hilton introducing a new fragrance line. Now living in Florida, the author has continued to work, most recently in the travel industry. She also enjoys painting and crafts and is learning to play the violin. Ms. Glasco is inspired to experience the childhood she lost to World War II through the eyes of her grandchildren.
Top Corporate Executive Dr. Michael Shen, How to do Business in China Michael Shen is the president of American Rising Dragon Consultants, Inc., in Los Angeles (www.americanrisingdragon.com or www.howtodobusinessinchina.com). Before that, he was a senior executive at AT&T, Lucent, and Hewlett-Packard. Dr. Shen ran AT&T’s Switching Joint Venture in China, bringing the company’s sales from a zero base to $187 million in just five years. Dr. Shen also served as Vice President, China Product Marketing, with full profit/loss responsibilities, for Lucent Switching Business Unit in the U.S., and as General Manager for Hewlett-Packard’s BPC (Business PC) China. Now, he serves as a management consultant for companies that plan to enter or to grow the China market. Dr. Shen has a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from National Taiwan University, a Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Health Conscious Grandmother Teresa Thompson, Grandma’s Back to Basics All Natural More than Just a Cookbook Teresa Thompson was born in Metamora, Ohio, the third of eleven children. As a result, the author’s loving of cooking began at an early age. Having suffered from food allergies for many years, Ms. Thompson was inspired to share her experiences and recipes. A resident of Michigan since the 1950s, Thompson has been an active member of the Elks auxiliary and the Kiwanis Club. She and her husband enjoy traveling and have visited all fifty states, six Canadian provinces, and several regions of Central and South America.
Movie Expert Bob Polunsky, Bob Polunsky’s Flicker Footnotes A lifelong Texan, Bob Polunsky and his wife, Paulina, live in the same house in which they raised their three daughters to adulthood. Bob was the first member of his family to enter the "media" end of show business. His father, Maurice, was a clothing merchant; his mother, Ethel, was concertmaster for the San Antonio Symphony before she married. His oldest daughter, Julianne, was a commercial photographer, touring the world to take pictures for Time, Newsweek, and other major publications. Interested in family, she traced her mother’s forebears to 1044 Scotland, and her father’s to 1700 Russian-occupied Poland. She donated all her data – pictures, books, research – to the University of Texas Family Archive Center in Austin, where everything is currently on display. Bob Polunsky has donated all his movie research books, videos, pictures, and scripts to the University of Texas San Antonio Library. The donation was made in memory of Julianne, who died of cancer in 1998 at the age of thirty-six.
Corporate Female Executive Teresa Saucedo-Artino, Football for Females: The Women’s Survival Guide to the Football Season Enduring twenty-plus years of watching live, taped, replays, and highlights of professional, college, high school, and Pop Warner football, Teresa Saucedo-Artino was prompted to write Football for Females: The Women’s Survival Guide to the Football Season. As the only female in a house of four males, Saucedo-Artino’s choices were simple: watch the game and be clueless; live a lonely life; or learn the game. She is hopeful her work will bring other women back into the living room with their men soon! A lifelong resident of Rolling Hills Estates, California, who holds a MBA in finance and a CPA, Saucedo-Artino is the COO/CFO of a high-tech information technology company. A member of Women in Technology International and former president of the Palos Verdes Little League, she enjoys gardening, knitting, sewing, and quilting, as well as spending time watching football with the men in her life.
Noted Scientist and Businessman Yang Oh and Gil Ho Kim, Miracle Molecular Structure of Water: Human Body Loves Hexagonal Water A native of Korea, Dr. Yang H. Oh holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard Medical School. He is retired from a professorship at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is currently Director General of his own YHO Bio-Science R/D Center in Houston and also in Korea. A businessman and researched who was educated at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Gil Ho Kim has served as vice chairman of the Korea Water Purifier Industrial Association. Also a native of Korea, he has worked with the National Association for Scientists and Engineers of Korea and the Korean Association for the advancement of sciences.
Sixth Degree Black Belt Mal Perkins, Hey God—Are you Really Really up There? Mal Perkins published his very first novel, So Help Me Elmer, in 1990. Mal, the author, graduated from Atlantic City High School, Franklin and Marshall College, and Dickinson Law School, where he received his Juris Doctorate degree. He entered the Army, served his country with honor in Vietnam, and had a son, Ryan, with whom he shares a rare bond. He is a sixth-degree black belt in Karate, which he received from his teacher and mentor Richard Sand of Philadelphia. With his longtime partner and friend Bob Myers, they co-own the Ninja Karate Academy in Ventor, NJ. Mal lives each day enjoying his son Ryan, and spreading warmth and love to his students.
Award Winning Writer and Inventor Carolyn Irby, The Magic Christmas Tree Carolyn Irby is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, where she is an active member of Big Sisters and Partners for Youth, an organization for disabled children. Carolyn is self-employed with Starbird Gift Items, practicing her skills in ceramics, dress designing, sketching, watercolors, oil and acrylic painting, doll making, musical pillows, and handmade music boxes. She is also an inventor and has six inventions of the internet. In addition to her varied philanthropic efforts and business pursuits, Carolyn has worked in films and theater. She also has performed as vocalist at the Boutwell Music Hall in Birmingham and with the Very Special Arts at the John F. Kennedy Center. She has received a second-place award in the Writer’s Digest horror story contest; and a first-place award for poetry and third-place award for oil painting with the Malden Artist’s Guild. Her studies include the K.M. School of Acting, the John Robert Powers School, and the School of Museum Fine Arts, all in Boston, Massachusetts; and the Institute of Children’s Literature in West Redding, Connecticut. Ms. Irby also has completed a correspondence course in clothing design. In her spare time, she enjoys karaoke, playing the electric organ, boating and snow skiing. | |
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