San Juan County has several new authors. Here’s the lineup:
“Reflections on Life in the San Juan Islands,” by Mary Kalbert:
Online columnist and new author Mary Kalbert will sign copies of her book, “Reflections on Life in the San Juan Islands,” May 23, 2-4 p.m., at Griffin Bay Bookstore, 155 Spring St., Friday Harbor
“Reflections on Life in the San Juan Islands” is described as a “compilation of essays extolling island living that are wistful, introspective and laugh-out-loud funny.”
Kalbert is a columnist for IslandGuardian.com. A native daughter of Greene County, Mississippi, she lives on San Juan Island with her husband, John, and the occasional cat.
“The Man and The Shark: A Modern Day Fable of Awakening and Rebirth,” by Donna P. Savage:
Donna Pritchard announces the release of her first book under the pen name Donna P. Savage, “The Man and The Shark: A Modern Day Fable of Awakening and Rebirth.”
“The Man and The Shark” is a multi-layered tale of one man’s awakening to his inner guiding voice, and a metaphor for the awakening of consciousness of mankind. Signed copies of the book are available at Islands Studio and Griffin Bay Bookstore, or online at www.donnapsavage.com.
“Donna has masterfully woven a simple yet profound tale of how the future will be won, not by learning who we are, but by remembering who we are,” said Hugh Gilbert, an author and lecturer in Alberta, Canada.
The book is illustrated with ocean and wildlife photographs (featuring a whale shark as a main character) by the author’s brother, Daryl Pritchard. This limited edition 54-page hardback book was written, designed and published by the author, an accomplishment she sent out to achieve when she left her real estate career in Friday Harbor in 2004.
Pritchard will return to Friday Harbor to promote her book this summer. She will be available to speak to clubs and groups, do book signings, and give her PowerPoint presentation, “Live Your Dreams, Find Your Purpose,” the telling of her experience of “letting go” of control to allow a dream to manifest.
To contact her, e-mail donnapsavage@live.com or call (865) 248-8463.
“Extraordinary Orcas Island,” “Luciously Lopez,” and “The Sunny San Juans,” by Steve Hussey:
Hussey, a former natural resource planner for the San Juan Island Conservation District, has authored a series of 76- and 72-page photo books about the islands, available in paperback and hardcover.
You can preview and order his books at www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/682964. E-mail stevehussey@rockisland.com. Call 376-2702.
“Coming Out, Coming Home, Making Room for Gay Spirituality in Therapy,” by Ken Burr:
Ken Burr is an ordained minister, a marriage and family therapist, and a part-time resident of Lopez Island.
His 291-page book, published by Routledge Mental Health, is based on a research project he conducted in the Seattle GLBT Community, in order to find what most helped and hindered GLBT spiritual development.
“I have been presenting seminars on this topic for five years at national conventions of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and am very pleased to see how this turned into a viable book,” Burr said. “Although the title may look like this is only a book for therapists, it really is written to provide an in-depth look at GLBT spirituality and it’s search for inclusion and can be easily read by any layman.
“My research revealed that 90 percent of the GLBT people I surveyed claim to practice some form of spirituality, and were delighted to be asked to share the stories of their journey of how they were able to integrate their spirituality and sexuality. After I had finished each interview, I felt I was standing on holy ground.”
Dr. Len Sperry, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said, “This book provides considerable information and clarity on a full range of psychological and theological issues including misconceptions about alternate sexual orientations and the so-called scriptural prohibitions against homosexuality. Counselors and therapists of all persuasions will find it an invaluable reference source. Highly recommended. “
“Potholes in Paradise,” by Joe Symons:
Stephanie Buffum Field of Friends of the San Juans says this about this Orcas Island resident’s book (210 pages, paperback):
“‘Potholes in Paradise’ is a humorous, heartfelt and at times heart-rending exploration of the people, places and ideas that comprise Orcas Island, ‘Gem of the San Juans.’ Complete and insightful, ‘Potholes in Paradise’ serves as another example of the forces that make, change and can irrevocably alter any community, giving life to Joni Mitchell’s lyric: ‘You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.’
“Written by Joe Symons, a local who has lived on Orcas for almost four decades, ‘Potholes in Paradise’ invites the reader into the life of a pristine rural island community experiencing the changes brought about by growth and technology.”
“Potholes in Paradise” is available in local bookstores and at www.centripetus.macwebsitebuilder.com/books.html
“Bobby’s Diner” a Indie Book award finalist:
“Bobby’s Diner” by Susan Wingate (Cambridge Books/Write Words Inc.) was one of 10 finalists in the General Fiction/Novel category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
“Bobby’s Diner” will be listed as a finalist in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards catalog, which will be distributed at Book Expo America in New York later this month.
A tale of tolerance and acceptance, “Bobby’s Diner” depicts a woman’s journey after the harrowing death of her husband in a town where she’s persona non grata. Local author RD Larson (“Evil Angel,” “Saving Reverend Clayton”) said “Bobby’s Diner” is “a wonderful and funny tale,” “heart-warming and realistically funny.”
Wingate is also the author of “Ravings of a Mad Gentlewoman: A Bold Collection of Writing,” and “Of the Law.”
