Letters
Having lived all over the world with her Air Force fighter pilot husband, Anne considers the Philippine Islands and Hawaii her favorite places. She learned Asian cooking, oil painting, cake decorating, snow skiing, and played lots of bridge when she was not involved with her children. Anne’s writing talent enabled her to become Editor of the Officers' Wives' Club magazine at Perrin Air Force Base, Sherman-Denison, Texas. No matter where Anne traveled, she was always reading and writing, and poetry was her first love. She is a member of the Florida State Poets Association, Inc., National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Cape Canaveral Chapter of the National League of the American Pen Women, Florida Historical Society, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation, the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is a former board member of the Space Coast Writers’ Guild. Anne has written and published five historical fiction books for young adults which are set in the wilds of early Florida, especially during the chaotic time of the Civil War. Her Pine Haven trilogy so fascinated her readers, she added two more books to the series. Anne especially enjoyed dressing in period costume and presenting programs to the fourth graders in School. Her latest books, Angel’s True Love, Florida Fever, Sinful Love, Feeling the Love, and Endearing Love are historical love stories for older readers, set in Florida, of course. Anne has written ten books in ten years. Visit her website: www.annebonner.com
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Marion writes books for children, mostly nonfiction books about Hawaii’s natural history. Her books are widely used as resources by children in grades four through high school. Kolea, Marion’s third book, won the 1999 Hawaii Book Publishers Association Ka Palapala Po‘okela award for excellence in children’s literature, and The Hawaiian Bat ʻŌpeʻapeʻa received honorable mention for the same award in 2005. Marion is also a manuscript reviewer and freelance editor and has edited more than 30 books for children and adults. Marion grew up on the Jersey shore and graduated from Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. As a Coast Guard wife, she moved around the country for 26 years, teaching elementary school and working in various other areas of education, including Director of Education at Mystic Marinelife Aquarium in Mystic Connecticut, Teacher Trainer and Consultant for Kamehameha Schools O‘ahu, and Instructor of Education at University of Hawai‘i Mānoa. During the 33 years Marion lived in Hawai‘i, she joined forces with a University of Hawaii English professor and local businessman to create a popular and successful read-aloud program (RAP) that engaged parents and children throughout the islands. (see http://www.readaloudamerica.org) Marion’s seven books for children are Nēnē, Honu, Kōlea, ‘Ope‘ape‘a,The Hawaiian Bat, and Hawaii’s Animals Do the Most Amazing Things (University of Hawai‘i Press); Finding Joy (Boyds Mills Press), and Wild Beach (Finney Publishers). All her books are available at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. Visit Marion on her website: http://www.marioncoste.com.
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Mia is an author, journalist, and book editor. Her clients include many talented Pen Women including Anna Flowers, Rosemary Brofos, Marcy Von Kohorn, Paulette Cooper, Rosemary Dronchi, French poet Anne-Marie Derouault, and Kay Williamson. Non-Pen Women clients include Canadian author Julie Copp, Gene Davis, Marshall Frank, Bill Hahn, Florida Tech professor John Lavelle, columnist Marilyn Cohen Shapiro, and Susann Elizabeth Richards. Mia started out writing as Mia Maxam, with five Silhouette romance novels to her credit. Her romance novels have been translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Japanese. Her most recent novel is Last Stop Paradise, available on Amazon as a Kindle book and paperback co-written by Mia Crews and Karlene Conroy. Between writing novels, Mia worked as a newspaper correspondent, business writer, and college teacher. She also lectures on how to format a book as a paperback and Kindle for Kindle Direct Publishing. Mia has been active in the Brevard County, Florida community, having served as a volunteer Victim Advocate for the State Attorney’s office, served on the Malabar Schoolhouse Preservation Committee, and is one of the original founders and past president of the SpacecoasT Authors of Romance (STAR). She has served as President, Vice President and Treasurer for the Cape Canaveral Branch of the NLAPW. She recently served as second vice president and parliamentarian for the Florida State Pen Women. She was named Florida’s Pen Woman of the Year, 2007-8. Mia graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with a degree in Mathematics. She also studied graphic design and uses her artistic talents to create book covers for clients. She and her husband Phil Crews have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.
Art, Letters
Mary is a freelance writer, illustrator and artist, and former kindergarten and elementary school teacher. She wrote and illustrated three Happy Hat books for Teacher Created Materials, Making Hallelujah Hats for Paulist Press, Little Hands—Create! for Williamson Publishing, Snipper Critters for Maupin House, Children Discover the Mass and Hands-On Faith for Ave Maria Press. Though out of print, there is still limited availability on Amazon.com. Her Celebrating Poetry That Fits in Your Pocket books, When Magic Helps Us Steer, Happy Birthday-Florida! and Critters Are Cool are all available on Amazon.com. Her picture book introducing Ambrose Ant will be available soon. Besides Pen Women, she is a member of the Space Coast Writers’ Guild, President of the Central Florida Watercolor Society, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Arts and Letters) and the Florida Reading Association. Mary is the past president of the Cape Canaveral PenWomen, an office she shared with Toni DiRocco. You may find Mary online at her blogspot where she shares tips on creating crafts for children and adults alike. To follow Mary, check out her site at marydallcreates.blogspot.com. Her website is: http://www.mddall.com.
Letters
Anne-Marie was born and raised in Paris, France. Currently a resident of Brevard County, she has lived in Florida for almost 20 years. Her love of writing started at a young age, however life called her to other endeavors as an executive in the computer industry with a PhD in Mathematics and a degree in Psychology. She later founded Emergence Resources LLC to offer consulting and coaching internationally on leadership, communication, and stress reduction. In addition to extensive traveling to Europe and Asia, she has a lifelong passion for mindfulness and yoga. She is certified in Integrative Relaxation and Conscious Eating and is a registered teacher with the USA Yoga Alliance. Anne-Marie has had a daily practice of stream of consciousness journaling for many years. She writes free verse poetry in French and in English, as well as haikus and short stories, inspired by her love of travel, nature and human beings. She published a bilingual collection of her poetry in 2018: While The Poem Lasts – Le temps d’un poème. Two of her poems, Kerala Sunset Cruise and Places, were published in the 2018 Brevard Driftwood XXXVII anthology. She a member of the Brevard Authors Society, Space Coast Writers Guild, and Brevard Scribblers. Anne-Marie self-published a series of short Conscious Eating handbooks: Enhance your life-force with living foods; The anti-aging raw diet; Where to get high quality plant protein for strength and well being; and Living tastes from around the world. She also created two Relaxation CDs, Letting Go and Harmony with Food.
Allied Art
Pam grew up in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states and made her way to the beautiful, sunny space coast in 1974. Pam had a successful career as a Materials Management executive and was responsible for production planning and scheduling, $100,000,000 in purchases, $20,000,000 in inventory, and a staff of 55 employees. While advancing her career in materials management, Pam earned her Bachelor of Professional Studies from Barry University and her MBA from Florida Institute of Technology. She and her husband, Darrell, were avid boaters and fishermen for many years. They spent as much time as work would allow enjoying the Florida and Bahamian coastal waters. Pam combined her love of the outdoors and her creative nature to become a jewelry artist in 2005. Following their retirement, Pam and Darrell traded boating for the RV lifestyle. They have enjoyed seasonal traveling around the country and have especially enjoyed visiting and photographing many of the national parks. When not traveling, they reside near their children and three of their five grandchildren in Melbourne Beach. Retirement has afforded Pam more time to create her jewelry pieces that reflect her love of the ocean and the outdoors. She founded her business, Creative Designs by Pam, in 2011. She individually designs and handcrafts all of her unique jewelry items. Many of her materials are found during her travels. In 2019, she participated in a mission trip to Uganda and purchased hand-made paper beads from local artisans. She incorporates these paper beads along with freshwater pearls, shells, and stones into one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. Pam’s jewelry reflects her love of the ocean and the outdoors. Examples of her work can be seen on her Facebook page, Creative Designs by Pam and on her website https://www.creativedesignsbypam.com/
Art, Letters
Luanne is an energetic and creative actress, artist, author, poet, acting coach, and CEO of Theatre Techniques for Executives, a firm that teaches fortune-500 companies her scientific methodology and protocol of dynamic public speaking, presentations, and leadership workshops. She brings vast experience from theater and film to the boardroom and the corporate world in the form of a profound training program called Peak Dynamics. Her company has been featured in national magazines and newspapers nationwide. She started out as a commercial artist receiving awards that eventually promoted her to Art Director of a leading Advertising Agency in Toledo, Ohio. As an author, Luanne received several honors for her short story and poetry awarded by the NLAPW-FSC and has earned kudos for her novel, Thief of Innocence, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Booklogix. She creates her award winning art in watercolor, photography, oil, acrylics, pen and ink, clay sculpture, and Faberge-style egg decorating and jewelry. Commissioned by the International Egg Commission, she created a Faberge-style award for the First Lady in 2009 that will be in their future Library. Luanne judges art shows and travels nationally as a keynote speaker and also speaks on the subject of Master Craftsman, Carl Fabergé and Faberge-style EggArt and its development into present-day egg artistry. She served as 2nd Vice President of the Florida State Association of the National League of American Pen Women (FSA/NLAPW) and has served as Past President and Vice President of The EggArt Guild of Georgia (EGG) and as a Board member of the National League of American Pen Women-Atlanta (NLAPW-Atlanta) and Women in Film & TV-Atlanta. (WIFTA) Luanne is finishing the sequel to her novel and enjoys the Florida sunshine with her husband in Viera, Florida
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Kathryn has been writing since she was a child. Her first book was Mr. Polka Dot, created, with pictures for her siblings who had chicken pox. Her first published book is Beyond the Fine Line, an Anthology of Short Stories and Poems. Three of the plays she has written have been performed by Playwrights Workshop at the Surfside Playhouse. She has acted in two plays at Surfside and has film credits for being an extra in The Model, a short than was featured in the Brevard International Film Festival. Also, she served as the First Vice President for the Cape Canaveral Pen Women and Communication Vice President for The Brevard Author's Society.
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Anna is an award-winning author of six true crime books. She has been an active member of NLAPW since 1993, the year her first book Blind Fury, about serial killer Gerald Stano, was published by Kensington, NY. It received seven mass media printings and was a True Crime Book Club selection in hardback. Bound to Die, (Kensington, NY, 1995) about Tampa Bay serial killer Bobby Joe Long, also received multiple mass media printings, was distributed world-wide, and was a major book club selection. It was republished in 2017, shortly before Long’s execution. Anna appeared in five nationally televised documentaries on this case. In 2000 she wrote Murder at Wayside Antiques about a double homicide in an antique shop north of Ocala. The shop is now under new management, and this book has again become a continual seller in their book store. Wanton Woman, sub titled Sue Logue, Strom Thurmond and the Bloody Logue Timmerman Feud, was written in 2007, and was revised in 2015 under the title of Vengeance at Meeting Street. Among her awards during a successful crime writing career, she is very proud to have received the Florida Pen Woman of the Year Award in 2013.
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Cynthia has over 30 years of personal writing experience - including 15 years as an industry trade editorial reporter - before embarking on a professional freelance career in 2020. In a few short months, she's amassed close to 100 bylines in a local weekly and is a contributing photographer. Two of her poems have been published in the anthology Horizons (November 2022), available on amazon.com, and her first book, The Happy Muse, will be published before the end of the year (2022). 2022 has proven a most ambitious year, which has witnessed Mrs. Hall commence her editing career. To date, she has edited various pieces in both fiction and nonfiction, including Spanish translations. Personal projects are always on the horizon, with three books in line for publication in 2023: Diary of a Dual Nature (poems and prose, volume 1 of 2), Spring Has Sprung in Springville (children's book), and her first novel Hope Springs Eternal. These titles will soon be available for purchase on Mrs. Hall's professional website, cynthiamhall.com and amazon.com. When not updating her ongoing portfolio and managing her blog, also titled The Happy Muse, Ms. Hall enjoys various creative and personal pursuits. These include singing, dancing, painting, crafting, hiking, road trips, and epicurean diversions. She shares these hobbies with her husband of 26 years and her adult children (25, 20). Ever the collaborator, Ms. Hall is an active member of the National League of American Pen Women, the Space Coast Writers Guild, and Inspire Writers' Center.
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Barbara of Melbourne, Florida, holds a B.A. in English from Trinity College in Burlington, Vermont, an M.A. in English from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and an M.S. in Gerontology from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire. She taught High School Literature and Creative Writing in Connecticut for ten years, serving as Chair of the English Department for two of those years. She initiated and mentored the school’s first literary magazine and also taught Creative Writing for an Adult Education Program. Her second career was spent working with elders at an Area Agency on Aging in Vermont. She moved from Case Worker, to Public Relations Director, to Director of Community Development. Barbara was the Interim Executive Director when she retired after thirty years with the agency. During this time, she wrote over 4500 weekly columns centering on aging issues, resources and opportunities for two daily newspapers in Vermont and taught Gerontology classes at Vermont Community College. Barbara and a colleague owned a company, Elder Concepts, which provided seminars and consultation to businesses and community groups. Additionally, Barbara co-authored a book about the very early history of the state of Vermont titled Vermont, Wilderness to Statehood, 1748 -1791. It was published by Academy Books in 1989. Since retiring, she has been writing poetry and creating watercolor and oil paintings. Her poetry has been published in the Pen Woman Magazine, and on the blog, and in several Brevard County anthologies including Driftwood, Perseverance, Friends, Change and Florida. She has a poem in the 2020 Mountain Troubadour, a publication of the Poetry Society of Vermont and won first prize for her poem, After, in the 2019 Brevard Poetry Contest. Barbara resides in Melbourne with her husband, and is a member of Space Coast Writers’ Guild, Scribblers of Brevard, Florida Writers Association, National League of American Pen Women and the Poetry Society of Vermont. She enjoys writing, painting, reading and travel.
Art
The art of Joan can be seen throughout the country in corporate and private collections. She is a skilled portrait artist, designer, and muralist. Her work has been seen on national TV and in newspapers. Joan's creativity has been shown in museum exhibit design, theater set design, murals, and in stunning large abstract artwork. As an inspiring art teacher in public school and community college, she led students to award status and scholarships. She was awarded Teacher of the Year. She has worked in radio, as a professional model, airline hostess, and drama instructor. Joan was Art Director at the Brevard Museum of History in Cocoa where she interfaced with the Smithsonian for the Seeds of Change Exhibit in Cocoa. Additionally, as Project Director for the Windover Exhibit at the Museum, Joan had extensive consultation with the archaeologists and scientists involved in the discovery of the 7,000+ year-old burial site where the discovery of DNA in the remains of the ancient people was intact due to exclusion of oxygen in the burial peat bog. This became a world-wide wonder. She was in her element as a muralist, and researcher of information, finding experts in reproduction for the exhibit to reveal the unbelievable intelligence, remarkable varied weaving techniques, tool-making abilities, and persevering character of the ancient community in their loving care of their physically compromised people. Joan enjoys classical music, jazz, reading history of church fathers, and biographies. She explores genealogy, creative writing and loves to learn.
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A farm girl from Northeastern Pennsylvania, Patricia received her BS in education from Mansfield State College, Mansfield, Pennsylvania and her MA in education from Hunter College of the City University of New York. She then continued advanced studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, Patricia spent thirty plus years in the field of education. As an elementary teacher, she taught kindergarten through fourth grade in the Ridgewood Public Schools, Ridgewood, New Jersey. She became a staff developer and led many workshops on reading and writing for teachers. Creating and developing new programs for students and teachers were her passions as well as writing. She initiated “Lunchtime Reading,” a program where students were treated to stories while eating lunch read by voluntary parents and teachers. Her interest in writing resulted in being co-founder and editor of a literary magazine for kids called KidsWrite. Kids submitted their stories and poems and Patricia edited them for publication. Near the end of her teaching career, she became Project Manager for Ridgewood Public School Publications, Ridgewood, NJ. These publications may be found on the Educator’s Publishing Service website, Cambridge, Massachusetts. After moving to Florida, she has devoted more time to her passion, writing non-fiction and in particular, memoir. Her first book was published last fall. It is titled Teacher and Student Solve the Puzzle, Dyslexia. She is currently working on her next book about loss. Her goals are: to continue writing, to get into the public schools and offer writing workshops for kids, and to improve the national narrative about police officers. You may contact Patricia at her email (writeplane@hotmail.com) or her cell (845 300-3391).
Art
Growing up in Alaska with a Yupik Eskimo mother and a bush pilot father gave fiber artist Kathy Murphy-Childs daily access to the beautiful and rustic scenery of the state. The deep scarlet red of spawning sockeye salmon, the rich moss greens of the tundra on a rainy day and the rough and cracked gray-brown of an old spruce tree were the inspiration that she has carried through the years. After earning a BA degree in English Kathy did everything from coaching a college debate team, to opening and running an employment agency, to grant writing for a food bank. But in 2010 she found her true passion when she discovered fiber art. Natural fibers would be her canvas for sharing the colors and textures remembered from childhood. Through books, internet and in person courses Kathy explored a number of fiber art techniques and chose traditional silk painting (French Serti technique), Shibori (Japanese resist technique used to create designs and pleats on fabric) and wax batik as main areas of focus. Her wearable art is how she shares her vision of the world. The last few years have given Kathy time to explore new areas of fiber art and she has found a new passion; natural dyes and eco-printing (image transfer of flowers and leaves to fabric). “They have much less impact on the environment than synthetic dyes and require no harmful chemicals.” Since her first juried show in 2011 Kathy has participated in over a hundred art shows, craft festivals, fashion shows and markets and has sold her items through her Etsy shop.
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Betty, a resident of Merritt Island, is a retired registered nurse who has been writing since being inspired by a high school English teacher who said "never stop writing." She writes poetry, plays and short stories. In 2008, with a prize-winning poem, she was named Senior Poet Laureate of Florida. With her poem Last Letters, she won second place and publication in Women's Voices of the 21st Century, sponsored by Greenwich Pen Women. Her poem Third Planet From the Sun won first place and is online with Great Spirit Publishing Company.
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Donna was born in San Diego, California and raised in Wisconsin. Her mother, also an artist, poet, composer and pianist, was a tremendous influence. It was because of her that Donna began writing poetry and also became a dancer/ choreographer. She attended Stevens Point State University in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, majoring in drama and dance. She choreographed many talent shows, operas and high school musicals. Donna was also a lead dancer with a theater company in Long Island, NY. As a flight attendant for United Airlines in the early ‘70’s, she was based in New York. After years of flying, Donna worked in Manhattan for CBS-TV, CBS Radio, WNEW Radio and Rogers & Cowan Public Relations (the world’s number one entertainment public relations firm). This gave her a broad scope of experience in the entertainment business representing major movie stars and involvement in the broadcast industry. While living in Virginia, Donna worked as a press agent for the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Donna has three poetry books published: "Diamonds In The Rough", "Roses and Onions, One Layer at a Time”, and "The Power of Passion, Dancing Barefoot”. She is currently working on another poetry book, “I’m No Angel In Stilettos”. She was one of eight finalists in the recent 2017 Brevard County Poetry Contest for her poem, Wading Through The Waters. She recently won third place in the 2019 NLAPW Florida State Association Conference for her poem, “Wail”. Her poem, “Morning” is featured in the 2020 Spring Edition of “The Pen Woman” magazine. Donna lives in Viera FL, with her husband, Fred. Find her on Facebook. Donna is currently President Emerita of the Cape Canaveral Branch.
Art
Pam grew up on the shores of the Indian River in Melbourne, Florida, and since childhood has had a love for the sea. She and her late husband, Don, built their own 40' sailboat and sailed off on a 28-year adventure. During those years Pam discovered her natural talent for painting with watercolors. She has continued to expand her work to include other mediums like watercolor batik, acrylic paintings, and paintings on silk fabric. Pam's formal watercolor training included classes at Brevard Community College and Brevard Art Center and Museum in Melbourne, Florida. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Brevard Community College in 1990 for her watercolors of the Bahama Islands. Pam's work has been shown at the Sail Fish Marina in Singer Island, Florida, the Barrier Island Center, Strawbridge Art League Gallery, the Watercolors of Olde Brevard Art Show exhibit at Florida Tech, the King Center, Kennedy Space Center, and the Art Gallery of Viera. Pam was the illustrator for the book Christopher Columbus, a biography written by Elaine Murray Stone. Recently, Pam illustrated the book Letters from Calvin, a Bahamian Potcake Dog, by Joe Kern. She is a member of the Brevard Watercolor Society, the Colonial Dames of America, and the Strawbridge Art League. Pam specializes in portraits of yachts, private homes, sailing boats, island scenes, lighthouses, and underwater scenes. Visit her website at http://www.pamwebbart.com
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Karen is an international speaker, former television host of Puppets on Parade, and award-winning author of twenty-five books for women, children, and families. She has a heart to help families thrive and build strong, wholesome bonds. She has written more than seven hundred articles for more than sixty publications and loves to let creativity splash over the pages of what she writes. Currently, Karen writes for Leading Hearts, The Kid’s Ark, and Molly Green Magazines. Her writing awards include the Christian Retailing Best Award, children’s nonfiction (The One Year My Princess Devotions) and the Military Writer’s Society of America Gold Medal (Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front). Karen serves on the board of directors of Christian Authors Network where she helps other published authors promote books to book lovers everywhere. She likes adventure and has ridden a camel in the Canary Islands; white water rafted in Australia; ridden horseback in the ocean in Jamaica; and enjoyed scuba diving off the coast of Bermuda. She’s spoken in such far away places as Russia and Malaysia. Her travels and moves helped her appreciate many varieties of breads and foods. She loves to bake and gift others with homemade bread, muffins, and other baked goodies.
Art, Letters, Music
) is a former elementary teacher who turned to writing murder mystery novels with a touch of romantic suspense. They include Ghostly Whispers, Bridge to Nowhere, Listen to the Heart, Time After Time, Murder at the Starlight Pavilion, The Mysterious Woman on the Train, Incident at the Pink Beach House, Murder on Star Route 1, and Murder in the Mountains. Kay is an award-winning artist as is her husband Don, who illustrated the covers of all her books. Kay is also a musician, composer, and playwright who has produced three CDs: Dreamflight, Magical Moments, and Gonna Love All Those Hurts. Her romantic musical comedy, What’s Going on at the Mansion, was produced in Iron Mountain, MI. Kay’s books are available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble online. Visit her website at www.kaywilliamson.comKay
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Joy writes books under the pen name, JB Yanni. Her first book, published in 2018, began a series of time traveling mysteries for young adults. Each of the first three have won awards from organizations such as the Independent Press, NYC Big Book and Bookfest. With three of the series published, Joy took a short break in 2021 to publish a memoir for her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nearly 10 years ago. Now, back at the Time Benders series, the fourth and final book in the series will be out in 2023. Joy was raised in a family of four siblings by parents who were high school sweethearts and a large extended relative. With sports, laughter and family fun at its center, Joy was still a bit of the oddball, generally preferring the library to the athletic field. Graduating from Illinois State University, her career began as a school social worker, but migrated to financial services for over twenty years, before settling into a life of writing. Finally moving to Florida in 2021, Joy enjoys the beach and the paradise she now calls home. Joy’s published works include: Time Benders and the Machine, Time Benders and the Two Promises, Time Benders and the Long Road Home, and An Ordinary, But a Little Extraordinary Life: Lee’s Story.