About Our Members
Shari Broyer founder/facilitator of Writers, Ink. (formerly Writers Roundtable) since February, 2011, has been writing—and winning awards for it—from childhood. She’s been dubbed “Queen of Quirk”, and most of her works reflect that. She doesn’t stick to one genre when she writes, but her quixotic stories almost always include unusual heroes and heroines. Formerly, she was:
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Bob Blatz is an adjunct faculty member who teaches Marriage and Family classes and Strategies for College Success at Mesa Community College. He contributed a short story, "Spicy Beer Farts and Zurich" to the group's Ink. Spots: First Annual Anthology of Works. His writings consist of anecdotes from personal experiences and observations that he has used in the classroom to support concepts regarding life and relationships. Bob has crafted and polished these stories through the Creative Writing programs at MCC and Rio Salado College. Bob is originally from New York City, so many of his stories include characters with “East Coast attitude”, an alternative form of logic that many people the world over view with amusement. Because he is still creating and compiling, he has not yet submitted any works for publication. He is in the process of generating a blog comparing The Modern Library's best-novels list with the movies that were made from or inspired by them. Counting down from number 100, The Magnificent Ambersons, the 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington which won the 1919 Pulitzer Prize, is his first subject. In 1942, Orson Welles wrote and directed an acclaimed film adaptation of the book. Welles's original screenplay was the basis of the 2002 TV movie version of The Magnificent Ambersons produced by the A&E Network. Get in touch with him at [email protected]
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Jaye Fortune grew up in Brooklyn, NY then moved to Chelsea (in Manhattan) where she lived for many years before moving to San Diego, CA. Currently, she resides in Tempe, AZ. with her partner of 29 years.
She is a freelance writer of poetry, short stores, articles, and a playwright (member of the Dramatists Guild). Jaye has studied acting at HB Studios in NYC; performed at Manhattan Theatre Club/The Public Theatre; was a member of Dinner Theatre Ensemble Co. in Harlem; professionally staged readings of her plays were performed in NYC and San Diego, CA; has attended writers’ conferences in San Diego, CA and taken numerous writing/poetry/playwright workshops in NYC--and also those held at San Diego State University (SDSU) and University of California San Diego (UCSD); has had air time on WBAI and WNYC (poetry readings); has studied and performed classical/jazz/pop and is a voiceover artist, as well. She is extremely interested in most things creative; however, writing has played a particularly vital role in her life, exalting it, and, at times, healing her spirit. She feels it’s “an incredible blessing and at times a pain”. Find her at: [email protected]. |
Eryn Nicole, one of our young members, writes YA fiction, sci-fi fiction, non-fiction articles, and poetry. She’s been writing and creating stories since she was about eight years old. These include trilogies, short stories, poetry, and journalism pieces. Learn more about her at perfictional.com.
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Janice Hastert is a freelance writer transplanted from Naperville, Illinois to Gilbert and then Mesa, Arizona. Her humorous essays, short stories and poems have been featured in the Chicago Sun Times Sunday Magazine, Senior Connection, Byline, Rivulets and other publications. She served as Editor for the Naperville Writers Group’s annual anthology for four years. When not writing, she is reading other people’s writing or visiting her grandchildren. Reach her at [email protected].
Verl Hatch turned 83 years old in 2017. He does nothing but write and he loves it. He contributed a short story "Mind Melding with Space Aliens" to the group's Ink. Spots: First Annual Anthology of Works. His favorite things (besides writing) are the people in the Writers, Ink. group and country music/hillbilly jams. He writes poetry and fiction. (Does that make him a sentimental liar?) The genre he’s most fond of is science fiction. If you can see that blue stain on his shoulder, that’s Elohim, his main character, an alien who thinks he’s God. (He’s also a very good cartoonist.) All of his poetry is Christmas-themed. He’s very versatile musically and plays the accordion, guitar, steel guitar, banjo and mouth harp. The mouth harp is his favorite instrument. The difference between a mouth harp and a harmonica is in the way it’s played, just as the fiddle differs from the violin only in how it’s used. Verl grew up in the dust and debt of the 1930’s way back in the hills of Custer County, Nebraska. With the help of his wonderful wife, Kathleen (deceased), he overcame his poor beginnings to finish high school, after which he managed to squeak past two Bachelor degrees, completed a Masters degree and dang near got a Doctorate. He has gone back to Nebraska, but still contributes to the group from time to time via email. Mind meld with Verl at [email protected]
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Sarah Johnston studied psychology while at college and has worked in the public behavioral health system and in the public education system since graduating. She has been writing off and on since sixth grade and enjoys penning fanciful stories involving animals, elves and other creatures. She is currently working on three long stories while also continuing to write short stories. She contributed A Year in Captivity: A Feline’s Tale and Reaping the Whirlwind, which is the back story of a character from one of her longer stories to the upcoming anthology. She blogs weekly at tzionabator.wordpress.com
(“Tziona”, her Hebrew name, is the feminine form of Zion and “Bat-Or” is Hebrew for “daughter of light”.) |
Jaela Lynndon (nom de plume for a member who wishes to remain incognito) was born in the Midwest, but considers moving to the Southwest one of her greatest achievements. “Sure it gets hot here,” she explains, “but you don’t have to shovel hot.”
Jae’s tales are based on incidents that have actually happened in her life. You can read more of her short stories online at On5Wheels.com |
Shiralee Morgen-Crawley, originally from Australia, began writing autobiographical stories about her childhood to send to her grandchildren three years ago. She contributed two stories, "Camel Stew... Maybe" and "Yabbies, Yams and Yucca Trees" to the group's Ink. Spots: First Annual Anthology of Works. On a trip back to Western Australia, she ran across a wonderful old “Bushie” named “Stan” and wrote a description of him to use in later stories. “Stan” changed her way of looking at and thinking about things and people. One day, while sitting at her computer feeling frustrated, not able to think of anything to write, she angrily tapped out, “Snot ran from his nose and he wiped his arm beneath it, leaving a green slash across his hollow cheek”, and her foray into fiction began. Still a fledgling writer, she joined Shari Broyer’s Writers, Ink. and found the most supportive group of prose writers of all genres. She credits their generous critiquing and Shari’s editing with making an enormous difference to her writing. When not writing, she enjoys designing and making jewelry (silver-smithing and wirework), rock hunting, music, the arts and dining out with friends. The love of her life is her small service dog – Mr. Beardsley Braveheart Morgen. You may contact Shiralee at woollanga[email protected]
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George M. Montgomery, EA has over 35 years of experience, practicing in Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and Arizona. He is licensed by the Internal Revenue Service as an Enrolled Agent, authorized to practice in all areas of corporate, partnership, fiduciary and individual tax returns. He ran a tax and business planning practice in Oklahoma City, OK for almost 20 years. Afterward, for 15 years, he lived and traveled in a 35’ motor home while working seasonally in numerous states. He presently has a virtual tax office in Mesa, Arizona where he practices tax accounting and consulting with RVers who themselves work as they travel in their RVs. You may contact him at http://www.BusinessAndTaxPlanning.com or at http://www.RVTaxMaster.com. You can also reach him at: [email protected] and [email protected].
George maintains a tax practice from his home in Mesa, AZ—where he has finally settled— as well as his virtual tax office that caters to RV tax clients with lectures and a blog at http://www.RVTaxMaster.com. He has begun to write fiction including short stories and a historical novel about auto racing during the early 19th century. |
Dakota Rayne (nom de plume) has a degree in social work and has been employed in the field for over ten years. After writing in secret for many years, she has unleashed the skeletons in her closet and has penned a parade of thought-provoking memoirs which will soon be released in a blog and various other venues. Isn’t that where everyone puts their soapbox tirades and philosophical musings? When not stirring up chaos with quills laced with the blood of unrealized dreams and provocative defiance, Dakota enjoys hiking, reading, cake (definitely cake) and spending time with her family. Check out her blog at dawnofthegrayrebellion.com or contact her here: [email protected].
(Because since when has a rebellion ever been black and white, eh?) |
Joe Sophy graduated in 2005 with his third degree in philosophy but realized he did not wish to be employed academically. He contributed the short story, "Eliza Did Little", to the group's Ink. Spots: First Annual Anthology of Works. He had been told in college that he was a gifted writer; could he possibly write and, if so, what? Thus began a journey of discovery that would take him from a rigorous class in poetry composition at ASU to consulting numerous how-to books on writing in a "long apprenticeship" somewhat characteristic of other aspiring writers. Ultimately, Joe understood he would need to find a group of like-minded individuals who met regularly and shared their work. Shari Broyer had already conceived of and convened just such a group in the Phoenix area: Writers, Ink., as it is now known. Today, Joe dreams of writing fiction, a novel someday, but he writes smaller pieces for now. Joe enjoys reading and indoor gardening, and he would prefer to spend more time with his cats instead of traveling as much as he does. Joe may be reached at [email protected].
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Susan Stockton, Lightrunner™, is a psychic medium, intuitive, coach and author. Her book, Visions and Visitors:Memoir of a Psychic, is now available on Amazon. She is currently at work on a novel entitled Hybrid Girl. In her leisure time, she continues to travel the world and write about her adventures and spiritual musings on her blog. Susan enjoys swimming, the outdoors and exploring the Arizona backroads. She is a gourmet cook and appreciates working with sustainable seasonal food. Susan graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, summa cum laude. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Her past career in the legal field spanned residencies in the San Francisco Bay area, Alexandria VA, Washington DC, Miami and Phoenix. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest.
Visit her at http://www.susanstockton.com |
Anissa Stringer, a one-time member who will be contributing blogs via cyberspace in the future, has recently released two books which are available on Amazon.com: The Glare and Blood of an Elf: Quinn’s Story. Anissa lives in nearby Ahwatukee, Arizona where she co-founded Parchment and Prose, a writing group that focuses on providing writers with relevant and useful information to grow their skills. Anissa is a columnist for East Valley Magazine, conducts author visits, presents at writers’ workshops/groups, and has contributed many articles and cover stories to East Valley Magazine, North Valley Magazine, 85086 Magazine, and 85085 Magazine. Visit her website anissastringer.wordpress.com to learn more about her work and to enjoy photos of Jenna’s journey in The Glare. You can also visit elfblood.wordpress.com to follow Quinn and her friends from Blood of an Elf: Quinn’s Story.
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Terri Anne Tiehen has always had a great interest in reading, writing and books. When she is away from them for any length of time, they always call her back. Her motto has become, “I exist on air, water and sun, but living requires a book.” Early in life, she became absorbed with ancient cultures and the human evolutionary experience; subjects that have fascinated ever since. She has long had the desire to write about these topics.
While working for the Colorado Department of Transportation, her duties as an environmental specialist included the preparation of environmental documents. This enabled her to write, albeit in bureaucratic vernacular, and was the bulk of her writing experience. However, during this period of life she began work on her biggest project—capturing her dad’s experience as a WWII POW. They spent countless nights and weekends over vodka, tears and laughter, while she took notes and taped their many conversations. His story was originally self-published in 1995, and Terri is now in the process of re-edits for digital and on demand publication. As a “road scholar” and amateur photographer, traveling around Colorado over a twenty-eight year period on the job, she eventually drafted an unpublished manuscript entitled, From Construction to Reconstruction: The Legacy of Bent’s Fort. Although her writing and photography skills are diamonds in the rough, they are things that she has always hoped to further develop when the opportunity to do so presents itself. She can be reached at [email protected]. |
Marielena Zuniga, an out of state member, is an award-winning journalist of more than 35 years. For the past 15 years, she has focused on spirituality and women’s issues. Now retired, she writes creatively. Although her first love is inspirational and spiritual writing (her blog is Stories for the Journey: Reflections on Writing, Life and the Spirit https://mezuniga.wordpress.com), her “shadow” side escapes every now and then in works like her novel, Loreen on the Lam: A Tennessee Mystery. The book is a Southern romp, a white-trash road trip in which an escaped con steals a country western singer’s tour bus. It’s available through her publishers at iPulp Fiction: http://www.ipulpfiction.com/indexLOREEN.html. She resides in Bucks County, PA, and is our first truly long-distance member with plans to contribute more blogs in the future. Reach her at [email protected].
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