John Fenzel, Jr. is a Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealer in Hampshire, Illinois. He and his wife, Muriel, have four children. Their youngest boy, Michael, who sent Bashur to America, is currently a lieutenant colonel based in Afghanistan. The whole Fenzel family enjoys hiking, skiing and traveling.
Psychologist/Professor Dr. Aubrey Fine is an internationally known expert in the field of Animal Assisted Therapy. He is presently completing his new book titled Afternoons with Puppy: A Therapist, His Animals and Life Lessons. His life has been blessed with a wonderful family, which includes four dogs named Shrimp, Hart, PJ and Magic. Please e-mail him at:
[email protected] Susanne Fogle has written a weekly newspaper column about animals for the past six years. She has recently completed a book, tentatively titled Animal Tails: A Guide to Loving, Respecting and Coping with the Animals in Our Lives. You can e-mail her at:
[email protected] Elisabeth Ann Freeman is an award-winning writer and speaker. She resides in Michigan with her husband, John, and four children. She attends Mount Hope Church in Ovid and serves in youth ministry. She has two books and over eighty articles/stories published. Please e-mail her at:
[email protected] charter.net or log on to her Web site: http://writeforlife.com.
Randy Glasbergen began his professional cartooning career at age fifteen and began freelancing full-time after a year of journalism studies in Utica, New York. Aside from one year spent as a staff humor writer at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, he has been a full-time freelance cartoonist since 1976. Randy lives in a small town in northeastern USA with his family and several dogs and cats. He enjoys working at home in a cluttered studio that occupies the third story of his creaky old Victorian house.
Paula Gramlich has a master’s degree in reading and special education. She writes a column about special education issues for StormWatch. Paula is now writing a children’s book. You can e-mail her at:
[email protected] Wendy Greenley adopted her dogs from Twyla’s Friends in Kingwood, Texas. Wendy graduated from the University of Delaware and Villanova University Law School. She is a member of the SCBWI and recently completed her first middle-grade novel. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, Dave, and two sons. Contact her at:
[email protected] Jonny Hawkins’s cartoons have been in over three hundred publications. His recent books are Wild and Wacky Animal Cartoons for Kids, A Tackle Box of Fishing Funnies, Laughter from the Pearly Gates and Medical Cartoon-A-Day and Fishing Cartoon-A-Day calendars that come out annually. He can be reached at jonny
[email protected] Christine Henderson lives in Minnesota with her husband, their three children and two Brittanys. She recently became a stay-at-home mom and works as a freelance writer in her spare time.
Margaret C. Hevel is a freelance author inmagazines such asWestern Horseman, Bend of the River and Miniature Horse Voice. She has also been featured in the books Horse Tales for the Soul, Changing Course and Dog Tales for the Soul. Her current nonfiction book, coauthored with a daughter, is Parenting with Pets: The Magic of Raising Children with Animals.
Mary K. Himens has been a Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary serving in various fields of education and ministry. In private practice as a psychotherapist, she has published poetry, Images: Sights and Insights, and is working on a collection tentatively titled Listening with the Ear of the Heart.
JeanHouston is awriter, scholar and researcher in human capacities and is the creator and leader of the twenty-year-old mythic studies workshop, Mystery School. Her books include A Mythic Life and The Possible Human. She lives in Ashland, Oregon.
Susan Huether battled breast cancer and survived. Getting another chance at life, Susan joined a small group named Wolfspirits Rescue who help give puppy mill survivors a new life. She lives modestly with her husband and eight dogs alongwith foster dogs and believes that each day is a gift fromGod.
Gary Ingraham is an award-winning documentary producer/director for Cornell University’s Educational Television Center. He enjoys playing blues guitar, watching movies with wife, Patricia, and hanging out with their adopted dogs, Exley and Dobie Gillis. Gary is currently outlining a suspense novel. E-mail him at:
[email protected] Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant’s writing is regularly carried in Family Circle and other national magazines. She won the 2003 Erma Bombeck Award for Humor Writing and has eleven published books including Bedtime Stories for Dogs and If I Was a Dog, I’d Be a Better Person. Her Web site is: www.accidentalcomic.com.
Pamela Jenkins lives in Henryetta, Oklahoma, with her husband and their four children. She is the office manager of her husband’s veterinary practice and enjoys writing about the bond between people and their pets. E-mail her at:
[email protected] Wendy Kaminsky is a software analyst at Dominion Virginia Power. Wendy enjoys traveling, running and working with animals. She and her husband, Dennis, volunteer at a local animal shelter. Through their rescue efforts they have adopted three dogs and two cats who are loved and spoiled beyond words.
Bill King has been an animal control officer for twelve years. Bill enjoys the outdoors, travel and his career. When you’re looking for your new pet, consider your local animal shelter.
Roger Dean Kiser’s stories have been published in seventeen books in five countries. Roger will never forget he was treated as though he was less than human while living in a Jacksonville, Florida, orphanage. Roger’s story can be found at: www.geocities.com/trampolineone/survive/noframe.htm. Contact Roger at:
[email protected] Mary Klitz resides in Michigan with an abundance of animals. She learned early of the dynamic relationship between people and pets. As the story in this book unfolded, she learned late in life the existence of another connection. The sender of blessings will also be a receiver. Mary has secretly longed to be a writer. This is her first published story.
Edward H. Kostro’s nonfiction animal book, Curious Creatures—WondrousWaifs: My Life with Animals, available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, depicts Ed’s fifty-year love affair with all creatures—great and small. It was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the 2004 International Cat Writers’ Association Communications Contest.
Joyce Laird has been an industrial journalist since 1984. She has recently expanded her writing into the areas of fiction and creative nonfiction essays. Some of her work has been published in Woman’s World magazine. Please e-mail her at:
[email protected] Mariana Levine is a theatrical writer/director/choreographer and producer of Broadway-style musicals. She moved from Hollywood to Nashville where she founded Academy Center and Dance Academy of the South, emphasizing children’s studies, and developed shows for Opryland USA and Ringling’s Circus. An avid gardener, she paints and writes about country wildlife.
Elizabeth Lombard: wife, mother of five and fifth-generation south Boston resident. Animal lover actively committed to animal welfare. Stargazer, vegetarian, writer. Contributing author to the South Boston Literary Gazette.
Marjie Lyvers is amother of four children, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Her life story includes twenty-five years as a military wife, numerous adventures and travels, retiring in her hometown of Spokane, Washington. After the death of her husband, Marjie has filled her time with writing and crafts.
Laurie MacKillip currently lives in Florida and can be found on her motorcycle, at the beach, or spending time with family and friends when she can find time between work, training horses and writing.
Alexandra Mandis was born in Zimbabwe in 1958 and moved to the United States in 1983. Dogs are her passion and in particular her blue-eyed Dalmatian, Harry, and her two Great Danes, Elsa and Blue. She is working in New Zealand, with her work base in the United States, as an IT program manager. She also loves horses, books and the country life.
Shannon McCarty is a writer and humorist from Austin, Texas. She has three young children, a dog, three mice and numerous fish in her home. She enjoys playing soccer and writing about family life
. Please e-mail her at:
[email protected] Beth McCrea received her B.A. fromIowa State University in 2002. She teaches seventh-grade language arts in Littleton, Colorado. She enjoys traveling, hiking, reading and watching football.
Wilma Melville is the founder and executive director of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation located in Ojai, California. Started in 1995, the foundation now has sixty-five active Canine Search Teams that are ready to be deployed to disasters around the world. For more information, visit www.SearchDogFoundation.org or call 888-4K9-HERO.
Rosemarie Miele is a graduate of Dominican College, Orangeburg, New York. She retired from KPMG where she was a senior human resources business consultant. She spends her free time traveling, doing volunteer work, enjoying her grandchildren and writing children’s stories. Please e-mail her at:
[email protected] When not barricading his home against his ravenous dog, SamMinier spends his free time in more lighthearted pursuits—writing horror stories and poetry! Brave souls can sample his work at: www.samuelminier.com.
Hester Mundis is an animal-loving comedy writer and the author of numerous books, including the autobiographical No, He’s Not aMonkey, He’s an Ape and He’s My Son. She and her husband, Ron VanWarmer, currently share their upstate New York lives with a soft-coated wheaten terrier and a suave cockatiel.
Kelly Munjoy is currently working on her B.A. degree. She attends college classes part-time, as well as working a full-time job in customer service. Kelly enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as reading and writing. She plans to write young adult fantasy novels and short stories. Please email her at:
[email protected] Eleanor Whitney Nelson, a geologistwho has enjoyed a career in international mineral exploration, today concentrates on writing. Her stories have been published in OASIS Journal 2004 and A Way with Murder: An Anthology of Arizona Mystery Writers. She lives in Tucson with her dogs, horses, cat and husband.
Diane Nichols is the author of A Prison of My Own, the true story of her husband’s incarceration for the murder of his mistress and their family’s journey to forgiving and restoration (as seen on The Montel Williams Show). For more information, please visit her author’s Web site at: www.dianenichols.com.
Lorena O’Connor is now a retired legal secretary. She has written and sold many stories to a variety of publications. She likes movies, music, sports and writing, not necessarily in that order. She plans to self-publish a children’s book after recovering from a serious surgery. You can reach her at:
[email protected] Born in Brooklyn, Don Orehek attended the High School of Industrial Arts and the School of Visual Arts. His cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan and Playboy—to name a few! Don has illustrated over thirty joke books, does caricatures and teaches cartooning to kids. He has won the National Cartoonists Society’s Best Gag Cartoonist award four times.
Brothers Trevor and Drew Orsinger wrote The Firefighter’s Best Friend for Lake Claremont Press (www.lakeclaremont.com), an independent publisher specializing in books on Chicago. A portion of the proceeds from this book are donated to the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s summer camp for children who suffer from burn injuries.
Mark Parisi’s “Off the Mark” comic panel has been syndicated since 1987 and is distributed by United Media. Mark’s humor also graces greeting cards, T-shirts, calendars, magazines, newsletters and books, including his newest cartoon book Chew This Book with over 100 dog cartoons. Please vist his Web site at www.offthemark.com. Lynn is his wife/business partner, and their daughter, Jenny, contributes with inspiration.
After graduating fromUCLA, Eve Ann Porinchak was a social worker,medical student and first-grade teacher. An active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers/Illustrators, she now writes children’s books and paints. Eve enjoys tennis, traveling, snowboarding, hiking and running with her husband and beloved springer spaniels. Contact:
[email protected] Stacy Pratt received her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and her master’s degree from the University of Arkansas. A citizen of the Creek Nation of Oklahoma, she lives in Italy with her husband. She writes poetry and is currently researching the life of St. Valerie.
Robin Pressnall is a singer, a writer and cofounder of Small Paws Rescue, a worldwide nonprofit organization (smallpawsrescue.org) dedicated to saving the “unwanted” dogs of society and finding them “forever-homes.” Robin lives in Tulsa with her husband, Dale, and their six dogs, ranging from a St. Bernard to a bichon frise.
Andrea Burke Redd, DVM, received her bachelor of science degree, cum laude, in zoology from North Carolina State University in 1993. She received her doctorate of veterinary medicine (DVM) from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. She is currently practicing veterinarymedicine at amixed animal practice in Halifax, Virginia. She is married with two sons. She is active in her church and enjoys spending her free time with her family. She enjoys writing and has been published in Veterinary Economics magazine. E-mail her at:
[email protected] B. J. Reinhard writes to give readers hope and encourage them to live their dreams. Along with various magazine articles and stories, she is the author of an award-winning picture book, Sanji’s Seed, and two nonfiction books, Glow-in-the Dark Fish and Our Place in Space. You can reach her through: www.bjreinhard.com.
Jennifer Renee Remeta has been an animal lover her entire life. Recently married, she and her husband, Nicklas, proudly own Diesel, the Great Dane, Abby, the wonderful Lab, and Pandora, the queen cat. They enjoy spending time with friends and family, and Jennifer hopes to continue her writing in the future.
Debbie Roppolo is a freelance writer and a student at St. Edward’s University where she is pursuing a degree in anthropology. Debbie enjoys working with her horses, traveling and spending time with her family. She currently resides in San Marcos, Texas, with her husband and two boys.
Micki Ruiz lives in South Florida with her husband, Steve. A published author, she writes short stories and historical fiction, and is (still) hard at work on her novel, a fantasy adventure. This is her first nonfiction work. Please email her at:
[email protected] Kathy Salzberg has been a professional pet groomer and owner of the Village Groomer in Walpole, Massachusetts, for thirty years. She is also an award-winning magazine writer who has written “How to Start a Home-Based Pet Care Business” and contributed several chapters to The Dog Bible. She is currently working on The Everything Small Dogs Book and can be reached online at:
[email protected] Linda Saraco is an animal massage therapist. At her Boston-area grooming shop, she offers holistic canine services and education. Linda also teaches the InTuneGroom method of energy work, which she developed. Linda loves spending time with her dogs and hopes to publish her series of children’s books. E-mail her at:
[email protected] Valery Selzer Siegel received her B.A. in English from Binghamton University and her M.A. in Elementary Education from Adelphi University. She advocates on behalf of children in a variety of capacities, including writing inspirational picture books. Valery lives in New York with her husband and three children. Please e-mail her at:
[email protected] Stefany Lynne Smith is the founder and director of Southwest German Shepherd Rescue, a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. They are committed to the rescue, rehab and re-homing of German shepherd dogs in need, in addition to training and education.
Patricia Ann Smith is director of Operations/Programs at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, Palo Alto, California. She wrote the story “Can’t Help Falling in Love” when on staff at the Humane Society Silicon Valley. Her book, Introduction to Compassion Fatigue in the Helping Professions will be published by Brunner-Routledge in 2005.
Laura Sobchik wrote her story, “Raising a Star,” as her college entrance essay to the University of Notre Dame. She graduated fr
om Notre Dame in 2002 and now teaches third grade in Fullerton, California. She and her family have raised eleven guide dog puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. in San Rafael, California. Five of their puppies graduated as guide dogs with a visually impaired partner and six were career-changed and now enjoy wonderful lives as pets. For more information about raising a guide dog puppy, please visit: www.guidedogs.com.
Jennifer Gay Summers is a contributing writer to Whole Life Times magazine and has also written for Orange County Family Magazine. She and her veterinarian have been married for twelve years, and their menagerie includes a dog, cat, fish and beloved daughter. Jennifer can be reached at:
[email protected] verizon.net.
Debra Szot has always loved animals. She volunteers for Boxer and Boston Terrier Rescue. She became involved in rescue because of a Scottish terrier namedMacKenzie who saved her life and loved her unconditionally. She lives in Michigan with her husband, David, and daughter, Heather. Please e-mail her at:
[email protected] Audrey Thomasson left a globe-trotting writing career to move to White Stone, Virginia, population: 360. Her choices were driven by Kody, a rescued dog whose therapy included daily swims in their river. When Kody passed, she found comfort in writing his memorial, and in the process realized this magnificent companion had taught her about living. His story inspired “Animal Tails,” a public service newspaper column dedicated to pets and rescue volunteers. Audrey can be reached by e-mail at:
[email protected] Information on her pet column is available at: www.animaltails.org.
Bob Toren is a pioneer in outdoor portraiture, photojournalist and a columnist for the Georgetown Gazette, Georgetown, California. He writes frequently of the cat family with whom he shares his Sierra hilltop. He is presently putting a collection of the columns together for book publication. Contact him at:
[email protected] Jackie Tortoriello currently resides in New Jersey, with her family, friends and two dogs. She’s passionate about them, spirituality, music and writing, and is fervently pursuing a writing career. Until then, Jackie is honored to be instructing the mentally challenged at a life skills program. She may be reached at:
[email protected]