From the moment she first heard "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish," Therese Boyd has tried to spend her entire life surrounded by books. So far, she has been successful. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in creative writing and spent the next ten years working in-house for publishers in Philadelphia, York, and Baltimore. Once she earned her master's in liberal arts from Johns Hopkins, she stopped commuting and started writing and teaching in addition to her freelance editing. She presently teaches freshman English at Penn State York, as well as a Writing Your Life Story class for retirees in York County, edits books and journals for various university presses, and tries to squeeze in writing whenever she can, including book reviews for the Greensboro (N.C.) News-Record and writing a newsletter for a singer/songwriter. Her first book, The Best Places You've Never Seen: Pennsylvania's Small Museums, was published in 2003.

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Jane Paffenbarger Butler You definitely cannot tell who I am just by looking. Oh, sure, I'm an average size woman with dark curly hair and red lips. I'm Jane. What you can't see is that when I first meet you, in my outgoing and animated way, I'm so sure you'll never remember me, that I expect when I meet you again I will barely dare to say hello, looking to you for a cue that I might have made a prior impression. Okay, maybe I'm getting better at ignoring that insecurity, but my past has followed me right up to today and I cannot shake it, yet. I've been defined by my experience growing up on the vast private estate of the Harriman family, since my father was manager there. He is a self-assured dairy farmer-turned-lawyer and genuine Renaissance man, married more than fifty years to my suffering, unfortunate mother, a woman whose childhood defined her as well, hers being impressive for its calamity. I have spent my adulthood struggling to reconcile these unusual circumstances and what they have meant for me. I feel sure I am a writer. I know the power of words. But I have little to show for it except files of personal journals, all my childhood report cards, a notebook full of stories, and an urgent need to mold it all into something worth reading. I have finally embraced these ideas and have stopped trying to squelch my desire to tell the story. So you see, as a participant in the Scribblers Club, I am seeking a path to validation. I bet you can't tell any of that just by looking.

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M. "Cal" Calvache, came to BVWG to learn and has just completed his first literary effort. He holds BE and MMS degrees from Stevens Institute of Technology and has been employed by, owned and consulted to small manufacturing firms for most of his career. Writing is a new interest that evolved rather accidentally. Can you imagine his surprise when, conducting genealogy research, he discovered that his Great, Great...Grandfather, captain of the whaleship Phoenix, was shipwrecked on the Siberian coast in 1858, guided his crew through snow and frigid temperatures to a Russian settlement and was saved by his brother-in-law, captain of the Massachusetts , the following spring.
Both men were 49ers and whalers who courted and married each other's sisters, then become whaleship captains. The shipwreck and rescue are mentioned in One Whaling Family, by Harold Williams, published in 1964 by Houghton Mifflin Co. The stories told by his grandmother were true and have become the basis for his book.
TREASURES - Gold, Oil and Wives is creative non-fiction set between 1847 and 1860. Two young men experienced difficult minefield adventures, dangerous encounters with storms and whales as well as wholesome, sometimes humorous Victorian Era romance and courting. The book ends at the beginning of the Civil War. This book has just been published by CreateSpace.
Both men later volunteered and were accepted by the U. S. Navy as civilian officers and their ships assisted the blockade of southern ports. This will be the basis for his second book. He is seeking an agent and can be reached at calfixes@verizon.net. click here for more about TREASURES - Gold, Oil and Wives

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Wayne Anthony Conaway has been a freelance writer for fifteen years. His primary focus has been business writing, especially cross-cultural communications and international commerce. He is the co-author of seven books, notably Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in 60 Countries. This book has been translated into several languages, is used as a textbook by many business schools, and has been on Amazon.com's "bestselling book in its category" list for years.
Mr. Conaway has been a writer, co-writer and ghost writer for a wide variety of publications. He has been a columnist for "Industry Week," "Business Travel News," and "Frequent Flyer Magazine." He has been published in a number of airline inflight magazines, including those of Swissair, Sabena and American Airlines. He has also written training manuals for the U.S. Department of Commerce.
A graduate of West Chester University, he is also interested in local history and has been a volunteer tour guide in West Chester, PA. He often writes on historic matters for the Chester County Day Newspaper.
To keep his sanity, he also works as a comedy writer. He has taught writing and comedy, and has performed as a stand-up comic and as a member of several improv troups. Mr. Conaway likes appositives, semicolons, and editors who pay on time. He mislikes the diaresis, misspelled bumper stickers, and foreign editors who pay him in non-US currency.

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Sandy Farnan has been writing for more than 15 years. It's the only thing she saw herself doing since fifth grade. She attended the Philadelphia High School of Creative and Performing Arts as a Creative Writing major and studied and wrote in all genres. She moved from the city to rural, upper-state PA, to study Journalism and Public Relations at Mansfield University , where she remained in culture shock throughout her entire four years there. Keeping a journal and writing poetry were her main escapes. She also contributed to the student newspaper and several student journals. When Sandy graduated and returned to Philadelphia to start her career, she found editing positions with a non-profit and a national trade magazine. She spent five years in a medical editing position and currently writes for another non-profit organization. All the while, Sandy has worked as a freelance reporter for several newspapers and has been a correspondent reporter with the Delaware County Daily/Sunday Times since moving to Media , PA three years ago. She also has contributed to several trade and regional publications. Sandy 's personal writing consists of non-fiction stories and essays that have appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer . Her interests in the natural environment, traveling, bicycling and practicing yoga often serve as topics in her work.

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Mary Beth Ford lives in the beautiful Brandywine Valley and walks often in the area’s gardens. Observing garden images and making connections with life experience began a remarkable journey. She has written her first book called Wisdom from the Gardens: Life Lessons. It’s a beautifully illustrated book that guides the reader along a path to the balance each one seeks. Mary Beth looks for different ways to share her garden wisdom.
In March 2005 Wisdom from the Gardens: Life Lessons achieved bestseller status on Amazon through an online book marketing campaign. In the process Mary Beth learned first-hand the power of the Internet. She found it awesome to connect with so many people around the world. In deciding what to pursue next, Mary Beth asked herself: “How can I make the best use of my time to reach others and enjoy what I do?” After much reading and research, she’s convinced that teleseminars can help her accomplish this goal. She’s preparing to launch a teleseminar series beginning in spring 2007, based on the garden lessons from her book.
Mary Beth is also a member of Chester County Toastmasters. In June 2005 she achieved her Competent Toastmaster Award. At present she is working toward an advanced award in public speaking.
For relaxation Mary Beth enjoys curling up with a good book, especially a well-written mystery. Nothing relaxes her more than lovely background music playing while she reads. Other pastimes include playing the piano and dancing with her husband Barry. Nature walks top her list of favorite leisure activities. Mary Beth especially enjoys walking the Brandywine Valley gardens in winter when most people retreat indoors.

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Since he began writing professionally in 1985, Matt Freeman has worked as a staffer or freelancer for many newspapers and magazines in the Delaware Valley, and his work has appeared in numerous other national and international publications. Currently he is the managing editor of Reading Today, the membership publication of the International Reading Association. He also writes for the organization's website, and pursues a variety of freelance work. His work has received numerous regional and national awards, and has been reprinted in magazines and books.

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Stanley D. Gale has been writing for over 20 years, from in-house publications to journal articles to newspaper articles. His first trade book was published was published in 2002, Community House of Prayer Ministry Manual (Deo Volente Publications, 197 pages). In 2003, he developed a website to support the CHOP ministry (www.CHOPministry.net). His second book is slated for release in November 2005, entitled Warfare Witness: Contending with Spiritual Opposition in Everyday Evangelism (Christian Focus Publications, 224 pages). He is currently working on a devotional book on prayer. Dr. Gale has been married to his wife, Linda, for over 30 years. Together they have four children. He holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from the University of Delaware, a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. A secondary school guidance counselor for six years, he has served in pastoral ministry since 1986. He grew up in a beach resort, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, from which he draws many illustrations for his writing. His preferred genre is non-fiction and deals almost exclusively with areas of practical theology. An avid reader from childhood (weaned on Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew Mystery Stories), he discovered a facility of expression through the written word during his college days at Delaware. As a pastor, he learned to communicate in vivid, practical and substantial ways that spoke to people in the trenches of life. His doctoral studies exposed him to many of his current areas of writing interests.

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Steve Kupferschmid majored in music and pursued a career as a trombonist. He played the trombone full time for several years, after which he found a job as a music editor at Shawnee Press, in Delaware Water Gap, PA. He worked there for twelve years editing choral works, and eventually got some of his own music published. He continues to write choral music for publication, but in order to be saleable his words must serve as an appropriate vehicle for the expression of the choir. His poetry enables him to find a more personal voice, to discover a more intimate sense of musicality, and to address the themes of his own life. Several of his poems have been published by small presses and university journals. He lives in West Chester and is employed as an advertising copywriter and catalog editor for the J. W. Pepper Music Company in Paoli.

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Jennifer B-C Seaver published her debut novel, Journeys: A Novel of Iran in 2004. She has also published articles and blogs for on-line magazines, www.peacecorpswriters.org and www.peacecorpsonline.org as well as the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2002, she went back to Iran with a group of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Jennifer holds an A.B. from Mount Holyoke College, a M.Ed. from the University of Maryland, and doctoral courses in education administration at the University of Hawaii. As a former university international educator, she has written a variety of newsletters and prepared intercultural communications materials for students and scholars. She also likes to hike, backpack, and travel with her husband Paul. They recently returned from a month-long visit to Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

The Church & Synagogue Library Association Board invited her to do a book-signing at the 2007 annual convention held at the King of Prussia Convention Center.

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Audra Supplee has been creating fiction since 3rd grade and has been specializing in juvenile fiction since 1983. I Almost Love You, Eddie Clegg (Peachtree Publishers–April, 2004), her most recent middle grade novel, tells the story of 13-year-old Asa Marie's antics as she tries to turn "popular" in middle school, while at home she struggles to forge a father/daughter relationship with her stepfather, Eddie Clegg, an alcoholic in recovery who has a lapse after losing his job. Standing Ovation , (Ace Tempo Books–June, 1983), her first novel for teens, tells the comic story of a middle child striving for attention in a large, musical family. Works in progress include a teen fantasy and a coming of age story for teens."The Magic of NaNoWriMo," Audra's article about participating in National Novel Writing Month (completing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days), was published in the March, 2005 issue of Byline Magazine. Audra is available for author visits at schools and libraries. One of her presentations is "Juggling All the Pieces that Make up a Story" which incorporates 3-ball juggling tricks into a workshop about creative writing. She also offers an editing service.

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Fred Theobald is a mystery writer. He has one completed novel, Invisible Sin, and two others that are works in progress – The Talisman Secret: Moroni’s Gold, which is a collaborative effort with Paul Vanore, also a member of the BVWG, and Mere Image, which is the second in the Elias Hawk series (with Invisible Sin). Fred is a graduate of Binghamton University with a degree in Creative Writing and English Literature and President of The Esus Group, Inc., a global business development and export management company.

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Stephen L. Thompson has been writing for about ten years, and has had a few short stories published in various locations. He writes mainly science fiction, but he also dabbles in other genres. His current big writing project is a column for his friend's website. Check out Silent Steve's Stories at www.dangeroustalk.net . Hope you enjoy.

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