Laurie Gifford Adams, a proud resident of the Finger Lakes of Western New York, is a Jill of all trades. She’s a teacher, an author, an event coordinator, and above all else, a hopeless
romantic and dreamer of big things. To her recent writing credit, she has 8 published novels, a co-written full-length musical, and multiple articles for Country, Country Extra and Farm and Ranch Living. The wife of one, mother of two, grandmother to one, and pseudo mom to four cats and two horses, she leads a very busy life on her farmette in Upstate NY.
I am a naturalist and writer with a rich history of adventure and a passion for life. I have worked at a gold mine in Alaska and fished for halibut on a commercial fishing vessel off its wild coast. I have collected clouds, worked as a Forest Ranger, and soloed in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area in the middle of winter. I have a penchant for nature writers and nature philosophers, good poetry, northern landscapes, sustainable living, horses, gardening, and the laughter of children. I believe the science and magic of our natural world are of the same Spirit.
Jennifer Collins began writing novels in 2020. A retired physical therapist and college professor, she became inspired to write after experiencing the loss of several loved ones. Her debut novel, Comfort in the Wings, and its sequel, Wonders in the Waves, are now joined by Bridges Between Our Hearts to form the “Love That Does Not Die” trilogy.
Collins spends her time writing and running a family business alongside her eldest son. She does both from two residences – her long-time family home in upstate New York and Hutchinson Island in Florida.
Barb Warner Deane is the award-winning author of four published novels and a public speaker on the topic of American women in WW2. Barb graduated from Cornell University and the University of Connecticut School of Law. Barb, her husband, and family lived in the Chicago area for thirty years, other than two years in Frankfurt, Germany and two years in Shanghai, China, but have recently moved home to the beautiful Finger Lakes area of New York.
In addition to writing, Barb is a genealogy buff, loves to read, is a fan of all things Harry Potter, and is crazy for both U.S. and international travel. Now that she and her husband are empty nesters, she’s making plans to expand on her list of having visited 47 states and 42 countries on 6 continents.
In 1967, supported by a stipend, youthful exuberance, and rose-colored glasses, Maija (Lahti) DeRoche came to America from Finland. After retiring from a long career in developmental disabilities, Maija rediscovered her first love: writing. Her essays have been published in “Kuntta” (2019), an anthology about the meaning of “Finnishness.”
She also has essays in English in the Canandaigua Writers Blog. Her first novel will be available soon. Parents of two, Maija and her husband enjoy their retirement kayaking and hiking in the beautiful Finger Lakes.
Corky DeYulio is in his 36th year as an educator.
Through the years, he has been an English and Physical. Education teacher, Dean of Discipline, Athletic Director, coach and fitness instructor in schools, colleges, and the prison system.
He has received many accolades, including Teacher of the Year and Coach of the Year in his school district.
Before he became an educator, he was an editor, sportswriter, and photographer for various newspapers.
He is also a certified personal trainer.
Marci Diehl has been an essayist, humor writer, editor, and features writer for local, regional, and national magazines since 1980. Her first novel, What You Don’t Know Now, was published in 2014, and she keeps telling herself she’s working on a second. There isn’t a thing about the Finger Lakes she doesn’t love.
Lori Duffy Foster is a former crime reporter and the award-nominated author of the Lisa Jackson Mystery Series. NEVER LET GO, her debut thriller, released in December from Level Best Books and NO TIME TO BREATHE, book 3 in her series, releases in April. Look for NO STRANGER HERE, another thriller, in December of 2023.
An Adirondack native, Lori worked for more than a decade at The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y. She is a graduate of SUNY-Oswego and Binghamton University.
Erin A. Jensen is the Amazon international bestselling author of the Dream Waters series, and the stand-alone novel Benevolent. Her debut novel was awarded the bronze medal for fantasy fiction in the 2018 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and received honorable mention in the 2018 Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-book Awards. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and two sons, and is currently working on a new novel—with a whole new cast of characters—set in the same world as the Dream Waters series.
Visit her website at erinajensen.com
I’m a retired public health nurse who cared for the folks in Steuben County, NY for thirty plus years.
After retirement I had so many stories I just had to write them down.
I love engaging with my friends, the Southerntier Lit Chicks ( my book club) and all of the FLARE authors. Western NY is my home.
Paul Mitchel lives in Middlesex, NY in the heart of the Finger Lakes Region. Since retiring as a Nurse Practitioner in 2018 he has been able to start his second career writing. He has self-published one novel, Mountains Can Move and plans to publish a second in 2022. He and his wife Joan share their hillside home with a small herd of alpacas. Joan spins and weaves their fleece into beautiful and warm clothing.
As a lifelong resident of the Finger Lakes, Paul enjoys the fruit of vine the many area wineries produce. He is an accomplished photographer and enjoys all things outdoors. His blog with essays and short stories can be found at www.eastthillviews.com
Tess Padmore has lived in New York City, New York, Rochester, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Juneau, Alaska. A self-described citizen of the world she hopes to one day relocate overseas. She lives with her rescue Yorkie/Chihuahuas Beau and Ruby. Now retired, she has reinvented herself as an entrepreneur, inventor and writer.
Karen Shughart became hooked on mysteries in the second grade, when she read her first Nancy Drew book. Years later, after many twists and turns in her career, she decided to follow her passion and become a Cozy mystery writer. All books in her award-winning Edmund DeCleryk series (Cozy Cat Press) have a surprise ending, diverse group of characters, and historical subplots that provide clues to why the murder occurred right under the noses of criminal consultant, Ed, and his wife, Annie, head of the local historical society.
Annie often assists her husband in solving the crimes, but she’s also a gourmet chef, and each book contains recipes for dishes she prepares as the hunt goes on to discover the killer. Karen has co-authored two additional Cozy Cat Press mysteries and has written two non-fiction books. She is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association of the UK, North America Chapter; F.L.A.R.E.; Hometown Reads; and Rochester Reads.
Before moving to Sodus Point, NY, the prototype for the fictional village of Lighthouse Cove where the series is based, she and her husband lived in southcentral Pennsylvania where she ran a chamber of commerce and before that worked in public relations, and as a teacher, photographer, journalist, and editor.
Sally Valentine is a native Rochesterian who has been both a student and a teacher in the Rochester City School District. Over the years she has enjoyed many day trips to places in the Finger Lakes. These ranged from family get-togethers at Roseland Park when she was a kid to wine tasting tours as an adult. Two special days were the weddings of her daughters, one at Casa Larga and the other in Watkins Glen.
Ms. Valentine is the author of a series of books for mid-grade children, each set in a different Rochester landmark. She is now working on the 7th book in the series which will be set in Mt. Hope Cemetery. She is also the author of an award-winning book of poems entitled There Are No Buffalo in Buffalo. Each poem is about a different place in New York State. The poems are accompanied by color collage illustrations created by her sister-in-law, Suzanne Valentine.
