This page presents videos created about Gold Country Writers and Events. These videos are sponsored by the GCW organization.
Gold Country Writers on Auburn Community TV
Gold Country Writers member Phil Jacques is the Studio Manager for Auburn Community Television (ACTV). Beginning in March 2022, Phil has made videos of many of our 3rd Wednesday Speaker Meetings. Links for viewing our speaker meetings are given below.
For other videos from ACTV, visit their YouTube Channel here: https://m.youtube.com/user/actv20
Donna Levin – April 16, 2025
View ACTV video of Donna Levin’s talk
Donna Levin gave her talk — “DIALOGUE: the rules, the revelations, and the room to experiment” — to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Donna is the author of five acclaimed novels: Extraordinary Means, California Street, There’s More Than One Way Home, He Could Be Another Bill Gates, and The Talking Stick; and of two books on the craft of writing: Get That Novel Started and Get That Novel Written. She is a longtime facilitator of fiction-writing workshops, and a frequent speaker at conferences. Her work is included in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University and in the California State Library’s collection of California novels. For more info, visit: https://www.donnalevin.com/.
Sarah Michie Pressler & Susan M Osborn – March 19, 2025
View ACTV video of Susan M. Osborn and Sarah Michie Pressler’s workshop talk
Susan M. Osborn and Sarah Michie Pressler gave their workshop talk — “Lettuce Laugh – Adding Humor to Your Writing” — to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Susan M. Osborn, Ph.D., M.S.W., is the creative nonfiction author of The Awful Bosses Coloring Book which contains 26 limericks. Susan is having fun writing a book about coincidences. Sarah Michie Pressler is the author of Jambo Mama and The Little Askari, both about the thrills of growing up in Kenya. Sarah is writing a book about a favorite time in her life, childhood.
Randy Landenberger – January 15, 2025
View ACTV Video of Randy Landenberger’s Talk
Randy Landenberger gave his talk—“Turning Your Story into an Audiobook: Here’s the Reality”—to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. An audio engineer, Randy does business as Randco Studio and has a home recording studio for audiobook narration, voice-over work, and music. Writing under the pen name Randy L. Scott, his psychological action-adventure-drama novels in The Dream Messiah series are Freedom, Into the Fire, and Awaken. For more info, visit https://www.randco.me/.
Dänna Wilberg – November 20, 2024
View ACTV Video of Dänna Wilberg’s Talk
Dänna Wilberg gave her talk — “How Script Writing Can Enhance Your Novel Writing Experience” — to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. Dänna has written, produced, and directed multiple award-winning short films. She produced and hosted TV programs in Sacramento for over a decade and was one of the first people inducted into Access Sacramento’s “A Place Called Sacramento” Hall of Fame. She is the author of a romantic-suspense trilogy — The Red Chair, The Grey Door, and The Black Dress; and a paranormal-suspense series “Borrowed Time” — Book 1 – Broken Promises, Book 2 – Missing, and Book 3 – Mind Game.
EJ DeBrun – September 18, 2024
View ACTV Video of EJ DeBrun’s Talk
EJ DeBrun gave her talk — “THE PRINCIPLES OF NARRATIVE BELIEVABILITY: How to Make Your Fiction Realer Than Real” — to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. EJ is a former animator with a Master’s degree in Animation from Savannah College of Art and Design. During her time in the film and television industry, she worked with many veteran industry professionals — including at Nickelodeon Studios and Lucasfilms Animation Studios. She now uses her creative experience to write fiction in the science fiction and fantasy genre. She is also an independent developmental editor. For more info, visit www.ejdebrun.com and www.cn-editing.com.
Karen Phillips – July 17, 2024
View ACTV Video of Karen Phillips’ Talk
Karen Phillips gave her talk on “It’s All in the Presentation — Cover Design and Book Formatting,” on Wednesday, July 17,2024. Karen is the author of A Deadly Combo (Book 1) and the upcoming A Deadly Match (Book 2) in the Rocky Nelson Boxing Mystery Series. As a graphic designer with a degree in Applied Art & Design from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she is passionate about book covers and has worked freelance for many indie authors and small publishers. Her cover design business is Phillips Covers. https://phillipscovers.com/
Geri Spieler – June 19, 2024
View ACTV Video of Geri Spieler’s Talk
Geri Spieler gave her “Advanced Internet Research Skills” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. An author and investigative journalist, she has written for the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Forbes. She was a Research Director for Gartner, a global technology advising company. Her creative nonfiction book Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried To Kill President Ford has been optioned for a movie. Her newest book, a historical fiction, is Regina of Warsaw: Love, Loss and Liberation. For more about Geri, visit: https://gerispieler.com/.
Note: Geri presented a document entitled “Advanced Internet Research Skills – Lists from the PowerPoint Presentation.” This document is available upon request. Send request to: goldcountrywriters1849@gmail.com.
Bill George 5/15/2024
View ACTV Video of Bill George’s Talk
Bill George gave his “How a Maverick Coach Upended Society and Led a Group of Young Swimmers to Olympic Glory” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. He is a historian and the author of Victory in the Pool (Rowman & Littlefield), an inspiring story about the swimmers from a Sacramento swim club who won 20 Olympic Gold medals — at the 1968 Mexico City Games and at the 1972 Munich Games. The swimmers included Mark Spitz, Debbie Meyer, Sue Pedersen, Mike Burton, John Ferris, and Jeff Float, and their coach was Sherm Chavoor. Bill is also a film maker and founded Nimbus Films in 2011 and has written and produced seven award-winning documentary films for PBS about California history. His films include “The Hidden Wonder of the World” about the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad from Sacramento to Donner Summit (with his companion book Rails, Tales and Trails), “Newcastle, Gem of the Foothills,” and “Rancho Cordova, from the Gold Rush to the Space Race.” For more about Bill, visit https://billgeorge1.com/.
Beverly Parayno 4/17/2024
View ACTV Video of Beverly Parayno’s Talk
Beverly Parayno gave her “Drawing From Lived Experience to Write Fiction” workshop presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. She is the author of the debut story collection Wildflowers (PAWA Press, 2023). Her fiction, memoir, essays, and author interviews appear in Narrative Magazine, Bellingham Review, The Rumpus, Warscapes, Huizache, and Southward: New Writing from Ireland. She serves on the board of Philippine American Writers and Artists, and the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland. In 2023, she participated in and moderated events for the Cork International Short Story Festival. Additionally, she co-facilitates the Poets and Writers Workshop at the Cameron Park Library. For more, visit www.wildflowersbp.com.
Lisa Schliff 2/21/2024
View ACTV Video of Lisa Schliff’s Talk
Lisa Schliff gave her “Write a Newsletter to Promote Your Books” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. She is a life-long writer of stories and poems and a teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL). Her debut novel, Fire in the Springs: A tale of star-crossed immigrants, is a historical romance novel based loosely on the lives of her great-grandparents, who immigrated from Germany to Arkansas in the mid-1800s, just before and after the American Civil War. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she received a B.A. in Spanish from UCSB and an M.A. in English/ESL from San Francisco State University. Lisa is the Newsletter Editor for the monthly Gold Country Writers Dispatch newsletter. https://lisaschliff.com
________________________________________
Lara Gularte 1/17/2024
View ACTV Video of Lara Gularte’s Talk
Lara Gularte gave her “Is It a Prose Poem or Flash Fiction?” workshop presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. Poet Laureate Emeritus of El Dorado County, she is the author of two books of poetry — Fourth World Woman (Finishing Line Press) and Kissing the Bee (The Bitter Oleander Press). Nominated for several Pushcart Prizes, her work has been published in national and international journals and anthologies. Lara hosts the Poetry of the Sierra Foothills readings at Chateau Davell Winery in Camino, and she co-leads the Poets and Writers Workshop at the Cameron Park Library.
________________________________________
James L’Etoile 11/15/2023
View ACTV Video of James L’Etoile‘s Talk
James L’Etoile gave his “Building Author-Bookstore Relationships,” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. He uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels include Face of Greed, Devil Within, Dead Drop, Black Label, Bury the Past, At What Cost, and Little River. He’s held book events across the country but considers Face In A Book Bookstore in El Dorado Hills Town Center his second home. His Novel, Black Labe, earned the Silver Falchion for Best Book by an Attending Author at Killer Nashville, and he was nominated for The Bill Crider Award for short fiction. Dead Drop garnered a Lefty and an Anthony Award nomination. https://jamesletoile.com/
________________________________________
Meera Ekkanath Klein 10/18/2023
View ACTV Video of Meera Ekkanath Klein’s Talk
Meera Ekkanath Klein gave her “Food and Fables in Fiction Writing” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. An award-winning author, Meera deftly weaves her love of cooking and storytelling into irresistible tales with her books — My Mother’s Kitchen: A Novel with Recipes, and Seeing Ceremony: A Novel with Recipes (Homebound Publications). Among the awards she received for both novels, two were from the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, for Seeing Ceremony — “Grand Prize Winner (3rd Place)” in Fiction, and “Winner” in the Second Novel category. A former newspaper reporter and columnist, Meera honed her writing skills in a busy newsroom. Her poetry, short stories, and essays have been published in numerous online magazines, including Zibby Mag, The Ethel (the AARP online magazine), and As/Us: Writers of the World. For details: https://www.meeraklein.com/
________________________________________
Short Story Contest 2023, Awards Celebration, October 7, 2023
View Video of Short Story Awards Celebration
Gold Country Writers and Auburn Community TV Videographer Philip Jacques has once again captured a wonderful GCW event on video! Thanks Philip!
The Gold Country Writers Short Story Contest Celebration took place on Saturday, October 7, 2023, in the Council Chambers at Auburn City Hall. Congratulations to the winners! — Philip Jacques (First Place for “Triple”), Sandra K. Sullivan (Second Place for “Boo’kie and Bunch”), and Joli Roberts (Third Place for “Where’s Daddy”).
The event featured Keynote Speaker Laurel Anne Hill presenting “A Short Story Is Not a Very Short Novel.” Also presenting were Susan Korn (GCW President), Frank Nissen (Drop-in Critique Coordinator), Sarah Pressler (Director of Spin-off Critique Groups), Margie Yee Webb (Director of Speaker Programs), Susan M. Osborn (Activity Speaker), and Rebecca Inch-Partridge (Contest Chair). During the awards ceremony, finalists were announced with readings by the winners. A reception was held in the Rose Room.
The Gold Country Writers Short Story Celebration is supported in part by the Arts Council of Placer County, Auburn Arts Commission, Gold Mountain California News Media (formerly Gold Country Media), Poets & Writers, City of Auburn, Starbucks Coffee (in Auburn), and Face In A Book Bookstore & Gifts (in El Dorado Hills Town Center). We appreciate their support!
Sands Hall 9/20/2023
View ACTV Video of Sands Hall’s Talk
Sands Hall gave her “Overlapping Strategies in the Writing of Fiction and Memoir” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Sands Hall—author, professor, theatre artist, singer-songwriter—is the author of a novel, Catching Heaven. She is also the author of a book on the craft of writing, Tools of the Writers Craft. Most recently, she has written the award-winning memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology (Counterpoint Press). Blackstone Audio produced the audio book, read by the author. A popular teacher, Sands leads workshops and lectures at the Community of Writers, a series of summer writing workshops in Olympic Valley, California. Sands also teaches courses on Scene, Point of View, and more. For details: https://sandshall.com.
Lois Ann Abraham, 5/17/2023
View ACTV Video of Lois Ann Abraham‘s Talk
Lois Ann Abraham gave her “Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings” workshop presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Lois Ann grew up in New Mexico in a home rich with books. She spent her childhood reading and re-reading the great Victorian novels, the work of Jane Austen, and British mysteries. After a brief career as a singer-songwriter, she went on to teach literature, creative writing, and grammar at American River College. Lois Ann is the author of a collection of short stories entitled Circus Girl & Other Stories, and of two novels: Tina Goes to Heaven and Deborah’s Gift.
Susan M. Osborn, 4/19/2023
View ACTV Video of Susan M. Osborn’s Talk
Susan M. Osborn gave her “Creating Flash Fiction” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Susan M. Osborn, Ph.D., M.S.W., is a creative nonfiction writer. Her Awful Bosses Coloring Book includes 26 cartoons and limericks, along with keys to dealing with stress and illnesses triggered by toxic workplaces. The System Made Me Do It! A Life Changing Approach to Office Politics uses stories to capture the essence of five kinds of organizations and shows how to change an organization’s story. She is also the author of Assertive Training for Women. She is currently working on a book that describes six ways to look at the world.
Barbara Young, 3/15/2023
View ACTV Video of Barbara Young’s Talk
Barbara Young gave her “Manifesting Your Book” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Barbara is the author of the award winning nonfiction book, “The Heart That Rocks Health Care: Nurses—Move from Stress to Success, Empowerment and Influence.” Her 35 plus years as a health-conscious registered nurse, well-being consultant, glass artist, and traveler contributed to manifesting her book. She holds Board Certifications in Holistic Nursing and Vascular Access, and degrees in nursing, psychology, and metaphysics. Visit her website at: https://byoungbooks.com/.
Georgette Unis, 1/18/2023
View ACTV Video of Georgette Unis’ Talk
Georgette Unis gave her “Sounding the Metaphor” poetry workshop presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Georgette is the author of two books of poetry published by Finishing Line Press — Watercolors in the Desk Drawer published in 2022, and Tremors published in 2018. Her poetry is also published in several literary journals, including Naugatuck River Review, San Pedro River Review, Southwestern American Literature, and Ginosko Literary Review. Additionally, Georgette has an MFA in mixed media painting and has exhibited her artwork in many solo and group exhibitions, where some galleries have presented broadsides of her poems. Visit her website at: http://georgetteunis.com/
Amy Rogers 9/21/2022
View ACTV video of Amy Rogers’ talk
Amy Rogers gave her “Write a Thriller Novel Using Craft Tips From the Pros” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, September 21,2022. Amy Rogers, MD, PhD, is a Harvard-educated scientist, novelist, journalist and educator. She is author of three science-themed thriller novels—Petroplague, Reversion, and The Han Agent—using real science and medicine to create plausible, frightening scenarios in the style of Michael Crichton. Her nonfiction book, Science in the Neighborhood, is a compilation of local science journalism she wrote for INSIDE Magazine. She is a full member of International Thriller Writers and a long-time participant in the Sacramento writing community. https://www.amyrogers.com
Dierdre Wolownick 7/20/2022
View ACTV video of Dierdre Wolownick’s talk
Dierdre Wolownick gave her “How to Succeed at Anything” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Dierdre began rock climbing at age 59 and at 66, she became the oldest woman to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan. She shares her intimate journey in her memoir, The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story. Last year, she celebrated her 70th birthday by going up El Capitan again—breaking her own record!—and this time camping on the summit. Her son, Alex Honnold, is featured in Free Solo, the Academy Award-winning documentary that depicts his ropeless ascent of El Capitan. Dierdre’s remarkable life story is featured in an upcoming film, Climbing Into Life. See trailer: https://vimeo.com/729298002
Joan Griffin 6/15/2022
View ACTV video of Joan Griffin’s talk
Joan Griffin gave her “Spice Up Your Writing With Sensory Details” workshop presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Joan is a memoirist, an editor, and an educator. She teaches women’s history, literature, and writing classes through OLLI—the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute—at Sierra College and UC Davis. She has completed a manuscript for her adventure memoir, Force of Nature, that recounts the tale of her long-distance backpacking trek through California’s Sierra Nevada on the iconic John Muir Trail. https://joangriffin.substack.com/
James L’Etoile 5/18/2022
(View ACTV video of James L’Etoile’s talk)
James L’Etoile gave his presentation, “Exploring Character,” to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. James is the author of five novels: At What Cost, Bury the Past, Little River: The Other Side of Paradise, Black Label, and the latest to be published in July 2022, Dead Drop. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. He is a nationally recognized expert witness on prison and jail operations, and has received a number of awards for his novels. You can view James’ website at https://www.jamesletoile.com
Mary Helen Fein 3/16/2022
(View ACTV video of Mary Helen Fein’s talk)
Mary Helen Fein gave her presentation, “Writing Family History ~ A Process,” to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Mary Helen is the author of Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story—an historical novel based on the life of her grandmother, Helen Breakstone Fein, who immigrated from Lithuania to New York City in 1900. In February 2022, Mary Helen was interviewed by New York City’s Tenement Museum. Her Virtual Book Talk was recorded and available to watch via the museum’s YouTube channel. Her first novel is Loss of Deliverance. You can view Mary Helen’s website at: https://www.maryhelenfein.com