Here You Get the Chance to Meet Our Members!

J.C. O’Dell.

J.C. is a self-proclaimed “Nerdy Intellectual.” He spent most of his recess time at school reading. His nose always in a book. His love of reading reached new heights when he read Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs at age 10. He soon tore through the series and branched out in his reading, even comic books. At 16, he had a bizarre dream, which he wrote down. A story emerged. More ideas for other stories followed. When he was 18 he made what he felt was a great discovery, a folder full of stories his father had written. He asked his dad about the unfinished work and soon the two of them started writing a book together. It took them a few years to complete it and in the mean time, J.C. went on to write short stories as they came to him, including a western, a horror, an ode to Tarzan, and a few Sci-Fi’s. He draws inspiration from his varied interests, the comic books (do not knock it until you try it), growing up on a small farm, hunting (both archery and rifle), old west reenacting, and his reading. His favorite authors are Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Orson Scott Card, Jim Butcher, William R. Frostchen, and of course Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The big thing he appreciates about the Central Valley Writers Workshop is the opportunity to read his work in progress and get honest reaction to his writing. The differing points of view helps with working out the kinks and story stoppers. Not to mention, he gets the chance to hang out with fellow writers.

Right now J.C. is working on two different stories, a vampire novel, and a sci-fi thriller. All the while fighting the never-ending battle with his arch nemesis the verb “was”.

G. C. O'Dell

G. C. O'Dell was born in the great state of South Dakota in the late 1950s.  Growing up in the mid-west he learned the joys of camping and began his study of tracking and woodcraft in the Boy Scouts.  He spent his teenage years trapping and hunting in the Missouri backwoods.  Fast approaching the half century mark G. C. O'Dell now lives in the California Sierras.  An outdoor enthusiast he still enjoys riding horses, hunting, fishing, and black powder.  As an avid reader of both history, science fiction /fantasy he longs for the days of yore when hunter gatherers ruled and life was simpler.  

"A man can still dream."   

You can visit G.C.'s website at
www.gcodell.com

Barbara Mohler was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has spent decades thoroughly researching her family roots. She is now bringing their struggles and triumphs to life in historical fiction works, both novel and biographies, researched from her studies.

Barbara is married, raised three sons with her husband and worked as a secretary, both in Oklahoma and California before her retirement. She, her husband and their Golden Retriever live in Madera, California.

The Central Valley Writers' Workshop is the place where she has learned many skills in the art of writing. She has also gained many new friends there, enjoys weekly meetings, quarterly meetings with speakers from every aspect, including published authors. A highlight for the workshop is the yearly symposium, which brings not only authors, but also agents and library publishers, searching for clients and sharing their knowledge of the craft.

DENISE NOLA-FAYE LOWE

Coarsegold, California 93614

femden52@yosemite.net

Denise Lowe has been passionate about history her entire life. This passion translated to an undergraduate Minor in college and a Masters in American Studies. She continued this enthusiasm as an avocation after graduation with a special interest in the pre-1900 period.

      As the author of two nonfiction books, she has experience researching time periods, events and, most importantly, the people involved. In addition to her own two publications, she has contributed to other books with such diverse topics as violence/murder and popular culture. In addition, she has given presentations at historical and academic conferences on her research.

      Current projects include collecting her “suicide” poetry that expresses the anguish felt when life “decides to go its way rather than the way you had hoped.” The book will go from first torment to acceptance to recovery or progress from the innocence of a young girl’s dreams to the realities of the larger world.

      Another project is a politically incorrect book dealing with history classes for divergent ethnic groups at a college and the possible ramifications to the larger student body.

      She is a founding member of the Lakeside Writers Guild in the Sierra Mountains and publisher of the newsletter. She is also a Director of the Central Valley Writers’ Workshop. While a youth she won many prizes for her writing and was awarded a lifetime membership in Quill and Scroll, an honor society for journalism students.

      When she isn’t writing or reading history, she reads too many murder mysteries by women authors or fruitlessly tries to find something to watch on TV, other than on the History Channel. When she’s stressed, or actually anytime is cooks, she puts too much garlic on her food—which may be why she’s still single. 

      Denise lives halfway between Fresno and Yosemite National Park on an acre of land with her pet family of five cats—Brianna, Corey, Elle, Kizzy (better known as ‘Fraidy) and P’Chaux, and the newest member of the family Broddee, a pure bred Border Collie, who is way too spoiled (and Denise is not sure how he got that way).