The Florida Writer Podcast

Mark is a private banker, historian, and avid outdoorsman. A North Florida native he has always been drawn to the rivers, estuaries and secluded forests that define the natural beauty of Florida's First Coast. He currently resides with his wife and three children in St. Johns Florida. #FloridaWriters #AmWriting

MarkAlanGriffis.com

Award-winning author Melody Dean Dimick creates vivid wordscapes of the Adirondacks, Vermont, and Florida in her books. Dimick, the winner of three Royal Palm Literary Awards from the Florida Writers Association.

Melody is the current president of the Florida Writers Foundation—a not-for-profit organization fighting to eliminate illiteracy. She is also a member of the Florida Writers Association, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Florida Authors and Publishers Association, the Daytona Writers Guild, and the Florida State Poets Association.

As an educator, Wendy Samford, Ph.D. has a background in business and education and wrote her first book "Out of the Dark: A Direction for Change in Education" which led to a second book, "Creating a Culture of Support for Teacher Leaders: A Vision for Change and Hope."

Recently, she felt called to write a book about her daughter-in-law and her life growing up in the "system" of foster care, group homes, and lock-up facilities. The book, "Bloom Where Planted" by Winifred Grace and Ava McCarthy (pseudonyms), is filled with sadness and humor, defeat and tenacity, neglect and perseverance. Bloom Where Planted won Silver in Published Catch-all category and Gold in the LBGTQ+ category in the 2019 Royal Palm Literary Awards. Discover more at BloomWherePlantedBook.com.

Janice Heck, coauthor of Triumph Over Terror and ADHD: You've Got My Attention with Bob Ossler, is a retired educator. In her free time, she writes for, edits, and publishes a community newsletter; sings in the Margate Community Church choir; and collects old grammar books just for the heck of it. She loves travel, photography, cats, writing, blogging, blogging challenges, and life-long learning. Connect with her @janiceheck on Twitter, Janice Hall Heck on Facebook, and website www.TriumphOverTerror.com.

Jan Little is a retired English instructor/journalist who writes poetry, short stories, and a fantasy series. Adelaide Literary Journal published a poem; New Millennium Writings and Beyond Borders, International, has awarded her an honorable mention in poetry contests. She is a member of the Florida Writers Association and lives in Orlando, Florida.

Visit her at RJTripp.com

Life isn't always pretty, but at the end of the day, family, friends, laughter and a glass of wine are usually enough to improve the view. Janet Franks Little brings this same realistic optimism to her contemporary women's fiction. Written with candor, humor, and depth, her stories confront real-life issues faced by women today: divorce, infidelity, family, body image, social expectations, and, of course, romance and relationships.

She is the author of three wise, witty, and heartwarming books: Worth Her Weight, Estate of the Heart and Glass Promises, and is currently working on a new series.

janetfrankslittle.com

Rod Martinez is the author of middle-grade and young adult speculative, mystery, adventure and paranormal novels. Rod believes writing a story is like sitting in front of a stage and watching the performers. He has a basic idea of the story-line, but the characters take over and he becomes their tool. Yes, he is a serious pantser.

Rod also is a fervent believer in sparking the writing bug in children; he does book talks every year in elementary and middle schools to keep the fire burning in future writers.

Visit Rod at RodMartinez.us or @AuthorRodMartinez on Facebook

Born in Kodiak, Alaska, John Satterlee is the author of Eternal Love and Life published by Christian Faith Publishing. John lives and works in Orlando with his wife Gloria and their sons 17 and 9 who are both on Autism Spectrum. For more information about John, visit him on Facebook at John Satterlee Author.