East County Magazine
LOCAL NOVELIST EVOKES APPALACHIA IN DEPRESSION ERA
Printer-friendly version Thank Ye, Mister Sun by Bob Riffenburgh Reviewed by Pennell Paugh June 5, 2025 — Award-winning San Diego resident Bob Riffenburgh has written a charming historical fiction novel about Appalachia, 1939-40. Thirteen-year-old Ronson Allen stays hungry after dinner because there isn’t enough food to go around. Nevertheless, he feels carefree, loves his family, and is
CAMP SALVADOR, SAN DIEGO AUTHOR’S NOVEL SET IN BAJA
Printer-friendly version Novel by M.L. Meurs Reviewed by Pennell Paugh May 30, 2025 (San Diego) — San Diego resident, M.L. Meurs, has released her debut novel, Camp Salvador. Written in first-person, the book reads like a memoir. The main character, Ellis Robinson, shares her experiences in Baja, Mexico where roughly built homes have a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean.
PULITZER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST CHRIS HEDGES TO SPEAK ON GAZA, SIGN BOOKS MAY 30 AT KNSJ FUNDRAISER
Printer-friendly versionMay 24, 2025 (San Diego) — Pulitzer Prize winning author Chris Hedges will speak at a fundraiser for KNSJ radio on Friday, May 30 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 2728 6th Avenue in in San Diego. Hedges, is a journalist, author, commentator and Presbyterian minister who has worked as a war correspondent and New York Times Middle Eastern Bureau Chief,
VERMONTER: LOCAL AUTHOR’S CIVIL WAR NOVEL DRAWS FROM ANCESTOR’S EXPERIENCES
Printer-friendly versionNovel by A.J. Converse Reviewed by Pennell Paugh May 22, 2025 (San Diego) — Long-time San Diego resident Al (A.J.) Converse has written a historical fiction novel about his great-grandfather’s experience serving in Company G of the Thirteenth Vermont Volunteers, Second Vermont Brigade in the Union Army that fought at Gettysburg, PA. Converse details the way of
IN SEARCH OF THE CROWN: MEMOIR OF A BLACK BEAUTY QUEEN DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Printer-friendly versionShe dared to challenge an unjust system Book by Catherine Grace Pope, EdD Reviewed by Pennell Paugh May 20, 2025 (San Diego) — Catherine Pope, a San Diego resident, has written a debut book about her struggle to gain social justice. Pope, as a poor 19-year-old black college student, set her sights on the Miss America Crown. She began
OUR INTERVIEW WITH DR. KEITH BLACK, AUTHOR OF BRAIN SURGEON AND LEADING BRAIN TUMOR RESEARCHER
Printer-friendly version Dr. Keith Black Interview with Anat Tour/ East County Magazine May 10, 2025 (San Diego) – Recently, ECM Bookshelf host Anat Tour sat down for an in-depth interview with Dr.Keith Black on our East County Magazine Radio Show. Dr. Black A pioneer in brain tumor research and leading neurosurgeon, he is also author of the book Brain Surgeon.
ON TWO LEGS AND THREE WHEELS: THE TRAVEL ADVENTURES OF A COUPLE OVERCOMING AGE AND DISABILITY
Printer-friendly versionMemoir by Cary D. Lowe Reviewed by Pennell Paugh April 30,2025 (San Diego) — On Two Legs and Three Wheels, by San Diego writer Cary Lowe, gives an emphatically positive answer to the question of whether readers can continue traveling as they get older or become disabled. Lowe describes his trips with his multiple-sclerosis-disabled wife to sites
SAN DIEGO AUTHOR ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF MURDER MYSTERY NOVEL
Printer-friendly version By Pennell Paugh April 30, 2025 (San Diego) — San Diego writer, Peter Shaw recently released a debut novel: Murder on the Way: A Camino de Santiago Mystery. On a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the Camino family sends a hitman who poses as a pilgrim. His target stole a bag of the gang’s money, now travels as
JOURNEY OF THE HEART: AUTHOR TANYA HARRIS HOSTS BOOK SIGNING EXPERIENCE AT KROC THEATRE APRIL 16
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 8, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Tanya Harris lost her 13-yeare-old son, Treyvon, who was struck by a car outside his school in Lemon Grove in 2019. Now she has authored a book, Journey of the Heart: Should I Stay or Should I Go?” The book recounts her soulful, faith-filled exploration of
MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE: THE TRUE STORY OF THREE UNSOLVED MURDERS IN PROHIBITION-ERA SAN DIEGO
Printer-friendly versionBy Richard Carrico Reviewed by Pennell Paugh April 2, 2025 (San Diego) – San Diego denizen and resident Richard L. Carrico pieces fragments of evidence together for cold cases, while shedding light on a dark chapter in San Diego’s history. Monsters on the Loose tells the tragic, true stories of three females who were murdered early in 1931: Virginia
Search by Specific Date
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
IN DEEP AND FAR OUT: BOOK II OF A TRILOGY
Printer-friendly versionBy Richard G. Opper Reviewed by Pennell Paugh July 7, 2024 (San Diego) – San Diego author Richard Opper’s most recent book, In Deep and Far Out, is the second in a trilogy that takes place in the early 1970s. In the trilogy’s first book, Gary, a Harbor cop, has fallen in-love with Mona, a woman who
SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY
Printer-friendly versionBy KC Grifant Reviewed by Pennell Paugh July 5, 2024 (San Diego) — KC Grifant’s debut short story collection, Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny, will be released on July 11 at an online event at 5 p.m. Join Galactic Terrors readings at https://tinyurl.com/y4gj654q. The San Diego author brings characters alive as they walk into a
SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY
Printer-friendly versionBy KC Grifant Reviewed by Pennell Paugh July 5, 2024 (San Diego) — KC Grifant’s debut short story collection, Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny, will be released on July 11 at an online event at 5 p.m. Join Galactic Terrors readings at https://tinyurl.com/y4gj654q. The San Diego author brings characters alive as they walk into a
SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY
Printer-friendly versionBy KC Grifant Reviewed by Pennell Paugh July 5, 2024 (San Diego) — KC Grifant’s debut short story collection, Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny, will be released on July 11 at an online event at 5 p.m. Join Galactic Terrors readings at https://tinyurl.com/y4gj654q. The San Diego author brings characters alive as they walk into a
PHOTOGRAPHER ROY TOFT’S GIFT TO RAMONA
Printer-friendly version By Mimi Pollack Photos courtesy: Roy Toft, Teri Kerns, and Mimi Pollack June 18, 2024 (Ramona) – Ramona photographer Roy Toft, has always had an affinity for animals. This photographer has had many adventures in his life, photographing wildlife and leading tours around the world, but he calls Ramona home. He lives there with his wife,
PHOTOGRAPHER ROY TOFT’S GIFT TO RAMONA
Printer-friendly version By Mimi Pollack Photos courtesy: Roy Toft, Teri Kerns, and Mimi Pollack June 18, 2024 (Ramona) – Ramona photographer Roy Toft, has always had an affinity for animals. This photographer has had many adventures in his life, photographing wildlife and leading tours around the world, but he calls Ramona home. He lives there with his wife,
THE GUILDED PEN – TRAVERSING LIFE, THE SAN DIEGO WRITERS AND EDITORS GUILD 2023 ANTHOLOGY
Printer-friendly versionReviewed by Pennell Paugh June 18, 2024 (San Diego) — The San Diego Writers & Editors Guild is a nonprofit, member-supported organization dedicated to promoting the writing arts in San Diego. The Guilded Pen has been publishing anthologies of its members’ short stories, essays, and poetry since 2012. The 2023 version, Traversing Life, is the Guild’s best collection
THE GUILDED PEN – TRAVERSING LIFE, THE SAN DIEGO WRITERS AND EDITORS GUILD 2023 ANTHOLOGY
Printer-friendly versionReviewed by Pennell Paugh June 18, 2024 (San Diego) — The San Diego Writers & Editors Guild is a nonprofit, member-supported organization dedicated to promoting the writing arts in San Diego. The Guilded Pen has been publishing anthologies of its members’ short stories, essays, and poetry since 2012. The 2023 version, Traversing Life, is the Guild’s best collection
THE GUILDED PEN – TRAVERSING LIFE, THE SAN DIEGO WRITERS AND EDITORS GUILD 2023 ANTHOLOGY
Printer-friendly versionReviewed by Pennell Paugh June 18, 2024 (San Diego) — The San Diego Writers & Editors Guild is a nonprofit, member-supported organization dedicated to promoting the writing arts in San Diego. The Guilded Pen has been publishing anthologies of its members’ short stories, essays, and poetry since 2012. The 2023 version, Traversing Life, is the Guild’s best collection
ALPINE RESIDENT PUBLISHES DEBUT COLLECTION OF SHORT FICTION: JOE CABANISS’ STORIES EXAMINE TRIALS, TRIUMPHS OF COMING OF AGE
Printer-friendly versionSource: Joe Cabaniss press release June 8,2024 (Alpine)– In his debut story collection, Life Songs And Other Passages – San Diego Stories, native San Diegan Joe Cabaniss probes the spaces between youth and adulthood and explores a road paved with uncertainty, heartache and moral dilemmas. His characters strive to understand their lives and loves amid opposing forces that foster
Search by Specific Date
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
East County Magazine
Pretty Happy: healthy ways to love your body
Printer-friendly versionBook by Kate Hudson Review by Heidi Hope October 5, 2025 (San Diego) – Pretty Happy is a New York Times best-selling self-help book written by my favorite actress, Kate Hudson. She thoughtfully researched each area and provided a variety of questions to ask, as well as suggestions to reference and ideas for carrying out each lesson to take
Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure by Dave Grunenwald
Printer-friendly versionReviewed by Pennell Paugh September 28, 2025 (San Diego) – Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure is a children’s book for 5- to 10-year-olds. It is designed to inspire children and their families to volunteer in community programs that help those in need. In the book, two friends and a grandparent visit a group that make and deliver sandwiches. Next,
Author Tanya Harris hosts book signing Sept. 21 at Grossmont Center to benefit domestic violence survivors
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service September 5, 2025 (La Mesa) — Local author, domestic violence survivor and advocate Tanya Harris will host a powerful community book signing and awareness event on Sunday, September 21, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the gazebo at Grossmont Center mall (5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa). The community-focused event is designed to
Blood in the Water: an A.J. Hawke legal thriller
Printer-friendly versionNovel by Donald McInnis Reviewed by Pennell Paugh September 4, 2025 (San Diego) —Blood in the Water, though fictional, exposes a flaw in the United States’ tripartite federal government structure as established in the Constitution. The third branch of government, the Judiciary, cannot enforce its rulings, even when those rulings are necessary for protecting an individual citizen’s rights or the constitutional powers of