Nancy Omeara has written non-fiction books about religious tolerance and “raging against hate”, but she now turns her hand to a funny satire. Having lived in 7 countries and worked with people from many cultures, she thinks we could have a very different kind of President. She hopes you’ll appreciate these ideas.

Eleanor (Ellie) Gaccetta, MBA is an author, speaker and home cook/baker. Formally she was a legislative and policy analyst for the State of Colorado, the City and County of Broomfield, and after leaving government services she was a private contractor. Ellie’s almost forty-year career ceased when her mother fell and broke her hip at age 92.

Thus began Ellie’s own journey of being a 24/7 sole caregiver for her mother for the next nine and one half years. During that time her book One Caregiver’s Journey was born with personal memories, insight and advice for caregivers. The book is a snapshot of the realities, changes and challenges of caregiving. During the six months after her mother’s passing at age 102, Ellie journaled about her reintegration back into the world. “The biggest challenge to reintegration after nearly 10 years of isolation has been to not be an outsider looking into the world that passed you by.”

Ellie’s second book, Generations of Good food, wasn’t planned. It was a labor of love that consumed her time during the pandemic lockdown. It incorporates recipes, stories, and anecdotes from six generations of her Italian family. It is a book for the kitchen novice and seasoned cook and baker.

Today she lives in a suburb west of Denver where she enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, cooking, baking and gardening. During the pandemic she committed to remaining healthy, getting in shape and staying fit. After the pandemic she walks 2-3 miles daily and has become a gym shark.

John D. Keller was born in America’s northeast at the dawn of WWII. A fellow student in high school, through witnessing, helped lead him to the Lord and shortly after graduation, John married Janet in the Lord. Our marriage has brought us six children and many grandchildren. After graduation from Philadelphia College of the Bible he was ordained to the Gospel Ministry and was the pastor of two Baptist Churches in Maine. This book began as a Gospel tract in 1975: “Apostasy and Divorce”. This manuscript is the result of forty years of study on this subject of marriage — all for His Glory. John and Janet celebrated 61 years of our rewarding marriage on March 10, 2023.

Rebecca Hendricks is a writer and author of the new novel Hound Dogged.

Rebecca has made a career doing accounting and Judicial Assistant work, but her passion has always been writing and creating colorful and exciting stories. Starting at a young age, Rebecca could be found in her room, spending countless hours writing stories in long hand or typing her work with one finger on her father’s antique typewriter.

Rebecca is a Colorado native where she lives with her husband, dog, and two cats. She enjoys urban exploration and camping with her husband and their Golden Retriever, Haley. In her limited free time, she enjoys restoring and giving new life to old dolls.

During 20 years as a customer journey executive, Darren built relationships across the globe managing a business process outsourcer organization in Asia as well as Central America and South America. When he was Director of Global Customer Care for 1-800-flowers.com he led a vendor organization of 1000 FTE across 7 partners in 5 countries and 10 cities.

Over the past seven years, Darren has had numerous health issues, including two below knee amputations, Stage Five Kidney Failure requiring dialysis three times a week and congestive heart failure. He is also a stroke survivor. Darren has used the concepts learned managing vendors to help him overcome his physical limitations; leaning into your discomfort, the power of partnerships and the importance of clear, consistent and concise communication. Darren’s story is one of triumph because of his tenacious desire to fight back to life through these trials.

Darren obtained his Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from The University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from George Mason University. Darren and his lovely wife Elaine founded Korrior, Inc. with a vision to create inspirational books and faith based media projects. Darren’s e-book, “A Day in the Life in a Skilled Nursing Facility: Short Stories from a Young Man Trapped in a Nursing Home” was released in September 2018. Darren’s memoir, "With Worn Out Tools: Navigating The Rituals of Mid Life" was released in September of 2021. Darren is a Certified John Maxwell trainer, coach and speaker with an executive coaching clientele of 25 executives in four countries. He is a licensed Color Code Personality Assessment Facilitator, training over 500 leaders in 4 countries. He is a 2019 Consumer Reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, a speaker for The Amputee Coalition 2023 National Conference, and a participant in the DPC 2023 Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Darren loss over 275 pounds primarily on a vegetarian diet.

Hollywood is full of stories that celebrate coming of age. Midlife has its stories too but they are not quite as celebrated. During our time together I would like to share my story of how I went from celebrating my fiftieth birthday to becoming a below knee amputee. I was a corporate executive, enjoying a career as a customer journey executive. I was traveling the world and building relationships with people in The Philippines, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guyana before my career was interrupted with a series of illnesses including two below knee amputations, stage 5 kidney disease which requires dialysis 3 times a week, and a stroke.

I will share with you the eight lessons I learned as I fought my way back to life. 1. Be more thankful, 2. Be more in the moment, 3. Be more inquisitive 4. Be more prepared 5. The importance of friends 6. Laughter 7. Faith and 8. Rule Number 1.

Irwin David Gould, Jr. is a longtime resident of Boca Raton, Fla., where he is a successful businessman in the detailing and construction industries. Irwin believes in the transformative power of education and is an advocate for life-long learning. When he is not at work, Irwin can be found at his local gym keeping his physique in tip-top shape in preparation for his next big role.