Meet Our Members

Debra Vogler, President, Instant Insight Inc.

Debra Vogler earned BS and MS degrees in physics from Marquette University, after which she had a 20-year career in reliability engineering in the defense electronics and  semiconductor manufacturing equipment industries. She then left engineering to pursue a career in journalism covering the semiconductor manufacturing industry. A seasoned journalist and interviewer for almost 22 years, she has produced and hosted several hundred video and audio interviews with semiconductor and photovoltaics industry executives and technologists. Since 2012, she has worked for her own company, Instant Insight Inc. One of her clients is Chip Scale Review magazine, for which she is senior technical editor.

Sherry Joyce

A former worldwide HR executive, Sherry enjoyed many years of creative and technical writing. As the owner of SJDesigns Interiors, her award-winning design projects and articles have been featured in numerous design magazines and textbooks. She is a member of Sacramento Sisters in Crime, and several writing organizations. THE DORDOGNE DECEPTION was conceived when the tower of the French chateau where she was vacationing was struck by lightning. DANGEROUS DUPLICITY was released in 2016 and DANGEROUS JUSTICE in 2021.

Donna Fitzgerald

Donna is a retired English and creative writing teacher. Since her retirement, she has published three books: Reruns in 2013, a collection of poetry and prose, A Perfect World in 2020 and I Have Pictured Myself for Years in 2021, both of which are strictly poetry.  She has led a poetry group for the past eight years, and hosts a monthly authors series featuring local authors, which gives them a venue to sell their books. She won a poetry award from The Palm Springs Writers Guild in 2018. She is currently working on a new poetry collection.

Marge Dodge

Marge aspired to write a novel when, after much study, she realized it is hard to make up stuff. She studied plot, story arch, character development, joined critique groups and wrote, but it was not easy. Finding creative non-fiction more to her liking, she wrote magazine articles and profiles, mostly for aviation magazines and a few local magazines. She finally found her niche when asked to report on a local non-profit fund-raising event for the Desert Sun. For the past ten years she has enjoyed sharing event details and bringing awareness of non-profit organizations to the community. She has thrived with a deadline, a word count and facts – and the knowledge that her words go in the recycle bin on Wednesday.

Joanne Hardy

Joanne’s love of history found expression in her works of historical fiction. The Girl in the Butternut Dress, a Civil War saga, won Honorable Mention in the National League of American Pen Women Fiction Contest. She also received  National DAR award for “Women in the Arts.” Random Truths showcases the “haves” and  “have nots” in a small town during an oil boom. Coming soon, Abandoned, a two-generational story spans the rise of the railroad era, Civil War and Women’s Suffrage movement. Her books have been fiction selections for book clubs. She has covered community events for the Desert Sun Newspaper for eleven years, and has served on the boards of National League of American Pen Women, Palm Springs Writers Guild, DAR and Colonial Dames.

Carol Mann

Carol Mann’s short stories, poetry, and personal essays have appeared in literary journals and magazines, including Six Hens, Coachella Calling, RavensPerch, Bloodroot, RiverSedge, Dual Coast Magazine, and The Sun Runner. Her books include All Ways A Woman, a celebration of women composed of Carol’s poetry and artist Lynn Centeno’s watercolors,and Creek Songs, a collection of selected short stories. Carol holds a B.S. in Education from SUNY Buffalo and an M.A. in Theatre from CSU Fullerton. She blogs at carolsmann.com (“Written Beneath the Palms”) and can be reached at carolmann@dc.rr.com. She lives in La Quinta, California. 

Linda Brown Carlson

A self-claimed workaholic, Linda had no time for creative writing, but her interest in history never waned. She has had the good fortune to travel and walk on many ancient grounds, hoping to discover their secrets. When she met her husband, Wayne, she discovered the concept of two souls bound since the beginning of time. Linda realized they were two of the lucky few whose paths crossed at the right time. She wondered about less fortunate souls who were destined to align, be torn apart, and search for each other again and again. This launched the idea for The Journey of the Jade Ring, a series of historical fantasy fiction following two lovers across centuries. Linda is a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild and the National Association of Pen Women. Linda and her soulmate live in Southern California . . . this incarnation.

Dianne Benanti

Diane is an artist of many talents. She began with oils then sidelined into charcoal portraits for a time in 2004. Along with continuing to paint in oils, she created a children’s concept called Paisley Dinosaur which was an outcome of many years of doodling. Paisley Dinasaur became a book, and the paisley character can now be found on notebooks, pillowcases and tee shirts which Diane sells online. She has recently discovered digital art and caricature and started “Ethereal Portraiture” on celebrities which is marketed under the moniker “Benny Brixton.”  She has also created a book of digital characters called  “The Bravettes,” specifically geared to a reality television series shown on Bravo TV. You can view Diane’s artwork her other ventures at benanti.com 

Kathy Bjork

As a teacher and reading specialist for 35 years, Kathy spent time inspiring students and passed on her love of learning and writing. With retirement, she finally found time to write herself.  She has published a book detailing her mother’s journey through dementia, My Mother is Losing Her Memory and I Am Losing My Mind, intended to help others experiencing the same problems associated with memory loss. She has had her writing published in anthologies and has written two books of poetry. She hosts a a website with information on dementia at kathybjork.com, and another “From My Perspective” at kathyssite.com which is a blog of her writings.

Martha McCool

A native of Massachusetts, Martha eventually found her way to California where she taught math at a community college, raised 3 daughters, and co-Authored a book Armenians’ Names
  In 1993, she moved from the West Coast to Texas where she taught at Texas Woman’s University, and wrote more than 150 articles for various newspapers.  Martha’s articles on the Gainesville’s Santa Fe Depot led to the attention of the Board of Directors of the Heartland Flyer. They asked her to ride the train and write of her experience, resulting in the article Riding the Trails, Using the Rails, featured and published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. 
When she and her husband retired, they moved to Rancho La Quinta, where they now participate in philanthropic and cultural activities.

Donna Weeks

Donna Weeks is a retired organization development consultant and former teacher/adjunct professor. She has written marketing/advertising materials, training programs and magazine articles for numerous clients, including: Intel Corporation, UC Santa Cruz, the Indian Health Service, California’s Employment Development Department and Hewlett-Packard. Since moving to the Coachella Valley in 2013, she has written event promotional materials for the American Outreach Foundation, which provides electric wheelchairs to those in need at no cost to them. Donna’s interests have recently turned to writing fiction and she is currently working on two mysteries: one which takes place in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and another that she’s co-writing with two other Pen Women members that uses the Coachella Valley as its setting.  

Ruth Gassner

Ruthie Gassner is a former elementary grade school teacher who has been inspired by children throughout her life.She is an author of seven children’s books written under the pseudonym of Ruthie Darling. Her stories appeal to children but also have a message. One of her latest books is“‘ONE’DERFUL,” a timeless story of sharing and caring. She is passionate about all forms of creative self-expression and pursuing the Arts continues to fill her soul and capture her spirit. HER MISSION/MOTTO: Empowering children and adults through the wonderful world of children’s literature!

Sharon Prieto

Sharon Prieto, a new member whose previous writings were newspaper articles and loan guidelines, is looking forward spreading her wings in a more creative writing atmosphere.  Sharon gained practical experience as a volunteer with local Sheriff, Police, and woman’s shelter organizations. As a member of Pen Women, she has made the acquaintance of several likeminded women and is putting pen to paper with the goal of completing her first novel.

Marge Snell

With a passion for writing and art, in her career as a Registered Nurse, Marge found opportunities to write Policy and Procedure Manuals and design artistic programs for educational events. Following retirement, she made time to write Lest We Forget a book about her husband’s experience  as a WWII 101st Airborne Paratrooper. She also has co-authored books in the Archive Group for the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society, and as an artist, participated in the Painted Sounds partnership with NLAPW and the Spa City Paletteers Art Club.