by RICHARD WALKER

Journal Editor

San Juan County has several new authors. Here’s the lineup:

“Reflections on Life in the San Juan Islands,” by Mary Kalbert:

The book is described as a “compilation of essays extolling island living that are wistful, introspective and laugh-out-loud funny.”

Kalbert is a columnist for IslandGuardian.com. A native daughter of Greene County, Mississippi, she lives on San Juan Island with her husband, John, and the occasional cat.

“The Man and The Shark: A Modern Day Fable of Awakening and Rebirth,” by Donna P. Savage:

Donna Pritchard announces the release of her first book under the pen name Donna P. Savage, “The Man and The Shark: A Modern Day Fable of Awakening and Rebirth.”

It’s a multi-layered tale of one man’s awakening to his inner guiding voice, and a metaphor for the awakening of consciousness of mankind. Signed copies of the book are available at Islands Studio and Griffin Bay Bookstore, or online at www.donnapsavage.com.

The book is illustrated with ocean and wildlife photographs (featuring a whale shark as a main character) by the author’s brother, Daryl Pritchard. This limited edition 54-page hardback book was written, designed and published by the author, an accomplishment she sent out to achieve when she left her real estate career in Friday Harbor in 2004.

To contact her, e-mail donnapsavage@live.com or call (865) 248-8463.

“Extraordinary Orcas Island,” “Luciously Lopez,” and “The Sunny San Juans,” by Steve Hussey:

Hussey, a former natural resource planner for the San Juan Island Conservation District, has authored a series of 76- and 72-page photo books about the islands, available in paperback and hardcover.

You can preview and order his books at www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/682964. E-mail stevehussey@rockisland.com. Call 376-2702.

“Coming Out, Coming Home, Making Room for Gay Spirituality in Therapy,” by Ken Burr:

Ken Burr is an ordained minister, a marriage and family therapist, and a part-time resident of Lopez Island.

His 291-page book, published by Routledge Mental Health, is based on a research project he conducted in the Seattle GLBT Community, in order to find what most helped and hindered GLBT spiritual development.

“I have been presenting seminars on this topic for five years at national conventions of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and am very pleased to see how this turned into a viable book,” Burr said. “Although the title may look like this is only a book for therapists, it really is written to provide an in-depth look at GLBT spirituality and its search for inclusion and can be easily read by any layman.

“Potholes in Paradise,” by Joe Symons:

Stephanie Buffum Field of Friends of the San Juans says this about this Orcas Island resident’s book (210 pages, paperback): “’Potholes in Paradise’ is a humorous, heartfelt and at times heart-rending exploration of the people, places and ideas that comprise Orcas Island, ‘Gem of the San Juans.’ Complete and insightful, ‘Potholes in Paradise’ serves as another example of the forces that make, change and can irrevocably alter any community, giving life to Joni Mitchell’s lyric: ‘You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.’”

Written by Joe Symons, a local who has lived on Orcas for almost four decades, the book invites the reader into the life of a pristine rural island community experiencing the changes brought about by growth and technology.

“Potholes in Paradise” is available in local bookstores and at www.centripetus.macwebsitebuilder.com/books.html

“Bobby’s Diner” by Susan Wingate:

“Bobby’s Diner” by Susan Wingate (Cambridge Books/Write Words Inc.) was one of 10 finalists in the General Fiction/Novel category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

It will be listed as a finalist in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards catalog, which will be distributed at Book Expo America in New York later this month.

A tale of tolerance and acceptance, “Bobby’s Diner” depicts a woman’s journey after the harrowing death of her husband in a town where she’s persona non grata. Local author RD Larson said the book is “a wonderful and funny tale,” “heart-warming and realistically funny.”

Wingate is also the author of “Ravings of a Mad Gentlewoman: A Bold Collection of Writing,” and “Of the Law.”

“Hello? Hello?? Hello?? A Fearless View of a World Without Walls” by Jeff Bossler:

Orcas author Jeff Bossler exposes the liberating view of the fundamentals inherent in us while taking the reader directly into the places and lives of those he met on his recent journey in northern India.

The book not only engages with “them” in their desires, but also engages “us” through internal discussion and journey of discovery as to who we are, both collectively and individually.

The book is available at www.alpineseaside.com and Darvill’s Book Store.