Have a story that begs to be told? Or a manuscript gasping for new life? Award winning So Cal writers Joe Ide, Janis Thomas and Carl Vonderau join Maddie Margarita on Sunday August 18th to share tips and advice for writers at any point in their writing journey. Would-be writers welcome!
- Joe Ide is of Japanese American descent. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Joe’s favorite books were the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. The idea that a person could face the world and vanquish his enemies with just his intelligence fascinated him. Joe went on to earn a graduate degree and had several careers before writing his debut novel, IQ, inspired by his early experiences and his love of Sherlock Holmes. His IQ series has won the Anthony, Shamus and Macavity Awards, and been nominated for the Edgar, Barry, CWA New Blood Dagger and Strand Book Critics Awards. The IQ books are currently in development as an original TV series.
- Janis Thomas is the best-selling author of domestic suspense novels WHAT REMAINS TRUE and ALL THAT’S LEFT OF ME, as well as critically acclaimed humorous women’s fiction novels SOMETHING NEW, SWEET NOTHINGS, and SAY NEVER. Her latest from Blackstone Publishing is the psychological suspense novel FINDING GRACE, which Publisher’s Weekly calls “Engrossing” and Kirkus calls “Authentically creepy.”
Janis is a popular workshop leader, speaker, story coach, and passionate writing advocate. She lives in Southern California with her terrific husband, amazing kids, and two crazy dogs. She is known to break into song regularly and without warning. - Carl Vonderau is an award-winning author of crime fiction. As a child growing up in Cleveland, he loved to write. His ghost stories scared the bejesus out of other kids. But it took a long time to become a full-time author. He left Cleveland to study at Stanford, then spent more than thirty years as a banker in the U.S., Latin America, and North Africa. Those international settings were sources of inspiration for his books. His first novel, Murderabilia was published in 2019 and won a Left Coast Crime award for Best Debut, and a San Diego Book award for Best Mystery. His second novel, Saving Myles, was published in August, 2023.
Working with nonprofits is also important to Carl. He is the president of Partners in Crime, the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime, an organization that supports authors and fans of crime writing. He also volunteers with San Diego Social Venture Partners to mentor other nonprofits.
Carl lives with his wife in San Diego. His two grown sons live close by and wonder how he knows so much about serial killers and banking crimes.