Author: Marcia Brixey
Inspired by the quote "Our purpose in life is to find our gift, perfect it and give it back to others", Marcia took early retirement from her public relations job with the Social Security Administration in August 2002 and founded Money Wi$e Women™. She is the President of Money Wi$e Women™ Educational Services. Marcia is passionate about educating and empowering women on the importance of achieving financial fitness.

Ms. Brixey's enthusiasm, passion and down-to-earth approach inspire her audiences to take action. Marcia has been the featured speaker at numerous conferences, workshops and organizational meetings. Marcia is a member of the National Speaker's Association and Vice President of Membership for the NSA Northwest Chapter.

Marcia is a former columnist for The Kitsap Sun newspaper, which serves the Kitsap Peninsula in Western Washington.  Her media appearances include both television and radio.  Marcia is a mentor for the Department of Labor Women's Bureau Wi$e Up Women program.  Ms. Brixey received the 2006 YWCA Women of Achievement award in Kitsap County Washington.

Titles: Becoming a Money Wi$e Woman: Getting Your Financial House in Order

360.308.0056
mww@silverlink.net
www.moneywisewomen.net

Author: Val Dumond
A writer from the very beginning, Val Dumond started putting booklets together back in the second grade. By the fourth grade she was keeping diaries - a habit that she continues today with dream journals and daily notes.

Val smelled printer's ink in high school while editing the school newspaper and yearbook, then spent three years as Women's Page Editor and reporter for the Daily Jefferson County Union, her hometown newspaper. "A great journalism education with a private tutor (editor)!" She then spent four years writing for other newspaper chains in Ohio and Maryland, moving into the editor's chair and having a heckofa lot of fun.

Such fun - doing what you love best all day long. She struck gold in 1989 at a session of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association when she met her agent and looked forward to publishing her first book with a major press, Elements of Nonsexist Usage (Prentice Hall). This was followed by her Grammar For Grownups (HarperCollins) and Val felt, at last, like an author.

Other books followed, along with a healthy career editing books and helping other writers get into print. When Muddy Puddle took off, Val was in the middle of a group of the most dynamic writers she had ever encountered - the Writers Roundtable (first of Lakewood, then Tacoma). She led the group from 1996 to 2004, offering consultation, guest speakers, panel discussions on topics for writers .

Retirement isn't a word that Val uses often (usually to put off somebody) because she doesn't consider what she does as work to be retired from. "Writing is as much a part of me as breathing."
What is left to write about? Oh, you wouldn't believe the books that have been started, outlined, and filed for someday. She can't count the number of short stories that have been written down, saved and filed for someday. There is at least one more epic-kind-of-novel in the works and possibly another book about words.

Titles: Just Words - The US and THEM Thing, Grammar For Grownups, Elements of Nonsexist Usage, Mush On and Smile, How We Fought World War II at William T. Sherman Elementary School, Airport For Tacoma, From The Beginning: History of the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association, SHEIT - A No-nonsense Guidebook to Writing Nonsexist Language, Steilacoom's Church, Train the Trainer, Olympia Coloring Book, Doin' The Puyallup

253.582.5453
val@valdumond.com
www.valdumond.com

Author: Terri Dunevant
Terri's bold motivational attitude began when she was one of the original Seattle Seahawks "SeaGals" and remains conspicuously evident currently as she speaks to standing-room-only crowds. Her company, WinCourage, provides sales training, including clock hour credits for Real Estate Agents. She has regularly scheduled classes at Designated Escrow in Lakewood or you can arrange for her to come to your business place to speak.

Titles: The Staircase Principle: Applied to the Salesperson

253.302.0229
www.wincourage.com

Author: Babe Lehrer
Griselda "Babe" Lehrer, is a native daughter of Tacoma, Washington. At the age of 19, in her second year of college, the world of business called to her entrepreneurial spirit. With an investment of $350, she stocked a small store in downtown Tacoma with 12 coats, 12 dresses and one month's rent. That was the beginning of Lyon's Apparel.

Six years later she met and married Herman Lehrer, who eventually joined her in business. Together they created a chain of 15 ladies ready to wear stores in Washington and Oregon. After many years of running a successful retail business, they sold their stores in 1984. However, a quiet retirement was not an option for a woman with Babe's energy. Instead, she chose to devote herself fulltime as a community volunteer in Tacoma, Washington. Babe has devoted her retirement time primarily to three boards; The Tacoma Community College Foundation , The Broadway Center for Performing Arts, and The Multicare Health Foundation.

In recognition of her dedication to community service, Babe has received numerous awards and recognition including Tacoma's City of Destiny award, Girl Scouts of America Woman of Distinction, Pierce County Rotary Clubs, Soroptimist International, Women of Distinction Award to name a few. She also has received an Honorary Associates Arts Degree from the Tacoma Community College.

Her determination led her to spearhead a fund raising drive, working with nationally known sculptor Larry Anderson to memorialize a local hero. Marvin A. Klegman was an 11 year old junior patrol boy who died in the 1949 earthquake while saving the life of another student.

Beyond community involvement, Babe has found time to write. She collaborated on the book, "Mush On And Smile" the story of Klondike Kate, Queen of the Yukon published in 2002; and now she has brought to life this new book, “Men, They Just Don't Get It”, which is a collection of life's little stories about courtship, infertility, pregnancy, birth, family life, rejection and betrayal.

Titles: Men, They Just Don't Get It

253.383.1283
www.babesbooks.com

Author: Paul McCormick
Early in life, Paul McCormick found the ability to achieve success in whatever it was he desired, or so he thought.

He became a corporation partner at age twenty-seven and CEO at twenty-nine. Despite his career success, his wonderful family, and his strong faith, he knew something was still missing. As he searched desperately to find it, his life only got worse. Eventually, he felt depressed to the point he wanted life to end.

Then a miracle happened. He found the secret inside himself. His transformation was so great, it changed his life forever. He resigned his position as CEO, and now writes and speaks about the secret that can change your life forever.

Titles: Secrets of the Miracle Inside

www.TheSecretsInside.com