Meet & Greet with Local Authors & Illustrators at B&N

Barnes & Noble Corte Madera to Host Meet & Greet for Local Authors & Illustrator:

Patriots from the Barrio by Dave Gutierrez

Trapped in the Big Easy by Dr. Greg Ketchum

This Pearl, America by Francis McGovern

Uncharted Voyage by Rafael Montserrat

Hardworking Cats illustrated by John Unger

Barnes & Noble Corte Madera will host a Meet & Greet for four local authors and one local illustrator from noon-2pm on Saturday, February 7, 2015. This is an excellent opportunity to find out more about local authors and illustrators in a less formal environment.

Dave Gutierrez is a freelance writer and author of the book Patriots from the Barrio. His articles have been published in Texas newspapers and 36th Division Association Newsletters. His research includes Mexican American History, Genealogy, and U.S. Military History. Dave and his family reside in San Jose California. “Patriots from the Barrio is the true story of a US Army combat unit during WWII. The [Thirty-Sixth Division, 141st Regiment, Second Battalion, Company E] was comprised entirely of Mexican Americans from the barrios of south Texas. … Gutierrez records the sensitive subjects of discrimination, segregation of schools, and the illegal deportation of Mexican Americans during the Great Depression. [Gutierrez’s] relative Ramon Gutierrez from Del Rio Texas was awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts by the US Army. Captured by the enemy twice, he was able to escape and make it back across to Allied lines. He would also become one of only a handful of Americans to be decorated for valor on the battlefield by the Soviet Union during WWII. His true story and the men that served in the US Army’s unique and historical all Mexican American combat unit is chronicled in Patriots from the Barrio.”–from www.Booklife.com

Dr. Gregory A. Ketchum was dubbed the “Frasier of the Cubicles” by the San Francisco Chronicle and, in addition to being the author of Trapped in the Big Easy: A Hurricane, Leadership from the Heart, and the Quest for a Life of Purpose, is a former clinical psychologist-turned CEO, media expert, and executive coach. He is the CEO of TalentPlanet®, a leadership development firm. Dr. Greg was formerly the “CBS 5 Workplace & Career Expert” for KPIX TV Eyewitness News (CBS, San Francisco) and previously hosted a nationwide weekly 2-hour call-in talk show on CNET and XM Satellite Radio focused on the workplace and careers. He is co-author of Killer Photos With Your iPhone (Course Technology, 2011). He lives in Muir Beach, CA. with his fiancée, Debbie. “In Trapped in the Big Easy, Dr. Greg Ketchum provides a riveting you-were-there eyewitness account of the chaos, danger, and colossal leadership failures in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Greg also tells the story of how Katrina catapulted him onto the quest for a life of purpose and shares five key leadership discoveries he made while trapped in New Orleans that will empower you to lead from your intuition and heart.” –from www.BN.com

Francis J. McGovern is the author of This Pearl, America – an immigrant’s memoir. With “a little luck, lots of hard work, a need to succeed and the American dream comes true. This immigrant relates his reception of America’s blessings in these comic and tragic tales as one would paint the highlights of a beautiful pearl.” McGovern was born in England to Irish parents. As a carpenter, he has traveled and worked in Europe, Africa, India, and since 1959 has resided in the United States with his wife and four children. He is still a working carpenter in northern California.

Rafael Montserrat is the author of Uncharted Voyage, “the electrifying story of present-day sex traffickers running their operation out of Europe under the guise of an elaborate and dangerous ruse. They are masters at abducting young women by force or by enticing them with high-paying jobs through bogus modeling agencies. But they are less adept at transporting their captives from Barcelona to wealthy buyers overseas. Their solution: disguise the voyage using a large and celebrated American sailing yacht and crew. All that’s lacking is a captain who’s willing to take on such a loathsome and high-risk enterprise. [Enter] Vincent Ritter, a skilled American sea captain desperate to make his fortune but stuck on the island of Mallorca without a ship.” –fromwww.BN.com Rafael Montserrat is of Catalan descent and traveled to Catalunya and Mallorca to visit relatives and sail the Mediterranean. In 1960 and ‘61 he first went to sea on two voyages from San Francisco to Tahiti on Sterling Hayden’s schooner ‘Wanderer’. In the mid-1960s he graduated with a degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley.

John Unger is the illustrator of Hardworking Cats: A Humorous Look at the Feline Contribution to Our Workaday World, written by Lisa Kerber. “An ode to the feline in your life, Hardworking Catsshows cats are much less lazy than we give them credit for. It’s not all just sleeping in sunspots, curling up on laps, and looking adorable. Our cats are just as motivated as we are to get a good day’s work done. The next time one of your dog-loving friends (shudder) asks you “What’s your cat even good for other than lying around?” you can answer with a long list of one hundred different jobs your cat can do.” –from www.BN.com John Ungar is a former communications consultant who designs custom holiday cards. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Barnes & Noble Corte Madera events are free and open to the public. Barnes & Noble Corte Madera is located at 313 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera, CA 94925. For more information about this or other events at Barnes & Noble Corte Madera, please contact Laurel Kidd, Community Business Development Manager, atcrm2274@bn.com.

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