Introducing San Diego Writing Women Literary group schedules Feb. 19 readings

Literary group schedules Feb. 19 readings

“We are nine authors who are passionate about what we do. Some of us write for a living, yet all of us scramble to find the time to finish our books — between research trips to Borneo, Greece and death row, stand-up comedy shows or reproductive surgery on horses.”
So says an introduction on the blog of San Diego Writing Women (sandiegowritingwomen.blogspot.com), a newly launched group of published writers that will sponsor an introductory reading Feb. 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hair Drezzers on Fire, 3463 Adams Ave. in San Diego.
“A few months ago we started blogging here about the writing life. Now, we want to celebrate the written word with you in person, read from our latest books and launch our mission of sharing our combined knowledge and experience with readers, writers, and aspiring writers everywhere,” said Caitlin Rother, a member of the group.

Here are members of San Diego Writing Women who will be introduced at the Feb. 19 reading:
• Caitlin Rother: After 19 years in the news business, Rother left her job at The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2006 with one published book, a new book contract and a desire to make a living as a full-time author. Today she teaches writing at UCSD Extension and is working on book No. 8, about the John Gardner case. Caitlin will read from her new crime book, “Dead Reckoning,” the story of how a former child actor turned con man and hermaphrodite wannabe tied a nice married couple to the anchor of their yacht and threw them overboard — alive.
• Jennifer Coburn: Coburn is the USA Today best-selling author of four “chick-lit” novels and contributor to four literary anthologies. Her first novel, “The Wife of Reilly,” is in development for a feature film. “Tales from the Crib” is in development for TV. Coburn has written for newspapers across the country from The San Diego Union-Tribune to the Miami Herald and is the recipient of journalism awards from the Press Club and Society for Professional Journalists.
• Divina Infusino: Infusino is the author of “Day Trips from Orange County:Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler,” the writer of “Rock Gods,” a rock ‘n’ roll photography collection, and co-author on “The Love Response,” a mind-body wellness book. An award-winning journalist, she worked as an entertainment staff writer and critic for The San Diego Union, rock critic for The Milwaukee Journal, cultural commentator on KPBS, and a contributor to Rolling Stone, The Economist, TV Guide, Salon.com, The Huffington Post, Haute Living and other publications. Divina will tell a story from her travel book about a magic point on the Orange County coast.

• Sharon Vanderlip: Vanderlip will read from her new book, “Hedgehogs.” A veterinarian, she has provied veterinary care to domestic, wild and exotic animals for more than 30 years. She served many years as veterinarian for the UCSD School of Medicine and later as chief of veterinary services for NASA. Vanderlip’s practice is dedicated exclusively to mammalian reproductive medicine and surgery. She has written numerous scientific articles and more than 20 books on animals and pet care.

• Kathi Diamant: The author left a career in broadcasting to follow her dream to tell the story of Kafka’s last love. She retraced Dora’s life, interviewing all who knew her, uncovering lost letters in London, secret Nazi and Communist files in Berlin and Moscow, finding Dora’s missing diary in Paris, and reuniting her lost family in Tel Aviv. Diaman’s literary detective work resulted in “Kafka’s Last Love: The Mystery of Dora Diamant,” which won the San Diego Book Awards’ “Best Biography” and “Best of the Best” in 2004. It is translated into French, Spanish, Russian and soon in Chinese, Portuguese and German.
• Laurel Corona: After decades of teaching research writing to college students, and 17 Young Adult books to her credit, Carona decided in 2004 to try her hand at writing for adult audiences. Her first book, a nonfiction work, “Until Our Last Breath,” won a Christopher Medal, and her first novel, “The Four Seasons,” won the Theodor S. Geisel Award for Book of the Year at the 2009 San Diego Book Awards. In fall 2010, her second novel, “Penelope’s Daughter,” was published by Penguin, and her third novel, “Finding Emilie,” is due out in early April from Simon & Schuster.
• Kathy Jones: Born and educated in New York City, Jones moved to California in 1980, teaching Women’s Studies for 24 years at San Diego State University and publishing books on feminism and the politics of the women’s movement. After writing “Living Between Danger and Love,” a memoir about the murder of one of her students, she left the university to pursue a writing career.

• Georgeanne Irvine: A San Diego native, Irvine has devoted more than three decades of her career to raising awareness about animals and wildlife conservation. By day, she is associate director of development communications for the San Diego Zoo, where she has worked for 33 years. Irvine  also is the author of more than 20 children’s books plus numerous magazine, newspaper, and Web articles. Her most recent work is the coffee table book, “The Katrina Dolphins: One-Way Ticket to Paradise,” the true story of eight dolphins from an oceanarium that were washed out to sea during Hurricane Katrina and dramatically rescued.
• Judith Liu: The author spent 30 years conducting personal interviews and hunting through dusty archives to research her book, “Foreign Exchange.” The narrative revolves around two women — one the author’s mother who attended an American Episcopalian missionary school in central China, St. Hilda’s School for Girls, and the other, an American woman who went there as a short-term teacher in the 1930s. Their lives intersected at the school during the brief time of peace in China. Set within the context of the school’s history, their tales provide a snapshot of China and its educational system before the founding of the People’s Republic.