Jane McCurdy
Jan Cleere and Brenda Whiteside will be the featured speakers at the 13th annual Books ‘n Lunch fundraiser luncheon on March 21 at the Tuscany Falls Ballroom in PebbleCreek. The event is presented by AZ P.E.O. Chapter DM and is open to the public.
Requests for tickets can be made starting Jan. 1 to March 6 by contacting Dee Sussman at dolocasteneda@gmail.com or by phoning 623-594-8945; or Ro Getto at peobookvite13@gmail.com. Tickets are $35 each and include a delicious lunch and a chance to win a door prize. Raffle baskets, silent auction, and other items will be available for purchase at the start of the event to raise money for P.E.O. scholarships and grants for women to pursue their educational goals.
Both guest speakers will be talking about their writings and their experience in getting published. Each author has received awards for her work.
All of Jan Cleere’s award-winning books and magazine articles seek to preserve women’s important place in the history of the southwest territories of the United States. Since 2014, she has written about the women who influenced the growth and development of Arizona in her monthly column in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper. Her latest book, 100 Western Women: The Bold, Brave, Gutsy Women of Arizona’s Past, is a compilation of those columns.
Cleere will speak at the Books ‘n Lunch event about how she became interested in the lives of early Arizona women and how these women influenced her writing career.
Brenda Whiteside is an Arizona native and sets her stories in imaginary, but recognizable Arizona locations. Her books range from romance, mystery, and suspense to charming stories for children. Whiteside has authored several series of books by creating clever stories that entice readers to continue-on to the next book. Since 2020, she began self-publishing her books and to date has produced 12 books.
Inspiration for her books comes from the places she’s been, the people she meets, and from her own family members. A birthday tradition with her sister inspired Whiteside to create the Chocolate Martini Sisters cozy mystery series in collaboration with fellow author Joyce Proell. Three children’s books were inspired by Whiteside’s granddaughter and written under the pen names Brenda Sue and Sadi Belle.
Whiteside will be talking about her road to publication and how writing with someone works, be it an adult or child.
Both Whiteside and Cleere will have their books for sale at the event. Cash or checks will be accepted for payment.
P.E.O. is a philanthropic organization whose mission is to celebrate the advancement of women, educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship of Cottey College, and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations. P.E.O. chapters support the educational and charitable funds of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, but are not classified as charitable by the IRS. Therefore, donations to individual chapters do not meet the IRS requirements for a charitable income tax deduction. P.E.O. shall not be liable in any way for any goods and services supplied by third-party vendors or public establishments.