To view videos of the 2012 Celebrity Authors’ Luncheon, please click here
26th Annual Celebrity Author’s Luncheon
DoubleTree Resort, Santa Barbara
On March 10th, 2012 the CALM Auxiliary celebrated over 25 years of the Celebrity Author’s Luncheon at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort. The Auxiliary has played a vital role in sustaining CALM’s legacy by making this signature event a huge success and raising much needed funds to support our programming efforts in the community.
For reservations and information please call Meredith Scott at (805) 967-1954 or email mscott421@aol.com
Click here for sponsorship opportunities.
2012 Celebrity Author’s Luncheon Sponsors
A special thank you to our generous sponsors!
Pulitzer Prize
Hutton Parker Foundation
Bestseller
Patricia and Larry Durham
Alice Gillaroo and Susan Jorgensen
Leatrice Luria
First Edition
Dennis and Carolyn Gillio – Alan and Kathy VanVliet
Cindy and Steve Lyons
Santa Barbara Bank & Trust
Maryan and Richard Schall
Sunny and Ray Thomas
Poet Laureate
Anonymous
Dan Bifano
Marlys and Ron Boehm
Becky and Martin Cohn
Susan Day Hosea
Linda Newlin
Meredith and John Scott
Sissy Taran
2012 Featured Authors
Meredith Baxter
Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering
Meredith Baxter is an acclaimed television, film, and stage actress, producer, and advocate for women’s rights and breast cancer research. Noted for her accessible portrayals of intelligent, independent women who struggle with the challenges before them, Ms. Baxter achieved early success in her career with a string of television hits, including the CBS situation comedy Bridget Loves Bernie; the critically acclaimed ABC drama Family, for which she received an Emmy nomination; and, most notably, the long-running and perennially popular NBC sitcom Family Ties, in which she starred in the role of Elyse Keaton.
In her new book Untied, Ms. Baxter presents a fully realized portrait of her life as an actress, mother of five children, and grandmother, and candidly discusses her fight with breast cancer, her 19 years of sobriety, entrepreneurship, and her decision to come out.
Jenna McCarthy
If It Was Easy They’d Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon: Living with and Loving the TV-Addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-so-handy Man You Married
Jenna McCarthy is an internationally published writer, former radio personality and the author of five books including the recently-released If It Was Easy They’d Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon: Living with and Loving the TV-Addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-so-handy Man You Married (Berkley Books, 2011). She has been featured on the Today show and Better TV, as well as on and in several other national and local media outlets. Over the past twenty years Jenna’s writing has appeared in more than sixty magazines, on dozens of web sites and in several anthologies including the beloved Chicken Soup series.
When she’s not trying to outline her next book, Jenna stays very busy perusing Pinterest for recipes she’ll never make and photos of houses she’ll never own. (She’s also addicted to both Facebook and Twitter and welcomes new friends and followers enthusiastically.) You can find out how Jenna survived tanorexia and watch the hilarious trailer for her new book by visiting www.jennamccarthy.com.
Greg Meng
Days of Our Lives 45 Years: A Celebration in Photos
Greg Meng is the Sr. Vice President of Corday Productions, Inc., and Emmy Award winning Co-Executive Producer for Days of Our Lives. His book, Days of Our Lives 45 Years: A Celebration in Photos, is a rare glimpse of over 500 behind the scenes photographs of one of America’s most beloved television shows. Using never-before-seen images of cast, crew, sets, and styling, the proverbial “4th wall” is broken for an extraordinary look inside the studio and into the lives of the stars of the longest-running scripted program in NBC’s history.
Meng graduated with a music major from Oklahoma City University in 1979 and moved straight to Hollywood. Originally he had plans to become a piano teacher, but in 1980, Meng began his career in show business as a page for “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” at NBC in Burbank, CA. Meng joined the production of Days of Our Lives in 1999, and has never looked back. He currently resides in Beverly Hills, California.
Simon Tolkien
The King of Diamonds
Simon Tolkien was born in England in 1959 and grew up in a small village near Oxford. His grandfather was J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, with whom he had a very special relationship. He studied Modern History at Trinity College, Oxford, and went on to become a successful London barrister specializing in criminal justice, where, according to British custom, he appeared on behalf of both the prosecution and the defense, giving him valuable insight into the way each side of the courtroom operates. Then, in 2001, he made the bold decision to switch career paths and pursue his dream of becoming a published writer.
Simon’s first novel, titled Final Witness in American publication, was published by Random House in 2002 and has been translated into eight languages. His second novel, The Inheritance, was published by Minotaur Books in April 2010, and received great praise, recognizing Simon as an author worthy of attention in his own right. His new novel The King of Diamonds was published by Minotaur Books in March 2011.
Simon’s draws his inspiration from his experiences as a trial lawyer and his abiding interest in modern European history. While Simon’s writing is set squarely on this earth, not Middle Earth, he says that writing fiction has made him feel close to his grandfather again, as if he has at last come into his true inheritance – as an author.
Simon recently moved with his wife and two children to Santa Barbara, California where he says that he loves the fine un-English weather and the relaxed lifestyle.
Guest Authors
Michael Brown, You Are a Gift to the World: Blessings from My Mom
Dr. LeeAnne Del Rio, The Loving Divorce: A guidebook for divorcing parents
Mandy Kahn and Aaron Rose, Collage Culture
Vickie Jenkins, Mammograms, Mastectomies, and Mom’s Apple Pie: My Recipe for Handling Breast Cancer and Returning to a Healthy Life
Sheila Lowe, Last Writes: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
Claudia Hoag McGarry, My Aries Secrets
Chris Messner, Cuba Open from the Inside: Travels in the Forbidden Land
Michel Nellis and Karen Ramsdell, With Their Eyes Turned Skyward: Santa Barbara’s Fallen Aviators of World War II
Ed Nordskog, Torchered Minds
Bill Poett, ABC’s of Peak Performers
Patricia Selbert, The House of Six Doors
Karen Lee Stevens, Animals Have Feelings, Too!
2011 Claire Miles Award Recipient
Maryan and Dick Schall
The CALM Auxiliary established the Claire Miles Award in tribute and memory of Claire Miles and her dedication and commitment to keeping children safe in our community. This annual award is an opportunity to remember her work and to honor an individual or individuals who embody her spirit and dedication. This year the Auxiliary honored Maryan and Dick for their outstanding support of CALM. The award was presented with our most sincere gratitude for their tremendous commitment and dedication to CALM.
