Inspirational speakers, writers featured in Rancho Santa Fe Library’s Local Author Showcase

The Rancho Santa Fe Library will host four influential authors in the Local Author Showcase at 11 a.m. Wednesdays in August.

Call the library for information at 858-756-2512. Light refreshments will be served. Autographed copies of all books will be available for purchase.

Aug. 5: Canadian-born inspirational speaker Plynn Gutman will speak about journaling, made easy with an entire year’s worth of thought-provoking writing prompts, appropriate for use by teens through seniors. Her latest offering is “Your Journal Companion: 365 Prompts Heighten Your Sense of Self and Others.” From her own 25-year journaling practice, Gutman attests that developing a daily writing habit can inform and transform one’s life by increasing inner knowledge and outer awareness. Gutman will offers tips on “how, where and when” to start the process by introducing several easy yet powerful techniques, which she has used with students and clients over the past 12 years. Professional writers may find the prompts helpful to engage in the creative process, as well.

Aug. 12: J. Elke Ertle was born and raised in West Berlin, Germany, during the Cold War. While her hometown straddled the front line of the East/West divide, she experienced the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift and the Berlin Wall. When her strict parents erected parental walls, Elke immigrated to the United States. She holds a master’s of science in industrial-organizational psychology from San Diego State University and a certificate in fitness instruction and exercise science from UC San Diego. Retired from a career in public administration, Elke teaches group exercise classes on a part-time basis. Besides having published her memoir, “Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom,” Elke is a contributing author to “The Real F.M. Urban,” published in the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, and to two anthologies.

Aug. 19: Shawn Cassidy, political speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, is founder and CEO of The H2G Revolution and author of “From Fears to Freedom — The H2G Revolution.” In his book, you will discover through his potent H2G formula how to build the strongest bonds imaginable with family, friends, fellow workers and your entire community, turning them into teams that will lead to growth, fulfillment and success in every aspect of your life and the lives of your team. Cassidy, a sought-after motivational speaker, author, entrepreneur and leadership consultant, shares childhood stories, a life changing wake-up call and his experiences in more than 30 years of business to help you awaken all the dynamic strengths you already have to change the world one person, one trusted relationship, and one team at a time.

Aug. 26: Horse owner, breeder and author Alan Mindell speaks about his second book, “The B Team: A Horse Racing Saga.” Mindell`s two novels, “The Closer” (2013) and “The B Team” (2015) were published by Sunbury Press. Both novels became Amazon’s No. 1 bestselling paperback in recently released sports fiction. A graduate of UC Berkeley, Mindell played varsity baseball there for three years as a center fielder. For many years, he has owned and bred thoroughbred race horses, winning stakes at Del Mar and Hollywood Park. This experience prompted him to write “The B Team,” the story of a one-eyed horse that winds up in the Kentucky Derby. Mindell has written screenplays for both novels.