Lisa Francesca is the author of Helen and the Masters: A Portrait of a California Mystic, a biography about a passionate, educated ranch wife and mother in California's turn-of-the-century Sacramento Delta, who channeled ethereal writings and became a sort of mystic in her forties. Read an excerpt here. Support Hicklebee's Bookstore by buying Helen and the Masters there. Also available on Amazon, and at the San Jose Public Library!

She is also the author of The Wedding Officiant's Guide: How to Write and Conduct a Perfect Ceremony (Chronicle Books).  Now in its 2nd edition, this book is also available on Amazon in paperback or ebook.  With more than 20,000 copies sold, readers and reviewers have called this the complete guide for any new or one-time wedding officiant.

Lisa Francesca’s essays and poetry have appeared in AboutPlace Journal, Catamaran Literary Reader, and Reed Magazine.  Holding an MFA in Creative Writing from San Jose State and a BA in English from U.C. Berkeley, she teaches on writing and creativity topics and is currently researching and writing about 19th century American art magazines, women's magazines and housekeeping handbooks.

If you would like to enjoy a free Summer Writer's Colony in the privacy of your home, start with this blog post!

Photo by Anita Scharf.