Kent Donahue

The Famous Gardner’s Seafoods Ski Show is author Kent Donahue’s first book. Kent spent over two and a half years researching the history of the restaurant and the ski show and conducted countless interviews to document the Gardner’s story. He is a member of the Port Orange Historical Trust and worked with the Trust to produce Port Orange—A Great Community, Volume I. He actively collects stories, photos, and artifacts on Port Orange.

Kent has worked for the City of Port Orange since 1997, securing over 27 million dollars in grants. He serves as the City’s Public Information Officer handling public relations and media requests, and directs and manages Port Orange Government Television where he has produced numerous history programs documenting Port Orange’s history and its people. On behalf of the City, Kent coordinates and hosts the annual Freemanville Day and Founder’s Day ceremonies. In addition, he develops and presents a monthly history lecture series and conducts radio interviews on local history.

Kent graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in art and a master’s degree in public administration.

Monique Donahue

Professionally, Monique has spent her career in the field of instructional design and technology-based education. She has created training and certification programs for major hospitality and entertainment corporations, the convenience store industry, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Florida Department of Education. Her work encompasses a variety of delivery media, including print, video/DVD, CD-ROM, online, and emerging technologies. Currently, she is the vice president of research and development for the leading proivder of training and education resources in the hospitality industry.

Monique is also a frequent presenter for the Council of Hotel & Restaurant Trainers (CHART) on topics including instructional design, e-learning, test writing, and mobile learning, and has published in the eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions e-Magazine and Best of The eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions: Top Articles from the eMagazine’s First Five Years, as well as Hotel Management magazine.

Monique’s most cherished relationships are with God, her family, and her friends. In her spare time she is a blogger, avid reader, and lover of all things technology.

Paul Nichols

Paul is a technical writer and editor. He has written technical books and manuals for the US government and several large corporations. This is his first non-technical book—and there are more to come. He and his wife Gloria have lived in seven states, “…but we still like Arizona the best.” Their fireplace mantel has up-to-date photos of their nine grandchildren.

Bryan Wempen

Bryan Wempen is an author of non-fiction books based on his experience in recovery from drugs and alcohol use. Bryan had professional success with limited personal or career issues due to substance use, or at least he thought so until recovery revealed a darker reality. His last drink was in May 2010; he enjoys advocating and being a voice for addiction and health recovery.