by KRL Staff

On May 29 we celebrated our 2 year anniversary! First we celebrated with a contest for writer’s to share their memories of California (winner is posted in this issue) and now we are doing something especially for our readers! Several KRL staff members share in this article about the favorite articles they have written & their dream articles, then at the end of this post is a chance for Valley local’s to enter to win a pair of tickets to see Fiddler On The Roof at the Reedley Opera House & for our other readers to enter for a chance to win a mystery box of books–both mystery & fantasy! So celebrate with us here!

Diana Hockley
The writing I remember with fondness is the short story I wrote for KRL, Frisbee Rat Detective, with the gorgeous and funny illustrations by Dru Kehl. Somehow this story captured the naughty essence of our sweet little pets and will always remain a favorite of mine!

Zachariah Zendejas
Of the interviews I’ve done I think that the most memorable is my first with Garrett Masterson, an artist and teacher at Reedley College. I liked it so much because the interview not only got my feet wet in interviewing, but because of the way he expressed his passion for his art. This has just stuck with me and I’m glad that I was given the chance to write that article.

Jim Bulls
I have really enjoyed writing for KRL. My favorite article was on the Drakes—I received e-mails from two people doing research on the Drake Family and we were able to share info.

Diana Bulls
This has been really fun and it is hard to believe that KRL is going to be two years old. I love writing the collectible articles, but I thank Lorie for pushing me into interviews and some different writing experiences.

Marilyn Meredith
I do wish I had more time to participate. I love doing author interviews and had fun with my one restaurant review.

James Garcia Jr.
Having grown up as a police officer’s son, my article on C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) was by far the most rewarding for me. Thankfully, we never received that fateful knock on our door, informing us that dad wasn’t coming home. However, each year, all too many do, and when they do, it is encouraging to know that those families will not have to go through the despair alone.

2010 C.O.P.S. walk run

Joyce Brandon
“You’ve Been Renned” is my favorite. Ren finally found a family that love him for the crazy clown that he is. I was absolutely star struck when I met Faith Mahoney, one of the founders of Best Friends, and would love to interview her.

Christine Autrand Mitchell
I think for the future…I’m enjoying writing about the craft of writing and hope to continue with more of that.

Jesus Ibarra
My favorite article I have written is the Awake TV show review because it is some of my best writing and I just love that show. My second favorite is the interview with Rob Thurman that accompanied my review of her book Doubletake, because she gives such kickass answers. A future article I would like to write is covering Comic Con (hint, hint Lorie). Ha-ha one can dream!

Sandra Murphy
The review I had the most fun with was “Coffee and Mysteries.” I got to read and review several books for that one and based on the character’s personalities and hints the authors dropped throughout the books, decided what kind of coffees each character would drink. I want to do more of those. My dream review? When somebody else reviews a book I’ve written, of course!

Larry Ham
I think the Laine Brown article (athlete from Immanuel) was my favorite because it was someone I really thought deserved some recognition.

Terrance Mc Arthur
The review that stays with me the most is one that I didn’t expect to enjoy: The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper by Sally Carpenter. The story of a former teen idol (Sandy Fairfax)/TV crime-solver (“Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth”) trying to solve a murder at a Beatles convention and recapture some of the magic of his career captivated me more than I thought it would. I look forward to reading the next Sandy Fairfax mystery!

My dream interview would be Bernadette Peters promoting a tour of the musical Applause! at the Saroyan. The musical version of All About Eve played Fresno in the 70s, and featured a very-young Pia Zadora on the title song in a part originated by Bonnie Franklin. I’d love to question Bernadette about channeling Bette Davis and Lauren Bacall as Margo Channing. Of course, if we could add Kristen Chenowyth into the cast in the Anne Baxter role, I would be in ultimate bliss.

Terell Byrd
“This is the first television tie-in book I have read since I was a teenager, but if D.P. Lyle writes another, it will not be the last…There is a realism to the medical cases that comes from Lyle’s long career in medicine. Pick the book up for your summer vacation even if you are only going as far as the wading pool in the backyard. It is a fun read!” Excerpt from review of Royal Pains, reprinted on the first page of Sick Rich by D. P. Lyle. My dream review/interview is the one Lorie Lewis Ham does when my first blockbuster book comes out!

Sheryl Wall
I had the most fun writing “A Peek in the Life of an Irish Setter.” I really enjoyed writing it because I was able to share about one of my favorite breeds–one that is so often misunderstood. A dream article I would like to write someday would be what it’s like being a family of adoption. If you haven’t been a part of a family of adoption it’s hard for people to understand the feelings and emotions that goes with it and how best to interact with young children of adoption.

Maiyah with Sheryl's daughter Kiana

Brian Wall
My favorite one is “Camping the Indians,” with “Crawdaddy’s” being my runner-up. I honestly can’t think of a dream article (and I’ve never really enjoyed conducting interviews).

Amber Benson

Tom Sims
Every article I have been privileged to write for KRL has been a fun challenge. Each has stretched me to discover things I did not know and meet people I’ve never met. My dream for future articles is to continue to meet people who are making a difference in our communities and creating bold initiatives as well as beautiful art.

Deborah Harter Williams
My favorite article was telling advertisers to “Love the One You’re With” and the value of MAW (middle aged women) as an audience. My dream article would be to attend and report on the network previews for the television critics–also sometimes called “the death march with cocktails.” This has been a dream of mine since reading the new season issues of the TV Guide as a child.

Jessica Ham
My favorite article I’ve written is the Shane Dawson article. He is my favorite YouTube star and it was a lot of fun writing about his life. My dream article would be to interview my favorite author John Green.

As you can tell it’s been a great couple of years! Here’s to many more and maybe we will even see some of these dream articles come true!

To enter to win two tickets to see Fiddler On The Roof in Reedley, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Fiddler”, or comment on this article mentioning Fiddler.

To enter to win the mystery box of books, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “mystery”, or comment on this article mentioning mystery box. Winners will be chosen June 9, 2012. U.S. residents only.