Gloria Lesher Short Bio

An award-winning business writer and ghostwriter, “indie” author Gloria Lesher is published both traditionally and independently. Her supernatural thriller, L’incantesimo Della Sciamana (Spell of the Shaman), was published in Italy in 1997 by RCS Libri under her maiden name, Gloria Cook. She is the author of two independently-published paranormal cozy mysteries: The Skinny on the Jinni (2021), and In a Black Monk Funk (2021). Lesher earned her master’s degree in English in 1978 from the University of Northern Colorado. She now lives in an age-restricted community of active, independent adults that has a Caregivers Support Group, where Lesher hears personal stories and blogs about them. She has lost a number of loved ones to death: her former husband, her mother and dad, and “three cute little doggies.” Lesher was a caregiver for all of them.

Gloria Lesher Long Bio

“Indie” author Gloria Lesher is published both traditionally and independently. Her supernatural thriller, L’incantesimo Della Sciamana (Spell of the Shaman), was published in Italy in 1997 by RCS Libri under her maiden name, Gloria Cook. Lesher is the author of two independently-published paranormal cozy mysteries: The Skinny on the Jinni (2021), and In a Black Monk Funk (2021).

Lesher’s articles and ghostwritten articles for clients have been published online and in newspapers, magazines and trade publications, such as: Medco Forum, Vail Daily, News & Observer, Women’s Edge Magazine, Affluent: The Authority on Lifestyle, HR Magazine, CIO Canada, Showcase: The AS/400 Solutions Magazine, Mortgage Originator, APICS Magazine, Skin, Inc., Cary Magazine, New You Magazine, North Carolina Magazine, Builder & Broker Journal, Broker Agent Magazine, Professional Insurance Agents, Ocean Home Owners Magazine, Business Leader Magazine, Triangle Real Estate, International Cemetery and Funeral Association Journal, Revitalization Magazine, Boom!, NC Journal for Women, The Greeley Tribune, Colorado Libraries, Enterprising Women Magazine and Professional Woman’s Magazine. Gloria contributed to The Woman’s Advantage, a book by women’s business expert Mary Cantando. Lesher has edited three independently published memoirs: Loosening Ego’s Grasp, by Rick Evans; I Don’t Believe in Hocus Pocus, by Crockett Trotter; and A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven, by Margaret B. Harlan.

Lesher has a background in the fields of software development, healthcare public relations, and medical writing. She is an award-winning writer, editor, and ghostwriter, published online and in many newspapers, magazines, and trade publications. At the University of Colorado, Lesher was the recipient of a Regent’s Scholarship. She attended C.U. for two years, then transferred to the University of Northern Colorado, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism, followed by a master’s degree in English in 1978.

Her first professional position was at J.D. Edwards & Company (JDE), an international software development corporation later bought out by Oracle. Lesher served as senior editor and manager of the documentation department, managing a staff of 18 writers and coordinating the translation of software documentation into French, German, Spanish, and Italian. During these years, she was an active member of the Society for Technical Communication. Lesher was recognized with three annual awards for “Outstanding Contributions to JDE.”

In 1995, Lesher went freelance, and her first client was her previous employer, JDE. Lesher focused on ghostwriting for JDE clients. Her technical articles were published in trade journals such as HR Magazine, CIO Canada, Showcase: The AS/400 Solutions Magazine, Mortgage Originator and APICS Magazine. In 1997, Lesher obtained a New York literary agent, who sold L’incantesimo Della Sciamana (Spell of the Shaman) to RCS Libri in Italy.

Lesher received the Career Step Certificate of Completion in Medical Transcription in 2005. She then obtained real life experience in the medical field as a Patient Services Coordinator in the Intermediate Care Unit of University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, where she transcribed physician’s patient care orders, including medications and treatment procedures. Lesher maintained medical records charts and interacted daily with physicians, nurses, social workers, technicians, CNAs, patients, and patient families, ensuring compliance with HIPAA, JCAHO, and EMTALA regulations. Lesher was recognized with the AMAZE award by the University of Colorado Hospital in 2005.

That same year, Lesher and her husband moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she sought and won a position in the public relations industry with MMI Associates, Inc. Her clients at MMI were leaders and experts in their industry or profession. Among Lesher’s awards from this time period are the 2008 International Davey Award for the FirstFloor Dragonfly Brochure and the 2007 Communicator Award for the Crescent State Bank Annual Report.

As a public relations writer and ghostwriter, Lesher helped promote the branding and public awareness of many healthcare clients, including:

Laser Spine Institute
Allscripts
Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences
Dr. Mark Galland, an orthopaedic surgeon
Medpro Rx, a specialty infusion pharmacy
Okyanos Heart Institute
Bodylase Skin Spa
Dental Arts
Eye Care Associates
Iatria MedSpa
N.C. Veterinary Medical Association
SalesForce4Hire (medical device sales)

After returning to Denver in 2010, Lesher graduated in 2012 from the C.N.A. program (nurse aide) at Arapahoe Community College. From 2011 to 2014, she served as senior writer at Capital City Public Relations in Denver. She also wrote marketing articles for Medco Forum, a respected medical newsletter that provides healthcare professionals with an exclusive preview of the latest innovations in their medical field prior to their annual conference. Her clients included: Forest Labs, Olympus, Roche and Aptalis, among many others.

Now retired, Lesher lives in an age-restricted community of active, independent adults that has a Caregivers Support Group, where she hears personal stories and blogs about them. Lesher’s Medium publication, DEATH ROADHOUSE, is a place to talk and learn about aging, caregiving, and a good end of life.

Contact Details

Website: http://glorialesher.com/
Medium Blog: https://medium.com/@glorialesher
Email: Gloria (at) glorialesher (dot) com
X/Twitter: http://x.com/glorialesher
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GloriaLesherAuthor
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/glorialesher
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/glorialesher/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/glorialesher/
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21299804.Gloria_Lesher
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Gloria-Lesher/e/B0158Y7QUE

For a Hi-Res Author Photo or Book Cover, please contact me.

Novels

Title: The Skinny on the Jinni

Author: Gloria Lesher
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Series: Paranormal Case Files #1
Publication Date: March 29, 2021
Format:
eBook ISBN: 978-1-7367753-0-1
Print ISBN: 978-1-7367753-1-8
Pages: 226 pages (print)
Publisher: Heather Gardens Press
Blurb: In a ski resort town, a Saudi billionaire is murdered in his American ex-wife’s mansion. When his teen daughter begs retired professor-turned-paranormal researcher Blythe Golightly to prove her mother innocent — and to banish a jinni — Blythe can’t say no.

Title: In a Black Monk Funk

Author: Gloria Lesher
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Series: Paranormal Case Files #2
Publication Date: March 29, 2021
Format:
eBook ISBN: 978-1-7367753-2-5
Print ISBN: 978-1-7367753-3-2
Pages: 228 pages (print)
Publisher: Heather Gardens Press
Blurb: A magician, his ranch guests, and the supernatural “Black Monk” are all after a scroll with occult power. One of them murdered a U.S. Customs agent to get it. When retired professor Blythe Golightly’s pastime — paranormal research — uncovers one too many secrets, she finds herself the killer’s next target!

FAQ’s

How did your childhood affect your development as a writer?
My fascination with all things preternatural began in the Land of Enchantment—New Mexico. I spent my early grade school years in Roswell, renowned site of a 1947 UFO crash with dead aliens. Then we moved to Albuquerque, where my sisters and brother and I were the minority kids. Our Hispanic classmates called us “Anglos.” I remember whispered stories about La Llorona—a wailing ghost woman who could snatch you away if you were bad and disobeyed your parents.
What made you want to become a writer?
My parents bought us a set of encyclopedias called The Book of Knowledge, published by the Grolier Society. I especially loved reading the stories and poems. I memorized the poem, Little Orphant Annie, by James Whitcomb Riley, and recited to my siblings, “An’ the Gobble-uns’ll git you if you Don’t Watch Out!” As the oldest of four children, I loved to entertain my siblings with scary stories. They liked my stories. The scarier the better.
What inspires you to write your books?
I write about the paranormal to explore the unexplainable. The mystery side of reading or writing a cozy mystery reminds me of putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It’s all about the clues of shape and color. Fitting small pieces into a big picture. And creating order out of chaos. If I can become really good at doing these things, I may someday reach my long-term goal: to become wise—a respected crone among my family, peers and associates.
Who are some of your all-time-favorite writers?
Anne Rice. Dean Koontz. Michael Crichton. Danielle Trussoni. Dan Brown. As a young person, I loved the gothic romance novels written during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, by authors such as Phyllis A. Whitney, Dorothy Eden, Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, and Mary Stewart. I can never forget reading Dracula, the 1897 Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker. I also remember being really taken by Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind.
If you could go back in time and tell your young writer self anything, what would it be?
Start earlier. Believe in yourself. And know that it’ll be a lot of hard work, but it’ll be worth it. Persevere.