About Us

During her 35 year career in nursing, when Gail Balentine thought about retirement, she had several goals in mind. She wanted to spend more time with family and friends (which she is doing), travel (some done, hopefully more to come), finally organize her life (well, you can't win 'em all) and, last but not least, write a mystery novel that takes place in the 1940's. That last one is a challenge - a work in progress - and along the way she's practicing her writing skills by creating shorter works - in a variety of genres - some of which will be published on this blog. She hopes to see you on the page!


Lauraine Alberetti Lombara lives on the North Shore where she enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. Walking, swimming, and kayaking are fun pursuits. Traveling is a plus. Living near the beach and marsh provides serenity. Her goal is to leave some memories and tell some stories. Her publications include Your Story: A Memory Can Be An Incredible Gift [National Geographic Traveler Nov/Dec 2009] and "Landmark Housing: A Personal Tale," August 2, 2013, Ancestory Archives blog.

Beth Alexander Walsh finds human beings fascinating, inspiring, problematic, hilarious, and a constant source for writing. When not working on her novel or blog, she spends time with her husband and three children in Beverly, Massachusetts. Her “regular” paycheck comes from SeniorCare, Inc.'s Meals on Wheels program on the North Shore, where visiting her clients is the best part of her day.

Terri McFadden has been writing since childhood, when she submitted her first story to Jack & Jill Magazine. As a local historian, she has written many articles on Beverly history. Currently she is writing a novel based on events from the 17^th century and a memoir of her childhood.

Archived Winter Street Writers

Liz Ciampa worked as an attorney before becoming a high school English (and, sometimes,) law teacher. Her publications include two collections of poems and work appearing in journals such as "Wilderness House Literary Review" and "Boston Literary Magazine". Currently, she coaches writers, scribbles poems and songs, and works on a novel. You may follow her on Twitter at @lizciampa.

Charlotte Savage owned a real estate business on the North Shore, served and chaired on many committees within the Board of Realtors, and was named Realtor of the Year by her peers.  She produced and directed a radio program that informed the public on identifying learning disabilities in pre-school age children; also, she designed a brochure with the assistance of Landmark School.  Currently, Charlotte is a member of the Peabody Art Association, enjoys writing poetry and short stories, and chairs local book clubs. She is the author and illustrator of several children's books, enjoys interior design, and adores spending time with her grandchildren.

Law Hamilton's career included technical writing for software, while her artistic side included creative writing and photography.  Law is currently working on 2 novels and works on combining photography and the written word.  Law now lives in and is inspired by the artistic community in Rockport, Massachusetts.  She is currently on the Board of Directors at the Rockport Art Association, elected to the position in 2006.  She and her husband are proudly owned by two retired racing greyhounds.

Mary Higgins has been writing for most of her life. At the age of 16, she won a National Essay Writing Contest describing shoppers in Filene's Basement. With her nutrition background, she writes about food for several websites. Mary enjoys using her camera and combines her love of photography with writing for the Peabody Institute Library Blog, Nourish. Her children's picture book, Daddy Trains for the Marathon, was published in 2011.

Like Thoreau, having several more lives to live, 
Elizabeth Aharonian Moon left the classroom where she taught English 4 (American Literature) for enough years and became a free-lance educational consultant, editor, and advisor to students bewildered by the college application process (that essay!). A keen observer of people and their landscape, Moon now has another life to live: in her short fiction pieces, she writes of loss, endings, redemption, and possibilities...we tell ourselves stories in order to live. (Joan Didion)

Ken Roy is a retired engineer whose career took him to many interesting projects including the Apollo/LEM and GPS.  His experience, along with some unexpected life adventures, encouraged him to write it all down for his own entertainment--and hopefully, yours too.