Writers’ Presentation

Donna Hanson

Gail Lee Cowdin grew up in the rural community of Janesville, Minnesota. She graduated with a degree in English from Minnesota State University Mankato, followed with a master’s degree at Hamline University. She taught secondary English for many years in Minnesota and after moving to Bella Vista, Arkansas, taught two years in the Rogers district. She finished her education career traveling the country as a consultant providing support for classroom teachers who worked with students struggling with reading and math.

Gail is the author of four crime and mystery novels. The Deception series features Quay Thompson as a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension detective. The popular, suspense-filled novels, Deception and Redemption, and The Final Deception have settings in Minnesota. In the third and fourth novels, Dark Deceptions and The Spirit Tree Deceptions, at the request of her readers, Gail included action in Missouri,Oklahoma, and Gravette and Bella Vista in Northwest Arkansas.

In her latest novel, The Spirit Tree Deceptions, Grace Byrd the adopted child of a Native American father and a white mother, learns the truth of her ancestry and her inherited gifts while facing threats to her family and herself, and even experiences a kidnapping. Beginning in northern Minnesota and traveling to Northwest Arkansas, the story of how Grace grows to develop a new personae as Butterfly Silverfeather is filled with drama, beauty, suspense, and a view into the beautiful culture, customs, and resilience of her Indigenous people.

The cover artwork of her most recent novel was a collaboration with a local artist Rosie Floyd who completed the painting at the request of the author. It is titled “Opening Ourselves to Our Full Potential”. Rosie’s husband, David Floyd used his talent with AI to adapt elements of the painting to fully capture the plot of the story.

Gail and her husband live in Bella Vista, Arkansas, with a golden retriever and a black cat.

Donna Hanson is an experienced professional with over 40 years of diversified engineering and executive management experience in a critical mission systems environment, and in commercial manufacturing, distribution and product development. She earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) in 1996.

In 2008, she founded an instructional design and media development company serving both a domestic and international market with a focus on integrating subject matter expertise and customized content development either with the client’s existing learning management infrastructure, or on stand-alone media. Customers have included the NW Arkansas Community College, Oklahoma City Community College, FAA, Tyson Foods, Inc., Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, CI Solutions LLC, Streamworks Audio (Canada), Steinberg GmbH (Germany), Propellerhead Software (Sweden), Roland Central Europe (Netherlands), and Image Line Software BVBA (Belgium).

In 2006, Ms Hanson was elected to “Cincinnati 100 Wise Women,” sponsored by Deloitte, P&G and US Bank. In 2012, Ms. Hanson was awarded the FAASTeam Representative of the Year for the State of Arkansas.

Positions have included:

• President/Partner, Combined Minds Media (NW Arkansas)
• Vice President, Infrastructure Operations (Kroger, Cincinnati)
• Vice President/Global Director, Infrastructure Operations (JPMorgan Chase)
• Interim Vice President, Strategy & Planning (Miami University)
• CIO, O-Cedar Brands, Inc.

Licenses & Certifications: Commercial Pilot, AMEL, ASES, ASEL, Instrument Airplane, Advanced Ground Instructor, Instrument Instructor, Multi-engine Instructor; and PADI Rescue Diver.

Publications: Marx, Morality, & the Virtue of Beneficence,” Robert Sweet, ed. D. Heinrichs (Hanson), 1990, Peter Lang Publishers.

FARS Explained, Kent Jackson, ed. D. Hanson, Jeppesen, 2010

Heroes All, DM Hanson, Combined Minds Media, 2022

Past Board Affiliations: Arkansas Air and Military Museum, Village Lakes Writers & Poets, and as a consultant and contributing writer to the LST 325 Memorial Museum.

Donna Hanson earned an AS in English from New Mexico State University and a BA in English/Philosophy from the University of Dayton with honors.

Member of Artists of Northwest Arkansas

Rosie Floyd explores in a variety of mediums, including pen & inks, acrylics, charcoal, and pastels. As of late, she has focused primarily on impasto acrylic paintings. Her paintings have recently been in Arkansas exhibits with the Artists of Northwest Arkansas (ANA) in Rogers and the Bella Vista Artisan Alliance at Wishing Spring Gallery. Rosie enjoys the challenge in each painting and grows with each one that she
completes. Rosie and husband Dave started their art business, “Rosie Loves Art” about 6 years ago as a retirement business in Texas and are now in Northwest Arkansas. With the genesis of RLA, they each explored various mediums in which to present their creativity in various art events and galleries.

Rosie works in fine art mediums, while Dave ventures in Digital Art and AI- generated art. They often join forces in projects, such as a recent book cover project with local author, Gail Cowdin, embracing the value of collaborative creativity.

As a youth, Rosie’s family encouraged her art interests; her parents frequently published her illustrations, articles, and poems in the family-owned newspaper. After high school, she graduated from Texas State Technical College, Waco, TX, with an associate in applied arts degree in Commercial Art and Advertising. Rosie has had wonderful support from family and the opportunity through Art Guild memberships to grow as an artist. Recent memberships include ANA and the Artisan Alliance. Past memberships include the Williamson County Art Guild (WCAG), Austin Pastel Society, Lago Vista Art Association, and Bastrop Fine Art Guild in Texas./

She feels it important to promote local artists in various organizations in which she is involved. She has served in positions as Board Member, Membership Chair, Newsletter Chair, Venue Coordinator, and Facebook Administrator. She has served as Exhibit Coordinator for the Lago Vista Public Library Art exhibits, the Lago Vista POA Christmas Bazaar, and here in Arkansas, she currently serves as Event Coordinator for the Wishing Spring Gallery events.

Born Kentucky and raised in Pennsylvania, Dave Floyd ventured to San Antonio, Texas, at the age of fourteen, setting the stage for a life rich in diverse experiences and achievements. His academic journey culminated in 1975 when he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, a milestone that paved the way for both his professional and personal life. “Family has always been my cornerstone; raising my daughter Jessica and my son Jordan has been among my most cherished roles.” Embracing the dream of every 10-year-old girl, he raised horses, a testament to the joy and responsibilities of rural living. His commitment to family extended to the sports field, where he proudly coached every sport in which his son participated.

Dave’s professional career began in the pharmaceutical industry, a solid foundation that led him to explore the realms of computers and telecommunications. By the age of thirty, he embarked on an entrepreneurial journey, founding his own telecom software company, which he nurtured and led for a decade. His career trajectory then took him back into the Telecom sector, where he thrived as a regional sales director in Colorado and Texas, before retiring in 2017.

Retirement opened new avenues for creativity and learning. With his wife, Rosie, an artist, together they created their retirement art business “Rosie Loves Art” and enjoyed exploring mediums, participating in various art galleries and exhibits in Texas. This motivation created the foundation for developing his own creativity in his own medium. Dave delved into Photoshop, which ignited his passion for digital creation. By 2022, his curiosity and drive led him to explore AI art and other facets of artificial intelligence, culminating in the establishment of E Studio. This venture reflects his commitment to de-mystifying AI and unlocking its potential for personal and business use. Dave presents workshops on AI, and he has developed a business website. “EZAI Studio”, which hosts online AI classes in this medium.

Music has been a constant companion since Dave was 14, from forming a rock band in high school to playing in church praise teams for two decades. In 2002, Dave’s move to Austin marked a significant chapter in my life, joining the rock band Riverstone and reveling in the classic rock and roll tunes of the late ’60s through mid-’70s.

In October of 2021, Rosie and Dave embraced a new beginning in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Here, they immersed themselves in the vibrant art scene, contributing musically and creatively to the community. “Life in Northwest Arkansas is a testament to the warmth and richness of its people, offering a ful- filling chapter in our lives. As we engage with the local art groups and share our music publicly, we are reminded of the beauty of connection, creativity, and the enduring power of art to bring people together. Life, indeed, is great and very full in the heart of Northwest Arkansas.”