Books by Donna


Growing Up Venice: Parallel Universes

Venice, California is unlike anywhere else in the world. Historian Donna Lewis Friess, Ph.D., grew up on the ocean front in Venice in the midst of California’s 1940’s oil boom. Her next door neighbor, a working oil pump-house complete with derrick, was a constant in her life. Determined to bring a lost piece of Los Angeles history to life, and sequestered by the 2020 Worldwide Pandemic and following lock-down, Donna offers this vibrant story of a remarkably idiosyncratic place in America. While honoring the Indigenous People who once lived on its shores, this history begins with her great grandparents’ late 1880’s arrival in Venice Beach, travels through Abbot Kinney’s magical Venice-of-America years, continues across time to its evolution as an artists’ Mecca, and concludes with the newer Venice ethos as Silicon Beach.

 

Order directly from Amazon by clicking the book cover image, or order a signed copy directly from Donna by clicking here.



Capistrano Trails: Ride for the Brand

Defying all odds, the quaint agrarian town of San Juan Capistrano has succeeded in preserving much of its frontier heritage. It has done so against the modern urbanism of the “new” Orange County, and its siren-like regional neighbor, Los Angeles. How can this be?  Fourth generation Californian, historian Donna L. Friess, Ph.D., looks for answers in San Juan Capistrano’s vibrant horse story brought to life in this personally written oral history; traveling from its Ice Age beginnings through the Mission and Rancho periods; to the dynamic horse-friendly community it is today. The cherished stories shared here memorialize the experience of living in an historic equestrian community which cherishes and protects its traditions of the Old West.


Order directly from Amazon by clicking the book cover image, or order a signed copy directly from Donna by clicking here.



Whispering Waters - Historic Weesha and the Settling of Southern California

The story of Weesha Country Club, Inc., an historic recreational 

enclave nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains, becomes a 

microcosm of the exciting pioneering legacy that is Southern California’s.

 

Order directly from Amazon by clicking the book cover image, or order a signed copy directly from Donna by clicking here.



The Unraveling of Shelby Forrest

Donna's debut novel!

"This psychological drama takes the reader on a poignant journey though one woman's experiences as she struggles to come to terms with the choices she has made in the past.  As Shelby cops with loss, and the anxiety of moving forward, a central theme illuminates the social issues of the 1950's - 70's surrounding an adoptee's right to know vs. a mother's right to privacy.  This captivating story is set in 2005 against a backdrop of the War in Iraq. Its action packed plot makes it hard to put down. Early readers describe it as "stunning" with "well developed characters." 

Order directly from Amazon by clicking the book cover image, or order a signed copy directly from Donna by clicking here.

The Independent Author Network 's Finalist in 

Best Romance Romance for 2015 and

Best First Novel for 2015



Cherish the Light: One Woman’s Journey from Darkness to Light is the intimate story of Donna’s life after she faced the worst nightmare a daughter can face; having to stop daddy from molesting her four-year-old niece. In the wake of that legal battle, Donna became a crusader for women and children. These pages reflect the soul deep thoughts and attitudes which have allowed her to emerge from her own devastating childhood. Today she is a strong, happy and positive woman.

 

Perfect for book clubs, these pages offer valuable information and inspiration for anyone who wants assistance living the most fulfilling life possible...

Order directly from Amazon by clicking the book cover image, or order a signed copy directly from Donna by clicking here.



Cry the Darkness

Updated and Re-released version, July 2013!  Also available on Kindle.

 

Here is Donna Friess' candid story, from the pain of the child she once was to the triumph of the woman she has become. Having experienced the most devastating betrayal a child can endure, this spirited woman went on to create a beautiful life for her husband and children, only to have it threatened by her father's violation of her four-year-old niece. In an eerie turn of events, her family's investigation of the dark evil of incest in their midst take the story back to the turn of the last century.

Once the truth was faced and the fear overcome, Friess became a crusader to save other women and girls from become victims of a "violent crime in our homes, our beds, and our cribs." State and Federal laws have been changed as a result of her efforts. This inspiring personal story makes a real contribution to women everywhere. Cry the Darkness has been published in seven countries.

Order directly from Amazon by clicking the book cover image, or order a signed copy directly from Donna by clicking here.



Circle of Love : A Guide to Successful Relationships (HIH, 2003)

Only available at DrDonnaFriess.com, Circle of Love provides a path to assist you in your journey through the labyrinth of interpersonal relationships, both personal and professional so that you may take control of your life. This is your time on Earth. New concepts are presented to help you to better understand human behavior so that you may become more skillful when dealing others. So that you may be happier. Exercises are provided to improve your competence from small talk, to managing conflicts, to becoming more assertive, to understanding that change is inevitable, to coping with toxic people, and to achieving intimacy and satisfaction in life.

$24.95

  • Available
  • Delivery Time: 3-5 days1

Whispering Waters: Historic Weesha and the Settling of Southern California (H.I.H., 1998)

Only Available on DrDonnaFriess.com, Donna Friess and Janet Tonkovich were the recipients of a rare gift of a oral history of one of the longest running private, chartered residential communities in California. Desperate to preserve that history, Donna and Janet continued their research to bring the story of Weesha Country Club, an historic recreational enclave nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains, which becomes a microcosm of the exciting pioneering legacy that is Southern California’s.

The Weesha story becomes the story of the settling of Southern California, from the serene days when the Serrano and Gabrieleno Indians inhabited the area and fished from abundant waters of the Santa Ana River, to the arrival of Spain’s Portola Expedition, to the invasion of gold seekers, to the boom of the citrus industry, and finally to the emergence of Southern California as a world leader in agriculture, technology, and entertainment.

Donna and Janet are both descendents of early Southern California Pioneers. Their family stories overlap with those they researched. In 1865 Ed Ball was one of the first European-Americans in the Redlands area. He and wife, Jennie, were a part of the very backbone of the settling of that area. Ed Ball helped lay out the city of Redlands. He was a deputy sheriff, game warden and rancher, while his wife, Jennie, owned and operated the first restaurant/hotel known as Pioneer House. Ed and Jennie also homesteaded a lush parcel of land along the headwaters of the Santa Ana River where they planted an apple orchard. That land would one day become the Weesha Country Club, Inc. founded in 1910 by some of the most important pioneers of Orange County, including Charles Wagner, Albert Bradford, John R. Gardiner, Peter Weisel, John Tuffree, and others.

 

$24.95

  • Available
  • Delivery Time: 3-5 days1

You're Up Next! Become a Powerhouse Presenter

Only available at DrDonnaFriess.com, You're Up Next! is a 9-page booklet that will help you to become the power-house presenter you've always dreamed of becoming.  It is a 5-minute primer giving you the keys in a quick chart-style manner to making a killer presentation, meeting or interview.  It will teach you the secrets to poise and control under pressure.

$10.00

  • Available
  • Delivery Time: 3-5 days1

Capistrano Trails: Ride for the Brand

 

Defying all odds, the quaint agrarian town of San Juan Capistrano has succeeded in preserving much of its frontier heritage. It has done so against the modern urbanism of the “new” Orange County, and its siren-like regional neighbor, Los Angeles. How can this be?  Fourth generation Californian, historian Donna L. Friess, Ph.D., looks for answers in San Juan Capistrano’s vibrant horse story brought to life in this personally written oral history; traveling from its Ice Age beginnings through the Mission and Rancho periods; to the dynamic horse-friendly community it is today. The cherished stories shared here memorialize the experience of living in an historic equestrian community which cherishes and protects its traditions of the Old West.