Ciji Ware is an impressive woman. She’s a Harvard graduate, a radio host, an Emmy Award winning TV producer and celebrated author.

She’s written two nonfiction books, including “Rightsizing Your Life,” which the Wall St. Journal named as one of the top books for retirees.

She’s also a history buff, and has spent decades researching, thinking about and writing about some of the key moments in our nation’s history. She’s turned that work into six historical novels, including her latest, “A Race to Splendor.” The novel focuses on the events surrounding the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the subsequent fire.

Ciji explains how she meticulously researches her novels, using the same skills she used as a journalist. Her novels set the fiction right in the middle of actual historical events and include actual historical figures.

The 69-year-old Ciji is also a tenacious fighter for her books. She says no New York publishers wanted her book because they thought it was “too regional.” She explained that disasters happen everywhere, and pointed to the examples of Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian tsunami and the recent earthquake in Japan.

She says her book illustrates how a community can rebuild itself and recover in the wake of unthinkable disasters.

Ciji also offers tips for having your own disaster preparedness plan — no matter where you live.

And she explains how important it is to inspire the young people in your life to never stop dreaming and chasing their goals and passions. She explains how her father, the legendary writer behind the show “One Man’s Family” encouraged her as a young girl to write.