Janet Penn Franks is a journalist, photographer, and historian who specializes in features and books about California's Central Coast. She is the author of
Santa Barbara County Wineries (Central Coast Press, 2007), San Luis Obispo County Wineries (Central Coast Press, 2005), and San Luis Obispo: A History in Architecture (Arcadia Publishing, 2004), and has published several Web-site pieces and numerous magazine articles on Central Coast architecture and history. Franks earned a degree in art history from the University of California, Irvine, and lives in San Luis Obispo with her husband, John. The couple has two grown children.