Reading Minnesota

Safe from the Sea - Peter Geye

2012-02-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

Safe from the Sea

by Peter Geye

Safe from the Sea tells the story of a son returning home to reconcile with his estranged father while they relive the story of a horrific Great Lakes shipwreck that the father has only partially survived and that has divided them emotionally ever since. At times a harrowing tale of survival, at others an intimate look at forgiveness and the indubitable bonds between a father and son, here is a timeless story for readers of every stripe.
BIOGRAPHY

Peter Geye holds an MFA from the University of New Orleans and a PhD from Western Michigan University, where he was editor of Third Coast. He was born and raised in Minneapolis where he continues to live with his wife and three kids. Safe from the Sea, his debut novel, won the Indie Lit Award for literary fiction as well as the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award. His second novel is forthcoming in fall 2012 from Unbridled Books.

UPCOMING READINGS

March 22nd – reading at the University of Minnesota. Time TBD

WEBSITE
http://www.petergeye.com

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Unbridled Books, and IndieBound

PUBLISHER
Unbridled Books

Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice - Jack Salmela

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice

by Jack Salmela

The sinking of the Titanic, the I-35W Bridge collapse, the St. Anthony Falls Mill District, and Duluth … linking these is a secret history of North America. Three people struggle to know that history: Tim Malone, humiliated in his career and losing the love of his life; Jed Bjornstad, convinced that the history will give him closure in his brother’s death; and Diane Solquist, a newly ordained pastor whose call is challenged.

An organization guarding the secret history also happens to be the one and only source of help for Tim, Jed, and Diane to overcome their personal crises. And that organization is … the Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice.

BIOGRAPHY

Jack Salmela has been writing articles and essays going back to the eighties. Since 2002, after he was asked to collaborate on a novel, he’s been concentrating on two follow-up novels. Of Vikings and Voyageurs (2008) and Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice, each published by North Star Press of St. Cloud. Both are historical fiction with strong regional connections.

Salmela is a civil engineer and recently retired early from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He continues to give his PowerPoint presentation, “The History behind the Novel, Of Vikings and Voyageurs,” along with his new presentation for Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice. Salmela works with a voyageur interpreter for the former, and for the latter, the interpreter plays Oscar Olsson, a Swedish third class survivor of Titanic disaster who has a harrowing tale to tell. If you are interested in a presentation, Salmela can be reached at 218-724-2902, or jack.salmela@hotmail.com.

Salmela is currently producing a film, "Celebrating Stained Glass in the Northland - its beauty, its story." It will air on Public Access TV, Duluth station. The film is a spin-off from "Sisterhood," as stained glass is crucial to the plot.

UPCOMING READINGS

Mindekirken Norwegian Church in Minneapolis, Feb. 7 - "Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice"

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

Of Vikings and Voyageurs (also published by North Star Press)
The Messiah Medallions (self-published)

WEBSITE
http://www.jacksalmelabooks.com

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent bookstores, and North Star Press of St. Cloud

PUBLISHER
North Star Press of St. Cloud

Anteater Boy - Dean Ammerman

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

Anteater Boy

by Dean Ammerman

Anteater-Boy is the story of Zak Dale, a high school freshman who wants a summer job to earn some money. His fish-eyed science teacher, Dr. Cyrus B. Fletcher, has a job opening but wants Zak to clean the science classroom, improve his grades, and deliver an award-winning speech to get it.

As Zak tries to prove he’s the best person for the summer job, he helps his best friend Miles search for the Holy Grail of junk food, falls in love with the beautiful and mysterious Mia Holmes, locates his missing grandmother, neglects his bladder-challenged dachshund, and takes a journey through the American Revolution with Darius Brown, his substitute history teacher.

Anteater-Boy is a funny, uplifting, fast-paced coming-of-age novel about friendship and about having the courage to decide who you are and who you want to be.

BIOGRAPHY

Dean Ammerman was once a kid. He's older now and lives in Eagan, Minnesota. He has a wife, two daughters and a dog (not a dachshund). Anteater-Boy is his first novel.

WEBSITE
http://www.anteater-boy.com
Facebook fan page

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

PUBLISHER
Kabloona (Eagan, MN)

If My Past Wasn't So Dark, My Future Wouldn't Shine so Bright - Ms. Nique

2012-01-19T08:00:00.003-06:00

If My Past Wasn't So Dark, My Future Wouldn't Shine So Bright

by Ms. Nique

Sexual abuse is a pervasive problem in society. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network states that every year, 213,000 people fall victim to sexual abuse in the United States. Victims of sexual assault suffer many damaging effects and many go through life scarred from the past. A woman gives voice to the many people who fall prey to abuse in If My Past Wasn’t So Dark…My Future Wouldn’t Shine So Bright.

Writing under the pen name of Ms. Nique, the author narrates her years growing up and, in the process, reveals a dark and troubled part of her life. The book is a harrowing glimpse into what abuse does to a person. Readers will share in the despair and fear that resonates in the pages of this honest memoir but they will also witness a woman’s transformational odyssey and quest for total healing. In writing this book, the author shares a wellspring of hope to others who have suffered the same experiences she did.

Poignant and stirring, If My Past Wasn’t So Dark…My Future Wouldn’t Shine So Bright is a reminder of that flickering light at the end of every tunnel of suffering. Readers will witness the essence of release and hope captured in the pages.

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE
Los Angeles area: 3/23-24
San Francisco: 3/25
New York: 3/26-27
Chicago: 3/28-30
Minneapolis: 3/31
Venues: TBD (sponsorship wanted)

WEBSITE
http://www.msnique.wordpress.com

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble

PUBLISHER
Xlibris

Minnesota's Own Calendars - Sharon Mazurek

2012-01-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

Minnesota's Own Calendars

by Sharon Mazurek

Minnesota’s Own Calendars are back again this year. The calendars are completely made in Minnesota — the design, photography, printing and even the paper they’re printed on.

The 2012 line includes Minnesota Barns, Birding, Fishing and The North Shore. Sharon researches the content and ensures that every detail has a Minnesota connection, such as: informative captions, tidbits (such as when to unpack your long johns), weather facts, an Ole & Lena (or Sven) joke and an original recipe.

But, the spectacular imagery is the main attraction. The photography of Minnesota photographers Doug Ohman, John Gregor, Val Doherty, Bill Lindner and Mike Sweet are featured in the calendars.

In addition to being locally produced, they are also produced with the environment in mind. Recycled paper, soy inks and printed at Bolger who boasts 0% production waste make these calendars a great gift for “green” consumers.

BIOGRAPHY

Minnesota’s Own Calendars is the creation of graphic designer, Sharon Mazurek. Sharon has over twenty years experience in designing for such clients as 3M, Blue Cross Blue Shield, John Deere and Microsoft. During this time she has designed calendars for John Deere and the Basilica of St. Mary, both projects she enjoyed immensely and considered designing her own for friends.

After discovering that almost all Minnesota calendars are made in China, she started her own calendar business in 2009. Her concept was to design a line that is made locally and includes content that truly reflects the unique culture of Minnesota. The business brings together local designers, photographers, artists and printers to create an exceptional. Sharon’s hope is that they will have locals and visitors alike enjoying Minnesota a new way!

WEBSITE
http://www.mncalendars.com/

PURCHASE

PUBLISHER
MAZ Creative, LLC

They Stood Alone! - Sandra McLeod Humphrey

2012-01-05T08:00:00.002-06:00

They Stood Alone!
25 Men and Women Who Made a Difference

by Sandra McLeod Humphrey

They Stood Alone! 25 Men and Women Who Made a Difference is a collection of brief biographies of 25 men and women who refused to conform to the societal beliefs and expectations of their time. By stepping away from the crowd, they changed our world.

BIOGRAPHY

Sandra McLeod Humphrey is a retired clinical psychologist, a character education consultant, and an award-winning author of eight middle-grade and young adult books. She’s also the recipient of the National Character Education Center’s Award for Exemplary Leadership in Ethics Education (2000) and the 2005 Helen Keating Ott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Literature.

Why Sandra wrote this book:

While doing my school visits, I found that many of the students I talked with had already given up their hopes and dreams and had no particular aspirations for their futures. They were willing to settle for "just getting by" and weren't particularly interested in discovering their passions.

I wanted to write a book to restore some of their dreams and aspirations and let them know that one person can indeed make a difference.

WEBSITE

http://www.kidscandoit.com

BLOG

http://www.kidscandoit.com/blog/

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble

PUBLISHER

Prometheus Books

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? (Prometheus Books, 10/1995)
It’s Up to You...What Do You Do? (Prometheus Books, 1/1999)
Keepin’ It Real: A Young Teen Talks With God (CSS Publ., 1/2003)
MORE--If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? (Prometheus Books, 5/2003)
Dare to Dream!: 25 Extraordinary Lives (Prometheus Books, 3/2005)
Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs (Prometheus Books, 12/2007)
Me, Myself, and I: Youth Meditations for Grades Five through Eight (CSS Publishing, 7/2008)
They Stood Alone!: 25 Men and Women Who Made a Difference (Prometheus Books, 11/2011)
Making Bad Stuff Good (Royal Fireworks Publishing Company, coming 3/2012)

ABBREVIATED LIST OF AWARDS

Recipient of the National Character Education Center’s Award for Exemplary Leadership in Ethics Education (2000)
“Author of the Month” for December 2003 for MyShelf.com
Recipient of the 2005 Helen Keating Ott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literature
2008 & 2009 Mom’s Choice Gold Awards
2008 & 2009 American Authors Association Silver Quill Awards
2009 Mom’s Choice Silver Award
2009 Young Voices Foundation Silver & Bronze Awards
2009 Readers Favorite Gold & Silver Medal Awards
2010 Young Voices Foundation Gold & Bronze Awards

Eye of the Wolf - Marie Zhuikov

2011-12-29T08:00:00.004-06:00

Eye of the Wolf

by Marie Zhuikov

Wolves have lived on Isle Royale for over half a century. But, because they have lived in isolation on the island national park surrounded by Lake Superior for so long, their genetic diversity has suffered. It's gotten so bad that pups are stillborn. In other words, the wolves of Isle Royale are slowly dying out.

The alpha wolves of the island's largest pack have decided to do something about it. They know what will save their pack -- they must escape from the island, mix their blood with other wolves -- and the only way to do this is by boat. Of course, wolves can't run boats. People can, though. How can the wolves communicate this to the humans? The alphas know a way, and lure key humans into supernatural bondage as werewolves.

All of this doesn't take into account that Isle Royale is replete with scientists and volunteers studying the island ecology, friends of the people turned to werewolves who are searching for them, odd boat schedules, the pack's own internal power dynamics, vagaries of wind and weather, and myriad other problems causing the balance between survival and extinction to teeter back and forth. Will the wolves escape? Will they survive?

BIOGRAPHY

Marie Zhuikov spent two memorable college summers as a waitress on Isle Royale National Park, which alerted her to the plight of the wolves. An award-winning writer specializing in environmental and medical topics, she has published hundreds of articles and publications, many about her beloved Lake Superior. Marie’s poems have appeared in several anthologies and community projects. She lives in Duluth, Minn.

UPCOMING READINGS

Barnes and Noble in Duluth on January 28 (time to be determined)

WEBSITE
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eye-of-the-Wolf/106576686113839

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent bookstores, and North Star Press of St. Cloud

PUBLISHER
North Star Press of St. Cloud

Ghellow Road - T. H. Waters

2011-12-22T08:00:00.006-06:00

Ghellow Road

by T. H. Waters

Ghellow Road is a literary diary of a young girl’s journey through the tangled labyrinth that is her life. Theresa’s story begins in a large midwestern city where she is born to loving parents in 1965. As time passes and Theresa grows, supernatural forces begin to shape her existence, no matter how carefully her father colors the empty spaces of her world. After a series of tragic events, Theresa and her family seek refuge in a small Minnesota town nestled near the shores of Rainy Lake. She creates a new life for herself there, sharing adventures with friends and riding the ups and downs of adolescence. Yet through it all, her mother remains forever lost in the prison of her own mind and forever lost to Theresa.

This is a distinctive coming-of-age story that speaks to love, loss and the undeniable power of community.

BIOGRAPHY

T. H. Waters (a.k.a. Tera Waters) was raised in the state of Minnesota and currently resides in Minneapolis with her significant other and two loving fur balls. She has been a life-long lover of the written word. She loves the magic and the mystique; she loves the breadth of it and how it can fortify one’s spirit.

Tera didn’t grow up imagining that she would one day become an author. In fact, she had never even considered it until about 8 years ago when she received news that her brother had died suddenly. He was only 39 years old. It was one of the saddest days of her life.

Numb and in shock, Tera picked up a pen and some paper, sat down at her dining room table and with tears streaming down her face, wrote his eulogy. A few more years would pass before Tera would take her passion for writing and use it to create her life’s story, Ghellow Road.

OTHER INFO

Tera has a special note she'd like potential readers to review: http://www.verefor.com/anotefromthwaters.html

WEBSITE
http://www.verefor.com/

PURCHASE

PUBLISHER
http://www.verefor.com/

Gus - Rose McClimon Hamlin

2011-12-15T08:00:00.004-06:00

Gus

by Rose McClimon Hamlin

Rose McClimon Hamlin is a freelance writer and her YA nonfiction book Gus is now available for readers to enjoy. Rose also works on her family horse farm of rural Wykoff training horses and giving riding lessons. Growing up on her family farm she competed with her horses in Rodeos and Horse Shows. She is also a mother of three boys and one little princess.Her horses and children are the inspiration for her words to write. Rose says, "Not that I become famous do I write, but that I write my best for God each day. Working to be better today than I was yesterday, then I'm successful."

BIOGRAPHY

A life-changing journey in a story of love, Gus was an appaloosa gelding that became a part of Rose's family when she was five years old. Full of mistrust fear gripped Gus' life making it hard to trust any human. He was dangerous, kicking and biting even bucking off most of his riders. Gus couldn’t be trusted. Slowly through the years a love grew. Gus and Rose shared a bond so strong it changed their lives forever. This is an adventurous story of learning to love, learning to give and learning how to say good-bye.

Gus is 181 pages with over 30 pictures of Rose and Gus, available as an e-book, paperback, and hard cover.

WEBSITE
www.anniesrose.com

PURCHASE
Gus can be purchased through Rose's website @ http://www.anniesrose.com/gus-now-available.html.

This book is also available through your local book store.

PUBLISHER
Author House
http://www.authorhouse.com/

Birds in Our Backyard - Adele Porter

2011-12-08T08:00:00.061-06:00

Birds in Our Backyard

by Adele Porter

A prairie chicken dancing to the beat, a Red-Winged blackbird flashing his snazzy wing patches to attract a female, a grouse growing its own “snowshoes,” and American robins traveling north in the spring share at least one characteristic—they all call Minnesota home at some point during the year. Birds in Our Backyard invites young ones into the lives of these winged wonders.

Season by season, kids discover which birds they might see, how far they have traveled, where they build their homes, and what they like to eat. Able guide Adele Porter and award-winning nature photographer Bill Marchel bring to life the world of birds—the colors, the sounds, the wonder of flight. Learn about wild and urban habitats, clever practices in building nests and caching food, and migrating and mating rituals.

Birds in Our Backyard is the perfect companion for a walk in the woods, a picnic in the park, or breakfast at the kitchen window, encouraging budding birders and naturalists to take a closer look at our feathered friends and the world we share with them.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Adele Porter is a science educator and author fortunate to have a career that combines her curiosity and passion for science and dedication to children. The Wild About series of children and young adult books was inspired by the students of all ages that she has worked with during 20 years as an educator.

When not teaching or working on a book, Adele writes educational materials for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the US Forest Service, and various publications. Being a member of the National Science Teachers' Association and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators helps to keep her informed.

When asked what she enjoys the most about being an author, the answer is easy - meeting the readers of the Wild About books and hearing about their enthusiastic outdoor adventure stories! Another fun part of being an author is guiding readers to participate in citizen science projects.

Minnesota is her favorite state and where she learned to canoe and kayak, cross-country ski, and roast marshmallows until they have crunchy brown bubbles on the outside and melted deliciousness inside. What she treasures most is spending time with her family and friends.

PHOTOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHY

Bill Marchel is a full-time wildlife and outdoor photographer and writer from Fort Ripley, Minnesota. His photo files contain over 120,000 images that include over 100 magazine cover photos to such magazines as Audubon, Field & Stream, National Wildlife, and Ducks Unlimited. His writing appears in a weekly column titled Afield for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Book signings:

Saturday, March 24, 2012, 1:00 - 3:30 pm: Book Cliffs in Wabasha
March 2012, Date TBD: Red Balloon Bookshop
April 2012, Date TBD: Creative KidsStuff

Author program information: http://adeleporter.com/educatorsparents/authorprograms.html

Adele also offers a new set of winter classes via Skype - her take on Skype an Author. Since the great outdoors is her main "office", these will be done on location in a natural area.

WEBSITE

http://www.adeleporter.com
Blogs: http://adeleporter.com/abouttheauthor/authorblog.html and http://adeleporter.wordpress.com/

PURCHASE

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
http://adeleporter.com/orderbooks.html
Minnesota Historical Society Press: http://shop.mnhs.org/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=2955
Adventure Publications, Inc.: http://www.adventurepublications.net/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jqemdri8

PUBLISHER

Minnesota Historical Society Press
Adventure Publications, Inc.

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

Wild About Minnesota Birds, 2007 *Midwest Independent Publishers Book Award 2007, Children/Young Adult Nonfiction
Wild About Wisconsin Birds, 2009
Wild About Michigan Birds, 2009
Wild About Northeastern Birds, 2010
Wild About Cooking for the Birds, 2010

Review: Sky's Bridal Train by Margo Hansen

2011-12-06T08:00:00.003-06:00

Bottom line:

Enjoyable Christian romance with plenty of mystery, suspense, and historical flair.

Premise:

A lovely young woman travels across frontier America in search of her twin. However, she is pursued by a man who wants to marry her against her will. Can she evade her pursuer, find her twin, and discover true love?

Likes:

o Several plot twists that kept me guessing.
o Just enough history to be educational and rooted me in the setting.
o Pleasantly surprised by the elements of mystery and suspense in this romance.
o Short chapters that made this book easy to read at night.
o Cliffhanger endings at many of the chapter ends that made me wonder what would happen next (and admittedly often made me read an additional chapter at night).

Dislikes:

o Personally, I would have liked additional details from a historical fiction perspective, but this book is primarily a romance, and the author stayed true to that.
o Strong promotion of Christianity starting about midway through the book. I'd found this at a book fair and had mistaken it for a historical fiction novel (though it's clearly marked as a Christian novel on Amazon). In a few places, I felt like it crossed the line of preaching to the reader, but lovers of Christian fiction will likely see this as a strength. That said, the sections where this occurred were limited and seemed to remain mostly true to the time period and location.

Would recommend to:

I'd recommend this book to Christian audiences who enjoy romances, mysteries, and historical fiction.

Full disclosure: How did I obtain this book?

Review copy provided by author in exchange for honest review.

Purchase link:

Rudy's Incredible Kidney Machine - Stacy Raye Waibel

2011-12-01T08:00:00.004-06:00

Rudy's Incredible Kidney Machine

by Stacy Raye Waibel

Review by Laura Weber, National Kidney Foundation Patient & Family Council Executive Committee

Stacy uses a very child friendly character, Rudy the dog, to introduce her reader to kidney failure. I thought it was good that she started with Rudy becoming symptomatic with the fatigue common to End Stage Renal Disease. As Rudy goes to the doctor, the author uses this occasion to give a very good and child age appropriate basic description of what the kidneys are and what their function is “to clean our blood” along with a very basic diagram on the kidneys in relationship to the major internal organs. As the book progresses, Rudy goes to dialysis with a great illustration of the little dog hooked up to the dialysis machine with a rudimentary explanation of what dialysis does and what it is like. I thought it was great that the book addresses what kinds of food could or couldn’t be eaten, or eaten in moderation, and fluid restrictions. The book seems to present a pretty balanced accounting of the limitations of dialysis while still enjoying life on dialysis. The illustrations in this book are very good.

BIOGRAPHY

Stacy Raye Waibel writes children's stories that star her poodle, Rudy, as the main character. Children of all ages, races, and genders can relate to Rudy.

These stories are informative and educational as well as entertaining and heart-warming. Dealing with such subjects as blindness, going to the doctor, transplants, problem solving, and dialysis, Rudy's stories also include fun and humor so children aren't overwhelmed.

Many of Stacy's stories are written from personal experience. Because of diabetes, she lost her sight at the age of 19 and had her first kidney transplant at 31. In 2009, she needed a second kidney transplant. Her husband Wayne donated one of his kidneys. Even with the many challenges in life, Stacy maintains a positive attitude. She believes that everything happens for a reason.

Stacy graduated magna cum laude with a degree in speech communication and met her husband, Wayne - truly a blessing. They now live in Apple Valley, MN. with Rudy and his little brother, Boomer. Big brothers Kirby, Dito and Dexter, live in heaven.

UPCOMING READINGS

Children's Program - Pleasant Hill Library - Wednesday December 7th @ 10:30am.

WEBSITE

Homepage: www.RudysLittleWorld.com - PayPal purchase buttons on the home page
Blog: www.RudysLittle.Blogspot.com

PURCHASE

www.RudysLittleWorld.com - PayPal purchase buttons on the home page

OTHER BOOKS

Rudy Gets A Transplant
Rudy's Check Up
What's On My Nose?
Rudy O'Tooty - Coming March 2012

PUBLISHER
Purple Cow Press

AUTHOR MESSAGE

Using our books as educational tools, I speak to a variety of ages and group sizes in schools, libraries, clubs and organizations. Subjects vary from blindness, transplants, going to the doctor and problem solving to writing, being an author, the importance of reading, dogs and anything else!

I have done anything from after school workshops, and single classrooms (about 25 children) to large groups and full school assemblies (approximately 400 children).

Many events and stories are profiled on our website www.RudysLittleWorld.com. Please feel free to visit the site anytime.

If you would like more details or have questions, please contact me at 952-322-1419 or wdwaibel@aol.com.

Skeleton Letters - Laura Childs

2011-11-24T08:00:00.007-06:00

Skeleton Letters

by Laura Childs

Is nothing sacred?

The last thing scrapbooking maven Carmela Bertrand expected to bear witness to in St. Tristan’s Church was a crime. But now a beloved member of her scrapbooking circle is lying lifeless next to a smashed statue of St. Sebastian – and a mysterious hooded figure had absconded with an antique silver-and-gold crucifix.

With the church, a popular New Orleans tourist site, pretty much open to the public, it looks like the police don’t have a prayer of finding the killer. Good thing amateur sleuth Carmela and her wacky voodoo shop-owning friend Ava are hot on the trail. With suspects that range from a deliveryman, to the strange Brother Paul, to the cult group The Seekers, Carmela and Ava comb New Orleans for clues. And end up in a bayou at midnight, stalked by an enraged killer!

A cross between a cozy and a thriller – a thrillzy! – Skeleton Letters delivers great characters, action, humor, spooky cemeteries, scrapbooking tips, and New Orleans recipes. This is the Halloween read you’ve been waiting for!

BIOGRAPHY

Laura Childs is the author of the Scrapbook Mysteries, Tea Shop Mysteries and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Her books have been named to the USA Today and New York Times Bestseller Lists, and have been featured selections in the Literary Guild’s Mystery Book Club. She is a former Cleo Award-winning ad writer and CEO of Mission Critical Marketing.

WEBSITE
http://www.laurachilds.com

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/embed/R0WRgk3qCy0

PURCHASE
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED
Tea Shop Mysteries
Death by Darjeeling
Gunpowder Green
Shades of Earl Grey
English Breakfast Club Murder
Jasmine Moon Murder
Chamomile Mourning
Blood Orange Brewing
Dragonwell Dead
The Silver Needle Murder
Oolong Dead
The Teaberry Strangler
Scones & Bones
Agony of the Leaves (March 2012)

Scrapbook Mysteries
Keepsake Crimes
Photo Finished
Bound for Murder
Motif for Murder
Frill Kill
Death Swatch
Tragic Magic
Fiber & Brimstone
Skeleton Letters

Cackleberry Club Mysteries
Eggs in Purgatory
Eggs Benedict Arnold
Bedeviled Eggs
Stake & Eggs (December 2012)

PUBLISHER
Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN 978-0-425-24389-3

Delicate Armor - Connie Claire Szarke

2011-11-17T08:00:00.006-06:00

Delicate Armor

by Connie Claire Szarke

Set in the Upper Midwest, 1950s-1990, Delicate Armor is the coming-of-age story of Callie Lindstrom, a cheeky girl who shares a special bond with her father. After the loss of his baby boy, Will Lindstrom places his energy in young Callie, teaching her his love for the outdoors. Accepted into the world of men within her family and privy to their dreams and struggles, she learns to navigate waves of conflict and loss while realizing her own place in the world. This book is about lost time, the tenacity of the human spirit, and our narrator’s emerging consciousness as she passes from young girl to self-possessed woman. Delicate Armor is Callie’s tribute to the land and to her microcosm of men.

BIOGRAPHY

Midwest author, Connie Claire Szarke, grew up in “The Land of 10,000 Lakes.” A writer of fiction and poetry, she also taught high school French for many years. She enjoys playing classical piano, painting, alpine skiing, and kayaking with her Shetland sheepdogs near her home west of the Twin Cities. Much of her work has been published in literary journals and magazines, including The Talking Stick, Dust & Fire, Stories Teachers Tell, Lake Country Journal Magazine, and Community Connections: The Minnesota Project.

UPCOMING READINGS

November 19 - signing at The Reading Frenzy Bookshop in Zimmerman, 11:00-1:00 p.m.
November 26 - signing at Cherry Street Books in Alexandria 11:00-2:00 p.m.
November 29 - Lake Minnetonka Shores in Spring Park at 2:00 p.m.
December 3 - Barnes & Noble Ridgedale/Minnetonka from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
December 5 - reading/signing at the Westonka Public Library in Mound at 6:00 p.m.
December 6 - Common Good Books in Saint Paul - 7:30 p.m.
December 16 - 11:15 a.m. telephone interview with Ron Specker, Party Line Talk Show, KLTF radio, Little Falls
December 17 - Valley Books in Stillwater - 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
December 19 - Bookin' It in Little Falls - Scrooge Days
December 21 - Gillespie Center in Mound - 10:45 a.m.

Connie is also actively seeking book clubs. Delicate Armor makes for a good group read and discussion regarding the "lost culture" of the 1950s.

WEBSITE
http://www.connieclaireszarke.com

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent bookstores, and North Star Press of St. Cloud

PUBLISHER
North Star Press of St. Cloud

Calling - Sharon Chmielarz

2011-11-10T08:00:00.021-06:00

Calling

by Sharon Chmielarz

In Calling, Sharon Chmielarz recalls the lives of those, who, in Elisabeth Bishop’s words, in “Brazil, January 1, 1502 “... who kept calling, calling to each other...” They are known and unknown painters, musicians, the local beautician, islanders and immigrants. They are subjects for our attention, long overdue. These are portrait poems serving as windows into the lives of Monet’s egg girl, Galileo’s daughter, the Two Fat Ladies. They are a record of the people we come from, recorded in lyric and narrative, with dashes of humor and anger, love and sadness at the irrefutable wash of history the poems find themselves in. They are women who are showcases of strength, reflection, and the ordinary transformed by the desire to be counted. They seek the remembrance due the neglected. The poet’s drag-net sweeps them all in.

BIOGRAPHY

Sharon Chmielarz’s books of poetry include Calling, The Sky Is Great The Sky Is Blue, The Rhubarb King, The Other Mozart, But I Won’t Go Out in a Boat, Different Arrangements, and one chapbook, Stranger in Her House. Her work has been a finalist in the National Poetry Series, and in ‘99, ‘01, ‘02, ’05, ’07 and ‘10 nominated for a Pushcart. It’s been featured on American Life in Poetry (‘07) and individual poems translated into French and Polish. The Rhubarb King, won a Merit Award from the 2007 Midwest Independent Publishers Association. The Other Mozart has been made into a two-part opera. Her book Calling was first runner up in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, 2011, for poetry.

UPCOMING READINGS

Feb. 10, 2012: Banfill Locke Center for the Arts

early 2012, but as yet undated: North Star Chapter of the German Russians, Berea Lutheran Church, 7538 Emerson Ave. S., Mpls. (Richfield)

WEBSITE
www.sharonchmielarz.com

PURCHASE
Amazon

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED

The Sky Is Great The Sky Is Blue (Whistling Shade Press, 2010)

The Rhubarb King (Loonfeather Press, 2006)

The Other Mozart (Ontario Review Press/ imprint W.W. Norton, 2001)

But I Won’t Go Out in a Boat (New Rivers Press, 1991)

Different Arrangements (New Rivers Press, 1982)

Chapter book:

Stranger in Her House (Poetry Harbor, 1990) -- contact author through www.sharonchmielarz.com to purchase

Children’s:

Pied Piper of Hamelin (Stemmer House, 1990) (out of print)

The End of Winter (Crown, 1992) (out of print)

Down at Angel’s (Ticknor & Field/ Houghton Mifflin, 1994)

PUBLISHER
Loonfeather Press
www.loonfeatherpress.com

Review: Spyder by David Fingerman

2011-11-07T08:00:00.022-06:00

Bottom line:

This book is hard to classify, but tantalizingly good. Great read for mature readers--describes sex scenes, drug usage, and violence.

Premise:

A streetwise thug named Spyder struggles to overcome his drug addiction, while the world around him keeps trying to drag him back in.

Likes:

o Lots of plot twists that keep you guessing throughout the story
o As a drug addict, Spyder's an unlikely protagonist. I found myself sympathizing with him because he took a hard view on all other addicts--thinking they were weaker/whinier than him. Spyder had an outlook on life that I could respect, even as I disagreed with his choices.
o Eye-opening revelation for me on the difficulty of breaking out of the addiction cycle. Excellent consideration on how hard it is to change one's base character.
o Spyder grows throughout the story, but also suffers relapses as events trigger instinctive reactions.
o Spyder's voice remains true to the character throughout the story. There was definitely a feeling of "here's the way I am, whether you like it or not" that made me respect and enjoy the character.

Dislikes:

o Very few. I disagreed with some of Spyder's decisions, but that's because those weren't the choices *I* would make--it was my own bias that got in the way. For his character, they were justifiable, even when the decisions led him to dangerous consequences. And that part I liked: his bad decisions had realistic consequences for him.

I'd recommend this book to mature audiences who enjoy suspense, plot twists, dark humor, and unlikely heroes.

Full disclosure: How did I obtain this book?

Purchased myself

Purchase link

Playing the Hand She's Dealt - David Fingerman

2011-11-03T08:00:00.040-05:00

In the aftermath of "Silent Kill," Louise Miller is an ex-cop whose life could not be more of a mess. Unemployed and addicted to gambling, she comes home from the casino to find her front door unlocked and a corpse sitting on her sofa. Even worse, the dead man is Walter Farkos, a man she arrested shortly before resigning from the Minneapolis PD. Now Farkos' murderer is obsessed with a sadistic game of cat and mouse. The ultimate goal: to destroy Miller piece by piece. If Miller doesn't stop this madman she may not only forfeit her own life, but the lives of everyone she cares about.

BIOGRAPHY

As a student at the University of Minnesota, David Fingerman realized that if he switched his major from journalism to speech, he could graduate that quarter. It was a no-brainer. After twenty years of working for the Hennepin County court system an opportunity arose and he left the court system to do what he loves to do – write. It was a no-brainer. He has published a number stories in magazines and anthologies. “Playing the Hand She’s Dealt” is his third novel. David is married and presently lives in Minneapolis.

SIGNINGS

Reading & signing at:

True Colors Bookstore
4755 Chicago Avenue S.
Minneapolis, MN
November 10, 2011 at 7PM

WEBSITE:

http://davidfingerman.com

PURCHASE INFORMATION

Amazon.com (Amazon Promotional Code)

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

PUBLISHER

L&L Dreamspell

http://www.lldreamspell.com/

Nice Girls Don't Bite - Joan Sween

2011-10-27T08:00:00.007-05:00

Nice Girls Don't Bite

by Joan Sween

When "Transylvania Nasty" collides with "Minnesota Nice" the outcome is hilarious. In this novel, which is definitely intended for laughs, not chills, Erleen and Louise, antiques dealers from the land of Garrison Keillor, come back from a buying trip to Romania to discover they got more than they bargained for.

"We can't be vampires! There's no such thing as vampires!"

"I absolutely refuse to go all crazy and look mean and bite people!"

"How are we supposed to put on makeup if we can't see ourselves in mirrors?"

After the first shock, they begin to cope like sensible down-to-earth Minnesotans, vowing to lead normal lives, never reveal what they are, and never ever to bite anyone. Then they stumble onto a bank robbery, a murder, and a kidnapping. Attempting to free their kidnapped friends, they confront a Norwegian crime lord whose Colombian partners decide they are witches—"Brujas! Brujas! But after putting ineffectual bullets through the ladies, the Colombians change their minds—"Vampiro!" Reluctantly, Erleen and Louise realize they must behave like "real" vampires in order to put a stop to an international drug ring. Which they do—but without ever biting anyone.

BIOGRAPHY

In Joan's pre-teen years, she wrote short stories about fairies, and learned to play the piano accordion. Her father was a construction engineer; they moved a lot. The accordion was easier to move than a piano. As a teenager in high school she was in the class plays and wrote pep skits. Pep skits taught her about mystery writing–the home team, like justice, always had to triumph. In college she was in a multitude of plays, wrote poetry, edited the college newspaper, and got engaged 16 times.

She credits her wacky rites of passage as excellent background for writing a novel about perfectly nice ladies who refuse to behave like vampires She's a member of Sisters In Crime, former Regional Vice-president of Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of the Americas, and founder of Minnesota Writers’ Alliance. Her other books can be found on Amazon.com and her plays with Eldridge Plays & Musicals. Joan lives in Rochester, MN, with two cats who are exasperating and a husband who is wonderfully supportive.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Feb 10-12, 2012, premiere of Joan's play, "The Magic Flounder," produced by Matchbox Children's Theatre in the Historic Paramount Theatre, Austin, MN.

May, 2012, book signing sponsored by Minnesota's antiques newspaper, The Old Times at the Prime Promotions Antique Show at the St. Paul State Fairgrounds. Exact date TBA.

WEBSITE

http://joansween.com

PURCHASE

Amazon

Plays may be found by searching at: http://www.histage.com/searchplaycategories.asp

OTHER BOOKS

Dealer's Choice: A collection of humor columns on antiques and collectibles.

Deathblow: A detective novel with a serial killer.

Southern Surrender: A one-act farce.

Murder By Accident: A full-length farce.

ReadingMinnesota update: New owner - Mike Kalmbach

2011-10-20T08:00:00.005-05:00

Something is different.

Subtle changes in the text on the right-hand side.

A new book cover and title.

A new email address.

What's going on?

After more than two years of posts, Beth is moving on to other opportunities. Rather than let the blog fade into the dark realms of the Internet archives, Beth graciously agreed to let me take over. We'll miss her, but I'm sure she'll still stop by from time to time.

Have no fear. You'll still be reading the same high-quality, Minnesota-centric posts that Beth's been sharing over the past two years.

The big difference is that I'll be organizing the posts. I will maintain the Thursday posting schedule for the foreseeable future, and already have several authors lined up over the coming weeks.

I also plan to introduce reviews as time allows. At first, I expect to post approximately 2 reviews per month in addition to the weekly informational posts.

Who's taking over?

Mike Kalmbach is an author from southeast Minnesota, and leads the Rochester MN Writing Group. Besides his day job as a software engineer, he also moonlights as a freelance editor. His passion is writing science fiction and fantasy, but he enjoys all well-written material.

He recently released his debut novel, The Caldarian Conflict, which focuses on a monk caught between a corrupt government and pirates. A mixture of fantasy, adventure, and mystery, this book is sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys a good plot twist. This fantasy novel is targeted for readers 14 and up.

Want to learn more about The Caldarian Conflict?

Check it out on Amazon (ebook or paperback), Barnes & Noble (ebook or paperback), or wherever books are sold. Autographed copies (perfect as a unique gift) are available at http://mikekalmbach.com

When does this happen?

This is officially effective today, October 20. I've been making some changes over the past week, so it's still pretty new.

How do I submit suggestions for Minnesota-related authors, book stores, or other items of interest?

Send an email to mikekalmbach@gmail.com. You can usually expect a response within 48 hours. Please specify whether you would like an informational post or a review.

I'm looking forward to meeting lots of great Minnesota authors. This is going to be fun!

Meaning Beyond Reason - Anthony Caponi

2011-10-13T06:00:00.026-05:00

Meaning Beyond Reason

by Anthony Caponi

Meaning Beyond Reason explores the relationship between reason and intuition as it relates to art, education, religion, rhetoric and science. The ideas presented in Meaning Beyond Reason are artist and educator Anthony Caponi’s insights on man and God, beauty, and nature. The book argues that verbal concepts often create false gods, obscure understanding and impinge upon the vital engagement in life. The book explores the ideas that, since he was a young child in Italy, have guided the creation of his artwork and everyday living.

BIOGRAPHY
An artist, philosopher, poet, civic leader and environmentalist, Anthony Caponi is also an educator and professor emeritus of Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minn., where he taught and chaired the art department for more than 40 years. He has brought his wealth of experience and artistic skill together in the creation of Caponi Art Park, a 60 acre outdoor sculpture garden and cultural center in Eagan, Minn.

At the age of 90, Anthony Caponi is the creator and artistic director of Caponi Art Park and Learning Center, a nonprofit sculpture garden and outdoor performance venue in Eagan, Minnesota dedicated to making art accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. Located on 60 acres of rolling wooded hills, Caponi Art Park and Learning Center is a distinctive cultural center offering free programs and educational experiences in an inviting, natural setting that seamlessly blends art and nature.

SIGNINGS
Anthony Caponi does sign books at Caponi Art Park during scheduled artistic and cultural programs.

WEBSITE
www.caponiartpark.org/meaningbeyondreason

PURCHASE
Amazon

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED
Voice from the Mountains: A Memoir
Boulders and Pebbles of Poetry and Prose

PUBLISHER
Nodin Press
http://www.nodinpress.com

Fatal Incident - Jim Proebstle

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fatal Incident

by Jim Proebstle

World War II Conspiracy Inspires a New Novel

It has been more than 65 years since Japan’s surrender marked the end of World War II. But there are still many secrets yet to be revealed, including what brought down the military transport plane being flown by a young pilot from Minnesota.

In Fatal Incident (Emerald Book Co., $23.95, May 2011), a new historical fiction novel by Jim Proebstle, a scenario for the real-life crash of an Army Air Transport Command (ATC) aircraft is revealed. To this day, the cause of the 1944 crash in Alaska’s Mount McKinley Range remains a mystery. No bodies were recovered and none of the 20 people onboard the ill-fated flight were ever heard from again. The novel explores the possibility that a conspiracy involving espionage was to blame for the crash.

The story begins in Depression-era Minnesota with young Nick Morgan and his soon-to-be bride, Martha, soaring high above the clouds over Mankato, Minn., in a plane piloted by Nick. They are excited by where life will take them.

Once married and with the war on, Nick leaves Martha, now pregnant, behind in 1943 to become a pilot for the Army’s ATC in Alaska. While he’s away, the evident stress on their marriage reveals itself through their personal communications in postcards, letters and the few furlough trips home.

The extensive military presence in Alaska serves as a strategic defense position against Japan, as well as the perfect Lend-Lease exchange location for U.S. built P-38’s with Soviet pilots in support of Russia’s war with Germany. This opens the door for espionage through a complex network of Russian listening posts.

Alaska’s uncharted landscape also occupies the attention of high-level Manhattan Project scientists in New Mexico as a possible alternative site for testing the atomic bomb. Nick and his co-pilot, Red Johnson, are tapped for classified flying duty for the brass from Los Alamos as they secretly explore test site options in the remote Yukon Flats area.

All the while, Vladimir Dubisskiy, an entrenched NKVD agent coordinating Lend-Lease aircraft movement in Alaska, is spearheading a plot to steal the United States’ top secret atomic bomb design documents and test site development plans for Alaska. The Soviet hijack scheme fails with the crash of Nick’s plane on March 17, 1944.

When search crews finally reach the crash site in about the most inhospitable place in Alaska – an 11,000 foot uncharted section of the McKinley Range – several bodies are found, but many are also missing, along with the classified Manhattan Project documents.

“Fatal Incident challenges us with the possibility that we have never been presented with a complete set of facts surrounding this crash and disappearance of all onboard,” said Proebstle.

In his review of the book, New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger of the Cork O’Connor series said, “Jim Proebstle has written a unique and compelling story, a true event cloaked in the fabric of fiction. Though much of Fatal Incident is speculative, every consideration is grounded in rock-solid fact. This narrative works on so many levels that it doesn’t matter whether or not you accept Proebstle’s conclusions concerning the mystery at the heart of the story. Either way, you’ll enjoy a hell of a good read.”

“Brimming with intrigue, espionage, and romance, Fatal Incident is a captivating story of determination and grit set against the backdrop of WWII. Jim Proebstle does a formidable job developing his characters while constructing a chillingly believable story peppered with brilliantly unexpected twists and turns,” said award-winning mystery writer Marilyn Jax, author of The Find and Road to Omalos.

“Fatal Incident is a heart-pounding tale of espionage, suspense, love, geopolitics and heroism capturing a Soviet Union attempt to steal United States secrets of the atomic bomb. I recommend this book to everyone interested in World War II mysteries,” said Bob Bao, author and editor of the MSU Alumni Magazine

WEBSITE
www.fatalincident.com

www.jimproebstle.com

BIOGRAPHY
Jim Proebstle is new on the scene as an author. His first novel, In the Absence of Honor, was released in August 2008, and has received positive reviews and industry awards.

He and his wife, Carole, call northern Minnesota home for the summer months. Deer Park, IL is their permanent residence, close to their two children and five grandchildren.

Proebstle received his B.A. and M.B.A. from Michigan State University and remains a loyal Spartan. His corporate career in sales and management prepared him to form Prodyne, Inc. – a management consulting firm in which he is still active.

KILLING KATE - Julie Kramer

2011-09-29T18:39:00.002-05:00

KILLING KATE
by Julie Kramer
Not all angels are divine...

As TV reporter Riley Spartz discovers a serial killer drawing angel-shaped chalk outlines around the bodies of his victims, she unearths an eerie legend dating back nearly a century. Tracking the story to an Iowa cemetery, Riley finds an infamous Black Angel monument that may be connected to the string of homicides throughout the Midwest. Now she is up against a delusional young man who believes the statue is urging him to kill.

"With her newest book, Julie Kramer's reputation and following ought to soar. This wonderfully sardonic look at murder through the eyes of TV journalist Riley Spartz is not only surprisingly poignant, but is a flat-out tour de force of harrowing twists and turns." —NYT bestselling author William Kent Krueger

"A snappy repartee, tauntingly written, drum tight in its execution. Just good ole' fashioned, gimmick-free storytelling that catches the reader with line one and commands you to finish." —NYT bestselling author Steve Berry

"Julie Kramer has one of the best new series in crime fiction....You'll be turning the pages all night." —NYT bestselling author Lisa Scottoline

"Julie Kramer's Killing Kate offers everything a novel should—a most engaging protagonist, page-turning thrills, plot twists, and a host of characters that jump off the page. I loved it!" —NYT bestselling author Heather Graham

BIOGRAPHY
Investigative television journalist Julie Kramer writes a series of thrillers: STAKING SUSAN, MISSING MARK, SILENCING SAM and KILLING KATE—set in the desperate world of TV news. Julie won the Minnesota Book Award and the RT Reviews Choice Award for Best First Mystery. Her novels have also been nominated for the Anthony, Barry, Shamus, Mary Higgins Clark, and Daphne du Maurier Awards. She formerly ran the I TEAM for WCCO-TV before becoming a freelance network news producer for NBC and CBS. She grew up on a family farm along the Minnesota-Iowa State line and now lives in White Bear Lake, MN.

WEBSITE
www.juliekramerbooks.com

Dorie LaValle - by Mary Desjarlais

2011-09-22T06:00:00.032-05:00

Dorie LaValle

by Mary Desjarlais

A Minnesota story of moonshine and murder.

Survival takes many forms...but never the one you expect. Born on the first day of 1900, Dorie finds herself at odds with the world and out of options. When she married Louie LaValle, a local man with an inherited farm, but not the talent or stamina to run it, Dorie is anchored in poverty, childless and tied to someone she doesn't love.

Prohibition and desperation inspire Dorie to make and sell moonshine to the men in town; soon she makes more money than she ever dreamt possible. To expand production, she enlists freewheeling Victor, who builds a secret distillery in the woods. When Victor appears at her door with a gunshot wound, describing an ambush at the still, it's up to Dorie to protect her future -and Victor- against angry neighbors, a zealous sheriff and the Chicago mob.

BIOGRAPHY

Mary graduated from the College of St. Catherine in 1981. She lives in St. Paul and works for the MN AFL-CIO promoting diversity in the construction trades through teenage and adult training programs. She was a recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant and recently published her first novel, Dorie LaValle through North Star Press, Inc. of St. Cloud. Mary has enjoyed classes at the Loft and the University of Iowa’s Summer Writing Program and belongs to the Blue Moon Writing Group. When she is not working on her next novel, she is reading, gardening, or doing a variety of art projects.

WEBSITE
www.marydesjarlais.com

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

PUBLISHER
North Star Press, Inc.
info@northstarpress.com
http://ourbooks.myshopify.com

Isle Royale - John Hamilton

2011-09-15T06:00:00.015-05:00

Isle Royale
by John Hamilton
Shipwrecks, gangsters, and the mother of all storms. Living in a lighthouse can murder.

The year is 1924, at the height of Prohibition. The place: Isle Royale, a remote island on Lake Superior. Clarence MacDougal, keeper of Wolf Point Lighthouse, stands ready to guide sailors through treacherous waters.

One storm-tossed night, French-Canadian bootleggers arrive. The gang’s leader is Sean LeBeck, a former lover of Collene MacDougal—the lightkeeper’s wife. LeBeck is determined to rescue Collene from her dreary life and rekindle their old passion, even if it means taking her off the island by force.

The lightkeeper’s son, Ian, escapes during the storm, only to stumble upon a hidden cove, home of the last remaining members of the Coast Guard cutter Chippewa. A dark secret forced the crew to banish themselves. Now, given one last chance at redemption, the ancient mariners set out on stormy Lake Superior in a desperate attempt to save the day.

BIOGRAPHY

John Hamilton is a bestselling author and journalist. His work includes books about fantasy and folklore, science fiction, the national parks, and pirates. Lewis & Clark: Adventures West (Sparrow Media Group) was a finalist at the 17th Annual Minnesota Book Awards in 2005. He is a two-time Golden Duck Award winner for excellence in children’s science fiction literature. John can be found most summers hiking along Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. He is also an award-winning photojournalist and nature photographer.

WEBSITE
www.johnchamilton.com

PURCHASE
Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

2011-09-08T06:00:00.051-05:00

Legacies of Faith

by Robert Roscoe and John Roscoe

Photography by Doug Ohman

Scores of remarkable brick Gothic and Romanesque style Catholic churches, perhaps the most significant religious architecture in rural Minnesota, are clustered within the rural core of Stearns County, seeming to be hidden in the wide open spaces of central Minnesota prairie. These remarkably designed churches form the basis of the recently published book Legacies of Faith – the Catholic Churches of Stearns County, written by John Roscoe and Robert Roscoe, and published by North Star Press of Saint Cloud. Renowned Minnesota photographer Doug Ohman’s 180 color images illustrate their magnificent interiors and richly ornamented details. Stearns County’s culturally distinct rural hamlets, many only five miles apart, are similar to their European counterparts. These iconic structures came into form by German and Polish immigrant farm communities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Legacies of Faith – the Catholic Churches of Stearns County brings to light the history of how these magnificent churches came into being from extraordinary circumstances of historical, social and ethnic forces, and why these communities created such great works of architecture.

BIOGRAPHY

Robert Roscoe
Robert’s primary work is Design for Preservation, devoted to residential renovation, with an emphasis on historic preservation. His professional experience includes 36 years of architectural office experience. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and five years in the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota. His writing has been focused on architectural aspects of historic preservation-related issues. Robert served as editor of the Minnesota Preservationist, a publication of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota for 14 years.

John Roscoe

John’s writing and historical research has developed from his educational career, teaching literature and writing for the Aitkin and Albany, Minnesota school districts. His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from St. Cloud State University with a major in English as well as graduate studies at St. Cloud State and the University of Minnesota. The research involved in writing this book has led him to an even greater appreciation of the immigrant experience and how it produced the remarkable outcomes embodied in its churches.

Doug Ohman
Doug Ohman is an acclaimed photographer with extensive experience in photography, has produced images from every county in Minnesota, many which appear in a wide array of leading publications and exhibits of historic preservation. These photographs aptly express the architectural attributes of the buildings while revealing the regional characteristics of their setting.

REVIEWS

“A sumptuous visual sampling of awe-inspiring churches, many well over 100 years old.”-- Dennis Dalman, Sartell Newsleader

“Brothers John and Robert Roscoe have combined John’s familiarity with Stearns County and Robert’s expertise in architecture with photographer Doug Ohman’s professionalism to create an intriguing and lovely book.” -- Sue Halena, St. Cloud Times

“Beautifully put together….it should sell like hotcakes.” -- Dave Wood, Pierce County (WI) Herald

LINKS

We appeared on a segment of Life to the Max hosted by Mike Max of WCCO Television. Watching this episode will give the viewer a visual sampling of the churches we wrote about in Legacies of Faith. The link to this segment follows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGZ16kCZ2mQ

We were interviewed by morning host Bob Hughes on WJON Radio in St. Cloud. The link to this interview follows.

http://wjon.com/legacies-of-faith-audio/

PUBLISHER

North Star Press of St. Cloud

www.northstarpress.com

PURCHASE

Amazon.com

WEBSITE

http://www.legaciesoffaith.net

Diet Myths Busted - Ann A. Rosenstein

2011-09-01T06:00:00.046-05:00

Diet Myths Busted

by

Ann A. Rosenstein

Diet Myths Busted is a book written by Ann A. Rosenstein that offers readers a look at facts about food rather than nutrition fiction. Rosenstein is a fitness instructor and personal trainer with several certifications. She wrote this book to help the average person decipher misinformation that is currently out on the subject of dieting.

Instead of promoting a certain type of diet or exercise plan, Rosenstein simply gives you facts. With the use of this information, you can make informed decisions for yourself and your family.

Some diet related myths that are addressed include:

If I stop eating sweets I will lose weight

As long as I eat good food, calories don’t count

Low-carb diets are dangerous

I can spot reduce

I can eat foods that will make me lose weight

Low-fat diets are the healthiest and no fat is best

Organic is best at any cost

Diet Myths Busted offers honest information that is helpful for managing diet and weight. There are so many different sources available for diet information, and many give facts only as they pertain to a particular diet. This book can help you sort through the fluff and start losing weight in a healthy way.

BIOGRAPHY

My name is Ann Rosenstein. I am a fitness professional, mother of two and married. I have been a fitness instructor and personal trainer for 22 years and am certified by ACE, AFAA & AEA. I am also an author of 4 water fitness books.

As a fitness instructor it has become evident to me that most people are thoroughly confused about exercise and nutrition. I get a lot of questions from participants in my classes. I have researched the science of nutrition and exercise the entire time I have been an instructor and have found that if a person understands some basic concepts of nutrition and fitness, it can be fun, easy and enjoyable to eat well and exercise. My family and I enjoy physical fitness and we often workout together. We also enjoy outdoor biking and cross country skiing.

Not only am I a professional fitness instructor, I am also a reference librarian with Dakota County and have been for almost 30 years. BA/MA from the University of Minnesota, ACE, Schwinn Cycle, Pilates Certified, Fitness Instructor/Personal Trainer of 22 years. Teach weight training, indoor cycle (spinning), water fitness, beginning aerobics, aerobics and advanced interval training.

BOOK SIGNING
Wescott Library
Eagan, MN
November 7, 2011 - 7:00 PM

Heritage Library
Lakeville, MN
November 14, 2011 – 7:00 PM

WEBSITE
www.dietfitnessdiva.com

PURCHASE
www.dietfitnessdiva.com

www.iydllarbor.com

Amazon.com

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED

Water Exercises for Parkinson's: Maintaining Balance, Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility, Revised

Water Exercises for Fibromyalgia: The Gentle Way to Relax and Reduce Pain

Water Exercises for Osteoarthritis: The Effective Way to Reduce Pain and Stiffness, While Increasing Endurance and Strength.

Water Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Effective Way to Reduce Pain and Inflammation While Increasing Flexibility and Mobility

PUBLISHER
Idyll Arbor Inc.
www.idyllarbor.com

Ashes, Ashes - D. J. Rohling

2011-08-25T06:00:00.036-05:00

Ashes, Ashes

by

D. J. Rohling

…WE ALL FALL DOWN.

HAMILTON FORD IS ON THE ‘ROAD TO SOMEWHERE’

…Where will it lead?

Mega-church pastor, Hamilton Ford, strapped down to a hospital gurney, is transported to psych lock-up after being hit by a life-changing trauma. Let the therapy begin as Dr. Leslie Swenson leads Hamilton into the world of his night dreams, where he is first haunted and then empowered by apparitions of his family. Throughout his recovery, Hamilton encounters new and invading spiritual realities, as patient and doctor become entangled by what they share in common.

A drama of personal devastation, retching reconstruction, and the hope of redemption.

A battle between spiritual and psychological forces that will destroy or redeem the eminent megachurch pastor, Hamilton Ford.

Packs a spiritual wallop. Full of grit and psychic transformation that emerges from the deepest depths of human pain.

BIOGRAPHY

By day, Darrell (D. J.) Rohling is a father, husband, and psychologist in private practice, and works with individuals, couples, families, adults and teens. He also is a critical incident specialist, going into corporations, schools, and banks, to provide debriefing support after employee or student injury, death, suicide, or bank robbery. Rohling also conducts psychiatric assessments in the emergency department at a twin city hospital. By night, he is a voracious reader and is working on becoming a voracious writer; where his fascination with the mystery of the human language has yet to be quenched. He is presently working on mastering French with hopes of further travel and work abroad, where his passion is to live on the edge without falling into the abyss.

ENDORSEMENTS
"I don't have a religious bone in my body, but as a writer I've always been fascinated by a man's struggle with his faith... and nowhere is that struggle more difficult and more poignant than it is for Hamilton Ford, the protagonist in D. J. Rohling's expertly written debut novel Ashes, Ashes... restores my faith in the art of creating a three-dimensional character with an inspiring story to tell."--Steve Thayer, New York Times best-selling author of The Weatherman, The Wheat Field, and Silent Snow.

"Is it possible to find faith when one’s life has become a nightmarish hell? In the tradition of Dostoyevsky, Conrad and Koestler, D. J. Rohling’s gritty and compelling debut novel brings readers to that existential point where the line between faith and despair becomes razor thin and one is forced to choose out of the depths of one’s soul. Ashes, Ashes is that rare sort of novel that is at once spiritually disturbing and authentically hopeful. A must read!"--Pastor, Greg Boyd, Best-selling and award-winning author of Letters From a Skeptic, Myth of a Christian Nation, and The Jesus Legend (co-authored )

CONTACT
djrohling@aol.com

PURCHASE
DJROHLING.WEEBLY.COM

WEBSITE
Facebook.com

First Year - J. O. Salls

2011-08-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

First Year

by J. O. Salls

It is Robert Baker’s first year of teaching. It is a school year that jars the tranquility of the fictional town of Blue Lake. It is a year in which escalating enrollment, overwhelmed personnel, and a difficult school board threaten to rip a revered school system apart. In one school year, Robert Baker’s life intertwines with and affects the lives of his students, his colleagues, and even their families. It is a school year in which loyalties are questioned. It is a year in which compassion, hope, and the courage to take action matter more than ever. In one school year, lives can be altered forever.

BIOGRAPHY

Like his parents, J.O. Salls pursued a career in education. He taught English in Wisconsin and Minnesota high schools for 19 years. For another 19 years he taught in Hawaii in classrooms ranging from middle school through community college. His wife taught elementary school for 34 years. They continue to strongly support public education, its teachers and students.

His life-long association with schools brings genuine warmth, affection and a passion for public education to his writing, along with insights into how schools and their inhabitants cope and sometimes prosper between moments of despair and pure exhilaration.

A native of Minnesota, father of two, grandfather of 13, teacher of thousands, John lives with his wife Lila on the shores of Big Stone Lake in Ortonville, MN.

WEBSITE
www.josalls.com
PURCHASE
Amazon.com

PUBLISHER
Birch Grove Publishing

In Search of the LIght - Leonard Jacobson

2011-08-11T06:00:00.012-05:00

In Search of the Light

by Leonard Jacobson

In Search of the Light, illustrated by the talented Fiammetta Dogi of Florence, Italy, tells an enchanting story of animals that experience a sudden eclipse of the sun. Concerned that the sun had lost its way, Ned the horse, Peter the rabbit, Bert the bumblebee and Molly mouse form an expedition to find the source of the light. Their journey takes them through the forest of fear, and beyond to a land where nothing seems right. They receive guidance from several wise characters, including a firefly with his own inner light. Eventually they find what they are looking for and discover that everything they are seeking outside of themselves already exists within each one of them. The story opens children and adults to a magical and childlike world of innocence where a beautiful and simple message of truth is revealed. It took Jacobson 3 years to complete the book.

BIOGRAPHY

Leonard Jacobson is a renowned spiritual teacher and successful author published in numerous countries including the U.S., Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Poland and Romania. The founder of The Conscious Living Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, Jacobson was awarded with the Peace Prize from Religious Science International although he is not affiliated or associated with any religion or church. Jacobson lives in Santa Cruz, traveling extensively across the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia for speaking and seminar tours.

WEBSITE
http://insearchofthelight.com

PURCHASE
http://www.leonardjacobson.com/proddetail.php?prod=ISOL

BLOG
http://www.leonardjacobson.com/blog

OTHER BOOKS
Adult spirituality books:

Bridging Heaven & Earth
A Return to the One

Embracing the Present
Living an Awakened Life

Words from Silence
An Invitation to Spiritual Awakening

Journey Into Now
Clear Guidance On The Path Of Spiritual Awakening

PUBLISHER
Conscious Living Publications
http://www.consciouslivingpublications.com

You and No Other - Jane Weiss and Bonnie Zahn

2011-08-04T06:00:00.054-05:00

You and No Other

by

Jane Weiss and Bonnie Zahn

You and No Other, a book co-authored by Jane Weiss and Bonnie Zahn, tells the story of two women, in the 1980’s, living traditional lives as wives, mothers and working professionals, juggling their careers with homes and families. But within a year and a half their worlds changed drastically as they began a journey together, filled with both deep love for each other and painful family divisions and rejection.

You and No Other chronicles this journey and transforms the pain of their past to healing, thus giving the writers – and their readers – access to larger truths about themselves, the individuals in their families, and perhaps most importantly, the broader social context of non-acceptance that made the journey so poignant. The book challenges readers to rethink their values and to hopefully close the gaps that divide our churches, schools, and communities around same gender relationships.

BIOGRAPHIES

Bonnie and Jane are both mothers of four grown children, and step-mothers to each other’s four grown children. They left their respective traditional marriages of 15 and 20 years when they became partners. Their eight children then ranged in ages from four to eighteen years. In the nearly thirty years of Bonnie and Jane’s partnership, they’ve traversed many of the issues faced by GLBT parents with children, from attempting to merge their families (with little success initially), through high school and college graduations, weddings, births, baptisms, etc. - to now sharing the joys of co-grandparenting fourteen grandchildren.

Bonnie holds a bachelor’s in nursing from Marycrest College in Davenport, IA, and two master’s degrees from the University of MN – one in medical-surgical Nursing, and the other in healthcare administration. She is now happily retired from a healthcare career that spanned bedside nursing, college nursing instructor, nursing administrator, hospital education director, hospital administrator, and corporate senior vice-president.

Jane has a Registered Nurse diploma from West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, IL, and has a bachelor’s degree in healthcare communications from the University of MN. She also is retired from a healthcare career that included hospital nursing, nursing home education director, senior services director, and corporate operations vice president.

SIGNINGS
September 17, 2011
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Chanhassen, MN
Library Writers’ Group
Chanhassen Library

WEBSITE
http://youandnoother.com

BLOG
http://youandnoother.com/bonnie-and-janes-blog.html

PURCHASE
Order online or ask for the book at your favorite bookstore.

True Colors Book Store in Minneapolis, MN

Amazon.com

North Star Press
http://ourbooks.myshopify.com/products/you-and-no-other

PUBLISHER
North Star Press
http://ourbooks.myshopify.com/products/you-and-no-other

Oh Mighty Mississippi - Melissa Vocelka

2011-07-28T06:00:00.033-05:00

Oh Mighty Mississippi

by Melissa Vocelka

Oh Mighty Mississippi, a creative and beautifully illustrated children’s picture book, is Melissa Vocelka’s first book to come out in print. The book follows the mighty Mississippi River, and the plants and creatures it encounters on its long journey towards the sea. Featuring many of Minnesota’s state symbols, such as the Common Loon, the Pink and White Lady Slipper, the Walleye, and more, the book is not only entertaining, but educational as well. Oh Mighty Mississippi was inspired by a young child’s wonder and fascination of the Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park, and is a great book for children, tourists, those who love art, those who love nature, and those who love Minnesota!

WRITER BIOGRAPHY
Melissa Vocelka was born and raised in Minnesota. Writing has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. In 2010, Melissa graduated from Rainy River Community College in International Falls, MN, with an Associate of Arts Degree. Soon after, she graduated with honors from Ashworth College in Atlanta, Georgia with a professional Career Diploma in Writing Children's Books. Melissa currently resides in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, with her husband, John, and daughter, Rebekah. Oh Mighty Mississippi was inspired by her young daughter’s wonder at the Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park. Melissa plans to continue writing and to publish many more children’s books.

ILLUSTRATOR BIOGRAPHY
Amy Larson was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. Ever fascinated by color and form, painting has always been a part of her life. After receiving a BS degree in Art Education at Illinois State University, Amy moved to Minneapolis, MN, where she and her husband raised their four children. Amy currently resides near Park Rapids, MN. Her art can be found in many homes and galleries across the country. Amy Larson’s paintings represent her view of the world around her, and her emotional response to what she sees is the focal point of each painting. Amy has won many awards and commendations for her work.

WEBSITE
www.melissavocelka.com

PURCHASE

http://melissavocelka.com/Store.html

BLOG
http://melissavocelka.com/Oh-Mighty-Mississippi-Express.html

PUBLISHER
North Star Press
http://ourbooks.myshopify.com/

REVIEWS
Oh Mighty Mississippi is a creative and beautifully written story that will fascinate children and nature enthusiasts alike. The artwork is beautiful and Melissa has written it in such a way that you can almost imagine yourself winding along with the Mississippi River on each and every page. I loved how she incorporated many of Minnesota's state symbols into the book, making it not only entertaining, but educational as well. I can't wait to get a copy when it comes out in print! - Joan, Grandmother

Knowing Melissa personally, I was honored to preview a draft of this wonderful book. I am a librarian who has a weakness for illustrated books about Minnesota and this one takes my breath away. Waiting for my published copy has been unbearable but the anticipation will be worth it! -Stephanie, Librarian

Reprisal - Colin T. Nelson

2011-07-21T06:00:00.050-05:00

REPRISAL

by Colin T. Nelson

What if terrorists used American children as weapons of mass destruction? It's already started with the disappearance of the Somali boys from Minnesota. Small pox was eradicated from the planet in 1979. For future research purposes, two repositories of the deadly virus were set up in Atlanta, Georgia and Vector, Russia. When an Islamic terrorist group steals samples of the virus from Russia, they need human hosts to carry the disease and infect defenseless Americans. Release of the virus is about to explode until a criminal defense lawyer gets involved. She becomes entangled in a race against time and the terrorists to save hundreds of children and her community.

BIOGRAPHY

Colin T. Nelson has been a criminal defense lawyer for over 30 years. He's been writing since high school and through law school where he wrote a humorous weekly column. Previously, he published a non-fiction book called, When Can I Tell My Boss, I Quit! He tries to both entertain readers and teach them something in his books. He's married, has two adult children, and plays the saxophone in a jazz group called BlueMood.

WEBSITE
www.colintnelson.com

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

BLOG
Courting Crime with Colin T. Nelson
www.colintnelson.com/blog

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED
When Can I Tell My Boss, I Quit!
A non-fiction book teaching people how to financially be able to retire.

REVIEW
"...a provocative and compelling thriller. A must read for anyone who wonders what might lay ahead for our country." Mary Logue--Author of Frozen Still

"A suspenseful, well-crafted thriller with a terrifying plot that will leave you questioning how secure we really are." Christopher Valen--Author of The Black Minute

PUBLISHER
NorthStar Press of St. Cloud
info@northstarpress.com

Penny's Tale - Mary Jo Mosher

2011-07-14T16:57:00.107-05:00

Penny’s Tale

by Mary Jo Mosher

Penny’s Tale is about a child’s psychological suffering at the hands of negligent adults, her subsequent adoption at age 10, her ongoing search for her birth parents, and her tenacious push for release of her birth records. The story is told from Penny’s point of view.

The fortunate children born of dysfunctional relationships are given up as babies and placed in loving, secure homes. The unfortunate children are the older ones who end up in orphanages or foster homes and never experience permanency in their lives. Some become delinquents; others become psychologically damaged and can’t function well in society. Adoptive homes are scarce for the older child.

When a child enters the adoption courts, a new birth certificate is issued that states the child was born to the adoptive parents. The child’s original birth certificate is placed in an agency file never to see daylight again, and the birth family ceases to exist.

Adoption is a timely subject, especially in states where many adopted persons are pushing legislators to change the laws regarding access to adoption records. This book is based on a true story and deals with this issue as well as other aspects of adoption.

BIOGRAPHY

Mary Jo Mosher, whose home is in Becker, Minnesota, is a retired newspaper reporter and editor with a master’s degree in journalism. She was co-founder of her local newspaper, and several of her free-lance stories have appeared in horse magazines including Trail Rider and Western Horseman. She co-authored Hiking Minnesota published by Globe Pequot Press in 2002 and authored One Man Against the Mountain published by Studio See, Inc. in 2008. Her summers are spent volunteering for the U.S. Forest Service in Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest with her husband and three horses.

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED

Hiking Minnesota by Mary Jo Mosher and Kristine Mosher, second edition published by Globe Pequot Press in 2009

One Man Against the Mountain by Mary Jo Mosher, published by Studio See Inc., Sheridan, WY in 2008

PURCHASE

Amazon.com

PUBLISHER

Galde Press

www.galdepress.com

CONTACT AUTHOR

mjmd32741@izoom.net

The Shadow Loom Poems - Mary Willette Hughes

2011-07-07T06:00:00.037-05:00

The Shadow Loom Poems

by Mary Willette Hughes

In her third book of poetry, The Shadow Loom Poems, Hughes weaves poems around five central themes: Love, Sorrow, Poetry, Pain, and Joy. With each theme, the poet designs a tapestry of her life experiences and events which may resonate with readers, offering a universal application to their own lives.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“Like a gentle wave, Mary Willette Hughes’s poems glide over the jagged rocks of grief and pain, carrying readers to a welcoming shore of healing.” -Bill Meissner, author of American Compass,
winner of the Midwest Book Award for Spirits in the Grass

“This third collection of poetry shows Hughes at the height of her powers to appreciate the munificence of a long and well-lived life. Her voice is warm and wise in the knowledge that, as Walt Whitman wrote, “Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” - Margaret Haase, author of Milk and Tides, winner of the Midwest Book Award for Poetry in 2009

“Mary Willette Hughes’s poems are filled with close observation of the things that matter most in life. She writes with urgency and such deep clarity that she makes us see again, too.” - Mark Conway, author of Dreaming man, Face Down

“These poems, using Hughes’ own words, are “pilgrims of hope,” sent out into a dangerous but dearly loved world.” Mara Faulkner, O.S.B., author of Going Blind: A Memoir, finalist for the 2010 Minnesota Book Award

BIOGRAPHY

Mary Willette Hughes, married to Mark, is a musician, teacher, poet, mother of seven, grandmother of twenty-two, and now great-grandmother of three. She has had three books of poetry published, Quilt Pieces, Flight on New Wings, and The Shadow Loom Poems. During the last eleven years, she has worked part-time for the Saint Cloud Hospital’s Recovery Plus program for addiction and recovery as a facilitator of poetry therapy and has given numerous presentations about poetry as therapy both locally and at national venues. In 2010, the National Association of Poetry Therapy presented her with a Public Service Award for her work at Recovery Plus. She has received two monetary Individual Artist Awards for her poetry, which were granted by the Central Minnesota Arts Board, the first in 1998, and again in 2010. She also has received the Mother Benedicta Riepp Award from the Monastery of St. Benedict in 2010 for “striving to exemplify Benedictine and Gospel values” in her life.

It wasn’t until 1989, when her children were on their own, that Mary discovered the world of writing poetry. After careers as a music teacher and working as an instructor for eighteen years at the Family Life Bureau in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, a new vocation arrived. Poetry writing entered her world, bringing a new passion and zest to her life as she attended creative writing classes and worked at learning how to write, to speak, and to sing in this new voice.

PURCHASE

North Star Press

PUBLISHER

North Star Press

Birdie - by Candace Simar

2011-06-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Birdie

by

Candace Simar

Birdie, Book 3 of the Abercrombie Trail Series by Candace Simar, was released by North Star Press in May 2011. Birdie continues the story of Evan and Inga Jacobson from Abercrombie Trail, eleven years after the 1862 Sioux Uprising. They struggle to raise their family in the midst of bank failures, grasshoppers and lingering effects of the Indian war. Harsh economic realities force them to relocate to Otter Tail County where they must begin again in a hostile environment. It also continues the story of Pomme de Terre’s Ragna Larson, their foster daughter, who grows up haunted by her missing sister, Birdie. Though both girls were kidnapped by the Sioux during the Uprising, only one returned. Ragna must make peace with the past before she can move forward with her life. Evan and Inga must do the same.

BIOGRAPHY

Candace Simar, a life-long Minnesotan and the granddaughter of immigrants, writes historical fiction about Scandinavian immigrants in 1860s Minnesota. Her historical novels Abercrombie Trail and Pomme de Terre are applauded by readers of all ages. She is a member of Brainerd Writer’s Alliance, Bards of a Feather, The Loft Literary Center and Western Writers of America. She is a grateful recipient of Five Wings Arts Grants through the McKnight Foundation.

PURCHASE

http://ourbooks.myshopify.com/products/birdie

Emily's Run - by David Holmes

2011-06-23T18:13:00.001-05:00

Emily’s Run

by David Holmes

Emily Parkhurst is running to save her and her daughter’s life. Roger, her unstable ex-husband, is on a murderous rampage to eliminate his family as witnesses to the despicable things he has done. His carnage and outrageous acts bring devastation to the North Shore of Lake Superior in his quest to remove anyone who gets in his way ‒ or who can implicate him.

STORY HISTORY
Emily’s story has been out since September, 2010, and is gathering attention from more and more people. The overwhelming comment I get is: “I couldn’t put it down” and, “I found a part of myself in it.”

Before it was published I sent a copy of the manuscript to Judy Pearson, director of the Pearl Crisis Center. She read it and loved it enough to offer an endorsement. Judy and I have worked on fund raisers for Pearl putting the story in front of people with the message, “The abuse needs to stop.” Because of my interest in women’s rights and the elimination of abuse, I am now sitting on the Board of Directors for Pearl.

I put a request on Reporter Connection asking for stories from women who were victims of abuse to put into a real-life story. I received comments from all over the country and some from abroad. However, an overwhelming number of women asked that their story not be put into print. They were afraid of recrimination and some just couldn’t bear to see it all over again. Respecting those wishes, I put Emily’s story into a fictional format. It is a compilation of many different events, but hidden behind the fictional shield.

In my marketing and signing tours, one event took place that I will never forget. I was signing books when a woman came to the table and literally froze in place. She looked at the cover, put her hands to her face, and burst out in tears before running away. She was a victim that was living in pain. I pray that I will meet her again someday and at least talk to her.

Emily’s story doesn’t delve into the actual physical abuse. People know what happened to them and don’t need to go into it again. Instead, I have tailored the story to follow Emily while she is running and what she needs to do to protect her daughter. She develops relationships while running; some are good, and some are bad. The story has a positive ending and I am proud to say that the effect will stay with you. The message of the book is clear, and if it bothers anyone—it probably should.

The last pages of the book show the National Hotline numbers for abused, run- aways, and victims of crimes. It also pays homage to Jacob Wetterling, Jaycee Lee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, and others.

One note I am compelled to add is that my son, Jeff Holmes, did the amazing cover art. The picture alone is a story narrative.

WEBSITE
www.davidpaulholmes.com

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

Planning The Ulitmate Event - Carmelita Jenkins Anderson

2011-06-16T06:00:00.003-05:00

Planning The Ultimate Event

Carmelita Jenkins Anderson

Planning The Ultimate Event is a tool to guarantee that you have all of the information needed to properly plan a burial or cremation. This book includes a workbook for all of your vital statistics! No other book to date has offered such financial insight on how to save on costs without sacrificing the stateliness of a proper final disposition.

Top financial institutions have received stimulus packages while the average American has been forced to find creative ways to make ends meet. This book will offer various ways in which you can save on one of the most important purchases you will ever make. There are also many etiquette tips on the who, what, when, and where's of Planning The Ultimate Event.

BIOGRAPHY

After graduating from North Community High school, Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1988, Mrs. Carmelita Jenkins Anderson continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and the University Of Minnesota School Of Medicine, where she completed her undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mortuary Science in 2001. She then went to work for Service Corporation International (SCI) the largest funeral corporation in the world, while continuing her studies to earn a Masters degree in Business Administration from Marylhurst University in 2004. She continues today as a Location Manager, author, wife and mother.

Mrs. Anderson has arranged funerals for Movie Stars, Professional Athletes, Politicians, Clergy, fallen soldiers, police officers, friends and family and has won several awards for her writings.

PURCHASE

https://www.createspace.com/3477462

https://www.createspace.com/3395260

BLOG

http://carmelitaja.blogspot.com

OTHER BOOKS
Upon Grace. My mom died of breast cancer

Upon Grace is a book series for teen girls. The series is based on a teenage girl named Grace Elizabeth Jenkins, age 14. Grace's father and uncle own and operate a funeral and cremation establishment in Dallas Texas. The funeral home and cremation service is committed to the community's complete satisfaction. Through her many visits to the funeral home Grace has learned a lot about death and the grief associated with losing a loved one.

The first book in the series recalls the events surrounding Grace's mother dying from breast cancer and how she deals with her feelings, including her journal writing. There's also a section entitled "Your Personal Journal", so you can write your feelings and experiences!

PUBLISHER

createspace.com

Amazing Gulls - Marlin Bree

2011-06-09T06:00:00.053-05:00

Amazing Gulls:

Acrobats of the Sky and Sea

Marlin Bree

Seafarer Marlin Bree captures the poetry of the seagull’s flight, the majesty of its soaring wings, and its amusing antics as gulls gregariously interact with humans. Through black-and-white digital stop-sequence photography, this tribute introduces their habits and habitats, their special abilities, and their remarkable intelligence. Via detailed drawings and illustrations, Bree examines the gulls’ “wings of wonder” and how they achieve their amazing sense of air, control their soaring and hovering, and remain aloft over great distances. The work also recounts fascinating legends that have sprung up over the years about gulls and their mystical symbolism in life and death, as well as lighthearted stories, such as that of Sam, a gull who walks into a seafront store and picks up the same brand bag of chips day after day.

BIOGRAPHY

Marlin Bree is an award-winning marine journalist and a two-time winner of the Boating Writers International Grand Prize Writing Award. He is a former magazine editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a past president of the Minnesota Press Club, and a contributor to publications such as Cruising World, DIY Boat Owner, the Ensign, Good Old Boat, and Lakeland Boating. He is the author of several boating books, including In the Teeth of the Northeaster and Wake of the Green Storm. He lives in Shoreview, Minnesota.

PURCHASE
Amazon

WEBSITE
www.marlinbree.com

By The Light Of The Carnival - Peter Joseph Swanson

2011-06-02T06:00:00.013-05:00

By The Light Of The Carnival

by Peter Joseph Swanson

Joe goes to work as a carnie for a week and meets worldly gypsies: Carlos, a young man looking for trouble; Lady Fortuna, a guilt ridden old fortune teller; Pinda, a self assured young woman he thinks he might want to run off to see the world with; and Miss Toulon, who decided where to place the glass maze having been told in no uncertain terms by loud voices in her head. But Lisa, who has also just graduated from Joe's high school, shows up. She's no longer a shy stranger, and Joe falls for her too, even though choosing her would mean staying on the farm. Strange things happen and there are rumors that the glass maze is haunted and evil. Furthermore, it has plans to free itself, even if it means taking down the whole carnival-and Joe's life-with it.

BIOGRAPHY

I grew up on a goat farm in Illinois near the Mississippi River (near Mark Twain’s stomping grounds). In the 1980s, after college where I studied cinema and fine art, I moved to Minneapolis because a friend was driving there to visit. So I hitched a ride on a whim. I didn’t know much about Minnesota at the time. I only knew it was far north and I wanted to go far away. Minneapolis is wonderful and anybody would be lucky to find it. I have worked in filmmaking, have done newspaper cartoons, and do cover art for other authors. I did the illustrations for a children’s story, Tedoul. I have six novels out so far with my small San Francisco publisher. My most current novel is a ghost story that takes place in a country field in 1977 called By The Light Of The Carnival.

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

BLOG
http://peterjosephswanson.blogspot.com

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED
Hollywood Sinners
The Joan Crawford Murders
Bad Movies
Merlin’s Charge
Punk Minneapolis

PUBLISHER
Stone Garden Publishing

The LAST Day of Kindergarten - Nancy Loewen

2011-05-26T06:00:00.055-05:00

The LAST Day of Kindergarten

by Nancy Loewen

The LAST Day of Kindergarten is dedicated to my daughter, who loved kindergarten and didn’t want to let it go. After the graduation ceremony, most kids seemed happy enough saying goodbye, but she was sobbing. She understood that growing up meant leaving things behind.

That got me thinking. There are lots of books to help children prepare for the first day of kindergarten. But what about the last day? For children like my daughter, this day is even more confusing. It brings excitement and pride, but also a sense of loss. And that’s why I wrote this book. I hope this story will allow children to stop for just a few moments and reflect on the routines and people they’ll miss—before tossing their funny flat hats into the air in celebration.

The author comfortably captures the hesitations of making the jump from kindergarten to first grade without making a fuss about it, and she makes the prospect something worth the effort.-- Kirkus Reviews

Yoshikawa’s irresistibly sweet illustrations are perfect for children ready to emerge from the kindergarten cocoon and rejoice in their achievements.—School Library Journal, Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT

BIOGRAPHY

Nancy Loewen has published more than 100 books for children. Her books have received awards from the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, Parents’ Choice, and the Association of Educational Publishers. Four to the Pole! (Linnet Books), co-written with polar explorer Ann Bancroft, was a Minnesota Book Award finalist. Other work has appeared in Mid-American Review, Child, and Minnesota Parent.

Nancy has an M.F.A. in creative writing from Hamline University. She lives in Prior Lake with her husband and two children.

WEBSITE
http://www.nancyloewen.com

PURCHASE
amazon.com

PUBLISHER
Marshall Cavendish
http://www.marshallcavendish.us/marshallcavendish-us/children/catalog/listing.xml

OTHER BOOKS
WAYS TO SAY IT
Even if you're sharp as a tack, the English language can be confusing! From ants in your pants to talking turkey, this silly and entertaining set will engage readers, while teaching them about various figures of speech.
Grades 2-4
Picture Window Books, 2011

You’re Toast and other Metaphors We Adore
Illustrated by Donald Wu
ISBN 978-1404862708

Talking Turkey and Other Clichés We Say
Illustrated by Adam Watkins
ISBN 978-1404862722

Stubborn as a Mule and Other Silly Similes
Illustrated by Adam Watkins
ISBN 978-1404862715

She Sells Seashells and Other Tricky Tongue Twisters
Illustrated by Donald Wu
ISBN 978-1404862739]

WRITER’S TOOLBOX
Grades 2-4
Picture Window Books, 2010
Turn readers into writers! Each title carefully examines one or more genre-specific writing examples. Readers will discover the tools and techniques that writers use to create plays, poems, fairy tales, journals, picture books, and more. Each title includes a review list of key concepts, at least four exercises for getting started, and numerous writing tips.

Action! Writing Your Own Play
Illustrated by Dawn Beacon
ISBN 9781404860179

It’s All About You: Writing Your Own Journal
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles and Todd Ouren
ISBN 9781404855205

Just the Facts: Writing Your Own Research Report
Illustrated by Dawn Beacon
ISBN 9781404855199

Make Me Giggle: Writing Your Own Silly Story
Illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld
ISBN 9781404855182

Once Upon a Time: Writing Your Own Fairy Tale
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles
ISBN 9781404853355

Share a Scare: Writing Your Own Scary Story
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles
ISBN 9781404855175

Show Me a Story: Writing Your Own Picture Book
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles
ISBN 9781404853416

Sincerely Yours: Writing Your Own Letter
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles
ISBN 9781404853386

Words, Wit, and Wonder: Writing Your Own Poem
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles
ISBN 9781404853447

Four to the Pole! the American’ Women’s Expedition to Antarctica, 1992-93
Ann Bancroft, co-author
Grades 4-8
Linnet Books, 2001
ISBN 0208025189

On January 14, 1993, four women made history by becoming the first women to reach the South Pole on foot. For sixty-seven days and 660 miles they skied, dragging heavy sleds, challenged by the bitter temperatures and strong winds on the white plains of Antarctica. But the greatest hardships they faced were internal, as each one struggled to keep mental focus, emotional perspective, and physical wellbeing in the face of nearly unyielding stress.

This is the true story of the American Women’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition, known as AWE. Told in a patchwork of diary excerpts, dispatches, letters, and narrative, it is an in-depth, intimate account of four very different people aiming for a single goal.

Finalist for the 2002 Minnesota Book Award in Youth Literature
2001 Honor Book by the Society of School Librarians International

Walt Whitman
“Voices in Poetry” series
Ages 12 and up

Parents’ Choice illustration award
Distinguished Achievement Award, Association of Educational Publishers, 2010
Share a Scare included in The Best Children’s Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education, 2011

Creative Editions, 1994
ISBN 088682608X
Selections from Leaves of Grass are juxtaposed with biographical vignettes and illustrated with sepia-toned photographs.

New York Public Library’s “Best Books for the Teen Age”

Once upon a Neighborhood - Evelyn Klein

2011-05-17T18:00:00.001-05:00

Once upon a Neighborhood

by Evelyn Klein

Once upon a Neighborhood depicts the changing nature of Neighborhood in the Twin Cities. Neighborhood can be an important place of home and nurture, the pivotal point from which we embark on daily demands, responsibilities, adventures, and diversions of our lives. But the every-day stories that shape neighborhoods often remain unsung, unrecorded, become lost in storms of sensationalism. This book aims to depict the reality of ordinary living, “moments of being,” as it moves from Saint Paul to Minneapolis and areas in-between. Only some people’s names were changed for privacy. Told in prose and poetry, meant to be easily accessible, the stories combine memoir, history, and observation.

Because neighborhood and community are not only about people but about places as well and because words are not always enough, I sat in my car to draw pictures of places where the stories occurred. To represent unity, at least in the social sense, I designed a montage of skylines, Saint Paul at sunrise, Minneapolis at sunset, joined by a historic view of Fort Snelling. Inside the book, each of the five sections is also introduced by a drawing. The book was recently added to the Minnesota Historical Society’s permanent library collection.

BIOGRAPHY

Having lived in various parts of the Twin Cities most of her life, Evelyn Klein is a freelance writer, author, teacher, and visual artist as well as a frequent writing judge and editor. She holds a B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an M.S. in the Teaching of English from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She taught in the public schools, at the Loft Literary Center and currently teaches at Century College. Her articles and poetry appear in numerous newspapers, journals and other publications, including the Saint Paul Almanac. She published the poetry anthology, Stage Two: Poetic Lives, in 1994. Sine 2005 her prizewinning poem, A Place Called Home, is still touring the Twin Cities area in the Home Sweet Home Again exhibit of poetry and art with the Minneapolis Family Housing Fund. She published the poetry memoir, From Here Across the Bridge, illustrated by her father, Wolfgang Klein, in 2006 with Nodin Press, winning a cover award. Her latest book of prose, poetry and her own art, Once upon a Neighborhood, was published in 2009 with North Star Press. Evelyn Klein’s upcoming events are regularly published in her newsletter, The Write Connection.

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

UPCOMING EVENTS
Classes and Workshops

Century College
3300 Century Ave. North
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
651-779-3341

Getting Started Writing: Short Shorts
Thursday, June 23, 2011, 6:00-9:00 p.m., 1 session

Finding Voice in Memoir
Thursday, July 21, 2011, 6:00-9:00 p.m., 1 session

Speaking and Reading
Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum
Hosmer Public Library
36th Street at 4th Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-630-6950
Poetry Reading and Discussion Featured are Morgan Grayce Willow and Evelyn Klein
Saturday, April 16, 2011, 10:30-12:00 noon

Pilgrim House Church
1212 W. Highway 96
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Finding Neighborhood and Community in Changing Times, Evelyn Klein guest speaker
Sunday, May 8, 2011, 10:15 a.m.

Mississippi Valley Poets and Writers
Venue to be announced
Spirit of the Muses
Saturday, May 21, 12:30-3:00 p.m.

River Falls Area Retired Educators Association
The West Wind Restaurant
Main Street, River Falls, WI 54022
715-425-8100
Publishing Your Manuscript

Wednesday, October 19, 2011, ll:45 a.m.

For more information see www.evelynkleinauthor.com

See also: Nodin Press at http://www.nodinpress.com

North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc. at info@northstarpress.com

In the final stages of completion – are Evelyn Klein’s next two books. Power Behind Your Writing, a writer’s reference book in three parts, including historical background on language, an easy-to-understand parts of speech section, and a sentence structure section, all designed to give writers of all backgrounds a better grasp of language as it relates to writing. It is presently in the final stages of editing. Seasons of Dreams, a book of prose, poetry and her own visual art deals with hope, renewal, spiritual growth and development. The author is currently working on illustrations to round out the reading experience. www.evelynkleinauthor.com

Outwitted - Beth Solheim

2011-05-11T18:32:00.000-05:00

Outwitted

by Beth Solheim

A death coach is expected to counsel patients experiencing life-threatening illness. But that’s not the case for sixty-four year old Fifi Witt, owner of the Witt’s End Resort, because her clients are already dead. They checked into Cabin 14, where no guest leaves alive. To add to Fifi’s quandary, she assumes the role of funeral director’s assistant after the untimely murder of the previous assistant.

Unexpected mayhem abounds when Fifi’s resort manager unwittingly rents Cabin 12 to the funeral director’s ex-husband, Clay, a raucous character who causes embarrassing funeral mishaps. Fifi attempts to help resurrect the respectability demanded by the profession, but only adds to the chaos caused by Clay’s high jinks.

When the uninvited guests in Cabin 14 suspect that an adjacent cabin houses a missing child, and after one of her guests discovers skeletal remains under Cabin 12, Fifi and her sister set out to solve an infant abduction and reveal the secret that ties a prominent judge to a notorious crime operation

BIOGRAPHY
Beth Solheim is the author of Outwitted and At Witt’s End, the first two books in the Sadie Witt Mystery Series. Like the main character in her Sadie Witt mystery series, Beth was born with a healthy dose of imagination and a hankering to solve a puzzle. She learned her reverence for reading from her mother, who was never without a book in her hand.

By day, Beth works in Human Resources. By night she morphs into a writer who frequents lake resorts and mortuaries and hosts a ghost or two in her humorous paranormal mysteries. Raised and still living in Northern Minnesota, she resides in lake country with her husband and a menagerie of wildlife critters.

“Not since Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, have so many quirky characters inhabited one book. A definite enjoyable read!” — Jean Henry Mead, author of Diary of Murder

“The Witt Sisters are back—with mayhem, humor, spirits and murder. When Sadie and her crew pick up the scent there is no stopping. A book you will NOT put down!” -- Nora Adrienne, Book Reviewer

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

Pickle Bumps for Baby Dill - Bob Fulton

2011-05-04T18:00:00.002-05:00

Pickle Bumps for Baby Dill

by Bob Fulton

In his first picture book for children, Pickle Bumps for Baby Dill, Bob Fulton uses a variety of pickle and olive characters to help young children understand the importance of accepting and supporting those with differences. His book is a fun, colorful and beautifully illustrated story about Baby Dill, who was born without pickle bumps. The book fits nicely into the current concern about bullying in schools, because diversity and encouraging young children to accept and support those with differences is the story’s important message. A diverse cast of pickle and olive characters, with fun names like Gert and Mertin Gherkin, Olive Pitt and Karl Kalamata, play important roles as the story develops. The end result is a humorous story, full of tongue twisters and fun for readers of all ages. For more information about the book, please visit the book’s website: www.picklebumppress.com.

BIOGRAPHY
Bob Fulton is a Professor Emeritus at Saint John’s University in Central Minnesota. Before his retirement in June of 2008, he taught in the Saint John's University/College of Saint Benedict joint chemistry department for 39 years. In addition to providing him the time to write and publish Pickle Bumps for Baby Dill, he also finds time for traveling, visiting children, and telling stories to his grandchildren. He and his wife, Jackie, reside on Middle Spunk Lake in Avon, Minnesota. Bob can be contacted at:
bob@picklebumppress.com.

ILLUSTRATOR BIOGRAPHY Melissa Meyer is originally from Saint Joseph, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts, and currently resides in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She continues work as an artist and hopes to inspire many with future picture books.

PURCHASE

amazon.com

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Bob Fulton has always enjoyed reading books to his four grandchildren and Pickle Bumps for Baby Dill originated as a response to a grandson’s request to “tell us a story about a pickle.” At first, Bob wondered what he could say about pickles. The old adage “about as useful as a bump on a pickle” came to mind and became the focus of the initial story. The story rapidly became one of his grandchildren’s favorites, and the story continually evolved with each retelling. Eventually his oldest grandson suggested that he “make a real book out of the story,” and so he did! His four grandchildren were involved with book project from the very beginning, providing children’s viewpoints for the story, helping to select the illustrator and providing insights about the illustrations. The involvement of his grandchildren has made the book project an especially rewarding one.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
"Bob Fulton's Pickle Bumps for Baby Dill is a bright, colorful story of a young pickle's journey to self-acceptance. This book is full of original ideas, tongue twisters, and fun for all ages. I highly recommend it!" - Seal Dwyer, North Star Press

"Fulton delivers a strong message via the Dill family and Baby Dill’s friends. His book offers encouragement. “We like you just the way you are,” Baby Dill’s friends tell him. That’s a message that needs to reverberate throughout our schools, our homes, our communities." - Audrey Kletscher Helbling, Author/Photographer, Minnesota Prairie Roots Blog and Minnesota Moments

"This story gave me the inspiration to write a book for my grandchildren about the stories I have shared with them and that they can pass on to their children." - Susan Nordang, Grandmother

FEEDBACK FROM PHOENIX FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS
"I thought that your book was exquisite. My favorite part was when Baby Dill learned that he does not have to look like everybody else and that different is good."

"I liked the way you rhymed on some pages. The words were very interesting. To me it was kind of like a tongue twister. It was an awesome book."

"I did like the kinds of friends that cared about Baby Dill. Also, because the parents were worried he didn’t have any pickle bumps. I love that book."

FEEDBACK FROM FOND DU LAC FIRST GRADE STUDENTS
"Thank you for coming to our classroom. I loved the story, the whole story and I hope you write another book!"

"Thank you for coming to our room. That book rocks. I love the book. I hope you come again."

“I loved the book. I like the words and the pictures."

"I love the story. The book was very awesome. Do you know I loved it?"

UPCOMING BOOK SIGNINGS
Book Signing, Avon Spunktacular Days Craft Fair Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Place: Avon City Park, Avon, MN

Book Signing, 38th Annual Lemonade Concert and Art Fair
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2011
Time: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Place: St. Cloud State University Mall
6th Street S and 1st Avenue
St. Cloud, MN

Brogan's Island - Dave Gehrke

2011-04-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

Brogan’s Island

by Dave Gehrke

When Sammy Jo Kendrick slips beneath the waves of Lake of the Woods, all hell breaks loose 500 miles away in Minneapolis. Sammy Jo is not the first young woman to vanish into the vast lake, but if her disappearance isn't solved, she won't be the last either. The Kendrick mystery threatens to drag down Minneapolis Detective Sergeant Will Danaher, the lead detective on the case. Despite his efforts, he has no suspect, no leads and no body. And the press and the politicians are putting Danaher at the top of the scapegoat list.

But just when things couldn’t get any worse, a bureaucrat in Personnel orders Danaher to take a vacation! The detective winds up vacationing on Lake of the Woods where he crosses paths with a lonely lake cabin housewife, a grumpy old sheriff with his own dark secrets, and a dead guy; all of whom help Danaher piece together the Kendrick case. There’s only one little problem; if Danaher reveals how he gained his evidence, he looks like a nut case. But if he doesn’t reveal how he solved the Kendrick case, he looks like the prime suspect. In the meantime, there's a real serial killer out there... and he's already stalking his next victim.

BIOGRAPHY
Dave has been a bartender, real estate broker, horse trainer, sheep farmer, newspaper publisher and columnist, high school economics teacher, school principal and superintendent. And then he “retired”. Although often described as the proverbial “jack of all trades, master of none”, Dave claims he has secretly spent his working years compiling characters and experiences for what he calls his ultimate career—novelist. Now that he’s completed what he refers to as his “training”, Dave has hunkered down with the sole purpose of grinding out novels until the Grim Reaper stabs a bony finger at the re-boot switch. Brogan’s Island reflects both Dave’s convoluted path through life as well as his character compilations. The story’s characters are life-like and fraught with frailties and misgivings and take an occasional sharp turn before reaching their final destination.

WEBSITE
http://www.sleepycreeklofts.com/Site_2/Dave_Gehrke.html

PURCHASE
Amazon.com http://www.sleepycreeklofts.com/Site_2/Dave_Gehrke.html

OTHER BOOKS
“A Shiver Runs Through It” A collection of Dave’s humorous anecdotes regarding his struggles to survive Minnesota winters from boyhood into adulthood.

APPEARANCES
Pipestone Public Library - April 30 - 1:00 p.m. Pipestone, MN

The Right Place - Dana Yost

2011-04-20T18:00:00.001-05:00

The Right Place

by Dana Yost

The Right Place is a collection of essays and poems, largely about people and places in the rural Midwest, mostly southwest Minnesota — exploring and explaining how rural residents struggle to sustain amid rural decline. It includes essays on authors Bill Holm, Howard Mohr and Adrian Louis, essays on a small-town mayor, the Minnesota Machinery Museum, and on local veterans, among other topics. Most of the poems were published within the past year (one will be forthcoming) in literary journals and other magazines around the country. There are heroes and there are casualties in this book, and sometimes it may not be easy to tell them apart. At other times, both labels may fit the same person. Some of the essays and poems in the book may be uplifting or inspiring. Others may not. I write about accomplishments, artists, friends, nature, and faith, but I also write about death, illness, and economic failure.

“Why can't I pick one or the other— happy or downbeat? The reason is simple enough; life itself isn't about one or the other...A wholly engaged life is going to bring us all sorts of emotions, experiences, and lessons. What we make of them, and what they make of us, is what our lives end up being about." – DanaYost

"The Right Place shows how life is never easy in the Upper Midwest, and how there are people committed to the area."--Marshall Independent

"Dana has written a very nice, insightful book. Lee [Eggerstrom] and I are both struck by his understanding of people and place."--John Van Hecke, Minnesota 2020

Grace traces the journey from a wish for peace in the first poem to a calm communion with the moon in the last. The poems in between range from contemporary history (Iraq; the Cottonwood, Minnesota, school bus crash) to more personal matters, including a “bruised mind” or mental “murk.”

But Yost’s writing throughout is anything but murky; he writes clearly and affectingly of his various subjects, with the sharp images and American diction of a mid-western William Carlos Williams. As the title suggests, a religious or spiritual element runs throughout—at times specifically Christian, though not without wit (Jesus as hockey goalie). Plenty wins out over murk; Grace is about that triumph.

William Butler Yeats said, “Rhetoricians would deceive their neighbors, sentimentalists themselves,” but Yost would deceive no one; like the outstanding journalist he has long been, he aims to undeceive by means of honesty, integrity, gritty realism, and a command of the language. In one poem he hears a phone-like ringing and can’t find the source, but by the end of the book he has found that source—he’s no doubt been calling himself—and answered. His answer is this very collection, and we are privileged to be listening in on the conversation embodied by these urgent and necessary poems.

WEBSITE

www.ellispress.com

BIOGRAPHY

Dana Yost is the author of two books, 2008’s poetry collection Grace, and 2010’s collection of essays and poems The Right Place. For 29 years, he was an award-winning daily newspaper reporter and editor. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in such publications as Wolf Head Quarterly, Awakenings Review, Relief, Open Minds Quarterly, Turtle Quarterly, Time of Singing, South Dakota Magazine, Stone’s Throw Magazine and online on Minnesota Public Radio. Minnesota 2020 posted three excerpts from The Right Place, along with on-camera interviews of Yost, in February on its Web site http://www.mn2020.org/

PUBLISHER

Ellis Press

www.ellispress.com

2011-04-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

Even In Stillness There is Rhythm

by Deborah Krider

After the death of her mother, 22-year-old Julie Silvers grapples with the unfairness and anger at a life taken too soon. A forced vacation from her boss brings her to Minnesota where she spends the summer healing. There she meets Johnny Salinas. No stranger to death, he lost his parents four years earlier in a senseless automobile crash. With time, strength and courage, Johnny and his kid brother overcome their grief. Julie leans on and learns from the brothers and as the summer unfolds, she mends and falls in love with Johnny. Their relationship intensifies, but it’s a fire Johnny’s jealous ex-girlfriend, Teresa, is determined to extinguish. Even In Stillness There is Rhythm is a tender story about friendship, love, and making peace with the past.

BIOGRAPHY
Deborah Krider was born and raised in Minneapolis. Interested in people and what makes them tick, she uses her observations to shape the characters in her stories, bringing them to life and making them relatable and likeable. She enjoys writing drama fiction as well as horror and suspense. In the summer she spends time at her cabin in central Minnesota with her dog, Scully. Even In Stillness There is Rhythm is her first novel. Free short stories are available at Smashwords.com – see link below

WEBSITE
http://www.deborahkrider.com/ http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dkkrider

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

PUBLISHER
Mill City Press

Back to the Source - Dr. Mic Hunter

2011-04-07T06:00:00.004-05:00

Back to the Source – The Spiritual Principles of Jesus

by Dr. Mic Hunter

Written for readers from every faith tradition as well as those from none, this book will challenge you to think about the teachings of Jesus in a new way. Rather than focusing on the miracles usually associated with the story of Jesus, Back To The Source concentrates on the original principles Jesus taught and applies them to the issues we currently face such as war, sexuality, wealth, and the treatment of women and gays. Regardless of your background, you will find applying these principles to your life will change the way you view problems, and improve your relationships with other people, God, and yourself.

BIOGRAPHY Dr. Mic Hunter holds Minnesota licenses as a Psychologist, and Marriage and Family Therapist. He has been sought out by the print and broadcast media for interviews over 150 times including Oprah, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has spoken throughout North America to professional audiences and the general public over 300 times. He has served as a reviewer for The Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, The Journal of Men's Studies, The Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Violence Against Women. He is a recipient of the Fay Honey Knopp Memorial Award, given by the National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization, "For recognition of his contributions to the field of male sexual victimization treatment and knowledge." In 2007 the Board of Directors of Male Survivor announced the creation of The Mic Hunter Award For Research Advances. Dr. Hunter, for whom the award was named, became the first recipient. It was given to him for his, “ceaseless pursuit of knowledge about male sexual abuse in all its occurrences, of the eloquent dissemination of new knowledge in this area, and of the stimulation for further study and concern about revealing, treating and preventing male sexual abuse.

PURCHASE
amazon.com

Written for readers from every faith tradition as well as those from none, this book will challenge you to think about the teachings of Jesus in a new way. Rather than focusing on the miracles usually associated with the story of Jesus, Back To The Source concentrates on the original principles Jesus taught and applies them to the issues we currently face such as war, sexuality, wealth, and the treatment of women and gays. Regardless of your background, you will find applying these principles to your life will change the way you view problems, and improve your relationships with other people, God, and yourself. Back To The Source: The Spiritual Principles Of Jesus was written by Dr. Mic Hunter, a licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist, who has spent many years assisting people recovering from addictive disorders and sexual abuse to develop and utilize their own practical spirituality regardless of their previous relationship to religion. Best known for his many books, including Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims Of Sexual Abuse and Honor Betrayed: Sexual Abuse In America’s Military, Dr. Hunter has taken the wisdom he has gained from his decades of study and experience and put it into this new book in a way that is assessable to readers at all stages of faith.

Readers Who Will Benefit From Back To The Source
People of any background who are seeking straightforward advice on how to further develop their spirituality will find what they are seeking. Those who are members of Twelve Step-based fellowships, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, will relate to the examples recounted from the experiences of other members that are used to illustrate the principles taught by Jesus. Dr. Hunter is clear about his belief that one of the places where these principles are being practiced is in Twelve Step meetings. Christians who are interested in taking the principles taught by Jesus and putting them into practice in their daily lives will appreciate Dr. Hunter’s focus on the here and now, rather than on the life here after.

Praise For Back To The Source: The Spiritual Principles Of Jesus
“Dr. Mic Hunter offers a provocative and inspiring book that breaths life into the well-known stories of Jesus, illuminating the universal wisdom and power of his original teachings. Back To The Source is a must read for those who choose to cross the bridge from the important teachings of conventional religion to the deep and life transforming spiritual wisdom of Jesus, the Rabbi. This is a book that both individuals and many teachers can use in their courses and retreats.” Mark Umbreit, Ph.D. Dr. Umbreit is a professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking. He travels throughout the world providing training on forgiveness and other spiritual issues. His book Pathways to Spirituality and Healing that he wrote with his wife won the Minnesota Book Award in 2002 and he has published six other books.

“Mic Hunter’s Back To The Source is the right book at the right time. Informed by years of compassionate care for people working their way back from addiction and abuse, Dr. Hunter helps us come to know a Jesus unencumbered by his followers’ disputes. He manages to weave together lessons from the gospel with a deep understanding of the 12-step process. In plain, accessible language he invites us to consider how the ministry of Jesus can take root and change our lives for the better.” Rob Eller-Isaacs. Rob Eller-Isaacs is co-leader, along with his wife, of Unity Church-Unitarian a large long established congregation in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

“Back To The Source zeros in on what it important about Jesus, and caught his spirit very well. It is easy to read and full of valuable information. It will be very helpful in guiding people to grow beyond seeing religion from the perspective of a child. I look forward to using it.” Father John Clay. Father John Clay is the long time beloved spiritual leader of Saint Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Amazon.com 4.0 out of 5 stars A "sublime and benevolent code of morals". Discuss., February 4, 2011 By Matt Boisen "hounddoc" (MN USA) - See all my reviews

"This review is from: Back to the Source: The Spiritual Principles Of Jesus (Paperback) Thomas Jefferson, known to turn a good phrase once in awhile, said: "...I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus." "In extracting the pure principles which he taught, we should have to strip off the artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to themselves... There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." True to form, Jefferson took apart his New Testament and created his "wee book" of what he believed were the actual teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Dr. Hunter, in his forthright way, has also lifted these teachings from the Bible and set them alongside the Twelve Step program, Swift, Locke, Twain, the Dalai Lama and even Dwight D. Eisenhower to produce a powerful and contemplative essay on the lessons of Jesus for 21st century readers. He uses humor and examples from his professional and private life to illustrate these ideals for everyday use. Written in textbook fashion with discussion questions at the end of each chapter, Back to the Source invites one to dip in and discover the "sublime code" and better yet, to discuss these revelations with friends and loved ones with whom we share this world."

CONTACT DrMicHunter@aol.com

SPYDER - David Fingerman

2011-03-30T18:04:00.005-05:00

Spyder

by David Fingerman

Meet Spyder—a street-wise antihero of inner city society. Experience his strange wisdom, and his twisted sense of humor.

Thirty-year-old Spyder doesn't waste time thinking how much lower he can sink. When he finds his girlfriend dead as the result of drugs he supplied, Spyder contemplates his life and decides it’s time to do what he's avoided most of his days—join mainstream society. All he needs to do is kick the drug habit, find a job, a place to live, and earn some money. Easy. He’s done it hundreds of times, but never all at once. As always, Fate steps in and knees him in the groin. All the dregs he's ever known want their say. George won't stop his pestering, Sal needs a huge favor, Coon is hunting for a certain arachnid, and Spyder's dealer doesn't want to lose one of his best customers. As things spiral out of control, Spyder tangles himself in a web so tight that even he might never be able to escape.

BIOGRAPHY
I was born in St. Paul, but once out of the hospital I've lived my entire life in Minneapolis. During the summer months when the sun is shining and birds singing, I'm perfectly content to sit in my office, with blinds drawn, typing away at my computer. My favorite day of the year is the first day I pull a flannel shirt out of the closet. After 24 years of working in the court system, I walked away to write full time. Edging past Reality is my first book of short stories. Spyder is my second novel and quite a switch from the first. While Silent Kill is a suspense/thriller, Spyder is more of an urban adventure.

WEBSITE
www.davidfingerman.com

BLOG
http://davidfingerman.blogspot.com

The Many Lives of Inez Wick - Aaron Wilson

2011-03-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Many Lives of Inez Wick

by Aaron M. Wilson

The Many Lives of Inez Wick is a collection of seven linked fiction stories that focus on the sometimes eco-heroine, Inez Wick, as she treads the underbelly of domestic terrorism, occasionally blowing up resource exploiters and pouters.

The red LCD display quickly counts down. There is no time to waste. The polluting, resource-degrading plant is set to explode. Eco-heroine Inez Wick has only minutes to escape.

As she traverses the dark recesses of the dirty plant, she flashes back to a younger self, sixteen. Her father had just died in an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, and she had just broken up with her boyfriend. She remembers oily ocean water and flames, her footprints in the sand filling with black water. Flames were chasing her. They were jumping from one oily footprint to the next, up the beach after her. Snapping back to the present, she must get out of the plant. The exploits of Inez Wick could not end, just now. Too many others needed to pay.

"As our world continues its slow crumble, Wilson soldiers on, writing with a clear eye and strong voice. The Many Lives of Inez Wick entertains and, more importantly, gives cause for reflection." -- David Oppegaard, author of The Suicide Collectors & Wormwood, Nevada

"Aaron M. Wilson, with his easy to read prose, writes the kinds of dark short stories that get you caught up in the characters lives, and investing in outcomes. His stories are about now, about current topics crowding the headlines, and he's not afraid to investigate the issues of the day, darkness and all!" -- Alexandra Wolfe, editor, writer, creator of The Hive Mind

"Wilson's perfectly plotted stories engross their readers in a world where environmental concerns are paramount. His characters are unafraid to fight for their ideals, and yet they retain a humanity that allows readers to identify with them, which illustrates his penchant for carefully crafted fiction." -- Darci Schummer, author and poet

"Thoughtful, insightful, and intuitive: readers will share in a book that decodes the human condition." -- Hunter Liguore, author of The Forsakens & the editor of The Last Man Anthology

"A narrative that careens through space & time, The Many Lives of Inez Wick brings us serious environmental issues in a swirl of hard-bitten fragments—Edward Abbey meets Quentin Tarantino." -- John Hayes, author of The Spring Ghazals

"Wilson has a way of writing that lets him transparently share his passion for environmentalism while entertaining us with a vivid plot and this collection of shorts displays his talent marvelously." -- M. Chase Whittemore, editor of Evolve Journal

BIOGRAPHY
Aaron M. Wilson was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned his M.F.A. in Writing from Hamline University located in St.Paul, MN.

He writes about books, stories, movies, and his experiences as an adjunct instructor of English, Literature, and Environmental Science on his blog: Soulless Machine. He also regularly updates Twitter @SoullessMachine.

His fiction has appeared in eFiction Magazine: The Premier Internet Fiction Magazine, Evolve Journal, Pow Fast Flash Fiction, The Hive Mind, Eclectic Flash, Twin Cities: Cifiscape Vol. I, Girls with Guns Anthology, and The Last Man Anthology – also featuring stories from Barry N. Malzberg, C.J Cherryh, and Ray Bradbury.

WEBSITE
http://www.soullessmachine.com/p/many-lives-of-inez-wick.html

BLOG
http://www.soullessmachine.com

TWITTER
http://twitter.com/SoullessMachine

PUBLISHER
Everything Feeds Process Press
http://everythingfeedsprocess.com/

PURCHASE
Print - http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-many-lives-of-inez-wick/14959535
eBook - http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/the-many-lives-of-inez-wick/14959536

Echo & Lightning - Sheila Packa

2011-03-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Echo & Lightning

by Sheila Packa

Wildwood River Press announces the publication of Echo & Lightning (expanded edition) by Sheila Packa. It is both a love story and an exploration of bird migration and change. The cover painting is titled “Dawn” and is by visual artist Cecilia Ramon.

Kirsten Dierking, author of One Red Eye and Northern Oracle, writes: “So many poems in Echo & Lightning reveal what has to be given away in order to be filled with something greater--a more intense spiritual awareness, a fuller connection with the landscape, a more generous and all-encompassing love. Echo & Lighting transforms us into something freer, wilder, more given to loving, while reminding us that to fly is to risk leaving the old behind....”

Ellie Schoenfeld, author of The Dark Honey, writes: “These poems are the story of following one’s own instincts to, in one way or another, migrate. They bring us to the exact moment when we surrender to our truest selves, when we allow ourselves to be transported, transformed, resurrected.”

BIOGRAPHY
The granddaughter of Finnish immigrants, she grew up on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Her work, influenced by the Finnish language, explores the theme of migrations (of birds, grandmothers, and desire) and the natural world. Sheila has published poetry, short stories and essays in several literary magazines, including Ploughshares. Her poems have been in several anthologies, including Good Poems, American Places, edited by Garrison Keillor, (Viking Penguin, scheduled for publication April 2011), Finnish-North American Literature in English (Mellen Press, 2009) Beloved of the Earth: Poems of Grief and Gratitude (Holy Cow Press, 2008) and To Sing Along the Way: Minnesota Women Poets from Pre-Territorial Days to the Present (New Rivers Press, 2006). She has received a Loft Mentor Award in poetry, two Arrowhead Regional Arts Council fellowships for poetry, a Career Opportunity grant, and two Loft McKnight Awards (in both poetry and prose).

Previous books: Poetry Harbor published her first chapbook, Always Saying Good-bye. Her book of poems, The Mother Tongue (Calyx Press, 2007) received recognition at the Northeast Minnesota Book Awards.

WEBSITE
www.sheilapacka.com

BLOG
www.sheilapacka.blogspot.com

Sheila Packa is the Poet Laureate of Duluth, MN 2010-2012.

PUBLISHER
Wildwood River Press
www.wildwoodriver.com

UPCOMING EVENTS
April 19, 2011: Carol Connolly Reading Series, at the University Club on Summit Avenue, St. Paul: featured readers are Connie Wanek, Sheila Packa, Ellie Schoenfeld and Deb Cooper

April 26, 2011: Sheila Packa, Poet Laureate at the Empty Bowl-- Join Sheila Packa at this annual fundraising event at the Depot in Duluth for the Northern Food Bank. She will be presenting free placemats with a selection of poems from her upcoming anthology, Poems for Life Transitions.

June 2, 2011: Sheila Packa & Kathy McTavish, poetry / cello performance and Patchouli at 8 pm at Terrapin Station in Walker, MN

Check out the calendar on her website for other upcoming events

Gift With Purchase - Elizabeth Mirabel Sain

2011-03-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Gift With Purchase

By Elizabeth Mirabel Sain

Augie Zackheim likes to look on the bright side of life. Even though he hasn’t seen the sun in years, the lights in his home at the ruined Mall of America no longer work, the weather is always below freezing, and there’s a constant hush all over the world. Still, he has a roof over his head, food on his plate, a gorgeous nurse he has to share with only one other guy, and a plan for the future. Oh, sure, work is kind of a drag, what with the constant pressure every day to bring home scavenged car batteries, and all that competition from the clan living on the other side of the Mall. His friends can’t understand why he’s an optimist, what with the shape the world is in as it marches in the direction of zero. But when a strange girl saves his life, and becomes the love of his life, he knows for certain that everything’s going to turn out right and the sun will shine again.

"If it will acquaint me with the ingenious, unforgettable characters who inhabit Gift With Purchase, the apocalypse is not to be dreaded. Sain shows us that hope, love and humor will flourish where nothing else can grow. Maybe I should listen the next time my daughter tells me it's fun to hang out at the Mall."
--Jim Greenfield, author of Between The Lines

BIOGRAPHY
Elizabeth Mirabel Sain was born in 1984 on a Montana cattle ranch, where she still lives. Following high school, she apprenticed to a Los Angeles fashion photographer, until the deaths of her parents in a highway accident brought her back home. She’s completing a photographic study of the Missouri Breaks, the place on earth she loves the most, and intends to publish her images of this bizarre wilderness as a coffee table book. Gift With Purchase is her first novel.

WEBSITE
www.giftwithpurchasenovel.com

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

My Heart is a Mountain - Catherine Holm

2011-03-03T06:00:00.004-06:00

My Heart Is a Mountain: Tales of Magic and the Land

by Catherine Holm

My Heart Is a Mountain is a collection of eleven fiction stories and one memoir piece. From northern Minnesota to Alaska, from the Dust bowl to Appalachia, from swamps to mountains to the afterlife, these tales blend the magic and the mundane as characters discover themselves, their limitations, and their greatness.

“Catherine Holm writes with great and winning assurance and with nuanced compassion. My Heart is a Mountain is a truly lovely book by a fine writer." Robert Olen Butler – Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

"Catherine Holm is a gifted storyteller. She explores the journeys we must all take through grief and healing, life and death; and she writes of the land with the passion of a lover. Her writing is both magical and of the earth; lyrical and accessible. I highly recommend her stories to anyone who listens for the heartbeat of the earth." Mary Casanova – Author of The Klipfish Code

"This fine debut collection of stories has great variety, and both reach and grasp of what it means to be fully human." Will Weaver – Author of The Last Hunter: An American Family Album

"America's mountains and forests take a special type of individual to call them home. My Heart is a Mountain: Tales of Magic and the Land is a collection of short stories along with some memoir from Catherine Holm as she speaks and reflects on mountain life and its special breed of challenge and the exhilaration that comes with it. A fascinating and insightful short fiction collection. My Heart is a Mountain is very highly recommended." -- John Burroughs, reviewer

BIOGRAPHY
Catherine Holm writes about people and how they are shaped by land and place. Holm lives in Minnesota with her husband on 10 acres in the boreal forest. Although the Minnesota north woods have been her home for the last 15 years, she spent the first 35 years of her life in large cities. Moving to the country was a huge life change and awakened a desire to write. The impact of moving from the city to a remote rural area continues to shape her writing; and magic and surrealism often show up in her stories. She loves living close to the land and experiencing wild landscapes everywhere.

Holm is currently working on a novel and a memoir, has written two fantasy novels, and enjoys writing essays on the powerful bond between humans and their companion animals. She gives workshops for writers and others who want more creativity in their lives (using the tools of yoga), works with writers one-on-one, is a freelance writer and editor, and teaches yoga. She loves reading, yoga, gardening, wilderness camping, music, cats, and being outside as much as possible.

WEBSITE
www.catherineholm.com

BLOG
www.catherineholm.com/blog

PUBLISHER
Holy Cow! Press
www.holycowpress.org

PURCHASE
http://www.catherineholm.com/pages/author.html#purchase

http://www.holycowpress.org/Myheartisamountain.htm

http://www.amazon.com/My-Heart-Mountain-Tales-Magic/dp/098235455X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297641140&sr=8-1

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/My-Heart-Is-a-Mountain/Catherine-Dybiec-Holm/e/9780982354551

Catherine’s book can be ordered in any bookstore and can also be found in:

Comet Theater, Cook, MN
Gilley’s Naturals, Cook, MN
Furniture Plus, Cook, MN
Woodward’s Books, Virginia, MN
Lyric Center for the Arts First Stage, Virginia, MN
Howard Street Booksellers, Hibbing, MN
Piragis 2nd Floor Bookstore, Ely, MN
Pebble Spa, Ely, MN
Evergreen Cottage, Ely, MN
The Village Bookstore, Grand Rapids, MN
Book World, Brainerd, MN
Book World, Bemidji, MN
The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Duluth, MN
Barnes and Noble, Duluth, MN

EVENTS

Saturday, March 26, workshop, reading, and signing

An Open Book

Wadena, MN

10-noon (workshop), and 2-3 p.m. (reading/signing).

Friday, June 10, reading and signing

Banfill-Locke Arts Center

Fridley, MN, 730 p.m.

Saturday, June 11, reading and signing

Valley BookSellers

Stillwater, MN, 2 p.m.

Scones and Bones - Laura Childs

2011-02-24T06:00:00.006-06:00

Scones & Bones

by Laura Childs

Scones & Bones, the newest Tea Shop Mystery, offers a heady brew of pirates and plunder.

Scones & Bones is the 12th in the New York Times bestselling Tea Shop Mystery series that readers continue to crave. In this tasty offering, Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is lured into attending the Heritage Society’s Pirates and Plunder show. Amidst jolly roger flags and sparkling doubloons, an antique skull cup set with a huge diamond steals the show and then gets plundered by someone who murders a history intern in the process. As Theodosia unlocks secrets about the dastardly pirate Blackbeard, she unravels mysterious ciphers, rambles through an ancient cemetery, and contends with a bizarre gallery owner. As if she isn’t busy enough, Theodosia and her tea shop gang kick off Charleston’s Food and Wine Festival and introduce the hottest new culinary trend, tea and cheese. But with a raft of suspects and a bungled investigation, something smells funny. And it’s not just the Gorgonzola!

Combining the genteel art of tea with a breakneck-paced mystery, Scones & Bones delivers big time! There are lovingly crafted characters, soothing descriptions of tea parties and settings in historic Charleston. And when the action concludes with murderers brought to justice, there are always plenty of tea tips and recipes.

Literary pick of the week: Laura Childs
St. Paul Pioneer Press

High body count . . . uniquely warm characters.
Booklist

Magnificent . . . Laura Childs is a master chef at writing culinary mysteries.
Night Owl Romance

A roller coaster ride of adventure.
Chattooga Press (TN)

Thrilling excitement . . . characters who are familiar and endearing as beloved family members.
Wichita Falls Times Record News (TX)

BIOGRAPHY
Laura Childs is the author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Her books have been named to the USA Today and New York Times Bestseller Lists, and have been featured selections in the Literary Guild’s Mystery Book Club. She is a former Cleo Award-winning advertising writer and CEO of Mission Critical Marketing. She is currently co-executive producer of two reality television shows.

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED
Tea Shop Mysteries
Death by Darjeeling
Gunpowder Green
Shades of Earl Grey
English Breakfast Club Murder
Jasmine Moon Murder
Chamomile Mourning
Blood Orange Brewing
Dragonwell Dead
The Silver Needle Murder
Oolong Dead
The Teaberry Strangler
Scones & Bones

Scrapbook Mysteries
Keepsake Crimes
Photo Finished
Bound for Murder
Motif for Murder
Frill Kill
Death Swatch
Tragic Magic
Fiber & Brimstone

Cackleberry Club Mysteries
Eggs in Purgatory
Eggs Benedict Arnold
Bedeviled Eggs

WEBSITE
www.laurachilds.com

BOOK SIGNINGS
Once Upon a Crime - Saturday, March 5, 2011
Laura Childs publication party featuring tea, scones, and tea sandwiches from noon to 2:00.
The bookstore is located at 604 West 26th St., Mpls., MN 55405

Avalon Tea Room - Saturday, March 12, 2011
Scones & Bones mystery tea and book signing at the Avalon Tea Room.
Three-course teas beginning at 11:00 and 1:30, reservations required.
Located at 2179 4th St., White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Once Upon a Crime
Write of Spring
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Laura Childs will participate in this annual Minnesota mystery author’s festival of books from noon to 4:00 at Once Upon a Crime Mystery Bookstore.
The store is located at 604 West 26th St., Mpls., MN 55405

Lady Elegant’s Tea Room - Saturday, April 9, 2011
Scones & Bones mystery tea and book signing at Lady Elegant’s. Formal teas at 11:00 and 2:30, reservations required. Tea room located at 2230 Carter Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108