Friday, December 26, 2014

Writing Thank-You Cards, Made Easy! by Emily Sanford


Writing Thank-You Cards Made Easy! 
Wedding Edition

by Emily Sanford

Congratulations, you're getting married! What comes next? The dreaded thank-you notes for all those wonderful gifts.

Writing thank-you notes can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be that way. This short guide will teach you how to quickly write eloquent thank-you cards that show your appreciation to wedding guests.



BIOGRAPHY

Emily Sanford is a stay-at-home wife and mother to two lovely boys. She enjoys writing, hiking, and giving advice with a good martini. She lives near Rochester, Minnesota and hopes to one day become a famous author.

PURCHASE
Amazon

Friday, December 19, 2014

Seeking the Storyteller by Jessica Walsh and Briana Lawrence

Seeking the Storyteller

by Jessica Walsh and Briana Lawrence

I know of the Storyteller, it whispers into the man’s ear, I’ve met him. If you promise not to kill me, I’ll take you to him. Alix Andre DeBenit and Randall Fagan are Hunters, part of a hidden network of humans who track and kill the monsters lurking in our world so everyone else can pretend they don’t exist. But when a living shadow mentions someone called the Storyteller, Alix hesitantly decides to learn more. They say the Storyteller lives in a massive library full of books that tell every being’s life story. He can read these books, rewrite them and change anything he wants, even if it’s already happened. That’s the power Alix wants, the power to bring his murdered family back and he’s determined to make the Storyteller do it. He just has to decide if working with the very creatures he’s supposed to kill is worth it.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR - JESSICA WALSH

Jessica Walsh's life is a flurry of writing, art and creativity. You can usually find her reading a book, scribbling notes in a notebook for future creations, typing on a laptop with music blaring in her ears or buried in her basement watching documentaries and sitting behind a sewing machine.

Jessica has been writing for as long as she can remember and have boxes of old notebooks in horrible handwriting to prove it. Only recently has she stumbled back into writing and finishing her ideas.

Seeking the Storyteller is the first novel she's published with her partner in crime and life, Briana Lawrence. Jessica also writes horror, fantasy, supernatural and occasionally romance pieces which she is currently shopping around through contests and publishers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - BRIANA LAWRENCE

At the age of nine, like most kids, Briana Lawrence had a dream. She wanted to be the best "WRITTER" in the whole wide world. Her fourth grade class laughed and wondered how one hoped to become a "writer" if they couldn't even spell the word. Back then her stories were created with crayons and construction paper. As she grew older they progressed into notebooks and colored ink pens of pink, blue, and purple. When she lost her older brother, Glenn Berry, in a car accident, she stopped writing.

Dreams, however, have a funny way of coming back.

Before she realized it she was grabbing her notebook and pens again. She would write stories that ranged from high school romance to her imagination running wild with the likes of Goku, Vegeta, and the other characters of Dragonball Z. This continued throughout college where she would always end up writing about the space exploits of the pilots of Gundam Wing and other works of fan fiction. Soon she realized that she wanted to do more than that. Her head was full of ideas, full of original characters and worlds that she wanted to share with others.

Thus, she stepped into an English Major with some Women's Studies on the side.

She graduated Iowa State University in 2006 and moved to Minneapolis with her partner. Here, she tried to get into graduate school, but things didn't pan out the way she wanted. She ended up working retail, her dream becoming buried by Black Fridays and other busy times of year. Once again, however, that dream returned. She went from immersing herself in geeky fan fiction to actually writing about the geeky things she loved for several anime and video game review sites. However, it was her discovery of National Novel Writing Month that made her go back to creating her own characters and plots.

Now, here she is, an author in the writing world.

RELATED WEBSITES

Jessica Walsh:
Author page
Facebook

Briana Lawrence
Author page

PURCHASE

Friday, December 12, 2014

A Perfect Duluth Day by Mike Palecek

A Perfect Duluth Day

by Mike Palecek

If it's happening. It's happening in Duluth.

Duluth is a micro-brewery of what is goin' on every-
where, where the people fight to have some sort of
say ... and leave it to the outlaws to come up with
something ... leave it to the guys in the jails and carry-
ing skateboards, leaning up against the light pole at
two in the morning, to come up with something.

It's the home of Piker McNuggett, Karel Kopecky, Froz-
tee Pine, Winnie Blood Feather, some Twenty-Three
Toivonens, Diamond Griffin and Penny Jones.

... Families from Minneapolis and Saint Paul and St.
Peter and Mankato and Des Moines, thundering up
Interstate 35 hit full throttle on Friday afternoon, ac-
celerating past Hinckley and Sandstone, past Pine City,
Barnum, Cloquet, to get away, to let their hair down, to
get bugs and branches in their hair. You turn your
phone to vibrate or heave it into the ditch, grenade-
style, change your radio from WCCO to "The Moose." 

Up and up and around and over the hill and there it
is ... the view. Lake Superior. The Big Lake.

And there is The Lift Bridge and Morgan Park and New
Page paper plant, the bridges to Superior, Wisconsin,
the bay, the big boats.

Turn right to Canal Park for the tourists, turn left, up-
hill for those who have already decided to stay.
Duluth is big burritos and apricot wheat beer and a
parade to celebrate cold weather. 

Duluth can be murder.
It's the big lake, big woods, big tradition, big, old build-
ings, like an old sailor headed back to his boat at four
in the morning, stumbling, never falling down.

It's the sauna and the secrets of the north woods. It's
schools and it's adventure and it's being able to be
yourself.

Duluth can be murder.
It's the trains, the taconite, guns, tattoos, bowling,
brawls, bigfoot and ballgames.

It's laser tag.
It's the bomb.
It's the gold.

BIOGRAPHY

Mike Palecek is a writer who lives in Saginaw, Minnesota, west of Duluth. He is a former federal prisoner for peace; was the Iowa Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, 5th District in the 2000 election, gaining 65,000 votes on an anti-war platform in a conservative district; is a former award winning reporter, editor, publisher in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota. The small newspaper Mike & Ruth Palecek owned and operated in Byron, Minnesota won the MNA Newspaper of the Year Award in 1993. Mike and Ruth have two children and recently moved from Iowa to Minnesota. The Paleceks both work for group homes in the Cloquet area.

Mike has written several novels.

He is also the co-host of The New American Dream Radio Show, along with Chuck Gregory, which has been broadcasting each Thursday since February 2011.

RELATED WEBSITES

Friday, December 5, 2014

Irradiance by David Bruns

Irradiance

by David Bruns

The Community is your first responsibility as a Citizen. So says the First Edict of post-Reformation Sindra. Maribel is a new mother of twins in this bioengineered, telepathically networked society of comfort and safety, where the only relationship that matters is the one between a Citizen and her Community. But Maribel is also a scientist, and scientists follow facts—wherever they lead. Her search for the truth awakens emotions in her she never knew existed, uncovers ancient powers long hidden in Sindra’s history, and has the potential to destroy her Community. A dying planet . . . A desperate parent . . . A daring plan . . . IRRADIANCE is the story of Maribel’s choice.



BIOGRAPHY

David Bruns grew up on a small farm in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. He got his undergraduate degree at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and spent the next 6 years as an officer in the US Navy submarine force chasing the Russians at the end of the Cold War. After leaving the Navy, David spent the next few decades in the high-tech sector until he decided to chuck it all and start over as a writer.

A self-confessed travel junkie, he and his family have visited over two dozen different countries in Asia, North America and Europe. Today, he lives in the middle of the United States with his family.

RELATED WEBSITES

Amazon

OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

The Dream Guild


Friday, November 28, 2014

Outside Duluth by Eric Chandler


Outside Duluth

by Eric Chandler

Outside Duluth will take you on an armchair tour of one of the best regions for outdoor fun in the US. Join Eric Chandler as he takes you cross country skiing, biking, paddling, and running with his family near the head of Lake Superior. Chandler's stories are part essay, part guidebook and all fun. Find out why Outside Magazine named Duluth runner-up for the best adventure hub in the whole world!





BIOGRAPHY

Eric Chandler has written for Flying Magazine, Silent Sports Magazine, Northern Wilds, Minnesota Flyer, and Lake Country Journal, to name a few. Literary journals like The Talking Stick and Sleetmagazine.com have published his fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. He's a member of Lake Superior Writers.

He's also an Air Force veteran with twenty years of experience flying the F-16. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He enjoys cross country ski racing and marathon running. He lives with his wife and two children in Duluth, Minnesota.

RELATED WEBSITES


Friday, November 21, 2014

Flashover by Colin Nelson


Flashover

by Colin Nelson

Zach Sutton's little brother has been missing for over a year.  His parents have divorced. The police have found no clues. But it isnt until Zach takes a field trip to Minnesota's north woods that the mystery really begins.  Faced with supernatural visions and ghostly images, Zach finds himself in a scary adventure he couldnt have dreamed.





BIOGRAPHY

Colin T. Nelson has been a criminal defense lawyer for over thirty years.  He’s married, has two adult children, and plays saxophone in a jazz group called Blue Mood.

WEBSITE

Amazon
Barnes and Noble


OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

Reprisal

PUBLISHER

Friday, November 14, 2014

Minnesota's Lost Towns by Rhonda Fochs


Minnesota's Lost Towns

by Rhonda Fochs

Journey to the past and visit over 100 northern Minnesota lost towns. Read what created them, how they grew and prospered, why they died, where they are located, and what you'll see there today. Learn the stages of a "boom and bust" cycle and how lost towns are classified according to their physical remnants. Written in a personal narrative style, Minnesota's Lost Towns is filled with then and now photos and amusing tales and anecdotes. The book is a fun read for historians, tourists, genealogists, and anyone who loves a good story.



BIOGRAPHY

After several years of working in the public and private sector, doing everything from assembling Tonka Toy trucks (when they were made in America), working in a LP record distribution warehouse, serving in a variety of public governmental roles, managing a construction office, to becoming a social studies teacher at the age of forty-two, Rhonda is recently retired.

Her passion for history, especially local and regional history, has resulted in Minnesota’s Lost Towns: Northern Edition, which chronicles over 100 northern Minnesota used-to-be towns and communities.

As she and her family (including the dog)  travel the state, north, east, south and west, she is now working on the second book in the Lost Towns Series, this one covering Central Minnesota. She is also presently working on a book detailing other regional points of interest.

FIND OUT MORE

Author site: http://rhondafochs.weebly.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotasLostTowns
Publisher: North Star Press

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, November 7, 2014

Always / Siempre by Helen Vitoria and B. L. Pawelek


Always / Siempre

by Helen Vitoria and B. L. Pawelek

Always/Siempre is a work of poetic and photographic ekphrasis, presented in English with Spanish translations.

Helen Vitoria has been nominated for Best New Poets and the Pushcart Prize. She is the Founding Editor of THRUSH Press.

B.L. Pawelek has been nominated for the Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Helen Vitoria Helen Vitoria’s poems can be found in: Ping Pong Journal, The Awl, Rougarou, PANK, Pebble Lake Review, GRIST, Barn Owl Review and others. Her work has been nominated for Best New Poets & the Pushcart Prize. Her poetry collection, Corn Exchange (Wild Chestnut Press, 2013) has been awarded the 2014 Silver IPPY Book Award in poetry among other national awards. She edits THRUSH Poetry Journal & THRUSH Press.


B.L. Pawelek is a husband, dad, and hiker living in Eden Prairie, MN. He attended to Loyola Marymount University and has had his poetry and photography published in numerous journals. He has also been nominated for the Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes.






FIND OUT MORE
B.L. Pawelek: http://blpawelek.wordpress.com/
Helen Vitoria: http://www.helenvitoria.com/
Publisher: Concepción Books

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, October 31, 2014

Eye of the Storm by Aimee Kuzenski


Eye of the Storm

by Aimee Kuzenski

The old gods aren’t gone. Whether you know it or not, they’re closer than a breath upon your cheek.

Alexander Sekhmet keeps to himself, far from the Machiavellian games played by his Family, and as a result he’s led a quiet ordered life. Until now.

When his legendary temper is exploited by an ancient enemy, tricking him into destroying his human identity, he takes drastic steps to protect his empire. He possesses the body of Camilla Sykes, a West Point lieutenant, and takes her identity, memories…and soul with him.

Ian Dorsey, Classics PhD candidate, has lost his job and his father in one fiery afternoon, and appears to be losing his mind in the bargain. Why else is he hearing voices that are telling him to kill his father’s client? Or are the voices coming from somewhere darker?

When gods and mortals meet, the Apocalypse follows.

BIOGRAPHY

Aimee Kuzenski was born in Clintonville, WI, and currently lives in northeast Minneapolis, MN. She moved there in 1996 in an effort to use her BFA Acting Power for good, and discovered she didn't really enjoy having no health care and looking for a new job every four weeks. After some discussion and internal musing, Aimee took herself to the University of Minnesota for electrical engineering training. The final result seems to be a blending of the two extremely different disciplines. By day, she works as a technical writer for a local engineering company. For much of the rest of the time, she sits in her home studio and writes fantasy, science fiction, and her own blend of the two.

Aimee has been inhaling science fiction and fantasy since her childhood. Starting with six hour marathons of classic Dr Who on Sundays and every single book on Greek myths her grandmother would allow her to check out, she moved on to the adult SF/F stacks, read everything there, and hasn't stopped since. After discovering the existence of conventions in high school (Wiscon 1988, woo!), Aimee has been active in as many conventions as she could, including acting as MC for the CONvergence masquerade for its first few years and participating in many panels.

Unwilling to stop at intellectual pursuits, Aimee also trains in eskrima, a Filipino martial art. She believes hitting things with sticks is both beautiful and therapeutic.

Aimee has an apartment, a hairless cat, two house bunnies, and reams of fantastic friends.

FIND OUT MORE
Author site: http://akuzenski.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7049212.Aimee_Kuzenski
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tallian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AimeeKuzenski
Publisher: Bookmen Media Group, Inc.

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, October 24, 2014

Stone Ridge by Nick Hupton


Stone Ridge

by Nick Hupton

Since Zach Sutton's last fateful trip to Pine Ridge, his life has been relatively quiet.  But one year later he begins to see visions of his nemesis, Victor Leppla, which drags him back into the villain's nightmarish world.  Zach's first brush with evil was simply a dress rehearsal for what awaits him now.  How will he ever face Victor again?  Will he find his missing brother, Chris?  Find out in this thrilling sequel to The Ridge.




BIOGRAPHY

Nick Hupton received his BA from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1999 and his MA from Hamline University in 2008.  He teaches high school English in Bloomington, MN.  The Ridge: A Zach Sutton Mystery, is Nick's second novel.  He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Tara, and two children.

FIND OUT MORE
Author site: http://www.nickhupton.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/nhupton
Publisher: North Star Press

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, October 17, 2014

Blue Tooth Sleuth by Cheryl Steininger-Moore


Blue Tooth Sleuth

by Cheryl A. Steininger-Moore
illustrated by Holden Schafer

Come along with the wacky but ever so wise Blue Tooth Sleuth as he introduces you to his colorful and creative friends. As Sleuth uncovers his friends' disabilities, he sends a positive and strong message to young readers that we ought to focus not on our differences but on our sameness.

Blue Tooth Sleuth is intended for the ages of 1-5 and sends a very special message of early acceptance of children with "special needs". All profits from this book is donated to Gillette
Children's Specialty Healthcare.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheryl A. Steininger-Moore was inspired by her great niece to create a character different in appearance as a way to reach young readers for early acceptance of children with disabilities. Cheryl has the privilege of working with children of all ages, races, and abilities through a Guardian Ad Litem program in Minnesota. 
"Children are our teachers of tomorrow. If we can reach just one child with our message through Blue Tooth Sleuth, we may just reach generations."
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Holden Schafer is a thirteen-year-old boy who is excited about doing something he enjoys-drawing and creating with pen and paper-to send a message that we are all special in our own way, and we all need friends All of the profits from this book support Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota.






FIND OUT MORE

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BluetoothSleuth

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, October 10, 2014

If You Leave This Farm by Amanda Farmer


If You Leave This Farm

by Amanda Farmer

As a teenage Mennonite girl, Amanda lives with her close-knit family in south central Pennsylvania. Life revolves around hard work, faith, and commitment to the family. She doesn’t question the daily routine; it’s the only life she’s known. Her father talks about buying a farm out west with a lot of land in one block. Not only will the family farm there together, but the parents hope to begin a new Mennonite community. To a fifteen-year-old girl, this move begins as an exciting adventure.

In If You Leave this Farm, Amanda shares the story of her family’s relocation to Minnesota and the subsequent challenges they face as farmers, a family, and Mennonites. She tells how the first crop year was a huge failure and her father alone makes the decision to expand the new dairy in an attempt to recoup the losses. This memoir chronicles the years of struggle as Amanda and her younger brother Joseph seek to escape their father’s suffocating and controlling behavior.

Intermingled with the struggle on the farm is the effort to become an accepted member of the Minnesota Mennonite community. The change in Amanda’s father’s behavior and attitude during the first years in Minnesota alienates him and his family from others of the same faith. She shares a mix of emotions as she wrestles with the shame of her family’s standing with the Mennonites and the crushing weight of constant submission to her father’s misguided use of his God-given authority.

BIOGRAPHY

Amanda Farmer grew up on the farm and worked there with her family until the age of twenty-nine. She earned a master's degree in nurse anesthesia. Farmer now lives with her husband on a hobby farm in southeastern Minnesota. They have one grown daughter.
FIND OUT MORE

Publisher: Archway Publishing

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, October 3, 2014

You and No Other by Jane Weiss and Bonnie Zahn


You and No Other

by Jane Weiss and Bonnie Zahn

A memoir by two new authors who 30 years ago found themselves in a new and unique relationship - with each other - though both were married and each had four children.

Learn about the journey that changed their lives in ways they never would have imagined.

They describe their joy of finding each other while navigating through the pain each experienced during the early years of their relationship.  Come to understand how two separate families learned to navigate the challenges that changed the lives of these women and their children. After 30 years, their relationship with each other and their eight children continue to grow.

In telling their story, Bonnie and Jane hope to show that same gender relationships are healthy, nurturing ones that provide strong family connections, support, and love. They see this book as a message of compassionate tolerance, respect, and equality - and a positive message for gay youth and their families.

BIOGRAPHY

Bonnie Zahn and Jane Weiss write with true honesty as they take you on a journey through personal revelations, family turmoil, societal reactions, and resolution of a decision neither imagined they would face in their adult years.

They enjoy the opportunity to talk with readers and anyone interested in their book.  If you would like to suggest a speaking engagement, book reading and signing, or book club discussion, please feel free to contact them directly at:

                       bzahn42@gmail.com or  jmorgan2001@gmail.com

FIND OUT MORE
Book site: http://www.youandnoother.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/pages/You-and-No-Other-by-Weiss-and-Zahn/117463741640020
Publisher: North Star Press

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, September 26, 2014

The Great Way by Greg Schulze


The Great Way

by Greg Schulze

Omaha. There it lay across the river. Looking across that river was like looking at another world. Katherine died there. That’s why James had traveled so far. No one else would come, not even her parents. Hell, James thought, they probably didn’t even know that she died.

James has traveled from Maryland to Omaha, the gateway to the western frontier, to seek answers about the death of the one he loved. Searching deep for answers, James finds that there is more going on than the simple death of a young woman. Encapsulated in the machination of men, James meets an Indian from his past who sets him along his Great Way.


BIOGRAPHY

Greg Schulze is from Shoreview, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul. He graduated from Mounds View High School in 1989 and the University of Minnesota, St. Paul campus with a degree in Forest Resources in 1993.
Greg's first novel, "The Great Way", took two years to complete. After reading one too many novels that were too long, not interesting enough, and stuffed with filler just to increase the novel's word count, he thought that "I can do better" and decided to write a short novel. Believing that every sentence should spark the reader's imagination or further the plot of the story, Greg set ahead to write a novel inspired by the TV show "Lost", the movie "Donnie Darko", and Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse 5". He called it "The Great Way" in which the archetypical young man travels to a new land and discovers something more about himself and his life, but in a different way that is new and fresh.
Greg is currently working on two more novels, each one different than the other. The first not yet titled novel is a fictional autobiography inspired by humorous and absurd writers such as Vonnegut. The second is a fantasy novel titled "The Anarch", inspired by Greg's thirty plus years of playing Dungeons & Dragons and the stories that he shared with his friends and fellow players.
Greg lives in Centerville, Minnesota with his wife of 8 years, Wendy, and his 7 year old son Andrew, who promised to read "The Great Way" someday.

PURCHASE
Amazon

Friday, September 19, 2014

One Man Against the Mountain by Mary Jo Mosher


One Man Against the Mountain

by Mary Jo Mosher

This is book is the slightly embellished story of one man’s true-life solitary struggle for survival in a brutal, unrelenting winter atop the Bighorn Mountains in Northern Wyoming. Some names have been changed and events left out in the telling of this story. Actual journal entries by long-time Sheridan resident and game hunter Danny Longwell punctuate this re-creation of his quest to prove he could survive anything the mountain could dish out.

This story isn’t just about a man’s struggle to survive a brutal Walker Prairie winter in a canvas tent. It’s also about Danny Longwell’s struggles within himself: his feelings about his overly strict father, his feelings about death, his lack of self-confidence, and his battles with loneliness.

Through the brutally cold, stormy winter, as he labors to keep warm and meditates on his life and his sanity for this undertaking, he slowly comes to an understanding regarding himself and others.

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.

FIND OUT MORE

Publisher: Galde Press

PURCHASE 

Amazon

OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED
Hiking Minnesota by Mary Jo Mosher and Kristine Mosher, second edition published by Globe Pequot Press in 2009
Penny's Tale by Mary Jo Mosher, published by Galde Press


Friday, September 12, 2014

Spiritual Two-By-Fours and Other Wake-Up Calls by Kimberly Rooney


Spiritual Two-By-Fours and Other Wake-Up Calls

by Kimberly Rooney

Are you feeling stuck, unfulfilled, and without purpose? Do you feel like a cast member, deck crew, employee, or stagehand in your own life?

In this book, author Kimberly Rooney shows you how to take control of your life and become your own director, captain, CEO, choreographer, and policymaker. It’s the wake-up call you’ve been longing for—the doorway to finding your inner strength and voice.

Kim’s own dance with adversity began at age twenty-nine, when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis—which she affectionately refers to as “Arthur.” In Spiritual Two-by-Fours, she shares her journey—her “dance with Arthur”—to find the mix of “gifts” that made her director and choreographer of her life. With openness and vulnerability, she shares what you need to know so that you too can overcome any adversity—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Whether you have created your challenges or they have “cut in” to your life dance, you get to choose how you respond. You get to take responsibility for your happiness, inner peace, and overall well-being.

You have what it takes. You have the power within. And you can shift your life to make it spectacular. So make yourself head policymaker of your own life and get ready for the ride—knowing that Spiritual Two-by-Fours will guide you every step of the way.


BIOGRAPHY

Kim Rooney has danced with Arthur (rheumatoid arthritis) since 1995, having received the diagnosis at age 29. As an athletic, adventurous young woman, wife, and mother, the news of having to deal with fatigue, destroyed joints, and chronic pain was devastating. Her confidence was directly linked to her physical abilities and Kim became consumed by anxiety and fear of the future.

As questions of "Who will I be?" and "What will I do?" took centre stage, the fear - and the nudge that there was more to all this - opened Kim's mind and set her on a journey to healing, responsibility, and some pretty unique adventures. Now Kim sees 'Arthur' as one of her greatest gifts in life; a journey that illuminated her purpose.

Kim's passion is to inspire others to find their personal power and radiate happiness from the inside out. She also enjoys anything outdoors, reading, biking, meditation and all things that will help her grow as a person. Her bucket list includes following her wanderlust spirit to see and learn more about the world, to skydive at least one more time, enjoy many fires on the beach, and to live in Hawaii.

Currently Kim lives in Minneapolis, MNwith her husband, daughter (when she is home from college) and two dogs. She is working on a video series called "Konvo's with Kim," and looks forward to writing her second book. Kim volunteers for the Arthritis Foundation and is working towards sponsoring camps for kids with arthritis. Her dreams to inspire include; producing meaningful TV to promote change, host a talk show with others who inspire, bring awareness to Arthritis.

FIND OUT MORE
Author site: http://www.kimberlyarooney.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyAnneRooney
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7216438.Kimberly_Rooney
Publisher: Balboa Press

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, September 5, 2014

Altar(ed) Girl by C. M. Morgan

Altar(ed) Girl
One Woman's True Story of Confronting Clergy Sexual Abuse


by C. M. Morgan

Author C.M. Morgan recounts the forty-year journey of recovering from childhood clergy sexual abuse. From traveling to another state and having a face-to-face conversation with her perpetrator, to enduring five long years of litigation against the church, C.M. spiraled through the tears, fears, and struggles shared by almost all survivors of sexual abuse.

Feeling spiritually lost and emotionally worn out, C.M. found her soul and her long-lost self during her six-month hiatus traveling throughout Australia. Finding and embracing forgiveness proved, once again, that our history is not our destiny.

Through the power of love and guidance from friends and complete strangers, she celebrates her victories, while realizing the power of confronting the demons and trusting oneself.

BIOGRAPHY

This is the story of a profound experience in C.M. Morgan’s life. By facing her fears and sharing her story, she learns, among many other life lessons, that forgiveness is the path to acceptance and self-love.

Her experience with finding her perpetrator and the five-year litigation against the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese regarding childhood sexual abuse should be shared with all survivors.

C.M. lives in Minneapolis with her wife, newborn baby, and their dog, Morgan. They also venture to their part-time home in Pahoa, Hawai’i, several times each year.

C. M. Morgan is a pen name used by Derryn Grey-Ziebol. Find out more about her work at her website.

FIND OUT MORE

Book website: http://www.altaredgirl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltaredGirl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AltaredGirl
Publisher: Balboa Press

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Friday, August 29, 2014

Marital Privilege by Greg Sisk

Marital Privilege

by Greg Sisk

Candace Klein is one of the lucky ones in her professional life, finding genuine meaning in her work as a law professor. But her personal life is troubled by a growing distance from her husband, Bill, who languishes in a dead-end job working for her father.

Suffering the horrific loss of her child in a car bombing, Candace grieves and seeks solace in her faith. Then a politically climbing prosecutor, Robby Sherburne, takes control of the criminal investigation and promises the death penalty for a child-killer. Meanwhile, Ed Burton, a suburban cop, simply tries to follow the evidence where it leads.

When her husband becomes the target of the investigation, Candace asserts her "marital privilege" and refuses to cooperate. This ultimately provokes a crisis of identity between her professional commitment to the justice system and her resolute loyalty to her husband.

BIOGRAPHY

Professor Greg Sisk published his first novel, “Marital Privilege,” with North Star Press in 2014. In the novel, which is set in the Twin Cities, a young law professor suffers the loss of her child, seeking solace in her faith. When her husband becomes the target of the investigation, she asserts the “marital privilege” and refuses to cooperate with the politically-ambitious prosecutor. This ultimately provokes a crisis of identity between her professional commitment to the justice system and her resolute loyalty to her husband.

FIND OUT MORE
Author Blog: http://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/sisk_greg/
Look for Greg at the University of St. Thomas booth at the State Fair tonight (8/29/2014)!

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

How to Date Dead Guys by Ann M. Noser

cover1000How to Date Dead Guys

by Ann M Noser

College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice:  “don’t sleep around, don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts”.  But when charming Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters.

Blamed for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back.  Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell.  The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury.  As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he isn't the only one.

Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a desperate victim determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first.  More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows.  Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.

Inspired by the controversial Smiley Face Murders, HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS will ignite the secret powers hidden deep within each of us.

AVAILABLE AT

BIOGRAPHY

My to-do list dictates that I try to cram 48 hours of living into a day instead of the usual 24. I’ve chosen a life filled with animals. I train for marathons with my dog, then go to work as a small animal veterinarian, and finish the day by tripping over my pets as I attempt to convince my two unruly children that YES, it really IS time for bed. But I can’t wait until the house is quiet to write; I have to steal moments throughout the day. Ten minutes here, a half hour there, I live within my imagination.

Like all busy American mothers, I multi-task. I work out plot holes during runs. Instead of meditating, I type madly during yoga stretches. I find inspiration in everyday things: a beautiful smile, a heartbreaking song, or a newspaper article on a political theory. For example, a long drive in the dark listening to an NPR program on the SMILEY FACE MURDERS theory made me ask so many questions that I wrote HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS to answer them to my satisfaction.

I’d love to have more time to write (and run, read, and sleep), but until I find Hermione Granger’s time turner, I will juggle real life with the half-written stories in my head. Main characters and plot lines intertwine in my cranium, and I need to let my writing weave the tales on paper so I can find out what happens next.

Find out more about Ann at:

Website: http://annandersonnoser.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnMNoser
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnMNoser
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/118390339643517269645/posts

Monday, June 2, 2014

Cover Reveal: How to Date Dead Guys by Ann M. Noser

cover1000I'm really excited: my friend, Ann Noser, is about to release her debut novel, published by Curiosity Quills! The cover reveal is today, and its release date is July 15, 2014.

Along with several other people, I worked through this story as a critique partner. It's so cool to see it so close to meeting the world!

Here's a short blurb:

College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice:  “don’t sleep around, don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts”.  But when charming Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters.
Blamed for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back.  Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell.  The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury.  As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he isn't the only one.

Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a desperate victim determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first.  More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows.  Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.

Inspired by the controversial Smiley Face Murders, HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS will ignite the secret powers hidden deep within each of us.

Join me in congratulating Ann on her awesome cover and upcoming release. Put July 15th on your calendar to pick up this exciting new novel!

Find out more about Ann at:

Website: http://annandersonnoser.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnMNoser
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnMNoser
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/118390339643517269645/posts