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

Writing Advice for Teens: Creating Stories - Mike Kalmbach

Writing Advice for Teens: Creating Stories

by Mike Kalmbach

When all you have is a blank page, it's often tough to begin writing.

Writing Advice for Teens: Creating Stories aims to help you overcome that initial hurdle by making it easy for you to write down simple, focused ideas and craft them into stories.

However, coming up with ideas is not enough. Teen writers need to understand basic story structure so they can avoid typical writing problems.

Filled with plenty of tips, advice, and examples to help any teen writer, the first book in the Writing Advice for Teens series focuses on getting ideas down quickly and pounding out that first draft. After following the advice and using the techniques outlined in this book, you should understand how to bring the stories locked in your mind to the surface.

BIOGRAPHY

Mike Kalmbach has a Master of Science degree in software engineering from the University of Minnesota. Moonlighting as a freelance editor, he has edited numerous full-length manuscripts as well as countless shorter works. He also teaches several seminars targeted toward helping teen writers develop strategies to create captivating stories.

He also leads the Rochester MN Writing Group and is a founding member of the Rochester Writers Collaborative. He is a strong believer in the power of community, and has led online writing groups and forums for over ten years. Mike enjoys writing for his blog and interacting on Twitter.

Mike currently lives in the Rochester, MN area with his wife, son, and two cats.

WEBSITES

Author page: http://mikekalmbach.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikekalmbachauthor
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/mikekalmbach
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mikekalmbach

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold.


OTHER WORKS

• The Caldarian Conflict

Machina Viva - Nathaniel Hicklin

Machina Viva

by Nathaniel Hicklin

In a distant world where work is done by machines with the faces of humans, one man has changed what it means to be a robot. But before the new robot can make her mark on the future, she must first survive the present.

Thus was born the city of Tetropolis, one of the oldest mid-atmosphere arcologies. The word is a combination of “architecture” and “ecology,” and such constructions are rarely accidents. Tetropolis fits the requirements of a city, with a central government, police force, utilities, and even a nice park. It also fits the requirements of a building, being a unified structure with a single framework. In this case, the single framework was a series of large interlocking tubes that formed a pyramid nearly a mile high. The taller buildings in the city connected directly to the outer pyramid, strengthening the whole structure while ensuring their own stability. Public transit vehicles traveled through the tubes, intersecting at large spherical nodes and creating a very stressful job for any human who was crazy enough to work in traffic control. The job usually went to a robot, because unlike the vast majority of people, a lot of robots actually enjoy that kind of insanity.

BIOGRAPHY

Nathaniel Hicklin studied engineering in college, but graduated with a degree in theater arts. He has parlayed this background into a portfolio of science fiction and urban fantasy storytelling. His first novel, Seekers of Truth, tells the story of eight people who form a team to combat corruption and evil in a multifaceted world of magic and secrecy. His second book, a novella called Machina Viva, describes a distant world in the empty depths of space where humans and robots walk side by side that explores what it means to be human.

WEBSITE

Author page: http://OfficeOfTheCurator.blogspot.com

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ebooks for Pleasure, and wherever books are sold.


PUBLISHER
4 Square Books

OTHER WORKS

•  Seekers of Truth

Hurricane - Jenna-Lynne Duncan

Hurricane

by Jenna-Lynne Duncan

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

A portion of the sales from 'Hurricane' will be going to the New Orleans Area Habitat Humanity for Humanity.

BIOGRAPHY

Jenna-Lynne Duncan graduated from the University of St. Thomas with degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. Hurricane is her debut novel and she is planning a series. She welcomes those to contact her at Jenna-Lynne@DivertirPublishing.com.

WEBSITES
Author page: http://www.Jenna-Lynne.com
Book page: http://www.Hurricanethebook.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JennaLynneD
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/Jennalynneduncan and http://www.Facebook.com/Hurricanethebook

BOOK TRAILER







PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold.


PUBLISHER
Divertir Publishing

Lost and Found - Danelle Helget

Lost and Found

by Danelle Helget

Danelle Helget, a writer who grew up in Milaca and now lives in Sauk Rapids, has launched a new mystery series set in her home state of Minnesota. Lost and Found (North Star Press, 2011) the first book in a series that will be called “The Sara Martin Mysteries,” is filled with interesting characters, familiar Minnesota settings and dramatic events.

Sara Martin had hoped the vacation at a tranquil cabin in northern Minnesota would be the perfect getaway. Instead, she discovers that her husband is carrying on an affair with her childhood friend, Lily. To make matters worse, Lily goes missing shortly thereafter and Sara starts having haunting dreams of a young girl in a white dress who urgently needs her help.

BIOGRAPHY

Danelle Helget grew up in Milaca, Minnesota. In the summer months she enjoys spending her weekends like many Minnesotans--on the lake, camping, boating and hiking. She resides in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota with her husband and two daughters. North Star Press of St. Cloud published her first novel, Lost and Found in 2011. Her second novel, Found and Destroyed will continue to follow Sara Martin and is due to be released in June 2012.

WEBSITE
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Danelle-Helget/102890406465130
http://twitter.com/danellehelget

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


PUBLISHER
North Star Press of St. Cloud

Anteater Boy - Dean Ammerman

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)

Ghellow Road - T. H. Waters

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

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
  

PUBLISHER
http://www.verefor.com/

Skeleton Letters - Laura Childs

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

Scrapbook Mysteries
Keepsake Crimes
Photo Finished
Bound for Murder
Motif for Murder
Frill Kill
Death Swatch
Tragic Magic
Fiber & BrimstoneSkeleton Letters
Postcards from the Dead

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

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

ReadingMinnesota update: New owner - Mike Kalmbach

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!