So Many Africas by Jill Kandel

So Many Africas
Six Years in a Zambian Village

by Jill Kandel

In 1981, Jill Kandel traveled to the remote Zambian village of Kalabo. She was a bride of six weeks, married to a blue-eyed boy from the Netherlands. Amidst international crises and famine, she gave birth to two children, bridged a cultural divide with her Dutch husband, and was devastated by a car accident that took the life of a twelve-year-old Zambian child. She stayed six years. After returning home, Kandel struggled to find her voice and herself. This is the story of how she found her way home.



BIOGRAPHY

Jill Kandel grew up in North Dakota, riding her Appaloosa bareback across the prairie. She has lived and worked in Zambia, Indonesia, England, and in the Netherlands. She now lives with her husband and children in Minnesota where she teaches creative writing and essay. Kandel also teaches journal writing classes to female inmates at a local county jail.

Kandel's book, So Many Africas: Six Years in a Zambian Village won the 2014 Autumn House Prize for Creative Nonfiction. She was the runner-up of the 23^rd Annual Missouri Review Jeffry E. Smith Editors' Prize and her work has been anthologized in Best Spiritual Writing 2012 (Penguin Books) and in Becoming: What Makes a Woman (University of Nebraska, 2012).  Her essays have been published in The Missouri Review, Gettysburg Review, Brevity, River Teeth, Pinch, and Image.

AWARDS

2014 Autumn House Prize for Creative Nonfiction

FIND OUT MORE
Author site: http://jillkandel.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5768678.Jill_Kandel
Publisher: Autumn House Press

PURCHASE
Amazon or directly from the author

A Dog Named Leaf by Allen & Laura Anderson

A Dog Named Leaf
The Hero from Heaven Who Saved My Life

by Allen Anderson with Laura Anderson

Allen and Linda Anderson adopted a traumatized one-year-old cocker spaniel who had been abandoned. Soon, the troubled dog they named “Leaf” turned their home into a war zone. Although Leaf and Allen were forging a friendship with visits to dog parks and bonding time, Leaf’s emotional issues overwhelmed the couple. Shortly after Leaf’s arrival, Allen, who had spent eight years as a big city police officer and survived so many close calls that Linda called him “Miracle Man,” received a diagnosis from his doctor that made him think his luck had finally run out. Allen had an unruptured brain aneurysm that could be fatal, and the surgery to repair it might leave him debilitated. Having seen his father live for years with the effects of a massive stroke, he dreaded that the worst fate might not be death. What Allen didn’t know is that he and Leaf, like comrades facing the ultimate battle, would be there for each other with the miracle of this man and this dog coming together at exactly the right time.

BIOGRAPHY

Allen Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of A Dog Named Leaf with his wife Linda are coauthors of a series of popular books, published in multiple languages, about the benefits of human-animal companionship. In 1996 they cofounded the Angel Animals Network to honor and expand upon their lifelong love of animals. Angel Animals uses the power of inspirational stories to increase love and respect for all life.

The Andersons' books have won recognition from the American Society of Journalists & Authors's Outstanding Book Award program. Allen and Linda were named Partners and Friends of the American Humane Association in recognition that their mission and efforts are in alignment with the organization's work.

The Andersons raised two children along with pets as family members. They currently share their home in Minneapolis with pets whose relationships- would make great film plots -- a dog named Leaf, Cuddles the cat, and Sunshine, a cockatiel who says, "I love you, sweet baby."

AWARDS 

New York Times Bestseller
2012 Outstanding Book Award from the American Association of Journalists and Authors (ASJA)

FIND OUT MORE
Book site: A Dog Named Leaf
Publisher: Lyons Press

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

The Unpeopled Season by Daniel J Rice

The Unpeopled Season
Journal from a North Country Wilderness

by Daniel J Rice

"Today I am an unemployed writer living as a recluse in the great Northwoods."

So begins this North Country journal from the author of This Side of a Wilderness. In the spring of 2011, Rice resigned from his career with the U.S. Geological Survey, and moved alone into a tent deep in the forests of northern Minnesota. The Unpeopled Season is his daily record of the four months in isolation. But it is more than a catalog of events. It is a compassionate and introspective quest into mankind's connection to wild places. He writes with humor about his follies and foibles, shares technical know-how about setting up camp, ruminates on fishing, introduces wild animals, and discusses the often invigorating, occasionally disconcerting, task of completing his first novel.

BIOGRAPHY

Daniel J. Rice was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1979. In 2011 he resigned from his position as a Hydrographer for the U.S. Geological Survey in Wyoming, to dedicate time to writing. While spending four months living alone in a tent, isolated in a northern Minnesota forest, he wrote the novel, This Side of a Wilderness, and the journal, The Unpeopled Season. Currently he owns and operates an Ice Cream shop - Big River Scoop - in Bemidji, MN, with his wife Mayana, and daughter Amelie. He is an avid Fly Fisherman, Outdoorsman, and Hockey Player, and all these come through in his writing.

FIND OUT MORE
Publisher: Riverfeet Press

PURCHASE
Amazon

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

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

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

Come Back to Me - Jay Little

Come Back to Me

by Jay Little

I died on Tuesday afternoon, May 24th, 2011.

I had just suffered sudden cardiac death. Yet somehow, I was revived, shocked back to life. Afterwards, a combination of amazing doctors, nurses, and technology worked on restoring my physical body. Even after resuscitation, I was in critical condition, hanging on by a thread. Meanwhile, my mind wandered aimlessly through the dark corners of oblivion for weeks. Against all odds, I survived. Looking back on it now, I’m convinced my survival all started with a kiss and a whisper … come back to me.

This is my story. It is a story about a 38-year-old man who suffered a massive heart attack – my second in eight months – followed by a number of serious, life-threatening complications. It is a story of the frightening obstacles and powerful miracles encountered along my path to recovery, using a unique blend of perspectives. Throughout my recovery, my wife kept a detailed journal chronicling the objective aspects, such as specific dates, medical issues, and milestones. Kept under sedation for several weeks, and still groggy from the medication and physical ordeal for months afterward, I provide a very different, subjective look at my recovery – how I was feeling, what I experienced, and what I’ve learned from these events.
  
BIOGRAPHY

Born somewhere in California as Jason Little, the author prefers to go by Jay. He has been an avid reader, writer, and gamer for as long as he can remember. Jay has fond memories of playing games and wiling away the weekends with a good book while growing up.

A boardgame and roleplaying game designer by trade, over the years, Jay has had the opportunity to work with a number of awesome people and has more than thirty nerd-worthy publications to his credit. He has had the chance to work on some amazing licenses and titles like Major League Baseball, Warhammer, and Star Wars. This is his first non-gaming related publication.

Jay is also a self-proclaimed geek and proud of it. Thankfully, his wife supports/enables his geekiness. Jay and his wonderful wife live with their two sons and their cats Jedi and the Meeple in Minnesota. During the winter, Jay wonders why they ever moved to Minnesota. The other four months of the year, he wonders why they didn’t do it sooner.

WEBSITES

Author page: www.PaintedThumb.com

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

OTHER WORKS

• Over 30 role-playing games - http://www.paintedthumb.com/about-games/

The Days of Song and Lilacs - Beth Obermeyer

The Days of Song and Lilacs

by Beth Obermeyer

The Days of Song and Lilacs begins in the heat of spring, lilacs raging, 1954.  Twelve-year-old Mary Beth dances almost every night, her beloved accompanist, Mabel, at her side.   But when Mabel suffers a paralyzing stroke on the eve of the big day of the year, the North Iowa Band Festival, Mary Beth fears Mabel’s music has died, along with her own dance stills. 

Mary Beth stays fast by Mabel, and heeds the resolve of Mabel’s former student, Meredith Willson, as he makes a difficult path from Iowa to Broadway.  By the end of the journey, the Music Man and Mabel confirm for all: music never dies.

The book is a slice of Americana, an early peek at Mason City, the town that would become a Midwest destination.  1954 was pre-television for most, and the town served up live entertainment like dessert. With Vivian’s Bridal Shower, Farmers’ Round-Up, Stunt Night at the Parks, this is a fascinating primer for today’s performing arts kids. 

BIOGRAPHY

Beth Obermeyer used her journalism/telecommunicative arts degree and a lifetime of dance and music to start her own public relations company.  TA DA! Special Events produced and promoted many showstoppers, ranging from six that went into the Guinness Book of World Records—to directing statewide, the first Minnesota Festival of the Book.

Beth has been profiled in US Magazine.  Three events of her events have won her city’s Committee for Urban Environment award for improving the quality of life. 

On the faculty of the Minnesota Dance Theatre, the largest center for dance in the Midwest, Beth appeared solo on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor and opposite Christopher Plummer and Gregory Hines.

Beth has done seminars to business and professional groups, including Public Relations Society of America.  Her journalism degree is from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.  She has three books published with North Star Press of St. Cloud in the year 5/2011-5/2012.

WEBSITES

Author page: http://bethobermeyer.com

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


OTHER WORKS

• Big! - Released September 2011
• The Biggest Dance - Released May 2011

PUBLISHER
North Star Press of St. Cloud

The Biggest Dance - Beth Obermeyer

The Biggest Dance

by Beth Obermeyer

“And it just goes to show you—thousands, millions of people have a warm spot in their heart—their tap shoes hanging back behind the old tennis racket somewhere.” So said Garrison Keillor to author Beth Obermeyer on a Prairie Home Companion evening.

His evidence?  The 1,801 tap dancers who shuffled and clicked down Hennepin Avenue to open their arts center—the first flash mob, decades before the Internet—set a Guinness World Record.

The Big Tap was no stunt, and most certainly not a wine and cheese.  Beth, who organized the event, insisted everyone should dance, from church ladies to ladies of the street, downtown workers families and lovers, dance schools.  The police abandoned their corners and danced onto Good Morning America, all the way to Japan’s Asahi Evening News.    

The miracle?  When they all pulled together—a giant Little Engine That Could—they found they were more alike than different.  And that is quite possibly the biggest dance of all.

The book is inspirational to anyone who ever had a crazy idea.  Beth brings to the page all the energy and joy she brings to the stage.  “Act on intuition, from the gut, and never lose the big picture,” she says.


BIOGRAPHY

Beth Obermeyer used her journalism/telecommunicative arts degree and a lifetime of dance and music to start her own event/public relations company.  TA DA! Special Events produced and promoted many showstoppers, ranging from six that went into the Guinness Book of World Records—to directing statewide, the first Minnesota Festival of the Book.

Several became legendary but only a helicopter could capture the 1,801 tap dancers who opened an arts center; or the marching band, 2,512 strong,  that took the town when an 80-year-old Meredith Willson guest-conducted his 76 Trombones.

They whirled round the world, Today to UPI and AP; Asahi News, Japan back home to Good Morning America.  Her news releases generated national stories, Washington Post to Baltimore Sun, with Beth herself profiled in US Magazine.  She and three events won her city’s Committee for Urban Environment award for improving the quality of life. 

On the faculty of the Minnesota Dance Theatre, the largest center for dance in the Midwest, Beth appeared solo on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor and opposite Christopher Plummer and Gregory Hines.

Beth has done seminars to business and professional groups, including Public Relations Society of America.  Her journalism degree is from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.  She has three books published with North Star Press of St. Cloud in the year 5/2011-5/2012.

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

• Big! Released September 2011
• The Days of Song and Lilacs, Coming May 2012

WEBSITE
http://bethobermeyer.com

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


PUBLISHER
North Star Press of St. Cloud

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

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

Gus - Rose McClimon Hamlin

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/

My Heart is a Mountain - Catherine Holm

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.