John Betcher - THE 19TH ELEMENT

THE 19TH ELEMENT

by John L. Betcher

Al Qaeda plans to attack Minnesota's Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant as a means to return the down-trodden terrorist organization to international prominence.

In addition to their own devoted forces, the terrorists enlist some homegrown anarchists, and a Three Mile Island survivor with a pathological vendetta against the nuclear establishment, to assist in the assault.

James "Beck" Becker is a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota – just six miles down the Mississippi from the Prairie River nuclear facility.

Possessing wisdom born of experience, Beck suspects the terrorists' intentions as soon as the
body of a university professor turns up on the Mississippi shore – the clear victim of foul play.
He recognizes connections between seemingly unrelated incidents – the murdered agronomy
professor, a missing lab assistant, an international cell call, a stolen fertilizer truck – but can't
piece it together in enough detail to convince government authorities that a larger threat exists.
Only his American Indian friend, "Bull," will help Beck defuse the threat.

So it's Beck and Bull versus international terror.

May the better men win.

BIOGRAPHY
The author holds a Bachelor’s Degree, cum laude, in English from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis. He has practiced law for more than twenty-five years in the Mississippi River community of Red Wing, Minnesota. He has also been a long-time supporter and coach of youth volleyball there

REVIEWS

Reviewed by Charles Ashbacher

Amazon.com TOP 50 REVIEWER
This review is of: The 19th Element (Paperback).
Rating: FIVE STARS
"James "Beck" Becker and his creator are rising stars in the terrorist thriller genre; Beck is a deep thinker capable of connecting disparate and nebulous dots. He is also a man of action when the situation requires it."

READER’S CHOICE REVIEWS

The Missing Element by John L. Betcher
Reader’s Choice Rating: FIVE STARS
"The Missing Element is an Intriquing, Exciting Mystery-thriller!"

WEBSITE

www.johnbetcher.com

PURCHASE

Amazon.com

Mark McGinty - The Cigar Maker

The Cigar Maker

By Mark McGinty

The Cigar City. The year is 1898. Young Cuban rebel Salvador Ortiz and his family have escaped the hardship of war-torn Cuba, but the union halls, cigar factories, and dark alleys of Tampa are filled with violence and vendetta. Salvador must defy constant labor strife and deadly corruption in a one-industry town known for backroom cockfights, street thugs, late-night abductions and mass production of the world’s best hand-rolled stogies. An ideological battle for control of the cigar industry tests Salvador’s self-respect and love of hard work as he fights to abandon his rambunctious, outlaw past and lead his proud Cuban family into a colorful immigrant society. His wish for a peaceful life as a husband, a father, and a man of dignity is threatened by a lawless underworld and a cultural conflict with a dangerous, bloody history. Based on true events.

The book has been getting great reviews, which you can read here: http://www.thecigarmaker.net/reviews.php

BIOGRAPHY
Mark Carlos McGinty is a descendant of Cuban cigar makers whose work has appeared in Cigar City Magazine and La Gaceta. He grew up on ropa vieja, Cuban sandwiches, café con leche, and fresh-squeezed OJ from his grandfather’s tree in West Tampa. His favorite cigar is the Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8. Mark’s first novel Elvis and the Blue Moon Conspiracy (Beaver’s Pond Press, 2003) won an Eric Hoffer Book Award Honorable Mention for General Fiction. He graduated from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida and received his Master’s degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati. Mark lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughter.

Mark is writing a third novel, a historical fiction set in Japan at the end of World War 2 titled Unit 731, about a Japanese scientist who tries to escape with a state secret but is pursued by a state policeman through Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

WEBSITE

www.thecigarmaker.net

BLOG
http://theboogle.wordpress.com

OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Elvis and the Blue Moon Conspiracy
2003 Beaver's Pond Press

Excerpts of "The Cigar Maker" have been published in Cigar City Magazine and La Gaceta (the nation's oldest trilingual newspaper!)

PUBLISHER

Seventh Avenue Productions

PURCHASE INFORMATION
www.thecigarmaker.net/store.php

Anton Treuer - Ojibwe in Minnesota

OJIBWE IN MINNESOTA
by Anton Treuer

This compelling, highly anticipated narrative traces the history of the Ojibwe people in Minnesota, exploring cultural practices, challenges presented by more recent settlers, and modern-day discussions of sovereignty and identity.

With insight and candor, noted Ojibwe scholar Anton Treuer traces thousands of years of the complicated history of the Ojibwe people—their economy, culture, and clan system and how these have changed throughout time, perhaps most dramatically with the arrival of Europeans into Minnesota territory.

Ojibwe in Minnesota covers the fur trade, the Iroquois Wars, and Ojibwe-Dakota relations; the treaty process and creation of reservations; and the systematic push for assimilation as seen in missionary activity, government policy, and boarding schools.

Treuer also does not shy away from today’s controversial topics, covering them frankly and with sensitivity—issues of sovereignty as they influence the running of casinos and land management; the need for reform in modern tribal government; poverty, unemployment, and drug abuse; and constitutional and educational reform. He also tackles the complicated issue of identity and details recent efforts and successes in cultural preservation and language revitalization.

A personal account from the state’s first female Indian lawyer, Margaret Treuer, tells her firsthand experience of much change in the community and looks ahead with renewed cultural strength and hope for the first people of Minnesota.

Living Our Language: Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories
Edited by Anton Treuer

A language carries a people's memories, whether they are recounted as individual reminiscences, as communal history, or as humorous tales. This collection of stories from Anishinaabe elders offers a history of a people at the same time that it seeks to preserve the language of that people.

Based on interviews Treuer conducted with ten elders this anthology presents the elders' stories transcribed in Ojibwe with English translation on facing pages. These stories contain a wealth of information, including oral histories of the Anishinaabe people and personal reminiscences, educational tales, and humorous anecdotes.

Treuer's translations of these stories preserve the speakers' personalities, allowing their voices to emerge from the page. Treuer introduces each speaker, offering a brief biography and noting important details concerning dialect or themes; he then allows the stories to speak for themselves. This dual-language text will prove instructive for those interested in Ojibwe language and culture, while the stories themselves offer the gift of a living language and the history of a people.

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er) is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. He has a B.A. from Princeton University, M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He is Editor of the Oshkaabewis (pronounced o-shkaah-bay-wis) Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language. His published books include Ojibwe in Minnesota (2010), The Assassination of Hole in the Day (forthcoming in 2010), Awesiinyensag: Dibaajimowinan Ji-gikinoo’amaageng (forthcoming in 2010), Living Our Language: Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories (2001), Aaniin Ekidong: Ojibwe Vocabulary Project (2009), and Omaa Akiing (2002). Dr. Treuer has sat on many organizational boards, ranging from the White Earth Land Recovery Project to MeritCare Health System. Dr. Treuer has received prestigious awards and fellowships from the American Philosophical Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota Humanities Commission, the Experienced Faculty Development Program, the Institute for the Study of World Politics, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the Grotto Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

Aquarium Secrets Revealed!

Aquarium Secrets Revealed!

By David Thompson

Aquarium Secrets Revealed! will walk the new or experienced hobbyist step by step through the process of setting up a beautiful and healthy aquarium for their prized tropical fish. These secrets provide guidance from the first trip to the pet store to the final step of what to do when a vacation or business trip takes the hobbyist away from their hobby. My mistakes and successes provide the foundation for these easy to use secrets of success. Every hobbyist will learn something valuable from this ebook. Following these steps with patience and diligence will save time, money, and potential loss of valuable fish due to improper handling, acclimation, or preparation. Each technique is clearly explained to make certain your aquarium set up will be “pristine” perfect and a focal point of the room. The hobbyist will feel as if I am holding their hand as they go through the process from planning, to purchasing, to admiring their aquarium.

BIOGRAPHY
The author has written this book after several years of breeding, raising, and showing tropical fish. The production of this book has been a desire for many, many years. Life has finally provided David the opportunity to write and publish a handbook that will give new and old hobbyists alike the secrets they need to successfully set up and establish a healthy, safe, and efficiently managed aquarium display in their home or office. A peaceful aquarium display in your home or office provides a nice escape from the rigors of life. Those few golden moments you cherish while watching your fish will let you forget about the daily pressures you face. Cover to cover you will find “Secrets” that will minimize your investment of time and money while you enjoy a terrific hobby.

WEBSITE
www.aquariumsecretsrevealed.org

PUBLISHER
AQSECREV@yahoo.com

TO ORDER
www.aquariumsecretsrevealed.org

Milkweed Editions - A Literary Publisher

MILKWEED EDITIONS

An Independent Literary Press

DANIEL SLAGER
Publisher

Milkweed Editions publishes literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and novels for young readers.

Works of fiction (novels, novellas, and short story collections) between 150 and 400 pages. We do not publish genre fiction, by which we mean we are not interested in romance, science fiction, mystery, crime, or westerns.

Works of literary nonfiction that often focus on the relationships between human and natural communities. We are not interested in manuscripts written for an academic or scientific audience.

Collections of poetry (single-author collections only, please) that are at least 60 pages long. Please review our previous poetry titles to get a sense for what we’re looking for in a poetry collection.

Books for young readers (readers between the ages of 8 and 13) that are full-length novels between 90 and 200 pages. We do not consider picture books or poetry collections for young readers.

For submissions guidelines and more information, please visit our website.

COMPANY HISTORY
Milkweed Editions is a nonprofit literary press, publishing between 15 and 20 books a year. Founded in 1979, we have published over 200 titles and are dedicated to keeping our books in print. We read each manuscript we receive and consider it for publication according to our mission statement. We believe that literature is a transformative art, and that each book bears a responsibility to convey the essential experiences of the human heart and spirit.

MOST RECENT RELEASES

Driftless by David Rhodes

With Driftless, Rhodes returns to the midwestern landscape he knows so well, offering a fascinating, unsentimental portrait of a town left behind by the march of time. Home to a few hundred people yet absent from state maps, Words, Wisconsin, comes richly to life by way of an extraordinary cast of characters. Among them, a middle-aged couple guards the family farm from the mendacious schemes of their milk co-operative; a lifelong paraplegic suddenly regains the use of her legs, only to find herself crippled by fury at her sister and caretaker; a woman of conflicting impulses and pastor of the local Friends church stumbles upon an enlightenment she never expected; a cantankerous retiree discovers a cougar living in his haymow, haunting him like a childhood memory; and a former drifter forever alters the ties that bind a community together.

David Rhodes Bio

As a young man, David Rhodes worked in fields, hospitals, and factories across Iowa. After receiving an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop in 1971, he published three novels in rapid succession: The Last Fair Deal Going Down (Atlantic/Little, Brown, 1972), The Easter House (Harper & Row, 1974), and Rock Island Line (Harper & Row, 1975). A motorcycle accident in 1976 left him paralyzed from the waist down, since which time he continued writing but stopped publishing. He lives with his wife, Edna, in Wonewoc, Wisconsin.

Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles by Kira Henehan

Welcome to the off-kilter world of Finley, an investigator of indiscernible origins and prowess. Her assignment: the mysterious Professor Uppal and his puppets. The objective: impossible to say. But Finley is unassailable. She forges ahead with occasional assistance and hindrance from her colleagues Murphy, The Lamb, and Binelli, as well as the professor’s beautiful daughter and her sinister artiste boyfriend. In her meticulous and completely unbiased report, Finley tracks the investigation’s slow spiral back upon itself, as the clues she uncovers reveal questions that lead directly back to her own forgotten past.

Captivating and whimsical, idiosyncratic and deeply funny, Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles finds inspiration in hard-boiled noir and the tortured quest of an existential inquiry. This novel marks the debut of a powerful, original voice.

Kira Henehan Bio

Kira Henehan was born in New York and grew up around the U.S., Canada, and the Carribbean. Her work has been published in Fence, jubilat, Chelsea, Conjunctions, and the Denver Quarterly, among others. The recipient of a Pushcart Prize, Henehan is a graduate of San Francisco State University and Columbia University’s MFA program, Henehan lives in New York City. This is her first novel.

The Chain Letter of the Soul by Bill Holm

Collecting the best and the newest poems from Bill Holm’s oeuvre, The Chain Letter of the Soul paints a portrait of a man of great heart, broad vision, and startling prescience. Fans will recognize many of their favorites from Boxelder Bug Variations, The Dead Get By with Everything, and Playing the Black Piano, and new readers will be introduced to an enduring voice of American literature with collections

Poet, musician, wit, and polemicist—Bill Holm is one of a kind. A Minnesotan of Icelandic ancestry, his travels have taken him all over the world, providing material for his rich and memorable verse. Readers will discover Bill Holm’s eminent sensitivity to musical, natural, and personal truths won through keen poetic observation. Humanist, humble, and sometimes humorous, his work celebrates the waywardness and promise of the human species.

Bill Holm Bio

Born in 1943, Bill Holm studied English at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and the University of Kansas, where he earned his MA in English. His books include Eccentric Islands, The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth, Coming Home Crazy, The Windows of Brimnes, and poetry collections including, most recently, Playing the Black Piano. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including a Fulbright scholarship and the 2008 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award. An avid traveler, he regularly spent summers at his house on a North Iceland fjord in Hofsós, Iceland. He spent the rest of the year living in Minneota, Minnesota and teaching at Southwest Minnesota State University before passing away at the age of 65 in the spring of 2009.

Fancy Beasts by Alex Lemon

Scorching away the false distinctions between body, mind, and spirit, this exhilarating new collection of poems gives brilliant expression to the turning point in an extraordinary life. Set primarily in California, and riffing on the 2008 election, plastic surgery, Larry Craig, wildfires, Wal-Mart, and rampant commercialism, these poems are a workout—vigorous and raw. Yet they are also composed and controlled, pared down and sculpted, with a disarming narrative simplicity and directness. Taken together, they offer a frank, funny, and inimitably frenetic vision of post-millennial America.

Alex Lemon Bio

Alex Lemon is the author of the poetry collections Hallelujah Blackout, Mosquito, and the memoir Happy. His writing has appeared in numerous magazines, including Esquire, BOMB, and AGNI, jubilat, Kenyon Review, New England Review, and Pleiades. He was awarded a 2005 Literature Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts and a 2006 Minnesota Arts Board Grant. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and teaches at Texas Christian University.

UPCOMING RELEASES
-Vestments
-Extra Indians
-Nature of College
-Letters to a Young Madman
-The Hole in the Wall
-The Crepe Makers’ Bond

(Check out our online 2010 catalogue for more info on these upcoming releases)

WEBSITE and ORDERING

www.milkweed.org

Julie Kramer - Silencing Sam

Silencing Sam

by Julie Kramer

IN THIS TOWN, GOSSIP KILLS . . .
When a widely despised gossip columnist is found shot to death, Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. In the wake of the brutal murder, our heroine discovers that news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined. Trouble begins when Riley publicly clashes with newspaper gossip writer Sam Pierce, throwing a drink in his face after he implies in his popular column that she cheated on her husband. When clues to the homicide lead to her, Riley is charged with the crime. The police seem unwilling to look any further for perpetrators, although numerous local news- makers have reason for revenge—even a motive for killing.

Meanwhile, competition in the Channel 3 newsroom is just as murderous. While Riley struggles to interest her boss in a story about rural wind farm bombings and dead bats, a new reporter spikes the station ratings with exclusive stories about the headless homicide of an unknown woman whose decapitated body is found in a city park. Maybe murder isn’t such a bad idea after all? Riley must fight to stay out of jail, ahead in the ratings, and even alive in a killer showdown not fit for television audiences.

REVIEWS
"Readers will love this riveting, action-packing journey into television news investigations." -- (starred review) Library Journal

"This brisk mystery, in which homicide is leavened with deadpan humor, makes a worthy entry in a winning series." - Booklist

"Silencing Sam has a sexy protagonist, a sinister plot, and delivers another delightful read in this smart series." - Linda Fairstein

“A perfect summer vacation read." - RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

BIOGRAPHY
Julie Kramer is a freelance network news producer. She formerly ran WCCO-TV's nationally award-winning investigative unit in Minneapolis. Her debut thriller, STALKING SUSAN, won the Minnesota Book Award and the RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best First Mystery. It was also a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark, Anthony, Barry, and Shamus Awards. Her second book, MISSING MARK, was just nominated for a Daphne du Maurier Award. Kramer lives with her family in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

WEBSITE
www.juliekramerbooks.com

FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/julie.kramer?v=feed

PUBLISHER
Atria/Simon & Schuster

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
International Thriller Writers
Mystery Writers of America
Sisters in Crime
Investigative Reporters and Editors
Romance Writers of America/Kiss of Death Chapter

EVENTS
Saturday, July 3, 11 am
Nisswa, MN
Rainy Day Bookstore
25491 Main Street

Sunday, July 4, 10 am - noon
Park Rapids, MN
Beagle Books
112 3rd St. W.

Monday, July 5, noon - 2 pm
Duluth, MN
Northern Lights Books
307 Canal Park Drive

Monday, July 12, 7 pm
Wazyata, MN
The Bookcase
607 East. Lake Street

Tuesday, July 13, 6:30 pm
White Bear Lake, MN
White Bear Lake Library
4698 Clark Avenue

Monday, July 19, noon
Brainerd, MN
Brainerd Public Library
Brown Bag Lunch Series
416 South Fifth Street

Wednesday, July 21, 4:30 pm
Stillwater, MN
The Dock Cafe
Totally Criminal Cocktail Hour
www.valleybookseller.com
for reservations, call 651-430-3385
425 Nelson Street East

Saturday, August 7, 1 pm
Little Falls, MN
Author Tea Retreat at Historic Linden Hill
608 Highland Avenue

Tuesday, August 10, 5:30 pm
Minneapolis, MN
Raking Through Books
Kieran's Irish Pub
6th St. & 1st Avenue