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)

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

Minnesota's Own Calendars - Sharon Mazurek

Minnesota's Own Calendars


by Sharon Mazurek

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

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

 

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

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

BIOGRAPHY

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

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

WEBSITE
http://www.mncalendars.com/

PURCHASE

• Amazon 
• http://www.mncalendars.com/
  

PUBLISHER
MAZ Creative, LLC

They Stood Alone! - Sandra McLeod Humphrey

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

by Sandra McLeod Humphrey

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

BIOGRAPHY

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

Why Sandra wrote this book:

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

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

WEBSITE

http://www.kidscandoit.com

BLOG

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

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble

PUBLISHER

Prometheus Books

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

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

ABBREVIATED LIST OF AWARDS

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