Starvelings - S. D. Hintz

Starvelings

by S. D. Hintz

Looking for inspiration, New York Times Bestselling author Pratt Paget moves his family away from the city. Their new home seems peaceful, a breath of fresh air.

Then their Golden Retriever disappears.

And 12-year-old Parker is convinced something in the abandoned barn beyond the grove took her.

As the sun sets, the bloodthirsty stalk the land. And the Pagets soon find themselves fighting for their lives.

Readers beware!
Lock your doors and close the curtains before you brave this novella of nightmares.  
BIOGRAPHY

S.D. Hintz is a published author and CEO/Editor-in-Chief of KHP Publishers, Inc. He also produces book trailers in his spare time. He currently resides in Minnesota with his wife and two children.

WEBSITES

Author page: http://sdhintz.com

PURCHASE
Amazon


OTHER WORKS

• Blood Orchard
• A Sea of Alone: Poems for Alfred Hitchcock
• Death in Common: Poems from Unlikely Victims

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

Father Tierney Stumbles - John Shekleton

Father Tierney Stumbles

by John Shekleton

In the blink of an eye, everything has changed for Father Joe Tierney. He feels trapped. He needs to get away-far away. Dressed in disguise, he opens the door of the STD clinic and runs until his sides hurt and he is gasping for air. Father Tierney, activist pastor of a large Catholic parish and closeted gay man, has just learned he is HIV positive. 

As if the diagnosis were not enough, a big city newspaper has just published an exposé on Catholic priests with AIDS. Father Tierney must guard his secret with his life or become the victim of a witch hunt, or worse yet, a public scandal of monumental proportions. Desperate to confide in someone, Father Tierney finally reveals his secret to Pascal LaVigne, his openly gay friend. But when Pascal hears from his ex-boyfriend, a freelance writer who wants to write a similar story with a local angle, Father Tierney and others in the Catholic Church fear the worst. 

As guilt, shame, and a desperate struggle for redemption plays out in the lives of clergy, friends, and the media, Father Tierney struggles to keep a secret that has the potential to destroy everything-including his own soul.

BIOGRAPHY

John Shekleton is a former Jesuit of the Wisconsin Province who has spent years writing fiction set in a contemporary Catholic setting.

Two of his essays have appeared in Commonweal magazine. For several years he wrote for the magazine of the Basilica of St Mary in Minneapolis and for Equal Times, a Twin Cities GLBT newspaper.

WEBSITES

Author page: http://www.johnshekletonauthor.com/

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


OTHER WORKS

• A Jesuit Tale

PUBLISHER
iUniverse: http://www.iuniverse.com/

Rudy O'Tooty - Stacy Waibel

Rudy O'Tooty

by Stacy Raye Waibel

The latest offering in the Rudy's Little World series finds our little friend at an Irish Fair.  This beautifully illustrated book features the sights and sounds of a grand celebration!  It includes a song written just for Rudy.

BIOGRAPHY

Stacy Raye Waibel is the creator of Rudy’s Little World.  Type I diabetes caused her to go blind.  She has experienced kidney dialysis and three transplants (1 pancreas - 2 kidney).  The pancreas transplant cured her diabetes.  On July 16, 2009, Stacy received a life saving kidney from her husband Wayne.

She started writing about Rudy and his little world in 2005.  Stacy shares her stories with groups, mainly children.  Using her books, subjects are more understandable and less scary.

WEBSITE

Author page: http://www.RudysLittleWorld.com
Blog: http://www.rudyslittle.blogspot.com
Video: http://youtu.be/PF973PvMlAc 

REVIEW

"As a children’s librarian and storyteller, I’m always on the lookout for picture books which tell well for my preschool storytimes.  I was so pleased with Stacy Raye Waibel’s newest book, Rudy O’Tooty.  The story sprightly tells of little poodle Rudy’s trip with his “parents” to the local Irish Fair, and his jolly time with all the dancing and celebration of Irish heritage.  Michelle Gruebele’s lively and festive artwork matches little Rudy’s exuberant tale of this memorable day.  It fit perfectly with a green-themed storytime, invoking the merry mood of St. Patrick’s Day.  Needless to say, it comes highly recommended!"
David Coward, Librarian
Wescott branch, Dakota County Library

PURCHASE 

www.RudysLittleWorld.com - PayPal purchase buttons on the home page


PUBLISHER

Purple Cow Press

UPCOMING SIGNING

• June 26, 2012 @ 10:30am - Farmington Library

OTHER WORKS

• Rudy Gets A Transplant
• Rudy's Check Up
• What's On My Nose? 
• Rudy's Incredible Kidney Machine

Review: Cul de Sac by Scott Wrobel

Bottom line: Great read for those looking for realistic characters, warts and all.

Scott Wrobel's debut is a series of short stories about men linked by a common thread: not just the fact they live in the same cul de sac, but also their struggles with depression and unfortunate life events.

These stories are character-driven and show the sometimes harsh realities that men commonly deal with. Also, this is definitely a book for adults--it concerns adults in adult situations.

Likes:
* The characters feel like real men: those struggling with identity in a world that's rarely fair. Wrobel pulls no punches in showing us these men's dark sides.
* Each story is the perfect length for a bedtime read.

Things that may concern some readers:
* These stories are a study in character. Many of the stories are left unresolved, which allows the reader to make his or her own conclusions.
* The stories sometimes include sexual deviancy--the most vivid of which involves a jar of mayonnaise.
* The characters aren't shining heroes. In fact they're mostly the opposite--the dark side of life.

I look forward to seeing Scott's next literary work(hopefully soon!)

Purchase link:

Sundogs: Journey to the Great Windmill - Kay Elliot and Barb Bjornson

Sundogs: Journey to the Great Windmill

by Kay Elliott, illustrated by Barb Björnson

When there's a special dog in your life, oftentimes it feels so right that it’s like they chose you.

Sundogs: Journey to the Great Windmill brings dogs to life in a way like never before, taking the reader on a journey to Planet of the Sundogs where every dog’s unique personality shines through the vibrant color of their fur. Based on the bright spots of light in the sky called sundogs, author Kay Elliott imagines a magical place where dogs play freely, but dream of riding the Great Windmill to their perfect homes. Join SuSu, Yogi, Harley, Bo, Zeke, and Juno as they search for the Great Windmill and are sent to Earth to “love and be loved beyond their wildest sundog dreams.

AUTHOR'S BIOGRAPHY

If you find Kay Elliott daydreaming, she is walking with her dogs on a sunny beach somewhere! She appreciates all things colorful, and relaxes by knitting and reading. Retired after thirty years of traveling as a flight attendant, she is most happy at home with her dogs, Zeke and Juno. She and her husband, Pat, have raised three children and five dogs in Richfield, Minnesota. Sundogs: Journey to the Great Windmill is her first book.





ILLUSTRATOR'S BIOGRAPHY 

Barb Björnson is a published illustrator living in New Brighton, Minnesota. She loves creating characters that come alive on the page as was the case with Sundogs: Journey to the Great Windmill. Barb recently became a grandmother and can’t wait to introduce the arts to her new grandson (he already loves books). More of her work can be viewed at http://www.barbbjornson.com.

Barb Björnson has illustrated several children’s books through Tristan Publishing, Lerner Publishing, Teach Me Tapes, Compass Publishing and Beaver’s Pond Press.

WEBSITES
Author page: http://www.kdelliott.com
Illustrator page: http://www.barbbjornson.com
Illustrator blog: http://www.barbsdailydoodles.blogspot.com

UPCOMING EVENT

Dog Days of Stockholm
Saturday August 4, 2012
Stockholm, WI

Booksigning with author Kay Elliott and illustrator Barb Björnson

PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Beaver's Pond Press, and wherever books are sold.


PUBLISHER
Beaver's Pond Press