Down In It by Eric Chandler

Down In It

by Eric Chandler

A pilot ejects from his F-16 while flying in combat. Follow Doug “Hoser” Mackenzie as he struggles to evade capture and survive in the mountains of Afghanistan.






BIOGRAPHY

Eric Chandler has written for Flying Magazine, Silent Sports Magazine, Northern Wilds, Minnesota Flyer, and Lake Country Journal, to name a few. Literary journals like The Talking Stick and Sleetmagazine.com have published his fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. He's a member of Lake Superior Writers.

He's also an Air Force veteran with twenty years of experience flying the F-16. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He enjoys cross country ski racing and marathon running. He lives with his wife and two children in Duluth, Minnesota.

RELATED WEBSITES

Eric's blog: http://ericchandler.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShmoF16
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shmochandler/

PURCHASE

Amazon
Smashwords

OTHER BOOKS

Outside Duluth

Eye of the Wolf - Marie Zhuikov

Eye of the Wolf

by Marie Zhuikov

Wolves have lived on Isle Royale for over half a century. But, because they have lived in isolation on the island national park surrounded by Lake Superior for so long, their genetic diversity has suffered. It's gotten so bad that pups are stillborn. In other words, the wolves of Isle Royale are slowly dying out.

The alpha wolves of the island's largest pack have decided to do something about it. They know what will save their pack -- they must escape from the island, mix their blood with other wolves -- and the only way to do this is by boat. Of course, wolves can't run boats. People can, though. How can the wolves communicate this to the humans? The alphas know a way, and lure key humans into supernatural bondage as werewolves.

All of this doesn't take into account that Isle Royale is replete with scientists and volunteers studying the island ecology, friends of the people turned to werewolves who are searching for them, odd boat schedules, the pack's own internal power dynamics, vagaries of wind and weather, and myriad other problems causing the balance between survival and extinction to teeter back and forth. Will the wolves escape? Will they survive?


BIOGRAPHY

Marie Zhuikov spent two memorable college summers as a waitress on Isle Royale National Park, which alerted her to the plight of the wolves. An award-winning writer specializing in environmental and medical topics, she has published hundreds of articles and publications, many about her beloved Lake Superior. Marie’s poems have appeared in several anthologies and community projects. She lives in Duluth, Minn.

UPCOMING READINGS

• Barnes and Noble in Duluth on January 28 (time to be determined)

WEBSITE
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eye-of-the-Wolf/106576686113839

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


PUBLISHER
North Star Press of St. Cloud

Birdie - by Candace Simar

Birdie

by

Candace Simar

Birdie, Book 3 of the Abercrombie Trail Series by Candace Simar, was released by North Star Press in May 2011.  Birdie continues the story of Evan and Inga Jacobson from Abercrombie Trail, eleven years after the 1862 Sioux Uprising.  They struggle to raise their family in the midst of bank failures, grasshoppers and lingering effects of the Indian war.  Harsh economic realities force them to relocate to Otter Tail County where they must begin again in a hostile environment.  It also continues the story of Pomme de Terre’s Ragna Larson, their foster daughter, who grows up haunted by her missing sister, Birdie.  Though both girls were kidnapped by the Sioux during the Uprising, only one returned.  Ragna must make peace with the past before she can move forward with her life.  Evan and Inga must do the same.

BIOGRAPHY

Candace Simar, a life-long Minnesotan and the granddaughter of immigrants, writes historical fiction about Scandinavian immigrants in 1860s Minnesota. Her historical novels Abercrombie Trail and Pomme de Terre are applauded by readers of all ages.  She is a member of Brainerd Writer’s Alliance, Bards of a Feather, The Loft Literary Center and Western Writers of America. She is a grateful recipient of Five Wings Arts Grants through the McKnight Foundation. 

PURCHASE

http://ourbooks.myshopify.com/products/birdie

Even In Stillness There is Rhythm

by Deborah Krider

After the death of her mother, 22-year-old Julie Silvers grapples with the unfairness and anger at a life taken too soon. A forced vacation from her boss brings her to Minnesota where she spends the summer healing. There she meets Johnny Salinas. No stranger to death, he lost his parents four years earlier in a senseless automobile crash. With time, strength and courage, Johnny and his kid brother overcome their grief. Julie leans on and learns from the brothers and as the summer unfolds, she mends and falls in love with Johnny. Their relationship intensifies, but it’s a fire Johnny’s jealous ex-girlfriend, Teresa, is determined to extinguish. Even In Stillness There is Rhythm is a tender story about friendship, love, and making peace with the past.

BIOGRAPHY
Deborah Krider was born and raised in Minneapolis. Interested in people and what makes them tick, she uses her observations to shape the characters in her stories, bringing them to life and making them relatable and likeable. She enjoys writing drama fiction as well as horror and suspense. In the summer she spends time at her cabin in central Minnesota with her dog, Scully. Even In Stillness There is Rhythm is her first novel. Free short stories are available at Smashwords.com – see link below

WEBSITE
http://www.deborahkrider.com/ http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dkkrider

PURCHASE
Amazon.com

PUBLISHER
Mill City Press

The Many Lives of Inez Wick - Aaron Wilson

The Many Lives of Inez Wick

by Aaron M. Wilson

The Many Lives of Inez Wick is a collection of seven linked fiction stories that focus on the sometimes eco-heroine, Inez Wick, as she treads the underbelly of domestic terrorism, occasionally blowing up resource exploiters and pouters.

The red LCD display quickly counts down. There is no time to waste. The polluting, resource-degrading plant is set to explode. Eco-heroine Inez Wick has only minutes to escape.

As she traverses the dark recesses of the dirty plant, she flashes back to a younger self, sixteen. Her father had just died in an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, and she had just broken up with her boyfriend. She remembers oily ocean water and flames, her footprints in the sand filling with black water. Flames were chasing her. They were jumping from one oily footprint to the next, up the beach after her. Snapping back to the present, she must get out of the plant. The exploits of Inez Wick could not end, just now. Too many others needed to pay.

"As our world continues its slow crumble, Wilson soldiers on, writing with a clear eye and strong voice. The Many Lives of Inez Wick entertains and, more importantly, gives cause for reflection." -- David Oppegaard, author of The Suicide Collectors & Wormwood, Nevada

"Aaron M. Wilson, with his easy to read prose, writes the kinds of dark short stories that get you caught up in the characters lives, and investing in outcomes. His stories are about now, about current topics crowding the headlines, and he's not afraid to investigate the issues of the day, darkness and all!" -- Alexandra Wolfe, editor, writer, creator of The Hive Mind

"Wilson's perfectly plotted stories engross their readers in a world where environmental concerns are paramount. His characters are unafraid to fight for their ideals, and yet they retain a humanity that allows readers to identify with them, which illustrates his penchant for carefully crafted fiction." -- Darci Schummer, author and poet

"Thoughtful, insightful, and intuitive: readers will share in a book that decodes the human condition." -- Hunter Liguore, author of The Forsakens & the editor of The Last Man Anthology

"A narrative that careens through space & time, The Many Lives of Inez Wick brings us serious environmental issues in a swirl of hard-bitten fragments—Edward Abbey meets Quentin Tarantino." -- John Hayes, author of The Spring Ghazals

"Wilson has a way of writing that lets him transparently share his passion for environmentalism while entertaining us with a vivid plot and this collection of shorts displays his talent marvelously." -- M. Chase Whittemore, editor of Evolve Journal

BIOGRAPHY
Aaron M. Wilson was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned his M.F.A. in Writing from Hamline University located in St.Paul, MN.

He writes about books, stories, movies, and his experiences as an adjunct instructor of English, Literature, and Environmental Science on his blog: Soulless Machine. He also regularly updates Twitter @SoullessMachine.

His fiction has appeared in eFiction Magazine: The Premier Internet Fiction Magazine, Evolve Journal, Pow Fast Flash Fiction, The Hive Mind, Eclectic Flash, Twin Cities: Cifiscape Vol. I, Girls with Guns Anthology, and The Last Man Anthology – also featuring stories from Barry N. Malzberg, C.J Cherryh, and Ray Bradbury.

WEBSITE
http://www.soullessmachine.com/p/many-lives-of-inez-wick.html

BLOG
http://www.soullessmachine.com

TWITTER
http://twitter.com/SoullessMachine

PUBLISHER
Everything Feeds Process Press
http://everythingfeedsprocess.com/

PURCHASE
Print - http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-many-lives-of-inez-wick/14959535
eBook - http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/the-many-lives-of-inez-wick/14959536

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.

A HIGHER COURT -John Betcher

A HIGHER COURT

by John L. Betcher

My name is William Kensey. I have a wife and two great kids. Until very recently, I was a well-respected and financially successful trial attorney.

I was also a man who was comfortable with his religion. I preferred it served at arm's length from the pulpit on Sunday morning. And would rather not discuss it the rest of the week.

The circumstances that led me to write A HIGHER COURT changed all that. The entire experience was both bizarre and unavoidable. You see, I was summoned to serve as a juror in an improbable trial -- a trial to determine whether God exists.

I know.

You think that sounds ludicrous. I did, too . . . until the trial began.

Witnesses buried me under mountains of scientific evidence. My own eyes forced me to confront
the reality of extreme human suffering. God seemed less and less relevant -- even absent -- as the trial progressed.

At the close of the trial, I had to render my verdict -- "God" or "No God." Affirm a new and
deeper faith in a Creator, or confess the triumph of science.

A HIGHER COURT is the story of how I discovered the ultimate truth. I invite you to join me in
this revelation. You won't be sorry.


BIOGRAPHY
John Betcher 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.

Mr. Betcher has published three feature articles in COACHING VOLLEYBALL, the Journal of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. His most recent article was the cover story for the April/May, 2009 Issue. His book on volleyball coaching philosophies entitled THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF VOLLEYBALL COACHING, Insights From the Trenches, has been selling nationwide and is currently available at Amazon.com.

His thriller, The 19th Element, and its companion, a mystery/suspense novel, The Missing
Element, have both been featured in multiple print media and have been met with widespread
critical acclaim.

His blog at Self-Publishing Central has been selected to receive the 2010 Top Publishing Blog
Award from Online English Degree.

CONTACT
betcherjl@q.com

WEBSITE
http://www.johnbetcher.com/

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

Rita Kuehn writes a beautiful story of courage and triumph

PERIPHERAL VIEW
by: Rita Kuehn

ISNB: 978-1-934938-34-8

BOOK SIGNING: Saturday, August 15, HarMar Barnes and Noble

Pearl and Sonny are in love and are determined to get married, which shouldn’t be an impossible endeavor for two single, employed adults. But Pearl and Sonny have obstacles. Despite her intelligence and obvious capacity for self-sufficiency, Pearl has lived in a healthcare facility her entire adult life because of the epilepsy she’s had since childhood. And Sonny lives life in a slower and simpler realm. People wonder if he can take care of himself, let alone Pearl.

However, with the help of a nurse who isn’t afraid to take some chances, a perceptive social worker, and Pearl’s loving, long-lost niece, Sonny and Pearl seem to be on the road to a wedding and a life of their own. Unfortunately, some people with selfish interests are hiding in the shadows and are determined to keep Sonny and Pearl separate—and Pearl in the healthcare facility. As friendships form and strengthen, Pearl uses her wit and knowledge to help others see beyond a peripheral view.

BIOGRAPHY

Even as a young girl, it was apparent that writing was a gift. Rita’s second grade teacher told her Mom, that Rita was destined to be a writer. As a girl, she spent much of her time journaling, or writing poetry and song lyrics.

She attended the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, earning degrees in communications and business administration. In 2000, Rita traveled to Kazakhstan to adopt her daughter, Lexa. Along with her gift of writing, Rita is known for her ability to see the big picture as well as the details and nuances of a situation. Mixing those skills with what her editor says is Rita’s knack for penning beautifully descriptive passages, developing multi-dimensional characters, and commanding smooth transitions between scenes and chapters, makes a powerful combination of writing talent.

Rita currently lives along the Mighty Mississippi River in Champlin, MN with her husband and daughter. She is at work on her next novel.

Rita's Blog: http://www.ritakuehnsblog.com/

To Order: http://www.itascabooks.com/