Eileen Halvorson - The Color of Light

The Color of Light

by Eileen Halvorson

James A. Rock & Co., Publishers – Aonian Press Imprint

ISBN-10: 1-59663-687-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-59663-687-3



The Color of Light envelops the reader into a dreamlike yet real world where words can taste like lemon drops and a black veil transforms into a dead body hanging from a tree. For the main character, Sarah Vines, truth is not black and white. The plot follows her search for family, romance, dreams, and the truth, which reveals a maze of secrets in this fictional paranormal suspense.

Sarah Vines has synesthesia, a condition that creates the marriage of unrelated sensations. It’s different for each person who has it, but for Sarah, sound can be heard, felt, and seen in a wide range of colors. Shrill sounds, like a beeper, create blinding red lightning bolts that flash in front of her. Odors can be amazing, evoking shapes or textures. Spearmint is sticky, yet yielding and lopsided, like a ball of dough. Words are best of all. They come as tastes usually, with seeping flavors and pigments she can touch.

But then there are the things that Sarah cannot explain by her condition. Just thinking of her missing brother evokes a torrential rain, a God-sized pitcher of frigid water pouring over her, just like the cloudburst on the day he disappeared. The visions are even worse—the black veil that shifts ever so slightly in the air and transforms into a chiffon dress fluttering in the wind...and a woman hanging from a tree.

Hidden in her family's abandoned farm buildings are decisions you can't take back and want to bury as deep as the soil allows. Sarah's merged senses, dream-like visions, and uncanny intuition guide her search for the truth, opening a Pandora's Box of secrets. The truth, a spectrum of light, guides Sarah to follow her dreams and pursue the path of forgiveness.

BIOGRAPHY
Eileen Halvorson was born in 1957 and grew up on a small farm in Glenwood, Minnesota. After earning a BS in English, speech and theater, she taught English, speech, and acting and then obtained an MBA. Pursing her ongoing love of learning, she also completed writing courses through The Loft Literary Center, The Playwrights' Center, Hamline University, and the University of Minnesota. Halvorson has been an assistant editor and authored articles in addition to writing and directing plays.

She lives in west central Minnesota on Lake Minnewaska, the setting for The Color of Light and inspiration for the book’s cover, which was designed
by Halvorson. Her own experiences and dreams inspired this story, including learning how to dream in color, instead of black and white.

WEBSITE
www.pagodamoon.com

PURCHASE
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
James A. Rock & Co., Publishers

Tristan Publishing

TRISTAN PUBLISHING

2355 Louisiana Avenue North
Golden Valley, MN 55427

Owners Brett and Sheila Waldman

Our entire mission at TRISTAN is centered around touching lives...and having fun while we make a difference!

All of our titles are books with a message that inspire, uplift and bring hope.

HOW TRISTAN PUBLISHING CAME TO BE:
Deep Roots in Publishing-Brett Waldman, Founder and Publisher

I had the rare opportunity to actually grow up in the book industry, my Dad (Ned Waldman) and Uncle (Norton Stillman) founded The Bookmen in 1962. You can definitely say that the romance and love for books resides deep within me. Over the years I worked my way up from packing and stickering to the role of President and co-owner, stopping to work and understand each and every job we held at our operation. At The Bookmen we had 130 people on our team, carried 40,000+ titles and were proud to be the dominant wholesale book distributor in the upper Midwest as well as one of the most respected forces within the library and school marketplace nationally. When I started at The Bookmen, I also started working at Waldman House Press, where I was able to watch my Dad and his team pioneer so many elements of what it means to be different and stand out and thereby accomplish unusual success. My understanding of the business has been cultivated not only from observing and doing at Waldman House, but also having the opportunity to observe and work with over 2000 publishers at The Bookmen.

In 2002 I started my own publishing house, TRISTAN Publishing. About a year later, with the support of a bank, I purchased Waldman House Press from my dad. We have been building and growing since that time. While each year has been incredible, 2008 was truly a milestone year for us when my wife Sheila left corporate America to join me at TRISTAN!

Passionate about Books.Our goal at TRISTAN is to publish books of extraordinary quality with a message, books that make a difference in your life…books that touch your heart. It is with great passion that we build TRISTAN, one book at a time, never losing sight of our goal.



NEW RELEASES
heart on my sleeve


Written and Illustrated by Jodi Hills

Times change, people change and lives change, just as sure as styles change. Jodi Hills encourages readers to let go of the “what was” and the “what could be” and to embrace the beauty of what is today. Written for anyone who has looked into their closet and exclaimed “I have nothing to wear!”


Everything Happens For A Reason

By Warren Hanson

A message encouraging readers to celebrate both the hoped for and unexpected events, whatever they may be. This book is for anyone who has asked the question “Why?” and who boldly looks with hope and confidence to the future knowing everything really does happen for a reason.



TRISTAN PUBLISHING’S MINNESOTA AUTHORS
Author Tom Hegg –A Cup of Christmas Tea, A Memory of Christmas Tea, PEEF The Christmas Bear, A Silent Night for PEEF and two other PEEF stories, When We Are Free, Up to the Lake, The Mark of the Maker

Author and Artist Jodi Hills – I am Amazed, Believe, Slap on A Little Lipstick, Hope-so Too, I’m not too busy, an imperfect life and heart on my sleeve

Author Rick Kupchella – Tell Me What We Did Today and Girls Can

Author Ron Schara – Ron Schara’s Minnesota Fishing Guide and Ron Schara’s Minnesota Bound

Author Dick Jorgenson – Reading with Dad

Artist Marilyn Brown – The Station and Girls Can

Artist Barb Bjornson – Hope-so Too

Artist Steve Harmon – Just One Day

Artist and Author Warren Hanson - Warren recently moved from St. Paul to Houston Texas. We have worked with Warren for 20 years while he lived in Minnesota. Our works with him include –Artist: A Cup of Christmas Tea, A Memory of Christmas Tea, PEEF The Christmas Bear, A Silent Night for PEEF and two other PEEF stories, Up to the Lake, The Mark of the Maker, Tell Me What We Did Today, Reading With Dad. Warren was the author and artist for the following TRISTAN Titles: The Next Place, Paw Prints in the Stars, Beginning, Older Love, Raising You Alone and Kiki’s Hats

We have three new Minnesota talents who will be working with us in 2010 as well!

VICE PAW
We have a VP (Vice Paw) of editing…our two year old Shiz-Poo. His name is Bugatti Tristan Waldman and he comes to the office and puts in a full day every day!

IMPRINTS
Waldman House Press
TRISTAN Outdoors
TRISTAN Publishing

WEBSITE
www.tristanpublishing.com

FACEBOOK
TRISTAN Publishing...books with a message

ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS ARTICLE LINK
http://www.tristanpublishing.com/news/pp_beginning.asp

VIDEO LINK
http://www.tristanpublishing.com/video-player.asp

Alex Liuzzi - The Center of the Universe

The Center of the Universe

by Alex Liuzzi

ISBN: 1448640563

CreateSpace



Something is not right in your world. You are fairly certain it has nothing to do with your blindly up-beat existence. Instead, your twenty-four-year-old mind is convinced a conspiracy is afoot: a conspiracy that will lead you to a foreign land. You may uncover family secrets. You may thwart international terrorists. You will lose your hearing, discover love, rearrange your concept of religion, and chance upon a chicken – all while hoping to unearth the meaning of existence. It will require the help of your sisters and a possible spy, but you think these adventures will bring order to your life, and perhaps, if you are lucky, guide you to the center of the universe. Good luck.

This quirky second-person narrative brings the reader on an adventure into the mind of a young man who is struggling to understand the world and his own place in it. Despite a tendency away from awareness, this young man finds himself on a journey that may help him grow up, possibly mature, and finally come of age. The Center of the Universe is a bold first novel that provides a humorous exploration of survival as it dissects the mind and the process of living.

BIOGRAPHY
Alex Liuzzi currently teaches middle school during the day and graduate school professor at night. He has two children who rule the rest of his time. He manages to squeeze in a few enjoyments such as biking and swimming. And every final spare moment is used up writing! He has written many first drafts of novels, but this is the first he has taken through the arduous editing process and up through publication.

BLOG
http://liuzziwrites.blogspot.com

Christina Rodriguez - Illustrator

Baseball on Mars / Beisbol En Marte

Illustrations by Christina Rodriguez

Publisher: Arte Publico

Creating the illustrations for Baseball on Mars / Beisbol En Marte (released this month from Piñata Books) was quite the fun experience! Stylistically, it was a bit of a departure from my “comfort zone” of simplified realism. To match the exaggerated, zany feel of the story, and solidify the theme of embracing one’s imagination, I employed a more carefree approach to my traditional painting technique.

Enhancing my usual painting medium (a mixture of watercolors, watercolor pencils, and gouache) with salt helped me achieve an otherworldly, outer space effect for many of the illustrations in the book. While the paper was still wet with a dark color wash, I sprinkled salt over the painting. The salt absorbed some of the paint while the paper dried, and dusting off the salt afterwards revealed little “starbursts” of lighter color underneath. This technique was very useful in different textures and outer space-inspired effects. The process can be repeated (albeit to lessening degrees of efficacy), or washes of color can be applied on top to subdue the effect.

This is a pretty well-known technique, but it’s definitely worth further exploration. I certainly enjoyed what simple table salt brought to my illustrations!

BIOGRAPHY
Born to multicultural parents overseas, Christina Rodriguez grew up as a military “brat” and loved to read, draw, and paint. A good book and her art supplies were always on hand as she relocated from place to place. Later, Christina won scholarships to the Rhode Island School of Design where she graduated in 2003.

Currently, Christina lives and works out of a renovated church in historic Stillwater, Minnesota. She still loves to read, draw, and paint. Newly released picture books featuring her illustrations include The Antarctic Express, The Wishing Tree, and Storm Codes with Minnesotan publishers, as well as the bilingual picture books Baseball on Mars / Beisbol En Marte, Somos Primos / We Are Cousins, Un dia con mis tias / A Day with my Aunts, and Mayte and the Bogeyman / Mayte y el Cuco. Her award-winning work has been recognized by the Midwest Booksellers Association, Foreword Magazine, the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards, and the Mom's Choice Awards.


When not illustrating or meeting delightful young readers during school visits, Christina serves as a coordinator with the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. In her spare time, she loves cooking, hula-hooping, and hiking along the St. Croix River with her husband and dog.

WEBSITE
www.christinarodriguez.com

BLOG
http://christinaerodriguez.blogspot.com/

Laura Breck - Secret Vegas Lives

FREE GOODIE BAG!
Laura will offer a free GOODIE BAG to one name drawn from those who leave comments on Laura's feature on Reading Minnesota!


SECRET VEGAS LIVES

by Laura Breck

Red Rose Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-60435-201-6

Mistaken for a blackmailer, socialite Valerie Kane will do anything to keep sexy Italian crime writer Antonio Daniato from publicly exposing her, and Antonio is very interested in seeing how far Valerie will go to protect her reputation.

Bestselling author Antonio Daniato sets a trap to capture his blackmailers, and is surprised when psychologist Valerie Kane stumbles into his arms. She swears she's not involved, but he threatens to expose her unless she reveals her accomplice. When she bares her soul to prove her innocence, Antonio is fascinated, but shaken by the intensity of his desire for her.

Surrendering to temptation, Valerie risks her reputation to let Antonio into her life. But she uncovers evidence that he's staging the blackmail scenes as research for his next book. When she confronts him, it's his turn to convince her of his innocence.

Their outrageous sexual attraction keeps them in each other's arms, but mutual distrust prevents them from admitting deeper emotions. When the true blackmailer threatens to reveal Antonio's double life, Antonio yields to guilt and lets Valerie go.

But Valerie discovers his secret, and will fight for Antonio against an addiction whose hold on him may be stronger than their love.

BIOGRAPHY
I’ve been writing since the ‘80s, but I’ve just become serious about it in the last few years. I lived in Las Vegas for three years, love the unique culture, and challenges of Sin City.

One of the primary goals of my writing is to give readers a world into which they can escape the stress of life. And a fun read for lounging on the beach or cuddling up with a blanket and a cup of tea. ~Smart Women ~Sexy Men ~Seductive Romance.

Another goal is to make a difference in the world. That is why each of my books will sponsor a community program, and a percentage of my proceeds will be donated to that organization.

I live in Saint Paul, Minnesota with my family, and although I work a full-time job as a financial analyst for a professional sports team, I write every evening and weekend. I hope to be a full-time writer one day soon, and I take classes in every aspect of writing, marketing, and publishing. I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, Midwest Fiction Writers, Wisconsin Romance Writers of America, and Elements of RWA.

OF SPECIAL NOTE
I write a sensual romance with a touch of mystery. I am in a truly wonderful, loving, long-term relationship, and I share my domestic happiness through my characters, who emotionally commit to each other before they begin a physical connection. My goal is to let readers know that love, in monogamous relationships, can be fun and spicy!


WEBSITE
www.LauraBreck.com

BLOG
http://RosesOfProse.blogspot.com




Great news! A portion of the proceeds from my book Secret Vegas Lives will be donated to The Shade Tree Shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada, a shelter for women, children and their pets.