Mary Ellen Barnes' Forged by Fire: The Devastation and Renewal of a Mountain Community was recently named one of the ten top Southwest Books of the Year 2005. A Tucson-Pima Public Library project supported by the Friends of the Library, this annual guide was initiated 29 years ago by Arizona Daily Star's book reviewer J. C. Martin. Panelists meet during the year to discuss books they have read and make their selections from more than 275 books, both fiction and nonfiction. For the first time, two of the books in the ten top list--Barnes' book and one other--were independently published.
Marylyn Chapman's short story was published in August issue of Good Old Days magazine. It recounts the work of a 1940's Midwestern thrashing day through the eyes of a ten year old at her grandparents' farm. Marylyn now spends summers in Stillwater, Minn. where she teaches memoir and creative writing short courses in a senior community.
Margaret Falk's new book, Dark Side of the Moon, published under her pen name J. Carson Black, is the second book in the Laura Cardinal mystery series, set in Tucson and other parts of Arizona. The first book in the series, Darkness on the Edge of Town, was a Doubleday Book Club selection and appeared on the Poisoned Pen Bookstore's Mass Market Paperback Besteller List for January 2005.
Her detective with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Laura Cardinal, troubleshoots homicides in small towns. When a young couple on their honeymoon is found shot to death in a campground in Williams, Arizona, the consequences go far beyond a simple murder investigation. Teamed with a partner she doesn't like and distracted by frequent appearances of her ghostly mentor, a dead homicide cop named Frank Entwistle, Laura is already walking an emotional tightrope. As she investigates this double homicide, Laura uncovers a chilling portrait of the dark side of love. And when she discovers one victim's ties to an underground organization called the Earth Warriors, she is plunged into a high-stakes conspiracy played out against the unforgiving backdrop of the Mojave Desert--where there are no second chances.
Two-time Edgar Award winning author T. Jefferson Parker hails J. Carson Black a "Strong new voice in American crime fiction."
To learn more, please go to www.jcarsonblack.com
Don Hausrath's "USLO Peking, Life at a Not Quite Embassy" appeared in the September issue of American Heritage. Capital Books, a Washington DC area publisher, published Weasel Words, the Dictionary of Doublespeak this December, written by Don and collaborator, Paul Wasserman. Details about the book can be found on Amazon.com. Paul and Don collaborated on Washington DC from A to Z also published by Capital Books and they have a contract from Capital Books for a book scheduled to come out next year on obscure travel destinations.
Myrtle Nord's article, "Hot Dog Ski Days," was recently published in the January 2006 issue of Good Old Days magazine. Myrtle has had more than a million words in print in the last 50 years. She has been writing poetry
since the age of four and is now an author, historian and editor. She is also a member of The Arizona Mystery Writers and a professional member of The National League of American Pen Women. Good Old Days is published by Dynamic Resource Group. DRG publishes 15 magazines in the quilting, sewing, knitting, crochet, crafts, beading, plastic canvas, woodworking, nostalgia and cooking fields. It is a third-generation privately owned family business.
(www.GoodOldDaysMagazine.com)
D. J Smith's first childrens picture book, Dr. Bird To The Rescue, has been published by Arizona Highways Book Division. It is a tale of the desert for 5-12 year olds about how the gila woodpecker can save a sick saguaro cactus. The book was honored with an official launch at Saguaro NP West in late November. It has already been praised for its story and outstanding illustrations by Kevin Kibsey.
D.J. is at home recovering from a triple bypass. He can be reached at djsmi32@cox.net
Lynn Wiese Sneyd, along with Audrey Ricker, Ph.D. and Robert E. Calmes, Ed.D. published How Happy Families Happen: Six Steps to Bringing Emotional & Spiritual Health into Your Home. Using more than thirty years of research, the authors identify characteristics of emotionally unhealthy households, including narcissism, neglect, and abusive behavior, and then share six simple steps that a family can use to create a healthier home. The six steps involve modeling; consistency; reinforcement; using empathy with rational reason; caring for animals, plants and things in the home; and caring for all people in the home. Also included are case histories, references to families in popular culture, and a self-test for rating the happiness in your home.
Connie Spittler won the top two prizes in the Maryland Biennial Literary Competition, 2005. Her short story, "The Consolation of Prayer," took the grand prize and her essay "Words" received the Grace Powers Hudson Award. Connie also captured highest honors for fiction and nonfiction in the 2005 Alabama Pen Women Writing Competition. She won first place for her short story "The Most Beautiful" and the top award for her essay "Cracking Open."
Barbara Jean Young's first book, Helping People with Disabilities Help Themselves: Promoting the I CAN Attitude, was published in both hardcover and paperback by Author House. If you are a person with a disability or know of someone who has one, this book will help them cope and succeed by using positive thinking. It shows different procedures and methods Barbara Jean utilized in her 34 years experience working with a variety of ages and disabilities. There is a special section after each chapter listing references for people who want to learn more.