Category: Member Book News

#ReadLocalKS : One Match Fire & Parent Imperfect, by Paul Lamb

9/6/2024

Member Gretchen Eick (Wichita) shares a current Kansas read by Paul Lamb (Overland Park).

Paul Lamb (Lamble) is a Kansas author from Overland Park with two wonderful novels that are part of a series. ONE-MATCH FIRE is about a young working class family raising a son amidst from the wife's better off parents. It is about a father's love that begins with setting aside his dreams to marry the girl he loves and raisetheir surprise baby despite constant struggle. A cabin in the Ozarks built by his father is his lodestone and the place he was taught to be a person of integrity and a good man.

Their son is different from his father and critical of him as he charts his own path and becomes a doctor. David Clarke's and his wife navigate learning that their son and the cabin is their haven as they learn about each other as adults. A beautiful, moving story.

Book 2 PARENT IMPERFECT is the story of son Curt and his partner Kelly and the child they eventually adopt. It continues the saga of family connection despite differences and readers are intrigued to see how Curt comes to appreciate both his child and his father. The story is moving and readers will care deeply about this family and whether it will survive. The child Curt and Kelly adopt is "on the spectrum" and unusual but very creative. Type A Curt has a lot of growing to do. Lamb's ending is gripping and powerful.

Both novels are available at bluecedarpress.com or from your favorite book supplier. (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, WalMart online) both paperback and ebook format. Remember that authors benefit more when you buy from indie presses directly. $20 each

--Gretchen Cassel Eick, author of Finding Duncan,
The Set Up: 1984, They Met at Wounded Knee,
Dissent in Wichita, Where is Ana Amara?,
Maybe Crossings, & Dark Crossings

What are you reading? Help us lift and share the good news about Kansas literature. Tag your book loves and reviews on social media with #ReadLocalKS and submit here to be posted on the Kansas Authors Club website.

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#ReadLocalKS : Clocked Out: A Josie Posey Mystery by Anna St. John

9/1/2024

Member Tracy Million Simmons, Emporia, writes about her latest Kansas read, Clocked Out by member Anna St. John, Haysville.

Clocked Out is the second book in the Josie Posey Mystery series by Anna St. John. I had every intention of reading Doomed by Blooms, the first book of the series (a 2024 Kansas Notable title!) but I was shopping at Watermark in Wichita and this one, a signed copy, was on the shelf, so I grabbed it!

This is a cozy mystery, and the protagonist is very much the type of person I admire and can relate to. She's a journalist, retired from her big city job and now living in a small town in the great state of Kansas. As much as figuring out the mystery, watching Josie put her skills to work for the local police department when a talented young clock maker dies, I really enjoyed learning about the art of making clocks! Horology is a subject I had not spent a lot of time contemplating before this book. I love when a good read includes some educational bonus material.

I appreciated Josie's friends, her relationship with the police chief, and the fact that's she's got a blossoming love interest. This is a very enjoyable book and I look forward to seeing what else is in store for Josie in future editions.

--Tracy Million Simmons, Emporia,
author of Tiger Hunting, a novel,
and A Life In Progress and Other Short Stories.

Visit Anna St. John's Website

#ReadLocalKS : The Wasp Queen by Julie Stielstra

8/30/2024

Michael D. Graves, member from Emporia, shares about his current Kansas read, The Wasp Queen, by Julie Stielstra, member from Ellinwood.

The Wasp Queen (Little Fox Books, 2023) by member Julie Stielstra, Ellinwood. ISBN 9798987569702

A kind queen is possessed by an evil spirit. The king and his princess are frantic. A lady’s maid knows what happened, but who would believe her fantastic tale? A wasp lurks in the shadows. A dog barks the truth - if only humans spoke “woof.” Julie Stielstra weaves a cunning tale of deceit and revenge, leaving us on edge until we reach the happy ending. Or do we?

--Michael D. Graves, author of the Pete Stone series

JulieStielstra.com

High Plains Book Award Finalist

8/29/2024

Member Roy Beckemeyer, Wichita, is a finalist for the 2024 High Plains Book Award in Poetry for The Currency of His Light. Congratulations, Roy!

Learn More: High Plains Book Awards

Member Author and Illustrator Publish Children's Book

7/16/2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EMPORIA, KANSAS: Meadowlark Press is pleased to announce the newest children’s title on the Meadowlark bookshelf. The Heights of Love, a poem by Boyd Bauman, illustrated by Onalee Nicklin is about the lengths a father will go to for a daughter. A little girl’s request for a bunkbed, so that her daddy doesn’t have to lean down so far to kiss her goodnight, leads to lofty dreams. When “she longed for a bunk bed tall enough she could nest in that tree,” her father’s love compels him to comply. Soon, the girl is sleeping among the clouds and stars. But is she satisfied? The 32-page illustrated book is a great bedtime story for daddies and dreamers.

Bauman grew up on a small ranch south of Bern, Kansas, his dad the storyteller and his mom the family scribe. He has published two books of poetry: Cleave and Scheherazade Plays the Chestnut Tree Café. After stints in New York, Colorado, Alaska, Japan, and Vietnam, Boyd now is a librarian and writer in Kansas City, inspired by his three lovely muses.

The book is illustrated by Onalee Nicklin, best known for her fantasy or “storybook” pencil drawings. The illustrations were done with graphite pencils and colored pencils. Onalee lives in a small cottage on a farm near Emporia, Kansas, with her husband, her cat, and numerous species of wildlife. She is the illustrator of the Kansas Notable Book (2022), Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet, story by Mandy Kern, and the author/illustrator of To Hide a Hazelnut.

The Heights of Love is available through www.meadowlarkbookstore.com and wherever readers buy books. Meadowlark encourages readers to support their nearest independent bookseller by purchasing this and all books locally.
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Boyd Bauman and Onalee Nicklin are both members of Kansas Authors Club, District 2.

Member Interview at Whispering Stories

7/12/2024

Paul Lamb (D2) was recently interviewed at Whispering Stories about his new novel, Parent Imperfect, and his writing life.

Read the Interview Here

Into the Wind, poems by Duane L. Herrmann, now available for preorder

6/28/2024

Pre-order is now possible for Duane L Herrmann's ninth book of poetry. Release date in 9 Aug 2024. The link is: https://bit.ly/4ck9Q8O

If you have news of writing events that would be of interest to all Kansas Authors Club members, or if you are a member (dues current) who would like to announce an achievement, please submit your news via this form.

Member Robert Rebein Book Tour Dates

6/12/2024

EMPORIA, KANSAS. Dodge City native Robert Rebein’s debut novel, The Last Rancher, a family saga set in southwest Kansas, will be published by Emporia’s Meadowlark Press on June 7, 2024.

Giving voice to the contemporary American West, The Last Rancher follows one family’s quest to survive on the demanding and starkly beautiful High Plains. Doing so will require the Wagners of Sawlog Creek to come together as never before to face stark challenges in the present as well as the long and lingering shadows of a tragic past.

When a near-fatal accident befalls rancher Leroy Wagner on the eve of the annual wheat harvest, his daughter, Annie, a Ph.D. student in western New York, and her older brother, Michael, a Kansas City attorney, are summoned home to Dodge City and the Bar W Ranch. Their city-born mother, Caroline, and rebellious younger brother, Jimmy, join the effort to save the ranch and what remains of their family ties. Never far from any of their minds is the looming specter of Wade, first-born son and brother who died too young.

What happens next will determine the future of the Wagner family and the land that has defined them for nearly a century. Will Leroy recover from his injuries? Will Annie take over the ranch or return to New York? Will Michael quit his corporate job and finally strike out on his own? Will Jimmy realize his dream of escape, or will a run-in with the police land him in the Ford County Jail?

Early readers have praised the novel’s authentic Kansas setting and characters, its understated humor—a trademark of Rebein’s previous books—and its graceful rendering of land and animals, especially horses:

“Love and horses, whiskey and weed, land and money: The Last Rancher has it all.” — Kyle Minor, author of Praying Drunk

“Rebein’s characters are so real that I would swear I know them. I was hooked from the first page to the last.” — Cheryl Unruh, author of Gravedigger’s Daughter: Vignettes from a Small Kansas Town

“I loved this book. A family drama with humor and heart, The Last Rancher gives you the prized shotgun seat and guns the gas. You’d be wise to buckle up.”— Sarah Layden, author of Imagine Your Life Like This

“Dodge City, Kansas, has found its bard. His name is Robert Rebein, and his debut novel, The Last Rancher, showcases an assured new voice of the contemporary American West.” — Will Allison, author of What You Have Left

About Robert Rebein
Born and raised in Dodge City, where his family has farmed and ranched since the late 1920s, Robert Rebein is the author of two previous books set in Kansas: Dragging Wyatt Earp: A Personal History of Dodge City (Swallow Press, 2013) and Headlights on the Prairie: Essays on Home (University Press of Kansas, 2017). Both books were named Kansas Notable Books by the State Library of Kansas, and Headlights on the Prairie was a finalist for the High Plains Book Award. A professor of English at Indiana University Indianapolis, Rebein lives in the historic Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis with his family and two ornery beagles.

About Meadowlark Press
Meadowlark Press, LLC is an independent publisher specializing in books by authors from the heartland. Tracy Million Simmons, owner and publisher, founded Meadowlark in 2014. In its first 10 years, the press has published dozens of books of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, including five Kansas Notable Book winners, a winner of the High Plains Book Award and a winner of the Midwest Book Award.

Visit Robert's Website

Purchase The Last Rancher

Member Book Launch, June 14, 2024, Middle Ground Books in Emporia

6/11/2024

Book Signing!
D.A. Irsik

Middle Ground Books
606 Commercial
Emporia, Kansas
Friday, June 14th at 6:30 P.M.

Ater a short author reading there will be an open mic event. Deb's books will be available for sale after the book talk. Author-signed copies purchased at this event will be 10% off.

Light appetizers will be provided by Gourmet to Go!

Member News from Marion Bollig

6/11/2024

This has been a good spring and I’d like to share my news. First, an excerpt titled “Damned Chickens,” from a longer story I wrote, was published in the “KAC 2024 Yearbook,” Page 94. Second, my story “Wait for Me” won first place in the Blue Cedar Press contest and will be published in the anthology “The Love Book.” Third, I won two first-place certificates for stories submitted to the 2024 Kansas Voices Writing Contest sponsored by the Winfield Arts & Humanities Council. They are “Everybody Eats at Neila’s” in Science Fiction/Fantasy, and “Dick Banal: The Quick and the Dread,” in Mystery. The two stories were published in the anthology of winning stories “35th Annual Kansas Voices Writing Contest 2024.” These are my first published fiction.

A charming collection of stories and poems about different forms of love. Entries selected by independent judges for inclusion. Great for gifts!

The Love Book Anthology, from Blue Cedar Press

New Book by Member Jim Gilkeson

6/11/2024

Eleven Directions explores what must be one of the world’s quirkiest lessons in orienteering, which perhaps explains how Gilkeson negotiated the real-life experiences that made these stories possible. Questions abound: What’s behind the mystery of his father’s missing uvula? Are these stories real or fictional? Are they memoirs with more than a few embellishments? It hardly matters because they hold the power to entertain and even enlighten us, the way good stories should. The titles of Gilkeson’s narratives by themselves lure us in. Where, exactly, is Topeka on the Danube, and who are the members of The Green Tea Cult? Who are Ms. Transylvania and Mr. Haircut? All of these stories deliver wonderful reading experiences. Gilkeson’s narrative voice creates the illusion that he’s right there with us, enjoying our pleasure in the stories he tells.

Publication: 1 September, 2024
Published by Tenacity Press
Edited by Denise Low and Hal Zina Bennett

$15.95, Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-892193-02-5
For media inquiries and review copies:
Email: [email protected].
Web: www.jimgilkeson.com
Phone: (707) 696-2768

Visit Jim's Website

Meet Jackie Kraft, New Member of District 5

5/31/2024

Jackie was born and raised in Newton, KS, but joins us now from her home in Edmond, Oklahoma. Here's what she shares with us:

I graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a Master's degree in Special Education: Behavior Disorders. I taught for the Shawnee Mission School District, and had two children.

Then came the career move: after additional coursework and internships in Communication Studies, I was hired to produce news, interviews, promos, and mini-documentaries for several Kansas City television and radio stations. During this time I also worked as a Special Ed teacher for Olathe, KS district schools. I retired early in 2002.

I published my first book, Under a Sunflower Moon, Cherokee Stories and Poems, with Quill Hawk Publishing in 2023.

:urrently I'm working on several writing projects:
   1) A young adult book on my Swiss Ancestor J.J. Winterberg, an orphan at age 12, who came to the Smithville, MO in 1850. He worked in the underground railroad, fought in the major Civil War Battle of Westport, was a good friend of Isaac Cody, Buffalo Bill's dad, and later worked as a saddle maker in Leavenworth and Valley Falls, KS.
   2) A mystery/thriller set at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA, in modern times, featuring a professor of history turned reluctant amateur sleuth.
   3) A book of Chinese poetry based on the life of Meng, my favorite Chinese poet who lived in 700 A.D.
   4) A cookbook of my Swiss family recipes.
   5) An experience with UFOs and ETs set in Newton, KS
   6) A spiritual book of positive thinking.

Welcome, Jackie!

Book News from Member Rob Howell

5/17/2024

I just released the Ruriksaga on the 14th of May. It's a companion volume to the 4 fantasy mystery novels starring Edward Aethelredson already available.

Here's the link to the whole series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCKWZKYQ

From Book 1: “Rob mixes intrigue, murder, and magic into his own cool blend.” – Larry Correia

Edward sought a future of honor and hope, but only got murder and mayhem.

He came to the Empire of Makhaira to join the Imperial Guard, who admit only the best. Instead, he pledges his sword—and his life—to an innkeeper rather than the emperor.

In a land known for intricate plots and ancestral enmities, the empire’s corruption seeks to end his life with knives in the night and hidden treachery. And he must face these blades while memories of a father slain, a king defied, and oaths broken threaten his soul.

Can he find the one bringing schism, death, and hate before that steel tastes his blood? Or will be just another who came to the empire to lose everything?

New Poetry Book by Member Deb Irsik

5/7/2024

Order from Anamcara Press

Poetry that warms the heart in places where the sun forgot to shine. With eloquent finesse, Irsik explores the bonds between mothers, friends, and nature. Inviting readers to discover the divine in life’s smallest moments, Irsik provides a heartfelt connection to the human spirit to brighten the hidden corners..

In a collection dedicated to her younger self, D.A. Irsik shares words that evoke images of life, love, and belonging. … a nostalgic look at how the simple parts of life are, in the end, most important. —Curtis Becker, author of My Second Act and Greetings from Topeka.
Sunshine in the Weeds is a lyrical odyssey into the human heart, where love, faith, and nature intertwine. … a journey from shadows to sunshine. … Her poetry gives emotional flight to those precious single life moments between mothers and daughters, mothers and sons and close friends and family members. Irsik’s poetry warms the heart in places where the sun has forgotten to shine. —Liz Martel

… While the vast array of poems in Irsik’s collection reflect sunshine, she shares a smattering of weeds that allude to darker aspects of a woman who, while looking outward, comes to better understand the internal. —Ronda Miller, author of five poetry books including MoonStain, and the award winning children’s book, I Love the Child.

With an honest and heartfelt voice, D. A. Irsik explores the dimensions of faith, loss, personal accountability, wonder of nature and creativity … the overall theme the reader is left with is the spark of magic, the sense of possibility and sorrow that can be found in the mundane. —Brenda White, author of Blue Collar Saint, which won the Kansas Notable Book in 2022. She also has been published in 105 Meadowlark Reader and the Write Bridge.

… Irsik’s evocative words honestly portray the rawness and despair of grief, yet leave the reader with her personal sense of hope, encouraging each of us to take a little gut-check of our lives right here, right now. —Marcia Lawrence, journalist, photographer, stockbroker, editor, corn de-tasseler, musician, and mom. She is a lifelong scholar of regional history, an author, and a passionate researcher.

Thank you, D.A. Irsik for sharing your sunshine. This deeply personal gift reflects the giver: thoughtful, generous, kind, motherly, beautiful in word and in fact. Your devotion to life and love glows in every word. —Jerilynn Jones Henrikson, has produced eight books for kids, a humorous memoir, a YA novel, and a creative nonfiction novella

New Book by Member Thaddeus Dugan

5/3/2024

Dugan’s poetry collection, A Record of Change, is a tapestry woven with the threads of age, love, and the poignant weight of loss. The author’s words remind us that vulnerability is the wellspring from which true metamorphosis emerges. Join Dugan on a voyage, where the soul’s evolution is illuminated through powerful writing that challenges, heals, and ultimately celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

"Attuned to the bluesy frequency of both inner and outer life, Dugan gives us a prescription. In this case, it is his poems—full of grit and softness, darkness and light. Give it a listen. It will help."
—Kevin Rabas, Poet Laureate of Kansas (2017-2019), Improvise

Dugan’s debut collection explores the evolution of the soul when age can no longer be used as an excuse not to change or when the pain becomes too great to remain the same. These poems reflect the rigorous self-examination it takes to reinvent yourself. Through love, grief, and loss The author does this, while never losing sight of his collective humanness.

Purchase at Anamcara Press

Welcome New Member Mari Dietz

4/19/2024

Say hello to Mari Dietz, new member from Dodge City (District 7)!

Mari teaches full-time, so writes when she has the spare time. She mainly writes fantasy, and just had a book release this week. "After a long writing dry spell," she says, "it is wonderful to finally publish again."

Look for her book, Torment (The Dragons of Tenghua, Book One), in paper or as an e-book, HERE or HERE.

Welcome to KAC, Mari! We're happy to have you.

New Book by Member Beth Gulley

4/16/2024

Frog Joy is a collection of free verse and micro poems that point to the beauty in everyday moments. Beth Gulley is making her own world without a fence. Sometimes readers join her as she stains her fingers on low hanging mulberries. Other times the readers chase her along the trail and try to escape the rising flood waters. Underneath it all, a chorus of frog calls, like fingers running along the edge of a comb, echo in the damp night.

Beth Gulley is a Kansas City based poet. In addition to Frog Joy, (2024 Anamcara Press) she has published two chapbooks and three full-length collections of poetry: Since Corona Ruined Our Trip to the Library (Finishing Line Press), Little Fish: Tiny Meditations on Freedom (Flying Ketchup Press), Dragon Eggs (Spartan Press), The Sticky Note Alphabet (Alien Buddha Press), and Love of Ornamental Fish (Alien Buddha). She teaches English at Johnson County Community College. Beth serves on the Riverfront Reading Committee and the Writers Place board. She likes to volunteer, trail run, and drink coffee. More information can be found on her blog at https://timeeasesallthings.wordpress.com/.

Buy at Anamcara Press

“Few brief, gem-like poetic meditations shine like Beth’s. Part diary entry, part koan or prayer, these new poems sparkle with wit and wisdom. I treasure them. You will too.”—Kevin Rabas, Past Poet Laureate of Kansas (2017-2019), Improvise

Dive into “Frog Joy,” where Beth Gulley’s verses paint everyday magic. From mulberry-stained fingers to a heart-pounding escape from floods, hear the chorus of frog calls serenading life’s simple wonders.

AVAILABLE NOW!Jacketed Hardcover, Paperback, EBook

“Beth Gulley does it again with her latest collection, Frog Joy. Present is all of Gulley’s trademark wit, heart, and insight. She instantly grabs the reader in the first poem by comparing watching a televised fight to reading Basho. ... The book as a whole could be Beth Gulley’s most rounded and profound collection yet, and that is quite an accomplishment considering her impressive back catalog.”—James Benger, author of The Park

“Beth Gulley takes readers on a journey that, on its face, seems to be a trip through the mundane. In reality, readers are transported through observations of daily life into a world that could be theirs. With beautifully relatable simplicity, Frog Joy reminds us that we all travel this life together, just on parallel paths.”—Curtis Becker, author of My Second Act and Greetings from Topeka.

New Book by Member Gary D. Park

4/11/2024

Buy the Book

Visit The Learjet History Website

Jet Dreams Take Flight

Imagine the sleek Learjet streaking across the sky in this high-flying adventure! Picture yourself zooming through the clouds as young readers discover the trailblazing history of the world's fastest business jet.

This book's about talented people who had big dreams and just knew they could make them real.

Meet inventor Bill Lear and engineer Dr. Hans Studer. These visionary founders combined creativity and expertise to make the impossible possible. Their Learjet could rocket across the country in a mere 4 hours!

Follow their journey from sketching jet wing designs to witnessing their innovative dream take flight. But it wasn't easy. Yet they never even thought about giving up! Nope, they kept on working, figuring things out step-by-step.

Finally, their hard work paid off big time! They made the Learjet, the quickest business jet in the sky. It's so speedy and smooth, it changed the way people think about flying!

Readers will take off on an exciting ride through decades of Learjet's boundary-pushing innovations. Learning about the daring pilots who pushed the limits will ignite their own willingness to soar.

The Age of Learjet will inspire the next generation of innovators to dream big, believe in themselves, and let their bold ideas take wing!"

Aviation experts Dr. Peter Hamel, former Director of the Institute of Flight Systems, and Gary Park, aerospace engineer for over 50 years, stand alone as the definitive Learjet historians. Their insider engineering experience paired with exhaustive research resulted in the comprehensive 456-page book "The Learjet History: Beginnings, Innovations, and Utilization."

Dr. Hamel brings decades of leadership in aeronautics programs and research. Mr. Park provides an insider perspective from directly working on Learjet certification.

For this adaptation, nobody provides more authority and passion for bringing Learjet's untold stories to young readers.

So, why should you read this book? Because it shows that when you've got a dream and you stick with it, amazing things can happen!

Ready to make your own dreams fly?

Welcome New Member Abbi Lee

4/5/2024

Meet Abbi Lee of District 5!

Abbi says:

I'm in Wichita and I write for young readers. The first book in my debut middle grade series, Geocache Club: Ghost Town Treasure Hunt, will be released October 1, 2024 with Chicken Scratch Books.

It's a contemporary adventure story about eleven-year-old Layton Clark. When his best friend moves away, Layton doesn’t know if he’ll ever have another adventure again. Then he meets Sherry who introduces him to the treasure-hunting world of geocaching. The thrill of adventure sends them hunting in an abandoned Kansas ghost town where they find deserted shacks, unmarked geocaches, an old diary, and more. Layton and Sherry must work together to unlock these mysterious geocaches, solve a century-old mystery, and convince Layton’s father not to move the family away.

I'm also published in Kansas Country Living magazine and Spider magazine. Currently, I work as a copywriter for a local marketing agency. Prior to that I taught high school English and Social Studies. I also worked at a local museum as the Education Manager conducting tours, creating programs, and using stories to bring history to life.

I'm happy to be a part of KAC and can't wait to make connections with fellow local authors.

And we're glad to have you join us! Check out her website too: https://abbileebooks.wordpress.com/

Member Books Selected as "recommended titles" by the Kansas National Education Association's Reading Circle Commission

4/1/2024

Members Cathy Callen, Lawrence, and Julie A. Sellers, Atchison, had books selected this year as a "recommended title" by the Kansas National Education Association's Reading Circle Commission.