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Three books in the Hannah True historical series are available now on Amazon and at Middle Ground Books in Emporia, Kansas. To celebrate my return to blogging, I am making the eBook version of Undercurrents, the second book in The Adventures of Hannah True series free on Amazon from May 24-May 27, 2025.    Cheryl Unruh began her membership in Kansas Authors Club in 2011, but her name in Kansas literature well predates her association with our club. Cheryl Unruh was raised in the tiny town of Pawnee Rock in central Kansas. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1981. She now resides in Emporia. For 11 years she wrote her Flyover People column about Kansas topics for The Emporia Gazette. She has been a commentator on Kansas Public Radio. She has won awards from the Kansas Press Association and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. In 2016, because of her writing focus on Kansas, Cheryl was named one of Kansas’ Finest by Kansas! Magazine. She has published two books of Kansas essays. Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State received the Kansas Notable Book Award in 2011, and Waiting on the Sky: More Flyover People Essays received the Kansas Notable Book Award in 2015. Walking on Water, poems, was published by Meadowlark Press in 2017. Her most recent book, a memoir, titled Gravedigger’s Daughter: Vignettes from a Small Kansas Town, was awarded the 2022 Nelson Poetry Book Award and the 2023 Martin Kansas History Book Award by the Kansas Authors Club, the first time in the club’s history that these two awards were given to the same title. Cheryl has been the editor of 105 Meadowlark Reader, A Journal of True Kansas Stories, since 2021. This popular Kansas publication has featured a total of 152 Kansas (and former Kansas) writers, representing 80 of the 105 Kansas counties, by setting of essay or author hometown, within the first eight issues of publication (Issue 8 will be available in November 2024). Cheryl created the position of and served as the first Welcome Wagon Chair for the Kansas Authors Club, pulling member introductory efforts into the modern age by giving new members the opportunity to introduce themselves to the Club via featured posts, created by Cheryl, on our website and on social media. Cheryl served in this position from 2021 to 2023. Cheryl is a founding member of the Emporia Writers Group, an often informal, but sometimes ordered and structured meeting of writers that began with a handful of attendees in 2011. Today the facebook page for the group boasts 53 members, with somewhere between 6 and 20 attending the current monthly meetings. Cheryl’s leadership and cheerleading for writers across Kansas is unsurpassed. Her achievements as a wordsmith are to be commended. Nomination by members of Emporia Writers Group Lindsey Bartlett, Angel Edenburn, Linzi Garcia, Mike Graves, Hazel Hart, Roger Heineken, Jerilynn Henrikson, Deb Irsik, Emilie Moll, Kerry Moyer, Kevin Rabas, Tracy Million Simmons, Brenda White, Michelle Zumbrum  Prose Contest Manager - K.L. Barron  Kristine A. Polansky, Anne Spry, and Janice Lee McClure Prose Theme Contest: Words Take Flight: Choose Your Own Adventure (15 entries) First Place: “The Cave” by Janice Lee McClure, D7 Second Place: “Up La Luz Trail With Penny” by Janice Lee McClure, D7 Third Place: “Encountering Hunger, Death, and Adventure in the Peace Corps” by Anne L. Spry, D1 Honorable Mention: “Bridge Over Cimarron” by Amy D. Kliewer, D5 Honorable Mention: “You Just Never Know” by Kristine A. Polansky, D4  Sandra Lou Talyor and S.L. Brown Stories Written for Young Readers (14 entries) First Place: “Catfish” by S.L. Brown, D2 Second Place: “Be Brave Bertie” by S.L. Brown, D2 Third Place: “Areon” by Sandra Lou Taylor, D5 Honorable Mention: “A Treasured Glow” by Abbi Lee, D5  Joe Bollig, S.L. Brown, and Julie A. Sellers Short Story (14 entries) First Place: “Sunflower State of Mind” by Julie A. Sellers, D1 Second Place: “Ficklin, Kansas” by S.L. Brown, D2 Third Place: “At the Roadside” by Robin St. James Honorable Mention: “Just Another Day” by Ashley Masoni Huber, NM Honorable Mention: “Dick Banal, Private Eye: Sticky Situation” by Joe Bollig, D2  Cynthia Mines, Janice Lee McClure, and Hazel Hart Memoir/Inspiration (29 entries) First Place: “Last One on the Line” by Don Money, D3 Second Place: “Students on a Stick” by Roger Heineken, D2 Third Place: “Breathe In, Release” by Cynthia Mines, D5 Honorable Mention: “Someone Else” by Hazel Hart, D2 Honorable Mention: “Idaho, 1950” by Janice Lee McClure, D7  Gretchen Cassel Eick and Julie A. Sellers Humor (16 entries) First Place: “Waiting for Daddy” by Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, D2 Second Place: “Local Professor Jailed for Crime of Fashion” by Julie A. Sellers, D1 Third Place: “The Brain Trade” by Gretchen Cassel Eick, D5 Honorable Mention: “How Gemma Changed My Life” by Margaret McKay, D5 Honorable Mention: “Brotherly Affection” by Amy D. Kliewer, D5  Sandra Lou Taylor, Hazel Hart, S.L. Brown, and Julie A. Sellers Flash Fiction (8 entries) First Place: “Distant Grief” by Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, D2 Second Place: “What She Ordered” by Hazel Hart, D2 Third Place: “Outlook” by Gretchen Burch, D2 Honorable Mention: “My Big Chance” by Sandra Lou Taylor, D5 Honorable Mention: “A Word Edgewise” by Hazel Hart, D2 Honorable Mention: “Deja New” by S.L. Brown, D2 Honorable Mention: “The Good Mood” by Julie A. Sellers, D1  Jerilynn Henrikson and Mike Graves (above her in the Zoom window) First Chapter of a Novel (17 entries) First Place: “The Yellow-Wellie Incident: An Inspector Wigford “Wiggy” Thorpe Mystery” by Kathleen E. Kaska, D2 Second Place: “A Mystery in Two Voices” by Michael D. Graves and Jerilynn Henrikson, D2 Third Place: “Birth of a Warrior” by Elmer Fuller, NM Honorable Mention: “Shadows Deep” by Michael D. Graves, D2 Honorable Mention: “A History of Madness” by Alisha Davis, NM  Tracy Million Simmons and Julie A. Sellers Playwriting (4 entries) First Place: “The Magic Lamp” by Julie A. Sellers, D1 Second Place: “Community Meeting Chaos” by Cynthia Schaker, D5 Third Place: “The Heavenly Lounge” by Tracy Million Simmons, D2  S.L. Brown and Julie Ann Baker Brin Prose Rural Voices (11 entries)
First Place: “Salt Plant” by Amy D. Kliewer, D5 Second Place: “Buried Treasure” by Julie Ann Baker Brin, D5 Third Place: “Stealing Dinner” by S.L. Brown, D2  Hazel Hart, member from Emporia, is running a free eBook promotion for Uprooted, the first book in the Hannah True series from March 17-March 20. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFH6QVQ Overcoming, the third book in the series, is up for preorder on Amazon and will go live on March 20. Overcoming: The Adventures of Hannah True, Book 3   Theme Contest Judge: Kathie Buckman First Place: A Lazy Sunday Morning by Julie A. Sellers Second Place: Sacred Tuesdays by Lindsey Bartlett Third Place: Writing From the Heart by Nancy Julien Kopp Honorable Mention: Zounds! Sounds! By Connie Rae White Honorable Mention: Just a Moment by Brett Wilkinson Honorable Mention: Writing Moments by Sandee Lee  Playwriting Judge: Kari Bowles 1st: Gene Stratton-Porter The Birdwoman by Cynthia J. Ross 2nd: Murder by the Books by Julie A. Sellers 3rd: Cold Sweat by Sandee Lee  Stories for Young Readers Judge: Michaela Karr 1st: The Eggnog Thief by Linda Ahrens-Brower 2nd: The Mystery of the Hundred Dollar Bill by Marcia Young 3rd: The Singer and the Storyteller by Julie A. Sellers Honorable Mention: The Haird by Heather Taylor Honorable Mention: Shake and Settle by S.L. Brown  Flash Fiction Judge: Lydia Kautz 1st: Doubt Thou The Stars are Fire by Julie A. Sellers 2nd: Missed by Heidi Unruh 3rd: Curiosity Bites by Sandee Lee Honorable Mention: A Surprise on my Bed by Sandee Lee Honorable Mention: Uninvited Delivery by Gloria Zachgo Honorable Mention: The Wish by Julie A. Sellers  Rural Voices Judge: Ryan Dennis 1st: Landscape of My Childhood by Lindsey Bartlett 2nd: Laneway Landmarks by Julie A. Sellers 3rd: The Bull is Out by Kristine A. Polansky Honorable Mention: Finding Home by Linda Heggestad Honorable Mention: In My “Hay” Day by Gloria Zachgo  First Chapter of a Book Judge: Amy Sage Webb-Baza
Honorable Mention: Overcoming by Hazel Hart Pre-suffragist female character in MO finds herself a target of the times in social and gendered ways. She is accused of behavioral crimes and there’s tension and excitement right away. Good context building. Honorable Mention: One Throw Pillow Too Many by S.L. Brown Reader is catapulted into the POV of a woman on a reality show about to be rejected. It’s immediately dramatic and likely to become moreso, with humorous insights along the way.  Memoir Judge: Kim Horner McCoy First Place: The Curse of the Catalpa Tree--Learning about Bees by Roger Droz Second Place: Football Mom by Shawn Renee Hood Third Place: Vultures on the Roof by Gretchen Cassel Eick Honorable Mention: Chien for the Win by Julie A. Sellers Honorable Mention: New Arrows for Christmas, Or The Extent of My Injury by Roger W. Heineken  Short Story Judge: Michelle Zumbrum First Place: The Spelling Bee by Sarah Jane Crespo Second Place: The Sunflower Dance by S.L. Brown Third Place: Slipping Away by Stacy Thowe Honorable Mention: Reflections by Jeanette Carter Honorable Mention: Empty by Julie A. Sellers Honorable Mention: Donnie and the Great KA-BOOM by Marion Joseph Bollig  Humor
Judge: Marcia Lawrence First Place: Have a Drink and a Pen by Marion Joseph Bollig Second Place: It Pays to Save the Receipt by Deborah Shouse Third Place: Ten Little Birds: A Tragic Tale of Attrition by Jerilynn Henrikson The following Members were recognized for
Length of Membership at the 2022 Convention 40 Years Doris Schroeder 20 Years Barbara A. Brady Tom Mach 15 Years Judy Keller Hatteberg Joan Breit Hazel I. Hart Sally Jadlow 10 Years Raj Bajaj Jerilynn Jones Henrikson H. John Sanders Octogenarians Marilyn Hope Lake, Ph. D. Connie Rae White KAC District 2 Please join us on July 16th, 2022 Third Saturday of the Month 10:30am-12:00pm Flinthills Tech College 3301 W. 18th Ave Emporia, KS Live or Zoom meeting Experiences in Self-publishing and Marketing Hazel Hart will discuss her decision to self-publish and what has and hasn’t worked for her in marketing her books.
Links:
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Hazel-Hart/e/B002OCSU0E My website: http://hazelhart.com/ Pierce Family Saga: https://piercefamilysaga.com/ May 14 Hazel Hart, District 2, published in 2021 Hiram's Girls: For Want of a Home, the 5th book in the Pierce Family Saga series, historical fiction set in Kansas Territory. The series has climbed to the top of the charts on Amazon. Check out the 339 reviews (as of 8/30/2021) for the first book in the series, Cordelia’s Journey. Hazel self-publishes through Amazon and has a steady income stream from her books. She will share her tricks of the trade.
D5 meets Saturday, May 14 at 1:30. Attend on Zoom or in person at 2801 W 15th St N, Wichita, KS. Click on the button below to join the Zoom meeting. In 1860, a woman denied her inheritance and desperate for an income meets a man who lies to her, then offers her employment. Should she trust anything he says? Because Hannah True, 38, has no husband, her father’s will leaves the hotel she has been managing to her brothers-in-law. They decide to sell, leaving Hannah without a home or income. While traveling by steamboat to visit her aunt in New York City, she meets a man who takes an unexplained interest in her and then offers her a job in his detective agency. The work sounds too dangerous and nomadic for a woman who hopes to provide a home for her two motherless nieces, so she rejects the offer. Then a frantic mother’s plea for help in finding her missing baby touches Hannah’s heart. She joins the agency on a temporary basis and begins the hunt for the child. As the investigation heats up, physical threats against the young mother intensify Hannah’s concerns about whether this is a profession she should pursue. Join Hannah as she weighs the dangers and rewards of this possible new occupation. If you enjoyed the Pierce Family Saga, you've already met Hannah True aka Aunt Hannah.  Hart Hart is a member of Kansas Authors Club, District 2.
On Saturday, April 16, the Barton County Historical Society will host two Kansas authors who will discuss how the state figures into their literary works. At the 2 p.m. program, authors Cheryl Unruh and Hazel Hart will talk about how they incorporate Kansas into their writing, and each will read short segments from their books and do signings of their books for those who attend.
In her two essay books, Unruh has written about the Kansas experience, describing the skies and the landscape, the wind and weather, dirt roads and small towns. In her new memoir, “Gravedigger’s Daughter,” Unruh focused on stories about her father and her childhood in the small Barton County town of Pawnee Rock. Hart will talk about her research on the “Pierce Family Saga,” a five-book series set in Kansas during the 19th century. She will discuss the differences in writing a story focused on the everyday lives of characters during a certain time period, and writing a story tied to specific historical events to make history come alive. Each year, members are asked to nominate those who deserve special recognition for service to the club, for work on a special accomplishment, or for achievement in writing.  It is a pleasure to nominate Hazel Hart. She is a person who excels at her writing and editing craft but does not seek applause. I met Hazel when my manuscript of Posts of a Mid-century Kid was a 150,000-word rambling of posts. We met at the coffee shop in Emporia and that began my appreciation of Hazel and the editing process. Hazel told me to cut 50,000 words from my book. That seemed daunting but as I marked off posts, I began to see a new story emerge. For the next year, Hazel and I would meet for coffee and she helped me craft 92,000 words into a clean manuscript. The first time she sent me edits, she advised not to stress out with all of the red down the side. I did anyway. We made a style sheet and with each edit, I saw the final book emerge. One of my favorite memories with Hazel is when she asked me if I knew how many times my kitties made biscuits in my book? No, I didn’t but, it turned out to be many times. We also discovered that I liked the word “tiny” which appeared 100 times and had to be reinvented. Hazel is a gifted editor. She has also become a good friend and I am indebted to her for her wise guidance and knowledge. She always hears the writer’s voice. On top of her gifts as editor, Hazel excels as an author. She has published 13 titles of her own, from how-to books on writing to suspense and historical fiction. In September, Hazel released the 5th volume in a series of historical fiction set in Kansas, The Pierce Family Saga. This series has had tremendous success on Amazon, with volume 1 consistently ranking in the top 100 in several categories including frontier fiction and literary sagas. Hazel is a multi-year winner of the Kansas Voices contest out of Winfield, as well as a frequent winner in the prose division of Kansas Authors Club contests. For her talent as an author, as well as her skill in guiding others to improve their manuscripts, I nominate Hazel Hart for an Achievement Award. Nominated by: Ann Vigola Anderson  photo credit: Cheryl Unruh
Congratulations to Hazel Hart, District 2, on the publication of Hiram's Girls: For Want of a Home, the 5th book in the Pierce Family Saga series, historical fiction set in Kansas Territory. The series has climbed to the top of the charts on Amazon. Check out the 339 reviews (as of 8/30/2021) for the first book in the series, Cordelia's Journey. Don't miss this series!   |
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