Current News from the Kansas Authors Club

Remembering Tom Mach

5/10/2026

Tom Mach June 16, 1940 - February 24, 2026

Tom Mach joined Kansas Authors Club in 2002. As a member from Lawrence, he served as president of the Lawrence (D2) chapter and served multiple temrs on the state board.

Tom won the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award in 2003 for his book, Sissy!, the Nelson Poetry Book Award in 2008 for The Uni Verse, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Kansas Authors Club in 2014. Two of his books, Sissy! and All Parts Together were listed by the Kansas State Library as among the 150 best Kansas books. He wrote for Senior Monthly as a monthly columnist.

For the love of his grandchildren, Tom started a free newsletter called Grandpa's Memories. He enjoyed many years of presenting workshops for Kansas Authors Club and other organizations, meeting with book clubs and speaking at church and social service organization meetings.

Tom published 6 novels:

Sissy!
All Parts Together
Angels at Sunset
Forgiveness Forever
Three Years With Jesus
Unearthing the True Cross
Embrace Eternity

A collection of short stories:

Tom's Travels

Children's Stories

The Invisible Twins
The Adventures of Homer the Roamer

Five Collections of Poetry

The Uni Verse
The Museum Muse
So Runs the Water
Poetry Collection
A Shakespeare Sonnet Shakeup

Nonfiction

Persistence, Then Peace: One Writer's Relentless Journey
America!

And a Play

You're a Real Character

Tom Mach's Website

Obituary

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Member Newsletter Offer

11/22/2024

Member Tom Mach is offering everyone a free copy of his 3-page newsletter called Grandpa's Memories. If you want to know more about this go to Tom's revised website, Tom Mach – Kansas Author and Writer

Tom Mach has been a member of Kansas Authors Club since 2002. He has served as an officer on the state board and as a leader at the district level.

Member Mark Scheel on Member Tom Mach's Book

12/12/2023

Member Mark Scheel has reviewed member Tom Mach's book on Goodreads.

Unearthing the True Cross, a novel by Tom Mach

While landscaping on the Mount of Olives, Dante Leon encounters a Bedouin man who insists that he discovered, while exploring a Qumran cave, a map showing where Jesus was really crucified. To prove him wrong, he digs in that spot and finds five pieces of petrified wood as well as a scroll written by Jospeh of Arimathea. A deaf and mute lost orphan girl encounters Dante, who cures her with prayer and one of the artifacts. A blind boy is similarly cured. Dante and his family run tests on these artifacts and conclude they have found the True Cross. Terrorists are out to kill Dante's daughter as well as the pope who is about to announce to the world that these wooden pieces, when put together, form the crossbeam of Christ

Read Mark's Review on Goodreads

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Book News from Member Tom Mach

10/14/2023

I have a new novel out now which is currently available on Amazon but will soon also be available at bookstores in the US. Its title is Unearthing the True Cross. Hope you will read it. Here are a few questions covered in my novel...

Where was Christ really crucified & where was He buried?
Is it true that the True Cross has still not been found?
Why was Christ not buried in the Garden Tomb?
What is the reason Golgotha was called “Skull Place?”
Was Christ crucified on a living tree?

While landscaping on the Mount of Olives, Dante Leon encounters a Bedouin man who insists that he discovered, while exploring a Qumran cave, a map showing where Jesus was really crucified. To prove him wrong, Dante digs in that spot and finds five pieces of petrified wood as well as a scroll written by Joseph of Arimathea. A deaf and mute lost little orphan girl encounters Dante, who cures her with prayer and one of the artifacts. A blind Muslim boy is similarly cured. Dante and his family run tests on these artifacts and conclude what they have found is apparently the True Cross. Terrorists now are out to kill Dante's daughter as well as the pope who is about to announce to the world that these wooden pieces, when put together, form the crossbeam of Christ.

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.

2022 Convention: Member Recognition

11/17/2022

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

Member Tom Mach Invites You to Visit His Facebook Page

11/4/2022

I'm on
http://www.Facebook.com/kansasauthor
and have been posting many of my verses there. Please scroll down on my Facebook page and if you saying anything you like, let me know. Hope you are enjoying life to the fullest.

Tom Mach
District 2

Poems for Posterity, new book by Tom Mach

6/6/2022

Tom Mach, D2 member and former D2 president and state board member, has published Poems for Posterity.

This is a collection of verse written by award-winning poet, Tom Mach. In addition to numerous awards from the Kansas Authors Club, the Nelson Poetry Book for one of his poetry books, and a 9th place finish in the Annual Writers Digest Poetry Contest, Mach had a number of his poems published in the Poet's Showcase section of the Lawrence Journal World, The Appleton, Wisconsin Post-Crescent newspaper, a nationwide syndicated column called Annie's Mailbox, Colors of Life anthology, and IMAGINE magazine. His120 poems contain examples of haikus, rhymed verse, free verse, sonnets, odes, ballads, lyrics, and one sestina. In 2018, the Kansas Poet Laureate read excerpts of Mach's poems to different groups.

Check out this review by D2 member Mark Scheel.

Purchase on Amazon

Tom Mach Book News

7/16/2021

Tom Mach is a District 2 member of Kansas Authors Club. He shares the following:

Hi, I’m Tom Mach, and a long-time member of the Kansas Authors Club and winner of awards, including the Coffin Award (2003), the Nelson Poetry Book Award (2008), the Lifetime Achievement Award (2014), and the 2021 Overall Winner Award for Barnes & Noble for my latest book, Three Years With Jesus. My bio is on Tom-Mach.com

Imagine what it would be like to read the story of Jesus' life, beginning with His baptism and ending with His glorious ascension into heaven without having to read each gospel separately. Three Years With Jesus is the result of a careful compilation of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, fitted together with portions taken from the testimony of an Italian Catholic mystic named Maria Valtorta who claims who had several visitations in the 1940s from the Lord Himself. Some minor fictional elements were added to make the story even more interesting to read. The actual words of Jesus as given in the Bible are scattered through the story.

The result is an informative, in-depth, nonfiction novel that may tell us more about what happened during the last three years of Jesus' life on earth than you realize. For instance, this book describes details about Jesus' Passion, with such realist occurrences as how bystanders threw stones at Him as He carried His cross, or how He had to beg for a filthy rag before being nailed to the cross, or how Jesus screamed as the nail penetrated His flesh--only to stop when He saw His mother’s torment by His scream. In other words, the entire story of Jesus's last three years on Earth will really come alive for you.

Click on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
for pricing and ordering information

I would like you to consider purchasing the paperback version because it is a work which you will want to put on your bookshelf to read again and again. Front cover the book is shown in the attachment.

Testimonials:
“It is obvious that this novel has been a labor of love for the author who has made great effort to bring the gospels into context with what occurred.” ~ V. Jules

This is an excellent book all Christians should own. ~G. Mecka

“The writer certainly has done some extensive Bible study.” ~Carole B

“Very well written story of his life.” ~ Renee R.

Length of Membership REcognition - 2020

10/3/2020

It is with sincere appreciation that we acknowledge your dedication and contribution to Kansas Authors Club. Please accept this small token of our gratitude. We look forward to many more years of fellowship and growing our organization for the benefit of writers like you.

Length of Membership Awards

Fred C. Appelhanz – 15 years
Roy J. Beckemeyer – 10 years
Patricia Bonine – 10 years
Annabelle Corrick – 10 years
Edna M. Dyck – 50 years*
Pauline Fecht – 20 years
Marie Fletcher – 30 years
Jean Grant – 10 years
Yvonne Evie Green – 20 years
Reaona T. Hemmingway – 15 years
Kelly W. Johnston – 10 years
Carole Katsantoness – 10 years
Peg Nichols – 15 years
Kristine A. Polansky – 15 years
Cheryl Skupa – 10 years
Candace C. Sherman – 30 years

Octogenarians
Sylvia Colombo (2018)
Tom Mach