New Arrival for September

City of the Gods: The Descendants

by

SJ McMillian

Author: Samantha McMillian lives in Southwest Missouri with her super supportive husband and three energetic young rascals. After a slew of interesting job choices, she just could not shake the writing bug she picked up in high school. The love of reading is what spawned the desire to try her hand at writing a novel of her very own. She loves creating the characters and giving them their own personalities and voices.

Title: City of the Gods: The Descendants

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Description: In 700 A.D. Teotihuacan, Mexico, the High Priest believed himself to be a powerful as the gods. He set a plague on the city as a demonstration of his power. The Gods took pity on the remaining loyal congregation. They granted each survivor immortality and an extraordinary ability. Three loyal survivors were given a mission of great importance: train the lone human descendant of their civilization to stop the evil priest from damning the rest of humanity.

Now in San Diego, California, the time has come to finally make Katalina Deckard aware of her destiny. Her life has been a constant struggle since the loss of her parents when she was young. These struggles have made her a fighter, but she doesn’t believe they have prepared her to save the world. Her friends, who have survived for so long, must convince her that she has what it takes to accept the mantle of the Redeemer. City of the Gods: The Descendants and other books by SJ McMillian are available on amazon.com.

New Arrival for September

Healing for the Heart

by

Nancy Hughes

Author: Nancy is a published author and abstinence educator. Besides traveling extensively and sharing her knowledge and experiences through the years, Nancy has written a series of children's books that teach life lessons. It was only through her experience as a recent widow that she realized the need for a ministry to women in her situation. Nancy lives in southwest Missouri with her 3 children and 5 grandchildren.

 

Title: Healing for the Heart: Survival in the World of the Widow

Genre: True Life/Christian/Inspirational 

Book Description: As Nancy walked through their living room door and called her husband's name, she knew instantly that something was terribly wrong. While trying to deal with her overwhelming sadness and grief at the death of her husband, Nancy found hope and compassion in the Lord. She also found that there were many experiences as a widow that she was totally unprepared for and needed answers. Healing for the Heart contains personal stories and encouragement from seven widows to help strengthen your faith and reassure you that the Lord will never leave your side in this journey. It is Nancy's prayer that this book will speak to those women who have become members of the "Widowhood Club." She also provides information for anyone who wants to reach out to widows, but is unsure of what to say or do. Healing for the Heart: Survival in the World of the Widow is available at Amazon.com.

Not So Square Festival Rounds up Crowd

Local and regional artists and authors were on display Sept. 7 at the Mt. Vernon, Missouri festival of the arts sponsored by the regional arts council. The sixth-annual Not So Square Arts and Literary Festival event sees largest crowd yet with estimated overall attendance between 1,500 to 2,000 people.



Two Authors Recognized at Festival



Kathy Brown of Home Grown Books presented Laurence Stoll author of The Happy Accident, a Christian romance, with the “Author of the Year Award.”



Schyrlet Cameron of Home Grown Books presented Bill Armstrong, World War II Veteran and author of the Survival on a Coral Planet and The First Voyage, with the Best of Show Award.

Festival Offers Readers a Variety of Genres

Susan Stark 2012 recipient of the “Best of Show Award” and author of Temptation with Luggage

Karla Phelps author of Yama the Llama-Off to Bethlehem and Yama the LLama-Off to Jerusalem 

Mary White author of Jack the Rat and His Funny Little Hat

  

Linda Sartin recording artists, Simply Dulcimer  and Dulcimer Daze  

 

Sharon Rushton author of No Paved Road to Freedom    

                                                                                                                                 

Perry Posey author of Buffalo Gal

Nancy Hughes author of Healing for the Heart-Survival in the World of a Widow

 

June Barnhart author of Diabetes: One Step at a Time

Don Shmedeke author of Three Feet to Now

Kitty Sutton author of Wheezer and the Painted Frog and Wheezer and the Shy Coyote

                                                                    

Mary Boll author of MeMa’s Manna Cookbooks

Dan Trogdon author of And So It Goes

Larua Valenti author of several Christian romance novels including the Heart of the Spring Series

Samantha McMillian (right) author of City of the Gods: The Descendant

LeAnn Campbell author of Century Farm Juvenile Mystery Series and Kay Rose author No God No Hell No Churches No Saloon

Richard East author of A Glimpse of Heaven

          

                                                                                                                           

 

Zona Crabtree author of the Corn Cave Series

 

Elaine Orr author of a murder mystery series including the novels Trouble on the Doorstop and Appraisal for Murder

Ken Bavuso author of A Travelers guide to Understanding

New Arrival for June

Ben Reed

Truth with Stretch Marks

 Author: Ben Reed grew up and has grown old in the farming communities surrounding Lamar, Missouri. He was brought up poor and is grateful to have maintained that financial status. He has lived in a house with no indoor facilities, attended a one room school, been run over by cows before “Mad Cow” was determined to be a disease and has spent sixteen hour long days behind a tractor just thinking about noting else except the funny side of live.

Title: Truth with Stretch Marks

Genre: True Life/Humor 

Book: This book is an assortment of humorous stories that have only gotten better with age. Some may ask if they are event true. If allowances are made for just a tad bit of stretchin,’ the answer will always be “Well of course they are . . . for the most part anyway.”  Truth with Stretch Marks is available by contacting Ben at ben.reed@swed.mo.gov . All proceeds from book sales goes to the Brad Reed Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Author’s Note: Ben hopes by revealing his own comical perils of life, the reader’s memories will be jogged of similar amusing events of their own lifetime. As the saying goes, “We’ll look back on this and laugh one of these days,” . . . well this is one of those days.

Don't Miss This!

Meet Sharon Fieker Cummins

July 7

9:00 A.M.
Author / Speaker / Co-Founder of Adoption Triad of the Ozarks

 

Author and co-founder of Adoption Triad of the Ozark, Sharon Fieker Cummins will participate in the Adoption Panel for Adult Development at Forest Institute in Springfield, Missouri.

Weta Nichols Fiction Writing Contest

Ozarks Romance Authors

The Ozarks Romance Authors’ organization is growing, with 52 members at this point. At least half of the authors have been published. The group meets the first Saturday of each month at The Library Station in Springfield, Missouri. Upcoming guest speakers and their topics are listed at the following site: https://www.facebook.com/OzarksRomanceAuthors/events

The annual Weta Nichols Fiction Writing Contest sponsored by the Ozark Romance Authors is open to entries now, with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on July 15. Categories for the contest entries are historical, contemporary, paranormal/sci-fi, and young adult. Entries are open genre and not required to contain romantic tones. Details about the contest can be found at the following website: http://ozarks-romance-authors.com/annual-contest/.

Ozark Romance Authors’ annual conference is scheduled for September 21 at University Plaza in Springfield. Details are still unfolding. Information is available in two places:

Website: http://ozarks-romance-authors.com/annual-contest/
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/551199241559207/

WW II Veteran

From The Kitchen to The Bandstand: Singing My Songs

Author: Billie R. Armstrong arrived on this planet October 9, 1925, in the city of San Diego, California. Like many children of that era, he was part of the Great Depression years. At the age of sixteen, he quit school and got a job to help his mother support his younger bother and sister. In 1942, when he reached the age of seventeen, he joined the U.S. Navy. 

Billie Armstrong now lives in Nixa, Missouri. He is one of the local WW II veterans to visit Washington, D.C. this year as part of the Ozarks Honor Flight program.

Title: From The Kitchen to The Bandstand: Singing My Songs

Genre: Non-fiction/True Life

Books Description: From The Kitchen to The Bandstand: Singing My Songs is a true story. Bill Armstrong's story covers his family’s hardships during the Great Depression, his struggle to survive the shade less-treeless island in the South Pacific ravaged by WWII to the bright lights of the performing stages of Las Vegas. The book is available at Amazon.com.