Home Grown Books: September 2013

Thursday, September 19, 2013

New Arrival for September

A Traveler’s Guide to Understanding

Ken Bavuso

Author: Ken Bavuos lives in southwest Missouri with his wife. In 2008, he lost his way and began to search for purpose and fulfillment in life. A Traveler’s Guide to Understanding was borne out of his search for answers. Ken hopes his journey may help someone else who is wondering,”What’s next?”

Title: A Traveler’s Guide to Understanding

Genre: True Life/Inspirational

Description: In 2008, Ken lost everything. He lost his home to foreclosure. He lost his business, rentals, retirement, and life savings. When he walked out of his home for the last time, he had less than one hundred dollars in his pocket. In his sixties, he found himself trying to find work competing against 8.7 million others who had also lost their jobs. A potent mixture of depression and a death in the family caused Ken to face his mortality in a way he never had before. He felt like he was running out of time. A Traveler’s Guide to Understanding is the true story of Ken’s journey for answers. Ken’s book is available at amazon.com

New Arrival for September

A Glimpse of Glory: My Journey to Heaven and Back

Rick East and Yvonne Erwin

Authors: Rick East and Yvonne Erwin both live in Springfield, Missouri. Yvonne is the president of the Springfield Writers' Guild, a chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild, and is a member of Ozarks Romance Authors. Yvonne recently won second place in the prose-fiction category in the 19th Annual Springfield Writers' Contest Literacy Contest. Finding Rick’s story compelling she partnered with him to write a true story, A Glimpse of Glory: My Journey to Heaven and Back. The book is available at www.amazon.com.

Title: A Glimpse of Glory: My Journey to Heaven and Back

Genre: True Life/Christian/Inspirational

Book Description: A mysterious illness caused Rick East to lapse into respiratory failure the afternoon of December 25, 2012. Rick discovered his spirit was in heaven and was being coached by the Holy Spirit. Rick saw the city of heaven and had many conversations with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit answered questions that have puzzled Christians for years. A Glimpse of Glory: My Journey to Heaven and Back is available at amazon.com.

New Arrival for September

Buffalo Gal

Perry Posey

Author: Perry Posey is retired and lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Title: Buffalo Gal

Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian Romance

Book Description: An inspiration love novel. The rich city boy meets the poor Indian girl--Buffalo Gal. They meet in their young years and make a blood covenant that no one or anything could ever come between them. The book is available at Amazon.com.

New Arrival for September

Trouble on the Doorstep

Elaine Orr

Author: Elaine Orr was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Maryland. She currently lives in the Ozarks with her husband. She has studied writing at the University of Maryland, Georgetown University School of Continuing Education, the Writer's Center of Bethesda, Maryland, and the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

Elaine has written fiction and nonfiction for many years and recently introduced the Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series. Elaine created a setting she likes (an east coast beach town) and a profession that would let Jolie meet a lot of people and have an opportunity to get into a lot of trouble (real estate appraising). And friends, lots of friends. The first book in the series is "Appraisal for Murder," then "Rekindling Motives." "When the Carny Comes to Town" was published in February 2012, and "Any Port in a Storm" was out in September. "Trouble on the Doorstep" debuted in March 2013.

Other books written by Elaine include "Secrets of the Gap," set in Bath, England, home of the astonishing Roman Baths that have been excavated since the late 1870s. It's a wonderful site with ancient and modern mysteries. "Biding Time" is the story of young Frank Myers, nephew of his namesake who was MIA in Vietnam. Geared to a young adult audience, "Biding Time" has appeal for all. It was one of five finalists in the National Press Club's 1993 fiction contest, the club's first. All of Elaine's book are available at www.elaineorr.com.

Title: Trouble on the Doorstep

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Description: From Hurricane Sandy to B&B repairs to Aunt Madge's wedding in three weeks. If Jolie can handle that surely she can deal with a sobbing woman who shows up at midnight. When the next morning Jolie learns that Pooki's husband is missing, and his partner is dead, it seems there may be a connection to some shady hurricane repairs at Ocean Alley's senior complex. Jolie incurs the ire of a prominent builder, her boyfriend (local reporter George Winters), and of course the police--so she knows she's on to something.

New Arrival for September

City of the Gods: The Descendants

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

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.

Monday, September 16, 2013

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

About Us

Proprietors
Authors Schyrlet Cameron, Carolyn Craig, and Kathy Brown are pleased to announce the opening of HOME GROWN BOOKS. Partnering with Keen Bean Coffee Roasters of Mt. Vernon, Home Grown Books will display and sell books and musical CDs produced by local authors on shelves located inside the 60’s style coffee house.

The authors came up with the idea of a bookstore dedicated to promoting local talent after they experienced difficulty getting national bookstore chains interested in stocking their self-published book. Authors participating in the Not So Square Arts Festival held in Mt. Vernon in September complained they were faced with the same obstacle. The three authors decided it was time to take matters in their own hands and Home Grown Books was born. “We realize how difficult it is to get a traditional bookstore to place self-published books on their shelves. We saw a need to address this issue,” stated Schyrlet.

Contact Us

If you are an author, tired of your self-published books lying around collecting dust, here is your chance to have your talent recognized. The new business venture, Home Grown Books became operational on October 1st. The bookstore offers a wide variety of merchandise including, fiction and nonfiction books, musical CDs, and teacher resource materials appropriate for home, public, and private schools. If you are an author and wish to participate in this exciting new business venture, please contact us at homegrownbookstore@yahoo.com

New Release

Authors-CC Brown is the pseudonym adopted by the three authors: Schyrlet Cameron, Carolyn Craig, and Kathy Brown. The women live in the Ozarks with their families.

Genre: Fantasy Romance the Dark Side series delves into the wildly popular world of the paranormal, taking readers on a suspense-charged ride filled with bloodthirsty vampires, howling werewolves, and extraordinary women.

Book Descriptions

Book 1-Black Widow Society: The sacred relic of the undead... the Vampire Bible has fallen into the hands of a paranormal-artifact dealer, Koleen O’Brien. An eBay bid and an annual vacation lead Koleen and her five friends to San Antonio to deliver the book to a wealthy Texan. They are clueless to the fact that a pack of blood-thirsty vampires are stalking them to reclaim the Bible. Immortals meet their match as they discover that these women aren't typical mortals; they're members of the Black Widow Society!

Book 2-Wolf Stone: Just when Dmitri thought nothing could stop him from executing his plan to become king of the shapeshifters enters sexy Mona Dix. The sacred relic of the werewolf nation, the Wolf Stone, has fallen into her hands. With the possession of the stone comes the power to dominate and rule the thirteen werewolf tribes. Vacationing on the Oregon coast in the rugged terrain of the redwood forest, Mona and her friends are unaware of Dmitri and his pack of ancient wolves in hot pursuit to retrieve the precious stone. For the first time, Dmitri meets a woman who is more than a match for his supernatural powers and strong will. She is a Black Widow and a member of the Society.

Both books are available at amazon.com. Visit their website at www.ccbrownbooks.com.

Author's Corner

Featured Author Of the Month
Growing up on a farm just outside of Safford, Arizona, May White had more animals than friends. When she would get picked on or teased by other children, her mother would draw pictures and tell her stories of brave animals and how they dealt with similar situations. She carried on this tradition with her children and grandchildren. She still has lots of pets on a small parcel of land near Ash Grove, Missouri, where she watches the squirrels and rabbits play, and she imagines all the wonderful things they talk about.

Book of the Month
Title: Jack the Rat and His Funny Little Hat
Genre: Fiction/Children
Book Description: Jack the Rat does it all in his hat! He plays, eats, and even sleeps in that
cap. But one day a strong wind comes along and Jack’s favorite hat is quickly gone. The book is available at amazon.com.

Teacher Resource Center

Home Grown Books features Mark Twain Media products. Save 50% on all supplemental books and decorative resources created by leading educators when you shop at Home Grown Books inside KeenBean Coffee Roasters at Mt. Vernon, Missouri. We invite teachers and home schooling parents to come in and take a look.

Pick of the of the Month
Designed to help students more easily navigate the world of nonfiction reading, Understanding Informational Text Features is a helpful resource for all middle-school learners. It is aligned to Common Core State Standards and
focuses on common text features such as type, index, glossary, table of contents, captions, charts, and more! Available at Amazon.com.

About the Authors
Carolyn Craig has twenty-six years of experience as an elementary and middle school teacher. She has co-authored thirteen teacher resource books. Carolyn is currently working as a free lance writer and educational consultant. She holds a Master of Education Degree in Curriculum. Carolyn has presented workshops on a variety of topics and has received recognition by the Missouri Middle School Association for her collaborative teamwork.

Schyrlet Cameron has thirty-four years of experience as an elementary and middle school teacher. She has authored or co-authored over twenty teacher resource books. Schyrlet is currently working as a free lance writer and educational consultant. She has presented workshops at the national, state, and local levels on a variety of topics. Schyrlet holds a Master of Education Degree in Elementary Education and has received recognition for her professionalism in teaching including Missouri Science Teacher of the Year Award and the national Excellence in Teaching Elementary Science Presidential Award.

A Different Kind of Bookstore

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Monday, September 16, 2013