Book Festivals - Updates and News

Fox Cities Book Festival

April 17 - 24

The 2013 Fox Cities Book Festival has been set for April 17 through April 24 at venues from Kaukauna to Neenah and all points in between. This year’s Festival will feature nearly 65 writers and more than 75 events, including book talks, readings, poetry panels and writers workshops. The Festival will again run from a Wednesday through the following Wednesday, encompassing eight nights and a full weekend for author visits.




AND

SAVE THE DATE: September 14, 2013 for the Southwest Wisconsin Book Festival. Attend workshops, meet great authors at the book signing and participate in the networking event. We hope you can attend!

The Call to Authors for the 2013 Southwest Wisconsin Book Festival is now open. The deadline to submit is May 17, 2013. To apply visit www.swwibookfestival.com.

WWII Novel review: Night of Flames by Douglas Jacobson

Night of Flames A novel or World War II by Douglas W Jacobson

 

 

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: McBooks Press (October 1, 2008)

ISBN-13: 978-1590131664 

List print: $16.95

List electronic $9.95

From the Publisher:

Painting a vivid and terrifying picture of war-torn Europe during World War II, this tale chronicles the lives of Anna, a Krakow University professor, and her husband Jan, a Polish cavalryman. After they are separated and forced to flee occupied Poland, Anna soon finds herself caught up in the Belgian Resistance, while Jan becomes embedded in British Intelligence efforts to contact the Resistance in Poland. He soon realizes that he must seize this opportunity to search for his lost wife, Anna.

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My review:

Major Jan Kopernik of the Polish Cavalry Brigade, the 29^th Uhlans, says it best: “The German blitzkrieg was not just a military strategy – it was an all-out campaign of terror intent on the total destruction of his homeland.”

 

Night of Flames is a well-detailed fictionalized account of the Nazi campaign in Poland, and the eventual resistance. Anna Kopernik, an associate university history professor in Krakow, her husband Jan, a major in the army, and Anna’s father, Thaddeus Piekarski, give their first-hand account of life during this terrible time. From being front and center when Warsaw is bombed, to watching the Luftwaffe bomb farmers on the roads and rural villages, to the occupation of Krakow, to joining the resistance, each of them deal with the tragedy.

 

Thaddeus decides to be patient at home, believing the Allies will rescue the city soon. Jan leads his brigade into battle trying to defend a poorly prepared country that still depended on civilian telephone lines and beasts of burden to move equipment on their poor roads; Anna and her Jewish friends return to Krakow from a visit to Warsaw where the Nazi occupation edicts put them all in danger.

 

Anna and Jan do the best they can to live long enough, fighting for their homeland, to find each other again. Anna gets involved in the resistance when she escapes to friends in Belgium just before Jan comes to Krakow on business for the exiled government because of his ability to speak German. She's captured later, and Jan uses his connections, even his military orders, to try to find her.

 

Jacobson’s attention to detail shows his respect for the era, for the events, equipment, geography and technology of the time, even weather patterns and clothing and food. While perhaps circumstances seem aligned in perfect favor for the characters, the account is fiction, and fiction asks for the ability to take a leap of faith upon occasion.

 

Realistic to the point that I occasionally buzzed through detailed battle accounts, Jacobson’s Night of Flames will offer readers who enjoy well-documented World War II history a great few hours back in time. Some brutality, on graphic rape.

 

About the author:

 

Douglas W. Jacobson is an engineer, business owner and World War Two history enthusiast. Doug has travelled extensively in Europe researching the courage of common people caught up in the most catastrophic event of the twentieth century. His debut novel, NIGHT OF FLAMES: A Novel of World War Two was published in 2007 and released in paperback and Kindle in 2008. NIGHT OF FLAMES won the "2007 Outstanding Achievement Award" from the Wisconsin Library Association. He is the author of THE KATYN ORDER, 2011. Doug has also published numerous articles on underground resistance actions in Europe and is currently working on his third historical novel set in Europe during World War Two. Doug and his wife Janie live in Elm Grove, Wisconsin.

Naomi Musch, Empire in Pine

The Black Rose, book 3 in the Empire in Pine series

By Naomi Musch 

Desert Breeze Publishing

July 2012

ISBN: 9781612521923

$6.99 Kindle

 

From the publisher:

Despite the panic of 1893, logging reaches its golden era in the growing state of Wisconsin, and twins Jesilyn and Corianne Beaumont enjoy a comfortable life with family in the bursting Great Lake city of Superior. But when jealousy incites Jesi to seduce Cori's fiance, a flight and fall from grace lands her in a boomtown brothel, where a fresh start is denied her.

 

My review:

Naomi ends the Kade family saga, Empire in Pine, with the last of the trilogy in this story named for a rose in Lainey's garden in Superior WI. Grandma and Grandpa Kade have come to live with Lainey and Zane. At one point the whole family is called back when they wonder if Grandpa will make it. It's a too-brief family reunion of old friends mentioned in the other stories.

 

Lainey and Zane's twin daughters are eighteen and feeling it. They've let a man come between them, and everyone loses when Jesi confesses to Cori that she made the hugest mistake of her life out of desire for the man Cori thought she would marry. But just like the rose that is so dark-colored it's called black, it's still a rose, and eventually the girls must hit the blackest depths before crawling back into the light.

 

The first book of the series showcased the early years of Wisconsin's lumber barons; the second and third deal with the results of those years - the terrible fire that consumed Peshtigo in 1871, and the bawdy towns and services to the roughneck lumbermen: Hayward, Hurley, and Hell... Jesi runs away and finds herself in both Hurley and hell before a camp preacher and his sister pick her up and dusts her off.

 

At home, Cori is reunited with a family friend who encourages her to make something of herself. She goes to college to become a teacher, but she isn't done re-creating herself yet. There's a lot of self-examination to be done, and Jamie painfully helps her do that.

 

While the first two books were pinned on defining events in Wisconsin history, The Black Rose brings to light some of the more tawdry aspects of history. A few formatting issues and editing glitches didn't detract much from my Kindle version. Told in the richest detail, period-perfect as always, beautifully written, The Black Rose is a fitting end to the series. I'm sad to see it go.

 

Highly recommended for Wisconsin history lovers.

 

About the author:

Naomi loves stories rich in American history, but writes in several other genres as well. Naomi's aim is to surprise and entertain readers while telling stories about imperfect people who are finding hope and faith to overcome their struggles, whether the setting is past, contemporary, or even fantastic. 

She and husband Jeff have five adult children, and enjoy epic adventures with them around their home in the Wisconsin woods. She invites readers to say hello and find out more about her stories, passions, and other writing venues at http://www.naomimusch.com or look her up on Facebook (Naomi Musch - Author) and Twitter (NMusch).

Mary Ellen Lisciandra talks about her book Stolen Lives

MARY ELLEN LISCIANDRA IS THE AUTHOR OF STOLEN LIVES.  RELEASED BY MIRROR PUBLISHING OF MILWAUKEE IN NOVEMBER OF 2012, THIS IS HER FIRST PUBLISHED NOVELLA. 

 

AN INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE WRITER, MS LISCIANDRA LIKES TO INSPIRE PASSION, MAKING A POWERFUL IMPACT TO ALL HER READERS. SHE ENJOYS (BOTH READING AND WRITING) POETRY; MUSIC (ESPECIALLY CLASSICAL AND OPERA); AND IS AN AVID READER OF BOOKS ABOUT HISTORY. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, SHE READ ABOUT THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE, AND WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE HER OWN GANGSTER STORY. SHE PRIDES HERSELF ON THE FACT THAT SHE IS ONE OF THE FEW FEMALE AUTHORS WHO HAS WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT GANGSTERS, AND SHE IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE SEQUEL TO STOLEN LIVES.

 

STOLEN LIVES WHICH DRAWS ON HER INTEREST IN THE PROHIBITION ERA, IS A BOOK ABOUT VIOLENCE, CORRUPTION, BETRAYAL, AND REVENGE. AS SHE DESCRIBES THE NOVELLA:  "IT ADDRESSES THE CHOICES WE MAKE THROUGH LIFE.  THESE CHOICES TEACH US THAT IN ANY SOCIETY, PAST OR PRESENT, IN THE END, WE ALL PAY FOR WHO WE ARE."

 

MARY ELLEN LISCIANDRA IS A RESIDENT OF WISCONSIN RAPIDS. BORN IN NEW YORK, SHE MOVED TO WISCONSIN TWO YEARS AGO, AFTER SPENDING FIFTEEN YEARS IN FLORIDA,WORKING IN THE NURSING PROFESSION.

 

MS. LISCIANDRA IS A MEMBER OF THE HEART OF WISCONSIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN WISCONSIN RAPIDS. PLEASE VISIT HER WEB PAGE -- WWW.MARYELLENLISCIANDRA.WORDPRESS.COM

 

 

How did I decide to write about gangsters?

In my bio, I mentioned that I was inspired by reading about the St Valentine's Day Massacre and

the turf battles in Chicago over bootleg liquor in the 1920's.

What's the one thing I learned about publishing during my journey to publication?

Actually - there are two things: You have to learn to accept rejections and keep plugging - keep

marketing your book. Be persistent and never give up.

And, of course, you have to have an interesting idea.

How does it feel to be a published author? What does being a published author mean to

me?

Fantastic! It inspires me to write the sequel (and to work on other writing projects). It also makes

me want to share my success and encourage others to follow their dreams of writing (or whatever

other endeavors they have), and never give up.

           

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Stolen Lives by Mary Ellen Lisciandra
ISBN :  978-1-61225-152-3

Chicago. 1920. A time of Prohibition and gangsters. The Volstad Act was just passed the previous year, forbidding the manufacturing, selling, delivery, or any attempts to furnish
intoxicating liquor. However, there were many who chose to ignore this law. Chicago was a hotbed of bootleggers and mobsters.

From the start, it was a society that was addicted to vice, pain, and pleasure. It crushed ideas and beliefs and made certain people contemptible and their destruction desirable.
Gangsters and thugs ruled with an iron hand, as the nation reached a transformative moment.

STOLEN LIVES is a riveting story of ruthless ambition, greed, violence, and a twisted sense of justice. The men who ran this town were above morality and beyond reproach, ready to
kill anyone who got in their way. There was a constant fight for power between rival gangs. They played for keeps.

Follow the story of three desperate people caught in a dangerous web of love, betrayal and revenge during those incredible years known as "The Roaring 20s."

 

PURCHASE LINKS

STOLEN LIVES can be purchased at the Book World Stores in either Stevens Point or Wisconsin Rapids.

It is also available through amazon.com and through barnesandnoble.com.

And, it is available for purchase directly through the author at my website :   www.maryellenlisciandra.wordpress.com

We are currently working on getting the book on kindle, nook, and e-books; and it will hopefully be available through these sources within the next month or so.

ALL WRITERS STUDIO - Help your poetry rise to the top!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Help your poetry rise to the top!

WAUKESHA – A poem is a poem is a poem – but not all are successful. Madison’s current co-poets laureate and editors of Verse Wisconsin are coming to AllWriters’ to help you sort out the good, the bad, and the ugly from your work. “Helping Our Poems Grow Up: Finding a Place for Our Work in the World” is an AllWriters’ Celebrity Saturday event, taking place on March 23rd, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The fee is $85 and includes lunch, catered by Café De Art!

Join Sarah Busse and Wendy Vardaman for a day of discussion and writing as they share what they’ve learned about your poetry and what they’ve learned about their poetry as they give you the inside scoop on submitting poems more likely to get an editor’s attention. Writing exercises will help you revise your poems and make them stronger, giving you an edge in submissions. You will also add to your tool boxes as poets. Participants should also bring 3-5 pages of their poems for critique.

SARAH BUSSE and WENDY VARDAMAN are co-Poets Laureate of Madison and co-editors of Verse Wisconsin and Cowfeather Press. Both are widely published and prize-winning poets. Busse’s first full-length collection, Somewhere Piano, was published in 2012 by Mayapple Press, and she has two chapbooks: Quiver (2009, Red Dragonfly Press) and Given These Magics, (2010, Finishing Line Press). Vardaman is the author of Obstructed View (Fireweed Press, 2009. Both have appeared often in literary magazines and anthologies.

To register for this class, call 262-446-0284 or go to www.allwriters.org and click on Celebrity Saturdays.

AllWriters’ Workplace and Workshop is located at 234 Brook St., Unit 2, in Waukesha. We offer on-site and online writing courses in all genres and abilities of creative writing, as well as coaching, editing, and marketing services. A schedule of classes and registration is available online at http://www.allwriters.org or you can call 262-446-0284.

Kathie Giorgio
Director, AllWriters' Workplace & Workshop LLC
Author, "The Home For Wayward Clocks"
234 Brook St., Unit 2
Waukesha WI 53188
Phone: (262) 446-0284
AllWriters' Website: www.allwriters.org
Kathie's Website: www.kathiegiorgio.org

Douglas Jacobson, Night of Flames and the Katyn Order

Douglas W. Jacobson is an engineer, business owner and World War Two history enthusiast who has traveled extensively in Europe researching stories of the courage of common people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. His debut novel, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War Two, won the 2008 "Outstanding Achievement Award" from the Wisconsin Library Association. Doug's second historical novel, The Katyn Order, is a story of intrigue and danger, of love and human courage in the aftermath of one of history’s most notorious war crimes. TheKatyn Order received the 2011 "Honorable Mention Award" from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. Doug writes a monthly column on Poland's experience during WW2, and has published articles on European resistance and escape organizations during the war. He lives in Elm grove, WI with his wife, Janie.

 

 

About Redbird (writer's studio), I owe Judy Bridges and the whole group most of the credit for what success I've had as a writer. From Judy's course (Shut-up and Write) plus five years of round tables, I learned the craft of writing creative fiction. Everything from creating scenes, to dialog, to point of view - and yes, even 8th grade grammar - were the fundamental building blocks that I got from Redbird. I believe I can tell a good story, and I know how to do the research, but as Judy said the first time she read my initial draft of NIGHT OF FLAMES, "If you want anyone else to read this that you don't have to pay, I can probably help you."

 

What I love about writing (over and above the research, which is also a passion of mine) is the mental exercise of creating a story and creating charcaters. I love to invent a character, then put he or she into a situation and let both the character and the story evolve as I write. I always (well, most of the time) have an outline of the story in my mind, or at least the fundamental historical events and the endpoint, but I'm flexible about how to get there and let it develop as I write.

 

The advice I would give to propsective authors is to find a place like Redbird where you can get the support of people who also love to write. Then the rest of it is just perseverence. First the perseverence to finish the work, then the perseverence to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Finally, the publication part is a combination of perseverence and luck. You've got to do the basics (query letters, etc.) and keep on doing it no matter how many rejection letters you get. Don't take it personally, its a business, and sooner or later you'll hit the right editor on the right day, and it will fall in to place.

Rosalie Koehler and her inspiring work

Meet Homegrown Wisconsin author Rosalie Koehler and her inspiring story!

Rosalie has enjoyed writing poems and stories since grade school. She has taken part in several Red Bird / Red Oak writing roundtables and is a member of the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association. She is also a piano teacher and writes songs and lyrics.

Rosalie lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin with her husband, Steve. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

About the Book:

LITTLE GIRL, GET UP

This is the compelling true story of Rosalie Koehler’s venture to Bangladesh in 2001 to visit her daughter, Amanda, a Peace Corps volunteer. It gives you an idea of Amanda’s life there and details a terrifying event, resulting in their unexpected evacuation and return to the United States during the September 11^th terrorist attacks. This was a journey of self-discovery for both mother and daughter, which required resilience of spirit, a positive approach to life and the importance of listening to God’s voice.

 Printed copies can be ordered directly from Rosalie Koehler at this email address: skoehler@ameritech.net for $12.00 plus $2.50 shipping. She will accept paypal or will advise mailing instructions for personal checks.

Rosalie was motivated to write and publish this memoir as a result of her journey to Bangladesh to visit her daughter, Amanda. With Amanda as her inspiration, Rosalie shares her story to inspire believers and unbelievers to have courage in adversity and joy in serving others.