Back for Their Last Visit!

Friday, July 26, 2013

These Three Authors  Will be here both days, so come and stop on in!

11am - 2 pm Sat and Sunday 7/27 and 7/28

Steve Unger 


Dancing in the Streets--
 Steve Unger mined his own journal for this book, and wound a murder mystery through the 60's memoir.  He pulls from his own experiences being a white minority in an historically black college in Alabama and joining a commune in California, and watching it fail around him.

Being an avid traveler, he also included scenes from New Orleans, Paris, the Bay Area, and Salvador, Brazil.


Come on in and talk to him about his book, and his life!






Sharon S. Darrow


...and the good lord remains anonymous

Back again with her memoir in case you missed her the first time,

Sharon will be selling, signing and discussing her memoir, which was mentioned in a post last week.  Go read about it here: 

Or go visit her website http://www.sharonsdarrow.com/

And come on in with your questions! 










June Gillam:

House of Cuts




Last week, when June came in before, we discussed her collection of poems.  As promised, I would like to mention her thriller: House of Cuts. 

Hillary Broome has been looking for something interesting to write about and further her career as a reporter.  The dismembered managers of the local superstore turn up and give her just what she wanted, right?

 Her story gains national attention and threatens to expose a secret that could destroy her career. Meanwhile she catches the killer's notice and has to work with detective Eddie Kiffin before she's the next victim.

This Weekend: The Last Weekend for State Fair Authors' Meet & Greet

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Aspiring writers here's a heads' up!  The Publisher Terry Burke Maxwell of Earth Patch Press will be at our store this weekend with her two local authors: Ruben Llamas and Sharon S. Darrow. That means it's a rare opportunity to ask those questions of the process of publication you know you want answers to but haven't had the right person to ask.  Terry can give insight and perspective from the view of editor, publisher, and writer.  Her own writing has been technical and the focus of her publishing company is currently memoir. 



   Here's Terry and Ruben with Ruben's wife Anita at our store, when, a few months back Ruben came and presented "Eye from the Edge," his memoir of growing up in Oakland.

   We will be very happy to have them all back and hope you will enjoy coming to meet them.




    Both Terry Burke and Ruben Llamas will be here on Saturday with author Shelly Buck, currently published by Margaret Murray's company Write Words' Press.  For more information check here: http://www.margaretcmurray.com/writewords-press/

Sunday July 21: Children/ Young Adult/ Inspirational Meet & Greet

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Sharon S. Darrow

Sharon will be at the Avid Reader, with her book, "...and the good lord remains anonymous." 

Her are some of her words regarding her book: 

"Writing this book was an incredible experience that helped me appreciate the people around me and the experiences I've lived. My hope as an author is that each reader will gain a little deeper understanding of there own life while being entertained along the way."
 

Sharon started writing  "...and the good lord remains anonymous," with the idea of presenting stories about what can happen when you say yes to requests that are out of your comfort zones. But her line of thinking led to reminiscing on her own life, wherein examination altered trajectory the story took, and landed it squarely in the realm of  "inspirational," our Sunday theme.


 


She found that  events and circumstances that had been the most painful experiences brought the most valuable life lessons of all. Others she had repeated a number of times before the lesson got through.  



Sharon previously wrote: "Bottlekatz, A Complete Care Guide for Orphan Kittens" in 2006, which has since become a training manual for kitten/cat rescue groups all over the United States and the United Kingdom.


After writing her second book Sharon was referred to the Northern California Publishers and Authors group by my publisher, Terry Burke Maxwell, of Earth Patch Press,and accepted an invitation from one the group members to participate in the California Authors booth at the State Fair.  
 
Check out her website: here 
 

June Gillum:


 


June Gillam teaches writing and literature at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. She belongs to the Auburn-based Gold Country Writers and to Capitol Crimes, the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime. She can be reached via her website: http://www.junegillam.com
 
 So Sweet Against Your Teeth by June Gillam invites readers to bite into 15 poems, reflections from a childhood spent in a World War II small-town Sacramento culture. Sugar-and-spice along with not-so-nice puppy dog tales pull readers through some Father-Knows-Best (not) days. 

Her other published title includes House of Cuts, a thriller set in San Joaquin County (to be discussed more next week!)


Shirley Paranteau:



Is a children's author with a series about bears.  She will be discussing "Bears in Beds," a follow up to "Bears on Chairs."

Bears on Chairs:



Four small bears learn to share their four small chairs with Big Brown Bear. 
 
Bears in Beds:


When the four smallest bears are too frightened of a noise in the night to sleep, Big Brown Bear comforts them by reading a story about a pesky girl with golden hair. 
 
Bears in the Bath will be her next installment, due out next year. Bears in the Bath will show four grimy but stubborn little bears tempted into the tub when Big Brown Bear shows that a bath can be fun. 
 

Laurie Hoirup:



Laurie's memoir is the inspirational tale of well... herself.  In her poignant words:
 
"Having a significant disability since the age of two, I have been an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities for most of my life, including my employment and it was through the encouragement of my family, friends and colleagues that I decided to use my story as a resource for others, to be a role model in the face of adversity with a positive attitude and a sense of humor.

"While I was first trying to figure out how to get published, I remembered the authors corner at the state fair and I went there and talk to an author who directed me to the "Northern CA publishers and authors." it was through them that I found a local independent publisher. Five years later, I won first place for nonfiction at their annual awards competition and I was invited to participate at the state fair authors corner. I truly have come full circle."
 
--Laurie Hoirup

Learn more about her and her book at: www.LauriesLegacy.com

 


Saturday July 20th, Steven and Margaret Return!

Friday, July 19, 2013

We were greatful to have Steven and Margaret last week, so if you missed Sundagger or In the Footsteps of Dracula, you can come on by and get them tomorrow!

Steven P. Unger 



Steven is a fun guy to sit and chat with, so come on in and ask about Before the Paparazzi.

 Before the Paparazzi:  Fifty Years of Extraordinary Photographs includes over 250 pictures taken by Arty Pomerantz, staff photographer and assignment editor for the New York Post from the 1960s through the early 1990s.  Almost all of the pictures in Before the Paparazzi appeared in the Post, and a great many of them were on the newspaper's front page.  Before the Paparazzi is published by World Audience, Inc., 

Find it here: www.beforethepaparazzi.com.

Margaret Murray 



The writer and publisher and organizer of these Meet & Greets will be back this Saturday!  Check out this great book and stop on in to meet her.  

Dreamers, is a love story of the American1960s, set in the Civil Rights showdown. Street-savvy Thomas, desperate for stardom, meets music student, Annie.


To impress his struggling family, Thomas drives a flashy borrowed car home to Pittsburgh from New York City and is involved in a minor accident. A fender bender in a snowstorm escalates into a confrontation with police and he becomes a fugitive.

They’re both in the wrong place at the wrong time, seeking to live up to their dreams.


Saturday 16th Authors Post 1

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Yet again this weekend we will be having another Meet & Greet with California Authors.  This Saturday the theme will be Fiction.  So, fans of contemporary literature, come on out and meet these authors.  Here's a little bit about our Saturday Authors and their books. 

 Deborah Rae Cota 

Deborah Rae Cota will be selling and discussing her series, The Dante Chronicles, about the ongoing magical battles of the Dante family and their son Eli
 
In Book I, The Kindred, The Dante family is alerted to an evil plot  in a vision. The family forms a plan to end it, but it forces them to make a vital, heart-breaking sacrifice to survive. When the youngest Dante is appointed as The Sentry to combat the evil plotters, The Kindred become aware of him. The Kindred are  unlikely heroes, each with their own special powers. Together they plan to foil the evil plot, and reunite the family once and for all.
 
In Book II, The Brotherhood, the Dante's are haunted by the events of Book 1.  They seek the answer to a crucial message as the new King of The Dominion is crowned, and the sequence of events they believed halted are taking place, despite. While the Kindred must move forward, they are forced to look back and battle personal demons in order to respond to the strange message.
 
In Book III, The Traveler, the team is formed and ready, and missions should go exactly as planned. Right? An old nemesis has some new players he is toying with, and creates total chaos for The Kindred. With the help of former members of The Brotherhood, the team will learn a tough lesson that will ultimately strengthen them, but with great costs.
 

Deborah Rae Cota started writing when her 4th grade teacher encouraged her to enter a short story in a school contest.  Deborah won. 
 
Her teacher told her to write a little something every day, and she's been writing ever since. Encouraged by her best friend, she started putting more of my short stories together and created The Dante Family. They are based upon her own family, with a paranormal twist.

This is her second year as in invitee to the Cal Expo California Authors Booth.
 
 
Visit her website at  http://www.dantechronicles.com
Can't get enough of the Dante family? Check out her book trailer is located on YouTube: http://youtu.be/K5YMoaavcBE
 
Margaret Murray & Steve Unger will also be rejoining us this Saturday.  Look for their post and a more in-depth examination of some of their other books!  
 
See you in the store.

Sunday Authors

Saturday, July 13, 2013


Here are two of the authors who will be in tomorrow.  Be sure to check out their websites!



Margaret Murray

 Margaret Murray has two published novels.  She is writing a prequel to the book, Sundagger, which will be featured this Sunday. 


Sundagger is a fantasy meets speculative fiction.  Sara, the main character, has had it with her job.  On top of that, her son has gone missing. Seeking some way out of the stresses of life she winds up in a sweat lodge and launches herself on a modern day vision quest.

She began Sundagger.net in 1999 after visiting the Four Corners area in the Southwest, as well as making a stop by Chaco Canyon. Entranced, she undertook research Pre-Puebloan culture.  Sundagger is the culmination of her fascination with ancient American pre-history and her own, more personal trials and anguish.  



 She also runs a small publishing company, WriteWords Press.


Red Storm

Frank Luna


American Commander “Mac” MacTavish and his international team of scientists and engineers are wrapping up an eighteen-month mission at Mars Base. Without warning, all communication with Earth is mysteriously lost. Mac’s egotistical science chief discovers that a massive solar flare has impacted Earth, causing catastrophic damage and most likely political and social upheaval. Unsure if it is safe to return home, Mac decides to wait for the arrival of the Mars 3 spacecraft and the relief crew already en route from Earth. After several weeks with no communication, Mars 3 lands nearby, showing no signs of life. Expecting a grisly scene, Mac enters the lifeless lander, but he is stunned and horrified by what he discovers. Are Mac and his crew the sole survivors of a galactic solar catastrophe or something more sinister? Now it is up to him to discover the truth in the midst of this Red Storm.

Learn more at his website- redstormnovel.com
And tweet him - @Redstormluna




Saturday Authors -- July 13 2013

Friday, July 12, 2013

Valerie Murphy:




Valerie Murphy is a mother of three and has had a passion for storytelling since she was a young girl.  So, it's no wonder that she has published books for kids.  


Her list of published works includes: 

Children’s Book Of Poems Schmoems 


The Gumshoes series:


The Gumshoes: A New Town, Oh Joy!The Gumshoes: Rogues Hollow

  
Oh Joy! recently received an honorable mention at the san Francisco Book Festival, and this weekend at the Avid Reader, she will be featuring her series.  

Here is a synopsis of The Gumshoes: A New Town, Oh Joy! as presented by the author:


Bug, a ten year old boy, just moved to a new town. Desperately trying to find a skate park, he discovers a few new friends instead. But these aren't just any friends. They're The Gumshoes, a paranormal investigation club. Will Bug ditch his skateboarding ways to become a Gumshoe? 

 Valerie is currently working on her first young adult novel which she hopes will bring awareness to Cystic Fibrosis, her son was diagnosed with the devastating disease with in 2006.


 

Steve Unger:




Unger has been a traveler and writer from the time he learned to type with two fingers on a manual typewriter in the basement of his parents' house in Ferndale, Michigan.  He still travels, writes, and types with two fingers, and is happiest when he can combine his two passions of traveling and writing.

Extensive travel in North and South America, Western Europe, Israel, and Romania has influenced, inspired and shaped all of his writing.  Including the title which he will feature this saturday at the Avid Reader at Tower:  In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journey and Travel Guide.

In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journey and Travel Guide meticulously follows Bram Stoker's depiction of Jonathan Harker's 1893 expedition from London to Count Dracula's castle on the Borgo Pass in Transylvania in text and almost 200 pictures. In the Footsteps of Dracula also includes every site connected with the historical Prince Dracula, that is, Vlad Ţepeş or Vlad the Impaler.

Unger has been a traveler and writer from the time he learned to type with two fingers on a manual typewriter in the basement of his parents' house in Ferndale, Michigan.  He still travels, writes, and types with two fingers, and is happiest when he can combine his two passions of traveling and writing.

Steven P. Unger lives in Elk Grove, California with his fiancée Paula, Bailey the dog, and Batman the cat.

His other published titles include:
Before the Paparazzi:  Fifty Years of Extraordinary Photographs
Before the Paparazzi:  Fifty Years of Extraordinary Photographs 



 

Meet & Greets For July

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The State Fair is about to start, and there will be a very cool authors' booth that any booklover stopping by Cal Expo should pause to see.  But, if the bustle and heat are not your thing, you can meet some of the authors at our store.  

Starting this weekend we will be featuring between 3 and 5 authors in the store for Meet & Greets.  Come, speak with them, have books signed, and just generally enjoy the community.  

So who, exactly will we be having?

This Saturday we will be welcoming Nan Mahon, Valerie Murphy, and Steve Unger.

This Sunday we will feature: Margaret Murray, Frank Luna, and Janet Parrish.  

Each Week we will be featuring these authors and their books, here, so you acn know just a little more before you come on in.  

See you this Weekend!




 

First Post to Events Blog

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Hello all,

Welcome to the new Avid Reader Tower Events blog!  This blog is designed to go into more detail about upcoming events, authors and books in the spotlight than we have room on other venues. 

Hope your summer is going well, and do stop on by the website for all the particulars, or to order books online. 

Stay cool in this heat wave, and we'll see you soon!
 

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