VIRGINIA AUTHORS
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Virginia Mullins, who lives in Colonial Heights, has compiled a cookbook that includes some Virginia history. It’s called “Collection of Recipes from Virginia.” The recipes are familiar; among them are Party Cheese Ball calling for Cracker Barrel cheese, corn pudding calling for Green Giant Niblets corn, Pretzel Salad calling for strawberry Jell-O and Chocolate Cream Pie calling for Hershey’s cocoa.
The 250-recipe cookbook costs $20 plus $3 for handling and is available by mail from Virginia Mullins, P.O. Box 386, Colonial Heights, VA 23834.
For more information, call Virginia Mullins at (804) 526-4844.

Temple of the Two Jaguars is a new exciting, action, adventure, romance novel by Edward Curry.

The price is $15.00 plus $5.00 S & H. It is 256 pages in length and the ISBN is: 978-0-9814684-0-2. The publisher is Merlin & Associates.

Forewarned by violent, troubling dreams of a jungle inhabited by primitive warriors, author, Ryan Keshaw nonetheless joins a Smithsonian-Mexican expedition in search of the elusive Maya Rosetta Stone. Feisty, easy-on-the-eyes Dr. Allison Shelton believes that Keshaw’s nightly visions of himself as an ancient Maya medicine man, and his amazing knowledge of a hidden cavern, might prove to be crucial to their mission. Keshaw soon discovers, at the brink of the Pit of Death, that ancient taboos and customs must be respected. With time running out, Keshaw and Allison find themselves locked in a life- threatening struggle to escape with invaluable clues to the ancient Maya civilization. Many tense moments ensue before they ultimately uncover a series of startling surprises. The Temple of the Two Jaguars will have you saying, “So this is what life is all about!”

For more information visit the website: http://www.templeofthetwojaguars.com or call 757 486-9610 to order.

An Important New Coming of Age Novel: An Important New Author

Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer He writes:

It’s more humane to face a firing squad than a classroom, humiliated because of illiteracy.’ This opening sentence of Timekeeper by new author (to this reader) John Atkinson begins a journey so deeply moving and profound, yet so utterly simply told that the book suggests Atkinson may enter the echelon of writers known for important Coming of Age novels. Such writers whose message and transference is tangential include James Joyce’s `Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’, Betty Smith’s `A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’, JD Salinger’s `Catcher in the Rye’, Robert McCammon’s `Boy’s Life’, Cormac McCarthy’s `All the Pretty Horses’, Sue Monk Kidd’s `The Secret Life of Bees’, Jamie O’Neill’s `At Swim, Two Boys’ - a rather disparate group of books in style but related in topic - and I’m sure every reader has others of equal impact.

Time, of course, will determine his longevity of importance, but at the moment John Atkinson appears to be a new voice whose book should find a very wide audience.

Johnnyboy is a 14-year-old sensitive, handsome, sadly illiterate half-breed Indian who flees his severely dysfunctional Virginia family - his helpless but loving Cherokee Mama and his physically abusive father Bugdaddy - to find his place in the universe.

His journey on foot and by car introduces him to Chief, a wise old Indian who sees into Johnnyboy’s soul and with the aid of hallucinogenic mescal introduces the now named Timekeeper to the ways toward the path of life. The book is a road trip peppered with people, both kind and wise and evil and ignorant, who offer Timekeeper valuable lessons, both occult and temporal, as Timekeeper searches for his true identity and purpose. His constant companion is Check, a gray dog who seems from another time plane but who becomes Timekeeper’s confidant and protector.

Timekeeper’s search reaches a tense denouement and a poignant climax as the now solitary lad accepts his place and purpose in the windswept soul of the Universal spirit. It is a journey fraught with hardship, danger, comic relief, heartwarming encounters, and above all the discovery of a boy becoming a man who accepts the gifts of the people who touch his life.

John Atkinson is able to relate this story in the first person, and as Timekeeper is illiterate and nearly childlike in his beginning, the style of writing fits the character like a glove. As Timekeeper matures during his journey, so does the writing style, becoming far more rich in the etching of atmosphere and the terrain of the country Timekeeper and Check traverse. That is a difficult feat and Atkinson proves it can be done. This is an important book from an important writer. It will be very interesting to see where he goes from this auspicious debut. 

My son W. Mike Hewitt, ll, has had a book published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd..Uniforms and Equipment of the IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY IN WORLD WAR ll. 
Mike researched the few remaining war period Japanese army uniform regulations at the Ground Self Defense Force library in Meguro, Tokyo as well as interviews with both U.S. Marine and Imperial Japanese Army war veterans to create this book.  This book offers the most detailed and informative guide to Japanese Army uniforms ever written.

Mike grew up in Chesterfield County.  At the age of eighteen he enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve.  While in the reserves he attended Virginia Tech and received a B.S. degree in History in 1989.  The same year he attended the Officer Candidate School at Quanito, VA and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.  In 1990, as part of the Second Maine Division, he was sent to Saudi Arabia and in 1991 to Kuwait where he served as an infantry platoon commander during the Gulf War.  Mike has be collecting Japanese militaria since his teens.  He now lives in Chesterfield after having lived eight years in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

Schiffer Publishing Ltd..
4880 Valley Road
Atglen, PA 19310 (http://www.schifferbooks.com)

Book title: Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia
Author: Jessica James
ISBN: 978-0-9796000-0-5
528 pages. $27.99
Available at http://www.patriotpressbooks.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com and bookstores everywhere

A beautiful story with a timeless message is how one reviewer described this debut novel by Jessica James. Readers will discover the fine line between friends and enemies in this epic love story that captures the emotions fears of the country as war sweeps the land.

The novel has received critical acclaim from Civil War authors and historians, as well as lovers of romance and historical fiction. Called “a sympathetic, loving portrait,” by the Historical Novel Society and “well written and expertly executed” by the Book Review Journal, “Shades of Gray”
takes readers across the rolling hills of northern Virginia in a page-turning tale of courage as a Confederate cavalry commander and a Union spy defend their beliefs, their country and their honor.

“Troubles Won’t Last Always” schedule for release March 1, 2008. The book will be available wherever books are sold and will also available at online bookstores (http://www.amazon.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com, http://www.booksamillion.com, http://www.borders.com) and in Wal-Mart stores.

About the Author
Michelle C. Taylor is a Virginia native, born in Stony Creek. She began writing short stories and poems at an early age and as the years grew so did her passion for writing.

Although this is her first national published novel, she is no stranger to the literary market. She has been writing for over fifteen years and has self published two books. Mental Incarceration, “It’s All in Your Mind”, was her first published work and was released in February 1998. The book sold over 600 copies the first week locally. With her passion for writing, she also developed a passion for speaking and in March 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia she launched “Innovation Seminar Services” a company that gave her a platform as a motivational speaker. She then went on to publish her second self-publish book a religious/inspirational handbook entitle “Jesus Lives” in May 2005. It has quickly become a favorite in the Christian community.

Her works has appeared in Imani magazine in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also a former host of a weekly gospel radio show on WFTH 1590 in Richmond. Michelle’s latest work is her first her first Christian novel entitled “Trouble Won’t Last Always” which is due for release in March 2008 under Urban Books/Kensington Publishing.

Beyond her literary endeavors, she is a born-again believer in Christ Jesus and has a great love for the Lord, she was licensed into the ministry in November of 2004 and whenever she’s not spreading the Lord’s word in the pulpit, she’s using her pen and pad to reach the souls on the outside of her pulpit.

She currently resides in Richmond, VA with her husband Marvin Taylor, and their three children Malik, Quentin and Maliah. She is the daughter of Revered Joe H. Caple and Gracie Caple. She is a graduate of Kee Business College with a Degree in Business Computer Administration. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Theology at the Samuel Dewitt School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA.

In her spare time Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, reading and praise dancing.

Synopsis
This uplifting and powerful novel from a compelling new author follows four women as they go in search for love, developing a bond that gives them all strength and hope, discover that God will always be there for them when tragedy strikes.

“Huckleberry Finn in Love and War, the lost journals” by Dan Walker.
Published by Pblish America.  It can be ordered by internet from that publishing company or from Amazon.com. It costs $24.95.

Walker answers the questions Mark Twain avoided: What if Huck Finn carries out his promise, at the end of the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” to “light out for the Territory?” Twain himself got 62 pages into the prairie and lost interest. But what if Huck, Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher are caught up—as they surely would be—in the crisis of the Civil War ? What choices will they make when history calls? For the boy who once said “All right, then, I’ll go to Hell,” what might that mean in the Valley of Mexico parted from the love of his life, apparently forever, or behind rebel lines in the wilderness of central Virginia with the duty to kill or capture old friends on the other side? How would that ageless boy do in such trials? Hell might be preferable.

Dan Walker grew up in Henrico County—now teaches English in the Commonwealth Governor’s School near Fredericksburg—was Ranger Historian for the National Battlefield Park, Wilderness Campaign for several summers.

Mid-grade reader ages 8 & up
Author:  Sheryle Criswell
Available at :  Amazon.com & Readerseden.com
Published in 2008 by Writers Exchange 68 pages, paperback $10.99 e-book $3.00
ISBN-10: 1921314079 ISBN-13: 978-1921314070

One of the greatest young female protagonists to come along since Ramona Quimby. Bernice Blossom Bolton, a.k.a. Bernie Bolton, is fun, feisty, and ready to take on the world, it seems.

This is Bernie’s story about a Christmas trip to New York City with her grown sister and brother-in-law. When Santa doesn’t make a stop at The Plaza Hotel to drop gifts for Bernie on Christmas Eve, she is furious. After refusing to go to breakfast on Christmas Day, she sneaks out of the hotel to explore Central Park on her own.

Before heading for the park, she takes a stroll down Fifth Ave. and meets up with a few more than interesting New Yorkers and then visits St. Patrick’s Cathedral. During her walk, she begins to learn that the word `gift’ has more than one meaning.

Finally, in Central Park, Bernie meets Ellis Duncan, a remarkable homeless man who, by choice, has taken up residence on a bench by the skating rink. They spend the whole afternoon together, sharing experiences that are completely new to Bernie. The best part of the day is when Ellis’s sister Ruby arrives with a basket full of Christmas dinner. She and Ellis tell Bernie about a along ago Christmas in Harlem, when their mother gave them a special and unusual Christmas gift. It is a story Bernie will never forget, told by new friends she will always remember.

After the cranberry sauce and pie, Ellis and Ruby return Bernie to the hotel and into the arms of her frantic sister. What started out being the worst day of Bernie’s life, ends up being one of the best.

I think you’re going to love Bernie...a new, fresh face for the 21st Century.

Be sure to check out my e-books BERNIE BOLTON’S BROTHER & STRINGS
published by Writers Exchange and sold at
http://www.readerseden.com/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=43
and other internet book stores.

They will be out in print later this year!

A Wicker Rocker is a collection of poetry and writings that express Teresa Bettino’s thoughts concerning human and animal issues, worldly events and aging.  A Wicker Rocker combines Teresa’s love for animals with humanity.

Teresa Adele Bettino was born in New Jersey.  She began her career in social work in Richmond, Virginia.  Teresa resides with her husband, Don and son Joseph on a mini-farm in Mechanicsville, Virginia.  Other members of her family include horses, a dog, cats and birds. 

Partial proceeds from book sales will be donated to animal rescue. 

A failed mental health care system is the backdrop for one man’s story of accusation and redemption in Robert Paul Blumenstein’s new novel Snapping the String, the second book in The Ascension Trilogy, just published by Outskirts Press.

Peyton Costello discovers his parents brutally murdered. The police arrive to find a blood-soaked Peyton out of his mind; he’s fingered as the prime suspect. He lands inside a secure forensic unit of a mental hospital. He languishes away for more than two decades receiving treatment—an endless cocktail of tranquilizers and bizarre medical “therapies”—that’s supposed to make him sane.

He experiences the entire realm of human consciousness while attempting to maintain a hold on the reality of his innocence. What would happen if he were declared sane and brought to trial? Who would believe him? How would he cope with freedom? And who is responsible for the grisly death of his parents?

Set in Richmond, VA, Snapping the String is a disturbing tale that takes readers inside the rarely seen mental health world with its internal intrigue and dysfunctional cast of characters. Also in the mix is courtroom drama and international adventure, which makes Snapping the String a thriller with something to entice readers of all appetites.

ISBN: 978-1-4327-1520-5 Format: 5.5x8.5 Pages: 260 SRP: $15.95 paperback/$29.95 hardback Genre: Fiction Available at Amazon.com or Books-a-Million

Book:  Colon: Semi-Colon;
Author:  Frank E. McDavid
Available at:  http://www.whichdollar.org
Published 2006 by Dietz Press; ISBN 0-9786781-0-9; Hardback, 172 pages. $20

Autobiography/Fiction from one of Virginia’s newest authors, Frank McDavid.  Frank faced the biggest challenge of his life with a diagnosis of colon cancer, and a fight that lasted over 5 1/2 years.  The first two years have been chronicled in Frank’s published book, Colon: Semi-Colon;.  He stated “I began this whole idea of writing entirely different than it has evolved.  In the beginning, I started out to write just one simple and informative piece.  An essay, which would help me to deal with my situation and one for which others might better understand as well.  Its focus was more for my family and friends who expressed concern and in some cases demonstrated unwittingly a lack of knowledge as to what this was really all about.  As that first effort became more widely read, comments by many led me to consider that this expereience might be valuable to others.  The challenge became one of determining how to go about this endeavor, if in fact, I really wanted to invest the time to it and y soul in it.” This hardbound book takes you through years of tears and laughter in a journey never planned.  It’s not just about cancer but it certainly is because of it.  You will learn, you will love, and you will learn to give.  Frank finished his second book, Chemo Sabe, Frank’ly Speaking, about his continued fight with cancer just before he passed away in August 2007.  This book will be available soon.  Frank was the co-founder and advisor for ?$ Which Dollar, Inc., a non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide financial assistance to qualified cancer patients and their families in the Richmond and Tri-Cities areas.  All proceeds for the book goes to ?$ Which Dollar, Inc.

Book Title:  What God Is Doing for Me
Author:  D. Renee’ Greene
Available at :  BarnesandNoble.com; PublushAmerica.com; Amazon.com
Published in 2007 by PubhlsihAmerica 76 pages, paperback $14.95

This little book is about how God can move in ones life and never realizes that it is not me rather it is God who been all the time.  I wrote this book to reach anybody and everybody who may need some words of encouragement, motivation and inspiration. 

I made this book easy for anyone to read regardless if they attend church on a regular basis or not.  I want people to know that there is always hope in God and He is always there no matter what happens in our lives, He is one on which we all can depend.

I hope that all will enjoy reading this book as I have writing it!

About the Author:  She has lived in Richond, VA all of her life!

Hello, my name is Floyd Glidewell, reside in Chesterfield County, Virginia and have just written and published a book.  The book’s title is “Settled Science”: A Layman’s Understanding of the Creation and the Evolution of Man.  The book is a detailed description of the very long journey from the Big Bang and the formation of the Universe, to the evolution of man and his imaginary supernatural worlds.  The book provides non-scientists with understandable scientific answers to questions almost everyone ponders at some point in their lives:  How did the Universe form, and from what?  How did life begin and change over time?  How did humans evolve, and how and why did we invent religion?

Read “Settled Science” to gain a better understanding of how scientists think the natural and supernatural worlds came to be and man’s extraordinary adaption to both.

The book retails for $22.95 and can be ordered on my website http://www.settledscience.com.  Soon it will be available from other dot coms and bookstores.

Thanks for your attention.

YOURS, AIDEN
A Novel By
Edward G. Kardos
ISBN 1403319898

Available at the author’s site at 34% off retail --$11.50
http://home.earthlink.net/~yoursaiden/

Also available at Amazon.com or any online bookseller.  If you prefer to buy books on site, bookstores such as Book People and Barnes & Noble can order copies. Retail price is $17.50.

Synopsis
Yours, Aiden is about self-enlightenment—about friendship.  The themes are timeless but the story unfolds for today.  Set in the seventies at a Catholic boys boarding school in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Sean tells his story of delineation.

Interrupted from a one dimensional and narrow path, Sean’s life changed when he met Aiden.  Tested his senior year like no other time in his life, Sean finally made sense of his experiences but it came at a price.  It took uniting his past and present, two decades later, to complete his transformation.

Aiden keeps a promise to himself at the very spot that once inspired him.  Sean, too, finds peace there.  Sean moves from a typical boy to a man who learns to listen to himself.  He learns to value each moment.  But it takes a visit many years later for Sean to piece together fragments of his life to begin anew.

Each solitary path we travel, like Sean, comes together at the same spot.  That is, if we are willing to look within.

About the Author
Edward G. Kardos grew up in Richmond, Virginia. His view of spirituality, friendships and connection to the world inspired him to write Yours, Aiden. 

Book Title: Bullfish
Author: V.Mark Covington
Available at: Barnes and Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=Bullfish&z=y&jp=84
Published in 2004 by iUniverse Press 212 pages, paperback Hardback $24.95, paperback $14.95

Synopsis
World-renowned Paleographer and expert on Atlantis, Winwood Ho, is excavating the possible resting site of Noah’s Ark in southwest Turkey when he makes a startling discovery, a metal nametag, thousands of years old that reads; Captain Noah Doolittle Atlantis Resor.  Suddenly, he is summoned to the Vatican and shown holy relics that once belonged to Jesus Christ; a pair of Nike sandals, a silver mermaid necklace and two ticket stubs from Jesus Christ Superstar.  The mystery leads Professor Ho to the Atlantis Resort where he makes a remarkable discovery.

Full of colorful characters, Bullfish is a sacred cow tipping adventure that will keep readers up all night.

About the Author:
Mark Covington is the author of Church of the Path of Least Resistance and Bullfish.  He lives in Richmond’s Fan District where he writes novels exploring the cosmically comical nature of the universe, the purpose of which is to create someone who lives in Richmond’s Fan District and write novels exploring the cosmically comical nature of the universe. 

THE TUNGVILLE TROVE is an exciting novel depicting the discovery of a vast treasure in a cave in Florida.  A pirate’s trove was deposited in the 1700’s and recently uncovered by a tremendous hurricane.  The families involved in finding the treasure must decide who owns it and what is to be done with it.  The main character, Jack Oates, claims his portion and spends it wildly.  Others are more concerned with sharing it.  The town of Tungville is caught up in the frenzy and the scene hits the national news, bringing thousands of people to Tungville.  Many surprises accompany the final resolution of the treasure.

Author:  Robert L. Silber
Book is available from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.
$15.95 for paperback
Publisher: iUniverse

The author resides in the Richmond, Virginia area.

The Rebel and the Rose
By Wesley Millett and Gerald White
Cumberland House Press

When the Confederate government evacuated Richmond in April, 1865, a Navy paymaster, James A. Semple, was with Jefferson Davis and eventually entrusted with the remaining gold in the Treasury, namely, $86,000 in coins and bullion.  The book reveals what happened to the gold as well as some $160,000 in Mexican silver dollars.  The Rebel and the Rose is more than an accounting of the missing treasury.  It is also the story of a man on the run, as he stashes the gold and seeks to evade capture by Union troops.  He is on a mission that he is convinced will help the Southern states.

During Semple’s evasion, he develops a close relationship with Julia Gardiner Tyler, visiting her in New York as an interlude between trips to Canada and the South.  Once known as the “Rose of Long Island” and still captivating in her forties, Julia was the wife of deceased former President John Tyler.

The book describes the symbiotic bond that develops the “Rebel” and the “Rose”.  With well documented detail, the authors examine Semple’s growing passion for Julia and the extensive financial support he provides to the former First Lady.  More information can be found at

http://www.rebelandtherose.com/book.html.

The book is available at Barnes & Noble stores in the Richmond area and on line at Amazon.com.

A fascinating book has just been reprinted and is now available through online ordering.  OUR FORGOTTEN FOLK HERITAGE, by Joe Lively,
contains more than 200 photographs in the 254 pages.  Some scenes depicted are very old and rare, all help preserve our rich heritage.

We are also reminded that “heritage,” means giving recognition for contributions from Blacks, Whites, young, old, male and female.

You are invited to visit the author’s website for further details :
http://www.forgottenheritage.net

Enjoy the trip back to the world of your ancestors !

A Birder’s Guide to Metropolitan Richmond
Second Edition, Revised and Updated

By Jerry Uhlman

A Birder’s Guide to Metropolitan Richmond, the area’s premier handbook of local birding hotspots, has been updated and expanded with a dozen new sites.

The new 2008 edition guides wildlife-watchers through more than 50 local birding hotspots within about an hour’s drive from Richmond and recommends trails, names birds likely to be found, and gives easy-to-follow directions to find each site.  It also includes an up-to-date bird checklist for central Virginia.

Author and nature writer Jerry Uhlman is an inveterate traveler who has trekked through North America’s Arctic tundra, southwest deserts, prairie grasslands, boreal forests and swampy pocosin wetlands in search of adventure and avian specialties.  Wanderlust and curiosity about birdlife have taken him to Costa Rica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, Panama, Ecuador, Russia, Spain, northern India, and West Africa’s Ivory Coast.

He writes a popular nature column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, called “Flyways & Byways”, that appears the third Thursday of each month in the Explore Section.  Tales of his adventures have appeared in popular birding magazines, including the ABA’s Birding and Winging It, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Birder’s World, WildBird, Living Bird and the National Geographic BirdWatcher.

A Birder’s Guide to Metropolitan Richmond is available at the following local stores:

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Bookshop, 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond
Wild Bird Center, Gayton Crossing Shopping Center, 1360 Gaskins Road, Richmond
Wild Birds Unlimited, 9778 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond
Wild Birds Unlimited, 10921A West Broad, Glen Allen
Birdwatchers, 4636 Commonwealth Centre Parkway, Midlothian

Blessings of Purpose—A Novel
Author:  Alicia Hill Jones
Publisher:  Destiny 11 Publications
ISBN:  978-0979464607
Pages:  267
Publication Date:  September 28, 2007
For purchase:  $ 12.95, Amazon.com and Destiny11.com

The true cost of success isn’t just financial-it can be spiritual.

What price would you be willing to pay?

Blessings of Purpose is Lia Conrad and Nigel Braxton’s thought provoking story about compromising faith in the pursuit of success.  Once married and living a luxurious life in Hollywood, the focus on material possessions clouds The Braxton’s vision of their purpose from God.  Through trials and tribulations comes their revelation of what it truly means to be blessed.

I have written a young adult historical fiction novel called Jamestown: Journey Back in Time. It’s an ideal book for 4th graders, although the reading level is grade 5-6. It is also recommended for grade 6 social studies. You can take a preliminary look at the website below.
http://www.outskirtspress.com/ScottReighard