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Showing posts from November, 2016

Recipes by the Book: OakTree Authors Cook

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A few years ago, one of my fellow Oak Tree Press authors, Ilene Schneider,  suggested we do an author’s cookbook and feature recipes from our books.  We got it started and somewhere along the way, it got side-lined.  Just recently, Ilene and authors Lorna Collins and Mary Montague Sikes decided to grab the bull by the horns and make sure we got it published.  As it turns out, we have two editions.  One is full color inside and out, and sells as a paperback SPECIAL EDITION for $24.99.  The second edition has  the same beautiful color cover but is black and white inside.  It sells for $14.99.  Both are available at  http://www.amazon.com . It has 132 pages and is a 6×9 trade paperback.  Buy:  http://tinyurl.com/pcejv9d . The gorgeous artwork for the cover is done by author Mary Montague Sikes.  The authors who contributed recipes are:  Amy Bennett, Holli Castillo, Lorna Collins, Lesley A. Diehl, Michael Eldridge, Nicola Furlong, J. L. (Janet) Greger, Shirley Skufca Hickman, Ann K

And Yes, More Ideas for Christmas Giving (Books, of Course)

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Aunt Madge is staying briefly in Ocean Alley's Silver Times Assisted Living apartments. That's what happens when you stand on a stool to hang garland and lose your balance. Madge's broken wrist and ankle are healing enough that she hopes to join her family at her Cozy Corner B & B for Christmas. The body that falls into her apartment in the wee hours one morning kind of changes things. Does the killer think Aunt Madge knows something she shouldn't? Will Madge follow the advice she regularly gives Jolie -- to accept that she may not ever know all the answers? It's not looking like it. Even as she's on the prowl for a killer, Aunt Madge harnesses her friends to make the holidays -- and beyond -- happier for children who end up with broken bones and other ailments. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016GYADIW Newspaper reporter Paul Bradley discovers the body of Springfield Union Mayor James Rodgers prone on the municipal executive's Ci

Even More Christmas Book Giving Ideas!

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https://www.amazon.com/Mud-Bog-Murder-Appel-Mystery/dp/1603813152/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478116594&sr=8-1&keywords=Mud+Bog+Murder There's romance, there's intrigue, there's murder, but best of all there's Eve Appel, a gal into high end fashion who's not afraid to get her hands dirty.When Jenny McCleary leases her property to be ravaged by the annual mud bog races, the small rural town of Sabal Bay, Florida, is divided into warring camps: environmental activists versus monster truck fans.  Jenny, who frequents the consignment store owned by Eve Appel and her friend Madeleine, doesn’t seem to mind when Eve and Madeleine join the protesters the day of the races. During the race, Eve catches Jenny’s airborne head after it is tossed into the air by the wheels of a truck.  Now every protester is a suspect in Jenny’s murder. . Even without the disembodied head, Eve has her hands full. The town resents her role in the protests and is boycotting

The Power of Words by A B Plum

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The Power of Words “Sticks and stones may break my bones, But words can never harm me.” Remember this childhood ditty? Remember how old you were when you knew it was a lie? Words hurt. They can break the heart and wound the soul. Once said, they can’t be unsaid (though, mercifully, sometimes we can forget them). The most obvious example of words used as missiles of mass destruction was during the presidential election. Too often, those of us listening to the vitriol spilled across the airwaves couldn’t believe our ears. Parents around the country covered their children’s ears. For us writers, the bad ‘rap’ words have gotten in the past few months threatens to tarnish our only creative tool. But . . . new words come into the English language every second of the day. Here are a few I’ve discovered recently. Do you know what they all mean? Vlog –makes sense blogs and video would collide. Yogalates – makes more sense than tai’lates, right? Glam

Book Gift Ideas for Christmas or Hannukkah

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Ryan longs to have a mother. The shy little girl is going to be an angel in her school’s Christmas play and creates a strategy about the costume to get her father to meet the pretty second grade teacher. However, the only commitment David Ryan wants is to his daughter, and Angie McAllister wants no commitment other than to her own independence. Can the magic of the season clear the way for a little girl's Christmas wish to come true? Think “Sleepless in Seattle” meets “Love Story” and place a young Meg Ryan in the role of Angie. Mary Montague Sikes, artist, author, and photographer http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com www.marymontaguesikes.com Do you have a young adult or middle grade reader who has run out of Harry Potter books but loves to read fantasy or contemporary fantasy?  Or perhaps you know someone a little older who still enjoys timeless romps? Then a short, faster-paced fantasy/adventure that charms young adults as well as grown-ups who have n

A Few More Books that would make Terrific Christmas Gifts!

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Actually, books make great gifts anytime! SCRATCH, written by Nicholas Checker and published by Oak Tree Press, is a perfect Christmas gift in that its rousing adventure features gallantry and loyalty on the part of something people cherish dearly ... their pets . It is set in the mysterious world of feral cats where a legendary figure must rescue two warring clans from a far greater threat menacing them both. It is available via Amazon.com or through Oak Tree Press! Of course I have lots of books--but Seldom Traveled  is a good introduction to the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series--and especially for those who like mysteries with plenty of action, and some Native American mysticism. https://www.amazon.com/Seldom-Traveled-Tempe-Crabtree-Mystery/dp/1594264333/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477778030&sr=8-1&keywords=seldom+traveled+by+marilyn+meredith If you love dogs and/or gentle mysteries, then meet Doodle, the cheeky canine who has charmed readers of

More Books for Christmas Giving

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The Santa Claus Machine  is for old and young alike. It tells the story of how Santa is replaced by a machine that tells children to be greedy. Santa becomes disheartened and thinks he should cancel Christmas until someone else has a change of heart. The best part, the story the Santa Machine is reprogrammed to tell the world. This is a very Christian story. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Claus-Machine-G-B-Pool/dp/0991542487/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477767389&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Santa+Claus+Machine My website: www.gbpool.com G. B. Pool The Reluctant Farmer of Whimsey Hill by Bradford M. Smith, with Nancy Raven Smith and Lynn Raven The Reluctant Farmer makes a great holiday gift for any of your friends who enjoyed Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan and All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. The story is a light-hearted memoir about Brad, a young urban, robotics engin

Five Books for Christmas Giving

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For Marilyn’s readers who like reading about small town California cops, Payback is another look at about small town cops in Central California. Sierra Mountain Village is a fictional town where things out of the ordinary happen. The mayor is beheaded, linking a hotshot Bakersfield Sheriff’s detective with a prickly village patrol officer in an unlikely murder investigation.  Reviewers say it is laugh out loud funny. Here’s where you can buy Payback for an exciting way to escape the election and Holiday preparations.  https://www.amazon.com/Payback-Mar-Preston-ebook/dp/B00BY5K8Q6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1477676071&sr=8-6&keywords=mar+preston Blanket of Miracles would  make the perfect Christmas gift for a child.  Books are gifts that keep on giving, and sharing a special book with a child gives twice, to the adult and the child.  Blanket of Miracles is about family, tradition, sharing history, and most of all love.  The special blanket has wrapped sever