Author Interview: J.M. Hochstetler and Wind of the Spirit

We welcome back today, author J.M. Hochstetler. Joan is the author of One Holy Night, a contemporary miracle story—which we reviewed here—and The American Patriot Series, which includes Daughter of Liberty, Native Son and Wind of the Spirit (American Patriot). Joan is on a virtual book tour to discuss Wind of the Spirit and we’re thrilled she decided to drop in again.

Welcome back Joan. It’s great to have you with us. Can you give our readers a brief glimpse into who you are and when you started writing?

I’m delighted to be back again!

I was raised Mennonite and grew up on a farm outside Kokomo, Indiana. I graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Germanic Languages. In 1977, after marrying and while raising 3 daughters, I started writing, mainly for my own amusement. But eventually I decided a story isn’t complete without readers, so I began to submit to publishers and agents and racked up a goodly pile of rejection slips.

Eventually I moved to the Nashville, Tennessee, area, where I became an editor with Abingdon Press. During that time my first 2 books, Daughter of Liberty and Native Son, were published. Then in 2006 I founded my own small press, Sheaf House Publishers. That turned out to be prescient since I was laid off from Abingdon in 2007. At that point, I jumped into building the business full-time.

When I’m not writing or working on my business, I love traveling, gardening, doing crafts, and camping in our fifth-wheel trailer with my husband. My daughter and I have just discovered canning, so this fall we’ve been canning everything we can get our hands on, with some smashing successes and some . . . er . . . mixed results. Our next project is wine jelly. Can’t wait to tackle that!

Now, when you first started Daughter of Liberty, did you know at the time that you were planning a series?

That was the last thing on my mind. I started writing it back in 1983 after watching a TV movie, The Scarlet Pimpernel, starring Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. I fell in love with the story—and with Anthony Andrews!—and wanted to write a version with different characters in a different setting. Since I’m not very interested in the French Revolution, I decided the American Revolution would be a natural for the setting. And instead of having my spy and smuggler be a man, I turned him into a woman. The story was an absolute blast to write, and if you’ve ever seen the movie, you may recognize a few scenes, though I’ve tweaked them some. It wasn’t until I was well into the search for a publisher that I realized I’d have a better chance if I made it the first book in a series. And that’s what got me a contract.

Can you share with us who the main characters are in this first book?

The female lead is Elizabeth Howard, the daughter of a well-known and well-to-do Loyalist doctor in Boston who has many ties to the British occupying the city in the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. Unknown to her parents, however, she’s at heart a rebel who’s working with her maternal uncle and paternal aunt to smuggle intelligence and munitions out of Boston under the noses of the British. As the elusive rebel spy and courier Oriole, she’s infamous and intensely sought by the British, who’ve placed a high price on her head.

The male lead is Jonathan Carleton, the younger son of a Scottish nobleman who was a confidante of George II and a beautiful young French woman of noble birth. As a child Carleton was adopted by his father’s older brother, who fled to the colonies after one of the disastrous clashes between the Scots and the British that eventually led to the Scots’ final defeat. Carleton’s uncle settled in Virginia, where he became as rich as Croesus. So Carleton, who was brought up in Virginia, is immensely wealthy, but he’s also a Major in the British 17th Light Dragoons who is called to Boston to become the British commander’s aide de camp. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, he’s ordered to find and capture Oriole.

Naturally Carleton and Elizabeth are destined to fall madly in love.

Let’s move on to Book 2, Native Son. Who returns from the first book in this one?

The full cast returns in Native Son, and the story begins right after the Battle of Bunker Hill, which concludes Daughter of Liberty. Carleton, who is now a brigadier general under General George Washington, is sent on a mission to the Indians to try to persuade them to support the Americans instead of the British. Meanwhile, Elizabeth returns to Boston to spy on the new commander, General William Howe, and the 2 generals sent along with him to get the situation in the colonies under control.

What new situations are they dealing with?

Everything has changed in book 2. Elizabeth and Carleton are now engaged to be married, but Washington refuses to grant them permission. Because of Carleton’s background with the Shawnee, Washington needs him to be his ambassador to the native peoples. And he desperately needs Elizabeth to keep him informed about what the British are up to. So he effectively gives them no choice but to do his bidding.

Out on the western frontier, Carleton is captured by the Seneca and enslaved, and Elizabeth can find no information about what happened to him. She’s placed in grave danger herself and narrowly avoids being exposed. After the British evacuate Boston the conflict moves to New York City, and she and her aunt must follow. There she meets a handsome and kind young doctor to whom she is very attracted. Yet her heart is fixed on Carleton, and she can find no peace.

Meanwhile, Carleton is rescued by the Shawnee, taken even farther west, and adopted by their sachem. As he fights to guard his heart against the advances of the beautiful young widow Blue Sky, he must also walk a deadly tightrope in a brewing conflict with the malevolent shaman Wolfslayer. When he’s forced to become war chief and lead a war against white settlers flooding into Ohio Territory, he despairs of ever returning to Elizabeth, for he has again become her enemy.



Elizabeth and Carleton return in Book 3, Wind of the Spirit. Where in history are we at this point and what is going on in these characters’ lives?

Wind of the Spirit begins in July 1776. The Declaration of Independence has just been signed, and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights looms for Elizabeth. While Carleton continues highly effective raids against the white settlers, he is increasingly pressured to marry Blue Sky, and the conflict with Wolfslayer is coming to a head.

Elizabeth is caught up in battle and almost killed as the British overrun Washington’s forces on Long Island, and the patriot cause is all but extinguished. Yet by a miracle, Washington manages to withdraw the remainder of his army across the East River and out of Howe’s clutches under cover of night. Elizabeth finally learns of Carleton’s possible whereabouts, and she takes a perilous journey to Ohio Territory in the hope she can find him and persuade him to return home with her.

With this series being set during the American Revolution, there must have been a great deal of research involved. How did you accomplish it all?

I did a ton of research, that’s for sure. I came up with the idea for Daughter of Liberty in 1983, and it was finally published in 2004. So although life happened and I wasn’t writing all the time, I still had a long time to make sure it was accurate. Having accumulated considerable knowledge and a wide range of research materials, the subsequent volumes haven’t been as time consuming to write.

Thankfully, I’m obsessed with this era and I love to do research, so I enjoyed all of it. My library has expanded considerably since I began writing this series, thanks in large part to Amazon. I also have a number of older works on the period that I’ve accumulated over the years from library book sales, antiques stores, and other places that have been invaluable. I especially look for primary materials—firsthand accounts that provide the small details that give the story authenticity. It’s like a treasure hunt. I love it!

How did you know it was time to stop researching and time to start writing?

What? Stop researching? Um . . . well, I’m usually researching as I write!

There are additional books planned for The American Patriot Series. What can you tell us about those?

So far I have 4 more books planned for the series. Each one of the stories picks up right after the previous one ends, and they continue the stories of all the main characters. Of course, from time to time I’ll introduce more important characters whose stories will become continuing threads. Crucible of War, which I’m writing now, begins with Washington crossing the Delaware to attack Trenton and covers 1777. Then Valley of the Shadow takes the war onto the high seas in 1778 and 1779. Refiner’s Fire follows the war into the southern colonies in 1780, and Forge of Freedom ends with the final British defeat at Yorktown in 1781.

I—and several good friends who are following the story avidly—are praying it doesn’t expand any farther than that. They’d like to see Elizabeth and Carleton finally get married—which they will, of course! But I have gotten e-mail from readers who encourage me to keep on writing more volumes and not to stop. So who knows? I seem to be making a career of the American Revolution!

Where can readers purchase a copy of any of the books in The American Patriot Series?

Daughter of Liberty and Native Son are currently out of print, but they’re freely available from most online retailers such as Amazon, Christianbook.com, and Barnes and Noble. They’re also available directly through Sheaf House at www.sheafhouse.com. We’re planning to release new, updated editions, but since readers can still get them easily, and Sheaf House still has a good-sized stash, it may be another couple of years before they’re issued. Sheaf House may release the updated versions in e-book format before then, however.

Wind of the Spirit is available from most local booksellers and also online at all the same places books 1 and 2 are, so readers won’t have any trouble getting it. It’s also available in the Kindle format.

Do you have a website or blog where readers can find out more?

Absolutely! My Web site is www.jmhochstetler.com, and the American Patriot Series blog is at americanpatriotseries.blogspot.com.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I just want to thank you very much for inviting me to do this interview! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.

Thanks for spending time with us today, Joan. I hope you’ll come back when your next book comes out. We wish you continued success!

You can view a video trailer for Wind of Spirit by visiting the book section of Joan's website.

To see where Joan's virtual book tour stops next, visit http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/

Pearl Harbor Reflections by James Diehl, Author of World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware

We welcome James Diehl back with another excellent guest post. James is the author of World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware, which is available for purchase from his website.

I hope James doesn't mind if I pop in with a quick story of my own first. Growing up, we had an elderly couple living in the apartment next door. The husband, Phil, had served during World War II. In the late 80's and early 90's, I worked at a credit union, where Phil's brother and sister-in-law did business. I noticed that his brother's last name was spelled differently and asked him about it one day.

It seems that right after Pearl Harbor, Phil and his two brothers, Stanley and Fritz ran, like many other young men, to sign up for military service. Stanley's last name was incorrectly spelled with an "i" instead of an "a" by whoever registered him for service. Sometime later, Stanley would be interrogated as a possible spy because his last name was slightly different than Phil's and Fritz's.

A bit of useless WWII knowledge that I remember to help me keep those memories of Phil and his brothers alive since they've all passed away.

Now I hope you'll read the touching post that James put together for the anniversary of Pearl Harbor!

"Pearl Harbor Reflections" by James Diehl

Ask someone who was born in the 1970s or beyond what the words “Pearl Harbor” mean and you’ll likely get an answer straight out of the 2001 movie that became a blockbuster at the theaters for Touchstone Pictures.

Ask that same question to someone who was raised in the 1940s and you’ll get an entirely different answer, one filled with realism and sorrow for what happened on Dec. 7, 1941. Now take the next step – ask a veteran of World War II what those two simple words mean to him. It is likely a day he will never forget; most veterans from that era know someone who made the ultimate sacrifice as a direct result of what happened on that early December day nearly 70 years ago.

Listen to John Ross, who was on the deck of the U.S.S. Selfridge in berth X-9 that fateful day, just off the famed Battleship Row. It’s a day that has defined his entire life, and a day he will never, ever forget.



“We were lucky because they weren’t after destroyers [like the Selfridge]; they wanted the big ships. But it just seemed like all hell had broken loose – bombs were raining down on all the battleships,” Ross recounts in my book, World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware. “I saw the [U.S.S.] Arizona take a bomb through the deck and just settle down in the bottom of the harbor with a lot of people still trapped below deck. I was just dumfounded.”

Or the memories of U.S. Army soldier Clayton Cugler, who was stationed at Schofield Barracks, just a few miles from the harbor.

“When we went around the city, we looked out and the oil was all over the water and it was on fire. And those poor boys from the Navy, the ones who were on the ships that had been blown up, they were out there in the water fighting the fires and trying to get to shore. A lot of them died trying. Those Japanese really caught us by surprise. They had us really puzzled and mixed up for awhile.”

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 was a resounding and complete victory for Emperor Hirohito. On the flip side, it was a devastating defeat for the Americans and thrust then into a war they had been hesitant to enter.

The day changed the course of history and eventually led to President Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base lasted for nearly two hours. When it was complete, 2,403 Americans were dead, 1,178 more were wounded, eight battleships were damaged or sunk and 188 aircraft were lost. It was a complete sucker punch to the gut of the United States, possibly the biggest ever, leading to a declaration of war and an intense wave of patriotism all across the county.

For Ross and Cugler and thousands more just like them, it was an event they will never forget. Sadly, our country’s World War II veterans are passing away at record numbers now and with them go their stories, their first-hand accounts of a time unrivaled in the history of the world.

We owe it to all the brave men and women of the World War II era to never forget the sacrifices they made all those years ago so that we may live today in the greatest country in the world. They truly were members of the “greatest generation” as Tom Brokaw so eloquently stated a few years ago. Without them and their service, who knows what the world would be like today.

And it all started in a quiet little harbor in the territory of Hawaii, on a peaceful morning that suddenly became one of the most historic days ever.

We must never forget!

James Diehl is an award-winning journalist who has covered Sussex County, Delaware for various media outlets since 1998. Since 2007, he has owned and operated a freelance writing company based in Seaford, Delaware and is also a partner in a Lewes, Delaware-based public relations and marketing firm. He is the author of two works of non-fiction – Remembering Sussex County, from Zwaanendael to King Chicken, published in 2009 by The History Press, and World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware, published in 2009 by the DNB Group, Inc.
James can be found online at www.twitter.com/sussexwriter, at www.facebook.com/sussexwriter, at www.worldwar2heroes.blogspot.com or via www.ww2-heroes.com.

James Diehl and World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware

Today's guest blogger is James Diehl, author of World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware. James is an award-winning journalist who has covered Sussex County, Delaware for various media outlets since 1998. Since 2007, he has owned and operated a freelance writing company based in Seaford, Delaware and is also a partner in a Lewes, Delaware-based public relations and marketing firm. He is the author of one other work of non-fiction – Remembering Sussex County, from Zwaanendael to King Chicken, published in 2009 by The History Press.

James can be found online at www.twitter.com/sussexwriter, at www.facebook.com/sussexwriter or via www.ww2-heroes.com.

I won a copy of James's book during his virtual book tour, so look for a review coming soon.

World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware is a book unlike any other ever written. In its pages are profiles of 50 ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things during a time unlike any other in American history.

These are men and women who today call southern Delaware home. In the 1940s, these brave Americans put their lives on hold to fight for freedom and democracy against the horrific threat imposed on the world by Emperor Hirohito of Japan and German Fuhrer Adolph Hitler.

When Imperial Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, the world changed forever. These men and women were a big part of that change; they fought to protect our freedom and our way of life.

Among the amazing stories you’ll read in “World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware” are:


* A United States Marine who was a part of the 1945 attack on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. He was one of 17 members of his company who survived, a company that numbered more than 300 at the beginning of the attack.
* An Army soldier who was responsible for uncovering Adolph Hitler’s enormous, and illegally gained, fortune toward the end of World War II.
* An Army navigator who led a group of 500 B-29s over Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945, the day the Japanese surrendered to the United States.
* A United States Navy machinist’s mate who narrowly survived a Japanese kamikaze attack.
* A United States Marine who witnessed the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor from the deck of a nearby ship.
* Men who survived German prisoner of war camps.
* First–hand accounts from the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion.
* Two black soldiers who served their country with pride during World War II.
* Men who liberated German concentration camps.
* A woman who served her country by becoming a part of the “Rosie the Riveter” movement.
* And much, much more.

Readers of World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware will also receive a bonus section on Fort Miles, the immense, heavily fortified military facility built to protect the mouth of the Delaware Bay and the city of Philadelphia from an attack by the German navy. Today, the fort is being renovated and will soon become one of the largest World War II museums in the country.

I asked James to tell us about one of the fifty people profiled in his book and how he discovered this person's story. Here's what he had to say:

Wow! There are 50 brave men and women featured in the book and it’s so hard to pick out one above the rest, but if I must...

There’s one man in my book who was a United States Marine and was in one of the first units to invade the island of Iwo Jima in 1945. Of more than 300 members of his unit, he was one of only 17 who survived the attack. As a result, he had terrible survivor’s guilt for many, many years until he was finally able to come to peace with it.

He saw things during that time that are just incredible, surviving dozens of close calls. He was hit by body parts, spent days in foxholes, saw friends and colleagues killed in front of his eyes and was just missed by Japanese fire many times over. BUT, he also got to witness firsthand the raising of the Stars and Stripes atop Mount Suribachi, one of the most famous and emotional photos ever taken.

My book is filled with heroes just like Mr. Russell, men who put their lives on the line to protect our way of life here in the United States. They are all heroes, whether they’re comfortable with that title or not.

It’s hard to pick out just one, but that was one that came to mind. I should also note that not every person featured in my book saw as much action as did Mr. Russell, but each has his or her own special story to share about the war.

As to how I found them, I started out by going through lists provided to me by the local VFWs and American Legions. As the series picked up steam, however, more and more members of the public contacted me to recommend friends, neighbors or family members.

Here’s what people are saying about World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware:

“When the Seaford and Laurel Star newspapers decided to run a series of articles on World War II veterans, we were excited about the opportunity to preserve a part of history that would be lost forever, if we did not take action: the personal experiences of our local veterans. Through his interviews and research, James Diehl allowed us to share with our readers the amazing stories of the courage and sacrifices of our local heroes. Diehl put his heart into this assignment and his reports represent some of the best journalistic efforts I have read in my 37 years of newspaper involvement. We know readers of today and tomorrow will enjoy learning more about this tumultuous time in the history of the world from a local perspective.” -Bryant Richardson, Publisher, Morning Star Publications, Inc.

“Mr. Diehl does an exceptional job at getting to the heart of long ago war stories that live on in World War II’s reluctant heroes.” -Anonymous Judge, Maryland/Delaware/ D.C. Press Association

2007 Editorial Awards (First Place Award Winner)

Watch the Trailer!



Purchase World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware online at http://www.ww2-heroes.com/!

Author Interview: John Tippets and Hearts of Courage

Joining us today is John Tippets, author of the Alaska aviation history book Hearts of Courage—which we reviewed over the summer. We’re going to talk to John about this amazing story and how he came to write it.

Thank you for joining us today John. Can you start off by telling us a bit about yourself?

I was born in Anchorage, Alaska. In 1947, our family moved to the Washington, D.C. area where I graduated from Northwestern High School. I attended Brigham Young University, then served two years as a Mormon missionary in Eastern Canada.

I earned my B.A. and M.B.A degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles. While still in college, I started a career in aviation, checking bags for United Airlines, then working summer jobs with the FAA in Alaska and with the CAB in Washington, D.C. In 1966, I joined American Airlines as a part-timer in air freight and worked forty-two years associated with AMR in a variety of management and executive roles. Before I retired I worked for seventeen years as the President & CEO of the American Airlines Federal Credit Union.

Tell us a little about Hearts of Courage.

On January 5, 1943, an airplane with six onboard went missing in remote Southeast Alaska with the pilot’s only radio message of “one engine has conked out, expect trouble.” All were presumed lost. One of those passengers was Joseph Tippets, age 29, of Anchorage, Alaska, an employee of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, and the first branch president of the small Latter-day Saint Anchorage congregation. Joseph was my father. My mother, Alta, who was at home with me—I was two-years-old at the time—did not give up hope that my father would return to us.

On February 3, the crew of a small coast guard vessel on a routine patrol in Boca de Quadra discovered two starved and freezing survivors of the missing plane. One of those was my father.

Hearts of Courage is the story of my father’s experiences over those twenty-nine days and his subsequent efforts to help rescue the two injured passengers still stranded in their wilderness camp. Told largely in his own words, this is a story of courage, determination, faith, and prayers answered. It is an aviation history story, a survival story, and a love story.

What inspired you to write it?

About ten years ago, I was impressed that, as the oldest of four, I knew a great deal more about my parents’ lives than my siblings and because Mom and Dad had both died (63 and 54) none of their grandchildren knew much of them at all. So I started writing Joseph and Alta’s life histories and over the years, have finished several pieces (chapters) and have numerous other chapters in various stages of draft. It has been and continues to be a wonderful project, very much a match for an Old Testament scripture, Joel 1:2-3.

As the larger project progressed, I knew that the 1943 crash/survival story was central to my parents’ lives. About four years ago, I had first drafts of two chapters about these experiences, but there just seemed to be much more that could be done. With more research, having new professional photography and art, and going through dozens of drafts, I have been able (with help from my wife and others) to do Dad’s and Mother’s story in a manner that they might have wanted to do, but never had the chance.

This has been what they rightly call a labor of love. And, it seems to have been very much inspired and, at many times, directed by my dad.


The story of the Gillam crash has been told before. How is your book different from those accounts?

An article in the Wall Street Journal a few months ago described three genres of books that have special appeal. Those were “man against nature,” “polar survival,” and “maritime.” And I suspect that “aviation” comes in similarly with maritime.

Hearts of Courage has elements of all those categories which the WSJ article mentioned. And, for good measure, Hearts of Courage also includes a love story (my parents’) and the element of a faith in God.

Faith played a large role in your parents’ lives, and it is that element, in my opinion, that made this such a moving and personal account of survival. How did your parents’ faith help them deal with being separated by the crash?

The book is about Dad’s and Mother’s lives and their faith was not only who they were, but also a very large part of how they dealt with their circumstances in those very difficult days. Their Latter-day Saint heritage, their convictions of a real Father in Heaven, of a real Jesus Christ, and of the power of prayer were real parts of how they lived through this month and their whole lives.

Even after the official search for survivors was called off, my mother never gave up hope and continued to pray for my father’s safe return. My father’s faith helped him as he struggled against the elements and allowed him to stay determined to find his way home again.

In doing the book, it was important to leave all of that in to give that perspective to readers. Along with all else—for Dad, Mom, and many others—this is a story of faith and of prayers answered.

Where can readers purchase a copy of Hearts of Courage?

Hearts of Courage is available on my website at www.JohnTippets.com or at Amazon.com.

What is up next for you?

Right now I give PowerPoint presentations of the story for interested groups, book signings, and other events.

Thank you for sharing your work with us today. We wish you great success in sharing your parents’ story.

To follow John's virtual book tour, visit http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/

Pumping Up the Holidays with the 12 Days of Christmas Virtual Book Tour '09

Pump Up Your Book Announces 12 Days of Christmas Virtual Book Tour ‘09

Join a talented and diverse group of 28 authors who are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion during “The 12 Days of Christmas Virtual Book Tour ‘09”!

Follow these authors as they travel the blogosphere for the first 12 weekdays of December (December 1st – December 16th) to discuss their books. You’ll find everything from tween fiction to memoirs, horror and suspense novels to historical romances, children’s books to self-help and so much more!

Michael Anthony, David Berner, Hope Edelman, and Ingrid King tour with their memoirs. Learn more about short story collections from Barbora Knobova and J.W. Nicklaus. Michael Estepa and Larry Sweitzer travel the blogosphere with their young adult fiction books, while Bernadine Feagins, Dixie Philips, and Victoria Simcox are children’s authors. Tween/teen fiction books are being promoted by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein and Beverly Stowe McClure, and historical novels from authors J.M. Hochstetler, Dot Ryan, and Cindy Vallar will also be touring. Nonfiction books on a variety of topics come to you from Malana Ashlie, James Burns, James Diehl, Jacqueline Klosek, Pat Snyder, John Tippets, and Sophia White.

Also touring in December are Joy DeKok with her contemporary novel, Gale Laure and Stephen Masse with their suspense novels, horror author Maryann Paige, and romance author Bill Walker.

Check out our special “The 12 Days of Christmas Virtual Book Tour ‘09” video trailer featuring each author:



To follow these authors during “The 12 Days of Christmas Virtual Book Tour ‘09” visit the official Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tour site at www.pumpupyourbook.com or http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.

Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours is a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service at an affordable price. More information can be found on their website at http://www.pumpupyourbook.com.

November, Where Have You Gone?

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving has passed and November is almost over. The last day for NaNoWriMo is tomorrow and I will never make my goal, but I keep plugging away at Amelia's Mission whenever I can. If nothing else, I am becoming a more disciplined writer.

We're gearing up for new book tours to start on December 1st. Pump Up Your Book Promotion is running a reduced schedule in December.

I hope you'll visit http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in December and follow the many authors in various genres who will be touring with us next month. Our founder, Dorothy, has put together a great video trailer for the 12 Days of Christmas Book Tour Special, which you can check out at YouTube.

Here is our list of authors:

Michael Anthony and Mass Casualaties

Malana Ashlie and Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey

David Berner and Accidental Lessons

James Burns and The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth

Joy DeKok and Rain Dance

James Diehl and World War II Heroes of Southern Delaware

Hope Edelman and The Possibility of Everything

Michael Estepa and Purged by Darkness

Bernadine Feagins and Hakim and Terrance Shadow Mystery

J.M. Hochstetler and Wind of the Spirit

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein and The Truth (I'm a girl, I'm Smart and I Know Everything)

Ingrid King and Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher

Jacqueline Klosek and War on Privacy

Barbora Knobova and Tales for Delicious Girls

Gale Laure and Evolution of a Sad Woman

Stephen Masse and A Jolly Good Fellow

Beverly Stowe McClure and Just Breeze

J.W. Nicklaus and The Light, The Dark and Ember Between

Maryann Paige and Cemetery Gates

Dixie Phillips and One Noble Journey

Dot Ryan and Corrigans' Pool (we'll review this in January)

Victoria Simcox and The Magic Warble

Pat Snyder and The Dog Ate My Planner

Larry Sweitzer and The Ghost, the Eggheads, and Babe Ruth's Piano

John Tippets and Hearts of Courage (we reviewed this over the summer)

Cindy Vallar and The Scottish Thistle

Bill Walker and A Note From an old Acquaintance

Sophia White and Jesus is for Everyone

With so many authors and such a diverse set of genres, you're sure to find something for everyone on your shopping list.

As we move from November into December, I hope you'll stick with us to see what fun things we have in store.

Thanks agan for your support.