SOKY Book Fest

Authors Attending

• FAWCETT, KATIE PICKARD	• FLOOD, CHARLES BRACELEN	• FREESE, THOMAS	• FRIEND, RONDA
• FRITZ, STEPHEN G.	• FROST, HELEN

KATIE PICKARD FAWCETT

Book Title: To Come and Go Like Magic

Book Description:

Twelve-year-old Chili Sue Mahoney has never been outside of Mercy Hill, Kentucky and she longs to see the world. So she's thrilled when the mysterious, world-traveled Miss Matlock returns to town -- amidst whispered rumors -- and becomes the seventh-grade substitute teacher. Chili and her classmate Willie Bright spend time with Miss Matlock, listening to her stories of distant lands, and they enjoy the thrill of being transported to places faraway from their 1970s Appalachian home. Chili discovers, however, that there may be more to Mercy Hill than she thought: beauty, in the people and places she has known all her life, and deep-rooted secrets, sometimes where they are least expected.

Author Biography:

Katie Pickard Fawcett grew up in the hills of eastern Kentucky and spent two years after college as a social worker in Appalachia. She has worked for the World Bank, writing about projects in developing countries, written ads for Peace Corps and VISTA, and published her personal essays in several magazines. She teaches writing workshops and tutors students in the Washington, DC area. Her favorite family activity is travel and the wonderful and diverse cultural experiences it brings.

CHARLES BRACELEN FLOOD

Book Title: Grant's Final Victory: Ulyssess S. Grant's Heroic Last Year

Book Description:

Grant’s Final Victory tells the story of how Ulysses S. Grant, destitute and dying of throat and mouth cancer, dedicated his last year to writing his memoirs, hoping the proceeds would be enough to provide for his family. As Grant grew sicker, support poured in from the American public, who followed regular updates on his progress in the newspapers. His memoirs, which he finished three days before he died, became an instant bestseller and are still considered today to be among the best ever written by a former military leader and president. Not only did the book save his family from financial ruin, but Grant’s determination to work through his illness inspired the American people and began to heal the rifts left from the Civil War.

Author Biography:

Charles Bracelen Flood is the author of twelve previous books, including the bestselling Lee: The Last Years and Grant and Sherman, which Salon.com named one of the "Top 12 Civil War Books Ever Written." He lives in Kentucky.

THOMAS FREESE

Book Title: More True Tales of Ghosts, Spirits and Angels

Book Description:

More True Tales of Ghosts, Spirits and Angels is a wonderful and diverse collection of true stories from interviews by author and storyteller Thomas Freese. In addition to the categories mentioned in the title—ghosts, spirits and angels—there are also stories of faeries, demons, witches and invisible friends. In addition, this amazing set of tales reveals historical research and chilling tales of Civil War ghosts, haunted Bed and Breakfast homes, graveyard encounters, house cleansings, Ouija board sessions gone bad, and touching tales of angels come to give help and comfort. Stories from around Kentucky also include unhappy ghosts of slaves, haunted college dorms, children who see spirits and misadventures of ghost hunters. This sixth book of ghostly tales by Thomas Freese provides fascinating testimony that the unseen world is close at hand in the lives of our friends and family.

Author Biography:

Thomas Freese (www.ThomasLFreese.com) is a talented author, storyteller and visual artist who authored 7 books, 7 audio CDs and 130 articles. He writes nonfiction, as well as fiction, and features four books of true tales including Shaker Ghost Stories from Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, Haunted Battlefields of the South, Ghosts, Spirits and Angels, and More True Tales of Ghosts, Spirits and Angels. Thomas Freese is a teaching artist, as well, working across Kentucky in schools and libraries as a visiting artist and storyteller, offering 20 educational and entertaining story programs. His books are for kids of all ages, “from ages 7 to 70” and he plays guitar and harmonica and creates original music and songs for his performances.

RONDA FRIEND

Book Title: Woolly Baaad Lies (Down on Friendly Acres #5)

Book Description:

Duane sets a trap and Ronda smells a rat as her brother's mischievous behavior yields him an afternoon of punishment - babysitting his favorite sister. Ronda's wild and wacky idea leads to more tomfoolery as she persuades Duane to help create a masterpiece of art involving cute and cuddly farm animals posing precariously for a portrait in the parlor.

In quite a quandry, Duane tells the truth as Ronda stretches the truth until it's not the truth at atll! There's no pulling the wool over Grandma Brombaugh's eyes. But will telling the truth pay off as an unfortunate accident occurs while Ronald shears a sheep?

This story is guaranteed to be woolly great - so don't miss a bleat - I mean beat!

Author Biography:

Ronda Friend - a professional storyteller, musician, songwriter, entertainer and motivational speaker has conducted programs in over 900 schools across the United States. Her family farm series - Down on Friendly Acres (AR) - has best been described as Little House on the Prairie meets Bill Cosby and contains character lessons, music, poems, recipes, hidden sunflowers, and true-to-life cliffhangers.

Ronda along with her husband, Bill, founded Sunflower Seeds Press - a children's publishing company. Their mission is to reach children's hearts and minds by sowing seeds of a different kind.

STEPHEN G. FRITZ

Book Title: Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East

Book Description:

On June 22, 1941, Germany launched the greatest land assult in history on the Soviet Union, an attack that Adolf Hitler deemed crucial to ensure German economic and political survival. As the key theater of the war for the Germans, the eastern front consumed enormous levels of resources and accounted for 75 percent of all German casualties. Despite the significance of this campaign to Germany and to the war as a whole, few English-language publications of the last thirty-five years have addressed these pivotal events.

In Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East, Stephen G. Fritz bridges the gap in scholarship by incorporating historical research from the last several decades into an accessible, comprehensive, and coherent narrative. His analysis of the Russo-German War from a German perspective covers all aspects of the eastern front, demonstrating the interrelation of military events, economic policy, resource exploitation, and racial policy that first motivated the invasion. This in-depth account challenges accepted notions about World War II and promotes greater understanding of a topic that has been neglected by historians.

Author Biography:

Stephen G. Fritz is a Professor of German and European History at East Tennessee State University. He is the author of Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East; Frontsoldaten: The German Soldier in World War II; and Endkampf: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Death of the Third Reich, all of which have been selections of the History Book Club and the Military Book Club. He received his PhD in German and European History from the University of Illinois in 1980.

HELEN FROST

Book Title: Step Gently Out

Book Description:

Step gently out, be still, and look closely at the world just outside your door--you are sure to be amazed by the tiny creatures you can find. You might see a cricket leap and land, a moth opening her wings, a spider walking across the air, or maybe even a praying mantis looking back at you!

In lyrical, evocative language from Helen Frost and stunning close-up photography from Rick Lieder, here is a poetic invitation to notice the many small creatures that share the world with you.

Author Biography:

Helen Frost was born in Brookings, South Dakota,the fifth of ten children. She graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Elementary Education and a concentration in English, with Philip Booth and W. D. Snodgrass among her teachers. She received her Masters degree in English from Indiana University in 1994. She is the recipient of a 2009 National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship.

Throughout her career, writing and teaching have been inter-woven threads. She has published poetry, children's books, anthologies, and a play, as well as a book about teaching writing. She has taught writing at all levels, from pre-school through university.

Helen Frost is also the author of Monarch and Milkweed and six novels in poems for children and young adults. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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