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From Victim to Hero-The Untold Story of Steven Stayner: While other books have been written about Steven Stayner, and a television mini-series told his story in the late 1980s. Both of these media explored this tragic event and exposed the dark side of Steven’s abuse and torture. They followed him through the dozen times he was moved around California when Parnell felt threatened by an authoritative presence. But in the end, these other media painted a picture of Steven as damaged goods when he was finally reunited with his family on March 2, 1980. From Victim to Hero will reveal a different portrait of Steven Stayner. No, the teenager that escaped from that mountain cabin just outside of Manchester, California wasn’t the same innocent 7-year-old little boy.

Jim Laughter served in the United States Air Force for 20-years with tours of duty in Texas, the Philippines, Japan, Louisiana, and England. He retired as a Master Sergeant in 1991. Jim’s education includes the Los Angeles Community College, the Community College of the Air Force, the Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officers Academy, and finally the University of Maryland. Originally from the rural farming community of Kellyville, Oklahoma, Jim and his wife of 39-years, Wilma, live just south of Tulsa, Oklahoma near their three sons, Sam, Ben, and Jon (their wives too) and their three grandchildren, Abby, Daniel, and Robbie.

Jim Laughter is co-creator of Galactic Axia, a fictional commonwealth of planets. Along with his long-time friend Victor J. Bretthauer of Port Angeles, Washington, Jim is co-author of the Galactic Axia series of science fiction adventure books. Their titles include Escape to Destiny, The Horicon Experience, Space Trader, and Ghost in the Dark. They are planning to release three books a year until the entire 20-book series is completed. You may preview the Galactic Axia series at www.galacticaxia.com.

Jim is a registered public speaker with the Oklahoma Library Association, so when he is not writing, he is usually speaking at junior high and high schools or libraries, or attending one of several writers conventions and book fairs each year. He is a member of the Tulsa NightWriters, a writing organization that has been helping writers get published for over 55-years. Along with the NightWriters, he is a member of Oklahoma Federation Writers, Inc.

In 1982, Jim founded Missions Hotline, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding the education of national students in foreign missionary seminaries around the world. Since its foundation, Missions Hotline has funded the education of over twenty-thousand national students, built, purchased, or remodeled several training centers, and built church buildings in Guatemala, the Philippines, Scotland, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and other foreign countries.

When time permits, Jim enjoys fishing and playing tournament poker. He also enjoys traveling with his wife, seeing the wonders of America and experiencing the many flavors of life that only this great country can offer.

Janet had everything - a career and a family. Unknown however, were the haunting memories of her father crushing her life in the shack that she ran by every day. She had helped hundreds of people get free of their inner prisons, but she was locked in a dark room that had no exit. Only after Janet was forced to face the past -- forced to relive the pain and loathing of those Sunday afternoons - that her Heavenly Father began to heal the deep rooted wounds that had never been allowed to heal. Crushed by Love is not about a one-step cure to all that ails you. This story follows Janet in a long, painful process of facing the hurt and then overcoming that same hurt with God’s love and forgiveness. The miracle that takes place in Janet’s life is a familiar one. Every person has hidden hurts, but no matter how painful or debilitating the hurts may be, they have to face the light of day, so we can be healed and freed to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.

Michael McNamar has a rich collection of life experience from which to draw for inspiration for his writing. Michael has been a successful educator for fifteen years, as well as a fifteen year veteran of the Army National Guard, including Desert Storm. After receiving an education degree from William Penn College, Michael completed courses in biblical studies from Rhema Bible Training Center. Michael and his wife, Alicia, have been married for twenty years, during which time they have been involved in various aspects of youth ministry. Michael and Alicia are the parents of two children, Seth and Rachel. Crushed by Love is Michael’s first book, but certainly not his last.

When fifteen-year-old Belle Brayden started wearing her brother’s slouch hat, her life changed!

She began having more adventures, misadventures and tragedies. Some are brought on by her impulsiveness, others by nature, but most are from the cruelties of war.

The year is 1862 and the United States of America is at war with itself, the Civil War. The war affected many people, and Belle and her family were no exception. Her eighteen-year-old brother, Bud, a member of a group of tough Confederate Guerrillas, was shot in the back and killed – he was more than a brother to Belle, he was her friend, and her hero.

In her quest to find the one who killed her brother, Belle joins forces with a spiritual mentor, a horse with magical powers, and her “best-friend-cousin,” sixteen-year-old Winnie Brayden. When Winnie was seven years old she lost her eyesight, but she has an amazing ability to “see with her heart.” Her compassion and humor is a positive influence in Belle’s life

The exciting adventures and engaging personalities of Belle and Winnie make this work of fiction soar above its serious time and keep the reader entertained. The spiritual messages found throughout the story gives this book a special touch.

Frankie Carlin Meyer

Website

Bushwackers, Visions, Star-crossed Lovers Two Hundred True Stores of Ozark History and Culture
(Non-Fiction: History)
256 pages - $24.95 (paperback)

This book includes warm, vivid, shocking, and sometimes heartbreaking accounts of Ozark culture and history. Within this book you will read over 200 true accounts of seven families and their neighbors who were early settlers in the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. Join the author as she follows the journeys of the families and their descendants along the rugged hills and mountains. Share their joys and tribulations. Be inspired by their strong faith that guided them along the way. Read first-hand accounts of visions, bushwackers, moon-shiners, star-crossed lovers and scores of other subjects. This book has 256 pages and was 30 years in the making. The book features over 200 photos of Ozark people and scenes, most of them never before published. This book will be an heirloom that your family will want to hand down from generation to generation.

Frankie Carlin Meyer was born in the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri and grew up on a farm ten miles from the Arkansas border. The Carlin Ridge farm is located in the Success community nine miles southwest of Rocky Comfort and five miles north of Powell. She is one of nine children born to Frank and Mary Carlin. As a child, she was fascinated by the stories that her parents told about their childhoods, their ancestry, and the area. That interest has inspired a life-long research of Ozark history and family history.

After graduating from Rocky Comfort High School in 1964, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she earned a degree in biology from Missouri State University. She later obtained a masters degree. During her twenty-eight-year teaching career, she taught high school biology.

Over the last twelve years, she has written over 700 weekly columns about genealogical research and Ozark history for the Joplin Globe, and she has compiled eight family history books. Her latest book, Bushwhackers, Visions, Star-Crossed Lovers, includes over 200 true stories that she selected from her files gathered during the last thirty years of research. The book contains over 200 photographs, many of which have never been published before. Readers will appreciate the many maps that the author has also included.

Frankie and her husband, Jim, live at Joplin, Missouri. They also own forty-three acres of her parents? old farm on Carlin Ridge. Their unique, wooded paradise has caves, springs, and steep hollows?an area so secluded that panthers once chose it for their dens. Today, Frankie and her husband often walk along the trails of that natural area. They also enjoy their Joplin flower garden which has wild flowers from the woods, as well as old-time perennials from her folks' yard.

The couple have a daughter, Janelle; son, Greg; son-in-law, James; and grandchildren--Jacob, Kathryn, and Claire.

A frequent speaker at conferences, she is available to give programs about this book, topics of Ozark history, and methods of research.

Roger Meyer
Fighting Grief with F-Cubed- Faith, Family, and Friends - Link to Publisher
(Non-Fiction: Self Help)
76 pages - $8.99 (paperback)

Have you ever lost someone close to you? Are you struggling with grief and sadness? Fighting Grief with F-Cubed, by author Roger H. Meyer, after losing his nineteen-year-old son, offers a solution on how to deal with the grief that comes with such a loss. Based on real-life experiences, the informative and personal advice does not take the traditional twelve-step approach; instead, the author explains the importance of falling back on your faith, your family, and your friends to carry you through the very trying times that come with losing a loved one. In Fighting Grief with F-Cubed, Roger Meyer touches on all aspects of life that will be impacted by the loss of a child, parent, spouse, or anyone else to whom you are close. This is one book that can even prepare you in advance of such a loss.

Roger Meyer is a member of Bugles Across America, an organization of 7000+ buglers who volunteer to sound Taps at military funerals and memorial services. By profession Roger is a Litigation Support Professional.

My body was being torn apart, and my stomach felt as if it exploded. The pain was excruciating, and I was aware that I was dying…

“Mom?” My vision was murky, but I could see her face. Her face was bloody, and her eyes were large and full of fear.

Her voice calmed. “Get out of the car, Attie.” Her words sounded crisp and clear.

I looked into the backseat in search of Melody and found her lying covered in blood in a twisted heap on the floor. I turned my attention back to my mother and out of the corner of my eye saw fire.

Attie Reed should have died in the wreck that stole the lives of her mother and best friend. But her life was spared. Why?

When Attie moves to Oklahoma to stay with the Bennetts for the summer, she hopes she has left her nightmares behind. But her battle is far from over, and Riley Bennett steps forward to help her fight the nighttime monsters. As the battle wears on, Riley begins fighting monsters of his own: his feelings for Attie. And Attie realizes she must begin to face the monsters of the night herself if she wants to conquer them for good.

Oklahoma Extension Homemakers
Reproduction of the Oklahoma Extension Homemakers Golden Anniversary Cookbook 1935-1985 - Link to publisher
(Cookbook)
paperback

Shaun Perkins is a lifelong Okie, a resident of Locust Grove. She has been a poet and teacher for many years. She teaches online writing classes for Diana's Grove, a personal development community. She is also a professional storyteller. Her story "Firewheel" was the cover story for a recent issue of the National Storytelling Network's magazine. Her poetry has been published in many literary journals, and her book of poetry Third Daughter was published in 2008.

Sherrilyn Polf
Link to Publisher
A Matter of Trust
Engineers of Flight Series
(Fiction)
308 pages - $21.99 (softcover)

Stanford University is out of reach for most Colorado teens in 1939. The opportunity to gain an education there is beyond nineteen-year-old Dena Caulter's wildest rural dreams. Yet Uncle Walter, a professor at the prestigious university, extends an open door to his home as well as the Howard Hughes Aeronautics program, and Dena is more than willing to spread her wings. Upon arriving in California, Dena feels her rustic roots showing but easily adapts to a more sophisticated lifestyle alongside her cousins, Emily and Stuart. Life may be offering opportunities and fun Dena never thought existed, but her naïve world is about to get a huge dose of reality. Uncle Walter is chosen to work with Howard Hughes in Virginia as part of an elite, top secret team working on NACA technology, and the move threatens to break up the family with the mention of an unfathomable divorce. Talk of war also breaks up the previously pleasant conversations and laughter that once provided the soundtrack for gatherings between Dena and friends. With opinions voiced, she worries that the boy she secretly has a crush on—Clay—will be whisked away before she gets the chance to truly know him. Even her beloved brother wants to join a war effort she has yet to understand. Studying blueprints no longer offers the intriguing escape it once held for Dena. Struggling to find balance in a life moving faster than one of Mr. Hughes' airplanes, Dena must hold on to the Christian values her mother always instilled in her youth, especially when the bright future of her friends and family begins to dim under the threat of war and A Matter of Trust.

Oklahoma Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
Located on the western edge of Cowskin Prairie at Grove, Oklahoma.

Cowskin Prairie Book Festival

When fifteen-year-old Belle Brayden started wearing her brother’s slouch hat, her life changed!

Oklahoma Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy Located on the western edge of Cowskin Prairie at Grove, Oklahoma.

Cowskin Prairie Book Festival

When fifteen-year-old Belle Brayden started wearing her brother’s slouch hat, her life changed!

Oklahoma Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
Located on the western edge of Cowskin Prairie at Grove, Oklahoma.