All of us at Trestle Press want to wish everyone a very Safe and Happy New Years!!

The G-ZONE today and the first week of the New Year!

Before everybody forgets about 2011, I wanted to get the schedule for The G-ZONE out there for the first week of the New Year.
*****Don’t miss out on Tracey Krauss today from the Edgy Christian Fiction social networking website. It is a great resource for readers and writers. She is with me@11 am EST Today. ******************
January 2-Josh Marks- 4pmEST
Jan 3-Henry E Ravelle-7pm EST
Jan. 4- Joe Perrone Jr.-9am EST
Jan. 5-Whit Howland-4 pm EST
Jan 7-Kevin Hemlick-11am EST

If you want to be a guest on the show just email me: we would love to have you on.
gelati.giovanni@gmail.com

Happy New Years everybody!!

Joe E. Morris,Ph.D. Guest Post

The first Sunday in October in the United Methodist Church is World Wide Communion Sunday. On that occasion in 2009 my pastor was away. As a retired member of the conference, I was asked to conduct the service. I had not preached in years and a message was burning in my bones.
The ritual of Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is a central aspect of Christianity. To the early followers of Christ, it was the centerpiece of the simple worship services held in their homes. In the partaking of bread and wine during a common meal, they re-experienced the spiritual presence of Jesus the Christ. The celebration had little to do with memory as we understand it. Like the Jewish Passover, it was a re-enactment. Christ was meeting them in the present, not in a “thinking back” to events past. It was not just a “Do this in remembrance of me,” which prompted the thought, “I wish Jesus hadn’t said that.” Jesus meant something far different from the meaning of the phrase today. “Do this in remembrance of me” lets us off the hook. All we must do is remember Him, think about Him, a passive thought that requires no active participation in His Presence and ministry.
As I reflected on that saying, others I wish Jesus hadn’t said came to mind. It occurred to me that there are two sets of troubling passages. There are those sayings that make it hard for us to be a Christian and those that make it easy. The tough sayings sere and scorch, challenge and demand. They call us to accountability, responsibility, and action. These are the sayings of the Sermon on the Mount, to the Rich Young Ruler, to the adulteress about to be stoned. These are sayings G. K. Chesterton was possibly recalling when he said, “Christianity, even when watered down, is hot enough to boil all of society to rags.” These are the sayings that do not let us off the hook. The easy sayings seem to contradict and counter the hard sayings, almost as if Jesus is saying, “I didn’t mean it that hard.”
There are things I wish Jesus hadn’t said, not because they are hard, but because they are easy and allow us wiggle room with the hard sayings. They let us off the hook from spiritual, ethical, and moral obligations. They are also susceptible to questionable interpretation and more vulnerable to exploitation for personal or national agendas. They are easily ripped from context, manipulated, and distorted to allow excuses for behavior denounced in Jesus’ tough sayings. Some examples are “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34), “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Matthew 10:11-15), and “the poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11). These scriptures, respectively, have been interpreted and applied as reasons to wage war, denounce others, and reduce or end social outreach programs.
Both types of sayings threaded the communion meditation that Sunday. Following the message there were requests for notes that did not exist. The four page outline with narrative paragraphs that was developed evolved into Things I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said.
Some of these sayings are embedded in short stories. Jesus was a master of the short story. The classic short story outline—character, event, change—structures each scene. In quick strokes Jesus develops or evokes the character, creates the event, usually a challenge, which sets the stage for change in the character. In some of these stories, change occurs in the audience, and the reader. William Faulkner once remarked that novel outlines could be reduced to two words: sin and redemption. The same could be said of short stories and parables, the latter defined as condensed short stories.
This book can be read for personal edification, reflection, and meditation or used as a teaching tool with small groups. The structure of each chapter is straightforward and simple: The Text, The Context, The Message, and Further Questions for Reflection and Discussion.
In some chapters a thematic format works best while in others a line-by-line expository approach is more effective. The division subtitle “The Text” is the scripture. “The Context” discusses the placement of the passage within a larger text, the audience, underlying symbolic meanings, and, when appropriate, background and historical information. The dictionary definition of context is the parts of a book or other writing which immediately precede or follow a passage. Often we recall a scripture from memory and not where it fits in the flow of its original source. Attempting to understand or interpret a scripture in this manner is called “taking it out of context.” Context is also to how passages interweave into one body and interrelate. “The Message” of a scripture flows from its context. “Questions for Reflection and Discussion” are provided at the end of each chapter for personal meditation and study or group settings.
One reason for choosing these particular ten scriptures is their inter-relationship. Their messages interweave in the way the Ten Commandments hang together as a solid piece, interlocking and influencing each other at various points.
As readers move from passage to passage, they are encouraged to note the different audiences. At time, Jesus speaks to a multitude, at times to only His disciples, and on other occasions to a specific audience. Those listening to Him understood the context of His words. Centuries later, the context changes with different interpretations. Understanding these New Testament passages involves recognizing the context of the sayings, the use of symbolic language embedded in them, and the settings of the early church. The sayings of Jesus come to us through these filters which influence how we hear them today.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the New International Revised Version. In some cases, because of universal familiarity, the King James Version or Revised Standard Version are used. Parallel passages for each scripture are located, by chapter, in Appendix A.
One final note is in order. After writing this book on Things I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said and
exploring the sayings in depth and achieving a greater understanding, I am glad he said them. Hopefully, this sampling of the hard and easy sayings of Jesus will give others a greater understanding of them.

Whit Howland poses the question: "Glen or Glenda"

Glen Or Glenda

Plan 9 From Outer Space is what immediately comes to mind when people think of Ed Wood. To paraphrase Johnny Depp, who played him in the biopic Ed Wood ‘This is the one I’m going to be remembered for.’ And he should be. It is a Z movie classic, and with this one, Ed was at the top of his game. Even with all its continuity problems and poor dialogue, it was his tightest script.
But to know Ed Wood is to intimately familiarize yourself with his first feature film Glen Or Glenda.
Glen or Glenda was Wood’s first movie effort. It is 60 minutes long and deals with two stories. One is about a transvestite who is afraid to tell his fiancé about his secret desires. The other is about a pseudo hermaphrodite who gets the sex change operation.
The stories are narrated by a Dr. Alton and the other is narrated by a mad scientist character played by Bela Lugosi. Pull Zee Strings!

Glen or Glenda is one of the wackiest movies you will ever see. I believe directors like David Lynch and Tim Burton have borrowed heavily from this little piece of trash cinema.
I know I think about it every time I sit down and write something. It is what mine or any other artist’s journal would look like if it were put to film. There are some absurdist moments and some twisted and dark moments. And some parts just should have been left on the cutting room floor.
This flick should be in every artist’s DVD collection.

There are very few ordinary people in Northern Ireland by Joe Brennan

There are very few ordinary people in Northern Ireland. By ordinary I mean, nine to five job, a wife or a husband, two kids, a dog and a mortgage. About three weeks ago my twenty two year old son Mark came into my office in West Belfast and I suggested we go grab some lunch in a cafe a few hundred yards up the road. When we went in, the place was pretty busy; it’s a nice place good food at a good price. We were about to leave as there were no tables when I heard my name being called, Joe! It was a man I went to school with and who I now meet from time to time around Belfast and sometimes have a beer with.

Gerry Kelly called me over and he and his girlfriend offered to share their table with us. So my son and I thanked them and we sat down, we made small talk, I mentioned that I had just finished a book and he told me he was working on a book as well, his life story. Gerry is a Junior Minister in Northern Ireland he holds jointly the second most important job in our Government. Over the years while he has been in office I have never really considered the importance of his position, when in his company I always looked on him as just an old schoolmate. It was my son who brought it to my attention when he said to me that it was kind of funny sitting talking to that guy, when I usually only see him on television. This got me thinking about the unique situation that is Northern Ireland. Go into a bar anywhere in West Belfast there would most likely be a guy or maybe two, responsible for the death of several people and now released under the ceasefire agreements. This guy or guys would be sitting at the bar and would be regarded by every one else as just another customer very rarely would their pasts come up in conversation nor would anyone think any more or less of them for it.. Although while some would think of them as mass murderers others would regard them as freedom fighters. Then there are other situations when at a charity bash or community event there would be two or three people present who are on first name terms with the President of United States of America. How many Americans will ever get the chance to shake a hand that has shaken their Presidents hand, but I have. What a melting pot this little place is and out of this very place as I write we have the best golfers in the world emerging, we have champion boxers, rock stars and film stars but more important we have people with stories to tell, it is said everyone has a book in them, well everyone in Northern Ireland has a fantastic book in them. It is so easy to prove you are a good golfer, just get the ball in the hole. It’s easy to become a champion boxer, just go out and beat the crap out of your opponent. It is even easy to prove you are a talented singer or actor but no matter how good an author you are, ninety nine times out of a hundred you were always going to be told. “Yeah it’s good but I’m afraid it’s not for me”. That is until now. eBooks!! Watch this space, in fact watch this little country of ours.
Joe Brennan.

So you want to know who Wenona Hulsey is when she isn't writing?

So you want to know who Wenona Hulsey is when I'm not a writer. Very hard thing to do is separate my life from my writing. My mind is always spinning on a scene or looking for inspiration to strike, even while I slave away at my day job as a shipping manager for a medium size company or while I'm taking my two kids shopping or to the lake. I don't think I have a life that can be separated because my writing is part of my day to day life just like eating at my favorite Chinese restaurant or lounging in a book store, it's just part of me.
If I was to define me I would say I am the proud mother of two wonderful children, a boy age 6 and a girl age 15. I work forty or more hours a week at a blue collar day job and I am known as the woman who is always reading or writing. I carry my Kindle with me everywhere and my laptop is close by for when an idea strikes.
I'm currently working on the last book of the Nicole Keenan Series, titled Blood of Fire. It should be hitting ebook shelves Spring of 2012 via the wonderful Trestle Press Publishing. The series is a Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy with a healthy dose of humor and suspense. Suggested reading order for the series is to start with the novelette Blood Awakening, then dive into the full length novel Burden of Blood then put Blood of Fire on your wish list for when the final book of the series is set loose on the world.
I also love social networks so if you would like to keep up with the latest in my world just add me. I'm always up for a good chat!
Wenona Hulsey's Author's Page on Facebook
Wenona Hulsey on Twitter
Wenona Hulsey on Google +

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

New Releases from Trestle Press in Time for Christmas!

New Releases From Trestle Press in time for Christmas!!

Trestle Press has released another bunch of incredible stories just in time for Christmas to feed those hungry ereaders. Without further ado, here they are:
FULL LENGTH NOVELS:
J.T. Lewis- Murder! Too Close to Home
Paul Grzegorzek-The Follow
Paul D. Brazill- Brit Grit Too
Michel R. Vaillancourt-The Sauder Diaries: By Any Other Name
Frank Duffy-Between These Pages,These Places
David L. Hoof- Triple Jeopardy
Erich Beller-The Wolf and The Bear
Joe Brennan-SUPERDOLLAR
Novella:
Stephen H. King- Undercover Truths
Graham Smith- Harry Charter Chronicles
Digital Short Stories:
Malcolm Holt- Crime Tyne Shots-Volume 2- Birthday Girl
Mina’s Daughter…The Harker Chronicles-Volume 3
Mark Miller- Stories of Queens’ Day-Holiday Inspiration From The Land of Empyrean
Chantal Boudreau-Insurance
B.R. Stateham-Call Me Smitty-Volume 8-Fairwell,Brother
George Michael Loughmueller-An Amish Journey-Set Free-Volume 2-The Hat on The Water
Roger Rheinheimer/Crystal Linn- Amish Forever-Volume 3-A Plain Christmas
Mark Miller-One –Volume 4-The Hand of God
D.L. Coleman-Killer Story

Crossing Genres: The Forbidden Zone by Stuart Nager

Crossing Genres: The Forbidden Zone
by Stuart Nager

I write what I like, and I happen to like different genres. It really depends on my mood, if I'm using a prompt, or I've accepted a Blogfest Challenge. My WordPress blog, Tale Spinning, is an experiment in flash fiction. I don't follow any rules as some of my pieces have been well over 1000 words. No matter what, I enjoy writing in different genres and styles.
For me, much of this comes from two sources (if not more): I am a voracious reader, and I read what interests me at the time; I was also an improvisation performer for many years… And I still do improvisational storytelling as part of my performance life. In improvisation you have to have a large pool of material to work from. If your referencing material is meager, then what you present to the audience will ultimately be boring.
That's how I see writing as well. I could write the same genre and style every single time. That would bore me to tears. At this point I write in the following styles: horror; psychological thriller; fantasy; humor; poetry and sonnets; mystery; science fiction; steam punk; Westerns; paranormal; and romance.
Yes, romance. If you remember what I said above, I don't believe in rules; I find that rules are meant to be broken, especially when it comes to writing. My first published story was in a romance anthology. I asked a romance writer who I knew from Facebook to give it a once over before I submitted it. She said that she liked it very much but because I did not follow the RWA rules for romance writing, my story would probably not be accepted.
My story was accepted. Hers was not. So much for rules.
I had a brief dalliance with a supposed literary agent. She told me that she felt I was a very good writer, but that she would only handle novelists, not short story writers. After much questioning from me and hemming and hawing on her part, I finally got her to give me a straight answer about what she wanted and felt would be published.
Her answer was: "I want great love story."
So, right now I am about 18000 words into a great love story. I also have about 7000 words of a fantasy, and I have no idea how many words I have yet on my horror series or my tales using Japanese mythology.
Crossing genres, for me, is creative fun. It keeps my mind agile, broadens my interests, and allows me to find out new things when I do my research. I find that exploring the different voices and styles inside of me makes me a better writer.
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Bio:
Stuart lives a creative life as a writer, playwright, performance storyteller, workshop guide and creative drama and creative writing, editor, improvisation actor, and director. For Trestle Press, Stuart has written a psychological thriller entitled Flash Over. You can read his blog Tale Spinning at stuartnager.wordpress.com/

We Should All Try To Be More Amish- Roger Rheinheimer ,Amazon Kindle Best-Selling Author

One of the most rewarding aspects of creative writing, to me, is what I learn researching the project; having my assumptions challenged. When I decided to take on this serialized Amish romance story and was interviewing co-authors, I told them of my determination to portray an authentic depiction of Amish life. I was lucky enough to join up with Crystal Linn, a very talented writer as committed to authentic story-telling as I am.

We have a number of early readers, several that are former Amish and one man that is still a practicing Amish. The latter has a brother that married an English woman who joined the Amish faith, “went Amish,” he described it as, and they now have seven children. I’m trying to make contact with him also; I think his perspective would be invaluable for our story. Several of the things our early readers have helped with are Amish sayings, mannerisms and dress. For instance, we had our protagonist, Ava Troyer, wearing a bonnet in the house and one of our former Amish early readers pointed out that the bonnet was only worn outdoors as a hat both for warmth and to protect the white-netting head covering worn inside. She said, “It would be referred to as a head covering or a kapp (pronounced cop in PA Dutch).” We were also going to send Ava outside with bare legs in the winter, and she said, “No no no,” Amish women always wear leggings in winter.

I grew up in Amish country, raised in a Mennonite home, and feel like I know them pretty well. I have stayed overnight with Amish friends while in high school. My parents spoke Pennsylvania Dutch when we were young kids and didn’t want us to know what they were talking about. I learned my love for woodworking from Elmer Slabach, my Amish mentor, an accomplished craftsman. He was funny, talented, occasionally cranky, in other words, pretty human. He dipped snuff sometimes, and I even heard him swear under his breath one time when he ran two rows of shingles together on a roof we were putting shingles on, and had to redo it. With 250,000 practicing Amish in North America, there are going to be differences in speech and some practices, just like New York City residents love their bagels and people in New Orleans can’t get enough gumbo. And put someone from New York on the phone with a New Orleans native and see if they can even understand each other! So while Amish have similar practices and beliefs, the different “districts” have different accents and phrases just like the rest of us.

An early reader from Pennsylvania, now former Amish, sent photos of the valley she grew up in, and it is drop dead gorgeous. Amish, by and large, don’t use photographs, so in her former life this probably wouldn’t have happened. She’s a funny lady. During one of her pregnancies one of her Amish cousins, a five year old boy, asked if she was going to have an Amish or English baby. She was laughing. BTW, my maternal grandfather was born into an Amish family, and even after he left, would warily allow himself to be photographed, never looking at the camera.

Beyond their iconic dress and resistance to most things modern, what most sets the Amish apart from almost the entire rest of the world is their dedication to God, peace and non-violence, family, and above all else, good home cooking. We should all try to be more Amish.

Trestle Press Buy One Get One Free Sale Right Now!!

All the Trestle Press authors are now engaged in providing readers with a buy one get one free sale from this very moment till the end of the day December 24th,2011. Just send any of us your proof of purchase and we will gladly send you another Trestle Press title of equal or lesser value. Feel free to go to any of these places to get the Trestle Press titles:
www.trestlepresspublishing.com and just click on the Amazon Kindle or Barnes &Noble Nook badges.
Amazon Kindle- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Atrestle+press&keywords=trestle+press&ie=UTF8
Barnes and Noble Nook-
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/trestle-press?keyword=trestle+press&store=ebook
Email your Proof of Purchase to :
trestlepress@gmail.com or gelati.giovanni@gmail.com
Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.

Detail, Procedure,Police Work & Writing- Paul Grzegorzek author of "The Follow"

As an ex-police officer, I find it easy yet at the same time startlingly difficult to write crime fiction. I'm a stickler for correct detail and procedure and this comes out in my writing, but there are times when you have to ignore that and go out on a limb for the sake of the story.
So my carefully pieced together plots have what I feel are gaping holes where I’ve had to add in something dramatic for the story, and I wince and wait impatiently for my readers to tell me that there's a hole the size of a small moon in the story.
Surprisingly, no one ever does, and this made me realize that as a writer I’m far more critical of my work than anyone else is.

When it comes down to it, readers are far more forgiving, getting caught up in the story and not seeing the pitfalls that I myself worry that they will fall into.
I think it comes down to trusting the reader as much as trusting yourself. If a reader enjoys the story, they will forgive any slight lapse, or better still not even notice it.
With the amount of detail I put in, there is also the concern that there is too much for it to allow the story to flow, but the feedback I’ve had is that it's fascinating to get a fictional story that is so true to real policing, particularly here in the UK where it's all knives, batons and tussles with the bad guys rather than chasing about with guns (which still occasionally happens, just nowhere near as much!)
Then of course there's the story itself. You want something believable yet dark, something to make the reader want to keep turning those pages until the story is done. After all, why write except to tell the stories that you have buzzing around in your head, fighting to get out against the everyday tasks that take up so much of our time and sap our creative spirit.
So if you want a true to life yet fictional slice of policing in the drug death capital of the UK, I strongly recommend that you warm up your Kindle and on the 21st December you head to Amazon and download a copy of The Follow. I can promise that you won't be disappointed.

I Believe In Magic- Mark Miller

I believe in magic.
I believe in fairy tales, myths, ghosts and all sorts of things. My wife says I’m her fifth child, but I say what fun is life without some make believe? That’s why I have so much fun over the holidays – all the magic! Starting with Halloween all the way through New Year’s, I dive into the magic and play right along with my children.
I wanted to share that excitement with my readers, so I have written a little holiday treat. I have grown quite attached to the characters in my novels, The Empyrical Tales. I like to see what they are up to in between the big stories. I figure they must celebrate Christmas, since I do.
I found out that they have a different holiday. It’s called Queen’s Day. There’s more to it, but the short version is that a bearded man with magical abilities delivers presents once a year. I know, that sounds like Christmas, but it’s not. It’s Queen’s Day!

I would like to start a tradition and Trestle Press has been kind enough to help me with it. Every Christmas, I am going to start writing the Stories of Queen’s Day. Seems like those two holidays will go good together, wouldn’t you say?
When you read this post, the story may already be available. You know the drill, put “Trestle Press” in your Amazon toolbar, or come to Facebook.com/EmpyricalTales and I will put up a link as soon as it’s ready – kind of like waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven.
If you haven’t seen them, my novels, The Fourth Queen and The Lost Queen, are available in paperback and also Nook. They will soon be on Kindle too! The Stories of Queen’s Day are only available on Kindle or Nook and for an amazing bargain of ONLY 99 Cents! This is a great opportunity to visit your favorite characters before they return this June in The Secret Queen from Comfort Publishing.
Also, while I have your attention, please check out some of my other Trestle Press titles. I have a young reader series called Small World Global Protection Agency. It’s about two elementary school kids that become international spies. There’s adventure and humor, but also some learning going on. This one is also great to keep parents involved with their young readers because each issue has questions about the story. My other new series is called Sons of the King. It is intergalactic fantasy with some Christian-influenced themes, but the special thing is that I am writing it with my nine year old daughter!
Be sure to visit www.MillerWords.com to stay informed and join the Empyrical Tales Fan Club. You can become a Citizen of Empyrean and get exclusive news!

George Michael Loughmueller,author of "An Amish Journey-Set Free-Volume 1-Coming Home", Guest Post

My name is George, but for the moment please allow me to be frank.
Two things up front: I’m not a writer and I’m not a web surfer.
When I say I’m not a writer, I mean I didn’t plan to be. I have a good life and a wonderful family. My friends all say I tell good stories and a few of them pushed me to writing them down. See, there’s this publisher called Trestle Press and they are making waves, becoming known. So my friend says send that story to them. I did and here we are.
Point number two: I don’t use the internet...much. Sure, I’ve been on the web. I’ve had my free trial of Netflix. By the by, I prefer going into the local mom and pop store. There is something soothing about browsing the shelves, especially when I’m the only one in there. Aside from that, I see why they call it a web. I felt like I got stuck. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a brilliant guide named Giovanni to fumigate the spiders and cut through all the webs. Now, I’m on Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon and so many other sites.
So those two things combine. Now I have a series. It’s fiction, but the inspiration is from things in my life and based on some things my grandpa did. My dad sure thought he was crazy, which probably pushed him away from grandpa’s beliefs. When you’re a teenager, I guess you know everything. I wish I could remember half the stuff I knew back then. Anyway, I decided to show my dad and become more religious than he ever was. In his last years, we got along well though. He told me a lot about my grandpa. My aim is to turn those stories into something entertaining for you.
I hope you enjoy them and maybe they will strengthen your spirit too!
Oh, and please come visit me at www.facebook.com/LaughingGeorge

Being Released Later Today -Amish Forever- A Plain Christmas- Volume 3-Roger Rheinheimer & Crystal Linn

Being Released later today,from the Amazon Kindle Best-Selling Duo-Roger Rheinheimer & Crystal Linn: Amish Forever-A Plain Christmas-Volume 3.
In this third installment of the Amish Forever continuing series, it is that formerly magical time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Except this year, Ava is torn with the loss of her father, and her growing preoccupation with the mysterious stranger who pulled her from the fiery wreck and then vanished. She spends hours in her upstairs bedroom window brushing her long hair, seeing the stranger behind every tree, darting to the barn, waving. Christmas is approaching, and Ava spends a lot of time in her room making little presents for friends and family. One night, as she hand sews, she thinks she hears small taps on her window. At first she ignores them, thinking they are frozen snow pellets, but the sound increases and Ava realizes the sky had been clear when she walked up the stairs earlier. She goes to her window and slowly raises the simple gray shade. Her heart stops. Below her in the moonlight is her beloved stranger, her Freund! She flies down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. The last thing she wants is Aunt Rachael to know her hero has arrived. She carefully opens the rear door and almost leaps down the three rear porch steps, stopping in front of this handsome man. He looks exactly as she remembered, complete with the thin, tidy moustache and an almost symmetrical face. She is excited, relieved, and shy all at the same time. “Hello,” she whispers quietly, “I’m Ava.”
Roger Rheinheimer spent the first eighteen years of his life in northern Indiana. His father was the only doctor for a small town of 1200, and had a hitching rail on a side street by his office for the Amish patients. His father bought an eighty acre farm, and Roger and his older brother worked it, raising cattle and growing crops.
While he was still in high school, Roger learned woodworking skills from Elmer Schlabach, his Amish mentor. They built houses in the old-fashioned tradition, from hand-mixing the concrete for the foundations to hand-nailing the shingles. The only phase they did not do was the electrical. To this day, Roger enjoys using his wood crafting skills, making acoustic guitars and furniture.
Roger earned an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Psychology from a small private college in the Shenandoah Valley, took a Creative Writing class, loved it, and published a short story called My Brother. He was a regular contributing writer to the college newspaper.
Roger has two novels in print and ebook, Amish Snow and Yield Spread: a novel.
Crystal Linn is a free-lance writer and award-winning poet who teaches a variety of creative writing classes. Her third book, Poetry for Friends, is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2012. She lives in the greater Seattle area where she enjoys reading mysteries, writing poetry and sailing with friends and family.

Stirapalooza 2011 by Leona DeRosa Bodie

Stirapalooza 2011:
5 E-Book Trends Stirring Up The Publishing Industry

December 16, 2011 By Leona DeRosa Bodie


Although the publishing industry is dramatically changing, how is technology rewriting the rules?

1. E-Book Versus Print Book Sales

My predictions are . . . e-book sales in the not-so-distant future will outpace their print counterparts. Yet, I don’t see the printed book format disappearing in the next 20 years. My perspective though is different from my son’s. He advocates we ditch printed books in favor of digital alternatives. I still want the option to have both or at least the right to choose between print and e-book versions. However, when 2084 rolls around, I’d wager it’ll boil down to no choice at all.

2. Mass Market Exposure For Less

Recently, a 90-year-old fan surprised me when she flashed out her Kindle and downloaded my title with the flair of a twenty-something. For sure, the e-book revolution is cross generational, here to stay and its launch has upended the publishing industry. For way too long, just a few guided what came to market. Now everyone has equal access to publishing. New devices and the means of consuming content are changing the industry. Today’s technologies mean mass market exposure is easier and faster with less investment for readers, authors and publishers. Another upside is more royalties.
3. The Only E-Reader Contender

There are 20 other dedicated e-readers, but only two real contenders. Between the Kindle and Nook, I see Barnes and Noble’s product eventually lagging in the doldrums with Kindle surging ahead in popularity. The latter will capture the market share. Thanks to Amazon’s continuous improvement and technology advances, their e-reader capabilities will evolve. Enhanced e-books are coming. That innovation will be the key to growth, competition and sustainability.




4. Portability As The Ultimate Convenience Factor

We are also moving into a visual culture. Who would have thought 20 years ago that people would read a book on the phone? However, consumers want portability of titles from one device to another, a.k.a. convenience. So all future book content must be adaptable and accessible, no matter whether the public’s choice of delivery is via tablets or smart phones, e-readers, iPads or any other gadgets out there. For example, Kindle also works on the iPad, iPhone, and computers.

5. Better E-Books are Coming

Most e-books today are the same as print, just in digital form. The e-book of the-near-future will be interactive. As digital publishers race toward multimedia content, they will capitalize on tomorrow’s bleeding edge technologies. For this reason, more traditional publishers and individual authors will partner with integrated media companies to release digital editions that are more akin to software than anything we seen thus far. Yesterday’s VCR in today’s living room is just as prehistoric as today’s Kindle with digitized text a decade from now.

Technology will drive Amazon and continue to revolutionize the book industry!

Leona Bodie is currently Vice President and serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Writers Association, a statewide, nonprofit organization of 1,200 members. Her career took her from high school English teacher to a biotechnology executive and president of the Greater Miami Society of Human Resource Management before she shifted to writing books. She’s the author of the digital short “Cocooned in Darkness,” the upcoming book FEAR THE WHISPERS, and her debut thriller SHADOW CAY, is the recipient of 4 literary awards. For more details about Leona Bodie and her books, please visit: www.leonabodie.com.

Karen Vogel, author of "Knit Together" and "Amish Knitting Circle" ,Guest Post

I’d like to thank everyone at Trestle Press and Suzanne Woods Fisher for encouraging me to write an Amish serial, something I didn’t think I could do. But as I was knitting one night, I thought of my knitting circle and how women bring up their problems, sometimes to people they hardly know. Then I thought of all the advice I’ve gotten from two elderly Amish women in Smicksburg, PA. Granny Weaver was born; she a combo of these two women. She starts the Amish Knitting Circle.
I wanted to show that the Amish have problems, just like anyone else, but they solve them very differently. Basically, they don’t sweep anything under the rug and deal with issues in community. So issues that women deal with such as poor body image, infertility, marital problems, illnesses, and more, are all talked about. Some issues, like anxiety disorders, I had to get the advice of a professional to make sure I was being accurate.

In my full length novel, Knit Together: An Amish Close Knit Novel, Granny Weaver starts a knitting circle that is attended by both the Amish and English. Since I lived among the Amish in Upstate NY, and now have Amish friends nearby in PA, I wanted to show the cultural differences, but also how similar we are. I always tell people, “You don’t have to turn Amish to live a simple life, but we can learn a lot from them.”
Lately, my research for the two Christmas serials in Amish Knitting Circle has made the biggest impact on me. They do really focus on the real meaning of the season and just getting together and having fun. I’m kind of over the top with Christmas, and tend to get run down and sick. I discuss this journey of mine toward a simpler Christmas on my blog, Amish Crossings.
I have an Amish author once month stop by to share what they’ve learned from the Amish. Might want to see what Trestle Press author, Roger Rheinheimer (Amish Snow and Amish Forever) has to share about these awesome people.
http://www.karenannavogel.blogspot.com/

Coming Soon-Mark Miller-"Stories of Queen's Day"

Mark Miller and Trestle Press will be releasing their first "Land of Empyrean" digital short story December 15th. Here is the synopsis and author biography:
Queen’s Day is the most special holiday in all of Empyrean. Once a year, Father Odin returns to celebrate the victory of the first queens over the Forgotten Evil. Author Mark Miller brings you holiday themed stories from the land of Empyrean. You can see more of these characters in The Empyrical Tales novels from Comfort Publishing. Book I: The Fourth Queen and Book II: The Lost Queen are available now and Book III: The Secret Queen is coming in June 2012. Miller also has a great selection of family friendly and young reader stories currently available from Trestle Press.

The Gift – Four year old Zandria has worries about a new baby in her family. A chance encounter may give her a new understanding about love, family and Queen’s Day.
Little Lost Boy – Snow comes to Empyrean. Usually, it only snows on the Ice Caps and sometimes in the Northern Wood. Zandria and her friends set out to discover the cause and help a strange boy in the process. This is one Queen’s Day they will never forget.
Miller continues his Empyrical Tales with the aim of creating strong, positive female characters to serve as role models for his own daughters and girls everywhere. Born in Kansas, Miller has been developing his writing for the past several years in Florida. Miller says his wife of eleven years keeps him motivated. Together, they are raising four children for which he writes his stories. With experience in elementary teaching and motion picture production, Miller plans to offer more family-friendly entertainment as he continues The Empyrical Tales and other stories.

Karen Malena, author of "Son of Mine" Guest Post

Recently I was talking with an old friend about her daughter. She was thanking me for being there for her when her daughter was going through spinal surgery for scoliosis. She mentioned that someone should write a blog, sharing their experience with curvature of the spine to help others who may be going through this trauma.
You see, when I was about twelve years old, I noticed something about myself in the mirror. When a young girl should begin to develop curves, I was developing lumps. Something was distinctly wrong with the image looking back at me.
My pants were fitting funny, my back was aching. It wasn't until my poor mother was scratching my back one day, and noticed something very wrong with me, did we even know there was something to be truly concerned about.
All I could do was panic and cry when mom said we should call for a doctor appointment. I think I had been fooling myself that something would change.
I asked Mom what she thought we would find out when we saw the doctor. Did she think they had to do some type of surgery on me? She assured me, no, there was probably nothing like that which I would have to go through.
Was she wrong! We sat in a specialists office with a doctor who had no bedside manner whatsoever. He blurted out that I had scoliosis, would need a spinal fusion, which was major surgery, and would be in a body cast for almost a year. Surgery was quickly scheduled.
In June of my twelfth year, I found myself in Children's Hospital, amidst young people with so many scary looking contraptions, some wheelchair bound, some who would never walk again. I was to count myself fortunate this was all I had.
There were various tortures to endure, the main one, a plaster body cast encasing my whole torso, the back of my head and up the front to my neck. This was placed on before surgery. It would be cut before the spinal fusion, then a new one would be fabricated afterward.
We all learned to communicate on our hospital ward with pen and paper. My parents were the couriers who brought the notes back and forth to all of us children going through many different surgeries, as we couldn't get out of our hospital beds.
I was in the hospital for three weeks. My parents were so very strong for me at that time. I would never know how hard it was for them, seeing their little girl with tubes and wires, a huge plaster contraption encompassing me. But they were my saviors, and strength. The cards and letters that family members and friends sent, were encouragement to me. Books became my best friend at that time.
It was not easy at first but after leaving the hospital, adapting to a new style of life in a body cast soon became second nature to me. I had to be tutored at home, since school was going to be difficult.
I didn't like feeling so different from other girls I was seeing. They were beautiful, curvy, free from the confines of a plaster prison. I felt like some sort of freak show whenever I would go anywhere with my parents, as people always stared at the huge contraption I was wearing. I think the only place I felt normal, was at the hospital, or doctor's office for the many xrays they had to take.
A smaller cast was placed on me after about eight months, and it was strange having my neck free to move about once again. Something I had taken for granted before, but it all felt so free! I could move again!
The hardest part is being a young teenager when you are going through something like this. Feeling like an alien, or feeling like an outcast. But know there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is all worthwhile. Our bodies are free from severe deformity. Something people in the past weren't even able to go through. Have you ever seen a misshapen little old woman and known that could have been you? Let's thank the Lord above that there are surgeons out there, good surgeons who do their jobs well.
Let's all be a light for one another, and pass our stories along to help the next person possibly going through the trauma of spinal surgery.

Amazingly Busy Week on The G-ZONE!! Check out this guest list:

Starting tomorrow and running through at least Friday, who knows maybe I will have to add Saturday, we have another intense week on The G-ZONE, my blogtalk radio show sponsored by Trestle Press. Here is the lineup:
Tuesday-December 13-Daniel Palmer and Graham Smith 4pm EST
Weds. December- 14- B.R. Stateham and Paul D. Brazill 4pm EST. Who knows who else may call in though, I would be prepared for a full house. This going to be your basic Noir/Hard-Boiled Party.
Thursday December 15-Author Panel - 4PM EST–Subject Music- Big Daddy Abel, John Reed, Tanya Contois and many more
Friday-December 16- 4.30 pm EST –We start our TGIF show with Amazon Kindle Best –Selling author Joe E. Morris Ph. D. and then the second half (5.30Pn EST) of the hour my guests are The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Book Town with some special announcements.

Coming Soon From The Trestle Press Authors: More Great Novels, Novella’s and Digital Short Stories for those hungry ereaders!

Michel R. Vaillancourt- “The Sauder Diaries-By Any Other Name” a full length novel
David L. Hoof-“ Just Machines”
Chantal Boudreau- “Insurance”
Malcolm Holt- “Crime Tyme Shots-Volume 2”
Graham Smith- “Harry Chambers Chronicles” a novella
Lisa Vooght- “Small Doses-Flash Fiction in a Medical Vein”
Amy Bennett-Rollo’s Journey” a novella
S.L. Schmitz-“Mina’s Daughter…The Harker’s Chronicles-Volume 3”
B.R. Stateham- “Call Me Smitty- Volume 8”
Paul D. Brazill- “Brit Grit Too” a full length novel
D.L. Coleman-“Killer Shot”
Mark Miller-“Stories of Queen’s Day –Holiday Inspiration From The Land of Empyrean”
JT Lewis- “Murder Close to Home” a full length novel
Paul Grzegorzek-“The Follow” a full length novel
Frank Duffy- “Between These Pages, These Places” a full length novel
Paul Christopher-“The Wolf and The Bear” a full length novel
Whit Howland- “The Cain Series- Volume 2- Another Town-Another Torch”

New Releases from Trestle Press this week!

It was another busy week for our authors as they continued to release new digital short stories and full length novels again last week. Here is the rundown of the new releases :
Carey Jane Clark- “After The Snow Falls”- a full length novel
Angelique LaFontaine/Eddie Frantom- “Thirty-1 Therabs-Volume 4 “
Angelique LaFontaine- “The Lipstick Stain”
William Tooker-“ Slouching Towards Bethlehem-This Flesh Eternal-Volume 3”
Joe E. Morris, Ph.D.- “Things I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said” – a non-fiction full length book, our first in this category
Paul Guthrie-a new digital short story series-“The Magic of Others-The Rule”
David L. Hoof- “Triple Jeopardy” –a full length novel
Lisa Taylor- “Shana Black-Volume 4- Tensions and Traitors”
Sam Lang- “Reprisal-Volume 5-The First Cut is The Best”
Karen Anna Vogel-“Amish Knitting Circle-Volume 6-Old World Christmas”
George Michael Loughmueller-“An Amish Journey-Set Free-Volume 1- Coming Home”
Conor McVarnock-“Christmas at The Sharp End”

New Release- Sam Lang- Reprisal- Volume 5- The First Cut is The Best!

Trestle Press presents Sam Lang’s Reprisal, a digital short story series.
Reprisal is a dying town built on secrets and haunted by a mysterious shadow since its beginnings.
Eddie Newport must survive one night in this town with his oldest friend as a bus full of escaped murderers breaks down on Main Street.
Dr. Donovan Longcutte is not the man you want to see if you are sick. His patients have a way of mysteriously dying, even from the mildest of symptoms. His devious work lands him in the Edgar King penitentiary along with De’Light and David Lent. Now he is awaiting his transfer, but not before the Shadow comes to visit.
Sam Lang lived a cold, dark life. Ignored for most of his existence, he developed a fascination with things of a macabre nature. His writing explores the dark recesses of human behavior. Lang writes with heavy thematic elements and symbolism, creating harsh, hyper-realistic characters. Lang currently resides in Florida where he spends his time thinking of new ways to delight and horrify his readers.

Trestle Press has brought him out of the shadows with his series, Reprisal, a murderous tale of escaped convicts in a deserted town haunted by a mysterious shadow. The first four episodes are available as digital short stories from Trestle Press, starting with Making Plans, Making Memories followed by The Impeccant, Shadow Boxing and She’ll Get Your Engine Started . More chapters are yet to come.
Sam has participated in the Author’s Lab collaboration series with Giovanni Gelati on The Two Johns. He also has the upcoming one-shot A Vampire’s Guide to Sex, a short tale about (you guessed it) vampires and sex.
Currently, Sam has teamed with Darren Sant to create Severed, an on-going short story zombie series.
Not much else is known of this reclusive author.

Coming Soon- David L. Hoof's full length novel "Triple Joepardy"

Trestle Press and author David L. Hoof will be releasing another of his full length novels- "Triple Jeopardy". David L. Hoof is the author of "Sharpshooter", a full length novel and "The Big Rip" a digital short story. All are available on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook.Here is the synopsis and author biography:

In Triple Jeopardy, two co-dependent subplots, intertwined and braided like a strong rope, run alternately and interactively in linear time, and pit the wills of rich husband and wife Richard and Cynthia Speckt to separate triumphantly from a marriage gone sour. In order to defeat a draconian clause that multibillionaire Richard placed in their pre-nup, Cynthia hires kidnappers to spirit her husband away to a magical island and provide proof of his infidelity, the only condition under which Cynthia is not a big loser in divorce. Unknown to her or her team of specialists, Richard, through a felonious former associate has hired a hit man to kill Cynthia, a result that – if successful -- will net him all of her assets as sole survivor. Caught in the middle and starting clueless of the underlying intrigues is Denny Potemkin, a dead ringer for Richard, an unknown, unemployed method actor and impressionist who – while standing (and lying) in for the kidnapped Richard and trying to keep the world’s economy from toppling – begins to wonder if in the end he becomes the man who knows too much. The tone is light and satirical, a blend of Wall Street with The War of the Roses, irreverently mixing a delicious combination of malice and paranoia that, like the adversarial spouses, is served cold but often simmers hot. In an ending where nothing and everything changes, both partners get what they most want but not all they want, and certainly not without unanticipated consequences.
DAVID HOOF IS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED AND VERSATILE MASTERS OF THE WRITER'S CRAFT.IN THE LAST THREE YEARS , HE AS TURNED OUT AN AWARD-WINNING WHODUNIT, LITTLE GODS AND A SIDE-SPLITTING CAPER NOVEL TRIPLE JEOPARDY (BOTH STILL IN PRINT IN CASE YOU MISSED THEM). NOW HOOF RETURNS TO THE SUSPENSE GENRE, HIS MASTERY OF WHICH WAS SHOWN IN THE INTERNATIONALLY BEST-SELLING "SPIKE HALLOCK" SERIES, WITH A WESTERN-THRILLER FEATURING RED KRAVITZ, A NEW HERO WHOSE ORIGINALITY AND PERSISTENCE RENDER HIS NARRATIVE GRIPPING FROM THE FIRST PAGE.

Coming Soon-George Michael Loughmueller's "Set Free-An Amish Journey-Volume 1- Coming Home"

Trestle Press will be releasing a new digital short series by George Michael Loughmueller called “Set Free-An Amish Journey-Volume 1-Coming Home” December 10. We feel it is a very unique look on the Amish, their culture, and one Families chance to re-discover themselves. Here is the synopsis and author biography:

“His last chance was their only hope.
In this new periodical short story series from Trestle Press, a man on the brink of self-destruction is given the opportunity to start over.
Allan Howarth is unhappy in work, in marriage, in family. He is stressed by finances and relationship problems. When a letter arrives from a long forgotten friend, Allan suddenly finds an opportunity to help himself, his wife and their two teenage children.
The letter presents Allan with a unique possibility which leads him on an Amish journey.

George Michael Loughmueller is a descendant of German heritage. Finding joy in being a husband and father, he is known by his friends as “Laughing George” because of his cheerful disposition and the pronunciation of his last name.
Born in the Midwest, George has spent time both in Omaha, Nebraska and Des Moines, Iowa. He works in retail, but has long had the dream of being an author. With the support of family and friends, George decided to write a story inspired by his grandfather.
“Set Free: An Amish Journey” is a work of fiction. However, some of the events are based on facts and stories told by George’s late father about the unusual life of his grandfather. In George’s mind, the fictional church district of Karsten Field is set in the small communities of eastern Iowa.

Coming Soon- "Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said" by Joe E. Morris Ph.D.

Trestle Press will be releasing a non-fiction book December 10th by Joe E. Morris,Ph.D. titled-"Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said".
Here is what the book is about and the authors biography:
The book focuses on two groups of Jesus’ messages. One group comprises those sayings which make it hard to be a Christian. The other includes those which seemingly make it easy.
The “hard” or “tough” sayings of Jesus sere and scorch, challenge and demand. They call us to accountability, responsibility, and action. These are the sayings of the Sermon on the Mount, to the Rich Young Ruler, to the adulteress about to be stoned. These are sayings G. K. Chesterton was possibly recalling when he said, “Christianity, even when watered down, is hot enough to boil all of society to rags.” These sayings do not let us off the hook.
The easy sayings seem to contradict and counter the hard sayings. I wish he hadn’t said them because they confuse and allow us wiggle room with the hard sayings. They let us off the hook from spiritual, ethical, and moral obligations. They are susceptible to misinterpretation and more vulnerable to exploitation for personal, or national, agendas. They are easily ripped from context, manipulated, and distorted to allow excuses for behavior denounced in Jesus’ tough sayings. Some examples are “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34), “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Matthew 10:11-15), and “the poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11)
About the Author
Joe Edd Morris was born in New Albany, Mississippi (birthplace of William Faulkner). Morris’s poetry and short fiction have appeared in the following literary journals: CHATTAHOOCHEE REVIEW, SOUTH DAKOTA REVIEW, CONCHO RIVER REVIEW, APPALACHIAN HERITAGE, BAYOU REVIEW, DELTA REVIEW AND THE POET. His novel, Land Where My Fathers Died, a semi-finalist in the 1998 Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Prizes for Fiction, was published spring, 2002. It was nominated for the Southeastern Booksellers Association Best Book of the Year, Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Best Fiction of 2002 and was awarded Best Fiction of 2003 by the Mississippi Library Association. It was also featured in ESQUIRE as one of the top reads of that summer. The past several years he has won first place in the William Faulkner Short Story Contest. More recently, his short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

In addition to poetry and fiction, a non-fiction work, Revival of the Gnostic Heresy: Fundamentalism, was published December, 2008 by Palgrave -MacMillan. Morris has also published professionally in journals of psychology and theology and a book entitled Systematic Jury Selection: A Practical Approach.

Sam Lang, author of "Reprisal" and co-author of the "Severed" series, Guest Post

What makes you special?
What do you like about yourself?
What if you could enhance those things and improve your quality of life?
Thanks to the innovative New You* program, all of that and more is possible. New You is a vitamin-enhanced supplement program designed for your body and your mind. The cornerstone of the program is an amazing diet aide called EZ-Thin**.
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***Clinical Tests have not been submitted to or approved by the FDA
****This statement has not been validated

I don’t know about you, but I would be in line to get EZ-Thin, the fictional diet pill that Darren and I use in Severed. We have a lot of fun writing this series and it grows exponentially each time we start the next volume. In the coming months, we plan to develop characters in other parts of the world. We are going to keep the focus on the characters, but there will be delights for the gore hounds as well. After all, it is a zombie story.
We should have Volume 3: True Faith to you before the end of December. In the meantime, you can connect with Darren and me @ Facebook.com/GotZombies
Severed Vol. 1: In The Beginning... and Severed Vol. 2: Myths & Legends are both available now for Kindle, Nook or your preferred eBook format.