Loiacono Literary Agency takes on Philip Mygatt’s The Only One Zoo!

After a successful career as an Air Force pilot and founder of a pharmacy software company, Philip Sherman Mygatt retired to Florida with his wife, two dogs and two cats. Finding retirement a challenge, he decided to turn his creative talents to writing and has since published four, full-length novels in the last five years.

As a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, he read Hooper Humperdink…? Not Him! to a kindergarten class celebrating Dr. Seuss’ 111th birthday. Hearing their gleeful laughter was all it took. He was hooked! So started the writing of humorous children’s books to fulfill his growing passion, to entertain young and old alike.

However, he never forgot the first time his mother read Horton Hatches an Egg to him in 1945, “I mean what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent.” His inner-Dr. Seuss marinated for over seventy years until he decided to write stories for his grandchildren. Although he admits there will never be another Dr. Seuss, he hopes the Lorax and the Once-ler will have new friends in the future to keep them company; that is if Professor Thaddeus P. Thumbknuckle has anything to do with it.

Facebook novels page   Facebook Professor Thumbknuckle page

The Only-One Zoo is a whimsical rhyming story about a special zoo where the last of each species is kept on display with a subtle environmental message told in a way children can easily relate and enjoy.

Have you ever seen a Zeegel or a Sneegel?  A Whoa!? Or a Ziggy-Zim-Zim?  Jim, Bob, Sweet Sue, and their parents experience a weekend trip full of wonderful sights as they visit The Only-One Zoo on their way to Mount Snout, which looks and sounds just like a pig.

Children and adults will take delight in reading this topsy-turvy story of rhymes and fantastical creatures.

Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency

Playing with Story Structure to Delight the Reader by Ed Protzel, author of The Lies That Bind

Joan Early, author of The Other Two-Fifths, is having a Book Signing Party!

Talbots

Westmont Shopping Center

408 Dowlen Road

Beaumont, TX 77706

Friday, August 26, 2016, 11am-1pm

Amazon  Amazon CA  Amazon UK  Amazon Germany  Amazon Italy  Amazon France          Amazon Spain  Amazon Japan  Amazon India  Hudson Books  BAM  Fishpond  Waterstones  IndieBound  GoodReads  HPB  B&N  Wheelers  Waterstones Marketplace

The shadow of Abe Lincoln disappears in the catastrophic race riot shattering the Springfield, Illinois community in 1908.  Despite the model of a harmonious community, a labor strike in the mines pitted blacks against whites. A lone man seeking revenge seizes the moment, raging a war against the Carter family.  The cauldron of racial hatred leads to the destruction of two black communities, claiming seven lives.  Hollis Carter escapes.  He begins a journey of social justice; one that continues on in his children and grandchildren.

The Carter legacy becomes an organization, covert and lethal, in 1956 Chicago. The Amos family uses the organization to save a young black man from murder, as they fight injustices not tackled in courtrooms. It is this same organization that saves four black voter registration workers and a lone white freedom rider who fall into a deadly KKK ambush in 1969 Mississippi.

Amos Carter’s great-granddaughter and her husband, two survivors of the bloody Mississippi Voter Registration Drive, recall the pain and celebrate the victory during the historic inauguration of the first African-American president of the United States.

At times funny, at times horrifying…Please Say Kaddish For Me by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

A real page turner!
Antisemitism isn’t an invention of the Germans and Hitler, it has been around, more or less violent, for a long time. Rochelle Wisoff-Fields shines a light on the pogroms and terror Jews in czarist Russia were subjected to. And while this is a serious theme and a well-researched piece of historical fiction, it is also wildly entertaining; at times funny, at times horrifying, gut-wrenching and then, again, heart-warming. She tells her story by focusing on an extended family, with the protagonist Havah Cohen at the center. She is the center that connects all the story strands, all the characters and families. But these people are by no means minor characters. Each of them is interesting, well-rounded, with a backstory, with plans and needs. As readers we can’t help but laugh with them, cry with them, cry for them. The fates of the characters are harsh, and the author isn’t glossing over anything. She paints a complete picture of good times and bad, of love and hatred, happiness and terror. It’s a great read.

From Silt and Ashes is a great sequel to Please Say Kaddish For Me by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

While From Silt and Ashes could stand on its own, it is best read right after the first book in the series, Please Say Kaddish For Me. In this sequel, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields continues the story of Havah Gitterman-Cohen and her family. They have now moved to the USA and face different problems, not the least of them is coming to terms with the horrors they’ve just escaped. Back in Russia, the reader fears for and hopes with the friends and families that were left behind.
This book is another page turner that tells in cruel detail how horribly Jewish people and everyone else who didn’t run with the in-crowd of the time were treated. Again Havah is at the center of events, meeting new people, not all of them friendly. We also get to meet some historical figures, which adds some extra spice. Like the first book, From Silt and Ashes is well-written and expertly researched. The characters are interesting, likeable, and well-rounded. Not an easy read, but perfect for learning about history in a captivating and entertaining way. I can’t wait to read the upcoming third book in the series: As One Must, One Can.

• By Gabriele L.

“ONCE UPON A TIME” by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2016/08/04/once-upon-a-time/

Havah Cohen Gitterman at her writing desk. Original artwork © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

My paternal grandmother, Miriam Reuben Wisoff who was a published poet.

Read Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’s other books! She consistently writes wonderfully thought-provoking books with well-developed characters.

From Silt and Ashes: Sequel to Please Say Kaddish For Me (Paperback)

I have read this author’s other books and she consistently writes wonderfully thought-provoking books with well-developed characters. I am pulled into her stories immediately and find that I cannot put her books down until I’m finished. I love her beautifully, complex characters. I feel like her characters are real people about whom I have come to care about tremendously. As Rochelle Wisoff-Fields takes her people through the tumultuous times of the Pogroms, I cry along with Havah and her loved ones. I rejoice in their triumphs and am so sad when the book finally ends. I can’t wait to read her next book!

• By Jan Allen

Readers’ Favorite SUPER Book Review by Francine Zane for JJ White’s Deviant Acts

https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/deviant-acts

Johnnie Bernhard, author of A Good Girl, events!

Houston Writers Guild, September 23 – 24, 2016, Houston, Texas Venue location TBA.  Johnnie will do a breakout session on editing and one-on-one sessions on the synopsis and manuscript.

For more information, go to the Houston Writers Guild website, www.houstonwritersguild.com

Bernhard will be attending and doing a presentation at the 2016 Words and Music Literary Feast in New Orleans, November 9 – 13, 2016, www.wordsandmusic.org

Bernhard will be presenting “Queries, Synopses, and Manuscripts,” an instructional power point presentation and Q&A, along with pitch sessions for the Kerr County Arts and Cultural Center, December 9 – 10, 2016 in Kerrville, Texas. www.kacckerrville.com   Link to the KACC website “Adult Classes and Workshops” page. Once there, scroll down and click “Click Here to Register” to register online. http://kacckerrville.com/education/

Creates hope that the horrors and anguish of the pogroms might be eclipsed by much better conditions and a more accepting society… A 5 Star review of From Silt and Ashes by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields By Virginia Smith

This second installment of Havah’s story, her emigration to Kansas City with her family, creates hope that the horrors and anguish of the pogroms might be eclipsed by much better conditions and a more accepting society. The author writes, as in Please Say Kaddish For Me, with heart-rending integrity of the bigotry so many non-Anglo newcomers still face. While the physical conditions definitely are an improvement from the conditions in Russia, people generally are very similar in all ages and places. Research supports the author’s use of Theodore Roosevelt’s actions, and adds an intriguing touch to the difficulties the characters faced. The story consistently pulled me along and kept me entranced. I was sorry when I reached the end of the book and am anxiously awaiting the final (sad sigh) installment. Havah has become one of those women who inspires and encourages. My hope is that the author will continue writing such beautiful prose and sharing her own large heart. She must have a big heart. How else could she create that beauty in her characters?