Blog Posts

December 04th, 2017

12/4/2017

An Interview with AAG Writer Fred M. Powers

11/7/2017

Fred Powers is a walking repository of West Virginia and Appalachian history. A former school teacher as well as a miner. He has given a voice and a face to the stories of miners and their place in our nation's history. He has given many oral presentations to various audiences, at times, bringing listeners to tears. Now, he is ready to share the story of his life, his forebears and his region on a regional and national scale. Fred's experiences are only a small reflection of the many untold stories of the Coal Miner.
Welcome Fred!

AAG: Your new book release "Powerhouse Meets the Tommy Knockers: A Coal Miner's Story" is targeted for young readers. What is the premise for your book and what age group would enjoy your fictional story?
FP: I believe the age-old premise of Good versus Evil will make another stand underneath the Appalachian Mountains as our protagonist Powerhouse with the help of his Disabled Father and the Tommy Knockers discover a mystical way to battle the All-Powerful Fire-Witch and her Undead Zombie Army for the Kidnapped Children. I personally think grades 3-7 would be the targeted audience for this book.

AAG: Inspiration for your book is from your time working in the coal mines. What experience in the mine was the motivation to write your story?
FP: While discussing the idea for a small entrepreneur grant with Concord university to write a starter book of short stories. The grant director mentioned that the university offered a program in graphic arts and asked if I would be interested in someone to draw and illustrate this type of artform as well. I replied that I would because I had read a lot of comics in the 1960’s while growing up and were quite taken in by them. I used the mining lore of the Tommy Knockers and put a story together with as much realism as I could blend together.

AAG: What is it like working in a coal mine?
FP: Working in the mines you were always being conscious of the fact that you were in a hostile environment and things were subject to happen anytime beyond anyone’s control. I liked working in the mines and tried pushing the constant dangers to the side. We would kid around a lot. I was always tired. My working and going to college took a lot of the fun out of me.

AAG: What are you currently writing?
FP: During the warm months I attend a couple of local writing groups and write whatever their prompts are for a couple of pages. I sometimes expand on them. These groups are just about dried up. In the winter My wife and I nest in our RV in Central Florida and I generally get to write during the week down there. There are no distractions and pulls on my time like at our home here. I plan to write the first installment of a three-part trilogy starting in 1865 and still going strong in Powerhouse and the Tommy Knockers.

AAG: What are you currently reading?
FP: I’m trying to read “A Hanging at Cinder Bottom” by Glenn Taylor. This is set in the red-light district of the mining town where I grew up in, but a couple of generations before me. I’m a slow reader of novels, I reckon.

AAG: Do you have advice for novice writers?
FP: Find your passion, find some way to expand your skills, look for grants and keep at it, persevere and find elderly shining examples!

AAG: Will there be a sequel to "Powerhouse Meets the Tommy Knockers"? If so, when will it be launched?
FP: It realistically looks like for Tommy Knockers to continue that it must be approved by Tamarack because it just is not selling anywhere else. I think the Powerhouse: A Coal Miner’s Stories will sell and support itself. I’m hoping if Tamarack does approve both to put a percentage towards a Scholarship Fund for Miner’s Kids in McDowell County.

http://www.powerhousepowers.com/

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Disguise for Death: Royce Thorne Series, Book One

11/1/2017

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PreOrder Today! From AAG Author Sylvia Nickels

New! Coming in December 2017.
PreOrder your copy here... amazon.com

Royce Thorne always dreamed of having children in a marriage unmarred by infidelity like her parents'. When she learns that her husband, Eddy, fathered their neighbor’s now grown son, she is devastated but vows to keep the secret.

After Eddy is killed in the line of duty, she learns he has left a large sum of money to his son, Palmer, as an apology for failing to acknowledge paternity.

Someone knows Royce’s secret and uses the knowledge to frame Palm for murder. Royce is determined to find the real killer, no matter what the cost. Her search is hindered by a fake FBI agent, an ambitious investigative reporter, and a hostile tv show host—who all have secrets.

Connect with Sylvia...
http://www.ramblinscribe.com/

All of Sylvia's Links...
http://www.ramblinscribe.com/writinglinks.html

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Milliron: Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M. The Biograpy

11/1/2017

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New! From AAG Author Gina McKnight

Available in Paperback from amazon.com and all online bookstores...

Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave to us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled and pioneer veterinarian.

Connect with Gina...
Website: http://gmcknight.com
Blog: http://ginamc.blogspot.com
Email: [email protected]
Publisher: Monday Creek Publishing LLC mondaycreekpublishing.com

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POWERHOUSE MEETS THE TOMMY KNOCKERS

10/31/2017

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New! From AAG Author Fred M. Powers

Available in Paperback here!

“POWERHOUSE MEETS THE TOMMY KNOCKERS” LAUNCHES FROM THE IMAGINATIVE MIND OF FRED POWERS, A RETIRED MINER, SCHOOLTEACHER AND STORYTELLER FROM APPALACHIA AMERICA. THIS ACTION/ADVENTURE SERIES IS SET IN A HIDDEN MYSTICAL WORLD BENEATH A LARGE, WORKING APPALACHIAN COAL MINE. THESE STORIES ARE GEARED FOR YOUNG READERS AND ENCOMPASSES GOOD VS EVIL WITH A HEALTHY TOUCH OF MYSTICISM. THE THEME OF THE STORY IS OF A YOUNG MINER WITH CUSTODY OF HIS SON LIVING WITH A DISABLED PARENT WHO SUDDENLY HAVE THEIR LIVES TURNED UPSIDE DOWN WITH THE BOY’S KIDNAPPING AND SUBSEQUENT ENCOUNTERS WITH TOMMY KNOCKERS, UNUSUAL BEASTS, ZOMBIES AND A POWERFUL WITCH. HOPEFULLY, THIS LITERARY SERIES WILL BEGIN A SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR MINERS’ CHILDREN.

http://www.powerhousepowers.com/

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DAILY DOSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT

10/29/2017

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New! From AAG Author Victoria Fletcher

Available from Victoria's website...
http://victoriafletcher.biz

facebook...
https://www.facebook.com/Victoria-Fletchers-Books-122165004560498/

Amazon Author's page:
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00JA332K8

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Fiddling at Midnight's Farmhouse

10/29/2017

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New! From AAG Author/Poet Clyde Kessler

Available in Paperback here!

Virginia's Blue Ridge Highlands, with Jack's Creek Bridge over the Smith River and Rock Castle Creek in Patrick County, set the stage for Clyde Kessler’s fictional community of “Hackle Creek” in his book of poetry, Fiddling at Midnight's Farmhouse (Cedar Creek Publishing, 2017). Patterned a bit like Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology, Clyde's characters---mostly fiddlers, waifs, workers, and lost souls--emerge through poetic yarns, tall tales, ghost stories, retellings of family secrets, and even a few riddles of several families introduced in his earlier poetry collection, Dancing at Big Vein (Pocahontas Press, 1987). Both of Clyde's books feature illustrations by his artist/wife, Kendall Kessler.

Connect with Clyde...
http://www.cedarcreekauthors.com/clydekesslerpoet.html

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Shoes in the River

10/29/2017

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New! From AAG Author Madelyn Rohrer

Available in eBook and Paperback here!

"Shoes in the River" is a story inspired by an ages-old Chinese custom of throwing one's shoes in the river after a heavy emotional burden has been lifted - a burden from the past, or perhaps one being carried at the present time - an obstacle to enjoyment of life and looking forward to the future. The ceremonial discarding of the shoes worn while carrying the burden was followed by stepping into new shoes and the anticipation of walking into a happier life.

Step into the lives of Cheng and Su-Li Ming, a fictional but historically viable couple in rural China. Share their young plans, shattered dreams, and the cold realities of adjusting to changing governments and policies...things over which they had no control. China's one-child-per-family edict of 1980, a desperate measure intended to stem and ultimately reverse its problem of overpopulation, had a devastating effect on China and its families. “Shoes in the River” brings you into the unsettling emotions of that tumultuous thirty-two-year period in China's history.

Website: www.storytellermadelynrohrer.com.

Jonesborough Storytellers Guild - Performing Members section: www.storytellersguild.org

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In-Between Murders: Stories that LINK and ILLUMINATE the Novels of the Julia Nye Mystery Series

10/29/2017

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New! From AAG Author Jo Allison

The adventures of Julia Nye, Carl Schroeder, and William McConnell are the stuff of the Julia Nye Mystery Series, books of detection and suspense set in 1910s St. Louis. This collection of writings fills in between the novels of the series.

An award-winning short story and a thoughtful vignette offer background on Julia Nye’s unusual upbringing. A shorter vignette uses the famous prize fight of July 4, 1910, to illuminate William McConnell’s resolve. A final vignette presages the spin-off of a new series, involving Carl Schroeder in World War I.

Spoiler Alert: Other than the stories about Julia’s past, the stories and vignettes foretell details of various books in the series.

An unusual extra reveals a writer’s tool. Author Jo Allison “interviews” a character first introduced in the first novel in the series for a possible role in the fifth novel.

Websites...
joallisonauthor.com
1910-stlouis-by-jallison.com

The Links...
The Good Old Summertime:
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Old-Summertime-Julia-Mystery/dp/0997314508/

St. Louie Slow Drag:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0997314524

Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl:
https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Protect-Working-Julia-Mystery/dp/0997314540/

Bread and Roses:
https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Roses-Julia-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B06XVYGB7R/

In-Between Murders:
Stories that LINK and ILLUMINATE the Novels of the Julia Nye Mystery Series
This ebook is available free. Use this link to access it.
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/47s7klov4q.

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I Declare God's Work Is True: A 366-day Power-Packed Devotional Book for Busy People

10/29/2017

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New! From AAG Author Connie Wohlford

Available in Paperback here!

Live the benefits of declaring truths from the Bible every day—saying it like you mean it—can have a powerful impact on one’s life and well-being, surprising even the skeptic. One who uses I Declare—God’s Word is True daily, prayerfully, and sincerely will:

Receive a brief, relevant daily dose of God’s Word.
Gain knowledge and understanding of Bible truths and promises.
Maintain a consistent connection with God and His Word.
Have the opportunity to make Bible truths and promises personal, as one speaks them forth into one’s life and the lives of loved ones.
Grow in awareness of the power of God’s Word.
Grow stronger in personal faith.
Be equipped with faith-building truths that will help one overcome daily trials.
Grow in the development of a biblical worldview.
Grow one’s personal relationship with the Word of God and its Author.
Be strengthened in one’s own God-given purpose and calling.
Build confidence in one’s own personal experience with God, and thus be a more effective witness to others.
Grow in the ability to speak truth into one’s own life and the lives others.

As you put this devotional book to use in your life I pray God will richly bless you and help you become more like Jesus and that, more and more each day, you’ll walk in the abundant life God designed for you. Let’s praise God together for His wonderful Word. These things I pray for you in Jesus name—Amen.

Follow Connie on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/connie.wohlford?fref=photo

Follow Connie's Blog
http://godswordourdestiny.blogspot.com/2017/07/more-lasting-than-gold.html

Amazon link to I Declare God's Word Is True: https://www.amazon.com/Declare-Gods-Work-True-Power-Packed/dp/0996774432/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500925539&sr=1-1&keywords=connie+wohlford

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PreOrder Today! From AAG Author Sylvia Nickels

New! From AAG Author Gina McKnight

New! From AAG Author Fred M. Powers

New! From AAG Author Victoria Fletcher

New! From AAG Author/Poet Clyde Kessler

New! From AAG Author Madelyn Rohrer

New! From AAG Author Jo Allison

​New! From AAG Author Connie Wohlford

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New! From AAG Author Connie Wohlford