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Jeva the Snowgirl: Perfectly Made

Perfectly Made

by Tracy Kennedy
Edited by Mike Kalmbach
Illustrated by Nicole Cardiff

JevaWhen my daughter was young, she became very sick. One night after a long day at the hospital, she asked me a tough question: “Mommy, why did my Maker create me this way? What good am I?” This broke my heart. That night, I prayed and found this answer. Every part of a child is like a snowflake, wonderfully and uniquely made. Much like how snowflakes form the foundation for a snowman, individual uniqueness is the foundation for each child. Even so, as anyone who has ever built a snowman knows, it is not the snowflakes alone that creates a snowman. The maker is essential in its creation. Every snowman, like every child, is created to delight its Maker. In their Maker's eyes, they are perfectly made. This story is for any child who feels different, strange, or downright weird, whether from interests, illness, or capabilities. My prayer is that every child finds a comfort within this story: that they are perfect just the way they are.

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About the Author

Tracy Kennedy graduated from Bethel Seminary with a Master Of Divinity degree in May 2014. Tracy’s ministry is revealed through inspirational writing and other contributions in the service of God. This is her first children’s book. Tracy is currently writing her second children’s book with the expected publishing date of December 2014. Tracy is a mother to three wonderful children and step-mother to four more. Tracy and her husband live in Minnesota where Tracy is a chaplain.

About the Editor

Mike Kalmbach grew up in a forest near Lake Michigan. Spending his summers chasing wizards and fighting battles with evil ogres, Mike has always had a creative mind. He'll often share stories from his past, and some of them are even true.

After time dragged him from childhood, Mike moved into freelance editing, helping other authors improve dozens of stories. During the daylight hours, he writes software to help with genetics research. He leads the Rochester MN Writing group and often speaks on topics from writing and editing to engineering and robotics.

Luckily, Mike now has two sons, so he has plenty of excuses to set down the pen and play. He lives in Minnesota where he, his family, and a band of pirates can still be found battling ogres, dust bunnies, and even the occasional dragon.

About the Illustrator

Nicole Cardiff is an American artist currently living in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with BFA in illustration. Nicole has been honored by the ImagineFX Magazine as a Rising Star and featured artist under 25. She works as a freelance artist and her works have mainly fantasy themes.

Dealer’s Choice

by Joan Sween

Dealer'sSee the world of antiques dealing and collecting from the standpoint of a happy-go-lucky dealer who manages to get herself into ridiculously comic situations--from accidentally setting off the burglar alarm at the mall to creating uproars at outdoor flea markets to fleeing from irate vendors at antiques shows. And always being rescued by her long-suffering husband, known as TMIM--The Man I Married. Joan Sween is a novelist, playwright, and humorist. She is also an antiques dealer who sees the funny side of the business. For eight years she has written the humor column for Minnesota's antiques newspaper, "The Old Times." This book is a collection of 50 columns from the first years. --like antiques, they increase in value as the years go by.

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About the Author

For 11 years Joan has written humor columns for Minnesota’s state-wide antiques newspaper, The Old Times. Her books, Nice Girls Don’t Bite, Deathblow, and Dealer’s Choice can be found on Amazon.com. Some of her 20 plays can be found at Eldridge Plays and Musicals. She is currently seeking a theatre that will produce her latest play, The First Woman, which deals with the defense of Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the U.S. Government for her participation in the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln.

Deathblow

by Joan Sween

DeathblowAn artist... and a cop.
A lady banker... and a cop.
A union strike leader... and a cop.

Riverbend has a serial killer who murders and then always returns to the crime scene to kill a cop. Despite strong warnings to be on the alert, uniformed police officers continue to be cut down with a bullet to the back of the head from close range. The Encore Killer has left only two clues--a high-heeled shoe print and a faint hint of perfume. Detectives Lobo Stangler and Wiley Middleton are on a full press search for someone who appears harmless but has the conscience of a killer. The investigation finally kicks into high gear, however, when a group of homeless people play at profiling, with surprising results.

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About the Author

For 11 years Joan has written humor columns for Minnesota’s state-wide antiques newspaper, The Old Times. Her books, Nice Girls Don’t Bite, Deathblow, and Dealer’s Choice can be found on Amazon.com. Some of her 20 plays can be found at Eldridge Plays and Musicals. She is currently seeking a theatre that will produce her latest play, The First Woman, which deals with the defense of Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the U.S. Government for her participation in the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln.

Nice Girls Don’t Bite

by Joan Sween

NiceWhen "Transylvania Nasty" collides with "Minnesota Nice" the outcome is hilarious. Erleen and Louise, antiques dealers from the land of Garrison Keillor, come back from a buying trip to Romania to discover they got more than they bargained for. "We can't be vampires! There's no such thing as vampires!" "I absolutely refuse to go all crazy and look mean and bite people!" "How are we supposed to put on makeup if we can't see ourselves in mirrors?" After the first shock, they begin to cope like sensible down-to-earth Minnesotans, vowing to lead normal lives, never reveal what they are, and never ever to bite anyone. Then they stumble onto a bank robbery, a murder, and a kidnapping. Attempting to free their kidnapped friends, they confront a Norwegian crime lord whose Colombian partners decide they are witches—"Brujas! Brujas! But after putting ineffectual bullets through the ladies, the Colombians change their minds—"Vampiro!" Reluctantly, Erleen and Louise realize they must behave like "real" vampires in order to put a stop to an international drug ring. Which they do—but without biting anyone.

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About the Author

For 11 years Joan has written humor columns for Minnesota’s state-wide antiques newspaper, The Old Times. Her books, Nice Girls Don’t Bite, Deathblow, and Dealer’s Choice can be found on Amazon.com. Some of her 20 plays can be found at Eldridge Plays and Musicals. She is currently seeking a theatre that will produce her latest play, The First Woman, which deals with the defense of Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the U.S. Government for her participation in the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln.

Revenge of the Dust Bunnies

by Mike Kalmbach

RevengeBook 1 of the Spooky Snacks series. "Scary short stories with a silly twist!"

Best for 4th-6th grade students. Perfect bedtime read for fans of Goosebumps!

40 pages
Paperback: 5 B&W illustrations and 2 games
Ebook: 5 full-color illustrations

Don't clean your room!

Dust always seems to collect in strange places: on your dresser, behind the TV, and under your bed.

It's not random. There's something sinister going on. A hidden group is behind this.

And they have a plan.

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About the Author

Mike Kalmbach grew up in a forest near Lake Michigan. Spending his summers chasing wizards and fighting battles with evil ogres, Mike has always had a creative mind. He'll often share stories from his past, and some of them are even true.

After time dragged him from childhood, Mike moved into freelance editing, helping other authors improve dozens of stories. During the daylight hours, he writes software to help with genetics research. He leads the Rochester MN Writing group and often speaks on topics from writing and editing to engineering and robotics.

Luckily, Mike now has two sons, so he has plenty of excuses to set down the pen and play. He lives in Minnesota where he, his family, and a band of pirates can still be found battling ogres, dust bunnies, and even the occasional dragon.

Writing Advice for Teens: Creating Stories

Creating Stories

by Mike Kalmbach

WritingWhether you're preparing for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), teaching a class on writing, or looking for writing inspiration, this is a good resource for any new writer. Contains 21 exercises to expand your mind and inspire new story ideas!

Perfect for use in high school English or creative writing courses, homeschool creative writing or homeschool English courses, and writing seminars.

Back cover text:

When all you have is a blank page, it's often tough to begin writing.

Writing Advice for Teens: Creating Stories aims to help you overcome that initial hurdle by making it easy for you to write down simple, focused ideas and craft them into stories.

However, coming up with ideas is not enough. Writers need to understand basic story structure so they can avoid typical writing problems.

Filled with plenty of tips, advice, and examples to help any writer, the first book in the Writing Advice for Teens series focuses on getting ideas down quickly and pounding out that first draft. After following the advice and using the techniques outlined in this book, you should understand how to bring the stories locked in your mind to the surface.

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About the Author

Mike Kalmbach grew up in a forest near Lake Michigan. Spending his summers chasing wizards and fighting battles with evil ogres, Mike has always had a creative mind. He'll often share stories from his past, and some of them are even true.

After time dragged him from childhood, Mike moved into freelance editing, helping other authors improve dozens of stories. During the daylight hours, he writes software to help with genetics research. He leads the Rochester MN Writing group and often speaks on topics from writing and editing to engineering and robotics.

Luckily, Mike now has two sons, so he has plenty of excuses to set down the pen and play. He lives in Minnesota where he, his family, and a band of pirates can still be found battling ogres, dust bunnies, and even the occasional dragon.

The Caldarian Conflict

by Mike Kalmbach

TheWill appeal to fans of Brandon Sanderson, George RR Martin, and R A Salvatore.

A corrupt government. Enraged pirates.
One monk caught in the middle of The Caldarian Conflict.

Admiral Cain finds an elegant solution to Caldaria's piracy problem: lure pirate ships to decoy merchant vessels stuffed with explosives instead of treasure. The suicidal captains are military men with fatal illnesses. The unsuspecting crews are poor men enticed from the gutters of Caldaria with the promise of handsome wages and free meals. Cain considers it a dual service--after all, he's protecting the merchants and sweeping the streets clean of vagrants.

There are only two problems: if the peasants find out, they'll revolt. If the King finds out, he'll have Cain's head. Accordingly, anyone with too much knowledge must die.

Brother Mendell, a devout follower of Lord Justice, is caught in the crossfire when he seeks retribution for an unfairly executed prisoner. After discovering the first few layers of Admiral Cain's plan, Mendell realizes that even a monk must carefully navigate through these dangerous waters. Mendell soon finds himself pursued by Admiral Cain's merciless assistant, Krell, who suspects that the monk might ruin their ambitious plan and uncover their mysterious backer--and will gladly kill the monk to keep him silent.

Mendell must unravel the mystery before he, too, becomes a casualty of The Caldarian Conflict.

Awards

  • Special honor: Featured book in over 60 Dunn Bros Coffee stores for the summer and fall of 2013
  • Award: Reviewer's choice, Digital Book Today

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About the Author

Mike Kalmbach grew up in a forest near Lake Michigan. Spending his summers chasing wizards and fighting battles with evil ogres, Mike has always had a creative mind. He'll often share stories from his past, and some of them are even true.

After time dragged him from childhood, Mike moved into freelance editing, helping other authors improve dozens of stories. During the daylight hours, he writes software to help with genetics research. He leads the Rochester MN Writing group and often speaks on topics from writing and editing to engineering and robotics.

Luckily, Mike now has two sons, so he has plenty of excuses to set down the pen and play. He lives in Minnesota where he, his family, and a band of pirates can still be found battling ogres, dust bunnies, and even the occasional dragon.