Free Again

Well, I had a job for a while, but it was paid by a grant that lasted about 5 months, so I'm on the street again. Fortunately, not literally, but without a job anyway. I have written two books which I self-published, and I got an idea for another one, so I am working on that now. I guess writers never give up hope, and maybe someday I can publish this if all goes well. The other two I self-published because of a variety of factors. My husband also wrote a historical novel which he self-published. But neither of us are marketers, and though we sold some, we have gone that route often enough for now.

One of my self-published books, Unto Others, is free from this website. You will find it on the right column in PDF file format. It is a mystery set in West Michigan. It's also available in a few libraries in my area, which makes me happy that people are at least reading it.

2019 Update: I had deleted my books from my blog accidentally, but am happy to say they are here again. I hope you will try them and they are thought-provoking and entertaining in a Christian, spiritual way.

Unto Others!

I'm very excited to say my fiction mystery book, Unto Others, is available absolutely free on a Google Docs Adobe PDF file! It is a Catholic-based book which I very much hope you will enjoy. Of course, non-Catholics can read it too. I have self-published this book on a small scale and have had good feedback. Just click on the picture to get to it. The Adobe can be read on Acrobat Reader, which is available free if you don't already have it. I believe the book file can also be downloaded and saved on your own computer so you don't have to be connected to the Internet the whole time. You out there probably know more about this than I do.

The book is over 250 pages long, so the PDF format takes a few minutes to download. I have found it best to wait until it says "done" in the bottom left corner before trying to do anything with it. I hope it is worth your time, because I do think the book has important messages and yet is an intriguing mystery. In fact, I hope you will tell your friends about it, especially those who enjoy mysteries!

2019 Update: Though I accidentally erased my book files and they were gone for a time, they are now restored. I hope you will try them!

Oceana Fund-Raiser

My husband and I have only once gone to a Craft Fair to try to sell books. It was a long time ago and held at a Catholic Church yearly dinner. Tom had made wooden toys, which sold fairly well. As I remember, the book sales did not go as well. The good news is that our Muskegon County history museum has been a dependable source for book sales for my local historian husband. He wrote a novel set in our town in the olden days of the lumbering era, called Sawdust Fires.

I'm not a historian, although I appreciate history much more after being married to Tom. I set my fictional books in the present. My most recent, Unto Others, is in Orchard County, Michigan. This is a fictional name for Oceana County, which is just north of the one in which we live. (Unto Others is the book on the right in the picture.)

I worked in Oceana County for a time, and I found it a very beautiful place. It is on the shores of Lake Michigan, and has dune-filled beaches. It also has orchards further inland which are protected by the Lake in the spring (the trees are kept from budding too early and freezing by the lake water effect).

The towns of Oceana County are small, and the opportunities for selling my book there are rather few. Still, I'd like to give people a chance to buy a mystery book set in their own countryside (though all the names are fictional and not meant to portray any real persons). Then I found out about a Craft Fair that is going to be held at the Oceana Medical Care Facility, at 701 East Main Street. A map for the place can be seen HERE.

The contact person told me they had 300 people come last year. I have already reserved a spot for myself. I have always enjoyed going to the town and I look forward to my second Craft Fair sales experience. I'll be there Nov. 20, 2009, between 7:00 am (for early birds!) and 3:00 pm. If you are anywhere near Hart at that time, come on over!

Unto Others

It's finally here! My fictional mystery novel is called Unto Others. Suspects abound in this exciting mystery! Just click on the image to access the free PDF file! You can read it online or download to your own device.

The protagonist is Yesenia Rios Rivas. She came to the United States illegally when her home country, El Salvador, was fighting a Civil War. She endured many hard years before finding happiness as a custodian at Santa Rosa Catholic Church. But now, a person disappears and an investigation commences. She is worried that her status will be questioned.

Unto Others incorporates many issues that the United States and the Catholic Church are dealing with today. Some of the major themes are the need for immigration reform, political tensions between socialism and capitalism, and even women's ordination. And yet, these sweeping problems affect ordinary individuals who cope with their lives the best they can.

The book retails for $12.50. Three bookstores have graciously agreed to put it on their shelves. They are:

Michigan Church Supply, 360 Division St., Ste. 1B, Grand Rapids, MI (1-800-521-3440), which is in the newly renovated Cathedral Square Center.

Hage's Christian Supplies, 4949 Harvey, Muskegon MI (231-798-9824)

Oceana Pharmacy, 39 State Street, Hart, MI 49420

It can also be found at FaithWriters website and purchased for $5.00 as an e-book! Just click here to see a description and excerpt. They accept PayPal.

2019 Update: I am happy to now offer all my books and booklets as free downloads from this blog. The Lord has been good to me and I want to give them to others to provide Christian entertainment and stimulate spiritual thought. Just go to the pictures in the right column, which take you to their individual pages. You can find the download links there.