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by Linda Hart and Don Hart

Illustrated by Tonya Foreman


Whether you’re trying to master English grammar, become an effective writer or communicator, or complete your first novel, Cat Grammar Guide will give you the skills and confidence to shine. This delightful book is also an ideal reference tool for students and homeschoolers, as well as for the adults who teach them.



ISBN-13: 978-0998552934​, 2023

Grammar / Reference / Young Adult
​Paperback $16.95 / Kindle ebook $14.95


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ThesaurusSenses

by Linda Hart


The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between a lightning bug and lightning, Mark Twain once wrote. Throughout history, the timely use of the apt word has held enormous sway, in literature, speeches, and texts. How is it that some words hold such power? One thing we know: great words often engage the senses.

Thesaurus of the Senses expands your possibilities to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell to describe the world around you. It collects some of the best English sensory words in one place to enliven your writing and help you build persuasive description. It's an indispensable tool for writers, poets, bloggers, editors, storytellers, students, teachers, communicators, and word lovers alike — anyone wanting to add more spark to his or her writing.


ISBN-13: 978-0988839977
Reference / Writing / Words
Paperback $14.95 /
Kindle e-book $4.99 / Hardcover $28.95

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Glimm_Cover

by B. A. Hughes

Illustrated by Quinci Woodall


Glimm, A Glimpse of Light Found explores the adventures of tweens and early teens as they uncover everyday mysteries and connections. Written by B. A. Hughes for her own grandchildren, these illuminating stories highlight mystical animals, natural phenomena, and curious kids discovering their unique gifts. Middle school students will find kinship with a lonely cheetah, a talking stone, a persistent rabbit. When the emptiness of ennui and the drudgery of daily life are peeled away, unexpected encounters with nature lead to glimpses of truth. With wonder and beauty everywhere, often hidden in plain sight, darkness fades and light glimmers.


ISBN-13: 978-0988839984, 2017
Fiction / Young Adult / Education / Nature

​Paperback $13.95


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It's a sweet thing: candy break:
the taste of homemade goodness


by judith craig fryman


Imagine if your grandmother owned a candy store! Or if your cousin, mother, sister, fellow parishioner, neighbor, or friend had an excellent sweet shop in an old bank building with a special vault filled with chocolate and your favorite books. It’s a Sweet Thing is a 33-year history of Judith Craig Fryman’s fun adventure in owning such a candy store beginning in 1985 in Brookville, Ohio. Her simple mission as owner of the Candy Break was to provide wholesome, handmade treats to everyone in town and to interesting customers from far-off places. The impact of her efforts was more far-reaching and enriching than you might first expect.

 

Over the years, she has offered free ice cream cones to kids who could recite Bible verses, gave boxes of candy on Valentine’s Day to local volunteers, and provided a gathering place of old-fashioned hospitality. Her story involves, first of all, her faith and her family—both essential ingredients in her success. It also chronicles a lovely town in southwestern Ohio and an array of unforgettable friends who visited the store, some facing tragedy but most enjoying life in a memorable and very “sweet” way. If you’re fond of candy, family, and other forms of simple happiness, you’ll love this book about how one little candy store came to life and in turn enlivened a community.


ISBN-13: 978-0998552910​, 2019
Memoir / Parenting & Relationships / Family
​Paperback $15.95

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black damp century:

revised edition with epilogue

by Kerry george


William “Buck” Storm is the tyrannical patriarch of his family and a brutal coal mine owner, whose war time experiences have deeply flawed him. He respects nothing and no one. Jesse Kamin is the passionate son of a coal miner killed in an Ohio mine explosion and raised by a mother full of hate. Violence and anarchy in the United Mine Workers drive him to the government. By chance, he is pitted against Storm.

Black Damp Century is their story of strife, loyalty, and fury, as told with a backdrop of the historical events of the Twentieth Century, beginning with the bloody battle at Blair Mountain in West Virginia. These violent clashes deeply mar the coal operators, the miners, and the government for generations. The miners’ world holds multiple forms of black damp, which threatens to suck the oxygen from the lives of all involved.


ISBN-13: 978-0-988-83999-1, 2019
Fiction / History / Appalachia, Coal Mining
Paperback $14.95
/ Kindle e-book $2.99

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boomerang lies

by barbara wood polak


Boomerang Lies is a disquieting story of how just a few lies can unravel a normal, respected family. These lies lead to financial ruin, upheaval, and a prison sentence, leaving a homeless family to cope with a dangerous new life of poverty and fear. Chris Cunningham, now a divorced mother of three, is forced from a wealthy suburb to a harrowing life in subsidized hopelessness. But as the truth plays out, fortunes change, and undiscovered mysteries, including lies told to the police, develop surprising outcomes of their own.


ISBN-13: 978-0988839953, 2014
Fiction / Suspense / Family
Paperback $13.50
/ Kindle e-book $2.99


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anthology of tragedies and triumphs

by university of dayton writers' group

edited by don hart, bob mackenzie, and shulamit adler


Anthology of Tragedies & Triumphs is a moving collection of short stories, memoirs, and poems written by 17 seniors, nearly all in their 70s. It describes the simple, but often unexpected, "implications of growing old." The authors are from southwestern Ohio and meet at the University of Dayton's Lifelong Learning Institute.

Stories are about an inscrutable bag lady, the dark side of "actually getting your wish," the crush of dealing with personal losses, and family imbroglios. There is a story of a foundling who grew up to transform a whole village, a journey to "the other side," and the loving anguish of losing someone dear long ago. There is even a short golf lesson. Some excellent poetry opens up new ways of experiencing the years and embracing the positive. The book makes a useful, enjoyable guide to aging with happiness and foresight. At any age, your next Triumph is just around the corner.


ISBN-13: 978-0988839915, 2014
Paperback: $10.95 / Kindle e-book $2.99

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Anthology of Christmas Memories

by University of dayton writers' group


This anthology is a whimsical collection of short stories, memoirs and poems written by 16 seniors, nearly all in their 70s, spanning holidays from 1930-2011. The authors are from southwestern Ohio and meet at the University of Dayton's Lifelong Learning Institute. Stories are about "what it's really like to play Santa," how a child perceives the mysteries of Christmas, and the tortuous adult worries and last minute pressures of holidays. Memories of the Great Depression, World War II and the entanglements of recent years are woven into these tales.

You'll read about a Santa who robs a bank, a boy in a monastery, adults having faith restored and the timelessness of love. Some of the stories are meant to be read aloud to children. There's even a great recipe. This book makes a memorable gift to be unpacked yearly with your Christmas decorations.


ISBN-13: 9780615570907, 2011
Fiction / Memoir / Holiday / Poetry
Paperback $14.95
/ Kindle e-book $2.99


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keys to the cages: 1930 ohio penitentiary fire

by mollie C. Cain


Keys to the Cages recounts the frightful story of a fire at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus on Easter Monday 1930. First fire responders wait in open-air trucks outside a locked gate. Cries of men bolted behind steel bars are heard widely amidst creeping flames and black smoke, while individual cell door keys hang on guard room hooks, undisturbed. It is the change of shift. Guards debate the wisdom of releasing any keys to unlock the cells. The fire attracts thousands of Columbus people, who stand around prison gates while tragedies unfold inside.

This is also an account of inmate Theophilus Kabel of Dayton, institutionalized at an early age into a life devoid of personal decision-making. He is emancipated into a world full of uncharted freedom, yet his attempt to fit into society fails; he is soon arrested and forced hopelessly into this deadly prison setting. His story gives voice to men logged only as statistics in the annals of America's deadliest prison fire. Three hundred and twenty-two die that night. None on death row.

ISBN-13: 978-0988839939, 2013
Fiction / Ohio History / Drama
Paperback $12.95
/ Kindle e-book $2.99

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seasons of life: a journey within

by faye e. duncan


Seasons of Life is an inspirational work of more than 50 years. It is author Faye Duncan’s personal offering of pictures, poetry, memoirs and loving observations. With true Christian insight, Faye provides us with stories of hope and joy, loneliness and love, praise and truth. Her experiences are caught in poems of her time and memorable pictures of beauty, family and place, providing us examples of God’s infinite care. You will be changed by reading this gentle book, which makes a kind gift to yourself, or a thoughtful one for someone in need of uplifting love. As the subtitle promises, it lays out a transforming Journey Within.

ISBN-13: 978-0988839922, 2013
Poetry / Memoir / Prose
Paperback (full color) $29.95

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from bethlehem to the boiling fork: the descendants of ludwig, nicholas, and leonard young

by mary osweiler powers


From Bethlehem to the Boiling Fork is the first in a series about Ludwig Jung and his family, German immigrants who arrived at the port of Philadelphia in 1753. Settling on the Drylands near Bethlehem in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, the Jungs became embroiled in French and Indian War and subsequently in the American Revolution and the Civil War. This volume focuses on Nicholas Young, the eldest son of Ludwig, and Leonard Young, a grandson whose descendants lived along the Boiling Fork in Franklin County, Tennessee. It is a true story with photos of original documents and copious source material to meet the most rigorous genealogical standards.


ISBN-13: 978-0988839946, 2013
Nonfiction / Genealogy / History
Paperback $12.95

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a peacock speaks

by don peacock


A Peacock Speaks is a delightful collection of memoirs and short stories from the curious pen of Don Peacock. In 22 short tales of unexpected events he captivates you with some very unusual observations. He explores subjects as wide as bird behavior, human nature, boating, male-female relationships, cats, and the fine art of “grandfathering.” Ever the purveyor of the surprise ending, Peacock pulls you into speculative fiction from which you will need time to recover.

ISBN-13:978-0988839908, 2013
Fiction / Short Stories / Memoir / Humor
Paperback $10.95
/ Kindle e-book $2.99

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