Monday, September 29, 2014

Kramer talks 'Delivering Death'

Julie Kramer has published six books since she left WCCO in 2001. She was at the Minneapolis-based CBS station for 20 years as a news producer. Her debut novel,"Stalking Susan," came out in 2008. Her mystery novels tend to deal with a fictional TV reporter.
This year, "Delivering Death" was published. She promoted the mystery from Florida to Arizona, but also included stops in Minnesota. Kramer, who grew up in Adams, will be at St. John Lutheran Church in Owatonna at 1 p.m. Thursday.
"I always try to have a lot of Minnesota stuff because I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. This is kind of my home turf," said Kramer, who lives in White Bear Lake.

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Brian Freeman talks about book stops


In recent weeks, best-selling suspense writer Brian Freeman has stopped in La Crescent and Stewartville to talk with readers about his latest book, "A Cold Nowhere."The suspense thriller was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award this year.

At 7 p.m. Oct. 14, Freeman will stop at the Austin Library for a book reading and Q-and-A about the future adventures of Jonathan Stride, Freeman's protagonist.
Freeman has published 10 novels and his books have been sold and translated in 17 countries. While he tours all over, he always holds events throughout Minnesota.
"I've spent a lot of time in some great small towns through the years," said Freeman, who lives in St. Paul. "For me, that's just a big part of the fun of being a writer. I love the opportunity to chat with the readers and librarians and the booksellers. Writing is such an intense, solitary and introspective kind of profession for me, it's really wonderful to have these kinds of opportunities to go out and talk to people face-to-face."

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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Rochester author offers advice on dating dead guys


Signing up for Twitter was a pretty good move for Rochester writer Ann Noser.

Shortly after creating her Twitter account, @annmnoser, Noser entered a Curiosity Quills Press contest she found on the popular social media site. The upstart publishing house, started in 2011, loved Noser's novel, "How To Date Dead Guys," and offered to publish it. On July 15, a book that Noser worked on for 12 years became a reality.

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Rochester writer nominated for Dayton Literary Peace Prize


A Rochester writer may win a big honor after writing a book about small acts of humanity in the face of upheaval and disaster.

P.S. (Penny) Duffy recently learned that her debut novel, "The Cartographer of No Man's Land," was one of six finalists for the 2014 Dayton Literary Peace Prize in fiction. The Dayton Literary Peace Prize is the only international literary peace prize awarded in the United States. The prize celebrates the power of literature to promote peace, social justice, and global understanding.

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Children's author, dying niece craft book


Her niece, nearing death, brought a book character to life with penciled illustrations, Eyota author Peggy Vevang says.

It was last summer when Vavang hired her niece, Sarah Hackenmiller, to illustrate her book, "Wretched Richard," which is set in the World War II era.

Hackenmiller, a longtime graphic designer for IBM and Rochester Community Education, whose maiden name was Sarah Siebenaler, researched the 1940s to make sure the clothing and automobiles were right.

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