Tom Mach, author of Sissy! and All Parts Together, has a new book of short stories. Stories to Enjoy includes some selections that have won writing contests. Highlights are online at www.TomMach.com/short_stories.htm.

H.B. Berlow's poem "9 November 1938" was included in Poetica magazine's online Holocaust edition (poeticamagazine.com). He is still blogging at tikiman1962.wordpress.com.

Starla Criser, writing as Starla Kaye, has sold a contemporary Western romance novel, His By Valentine’s Day, to Blushing Books. It is currently being published monthly from now until February 2011.

Katherine Pritchett has published The Judas Seat, a followup to her novel More Than a Point of Honor. It’s a new challenge for her hero, former diplomat Richard Matthews, as he leads the negotiations with a North Korean leader who brings the world to the edge of a nuclear abyss. It is available at https://www.createspace.com/3446017, at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores.

Jennifer Sparlin’s novel for young adults and up, The Sea at Mughain, is in its second printing. It received a very good review in the June 2010 issue of Aoife's Kiss. It is available for order at www.genremall.com (where it remains on the best-seller list), and the Wichita Public Library.

Bernell Baldwin’s story, “The Man From Ohio, a dust storm and the measles,” was published in the April issue of Active Aging.

Starla Criser, aka Starla Kaye, has sold two medieval romance novels. Great Scottish Devil is currently being published as a weekly serialized novel with Blushing Books. Their Lady Gloriana will be published by Black Velvet Seductions, release date TBA.

Erin Perry O’Donnell wrote three articles for the June issue of Women’s Focus, including the cover story, “Meet the Jake Legs: Wichita’s own ‘Rat Pack’.”

B.D. Tharp appeared on the KSCW-TV morning show this month to talk about her novel, Feisty Family Values. On July 18, she will be the guest blogger at SavvyAuthors.com on the topic of interviewing. On July 22, she’ll give a talk at 7 p.m. at the Sedgwick Senior Center in Sedgwick.

Jennifer Sparlin’s humorous ghost story, "Ghosted," was published in the May issue of Cover of Darkness.

Starla Criser, writing as Starla Kaye, sold a novel, Maggie Mine, and a novella, Cupid's Mistake, to Blushing Publications. Cupid's Mistake was published in March. Maggie Mine began publication as a 12-week serial April 1.

Bill DeArmond, professor of mass communications and film at Southwestern College, has published his fifth book, Mortal Silences, Graveyard Talk. The book is a compilation of short stories capturing moments in time. His story “The Wyr of Slater House” won the grand prize in fiction for the 2003 Kansas Voices contest. DeArmond has announced plans for a poetry book to be his next endeavor. He hopes to have that published within the next 16 months. Mortal Silences, Graveyard Talk can be purchased online at www.lulu.com, or at Moonshadow Book Store and College Hill Coffee in Winfield.

Erin Perry O’Donnell wrote three articles for the April issue of Women’s Focus magazine. One is a guide to summer camps, activities, and volunteer opportunities for kids in Wichita. She also interviewed Denise Brown, who has become an activist against domestic violence since the murder of her sister, Nicole Brown Simpson. And she wrote a companion story about two clients of the Wichita Women’s Initiative Net-work (WIN), which helps women recovering from abusive relationships to complete their education, develop job skills and live independently.

Conrad Jestmore has had his article "The Courage to Walk Through Doors" published in the spring issue of The Reiki News Magazine. It recounts his efforts and successes in giving Reiki treatments to puppy mill survivors at the Kansas Humane Society.

Richard Walkup's supernatural horror novel THE HAINT has been accepted by publisher Freya's Bower.

A unique devotional book by Arlene Rains Graber has just been released by AWOC Publishers. DEVOTED TO TRAVELING is a chronicle of the experiences of the author whose adventures are written with lessons learned. From the healing of San Francisco to renewal in an ancient cathedral, readers experience the highs and lows of traveling. As a travel professional since 1983, Graber also addresses how to pack, security issues, and what happens at the airport when "canceled" blazes over the departure screen. The book is available at www.awocbooks.com and Amazon.com, and is soon to be in bookstores. Watch for the book-signing schedule at www.arlenerainsgraber.com.

B.D. Tharp's debut novel, FEISTY FAMILY VALUES, was published in February by Five Star Expressions. The story centers on three ladies who discover the truth about what makes a poignant but feisty family.

Conrad Jestmore has had five poems published in the anthology POETRY IS FOR EVERYONE, edited by Mary M. Chase and published by Rough Road Books. They include four previously published poems ("Scanning the Cartographer's Lines," "Uisce Beatha," "Red Draw," and "On the Cottonwood") and one new poem ("Seeking Protection, KS"). The anthology is available through Amazon.com.

Stephanie A. Mann, author of SUPREMACY AND SURVIVAL: HOW CATHOLICS ENDURED THE ENGLISH REFORMATION, had a review essay published in the Nov. 16 online edition of First Things' On the Square: "There’s Something about Bloody Mary". Her article "In the Shadow of Tyburn Tree: Who were the Martyrs of England and Wales" appears as the cover story of the January/February 2010 issue of The Catholic Answer magazine. See www.supremacyandsurvival.com for details.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Have something published? Have a very kind rejection? Be sure to let us know! Email Erin at newsletter@kwawriters.org

Complete Critique

The Complete Critique writing group meets in Borders East (1715 N. Rock Road, Wichita) every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the café area. We are a diverse group of writers who vary in age, writing style, and expertise and are currently working in a wide range of genres (memoir, horror, science fiction, mystery, and paranormal romance).

Generally two or three members hand out writing one week and we critique it the next. We strive to present honest, constructive criticism that ranges from grammar to plot consistency, as we all desire to be published, and are working hard to improve both our writing and our stories. During November we stop critiquing in order to participate in National Novel Writing Month; those meetings are used for brainstorming sessions and writing sprees.

We welcome new members. Please feel free to drop in, but we prefer that you call so we can be watching for you.

If you are interested, please contact us. Click a name to email:

• Rachel Cokeley: (316) 518-6315
• Jackie Uhrmacher: (316) 734-5107

Do you write poetry?

Some KWA members are looking for a new poetry critique group. If you write poetry and are interested, contact Colleen at ckjohnston@aol.com. There is no particular date or hour set for meeting, so make your preferences known. This group is not for those with no experience in poetry at all.