Check out Jo Ann Bender's great interview!

http://www.featheredquill.com/reviews/interviews/bender_int.shtml

Lebensborn

By: Jo Ann Bender
Publisher: Eloquent Books
Publishing Date: May 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60911-450-3
Reviewed By: Mary Lignor
Review Date: August 4, 2011

The Nazi program called Lebensborn was designed to mix "racially pure" Aryans with the populations of Europe during the hideousness of Adolph Hitler's rule in Germany. This project was the product of Heinrich Himmler's disgusting imagination, and it provided a number of services, all of which were intended to bring new Nazis into the world. The Lebensborn Project would provide maternity and other services to the SS. It recruited young unmarried women to bear the children of Aryan men, many of them SS officers, provided of course that both mother and father met the racial criteria (blonde and blue-eyed). These women were kept in a home to meet the men and breed the Aryan children who would grow up in Hitler's 1000-year Reich. Lebensborn also ran a network of orphanages for "racially pure" children, including those born of women in the occupied nations who had relationships with Germanic men, a practice that was officially encouraged by Himmler. And it may have been the organization that cared for the thousands of children whom the Nazis kidnapped in occupied nations and relocated to Germany to be raised as Germans. This dark chapter in the history of the Nazi movement is the background for this new novel, which tells the story of a young French woman taken into the program against her will.

In the summer of 1941, a force of SS officers under the command of the demonic Major Reinhardt Hurst take over a small French village. Antoinette Gauthier, daughter of the mayor, is a member of the French Resistance but her home is taken over by the Major and his officers. Antoinette is treated by the Germans as a servant and eventually she is seduced by Hurst and goes along with his advances to learn information for her friends in the Resistance. When she becomes pregnant with the Major's child, he rejects her and sends her off to a Lebensborn Home to have the baby. Next door to the Home is an SS Party House where she works in the kitchen and discovers a wounded British pilot hiding in the woods behind the house. Antoinette is commanded to join one of the parties and she agrees in the hopes that she can rescue the pilot and they can escape.

The research in this book is tremendous and the story is a definite page-turner. There is much murder and mayhem and man's inhumanity to man/woman within this tale of Antoinette Gauthier. It certainly will make readers wonder why the Nazis were in power as long as they were.

Quill Says: The author is to be congratulated for her extensive research that brings the story of Antoinette Gauthier to life.Lebensborn is a story that will make readers think about a horrible time in history and be better able to comprehend the atrocities that took place in the name of the 1000-year Reich.

http://www.featheredquill.com/

Ten Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency authors have been named as Finalists in the 2011 Readers Favorite Awards with a total of twelve books chosen in eight categories. Author Sherrill S. Cannon was nominated for all three of her children’s books; U.D. Abdulkareem and his The African Cowboy were named in multiple categories, as was Janet Schredl for Graffiti for My Soul. Winners will be announced on September 1. Readers Favorite will host a booth at the upcoming Miami Book Fair in November where the winning books will be displayed; Finalists and Winners will be honored at an awards banquet. The SBPRA nominated authors are:

In the Children’s category, Peter Cassidy for A Mole Named Cole and a Whole Lot of Hole, Alise Cayen for Patty Pom-Poms, Rita Kaye Vetsch for The Many Colors of Friendshipand Sherrill S. Cannon for The Magic Word, Peter and the Whimper-Whineys, and Santa’s Birthday Gift.

Sally Eccleston’s Leap Beyond Blue Sky Veil was chosen a Finalist in Historical Fiction while Nigel Patten’s The Hounds of Samaria was named in the Mystery category. Mike Saxton’s heralded 7 Scorpions: Rebellion was picked for Science Fiction.

U.D. Abdulkareem and his The African Cowboy is a Finalist in both the Young Adult and Fiction-Action categories. Jo Anne Bender’s Lebensborn was also chosen in the Fiction-Action category. And Janet Schredl’s Graffiti for My Soul was a multi-category Finalist in both Autobiography and Religion/Philosophy.

Strategic Book and Publishing Rights Agency congratulates all of its authors for a job well done. For more on the Readers Favorite Awards, go to:

http://readersfavorite.com/2011-award-contest-winners.htm

Each year, for the past twenty-six years, the North American Bookdealers Exchange (NABE) honors some of the finest work published by its member. This summer, Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency has an impressive fourteen authors and fifteen titles selected as winners. The SBPRA authors are Stuart Bramhall, Sherrill Cannon, Allyson L. Giles, Keith Graham, Ettore Grillo, Peggy L. Headlund, Nannette Holliday, Alma Hudson, Karen Kearney, Karen Macik, Kate Nevermore, Kim Nga Nguyen, Raine and Mike Saxton. The authors and their work will be featured in the next issue of Book Dealers World as well as at upcoming book trade show exhibits.

Sherrill S. Cannon was a winner in the Children’s Interest category for The Magic Word, the delightful rhyming tale of a little girl who needs to learn some manners. Little Kim, by author Kim Nga Nguyen, won in the Children’s Bilingual category for its inspirational account of a child forced to leave her country in 1975 after losing her father and home during the Vietnam War.

The best books in Juvenile Fiction included Stuart Bramhall’s The Battle for Tomorrow, a fable that speaks cogently to the urgent issues of today, as well as Peggy L. Headlund’sCommon Sense: Listening to the Spirit, the fourth book in her acclaimed Lillia Faith Christian series. Headlund was a two-time winner, also selected in the Health category forSexy at Sixty: Live Well & Happy Men & Women Over Fifty!

Karen Kearney’s Mystery on Sprite Island won the Young Adult Mystery award for a tale that speaks to the need in all of us to discover who we are and can become with a little help from our friends – on both sides of the grave!

Karen Macik won Best Novel for her Dear Daddy David, a sweeping saga of love lost and then found while the Adventure-Romance award went to Nannette Holliday for The Sting of Fate, a sweeping love story that spans three continents and changes the lives of two people forever. In the category of Women’s Literature, Alma Hudson’s moving story of domestic violence, The Trouble With Change, was the winner.

The best book award in the New Age category went to Allyson L. Giles’ Believe: A Tale of Faye, a magical story that will make you believe in fairies. Mike Saxton, with his epic and much heralded sci-fi adventure 7 Scorpions: Rebellion, was a winner in the Science Fiction category. And Kate Nevermore nailed the Vampire Science Fiction prize for her Blood for the Living, a dark yet exciting look at a future where sects of vampires rule society.

Ettore Grillo’s Travels of the Mind was chosen in the Non-Fiction category; the author’s self-healing autobiography is about his journey back from paranoid schizophrenia. Medium Raine, who found self-empowerment through spiritual development, was a winner for her autobiography as well; And Rainedrops Fall Down My Cheeks was the best book in the Spiritual category.

The award in the Humor category went to Keith Graham’s A POV’s Guide to Overseas Travel. This tongue-in-cheek memoir will have you laughing out loud as well as gleaning tips on how to travel the world on a budget.

Strategic Book and Publishing Rights Agency congratulates all of its authors for a job well done. For more on the Pinnacle Achievement Awards, go to:http://www.bookmarketingprofits.com/PinnacleAwardsSummer2011.html

Winning authors of the 5th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA) were announced by Ellen Reid, sponsor and CEO of the Indie Awards. Reid stated, “Excellence is not easy to achieve and the book industry needs it more than ever.”

Competition for the top spots was fierce, with prizes exceeding $12,000 in value and the opportunity for winning authors to receive one-on-one coaching with industry experts including marketing consultants. “The NIEA salutes authors and publishers who make excellence a priority,” Reid said.

Named to the 2011 list were nine authors from SBPRA:

Anita Waggoner for Farewell to Freedom
Winner – Best Fiction

Nik Greene for False Accusations
Winner – Non-Fiction

Gary Kaplan for Return of the Ancient Ones
Winner – Fantasy-Fiction category (represented by SBPRA at BookExpo of America)

Tracy Krauss for My Mother the Man-Eater and for And the Beat Goes On
Both titles Finalists in Religion-Fiction

Mike Saxton for Seven Scorpions: Rebellion
Finalist in Science Fiction

Rev. Sherry L. DeLoach for Without Doubt: Take Control of your Wellness
Finalist – Alternative Medicine and
Finalist – Self Help: Spiritual

Sherrill S. Cannon for Santa’s Birthday Gift
Finalist – Holiday

Gregory Hoffman for Santa Needs a Vacation (On the Day After Christmas)
Finalist – Holiday

Bob Behrent for Planes Pranks & Pepto-Bismol: Tales & Tips From a Seasoned Road Warrior
Finalist – Humor

For Further information on the Indie Awards, visit http://www.indieexcellence.com/indie-results-2011.htm.

The Winners and Finalists of the 2011 International Book Awards (IBA) have been announced. Over 300 authors in more than 140 categories covering print and audio books were named. Twelve of these authors were published by Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency.

Awards were presented for titles published in 2009, 2010 and 2011 by Jeffrey Keen, president and CEO of JPX Media Group, sponsor of the second annual contest. Keen said a large number of entries from authors and publishers around the world were submitted. Mainstream and independent titles from 11 countries were awarded honors.

The list of 12 Strategic Book Group authors includes Winner Allyson L. Giles, who was also a Finalist in a second category, and 10 other Finalists, including authors Peggy L. Headlund and T.D. Austin, who were both Finalists in multiple categories.

Those named for the 2011 IBA Awards are:

Fiction: New Age
Winner
Believe: A Tale of Faye by Allyson L. Giles, illustrations by Steven Giles (Also a Finalist for the same book in Children’s Fiction)

Fiction: Women’s Lit
Finalist
People of the Bear Mother by T.D. Austin
(Also a Finalist in Fiction: Gay/Lesbian category)

Fiction: Fantasy/SciFi
Finalist
7 Scorpions: Rebellion by Mike Saxton

Fiction: Mystery/Suspense
Finalist
Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves by Larry Seeley

Children’s Fiction
Finalist
Believe: A Tale of Faye by Allyson L. Giles, illustrations by Steven Giles

Children’s Picture Book
Finalist
A Mole Named Cole and Whole Lot of Hole by Peter Cassidy, illustrated by Michael Elwin D. Setiadi

Finalist
Anthony and the Magic Bumblebee by Barbara Prignano, illustrated by Jennifer K. Okubo

Young Adult Fiction
Finalist
Common Sense: Listening to the Spirit by Peggy L. Headlund
(Also a Finalist in Health: Aging 50+)

Religious Fiction
Finalist
The Last Soul by Lecon J. Murphy

Best New Non-Fiction
Finalist
Ask ME About Mary Kay: The true story behind the bumper sticker on the pink Cadillac by Jackie Brown

New Age: Non Fiction
Finalist
The Cuckoo’s Egg: The Story of an Extraordinary Woman by Anna Morten

Finalist
The Trouble With Change by Alma Hudson
Health: Aging 50+

Finalist
Sexy at Sixty: Live Well & Happy Men & Women Over Fifty by Peggy L. Headlund
Humor

Finalist
A Pov’s Guide to Overseas Travel by Keith Graham

For more information about the 2011 IBA Awards, visit

http://www.internationalbookawards.com/2011awardannouncement.html

The Magic Word by Sherrill S. Cannon has been nominated for a Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Award in the Children’s Fiction category. The winners will be announced in August at a banquet in Santa Barbara. The purpose of the awards is to showcase eBooks, and their growing share of the marketplace.

A long time eBook advocate, Dan Poynter is the author of more than 125 books and has been a publisher since 1969. His seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal, and his story has been told in US News & World Report. As he says: “To break out of the pack and rise above the noise, your ebook needs to get read. Readers have to read it, love it, and tell someone else. This is “word of mouth.” Global eBook Awards are more than a “sticker:” they come with a built-in publicity machine. To be successful, fiction has to get read. The Global eBook Awards are designed to help you achieve these goals.”

Cannon’s delightful rhyming book tells the story of Elisabeth, who fears she has no friends when no one wants to come to her birthday party. Elisabeth needs to learn The Magic Word:

Elisabeth “never said thank you, excuse me or please.
She made fun of people, she’d argue and tease.
She took what she wanted whenever she could,
Elisabeth’s manners were not very good.”

When she begins to follow her mother’s advice to be more considerate of others, and say “please” as well as “thank you,” Elisabeth is delighted to discover that she now has lots of friends, all wanting to come to her birthday party! This wonderful story will have your children saying “please” buy them the book!

The finalists and winners will be chosen by a panel of judges. However, to leave your comment and rate Sherrill S. Cannon’s book, please go to:http://awardsforebooks.com/book-writing-contest/category/fiction-childrens-picture-books/

All three of the author’s books are also available through the Women’s Economic Council Foundation as part of a fundraising drive to support scholarships and programs for women and children. For more info, visit:http://www.womenseconomicfoundation.org/summit_speakerbooks.html

Barnes & Noble Small Press Picks Up Books to Stock in Stores

Like author Amanda Thrasher before them, Mike Saxton and C.W. Gordon have had their books picked up by Barnes and Noble’s Small Press division, which then allows local brick and mortar stores to more easily stock the titles. The company has placed a 200 book order for Saxton’s 7 Scorpions: Rebellion and Gordon’s Azure Dying will be available at all six Austin, Texas locations.

Both authors submitted copies of their books to B&N for review, along with information about themselves and the title. The fact that SBG books are available through Lightening Source (a division of Ingram Books) was a factor in the decision; B&N deals with Ingram on a regular basis. Saxton’s book will be available nationwide; Gordon’s intention is to hold book signings at all of the local outlets before year’s end. Although each book is already available at B&N online, these authors went the extra distance to ensure the further placement in retail outlets.

In C.W. Gordon’s dark thriller Azure Dying, a serial killer known only as “D” is terrifying Austin, Texas, plunging the city into a nightmare of senseless murders. Enter the mind of Adam Parker, who suffered an abusive childhood, and now wants to take his deep-felt pain and “give it back.”

According to Kirkus Reviews: Readers will be unable to put Azure Dying down. Extending far beyond realism to a realm most people never experience, and probably do not care to contemplate, the book takes readers on a twisted journey into abuse, alcoholism and serial killing. A disturbing, well-written page-turner.”

Mike Saxton’s exciting 7 Scorpions: Rebellion is the first book of a trilogy; Earth is turned upside down by the brutal attack of a dictator known as Zodiac. The series introduces Vincent Black, an unlikely hero who must fight Zodiac and succeed over nearly insurmountable odds in this classic sci-fi battle between good and evil. 7 Scorpions was recently a Finalist in the 2011 International Book Awards as well as a Finalist in the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards.

For more about the books and their authors, visit their websites:

http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/7Scorpions-Rebellion.html

http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/AzureDying.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Laura Burke, BEA

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 13, 2011 – NEW YORK – Authors, booksellers and industry representatives from around the world attended BookExpo America (BEA) May 23-27 at Javits Convention Center in New York City. Some 25 Strategic Book Group authors attended the event. Among the success stories to unfold at the convention was a TV interview for Strategic Book Group (SBG) author Laura Burke of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who took part as an Author in Book (AIB). 

Burke, who wrote the murder mystery If Walls Could Scream, was interviewed by Stephen Kaufman, producer of his own cable TV show, "Hanshi’s World." He also noted in his blog (http://www.redroom.com/blog/stephen-kaufman-0/book-expo- ...) that attending the show “gave me an additional new perspective on the extent that publishers were going to in order to promote their authors,” adding that “publishers were wide-open to new ideas. ‘Paper’ ain't dead yet!” 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Winning authors of the 5th Annual National Indie Excellence 0Awards (NIEA) were announced by Ellen Reid, sponsor and CEO of the Indie Awards.

Reid stated, “Excellence is not easy to achieve and the book industry needs it more than ever.” Competition for the top spots was fierce, with prizes exceeding $12,000 in value and the opportunity for winning authors to receive one-on-one coaching with industry experts including marketing consultants. “The NIEA salutes authors and publishers who make excellence a priority,” Reid said.

Named to the list were nine authors from Strategic Book Group. These winners included:

Anita Waggoner for Farewell to Freedom

Winner – Best Fiction

Nik Greene for False Accusations

Winner – Non-Fiction

Gary Kaplan for Return of the Ancient Ones

Winner – Fant

asy-Fiction category (represented by SBPRA at BookExpo of America)

Tracy Krauss for My Mother the Man-Eater and for And the Beat Goes On

Both titles Finalists in Religion-Fiction

Mike Saxton for 7 Scorpions: Rebellion

Finalist in Science Fiction

Rev. Sherry L. DeLoach for Without Doubt: Take Control of your Wellness

Finalist – Alternative Medicine and

Finalist – Self Help: Spiritual

Sherrill S. Cannon for Santa’s Birthday Gift

Finalist – Holiday

Gregory Hoffman for Santa Needs a Vacation (On the Day After Christmas)

Finalist – Holiday

Bob Behrent for Planes Pranks & Pepto-Bismol: Tales & Tips From a Seasoned Road Warrior

Finalist – Humor

For Further information on the Indie Awards, visit http://www.indieexcellence.com/indie-results-2011.htm.

Strategic Book Group, LLC

www.StrategicBookGroup.com www.StrategicBookClub.com

www.StrategicBookPublishing.com www.SBPRA.com www.StrategicBookMarketing.com

www.StrategicBookAgency

ABOUT: Strategic Book Group provides book publishing, book marketing, and e-book services to over 10,000 writers around the world, employing 150 people who live throughout the US and work virtually through telecommunication. Strategic Book Group is experiencing over 30% growth per year, having published approximately 3,000 authors with almost 100 new releases per month. Our books are available through Ingram, the largest book distributor in the world, as well as in bookstores, through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all online channels. Strategic Book Group attends and exhibits at the major book expositions in London, New York, China, and Germany each year.

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