Indie Spotlight: December 2022
In this month’s roundup of BookLife titles, we feature children’s stories, history books, and inspirational volumes. Want to see your book featured? Check out the Indie Spotlight calendar at booklife.com/indiespotlight.
Children’s Stories
A Fish Called Andromeda
Cynthia C. Huijgens
ASIN B0BNHWPFV2
Author statement: “A Fish Called Andromeda, illustrated by visual development artist Yusuke Watanabe, is about a girl named Zuki,
a fish called Andromeda, and finding hope in moments of disappointment. Central to the story are the power of friendships and the enduring allure and magic of the night sky. The inspiration for Mr. Humphries was my mentor-teacher in graduate school, Minneapolis-based artist William Slack (1951-2013). Mr. Slack loved the arts and he loved to share this passion with his students. Making him a central character in my story was a way of honoring the influence he had on my professional and creative life journey. And Zuki, well, Zuki is me, and I suspect she is a lot of us who are determined individuals bursting with imagination.”
Maral and the Wisdom of the Forest: A Quest for Truth
Riya Aarini
ASIN B09VZVRFV4
Author statement: “Maral, a curious fawn, and Bilge, a wise gnome, set out to discover the natural truths revealed by the forest world. Their journey through the forest realm gives Maral, especially, a deeper knowledge of life. Nature offers more wisdom than meets the eye, which is the reason I wrote this book. To me, nature is compelling, gentle at times, and harsh at others. The power of nature is profound, and my hope is that this book captures that reality in an engaging, thought-provoking way.”
The Seed of Faith: A Christmas Miracle
Daniel Petronelli
ISBN 978-1-73748-551-3
Author statement: “The Seed of Faith is an inspiring Christian Christmas story for children and families with a timely message. It is Christmas Eve, and the small foothill village of Shiloh is suffering from a severe drought. Aside from not having any water for their crops, the people have no Christmas trees. A father tells his young daughter a story that took place 40 years ago—a story that no one in the village of Shiloh will ever forget. I wrote this story as a cherished Christmas present to my family 20 years ago. During the pandemic, with extra time on my hands, I dusted off the original shorter version and was able to complete the book.”
Documenting History
Delaware Before the Railroads
Dave Tabler
ASIN B0BHL2XKG9
Author statement: “Follow the trail of Delaware’s historic colonial-era sites with over 100 modern photographs to guide you. Delaware Before the Railroads will lead you from the state’s earliest beginnings up to 1832, when the iron horse first appeared. This book sits at the intersection of photography and history. Instead of just cranking out a coffee table book documenting this spot or that, I’ve sought to create a visual love letter that startles my reader into seeing a common landmark with fresh eyes. I’m not a Delaware native, and I’ve only lived here for 12 years. But the advantage of seeing this place as an outsider is that I notice things locals take for granted.”
Reflections of a Love Supreme: Motown through the Eyes of Fans
Tom Ingrassia
ISBN 978-1-942545-29-3
Author statement: “Reflections of a Love Supreme tells the story of Motown through the eyes—and camera lenses—of its fans. I fell in love with Motown in 1964, when I saw the Supremes on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1972, when I was a 19-year-old college student, I interviewed Mary Wilson, of the Supremes, for a project. We formed a lifelong friendship. I never thought I was good enough to write a book about Motown. After all, I was ‘just’ a fan, I was young, and there were already so many books out on the topic. So I shelved the idea. In 2000, Mary Wilson asked me to join her staff as her executive assistant and creative director of her merchandising company. That was my dream come true, and I worked for Wilson for the next six years. I learned the story of how Motown and its artists changed the way the world viewed people of color from the inside out. Early in 2015, I finally found my voice—and the hook to make my Motown book different from the others.”
Inspiring Journeys
Forty to Finish: Cycling to Victory on the TransAmerica Bike Trail
Larry Walsh
ASIN B0BFX9CWNF
Author statement: “I’m a U.S. Army veteran and veteran’s advocate, basketball enthusiast, family man, former corporate executive, and author. After a seven-year stint serving in the U.S. Army and a 28-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, I decided to step away from corporate life and cycle into the heart of America. I rode across the country on the Southern Tier in 2018 and then entered the TransAmerica Bike Race, traversing the country a second time, in 2019. I enjoy spending time with my family in New Jersey or at our log cabin on Torch Lake, Michigan.”
Six Hours: Running for My Life in the Grand Canyon
Rich Mater
ISBN 978-1-73682-303-3
Author statement: “Six Hours is one man’s attempt to defy the odds and run the 17 treacherous miles to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up to the South Rim—as a 64-year-old cardiac patient. My book has an inspirational message for cardiac patients that it’s still possible to lead an active life after a heart attack, and for older runners that they can stay active and take on new challenges. I also celebrate the iconic Grand Canyon and tell the story of its human history, as well as go on a journey through geological time, from the 300-million-year-old Kaibab Limestone of the South Rim to the 1.6-billion-year-old Vishnu Schist of the Colorado River Gorge. My writing process is to stay focused and disciplined. I write nearly daily, and always use a good editor!”
Untethered: A Woman’s Search for Self on the Edge of India
C.L. Stambush
ISBN 978-1-73625-411-0
Author statement: “As a girl, I was so shy and afraid of life I kept one shoulder to the hall wall in grade school. I didn’t like this aspect of myself and vowed to become braver. I pushed myself to do the things that scared me and discovered a capable, competent woman who can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone she wants. Determined to discover my true grit and despite never having ridden a motorcycle in my life, I impulsively bought a Royal Enfield Bullet and set out on a 7,000-mile, five-month solo journey around the subcontinent.”
Spirituality, Mythology & Faith
New Earth, Bringing It Home: A Light-Hearted Transformational Journey
Joy-An Tucker
ISBN 978-0-9622061-2-2
Author statement: “Originally I wanted only to create my own home to be a temple of New Earth, a place to share my experience with New Earth frequencies and qualities and to encourage others to participate in the vision of New Earth realized. After putting that plan on a back burner for various reasons, I was motivated by bedbugs to make some real inner and outer changes in myself and my home. In the process I realized I was finally creating my temple of New Earth. Then I asked myself, why think small? I envisioned people all over the planet turning themselves and their homes into conscious spaces of love, harmony, unity, joy, peace, and reverence for all life. Thus, with the support of photos, I began writing about my own redecoration journey, both the inner and the outer process. My book shows the way to each reader's own expression of that goal.”
Painting the Psalms
Cherie Burbach
ISBN 978-1-73709-621-4
Author statement: “In Painting the Psalms, I share original mixed-media paintings that contain a positive, faith-filled message. Each painting contains inspiration from the Psalms in some way, through the imagery, words, or emotion contained within the verses. I use a variety of mediums and techniques to create art that is filled with depth and whimsy. It is my hope that this book will inspire the reader to look at the Psalms in a new way so they can celebrate their faith and the message.”
Searching for Ganesha: Collecting Images of the Sweet-Loving, Elephant-Headed Hindu Deity Everybody Admires
Paul Spencer Sochaczewski
ISBN 978-2-940573-37-0
Author statement: “Ganesha is among the most treasured of all deities. Searching for Ganesha explores several themes: why I collect Ganesha images, the iconoclastic retellings of some Ganesha myths, why people the world over accumulate ‘stuff,’ and my personal adventures in search of just one more Ganesha. I write about personal quests, and I like to believe that Ganesha has assisted me on my global journeys. He is an accessible god—a deity you could invite to a barbecue. Artists are creative in their depiction of this iconic figure. He’s a bundle of symbols and a creation of Hindu marketing geniuses, attributes that relate to my background in psychology and advertising. And he gives me an excuse to poke around dusty antique shops.”
Recovery & Personal Growth
Acts of Compassion: Bringing Love and Caring Back into Your Life
Linda Spangle and Michael Spangle
ASIN B0B2TW9J96
Author statement: “Through meaningful stories and examples, Acts of Compassion helps readers bring love and caring back into their lives. Drawing on research findings as well as many life experiences (Michael was a minister and navy chaplain; Linda worked as a nurse and life coach), this book aims to motivate people to show kindness and compassion to others. We believe that even if you are overwhelmed, exhausted, and just trying to survive, it’s still possible to bring love and caring back into your life.”
Coffee with Archangels
Isa Millot
ISBN 978-2-9584111-1-4
Author statement: “The archangels reveal step by step how to unlock your full potential and live a fulfilled, free, and creative life. The 14-step light coaching is a teaching that was given to me by the archangels. I followed it step by step in order to transform my life and see it differently. The origin of my book comes from this initiatory journey that positively changed my body, my heart, and my soul. Archangel Gabriel helped me throughout the creative process of writing the book. One of the messages I wish to share is ‘Be yourself and be sure of your talents because they are just waiting to emerge.’ ”
Fallen Star: A Return to Self through the Eight Limbs of Yoga
Molly Chanson
ASIN B09YVQ6CPP
Author statement: “I was five months sober when I found out my husband of 10 years was having an affair. Having done yoga since I was 15, I returned to daily practice in the midst of my life falling apart. I also started writing. One day during yoga, I felt the grief of my marriage and the grief of a friend who had passed away many years before. It was as if the two experiences were being felt at the same time. I wrote the story in my journal and began to understand that yoga is so much more than a physical practice. The writing and the yoga healed me and helped me process, both in my body and on the page. My book is my story, but also a demonstration of how the eight limbs of yoga can be applied to life. Every experience, good or bad, can be used as a way to uncover the deeper parts of Self, so we are not at the mercy of our circumstances, but a witness to the power of presence and the indestructible spirit within.”
