International Literacy Day

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TP Authors: Sarah Price

Sarah Price, popular author of Amish fiction, is also a contributor to the One series, which is regularly posted about on this blog. Her story, The Power of Faith, is currently available for ONLY 99 Cents with author proceeds going to a great cause. You can get it here: http://goo.gl/xhE9w

Today, she wants to share her Triangle of Blessings: Amish, Writing and Readers

I was first introduced to the Amish when I was only eight years old. It was my grandparents who took me to Lancaster County, PA. I sat between them on the front seat of their Cadillac, bouncing up and down with excitement as we passed each horse and buggy.

My grandparents came from a long line of strict Old Order Mennonites. Back in the early 1700s, our ancestors escaped persecution and travelled across the ocean to accept William Penn’s offer for free land in Pennsylvania.  I often think about that journey and how terrified they must have been. Seeing the shores of Europe disappear over the horizon, facing an uncertain future in an unknown land…how courageous they were and how unfaltering in their faith in God.

There is something magical about the Amish. In today’s world of technology, information overload and crazy schedules, there is something to be said for a people who manages to maintain a simpler way of life.  A people who takes care of each other. A people who lives for honoring God through their daily routines.  How can you not fall in love with such people? They are truly blessed.

Likewise, I consider myself a blessed person. For almost twenty-five years, I have been staying among the Amish. In the beginning, I found an Amish family that rented out an apartment over their mule shed. For several years, I would rent the apartment and travel back and forth from my home to their farm. In later years, I was introduced to an Amish woman who rented me a room in her home. Through these connections, I have been permitted the rare opportunity to straddle the fence between my current world and this of my ancestors.

There is another blessing in my life (and I believe we all have many). I have been blessed with the desire to write. Since I was a child, I wrote books. It was my passion, my dream. I love writing, telling stories that entertain and inform. It’s in my blood. I believe that a true author writes for that reason: they have a passion to write. That’s it. It’s as plain and simple as the Amish.

The beautiful thing is that I have been blessed to combine the two: my passion for writing and my passion for the Amish. It’s a marriage made in heaven, as far as I’m concerned.  Like my friend, colleague, and fellow author, Karen Anna Vogel, my knowledge of the Amish comes from first-hand experience. It allows me to write authentic books, books that are rich in true knowledge of the Amish, a special knowledge that I love to share with my readers.

That brings me to my final blessing, one that is so important to me: the readers. How fortunate it is that so many wonderful people desire to know the Amish and to learn about their faith! These readers are faced with so much stress: busy lives, illness, uncertainty, and hardship in a time of economic distress. It is such a blessing to know that, even if only for a few hours, they can slip away from this stress through the stories that I love to write.

I invite you into my world, to pick up one of the many Amish books written by wonderful authors that are available in bookstores and online, and to sit back in order to escape, even if just for a few pages.  Who knows? Maybe you, too, will find some relief from the everyday stress in your own life as you explore the world of the Amish through our eyes.

Follow Sarah Price on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/fansofsarahprice or on her blog at http://www.sarahpriceauthor.com

And Now a Word From....

Giovanni Gelati. That's right, Trestle Press's main man is back and he says something to say. Oh, this is a big deal and I am thrilled to be a part of it!


Amish Knitting Circle now occupies the numbers 2,3,4,5 rankings in short story fiction in all of Amazon Kindle, not by category, but overall. 


Check it out HERE: http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/157087011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kinc_1_4_last

They also are topping the charts on Amazon UK. Congratulations to Karen Anna Vogel and all the authors of Trestle Press. 

Why did I just mention all the authors of Trestle Press? 

Quite simply, it is because they all share one common goal and one vision­--- each other’s success and bringing quality reads to the market time after time.

One of the other visions they have embraced and ran with is the digital short series of the“Amish Knitting Circle”. There are more than 30 books now that Trestle Press publishes. Each month, a new installment of those series listed below will be released. The benefits to this are many, and just for fun I am going to list a few:

·        New content every three to four weeks to be easily read on your favorite e-reading device (smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, Kindle,Nook,iPad…), the reader can follow the progression of not just the characters but the authors development as well.

·         A variety of genres to follow, so the reads can be rotated and fresh, low cost fun (the majority $0.99 each)

·         80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. (People don’t have time for full length novels.)

·         Great way to discover a new and emerging author without much investment in time or money(many of these authors have full length work to purchase, don’t forget

·         Great way to have fun and look forward to a ray of sunshine in your reading week (I love digital short stories, they really help me keep my reading fresh and fun)

Having the label “Indie Press” or being with a “little publisher” doesn’t mean the content is small or little. I feel it is an advantage in this day and age. The authors of Trestle Press have a tremendous amount of input and say in what goes on and their direction. The common vision they share, their incredible communication and team work have put them on the cusp of achieving much success.

The Grand Slam success of “Amish Knitting Circle” and the many titles they have charted on Amazon Kindle and Amazon UK is just the tip of the iceberg for them as they continue their journey. Why not join them and find out what they are all about? 

The authors would love for you to read their hard work and give them feedback: Email them, find them on any social network and friend them, tell them what would make them a better more relevant author in your eyes.

In no particular order I have listed the digital short story series currently up and running from Trestle Press. The additions to the list change often so please feel free to put Trestle Press in your Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook toolbar each and every time you go shopping:

Karen Anna Vogel-“Amish Knitting Circle”

Roger Rheinheimer/Crystal Linn- “Amish Forever”

Paul D. Brazill- “Drunk on The Moon”

Chantal Boudreau- “Weird, Wicked and Wonderful”

Benjamin Sobieck-“Maynard Soloman”

Darren Sant-“Tales of The Longcroft Estate”

Mark Miller-“One”

Sam Lang –“Reprisal”

Jochem Vandersteen-“A Mike Dalmas Story”

B.R. Stateham- “Call Me Smitty”

William Tooker-“Slouching Towards Bethlehem”

Mark Miller-“Small World Global Protection Agency”

Mark Cooper-“How I Met Your Mother”

Lisa Taylor-“Shana Black”

Alexandrea Weis-“NOLA”

Celilia Robert-“The Soul Collector’s Series”

Cody Toye- “Dribbles the Squirrel”

H.R. Toye- “Debtor’s Chip”

The Author’s Lab/Collaboration Series

S.L. Schmitz-“Mina’s Daughter…The Harker’s Chronicles”

Whit Howland-“The Cain Series”

Heath Lowrance- “Deadland ,USA”

Michael Tabman- “Bad Intent”

Julia Madeleine- “The Devils’ Music”

Big Daddy Abel-“Open Mic”

Heath Lowrance-“That Damn Coyote Hill”

Thad Brown-“Smoking Gun Sisterhood”

Darren Sant/Sam Lang-“Severed”

McDroll-“Kick It”

Luca Veste- “Liverpool 5”

Col Bury- “Manchester 6”

Angelique LaFontaine/Eddie Frantom-“Thirty-1”

Sue Mydliak- “Friday Flashes”

Tanya Cotios-“Wicked Little Lies”

R.Thomas Brown-“Old Man Coyote”

As a reader I like to look for new stuff to read. I thrive on finding new authors with awesome stuff. The digital age of publishing has allowed me as a reader to discover new and various ways to read them. Less than a year ago this format was just an afterthought, an exercise for an author.

Now, thanks to visionaries like Karen Anna Vogel and her fellow Trestle Press authors, we the reader, can have our fun and read it too. I for one really like that. Join me in celebrating the freedom of reading in any way, size and e-reader we want to. Download one or more of these innovative, provocative and fun series. Challenge yourself and the author’s.  See what else we can all accomplish together.

Trestle Press- bringing authors and readers together.

Trestle's Coming Through

Over the next several months, you are going to see me talking a lot about some other authors I am affiliated with through Trestle Press.

These authors come from many different genres, but they all have one thing in common: We want you to read and enjoy what you are reading!

I think what I'll do is give you a nice overview of several authors here. Then for the rest of the week, I will get in depth through some of my different social sites.

Without further ado:

Robert Ford is the author of The World of Hek, a supernatural series, and Curse of the Translucent Monster.

Wenona Hulsey offers paranormal YA with Burden of Blood.

Sam Lang, another horror author, has the Reprisal series and looks to be starting a zombie collaboration called Severed.

S. L. Schmitz breathes new life into Bram Stoker's Dracula with Mina's Daughter, a steampunk series.

These are the authors and that was only a sampling of what they offer. Watch for more posts and tidbits all week.

Something for the Kid in You

Trestle Press is bringing my new Young Reader series to eBooks soon! Here's what Small World Global Protection Agency is all about:

This new series is aimed at Young Readers anywhere from 3^rd to 6^th grade and will be available only in eBook from Trestle Press. The monthly short stories will be reminiscent of the adventure serials of the 1940’s with a contemporary setting. Each episode will feature two ten-year-olds, Josh and Madison, as they secretly work for the high-tech, international Global Protection Agency to keep the world safe. The short stories will come in a two-part “cliffhanger” style and expose readers to interesting facts and details of the countries Josh and Madison visit. At the end of each two-part story, there will also be Points to Ponder: five questions or discussion starters to keep parents involved with their young readers!

Miller is the author of The Empyrical Tales fantasy adventure series. Book I: The Fourth Queen and Book II: The Lost Queen are available now from Comfort Publishing and Book III: The Secret Queen is coming Spring 2012. From Trestle Press, Miller heads the spiritual anthology MarkMiller’s One and has worked with Giovanni Gelati in the Author’s Lab collaboration A Prince in Trenton, Seriously? Miller has also written the adaptation of the faith-based movie Daniel’s Lot, available from Trestle Press as well. He is a father of four with a background in elementary education and film.

Be ready for Issue #001-A: New Kids on the Rock!

Rewards for Readers

Trestle Press is doing it again and this time you, the readers, win!

Trestle is celebrating an anniversary, of sorts. Much like a budding young romance, every milestone is a good one. This celebration comes for the 6 Month Anniversary of The Author's Lab Collaboration series.

About six months ago, during an airing of The G-Zone, Giovanni Gelati took a call from Katherine LaHart. He never expected what she wanted to ask. Ms. LaHart suggested that Giovanni write a collaboration. From there, a new eBook series was born that has since spawned 22 installments. The stories cover almost all genres and most are ONLY 99 Cents. You can click HERE to see the list of authors from around the world.

So for this special occasion, Trestle Press wants to give you a present. That's right, you get something for FREE. Completely free. Trestle is giving away one Author's Lab story for each month of the series. (click on the title for a description, click on the author to see their other works)

Hotel Beaumont by B.R.Stateham

Bring Us Your Living...Now! by H.R. Toye

Dueling Microphones by Rose A. Valenta

A Prince in Trenton, Seriously by Mark Miller

Who Whacked the Blogger by Benjamin Sobieck

G.S.I. – Gelati Scoop Investigations, Psychotic Detectives by Thomas White

There you go! Six great stories and you can get one for free simply by contacting Giovanni at Gelati's Scoop or go directly to the author of the story that you want.

Email me at: Mark@MillerWords.com 

For an added bonus, if you purchase any of the other Author's Lab stories (see the list HERE), you can get another one free. That's 3 great stories for the price of one! When you buy your story, send the proof of purchase to Giovanni or the author to get the additional free one. These specials only last until the end of September.

Why are we doing this? Easy. We (the Trestle Authors) want our stories to be read. 

I want to share my words and build a fan base. I want feedback from you. I want to see comments and reviews on sites like Facebook, Amazon or Goodreads. Let me know what you think. I have a blast doing this and I want you to enjoy reading my work as much as I do writing it.

As always, Thank You!

Spiderwebs

I've been spinning my own webs for a while now. One strand is my site (www.MillerWords.com), another is Facebook (and countless other social sites) and then, of course, this blog.

As the web grows, I seem to be catching a lot of delightful little things. I often find wonderful, positive comments from you, my readers. It really makes my day to see someone respond to my words.

Another neat thing is all the people in "the business" that I connect with. There are so many authors out there trying to do what I am trying to do. I know how busy each one is, yet many take the time to reply to emails and respond to friend requests. Who would have thought I would be "friends" with James Patterson, Vincent Zandri or Dan Poblocki to name a few. Then there are the bloggers and other people that work extremely hard to make our stories part of your life, like Giovanni Gelati.

I know there are many others that I haven't listed, but thank you to all of you as well. Thank you to Comfort Publishing for giving me the first opportunity to spin this web.

I know this is kind of a random post, but that's the mood I find myself in and that's what blogs are for, right?

And thank you, reader, for getting caught in my web!