Write On
Kristen Nicole of Butler has written “Our Road to Family: An Adoption Story” in the hope that her experience adopting two children can help others interested in adopting.
In the 236-page book, Nicole describes her family's adoption journey from beginning to end. From fertility issues to two successful adoptions, she illuminates each step of the adoption process.
She doesn't shy away from talking about the heartache of planning one adoption only to have it fall through in the end. She also describes the joy she felt when she held her children for the very first time.
“I always loved writing and for years my husband had been urging me to write a book,” Nicole said.
“When we adopted our daughter, I started writing about my thoughts along our journey. When we adopted our son, I decided that I really would love for my kids to know their story and to be able to share our journey with others. So, I compiled my thoughts and everything we went through into my first book.”
Nicole works as a kindergarten teacher and resides with her husband, Dan, and their daughter, Makenna, 4, and their son, Cooper, 16 months.
“Our Road to Family” is available in paperback and digital formats for $9.99 and $5.99 respectively. Visit www.facebook.com/OurRoadtoFamily.
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“Around the World” is a memoir of retired U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant Edward Leo Semler Jr.'s more than 25-year career in both the U.S. Army and Coast Guard.
The Herman resident details his assignments from 1982 until 2007.
In the Army, he was an enlisted man and obtained the rank of specialist four. He served
with the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Pelham in Korea on the DMZ and the 5th Infantry Division at Fort Polk, La.
In the Coast Guard, he was an enlisted man obtaining the rank of master chief petty officer, was commissioned as an officer, and retired as a lieutenant. He served at several shore stations and afloat.
The 362-page book has more than 80 illustrations. It is available online, and a copy has been donated to the Butler Public Library.
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Former Butler resident and Knoch High School graduate Holly Burtner Raus has published her second children's book, “Jerry Duty: A Tale of Puppy Training Trouble.”The 13-page picture book walks readers through her own experience of welcoming an8-week-old puppy into the household as narrated by her older dog, Ben.With humorous anecdotes about the trouble new puppy Jerry gets into, families can use the story to talk about the responsibilities of training and taking care of a puppy.Raus' first book was “Ben: The Very Best Furry Friend.”Raus now lives in Atlanta and is a public library staff member.Both of her children's books are available through online booksellers or through www.furryfriendben.com.———“Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel” has been released by Slippery Rock High School graduate BobBatchelor.In the 316-page release from Scarecrow Press, the Thiel College professor explores the birth, life, and enduring influence of F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby.”By exploring the timeless elements of reinvention, romanticism and relentless pursuit of the unattainable, Batchelor confirms the book's status as “The Great American Novel,” and, more importantly, explains to readers, students, scholars and fans alike what makes Gatsby so great.The book is available in hardback and digital formats online and through www.bobbatchelor.com.———
Knoch High School graduate Mark Sasse has published his second novel, “The Recluse Storyteller.”A novelist and playwright, Sasse released this novel on the heels of his debut novel about Vietnam, “Beauty Rising,” 10 months ago.“The Recluse Storyteller” is a piece of literary and contemporary fiction, which follows the life of the loner, Margaret, who searches for meaning in her reclusive life. Part adventure, part tragedy and part discovery, this novel takes the reader to places such as the site of a deadly massacre in a Vietnamese jungle to a tender story of twins in the American West.The book is available online in paperback and digital formats.Sasse is living in Malaysia after having spent 10 years teaching English in Vietnam.———Ellwood City authors Steve and Gale Loder will be at the Books-A-Million store in the Clearview Mall autographing copies of their “Quality Venison Cookbook” and serving venison samples from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 23.The couple has sold nearly 75,000 copies of all of their cookbooks.The 380-page, spiral-bound, hardcover book retails for $24.95.This latest version from Stackpole Books features all the recipes and some of the tales from the Loders first three books, said Steve Loder, and includes a summary of how to process deer.The cookbook is also available online.———The first book that specifically recognizes the role of Allegheny County and the men, including soldiers originally from Butler County, who served in the Gettysburg Campaign has been published by Mechling Bookbindery of Chicora.In his third book on Western Pennsylvania's involvement in the Civil War, Pittsburgh historian Arthur Fox acknowledges the contributions of the local participants, past and present, in the many aspects the Battle of Gettysburg.“Those Who Fought: Allegheny County, Pa., and the Gettysburg Campaign” retails for $19.95 and is available by calling 724-287-2120.
