BOOKSHELF
New Reads by Local Writers by Cheryl Keyser
Unexpected Treasurers( Tate Publishing, 2012) by Alice J. Fritz
As a storm blows up the Atlantic coast, it carries with it a long-lost relative and danger from mysterious men who follow the protagonist, Jamie. But, it is not until the weather returns to calm that the family secret, leading to a treasure and a connection to the past, is revealed. The plot of this, Alice’ s first book, is well done, and so engaging that the book is hard to put down.“ I came up with the original story and worked on it for about a year with the help of my former high school home room teacher, Marilyn McCarney,” says Alice. The Russian background she attributes to the influence of the movie“ Anastasia,” the self-proclaimed daughter of the last Tsar. Alice starts writing by first rereading her previous work and the rest“ just comes to me.” She is now on her third book, having already finished number two,“ Brianna’ s Dreams,” a tale of love lost and found in one’ s golden years.
Available at Dru’ s Book‘ n Things in Waynesboro, www. amazon. com and www. tatepublishing. com.
My Goodness
( Theresa Glenn, 2012)
by Theresa Glenn
Brianna is a young African-American girl growing up in Hagerstown and dreaming of a great future. But her dreams are dashed when bad decisions and relationships lead her down the wrong path. Hard lessons are learned as she returns to her hometown after a stint in Georgia. Only when Brianna comes to understand that what she wants can only be achieved by following a disciplined life does she finally gain the husband, home and happiness she desires.“ I wrote this book over three months,” Theresa says.“ With a 3-yearold daughter and 1-year-old son, the only time I had to write was from 10 p. m. to 2 a. m. When I finally finished the book, I slept for a week.” The subject of the story is to some extent autobiographical, reflected in her own doubts about life. It was Psalm 27 that gave her the strength to continue. Today she has opened a childcare center, The Baby Sitter, and is working on a sequel to this book.
Available at Turn the Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, www. amazon. com and on Kindle.
Life of Dreams
( Mercer University Press, 2012) by Andrew Derr
Sports writing is one of the unacknowledged triumphs of the literary world. Welldone, it has been taught in writing classes, collected in anthologies, and praised in books like this one written by Andrew. His subject, Fred Russell of the Nashville Banner in Tennessee, set the standard for sports reporting of his generation and is considered one of the greatest sportswriters of the 20 th century. Andrew has written a masterful biography focusing on Russell’ s love of his work, his many years in the field, the people he knew and encouraged, and the personal side of this multifaceted individual. For Andrew sports writing is now a hobby, but he was one of the recipients of the Fred Russell-Grantland Rice TRA Sportswriting Scholarships and was a sportswriter when he lived in Tennessee.“ I had a lot of fun researching this book because everyone had a memory of a prank or funny line,” Andrew says.“ Russell was soft-spoken but a great story teller and loved to pull practical jokes.”
Available at www. amazon. com and www. barnesandnoble. com, as well as Barnes and Noble in Frederick, Md., and at the Mercer University Press, www. mupress. org.
Images of America Boonsboro
( Arcadia Press, 2012) by Tim Doyle and Doug Bast
Arcadia Press keeps turning out photographic histories that are a delight to read. This one on Boonsboro is no exception— and it can tout a special addition with a foreword by well-known romance novelist Nora Roberts. Boonsboro traces its fame to its association with frontiersman Daniel Boone, an uncle of the grandfather of the Boone brothers who founded the town. It was also the first place where macadam was used to pave a road and it is home to the first monument built to honor George Washington. The captions in the book are very detailed as befits the talents of both authors. Tim Doyle, a journalist, worked on previous books for Arcadia, and Doug Bast is famed for his Boonsboro Museum of History.“ Bast started the museum, which has a bit of everything, but it is his collection of Civil War items— and photographs— which draws the public,” says Tim. From inception to completion, the book took about two years to put together, including some 200 photos.
Available at www. arcadiapress. com, Tim Doyle at 301-992-9017 or via e-mail at timothydoyle @ myactv. net or antietamhouse111 @ aol. com.
Books may be available at additional locations. Local authors may submit information about their recently published books to: staceyc @ ridgerunnerpublishing. com or mail to: Hagerstown Magazine, P. O. Box 2415, Hagerstown, MD 21741-2415.
Hagerstown: The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond March / April 2013 131