Local Authors

Welcome to the page on MIEntertainment.biz that features Michigan authors! Here we will regularly feature local authors of nonfiction works and fiction of all genres for adults and children. We especially like featuring recently published books written by local authors that are either about Michigan (nonfiction) or have a Michigan setting (fiction). Books featured here are reviewed by our screener, Kevin Hile. If you have a book you think our visitors would enjoy, please contact Kevin.

New Book About Lansing's Zoo Now Available
"A Slaying in the Suburbs" new Book Tells Story of Real Life Michigan Murder

Sponsored by . . .

by: Kevin Hile

One of Michigan’s best-kept secrets is tucked away between a railroad and a river near downtown Lansing. Founded in 1920, Potter Park Zoo is the state’s oldest accredited zoo, yet today there are still Lansing residents who have never heard of it.

Little Zoo by the Red Cedar: The Story of Potter Park Zoo makes up for this neglect by revealing the true story of how caring people have kept the zoo alive. Small and largely underfunded, the zoo has survived to become a respected educational and wildlife research center—and a fun place to spend the day!

Read not only about the history of Potter Park Zoo, but also about how zoos across the country have evolved. You’ll discover what it takes to be a zookeeper, as well as how medical and conservation sciences have become a key part of Lansing’s zoo. Along the way, you’ll meet friends like Herman the white-furred Mexican burro, who teases his keepers and zoo guests relentlessly, and Bingo, the bouncy baby elephant who captures the hearts of Lansing’s children and adults. You’ll also get to know the zoo staff and volunteers who have given their time, money, and hearts to Potter Park Zoo. Little Zoo by the Red Cedar is a story of the joys of meeting new friends and the pain of saying good-bye. It is a tale of the heartaches and triumphs of working together to save wildlife!

Order a piece of Michigan history today! http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/LittleZooByTheRedCedar.html

To watch a video from the author: Click Here

NEW!
"A Slaying in the Suburbs" Now in Bookstores

A new book about one of Michigan’s most infamous murders is now on sale.
Steve Miller and Andrea Billups, who reported the original story on the Tara Grant murder for People magazine, are the
authors of "A Slaying in the Suburbs: The Tara Grant Murder"
The book includes details the Macomb County slaying and trial that transfixed the state for months.
The book features interviews with the ex-boyfriend Tara was alleged to have had an affairwith as well as material Tara’s journal and notes from shortly before her murder
The in-depth reporting covers the early lives of Tara and Steve, from their meeting at Michigan State University to his impulsive act sent him to prison for the rest of his life. The book contains a jailhouse interview with Steven Grant, and interview that the authors talk about in their candid chat with MIentertainment's Jim Fordyce.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THAT INTERVIEW

But Didn't We Have Fun?
Peter Morris

The amazing stories of the first generation of baseball players come alive in But Didn't We Have Fun?: An Informal History of Baseball's Pioneer Era, 1843-1870. You'll learn about the many obstacles that baseball's pioneers had to overcome as they carved enough land out of the wilderness to indulge in a child's game. You'll share their joys as a new game takes shape and their sorrows when it is threatened by the coming of professionalism. Most of all, you'll gain a deeper appreciation of why baseball matters so much to Americans. Peter Morris is a Haslett resident and a distinguished baseball historian, who has written five award-winning books about the history of baseball.

Read more about the author and his other baseball history books by visiting www.petermorrisbooks.com!

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Christian Fiction

My Glass Heart Can't Be Broken
by Molly G. Shane

Cedrine Linstor thought there was no surviving a lost love until it happened to her. Her father's stroke had taken him away from her forever, and her mother had to work extra hours, leaving little time to spend with her. The only ones she could turn to were her childhood friends, Isaiah and Greg. Isaiah's disability was shortly recognized by his teacher. His parents made the difficult decision to send him to a boarding school hours away, where there was a specialized instructor available....

Greg Merisotti worked at the horse ranch where Cedrine and Isaiah kept their mares, until a seminary graduate asked Greg to watch over his church. Greg had an epiphany there, which he shared with the young priest. The priest requested he attend a mission and look for God's signs to help figure out his future. Meanwhile, Cedrine had no one in her life, until she began receiving anonymous love letters. At first, this gave her hope, but as the letters kept coming, with each clue leading nowhere, she wanted to give up her search. But then, she got an astounding idea!

Read more about this book and place an order!

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Mainstream Non Fiction

Secrets and Shadows
by L. Miller-Perdue

"How Safe Are Your Children"?
2008- Michigan - Just when you thought you've done everything right to insure the safekeeping of your child(ren) comes a new book that explores the minds of pedophiles and how they target children. -"Secrets And Shadows" - Living with Pedophiles (1438229178), Trade paperback, 300 pp, 5½ x 8½, $16.99)

After learning of her own son's attack by a Pedophile, Lynda Miller became a cop, investigating child molestation cases and diving into the minds of their twisted abusers.

After endless cases and a long divorce, she had no idea that when she re-married she would again, fight for the very thing she held dearest, her daughters.
Lynda Miller-Perdue offers an inside, true crime look, into the minds of these deadly child predators and gives parents an understanding to the why's and how's, child- sexual abuse takes place. "Secrets and Shadows-Living with Pedophiles"" details real police cases including the riveting case that sent her own husband to prison.
"By telling my own story and the cases I've handled in Law Enforcement, my hope is that readers will gain an in-depth understanding into how vulnerable our children really are and how to be a more involved parent in the prevention of sexual abuse."
For more information about "Secrets And Shadows-Living With Pedophiles", book purchasing or to schedule an interview, please contact Lynda Miller at www.lmillerperdue.com

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Popular Nonfiction

Porn & Pong

Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Mature Games Changed Modern Pop Cultureexplores the $20 billion video game industry and how it traces our evolution in sexual mores, technological dependence and personal interaction. There have been other pop culture books on video games, but they write about the dynamic medium as a subculture or as a separate entity. After reading Porn & Pong,readers will be hard pressed not to see the connection between movies, music, sex and technology, and this ever-growing, multibillion dollar industry. Fans of pop culture, technology and modern sexual history will be addicted from page one. Author and regular CNN tech correspondent Scott Steinberg calls it “A stimulating look at two of today’s most controversial subjects… Sure to amaze and titillate anyone who’s ever hoisted a videogame controller.”

Author Damon Brown covers sex, music and technology with much aplomb, but he is first and foremost a pop culturist. A Northwestern grad, he is a feature writer for Playboy, SPIN, the New York Post, Inc., AARP The Magazine and Family Circle. Damon also writes several columns, including the weekly Inspector Gadget series for PlanetOut, the largest gay and lesbian website.

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Sci-Fi and Fantasy

The Magic of Eyri

Magic swords! Bounty hunters! Giant monsters! Talking animals! Pirates! You'll find all this and more in the zany fantasy world of Eyri (pronounced AIR-EE). Join Steve, a suburban teenager from Michigan, and his Uncle Shameless as they partake on a wacky adventure that combines the fairy tale charm of "The Wizard of Oz" and the ridiculous humor of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

The Magic of Eyri is the first of what Daniel J. Hogan hopes to be a series of "Fantasy-Comedy-Adventure" stories. Its humorous blend of bad jokes, worse puns, social satire and fantasy-novel staples (talking animals, walking, magic, looking for magical items, and more walking) will delight readers looking for a different, yet quirky, type of adventure story.

Read more about The Magic of Eyri by visiting http://magicofeyri.com/story.html.

Meet Daniel Hogan at the Delta Township District Library, October 27, 6:30PM. Hogan says, "I'll be talking about novel writing Month (writing 50,000 words in 30 days). Then every Monday in November starting at 630 I'll be at the library hosting 'write-in's and helping people with the process. it'll be fun and I'm taking part it in myself this year."

The Steel of Enadia

MIEntertainment.biz's own Kevin Hile is also the author of the fantasy novel The Steel of Enadia. Visit the world of Kyrland, where a young wizard's apprentice named Jann has dared to defy the laws of the wizarding elite by accessing the power of the First Eye. Imprisoned for his crime, Jann manages to escape and soon learns that he is part of a prophecy in which he is destined to find the long-missing Second Eye, a mysterious sister to the First Eye that has the power to save or destroy the world. There is another who desires the Second Eye, however, an evil mage named Maldolen. With the help of a witch and a strange creature that is part wolf, part bat, and part rabbit, Jann resolves to find the Second Eye before Maldolen and seek his true destiny.

The Steel of Enadia is available at Double Dragon e-Books in print and electronic format.

Jim C. Hines's Goblin Series

If you think it's hard being a hobgoblin or a human, try living a goblin's life for a while. In fact, try imagining what it's like to be the runtiest goblin in the caves, the lone worshiper of a god who's been forgotten for thousands of years, and the target everyone points to at the first hint of trouble. Try picturing yourself as Jig the goblin, and see how you like it. . . .

From a review by Monsters and Critics, "I couldn't begin to list all the passages which made me laugh so hard I had to put the book down and catch my breath. . . . But while the trademark of Hines' entire series is his offbeat humor, he also showcases his true strength as a writer by never letting his readers stop caring for Jig."

The goblin books by local author Jim C. Hines are fun for all ages. Fantasy fans will never look at monsters the same way again.

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Children's Fiction

The Secret Zoo

The secret is out on the first volume in a new children's fantasy series, The Secret Zoo (Second Wish Press, $5.99 paperback). Something extraordinary is happening at the Clarksville City Zoo, but only nine-year-old Megan Nowicki knows it. Megan lives in the neighborhood right beside the zoo. Late one night from her tree fort, she spots monkeys hurdling the zoo walls, landing on rooftops and lunging from house to house, as if searching for something. A few weeks later, Megan disappears.

Her brother, Noah, and their best friends, Ella and Richie, discover clues that link the zoo with her disappearance. Before long, the three Adventure Scouts find themselves in the thick of a great mystery. To solve it and rescue Megan, they must sneak into the zoo and delve into the unknown world of the animals. The children come to know that the zoo is protecting a great secret--a secret that must never be uncovered by the sinister Shadow Man.

ForeWord Magazine says, "Chick's characters and animals spring to life with beautiful imagery, and leave readers anxiously awaiting the sequel."

The Secret Zoo, released in October, is the first book of a seven book series by author Bryan Chick, and is available at bookstores nationwide. Visit www.TheSecretZoo.com to learn more!

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