Lori Ericson, author of A Lovely Murder and A Lovely County, is a finalist for a Maggie Award, a nationally recognized annual contest for romance books sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers. Under the working title Love Six-Foot Deep, Ericson's manuscript is one of five finalists in the pre-published contemporary romance category. The 2024 Maggie Awards are to be announced at the Moonlight & Magnolias Conference this fall.



David L. Harrison has been busy. His collaboration with Tim Rasinski and Lynne Kulich, The Fluency Development Lesson, Closing the Reading Gap was released by Benchmark in June. He spoke as Missouri Poet Laureate (paired with Kansas Poet Laureate Traci Brimhall) at the Central Library in Kansas City in an interview program called The Stare of Poetry. The event was recorded: https://www.youtube.com/live/OMhwCAjkD74. He gave a reading at The Writers Place in Kansas City in August. His reading partner was William Trowbridge, Missouri Poet Laureate, 2012-2016.

Veda Boyd Jones explores the kindness and vindictiveness of small town life in 1954 in her mainstream historical novel, Corner of Pearl & Moffet, now available on Kindle at Amazon.

Mary-Lane Kamberg has three poems in Of Our Own Accord from Flying Ketchup Press, now available in paperback at Amazon, and her poem "The Leaving" will appear in the fall issue of The Write Bridge.
Her personal essay "Secret Santa" will appear in the fall issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader.

Billie Holladay Skelley has a story, representing Kentucky, in The Haunted States of America, a middle-grade anthology of scary stories, released on July 9, 2024—by Godwin Books-Henry Holt/Macmillan Publishers. This book was illustrated by Solomon Hughes and features 52 frightful stories from 52 different authors—one for each U.S. state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Available in Kindle, hardcover, and paperback at Amazon. She also has a story in the upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, Angels and Messages from Heaven, which goes on sale at retailers September 17th. The captivating stories in this inspirational book are testaments to the miraculous moments that enhance and enrich our lives. Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Soup-Soul-Miracles-Messages/dp/1611591163/.