Though we have previously congratulated Michael Hingson and Susy Flory on their bestseller, THUNDER DOG (Thomas Nelson), today we want to honor Roselle, the now famous guide dog who led her owner, Michael, to safety on September 11, 2001.
This past Saturday, Roselle was named the American Humane Association Hero Dog of 2011 at a celebrity-filled ceremony in Los Angeles, California. In the midst of the celebration, a surprise one-million dollar gift was made to the AHA by philanthropist Lois Pope! And though Roselle passed away earlier this summer, her incredible story will always be remembered. Her owner, Michael, was present for the ceremony. For the full story, please see this link: http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/dog-who-saved-owners-life.html
The awards ceremony will be broadcast on the Hallmark channel on November 11.
The 2011 ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference took place this past week in St. Louis, Missouri. At the 10th annual Gala and Awards Banquet, the winners of the 2011 Carol Awards were proudly announced. The Carol Awards evolved from ACFW’s Book of the Year Awards to honor the highest achievement for published authors of Christian fiction.
Congratulations to Gina Holmes and Irene Hannon, two winners of ACFW 2011 Carol Awards and MacGregor Literary authors!
Irene Hannon's A Father for Zach (Love Inspired) won in the Short Contemporary category.
Gina Holmes' Crossing Oceans (Tyndale) won the Debut Author award.
It is also our pleasure to continue to cheer for Michael Hingson and Susy Flory as their book Thunder Dog (Thomas Nelson) enjoys another week on the bestseller list!
Spending it's SEVENTH consecutive week on the New York Times' Bestseller List, Thunder Dog is enjoying incredible publicity in every facet of media: radio interviews, television news interviews, national newspapers, numerous magazines like PEOPLE and the Washington Post, and many internet blogs. Congratulations, Michael and Susy! Here are the current stats for this inspiring story:
For the New York Times Bestsellers List the week of October 2nd:
Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson is ranked NUMBER ONE for E-Book Nonfiction sales. Congratulations to Michael and also to the Publisher, Thomas Nelson. If you haven't checked out this book, please do. You'll be inspired by Michael's incredible story. Other stats from the NYT list:
The Amish Nanny (Harvest House Publishers) ranked #8 on the ECPA Bestseller Fiction list for September! Congratulations to Mindy Starns-Clark and Leslie Gould.
Love Finds You in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (Guideposts) is #15 in fiction on the ECPA Bestseller list for September! Way to go, Annalisa Daughety.
Thunder Dog (Thomas Nelson) by Michael Hingson is enjoying another week on the New York Times' Best Sellers' list:
It's always a pleasure to see one of our authors receive international attention for their work:
Dean Nelson, whose forthcoming book Quantum Leap: How John Polkinghorne Found God in Science and Religion (Lion UK, September 1, 2011) received a half-page spread in USA Today's August 29th edition. Read all about it in the online version:
Dean Nelson runs the journalism program at Point Loma University, and co-authored this book with Karl Giberson. The subject of the book is John Polkinghorne, a British physicist who was an ardent atheist, then came to see that God must exist. Polkinghorne has often been in the news and even debated Christopher Hitchens on national media.
Congratulations to Mike Hingson, whose Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero (Thomas Nelson) is #33 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list after a release date of August 2nd.
Also on the New York Times bestseller list this past week, within the E-book Nonfiction category at #31: Growing Up Amish: A Memoir, by Ira Wagler (Tyndale). Great news!
And kudos to Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould! The Amish Nanny (Harvest House) is number 13 on the ECPA Fiction Bestseller list for August 2011.
Allison Strobel's forthcoming Composing Amelia (David C. Cook) was given 4.5 out of 5 possible stars and named a "Top Pick" by Romantic Times, which says: "Strobel's gift for characterization allows the reader to become an intimate part of the story. She takes on difficult subjects like mental illness and questioning one's faith, and makes them accessible and understandable. This novel is a true gem." The book will release in early September, 2011.
As always, it's a pleasure to work with the authors we represent. Keep the good news coming!
The July 2, 2011, issue of WORLD Magazine will carry the following article by Susan Olasky, "Getting Better: Six new novels show how Christian fiction has matured in recent years".
Two of MacGregor Literary's authors, Elizabeth Musser and Ann Tatlock, were featured in this article. Congratulations, ladies! See below for excerpts from the article:
"In Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock (Bethany House), 11-year-old Roz remembers her father's drunken rages but dreams that he'll keep his promise to change and be able to return to his family. When she sees him lurking around the new town to which they've fled, she's afraid to tell her mother or brother, or even Tillie, the eccentric old woman who moved in with them. She confides only in her friend Mara, who has father dreams of her own. Tatlock's sensitive family story captures Roz's longing for her world to be set right and shows the unexpected way in which that hope becomes true."
"The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser (Bethany House) centers on two teenage girls from different backgrounds who become friends in Atlanta during the Great Depression. Their lives intersect when Dobbs, a strange girl from Chicago whose father is a revival preacher, comes to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle. When Perri's banker father commits suicide, Dobbs knows instinctively how to comfort her. She regales her friends at their exclusive girls school with stories of the things she's seen at her father's revival meetings, and they respond. Meanwhile her own faith is tested. Musser's endearing coming-of-age story shows how God does provide, although not always in the ways we want or expect."
Great job! For the rest of the article, see here: http://www.worldmag.com/articles/18221
Recently our writing family lost a dear member. We wish to honor Stephen Bly by reposting his life story here. Our condolences to Janet and the rest of the Bly family. May God uphold you and sustain you in the days ahead; our prayers are with you.
STEPHEN BLY OBITUARY
Taken from the Lewiston Tribune, Lewiston, Idaho
Stephen Arthur Bly, 66, of Winchester, Idaho, passed away June 9, 2011, at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, after a five year battle with prostate cancer.
Steve was born August 17, 1944, to Arthur Worthington Bly and Alice Wilson Bly, at Visalia, California. He had one sibling, sister Judith Bly Walston who lives at the family homestead in Ivanhoe, California. He was raised on the family farm in Ivanhoe and worked for many years with both his father and for a time with his uncle M. J. ‘Buster’ Allen of Allen Farms in Coalinga, California.
He met his wife, Janet Chester, at Redwood High School, Visalia, California, both in Class of 1962. They married June 14, 1963, and raised three sons, Russell Stuart, Michael Stephen and Aaron Timothy.
He graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University. He left farming to pursue a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and was ordained in the UPCUSA Presbyterian Church. He served as pastor of Woodlake (CA) Presbyterian Church, Fillmore (CA) Bible Church and more than twenty years at Winchester (ID) Community Church.
During his college years he helped run a political campaign for Assemblyman Gordon Duffy of Kings and Tulare Counties in California and served as his Administrative Assistant at the Sacramento capitol. In more recent years he was councilman for several terms for Winchester city and served as its mayor (1999 to 2007).
Steve authored and co-authored with his wife, Janet, numerous articles, short stories and cowboy poetry, plus more than 100 nonfiction and both contemporary and historical fiction for adults, teens and kids (8 to 17 years). Many of his novels have been recorded in audio form, as well as translated into languages such as Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Portuguese. In May his most recent historical western was released, Throw The Devil Off The Train. He was a winner and finalist for the prestigious Christy Award for Christian Western Novels, for his books The Long Trail Home, Last of the Texas Camp, The Outlaw’s Twin Sister and Picture Rock. A few days before his passing, he was dictating scenes for Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot. His wife and sons hope to finish this book for him, for 2012 release. He has received national positive reviews for his books, including in Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly. Little Jimmy Dickens of the Grand Ole Opry once wrote Steve a personal note: “Your book (One Step Over The Border) is as good or better than Louis L’Amour’s.” He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. A complete list of his books can be found online at Wikipedia.com.
Steve (many times with his wife, Janet) traveled all over the United States and parts of Canada to speak at couples and family conferences, men’s retreats and workshops at writers conferences, as well as for Young Writers Institute. In the 1990s he participated in Family Living Conferences sponsored by Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, in churches across the country with authors such as Gary Chapman, Kevin Leman, Ross Campbell, Harold Sala, Craig Massey, Mel Johnson, Greg Speck and Gary Ezzo. He and his wife have mentored many students for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.
His hobbies included playing golf and he was an avid collector of antique Winchesters with his partner, Jim Grueter, of Winchester. He and Jim wrote regular articles for The Big Show Journal, a magazine for gun collectors. A popular tourist and fan site has been the false front town he built at his Winchester home called Broken Arrow Crossing, named after his first Stuart Brannon novel, Hard Winter At Broken Crossing.
He is survived by his wife, Janet, of Winchester; son Russ Bly and wife Lois, of Lewiston; son Mike Bly and wife Michelle of Lewiston; son Aaron Bly and wife Rina of Lewiston; grandchildren Zachary Bly, Miranda Ross and husband Chris Ross, Keaton Bly, Deckard Bly, all of Lewiston; great-granddaughter, Alayah Ross of Lewiston; sister Judy Walston and husband Bill of Ivanhoe, California; nephew Stephen Walston and wife Natalie of Eureka, California; niece Stella Walston and nephew Porter Walston of Eureka, California; as well as numerous other nieces and nephews, cousins, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.
Graveside service will be Wednesday, June 15, 10:00 a.m., at Lewis Clark Memorial Gardens next to Mountain View Funeral Home in Lewiston. A Memorial and Celebration of Life Service will be held that same day, 3:00 p.m., at Winchester Community Church, corner of McBeth & Algoma Streets. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Winchester Community Church, c/o Brad Ailor, P. O. Box 422, Winchester, Idaho, 83555 or to a cancer research foundation of your choice.
We are consistently impressed by the talents of our authors. Here is our most recent news:
Congratulations to Meg Moseley, author of WHEN SPARROWS FALL: A NOVEL (Multnomah, May 2011)! Recently, Meg was featured in an article by the Religion New Service that was also carried in the Huffington Post's religion blog: <http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/tag/meg-moseley/>.
Jay Payleitner's cover for 52 THINGS KIDS NEED FROM A DAD (Harvest House) earned the "2010 Best Cover from a Mid Sized Publisher." Kudos!
Jennifer AlLee's Abingdon Press title THE PASTOR’S WIFE was recently the top free Kindle download! Congratulations!
And a shout-out to five MacGregor Literary authors whose books are finalists for RWA’s Faith, Hope, and Love Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards for 2011 in the following categories:
Women's Fiction
CHASING LILACS by Carla Stewart (FaithWords)
Long Contemporary
CROSSING OCEANS by Gina Holmes (Tyndale) LOVE FINDS YOU IN SUGARCREEK, OHIO by Serena Miller (Summerside)
Romantic Suspense
FORGET ME NOT by Vicki Hinze (Waterbrook)
Novella
ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS EVE by Anita Higman (Summerside)
