Tribute Books | Press 2007

The Citizens Voice, December 24, 2007

Student Author
by Brian Jarvis

To get an idea of Diya Das' relationship with the written word, consider she read the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in fifth grade - and has since reread the series a half-dozen times.

Yet she claims to be a "slow reader."

"My dad used to take me to the library every weekend and I would carry off everything I could. I reached my book limit at one point," Das recalled. "But I never saw the movies for 'Lord of the Rings' because they seemed boring by comparison. I watched one for a few minutes at a party but kept waiting for things to happen."

Having skipped eighth grade to reach her senior year at Wyoming Seminary by age 16, Das, who edits the school newspaper, The Opinator, recently tackled the biggest story of her burgeoning career: her own.

Described as one-third history, one-third fiction and one-third autobiography, Das managed to turn a classroom assignment into a 92-page tome: "The Evolution of An Identity: Indian American Immigrants from the Early 20th Century to the Present."

"I never thought I could do it. I saw it as a (school) history project," Das said. "But it's very real; I never intended to make it so real. I didn't want to fabricate my life. Much of it was my own experience and most of the opinions are my own."

Through her protagonist, a young girl who uncovers the American roots of her Indian family tree, Das explores the immigrant journey from the Indian subcontinent to American soil, nicknamed the "turbaned tide."

Das, naturally, was the last to expect her work to be published by Tribute Books, much less convince her to host two book signings in October: the first at Borders in the Viewmont Mall in Scranton, followed by Barnes & Noble on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. Copies are also available at Amazon.com.

"It's weird signing books. I wasn't expecting so many people and never knew what to say. I didn't want it to be like signing a yearbook with a text message," said Das, who has also published a book of poetry titled, "In Mind."

Born in New Delhi, Das lived in Saskatchewan, Canada, as well as Allentown and Bethlehem, before her parents moved to Luzerne County, where her mother teaches finance at Wilkes University.

"I didn't grow up the same way as my classmates. I've met some people who have never moved in their life," said Das. "And there is no one Indian-American experience, even though everyone tries to group us together. My family isn't as traditional as other Indian families. I usually eat Indian food for dinner but have an American breakfast, like oatmeal and a banana. I've always felt like I'm my own being."

Standing a proud 4 feet 7 inches tall, Das has already racked up a resume that belies her small stature: 2008 National Merit Semi-finalist, Governor's School for the Sciences, Luzerne County Diversity Task Force, United Way Youth Allocations Committee, Lehigh Valley Bengali Association, Indo-American Association of Northeast Pennsylvania and Cum Laude, the honor society for independent schools. She also enjoys figure skating, chorale, violin and piano.

"Putting me in a car at this point is not a good idea when I can barely see over it," Das said with a laugh. "It's a goal to grow a bit taller because it's weird looking up at people, but it's probably weird looking down at people also."

If you're expecting Das to crank out a sequel in the near future, however, the undersized inkslinger has some advice: relax.

"I'm a senior in high school with so much else to do," Das said. "My friends and I have so much else to talk about."

The Scranton Times-Tribune, December 22, 2007

Local author will attempt to reach national audience
by Charles Schillinger

The local author of "With God There is Hope" has sold about 250 copies in stores locally, and now is seeking a national publicist to take her message to a broader audience.

At her first book signing a couple of months ago, Peckville resident Helen Silvestri, who wrote the work under the pen name Ellen Chaksil, was welcomed by a crowd that quickly bought out the limited number available at Borders in Dickson City.

A second signing was set up at Borders, and third at Barnes & Nobles in Wilkes-Barre, both of which also did well, said Mrs. Silvestri.

"I felt very happy," she said about the turnout. "The message about a hope for humanity is something we so desperately need today."

The book details Mrs. Silvestri's life and her quest to spread the message about the power of prayer and her own messages received from God. Mrs. Silvestri said she started receiving messages from God in 1978, when from her consciousness she heard: "When they are threatened with the loss of all this, only then will they turn to Me."

In 1996, she received confirmation that Pope John Paul II had read her letter detailing the prophecy. And just last month, Mrs. Silvestri noted that Pope Benedict XVI named his second Encyclical "In Hope We are Saved," a treatise on the need to put faith and hope in God.

Her publicist, Nicole Langan, of Tribute Books in Eynon, said interest in the book is being driven by whom the author is.

"I think the sales of Helen's book are directly related to her active involvement in its promotion," Ms. Langan said. "Helen is a leader of the local Catholic Charismatic movement and is a member of the National Council of Catholic Women.

"Through word of mouth, many of these Catholics attended the book signings because they know Helen."

Mrs. Silvestri said she wanted to share the message with people, but she decided to use a pen name because her message "sounds ambitious" to many and partly because she felt "unworthy."

"Much of the content that I put forth in the book I felt is beyond me - it just left me with a feeling of unworthiness," she said, adding she is now happy she decided to write the book.

"Just reading it, I know now this was right. I did the right thing."

The Scranton Times-Tribune, December 9, 2007

Around The Towns
Hamlin/Lake Ariel

Annie Earley, of Lake Ariel, will be signing copies of her book, "What Was I Thinking?! How Not To Date," Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. at Anthology, 515 Center St., Scranton, and Feb. 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers in Wilkes-Barre.

Ms. Earley has a master's degree in education. She retired in 2003 after 29 years of teaching. She started a small business in stained glass and plays guitar in a band that performs on the Northeastern Pennsylvania bar/restaurant scene and occasionally at summer festivals and get-togethers.

"Writing this book became an obsession with me. I want you to think, feel, eat, sleep and live the dating experiences I had over the course of a year," she's quoted as saying on the book cover, adding, "As you meet Sponge Tom, "Skip-To-My-Lou" Stew and Lame Joke Jim, I hope you recognize my determination to maintain my self-respect and high standards in a relationship as well as the ability to find humor in any situation. The men I dated are all nice enough guys, I just took the opportunity to make light of their idiosyncrasies and things that happened in my relationships with them. With the help of my "advisory committee," I learned that physical appearance goes hand in hand with what's inside."

"What Was I Thinking?! How Not To Date," was published by Tribute Books, of Eynon.

The Weekender, December 5, 2007

Rising's book of rants
by Don McGlynn

Jim Rising is a man who likes to voice his opinion, and when he does, people listen. For the last three years, Rising has been writing a humorous weekly column of rants for the Weekender.

The rants cover a wide range of topics from road rage to flea markets, from everyday things to the absurd things that come with living in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

"I wanted to do something that draws the readers back into NEPA, and it seemed to me the best way to do that would be for me, someone who's lived in the area since 1980, to talk about the things that are great and the things that are crazy about living here," explained Rising.

The rants have become a popular feature for the paper, and for a while Rising even brought them to radio. But now, Rising has decided it's time to bring these musings to an even larger audience and has selected 150 of his pieces for a book titled "But Then Again I Could Be Wrong: The Book of Rants."

"I always wanted to write a book, and this opportunity arose, so I just picked a few of them," Rising said. "I really didn't select any special ones or put them in any kind of particular order."

"The only thing I tried to do is put in a piece from every time period. Through the years, I don't know if I got better or worse, but the rants definitely changed in style, so I tried to include a piece from each time period."

The book, which was released just two weeks ago, has already earned five stars from customer reviews on Amazon.com, and if that's not enough to get you to buy the book, Rising is giving you another.

"There's a $20 bill in a few of the copies, so people should buy as many as they can," joked Rising.

Seriously, Rising is donating all the profits from the book to the Hoyt Library in Kingston. Last winter, during the February snowstorm, the library's roof was blown off, and they still have not yet been able to repair it.

"That's why I put the book together," Rising said. "I don't have any dreams of becoming the next great American novelist, I just thought it would be great if we could raise some money for the library."

"So, I talked to [former Weekender editor and current Weekender music columnist] Alan K. Stout, who got me together with Nicole Langan (owner of Tribute Books), who was the publisher, editor and chief on this whole thing, and she couldn't have been more cooperative. Especially for me, being a total babe in the woods with this whole thing, she was great, and gave us a great deal, because of the cause, and she made it really easy."

So easy, in fact, that Rising is already starting to think about what his follow-up might be.

"I would like to write another book, not another collection of rants, but a novel," he said. "They say everyone has one novel inside them, and, in most cases, it should stay in there, but I'm going to try and let mine out."

For a preview of Rising's current book, the first 10 pages of "But Then Again I Could Be Wrong: The Book of Rants," are available on Tribute Books' web site, www.tribute-books.com.

If you like what you see, this month you'll have the chance to buy the book and meet the author, as he has scheduled four local appearances this month.

And, anyone interested in helping, can send a donation directly to the Hoyt Library at 284 Wyoming Ave., Kingston, PA, 18704.

Go:

What: Jim Rising book signings
Where: Tudor Bookshop,
651 Wyoming Ave., Kingston
When: Dec. 9, 1 p.m.
Where: Barnes & Noble,
421 Arena Hub Plaza,
Wilkes-Barre Twp.
When: Dec. 15, 2-4 p.m.
Where: Anthology Books,
515 Center St., Scranton
When: Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Borders
100 Viewmont Mall
When: Jan. 19, 2-4 p.m.
Info: Tribute Books, 570.876.2416

Milford Magazine, December 2007

Writers' Wellspring: Local Authors Put Pen To Paper
by Benjamin Dorrough

Excerpt:
Alyssa Amori will soon release her book of photographs titled Scranton: The Electric City and Alan Sweeney joins the pictorial history crowd with Journey Along: The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.

Scranton Times-Tribune, November 24, 2007

Namedropper
Signing Hope
by Terry Bonifanti

Anita and Frances La Russa and Julia Macciocco were the first ones in line when Helen Silvestri signed copies of her book, "With God There Is Hope" Hope For Humanity," at Borders at Viewmont Mall.

Helen, whose pen name is Ellen Chaksil, is known for her activism in Catholic women's organizations in the Diocese of Scranton. She served a two-year term as director of the Philadelphia Province of the National Council of Catholic Women, which includes the dioceses of Scranton, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, N.Y.

Helen, of Peckville, is a Catholic Charismatic. She views her book "as an instrument to educate people on the power of prayer," according to her publisher, Tribute Books of Eynon.

Dynasplint Company, November 2007 Newsletter

Getting To Know Your SSR Department

Sonya Tupone Lloyd has been an employee at Dynasplint Systems since June 2004. This past year, Sonya married Douglas Lloyd on a seven day cruise in the Caribbean on Dec 24, 2006.

She loves to write and has published a book of 40 poems entitled Call Me Sonya Grey, Besides taking care of her two beloved animals, Bailey her Australian cattle dog and Odie her 17 pound cat, she enjoys walking on the treadmill, traveling, shopping, talking on the phone and visiting family in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.

Historic Rail, Holiday 2007 Catalog

Alan Sweeney's Journey Along
featured on front cover

Susquehanna Life, Winter 2007

By The Book

Journey Along the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, by Alan Sweeney, Tribute Books, $19.95

Postcard images capture the transformation of the Pocono Mountains from secluded wilderness to vacation destination. With the arrival of the railroad, numerous stations throughout the Pocono region served those temporarily fleeing the confines of city life. A multitude of boarding homes, hotels, inns and resorts provided travelers with a wide variety of accommodations and activities. The over 200 images illustrate how the area's tourism industry developed.

Sweeney is president of the Lackawanna Historical Society and chairman of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority.

Times Leader, October 28, 2007

Of words and worlds
by Rebecca Bria

Not many people are able to say they will have graduated from high school and published two books by the age of 16. But Diya Das can.

Das of Wilkes-Barre is a senior at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston. And she's already published "The Evolution of Identity" and "In Mind: A Collection of Poetry."

Das, the daughter of doctors Ratan and Nandita Das, was born in New Delhi, India, and immigrated to Canada at the age of 1 after her father was accepted into the University of Saskatchewan. Das' father took a career path to Florida and then Pennsylvania. After she finished seventh grade, Diya Das moved with her parents to the Wyoming Valley. The young woman was able to enroll in Wyoming Seminary in the ninth grade.

Das' first book, "The Evolution of an Identity," is based on a project she completed for her Seminar in American Studies class, which she took as a junior. With only a few minor revisions, the book is the exact project she handed in for the class. It took Das from December of 2006 to April of 2007 to write. "It was really hard to start writing," she said. Das had about six drafts and kept re-organizing. She also included three separate sections so she would not feel overwhelmed while writing.

Das ended up rewriting her sections many times.

"I'm not quite sure how I did it yet at the end," Das said.

The book is a work of historical fiction that presents the stories of three immigrants from India who make lives for themselves in the United States while trying to maintain their Indian background. Characters in the story look at Indian immigration in the United States from the early 20th century to the present day.

Das focused on three periods of Indian movement to the United States: the Sikhs, the first sizeable group of Indians who immigrated to the United States in San Francisco; the second largest movement of Indian immigration to Chicago during the Cold War; and present day where Das explores how she fits into the Indian community. Das says "Born Confused," a book about an Indian-American teenage girl who feels not Indian enough for the Indians and not American enough for the Americans, helped her write her own book and figure out how she would present her information.

"I was trying to figure out who I was," Das said. "I've kind of figured out I'm not Indian, not American, but Indian-American." She later added, "I'd like people to realize there is no one definition of Indian-American. There's so many ways to be American and Indian."

"In Mind: A Collection of Poetry" is Das' second book, which contains poems she wrote over the last six years. Das has been writing poetry since elementary school and her parents encouraged her to publish them. She refers to "In Mind" as her "poem journal" because many of the poems are reactions to her day. Das says she calls the book "In Mind" because the poems seem to be a conversation in her mind. "I've thought of poems while brushing my teeth and go write them down," Das said. Often Das thinks of poems and never writes them down.

It does not bother Das that she is younger than most of the other students who are seniors. Das says she has friends of all ages and mingles with people in every grade.

Das' favorite subject is math and her current favorite class is British Literature. Das is also taking a biology class at Wilkes University. (She originally wanted to take Advanced Placement Biology at Wyoming Seminary, but her schedule would not allow it. So, Das signed up for a regular college biology class and laboratory at Wilkes.)

Through "In Mind," Das says she can see how her writing style has changed and progressed over the years. She used to focus primarily on rhyming but now just writes. Das finds some of her older poetry to be humorous. "In Mind" is broken down into sections such as "Daydreams & Nightmares."

Recently, Das had two book signings in the area. On Oct. 6 she was at Borders Bookstore near the Viewmont Mall, and on Oct. 13 Das was at Barnes and Noble Bookstore on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. Published by Tribute Books, both books are available for $9.95 at these bookstores, amazon.com, and tribute-books.com. An Ebook version is also available at tribute-books.com for $4.95.

An active student at Wyoming Seminary, Das is the co-editor in chief of the student newspaper; The Opinator. Das is a member of the Community Service Group and its Executive Committee and organizes the Angel Tree project each year. Additionally, Das performs with the orchestra and chorale, is student leader of the Math Club and participates in local math competitions, and has been nominated for the 2007 Alumni Service Awards. In the summer, Das attended the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences.

In the community, Das has served on the United Way Youth Allocations Committee; the Luzerne County Diversity Task Force, and immigration subcommittee "Community Spirit"; and is a member of the Lehigh Valley Bengali Association and the Indo-American Association of Northeast Pennsylvania.

In her free time, Das likes to figure skate, play the violin and the piano, write poetry and read. Das has also traveled back to India with her parents to visit family. She went once in the second grade and again the summer after her freshman year of high school. Her parents have gone several other times. Das, who is an only child, has seen aunts, uncles, and her numerous cousins while there. In India, Das says great value is placed on extended family.

Das can understand Bengali, one of the 37 dialects in India. Though sometimes accents create a problem for her, it helps both of her parents speak Bengali fluently.

With the end of her high school years quickly approaching, Das is looking into applying to Yale and Stanford universities. Das plans to study math and physics but says she will also take many humanities classes because she likes to read and write. Her favorite categories to read are science fiction and fantasy books.

Das is proud of her books, but she does not want to let them consume her. "After having these published, I'm still a senior in high school," Das said. Das says she has always been more of a reader than a writer, but she may write another book someday. Either way, she says now writing a three- to five-page paper for English class is not so bad.

"After having these published, I'm still a senior in high school."

The Valley Advantage, October 25, 2007

Book Signing

Leah Beth Evans is a seventh-grade student at Valley View Middle School. She has written a book called "A Different Kind of Hero" about a monkey who saves the rainforest. Evans has coordinated with an illustrator to have her book published and has sold her books on Amazon.com and other venues. She will sign copies of her book Saturday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. at Tudor Bookshop, 651 Wyoming Ave., Kingston.

The Weekender, October 24, 2007

Author pays tribute to Scranton
by Don McGlynn

Oprah Winfrey's done a lot of great things over the years: She's given out cars, helped the homeless and inspired one Scranton resident to put together and publish a book.

Local photographer Alyssa Amori has recently published her first book, "Scranton: The Electric City," a collection of photos featuring Scranton's parks, universities, hospitals, sports teams and other sights.

The book is a time capsule in a way, and a real gift for anyone looking to be able to capture their hometown the way they remember. And, in an odd way, those who are enjoying the book have Winfrey to thank.

"It actually started out as a joke," explained Amori. "At the end of last summer, Oprah and her friend Gale took a road trip and stopped off in Danville to get a bite to eat, and I was joking with a friend that it's a shame they didn't get to see Scranton." Amori, who is currently taking classes through the mail at the New York Institute for Photography, knew that if Winfrey couldn't make it to Scranton, then she would send Scranton to her.

"I took a bunch of photos of the city, and with the help of Photoworks, put them together as a hardcover book, and I sent it to Oprah to show her what she missed," Amori said.

Amori never heard if Oprah liked or even got the book, but the process sparked her imagination and made her think that maybe she was onto something.

"I really enjoyed the process, and I knew in my heart that a few of the photos were really good," she said. "So I started taking more photos, and looked into publishing, and was then put into contact with Nicole Langan, who is really responsible for this whole thing."

Langan is the owner of Tribute Books.

"I was immediately impressed with her work," explained Langan, "I feel like she's captured the city in a way that, even if you've lived here all your life, it makes you look at it in a different way, and I think she's made a nice collectible for anyone who has ever lived in the city."

Apparently many agree with Langan, as the book's initial first run pressing has been going over extremely well.

"The response has been overwhelming, people seem to be absolutely crazy in love with it," explained Amori. "The other day I was in the post office, mailing it to a friend, and a woman in line just grabbed it out of my hands and bought it off me, right there.

"I'm thrilled with all of it and am hoping that people will see it as a great gift to give out this Christmas."

Amori has already gotten the ball rolling on making the book this year's gift to give. Since its publication, she has been sending copies out to anyone from the Scranton area who is fighting in the war.

"I heard the story of a solider who was over there fighting, who got to watch the birth of his child on the Internet, and I thought that was nice, but after it he doesn't have a picture to remember it.

"Then I got thinking that a lot of the communication going back and forth is through the Internet. During Vietnam, it was all through the mail, and we would send letters and pictures, and I thought it would be nice for these guys to have that, to be able to show their buddies where they come from and share some stories."

A thoughtful gift that Amori wishes more troops, in other towns, could be lucky enough to get.

"I came up with the idea for the book out of my love for Scranton, but I would love to see Wilkes-Barre or Dunmore or any city do this same thing," she said. "I would be honored if they came to me and asked me to do a similar book for their town."

go:
What: "Scranton: The Electric City" book signing
Who: Author Alyssa Amori
Where: Barnes & Noble (421 Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre Twp.)
Borders (100 Viewmont Mall, Route 6 Scranton/Carbondale Hwy.)
When: Barnes & Noble, Oct. 27, 1-3 p.m.
Borders, Nov. 9, 7-9 p.m.
Info: Barnes & Noble, 570.829.4210
Borders, 570.340.1044,
Tribute Books, 570.876.2416

Scranton Times-Tribune, October 15, 2007

School Notes
Valley View
by Elizabeth Piet

Perseverance paid off for seventh-grader Leah Beth Evans and her family who were able to have a story written by Leah Beth illustrated and published. Leah Beth, 12, wrote "A Different Kind of Hero" as a fourth grader after a lesson about the rain forest. She gave the story to her grandfather who began to work on getting it published. He recently surprised her with the book published by Tribute Books and selling on amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble.

The story is about a monkey named Tomagochi and a problem in the rain forest," Leah Beth said.

"There was a lesson in the story," she said. "He doesn't believe he has anything special about him. The rest you have to read about it."

Electric City, September 20, 2007

Meet Scranton's secret admirer, Alyssa Amori
Up Close & Personal
by Stephanie Sikora

A pictorial book outlining Scranton makes its premiere in local Barnes and Noble and Borders stores this weekend, but this collection of photography is truly a case of more meeting the eye. Author Alyssa Amori has focused on bringing out the city's architecture. She has seen Scranton change and grow over the years and believes it's starting to get the feel of a city. Though she had the chance to speak with some publishers from New York, Mrs. Amori wants to keep the book local. She said it's for anyone who has been raised here and will understand the trolley, the Radisson hotel, the tree house, the Everhart Museum, or the lions and tigers and bears at the Nay Aug Zoo. And, while some do it "for the kids," she's all "for the troops." Now, meet the one-stop photo shop, Alyssa Amori ...

So explain this book.
It's called Scranton: The Electric City because the Electric City sign is on the cover of the book. There are more than 100 photographs of different areas of the city. The book is broken down into sections. All the big things are in there. There are hospitals and a section on parks. So it's just broken down into very specific sections. There's no real wording in it. It's just a photograph and an explanation.

Did you discard a lot of pictures?
Let's see, there are 100 in there. And at this point I have probably taken (more than) 6,000.

Six thousand pictures??
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees have four pages. Just to do Roger Clemens, I took a ton of photographs. Opening night of the Yankees I probably took 700-800. The opening of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Pioneers has two pages - that was a lot as well. You never know what you're going to get. You can't stand there and think about every picture you take. You just start taking pictures. And a lot of times, especially with sports, the action takes care of itself and you have no control over it. So, yeah, I've probably taken about 6,000.

What about photography experience?
None, really. Right now I'm in school at the New York Institute of Photography. Everything is done through the mail. And it's amazing how much I've learned just by reading what they've given us to read and taking the pictures that they've asked us to take. Their critiquing of my work has really made me a better photographer.

How did you come up with the idea for the book?
That started as a joke. One day at work we were talking about Oprah and her girlfriend Gail. During their cross-country trip, they stopped at Danville and grabbed a bite to eat. I said, "she's not even going to come close to being here." We started kidding around and I said maybe I'll send her some of our pictures from the city. So it just escalated from there.

And you did that?
I was trying to figure out how to present these photographs to her. So I went online and there are Web sites where you can take your photographs and make them into a book. They bind it and send you a hard copy. So that's what I did. I gave them 20 pages of pictures, and they made it into a book and sent it to me. I sent that book to Oprah last year. Looking back, the book was horrible. The pictures weren't good; the text wasn't good. I didn't blame her for not getting back to me. It really wasn't good-quality work at all. I sent her a book and a letter saying, "You were close to my city but I wanted to share it with you." And I never heard back from her. So now that I have this book, I will send her a copy.

And who's publishing it?
Tribute Books. The owner of the company is Nicole Langan and it's in Eynon.

How has she worked with you?
I told her that she deserves a medal of honor when this is done. She's been wonderful. She's worked with me, she's understood, she's taken my photographs and put them into a format that I could see online. I looked at the pictures and went through them probably 100 times and decided I didn't like some because at the time when you're taking pictures, you think you're taking the picture. But six months later, you look at it and there are three cars parked in front of the building, so you can't see the building. So I went back and pretty much reshot everything.

When did you start shooting?
The Yankees opened in April. The Pioneers opened in March. So from March until now. And I've taken a lot of new pictures that aren't in the book. Maybe a year or two years from now we'll add more things to the book. A new edition because I didn't have the Italian festival, or the Race for the Cure, and I have those photographs now. I'm just going to keep going out and taking pictures.

What's changed since the old copy?
Everything. This book is done professionally. The photographs are better, the presentation is better, the text is what it is, it's just an explanation of what the photograph is. And like anything else you have to start from the beginning and make your mistakes. You keep making changes and additions and hopefully the copy that the public is going to see is well received. Nicole as my publisher has said that there is absolutely nothing on the market today that's even close to my book. There's nothing available from Scranton.

How did you decide what to photograph?
Well, the decision was to do this in Scranton. So I took a whole bunch of photographs. I have great pictures of the train and the trolley. I e-mailed Nicole asking if she had any other suggestions of places that I could take pictures. She sent me a list of probably 30 different areas.Then we came back from vacation, I looked at the photographs and said I didn't like this one or that one. I went out and retook them.

You're hard on yourself.
Absolutely. I have to be. Because, like I said, this isn't just for my family. This is something that I am hopeful is a positive representation of Scranton. And I'm hoping that maybe schools will use it as advertising to get children or kids or families to move to the city. Or colleges. Or businesses that recruit employees to move to the area. They can use this book as an advertisement for the city. There are family members that used to live here but they've moved away. Maybe that would be a great gift as a reminder of what the city is. And I think that's pretty much where the idea of the soldiers came in.

The soldiers?
One morning I was watching Good Morning America and there was this young man who was in Iraq. He was in a tent and was watching the birth of his child on the computer. And I was thinking that when he got done watching that, and walked away, he had nothing to hold on to. And I remember my family and my friends' families - they would talk about WWII and the letters they would get from their girlfriends or wives at the time. So I was thinking, "well ya know what, I'm doing this book and maybe if I can find our Scranton soldiers, I could send this book to them as a hope." This is your home, this is your family, we love you and miss you and we want you to know that we didn't forget you. So that process has started.

How so?
I put an article in the paper that said if anybody has a loved one stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan, contact me. As of right now I've had 13 families contact me. And we're going to send them the book. I told them want their names because I'm going to write a note in every single book thanking these young men and women for what they're doing. And it's a gift, there's no expense to the family. Everybody that has contacted is just very excited about it. They appreciate it.

The Weekender, September 19, 2007

Remembering the Dodgers
(before they moved to La-La Land)
by Nikki Mascali

Local author John Nordell of Old Forge has released his book, Brooklyn Dodgers: The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957. A fan since 1957, the story centers on a game Nordell saw that year between the Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. "Virtually lost to history was the Dodgers' mid-season surge in the standings during that last year. The memories that I have of Brooklyn's last pennant drive, along with the game that I saw, also gives the book a personal dimension that I think readers will enjoy," Nordell said in a Weekender interview earlier this summer.

Nordell will host a book signing this Saturday, Sept. 22 at Border's Bookstore in Dickson City (Commerce Blvd.). Brooklyn Dodgers: The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957 is available at local bookstores or online through
www.tribute-books.com. For more info on the book visit www.brooklyndodgersbaseball.com.

Electric City, September 13, 2007

Sweeney Signing

Pictured left (courtesy of the Pike County Historical Society), The Dimmick Hotel was built on the corner of Broad and Harford streets in Milford in 1828. Known today as the Dimmick Inn, the popular getaway has changed only slightly and continues to offer "hospitable food and lodging."

Historian and author Alan Sweeney will discuss and sign copies of his latest book Journey Along the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad: A Pictorial History of Pocono Mountain Boarding Homes, Hotels, Inns & Resorts from the Delaware Water Gap to Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania (Tribute Books) at Borders in Dickson City on Saturday at 2 p.m. and at the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.

The Green Ridge resident is president of the Lackawanna Historical Society and chairman of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. Visit www.tribute-books.com for more information.

Milford Magazine, August 2007

Postcard Perfect

Scranton, PA - "My wife said, 'Do something with these postcards or I'm throwing them out.'" Understandable, because Alan Sweeney, a businessman who moonlights as president of the Lackawanna Historical Society, has been collecting postcards for 35 years. So he did something, at least with some of them: He has published a book of postcards depicting the birth of tourism along Poconos railroad lines from the 1880s on. The title is a mouthful - Journey Along the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad: A Pictorial History of Pocono Mountain Boarding Homes, Hotels, Inns and Resorts from the Delaware Water Gap to Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania - but this is a handsome, evocative book. It costs $19.95; visit www.tribute-books.com.

The Valley Advantage, August 31, 2007

People on the Move
by Chris Cornell

Peckville resident Ellen Chaksil, a Catholic charismatic who has promoted the power of prayer for nearly three decades, has written a book in which she shares that message, With God There Is Hope: Hope For Humanity. It was illustrated by Colleen Gedrich, a resident of Throop. Contact Tribute Books, 876-2416, for more information.

Pictured left, Colleen Gedrich

The Citizens Voice, August 28, 2007

Local book chronicles the Brooklyn Dodgers
by Richard Cosgrove

Recently published books, all with local connections, either by subject or author or both, have come across my desk.

One is entitled Brooklyn Dodgers, The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957 by John R. Nordell Jr.

In his book, Nordell tells the story of the Dodgers' mid-season surge in the standings during the last year in Brooklyn. Using research from a variety of sources, Nordell recreates the excitement of following the Dodgers and their National League rivals in the daily drama of a five-team pennant race. He also draws on his own youthful memories of that year and describes the unforgettable thrill of seeing a game at Ebbets Field.

John, well-known in Wyoming Valley, lives in Old Forge with his wife, Marianne. He received a Ph.D. in history from Pennsylvania State University. His first book was The Undetected Enemy: French and American Miscalculations at Dien Bien Phu, 1953.

Scranton Times-Tribune, August 26, 2007

Local author promotes the power of prayer
Read It! Review

A book by a local charismatic Catholic woman calls for people to unite in prayer in the hopes of saving the world from destruction.

With God There Is Hope: Hope For Humanity by Ellen Chaksil, Peckville, chronicles Mrs. Chaksil's personal connection with God and how that connection has helped her through difficult times in her life.

Mrs. Chaksil said the most meaningful message in her book is the call for humanity to unify through prayer.

"My hope is that one day we all can recognize each other as children of God," she said.

Bowhunter Magazine, November 2007 issue

Views & Reviews
by Brian Fortenbaugh, Assistant Editor

Breathtaking Bowhunts is a new book from Bowhunter Contributor Mike Lamade. It contains a collection of bowhunting stories accumulated over Lamade's 40 years of bowhunting.

Join Mike as he stalks a monster bull moose in the Yukon, and tag along as he hunts for a Pope and Young mule deer in blizzard conditions on the plains of Colorado. Whitetail fanatics will love his hunting tales from Kansas, Illinois, and Wyoming. For even more adventure, Mike takes readers to South Africa, where he arrows kudu, gemsbok, and wildebeest. All this and more action-packed stories await readers in a book no serious bowhunter should do without.

You can buy the 149-page book, complete with black-and-white and color photographs, through Tribute Books (570/876-2416, wwww.Tribute-Books.com) or at www.bowhunter.com (click Store link). Cost is $17.95 plus S & H.

Scranton Times-Tribune, August 21, 2007

Hopeful writing
Namedropper by Terry Bonifanti

Ellen Chaksil, a member of a Catholic charismatic prayer group, is sharing messages in a book, With God There Is Hope: Hope For Humanity.

In 1992, she met Pope John Paul II and in 1996, she received official recognition that he had read her letter detailing a prophecy she experienced, Ellen's publisher, Nicole Langan of Tribute Books, writes, adding, "She hopes her book will be an instrument to raise awareness of the power of prayer."

Marywood University Impressions, Summer 2007

Seen & Heard
Featuring new books, music, films, and art exhibits of Marywood Alumni

Call Me Sonya Grey, Sonya Tupone Lloyd '01
(2006,Tribute Books; 1st edition)
Beginning with the loss of her mother at age nine, Sonya began collecting her thoughts in a diary from early childhood through her twenties. In Call Me Sonya Grey, she describes the daily battles of self-image and self-expression that she experienced while growing up, after the passing of one parent and the estrangement of another. The verses written during this time are one woman's exploration of her raw, emotional responses to dramatic life changes. This volume of poetry can be purchased directly from the publisher at www.tribute-books.com, or from Amazon.com.

Scranton Times-Tribune, July 31, 2007

Postcards from the Poconos
by Libby Nelson

At first, Alan Sweeney's postcards were just something cheap to collect - a quarter or two apiece, $5 if the card was really rare.

Now the Lackawanna Historical Society president has turned some of his 35-year-old collection into a book exploring the history of resorts in the Pocono Mountains.

The book, "Journey Along the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad," uses postcards dating from the 1880s through the 1930s to show the development of the region's resort industry.

"I like to do stories that people don't know a lot about," said Mr. Sweeney, who has co-written two other books about local history. "Very few people knew about the resort industry, how big it was at the time in the Poconos. Those are the stories that I like."

When Mr. Sweeney began his collection, he chose postcards from places that meant something to him: Lake George, where his family vacationed; Scranton and Lackawanna County; Moosic Lake, where they had a cottage. He chose Pocono Mountain cards because his first summer job had been at a resort there, he said.

He bought cards from estate sales and flea markets. At one point, he had more than 10,000 cards.

"I've sold of a lot of them because I didn't know what to do with them," Mr. Sweeney said.

He kept the cards from Moosic Lake, which he used for his 2005 book, "Gateway to the Clouds: The Story of a Short Line Railroad, the Scranton, Dunmore, Moosic Lake Railroad - 1902-1926."

He also kept the cards from the Pocono Mountains and, after publishing "Gateway to the Clouds," Mr. Sweeney began considering a use for them as well.

He had begun researching Pocono Mountain resorts in the 1990s, but had never finished. After publishing "Gateway to the Clouds," he began the research again, using local libraries and historical societies.

The result was the story of a century of vacationing in the Pocono Mountains, beginning in the 1840s and continuing up to the beginning of World War II.

"We all heard about these inns, boarding houses and resorts, but we never actually saw the old ones," Mr. Sweeney said.

The book has sold about 400 of its initial 500 copies, he said.

"You don't make money on local books," Mr. Sweeney said. "You have 12 million copies of the Harry Potter book. We sell maybe 1,000 or 1,500."

Mr. Sweeney will be promoting the book through lectures and book signings throughout the region.

Book signings

Aug. 24, 7 to 9 p.m. Barnes & Noble 421 Arena Hub Plaza Wilkes-Barre

Sept. 15, 2 p.m. Borders, 100 Viewmont Mall

Scranton Times-Tribune, July 15, 2007

A glimpse of home

City woman compiles photos of region in book intended for soldiers overseas

by Josh McAuliffe

One morning last year, Alyssa Amori was watching a piece on ABC's "Good Morning America" about a soldier serving in Iraq watching the birth of his child via the Internet.

Heartwarming as the story was, Mrs. Amori still couldn't help but feel a little dismayed by the fact that the man would have nothing physical to hold on to following such a life-altering moment.

This, she assumed, was a dilemma shared by many homesick troops.

"When I was growing up, the World War II soldiers always talked about the letters they had received from their loved ones and that they always carried those letters in their pockets, close to their hearts," said Mrs. Amori, of South Scranton. "It kept them going; they had something tangible that was from home.

"With e-mail, you can print it out and have it, but your loved one didn't touch it."

Eventually, Mrs. Amori had an epiphany of sorts - to take her recently rediscovered love for photography and use it in a way that would benefit the troops.

A few weeks from now, Mrs. Amori's book of local photographs, "Scranton: The Electric City," will be released by Eynon-based publisher, Tribute Books. Mrs. Amori's ultimate hope for the book, which will retail between $19.95 and $24.95 (the final price hasn't been set yet), is to get it into the hands of as many area service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as possible. In her opinion, the book would provide the troops with a much-welcome glimpse of home.

First, though, she needs a little help. At the moment, she's looking for individuals or groups willing to either provide addresses or donations to finance the purchase and mailing of the books.

"You may not agree with the war or the politics, but these guys are over there. If we can do something, we should," Mrs. Amori said. "I just want to be able to thank them and show them what's in store for them when they get back."

Interest started

Mrs. Amori first became interested in photography while living in Redondo Beach, Calif., during the early 1980s, having been inspired in large part by the region's abundant natural beauty. "The ocean views and the sunsets and the piers were just magnificent," she said. "The more I took, the more I saw. It was just wonderful."

Returning to Scranton, she eventually showed off the best of her California work in a show at the Lackawanna County Courthouse. Soon afterward, however, she pushed photography aside in order to focus on raising her daughter and her work as a pharmacy technician at Moses Taylor Hospital.

Then, last fall, her husband, David, bought her a $1,000 Canon XTI. Armed with this nifty new piece of hardware, she set about shooting the most picturesque sites of Northeastern Pennsylvania. In all, she's taken close to 3,000 photos since getting the camera.

"Once I got the digital and went out and saw what it could do ... I haven't been home much," said Mrs. Amori, who is taking courses through the New York Institute of Photography.

"My husband's like, 'Have you lost your mind?'" she added with a laugh.

Among the photos set to be included in the book are: architectural marvels like the Courthouse, the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel and the William J. Nealon Federal Courthouse; the treehouse and wildlife center at Nay Aug Park; scenes from the St. Patrick's Day Parade; and nature shots of Stone Hedge Country Club in all its fall foliage splendor and a black and white Lake Winola in the first stages of winter.

The book's cover shot of downtown Scranton's Electric City sign took about two hours and roughly 50 shots to get right, Mrs. Amori said. As she explained, "There's only a very small window when all (the bulbs) are lit at the same time."

She covered the local sports scene, too, acquiring press passes to shoot the opening-night games of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. She then returned to PNC Field on Memorial Day to take close to 500 pictures of Roger Clemens' highly publicized appearance with the Triple-A farm club. She even got to see the legendary pitcher's postgame press conference temper tantrum.

"It covers the whole map," Tribute Books owner Nicole Langan said of the book. "It's something that's very current and very up to date. It really illustrates what's been going on the last couple of years."

Idea born

Mrs. Amori initially got the idea for the book while watching Oprah Winfrey and her best friend, Gayle King, make a stopover in Danville during their much-ballyhooed cross-country road trip last year. From that, Mrs. Amori decided to send some of her NEPA-themed photos to Ms. Winfrey, then wait to see if she got a response. Before sending the pictures off, she converted them into book form using the Web site photoworks.com.

"I never heard a word from (Oprah)," Mrs. Amori said. "In retrospect, (the book) really wasn't that good. But I wasn't deterred."

After several more revisions, she sent the photos to Tribute Books, which has put out a number of self-published locally themed books during the last couple of years. She worked closely with Ms. Langan to produce a handsome coffee-table book, with the photos printed on glossy paper with a simple black background. Each photo comes with a brief caption.

"I was impressed with Alyssa's very go-to-it spirit," Ms. Langan said. "She's really taking the step to something to help other people. To me, that's what really stuck out."

Plus, Ms. Langan added, "Her work is pretty amazing. I was quite impressed with it."

The end product, Mrs. Amori believes, is something the troops will appreciate until getting the chance to see the real thing again.

"This has to have some memory for them," she said. "It has to bring them back to here. Nobody's going to take these pictures and send them to them."

Meet Alyssa Amori

Residence: South Scranton

Family: She is the wife of David J. Amori Jr. She has a daughter, Kara A. Amori, a stepdaughter, Kristen Gatto, and a stepson, David Amori. She has four grandchildren - Louis Krappa, Amelia Amori, Lauren and Megan Gatto. She also has two dogs, Daisy and Brandy, and a turtle, Jenny. She is the daughter of the late Elma Viola Baron and Dr. Frank Halstead, and has two sisters, Patricia Baron and Bobbie Kalbaugh.

Occupation: Certified pharmacy technician at Moses Taylor Hospital.

Hobbies: Seeing our grandchildren, golf, watching sports (she's an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and Tiger Woods) and taking photographs. Her first book of photos, "Scranton: The Electric City," will be released in the coming weeks by Eynon-based Tribute Books.

Know a soldier?

Those interested in helping Alyssa Amori get her book of photographs, "Scranton: The Electric City," into the hands of area soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan can contact her at 969-6029 or EMAIL.

Times Leader, June 29, 2007

Did he use a pen with Dodger blue ink?
by Pete G. Wilcox

Book author, Jack Nordell, of Old Forge, signs copies of his new book about the Brooklyn Dodgers on Thursday inside the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Wilkes-Barre. The book titled "Brooklyn Dodgers: The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957," details the last season the Dodgers spent in Brookyn before their move to Los Angeles. Nordell uses various sources, including childhood memories to write the 120-page book.

The Weekender, June 20, 2007

Remembering Brooklyn's beloved 'Bums'
by Alison Myers

After first considering the idea of writing a book about his favorite baseball team in 1997, and beginning research in 2005, historian John Nordell's book about the Brooklyn Dodgers' last year in Brooklyn has finally come to life in "Brooklyn Dodgers: The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957."

Nordell, an Old Forge resident whose primary interest is on military and diplomatic history, had been thinking about writing his book for years and originally wanted to write it in 1997, the 40th anniversary of the last Brooklyn season. He first became interested in baseball back in 1956 while watching a game between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees. He began following Brooklyn in the beginning of the 1957 season.

The center of the story surrounds a game Nordell saw at Ebbets Field on July 18, 1957 between the Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The game made such great history that, according to Nordell, the Sporting News later referred to the ninth inning as "the most fantastic inning of the season." Although the main highlight of the book is the Dodgers' memorable year, it also discusses the decision makers and factors involved in deciding to move the franchise to Los Angeles at the end of the season.

"It was a truly amazing game, and seeing it was the most exciting thing I have ever experienced." Nordell wrote in an e-mail. "I was determined that I was not going to let the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' last year in Brooklyn go by without telling this story."

The season also featured some of the all-time best professional baseball players, including Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, and Roy Campanella.

In order to obtain further information for his writing, Nordell used books already written about the Dodgers and then began looking up primary sources in August 2005. He explored microfilms at the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre and the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton. He also traveled to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and the New York Public Library. There, he found a baseball website called Retro Sheet (http://www.retrosheet.org). The idea behind the website is to give box scores, narratives, transactions, and other data from as many Major League Baseball games prior to 1984 as possible.

Nordell already had research materials of his own, including books, magazines and personal memories. The writing of the book was completed in spring 2006, but he worked on researching photographs well into the summer and fall. "Photos add greatly to a book and my book on the Dodgers has 37." Nordell said.

He describes the process of writing a book as "tremendously satisfying." In order to put together such a project, he says one should have an eye for detail, an organized filing system, and a love for the project they are working on. Having a word processing system is a big help as well.

For those interested in purchasing a copy, Nordell hopes to take them back to the excitement the Dodgers provided for their fans right up until they left Brooklyn.

"Virtually lost to history was the Dodgers' mid-season surge in the standings during that last year. The memories that I have of Brooklyn's last pennant drive, along with the game that I saw, also gives the book a personal dimension that I think readers will enjoy."

"Brooklyn Dodgers: The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957" is available at local bookstores or online through http://tribute-books.com. Anyone wishing to find out more about the book can visit http://www.brooklyndodgersbaseball.com

What: John Nordell Book Signings

Where: Barnes and Noble stores and Borders near the Viewmont Mall

When:
June 28
Barnes and Noble
7 South Main St. in Wilkes-Barre (11:30 a.m.)
August 11
Barnes and Noble
421 Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township (2-4 p.m.)
September 1
Borders
100 Viewmont Mall, Scranton (2-4 p.m.)

For more information: Visit www.brooklyndodgersbaseball.com

Scranton Times-Tribune, June 17, 2007

Pocono resorts popular vacation spots then and now
by Cheryl Kashuba

The temperature reached 104 degrees in the shade on July 27, 1892, and Scranton, like all cities of the 19th and early 20th centuries, sweltered. At this stage of industrial life, citizens had to contend with the fumes and soot associated with the iron furnaces along Roaring Brook and with railroad traffic and other industries. The slaughterhouses in Providence and South Side, the lack of trash collection and the unpaved streets speckled with horse droppings all combined to make summer conditions in the city far less than favorable.

What better escape from the hot, dirty, noisy city than the Pocono Mountains? Just in time for summer, local author Alan Sweeney's new book, "Journey Along the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad" (Tribute Books, $19.95) documents the hotels, inns, boarding homes and resorts of the region's history.

Hiking, sailing, bathing, archery, fishing and a host of other recreational pastimes were available, depending on the resort. But the true appeal was the escape from the city.

"The big advertising draw was clean water and fresh air and home-cooked meals, or, as they say, 'a good table,' " Mr. Sweeney notes. Many of the establishments had large verandas so visitors could enjoy sitting in the mountain air. The Berwick Inn boasted porches on two levels, lined with rocking chairs. Many farms dotted the area, and fresh food was available to guests. The Spruce Mountain House operated an adjacent farm that provided all the food for its table. A number of other resorts and inns grew their own produce as well.

The book's journey begins at Delaware Water Gap, known as the Gateway to the Poconos. Situated along the Delaware River, the peaks of this section of the mountains rise 1,000 feet from the water's edge, offering cool, fresh mountain air and scenic beauty.

The DL&W began as a freight railroad, but by the turn of the century was transporting passengers from cities to getaways in the Pocono Mountains. The added business was a boost to the industry, and the DL&W advertised with resort owners to increase ridership.

The railroad made it possible for persons of even modest means to escape the brutal city in summer. The fare was affordable, the distance relatively short, and a timetable from 1875 shows the train running every half hour. Mothers and children could spend their days in the mountains, while husbands could work in the city and make regular weekend excursions to join them. Those who could not afford to stay for extended visits could make a weekend getaway.

"The inns and resorts "offered local people a means of going on vacation without paying exorbitant fees," Mr. Sweeney explains. The choice of accommodations ranged from the most elegant to the most humble. Especially in the early days of travel to the region, many of the establishments were boarding houses, where room and meals could be had for as little as $1 per day. Echo Lake House, near the Bushkill Station, was a large Victorian-era building that accommodated up to 75 guests. Rates at the turn of the century ranged from $7 to $12 per week.

More elegant resorts were popular vacation spots for the well-to-do. Sky Top Lodges boasted a golf course designed by Robert White. Croquet, tennis, lawn bowling and horseback riding were among its recreational activities.

Most of these beautiful resorts and inns no longer exist, but Mr. Sweeney's book follows the railroad line from the Water Gap to Tobyhanna, stopping at each station to visit the inns and resorts situated near it. With book in hand, you can board the train and journey along to these historic treasures.

Scranton Times-Tribune, June 17, 2007

Book offers insight into bowhunting
by Ihor Rebensky

At age 6, Mike Lamade made his first connection to what would become a lifelong passion.

An aunt, returning from a trip to Yellowstone Park in 1941, gave her young nephew his first bow, an item he said he treasured as one of his most-prized possessions.

Some 40 years later, Lamade experienced his first kill with a bow, taking down a 6x6 bull (six points on each side) on his first try. He was hooked on the sport and never looked back.

Lamade decided to share his experiences, submitting an article, "Turkey tactics for bugling bulls," to Bowhunter Magazine. The article was published and Lamade began what has become a more than 20-year career writing about bowhunting.

Lamade has since compiled a book of his published articles - beginning with that first one - which has been published by Tribute Books in Eynon. "Breathtaking Bowhunts" provides an exciting insight into bowhunting and should be a must-read for any outdoors enthusiast.

Lamade will be at Barnes & Noble in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, from 2-4 p.m. for a book signing.

"Bowhunting keeps me young," said Lamade, 72, who grew up Kingston and now resides in Cold Spring, "on the road to Upper Woods Pond, a top trout lake for many NEPA fishermen."

Lamade will be celebrating his first wedding anniversary Oct. 7 with his wife, Kathleen.

"The only problem is," he said, "I have a bowhunt for mule deer booked in Alberta this coming Oct. 6. She's a very understanding woman."

Along with the articles, Lamade provides an array of fascinating photographs, from his youth to his impressive trophy room, which showcases a number of his triumphs.

Each article is followed with information, including the date and publication in which it ran, as well as some background on how the article came about.

For example, his article, "Scout like a hawk: One hour in the air can save days on the ground," provides a helpful tips on the advantage of using a guide plane to scout prospective hunting sights. Lamade follows the reprint of the article with background on his own skill as a pilot, and details the kinds of planes he has flown.

The book, which retails for $17.95 and can be reviewed and ordered on line at Tribute-Books.com, is worth every penny.

Bowhunters will enjoy the stories while non-bowhunters can learn alot.

Scranton Times-Tribune, June 10, 2007

Writer recalls Brooklyn Bums' last season
by Cecilia Baress

John R. Nordell, Old Forge, relives memories of the Brooklyn Dodgers' final year in "Brooklyn Dodgers: The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957."

The book chronicles the last season the Dodgers spent in Brooklyn, after team President Walter O'Malley decided to move the franchise to Los Angeles.

Mr. Nordell, in an interview from his home, said he had been thinking about writing the book for a long time. He finally began research in 2005 with the hope of publishing the book in time for the team's 50th anniversary.

"I thought the story needed to be told, and the 50th anniversary was a good occasion," Mr. Nordell said.

Mr. Nordell gives the book a personal touch, using memories and photos from a game he saw personally at Ebbets Field. The narrative style of the book also lends drama and immediacy to the story, according to Mr. Nordell.

Mr. Nordell was able to conduct some of his research locally, using the resources of the Albright Memorial Library and the Osterhout Free Library, Wilkes-Barre.

Mr. Nordell began his career as a writer while he was still in school, working for his high school and college newspapers and contributing to his town's paper as a sports correspondent.

"(I) had always wanted to be published," he said.

His first published book was "The Undetected Enemy: French and American Miscalculations at Dien Bien Phu, 1953." For his next book, he plans to go back to historical writing, discussing diplomatic history during 1953.

Mr. Nordell graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a doctorate in history after earning a master's degree in history from the University of Scranton. He taught history at the Altoona and Worthington Scranton campuses of Penn State before retiring. He now devotes his time to writing.

Electric City, March 8-14, 2007

Indie Belle
by Alicia Grega-Pikul

Call Me Sonya Grey, A Young Girl's Poems About Death, Life & Adolescence is a memoir in verse, which chronicles its author's search for self, a quest triggered by the death of her mother. Accepted into her grandparents' Stroudsburg home, Sonya Tupone Lloyd studied history at Marywood University before earning her master's in museum studies from George Washington University. She'll be back in NEPA on Saturday at 2 p.m. to sign copies of her new Tribute Books publication at Borders in Dickson City. The 40 poems comprising Call Me Sonya Grey were created between age 9 and the author's early 20s, and have been described as "raw, emotional reflections of a young girl bracing herself for the future and a young woman seeking peace from feelings of abandonment, guilt and separation." Call 340-1044 for more information or visit www.tribute-books.com.

Scranton Times-Tribune, February 3, 2007

"Mayors" for sale

Sales of "Scranton's Mayors" are benefiting the Lackawanna Historical Society. Proceeds from the sale of the book by former Mayor David Wenzel have been presented to the society's executive director, Mary Ann Moran. The donation fulfills Dave's pledge to give the society the proceeds from the first 50 copies he sold of his history of the city's 29 mayors of Scranton.

Those who'd like to check out Dave's book should stop by the North Pocono Public Library in Moscow this morning. Dave will be speaking there at 10:30 a.m.