News

Wheatmark author Bee Bloeser, whose memoir Vaccines & Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror, and the Cold War chronicles her family’s firsthand experience on the front lines of global disease eradication, has been honored with a Special Congressional Recognition for her contributions to the international campaign to eliminate smallpox.

The recognition was presented by U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal during a recent event in Santa Barbara, celebrating Bee’s decades of service as a public health professional and her role in supporting smallpox eradication teams in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. The award highlights the extraordinary effort of those who worked—often under dangerous and unpredictable conditions—to help send one of history’s deadliest diseases into the past.

Bee’s memoir offers a rare and personal perspective on this massive global health undertaking, blending Cold War […]

Congratulations to author Duke Southard! His book, Retreat from the Precipice, has been awarded the Grand Prize in the 2025 Arizona Authors Association Literary Awards, announced at a luncheon in Phoenix on November 15, 2025. This honor marks the second major win for the book in the past five months — earlier in the year it also won the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Historical Fiction (1900s) category.

Duke Southard is also the award-winning author of The Fallacy of Closure and the Detective Parker Havenot series, as well as the October 2022 release Tainted Justice (Top Five Finalist, 2023 Indie Publishers Next Generation Book Awards — African-American Fiction). He has earned multiple literary awards for his short stories and essays.

This latest recognition highlights the continued […]

We’re pleased to share that Wheatmark author Michael Thomas Perone has won a new honor: his short story collection The Electric God and Other Shorts has been named a Distinguished Favorite in the Short Stories category of the 2025 NYC Big Book Award.

This marks the third award for the book, following wins at the Firebird Book Awards and the BookFest Awards earlier this year. It’s the first time Michael has entered this particular contest, making the recognition all the more exciting.

To celebrate, Michael will be signing discounted copies of The Electric God and Other Shorts, Déjà View, and Danger Peak at the Bay Shore Art Crawl on September 13 from 12 to 5 p.m. Kindle copies of

We’re thrilled to share that Christine Grady Gorder’s book, In the Shade of the Olive Tree: Love and Sacrifice During World War II, has been selected for inclusion in the library archives of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans—and will also be available for purchase in the museum’s bookstore.

This powerful, true historical account tells the story of young love during the Second World War and the personal journey decades later to uncover the truth behind it. Christine’s research, determination, and deep compassion come through in every page—and now her work is being honored by one of the foremost institutions preserving WWII history.

In Christine’s words:

“This is proof of how the author’s determination and mindset contribute to making a great book […]

Congratulations to Wheatmark author Michael Thomas Perone for receiving several literary awards this year for his short story collection The Electric God and Other Shorts. In January, the book won First Place at The 2024 Firebird Book Awards in the category of Short Stories. In April, The Electric God won Second Place at The Spring 2025 BookFest Awards in the same category. According to Michael, he was very pleased with these wins because, “Short Stories is a broad and highly competitive category.”

For more information, check out Michael’s website and sign up for his blog at www.michaelthomasperone.com. Congrats once again to Michael!

Author Michael Thomas Perone recently made his television debut on The Donna Drake Show, an inspirational talk show airing on CBS affiliates in cities such as New York, Boston, Dallas, and Seattle.

In the interview, Michael discussed his writing journey and his books Danger Peak, Déjà View, and The Electric God and Other Shorts. He shared insights into his creative process and the themes that run through his work. Host Donna Drake, known for her thoughtful and engaging style, led the conversation.

You can watch the full interview on YouTube here:

🎥 Watch the interview

We extend our warmest congratulations to B.J. Harrison for winning the 2024 Voice Arts® Awards for his narration of Boomsters: An Unexpected Adventure written by David Marks. You will find the audiobook on Audible, Amazon and the iTunes app.

Retired, David Blazen reinvents himself as a detective, stumbling into crime, chaos, and comedy. His first week on the job throws him into a murder disguised as suicide, gang wars, political corruption, and dangerous secrets—forcing him to blur the line between hero and criminal to uncover the truth.

“We’re all searching for purpose and fulfillment in our lives, and this crime fiction adventure is both heartwarming and inspiring, An action-packed and surprisingly poignant yarn about a man’s search for himself as he enters his golden years.” – Kirkus Reviews

Boomsters is a 2023 BookFest Awards Winner: 1st Place in Cozy […]

Congratulations to award-winning Wheatmark author Michael Thomas Perone!

The Islip Bulletin recently included an article about Michael Thomas Perone and his new book of short stories, which is also being run on the website of Suffolk County News:

https://www.suffolkcountynews.net/stories/part-fractured-fairy-tales-part-nightmare-fuel,96039

Also, Michael was recently named a “Notable Person” on the Wikipedia page of his hometown of West Islip, Long Island. Other names include actors Ken Marino (“Wet Hot American Summer”) and Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”). That’s pretty good company! Here is the link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Islip,_New_York