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True Stories
True Stories to Remind You of Heaven When Life Hurts Like Hell
Local author Mike Branch shares a connection with our book shop: His family previously ran a magazine publishing business in our location. Later, Mike began sharing his experiences — both the ups and the downs of life — with his co-workers through stories and encouraging words. These became the seeds of his book, meant to encourage and find hope in a greater purpose.
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Where the Forest Meets the Stars
Where the Forest Meets the Stars
Debut novelist Glendy Vanderah weaves a magical mystery about love, hope, and miracles. Joanna Teale has immersed herself in her graduate research after recent hardships when a mysterious girl shows up covered in bruises and claiming to be sent from the stars to witness five miracles. Jo takes her in, and with the help of her neighbor, sets out to learn more about her past and how to help her.
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The Power of Habit
The Power of Habit
As the initial momentum behind January’s resolutions for the new year begin to wane, understanding the science behind how habits are created and changed may be the key achieving your goals. Duhigg weaves research into stories in this engaging and informative book.
5 Questions: Mike Branch
1 How did you get started writing and what made you want to publish a book? My first journalism job was editor of the “The Gossip Gabber,” a sixth-grade class project at South Hills Elementary. That inspired a journey that included co-editor of the Southwest High School yearbook, editor of TCU’s Image Magazine, feature writing for a newspaper, and leading the publishing division of a family business. Years later, I was recruited to contribute articles to a daily devotionals email group at a place where I worked. When I was caught up in an 800-person layoff, a co-worker planted herself on my desk and said, “You should write a book. Seriously.” So, I did. In the next eight months, I pulled from articles already written, added new material, and created my book from it all. A self-imposed deadline helped. I officially published True Stories on my last day at the company.
2 What is one of your writing rituals or habits that helps you write? There’s nothing like a picture to inspire a story. So, I’ll pull a photo from my phone or Facebook to see what it suggests. You can also stoke your imagination with less familiar pictures, like the time a friend challenged people to write a short story based on an interesting illustration. No pictures? Go live. Park yourself inside a Walmart or food court where countless people make themselves available for study. I think of pictures as the illustration of what I want to say, then craft words that support the illustration.
3 Are you working on anything currently, whether for eventual publication or just for enjoyment? I’m still contributing about 40 new articles a year to the group that got my book started, the Nuggets. Then there’s my day job, where I create all sorts of marketing copy for a national sign company. Finally — and this might sound odd — I correspond every week with a friend in prison, where I’m writing for an audience of one. Filling a blank page every seven days with stories and thoughts may be the most disciplined yet spontaneous writing I do.
4 What book have you read recently that you would recommend? Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by songwriter/performer Andrew Peterson is an inspiring book about the creative process. A marvelous blend of autobiography (backstory) and observation (insights), this beautiful read is a worthwhile springboard for aspiring writers.
5 If someone had writing goals for this year, how would you encourage them or what advice would you give? Be excited. Be intentional. Be yourself. To quote a poem from Adorning the Dark called “What Jimmy A Taught Me About Art”: “As long as you’re making something, / Jimmy told me, / then failure is a word / that has no meaning. / And so, I wrote this poem.”
Tina Howard, along with her husband, Todd, is the owner of Leaves Book and Tea Shop on St. Louis Avenue in the Near Southside.