BookSpeak Network

The term "Summer Reading" is often tossed about, and on June 21st, 2025, the season was welcomed in during an event that highlighted independent Young Adult Fiction and the value to communities of not only public libraries but also the local bookstore.

The Book Bar in downtown Palmyra, Pennsylvania, offers the best of two worlds: fine books curated by owners Brittany and Nick, plus the perfect complements, good coffee, tea, and local pastries. On this day, four authors who deal primarily in Young Adult works came together for a book signing, plus an in-store, roundtable discussion.

BPP host Tory Gates, whose works can be found through Sunbury Press Books,  was joined by a previous guest, A.E. Faulkner, author of the Darkness and Uprising series; Lindsay K. Bandy, who brings us Inevitable Fate and Nemesis of the Swan; and L.E. DeLano, who has written more than two dozen novels, including the 2021 Spark Award Winner Blue, Traveler, and the instructional, Blow Your Mind, Write Your Book.

The four discuss their inspirations, what led them to write for the YA market (although the appeal is far wider than the term), plus navigating a finicky and selective publishing business. Further, the authors provide insight on why, more than ever, the need to read, to dream, and to imagine is more important than ever.

Sherye Green returns to the Sunbury Press Books Show to discuss her latest work, Through a Dark Valley: The Timothy House Chronicles Book Two, on Scriptoria Press. 

Green's protagonists, Abbie Richardson and Keith Haliday, who we first met in Book One, Abandon Not My Soul, are doing their best to recover from personal losses. As their romance develops, they find hope while teaching at Timothy House and in one another. As the potential for a romance deepens, Abbie and Keith must also battle dark forces that threaten the school. 

Sherye's writings are a reflection of her journey, backed by her faith as she explores the heart's inner landscapes. An author, singer, and speaker, she lives with her husband in Mississippi. You can find out more at her website.

Chloe Miller is dead, missing since 1932, with no body to be found. Her ghost, however, remains in Sterben House, and she is not alone. Despite her whispered warnings, people have come to live here, only to flee in terror from the evil that dwells within.

Still another family moves into Sterben House. Alex knows of Chloe's death and decides to solve the mystery. Will Chloe's spirit be freed, or will Alex stir the demon of Sterben House and suffer an even worse fate? So begins The Haunting of Sterben House: The Grey Girl Series Book One.

Shawn McLain has written since high school, when he authored short stories to entertain his friends and coworkers. He has written several fantasy and horror works, including Thorn, which can also be found on Sunbury's Hellbender Books imprint. You can find out more about Shawn and his writings at his website.

Poland, 1939. Sergei Bravo wants nothing more than to teach the young and leave his brief military stint behind. Driven by the love of his wife, Marta, and his faith, the native Belorussian finds himself once more cast into the cauldron of World War II, but this time, as an officer, a spy, and a witness to the upheavals in Poland and across Eastern Europe.

Based in part on the exploits of a former NKVD officer, K.R. Kiehl brings Sergei, Marta, and a cast of real and compelling characters to life in Saving Krakow. A former military intelligence officer and academic, Kiehl applies his research and writing skills, and experiences to create a picture of war from the Soviet side. 

Sergei learns the tools and techniques of espionage and deals with his superiors, fellow soldiers, partisans and the Nazi occupiers. Among these, Hans Frank, the murderous Governor-General, whose belief in victory is complete despite the world burning about him. A seminarian named Karol Wojtyla plays a role that will shape his thinking decades later as Pope John Paul II. The partisan leader Kovpak, who will fight to the end to save his homeland. 

In addition to his military career, K.R. Kiehl has served as a university professor and executive in state government. His writing experience includes more than a quarter century of academic and research journals. His historical fiction works and short stories have appeared in The Bluebird Word, Fan Story, and Prentice Hall. You can find out more about him at his website.

Mere terms such as "dystopian" or "post-apocalyptic" do not do justice to Man Made, the third novel by Fred Burton. In an age where many feel there is no longer a center, and no source of truth is upon us, only a few seem willing to ask questions and demand real answers.

A highly technological society has created The New Machine, designed to clear away the panic and devastation wrought by the internet, social media, and other electronic addictions. This machine, however, dictates the direction of thought through AI and surveillance tools, and seeks to remove those that do not compute.

This offered reality is not enough for Milo, who seeks to break away from these patterns, trace new ones, and discover thought that brings people back together. An unlikely ally comes in Sheila, one of the creators of the machine, who has been dispensed with. They and others work into an outland of alternative thought and being, which may or may not bring answers in time.

Recalling 1984 and the ahead-of-its-time warning that Future Shock put forward, Fred Burton has brought his experience in the technology sector together with his writing style to craft a story that rises above the current trends. Speaking with host Tory Gates, Burton discusses the inspiration for his new novel and his hopes that the current society heeds the warnings of where we may well be headed.

A native of Queens, New York, Fred is the author of The Old Songs and Bountiful Calling. He lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania--you can find out more about him at his website.

Radio history is one of change, reflecting not only the times of this country but also the forces upon it. In this episode of the Sunbury Press Books Show, Joe Taylor looks back on 60 years in the business. A deejay, a newscaster, a talk show host, and more, Joe viewed from behind the board, the microphone, and the boss' desk how radio has changed. 

Subtitled What Happened to Radio, 1960 to 2020? Taylor takes the reader on a journey of short stories, anecdotes, and recollections of these changes. From the days of the network era, of Top 40, the emergence of FM Radio over the AM dial, to a medium that is now part of today's multi-platform media, with an uncertain future.

Speaking with Tory Gates (another "radio guy"), Taylor discusses the early days in his hometown of Rochester, New York, becoming a board operator and disc jockey while still in school, the numerous stations and cities (including the famous KDKA in Pittsburgh). He talks of the characters, the wacky stunts, the practical jokes, and those who aided him and helped shape his career. The question remains: what is left for radio, and what place will it hold in the future?

Joe Taylor is the author of two other books, I'm Just Lucky to Own My Own Car, and A Pepper and Egg Sandwich on American Bread, a memoir of his Italian-American upbringing. He lives in DuBois, Pennsylvania. 

The discovery of an explosive Russian document in 2014 sends a journalist, a rival, and security services searching for its elusive writer. Philip Lazar takes the reader on a thrilling, danger-filled adventure across Europe and Southeast Asia. 

A potential separatist movement is alluded to in this paper, which could shatter empires and change the face of the geopolitical world. Lazar brings to life the time of the Gorbachev-era Soviet Union, with the stunning climax in Vladimir Putin's Moscow.

"An intricately plotted tale set against the modern world of media and soft espionage. Startlingly realistic, brilliantly told...(with) an ending that will shock you and leave you breathless." -- I.S. Berry, Edgar Award-winning author, The Peacock and the Sparrow

This debut novel, published on the Agency Press imprint of Sunbury Press Books, is sure to be the first of many from Philip Lazar. He lives in Washington, D.C. 

Lady Marjorie Fetter Goossens would likely agree she lived a varied life, but that would be putting it mildly. Through her writings, the historical records, photographs and memories, authors Glenn and Barbara Long Holliman have traced The Amazing Life and Loves of Lady Marjorie Fetter Goossens: and the Scandal that Destroyed the Magnificent Career of Sir Eugene Goossens III"  in this new work on Sunbury Press Books. 

The Lady's life is broken down into phases, as she traveled the world, made her way through society, and weathered the scandal that brought down her composer husband. Lady Marjorie also gave much away, to fall in love with a penniless Polish aristocrat, to come back home to her native Pennsylvania and provide sanctuary to a most unlikely candidate. 

Glenn and Barbara Long Holliman speak of Lady Marjorie's life and the information they uncovered in their research. A part of her history can be found in Perry County, Pennsylvania, at the famous Fetter House and this fascinating work may be found here.

The "Whispers of War" series examines the subject from the standpoint of soldiers and especially the families they must at times leave behind. Book One, "The Scars of War," comes from the hand of Sarah Peachey, who draws on her experience as an Army wife to craft the first of this series.

Annalise is an Army brat who secretly wishes for freedom and resents the constant moves, redeployments, and absences of her father, Robert. A career man who follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Robert knows no other life than this. The events of September 11th, 2001, changes fortunes and lives.

Annalise becomes anti-war, while Robert is deployed to Afghanistan. A serious injury leaves Annalise wondering if there is a way to heal not only her father, but their own relationship.

Sarah Peachey is a writer, editor and journalist with more than 14 years in media and publishing. Her work has appeared on "Mission: Milspouse," The Homefront United Network, and the Army News Service.  

A Lancaster, Pennsylvania native, Sarah travels about the world with her husband and three children, currently living outside Regensburg, Germany. You can follow her writings and learn more at her website.

The history of professional baseball in Florida is a rich one, and Sam Zygner continues with his captivating series of books, this time delving into the history of a team whose name would be familiar.

"The Forgotten Marlins: A Tribute to the 1956-1960 Original Miami Marlins" tells of how a club moved from Syracuse, New York, and was envisioned as a legitimate outpost for the International League. The club indeed became that, stocked with players and characters, most notably Bill Veeck, who ran the team for free and came up with his usual wacky promotional ideas. 

Pepper Martin managed the club for a time, and Satchel Paige was on the pitching staff. Zygner also discusses team rivalries in the outlaw Florida East Coast League.

Sam Zygner has chaired the South Florida chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research since 2006. His writings on baseball and travel have appeared in numerous publications. A graduate of St. Leo University, Zygner is a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan.