Children’s author invited to prestigious event again
September 12, 2023 – Kimberly S. Hoffman has been selected to the prestigious Annual Holiday Author Fair at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in Indianapolis for the second year in a row. Hundreds of authors apply to be part of this annual event held in December, which annually showcases some of the Hoosier State’s top books and authors.
Kimberly was selected due to her book, I Llama Ewe, which published last fall. Beautifully illustrated by Calder Robinson, it teaches children that differences shouldn’t drive us apart. In fact, our differences can often be the catalyst to form close, lasting relationships. The story also emphasizes that sometimes we don’t understand why someone loves us because we can’t see the beauty within ourselves that they see in us.
Last year, her book, The Red Coat: Giving and Gratitude During The Great Depression, also illustrated by Calder Robinson, was chosen to be featured at the event, and she was one of 60 authors in attendance.
Kimberly will also have her Cleo and Roger books with her at the event, Saturday, Dec. 2, from noon to 4 p.m.
A selection committee reviews applications and titles each year partially based on the following criteria:
Featured title must have been published on or after April 1, 2022.
Author has spent significant time in Indiana or is a nationally recognized author on a fall tour, and/or the book pertains to Indiana.
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Cover revealed for Palestinian memoirs
August 21, 2023 – Terry Ahwal’s book, Keeping the Dream Alive: One Woman’s Quest for Justice, has a cover! Designed by frequent PathBinder designer, Anna Perlich, the cover features a photo of Terry (right) and her sister and brother in in garden of St. Joseph School during her childhood as well as old maps of the Palestinian area.
Keeping the Dream Alive details her years growing up as a Palestinian Catholic under Israeli occupation, her reluctant immigration to the United States as a teenager, and her daily battles in becoming a Palestinian American who cares deeply about both her homeland and her adopted country.
Her goal is not to cast aspersions against the Israeli people, but to support her fellow Palestinians, who have endured much hardship under Israeli rule, and to realize her dreams of seeing a lasting, just peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
The book should be out this fall.
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Podcast discusses PathBinder president’s creative ventures
August 21, 2023 – Paul J. Hoffman, PathBinder’s president, is featured in the most recent episode 
of the Create Talk Repeat podcast series. The podcast, hosted by Dustin Brenton, spotlights creatives of all types. Paul’s segment, in which he chatted about his work as an author, actor, and publisher, went live this morning.
Here’s what Dustin has to say about the segment:
“On this episode, I spoke with Paul J. Hoffman – Author, an author, actor, and owner of PathBinder Publishing LLC. We discuss how doing a little bit of research from the ramblings of what seemed to be a crazy neighbor lady led him to write his first book. We also talked about what the process is when someone approaches him with a book they want to be published. And we discuss what it’s like performing in live local theatre.”
Listening options:
Website: https://www.createtalkrepeat.com/
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3gYDZTi
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3FsIuzX
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3DkZFRf
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/1055646
iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/108196043/
Pandora: https://bit.ly/CTR-Pandora
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Interview author’s ‘dream’ come true
August 8, 2023 – Author John Bukowski was recently interviewed by Of Rust and Glass, a literature and arts publication featuring talent from all across the Midwest United States, including writers, artists, photographers, videographers, musicians, and everything in between. It is a celebration of the thriving creative spirit within our wonderful community.
Bukowski, whose thrillers Project Suicide and Checkout Time are PathBinder releases, discussed his short story, “Take me to your Lowenbrau” as part of the Dream of Rust and Glass series. The Dream series asks Midwest writers and poets to do just that: dream. These men and women ask the question, “What if?” and their answers take readers to strange, surprising, and surreal new worlds.
Dream of Rust and Glass can be found in print/e-book anywhere you buy your books online. Click here for more info.
Check in and find out more about John at his website.
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Cincinnati author pens story of loss, grief, and hope
August 4, 2023 – PathBinder Publishing LLC is proud to announce that it has signed Kelly Holden to publish a book of memoirs centering on her losing her first husband to cancer at an early age. Kelly, who lives in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area, discusses all the various emotions she endured during her husband’s illness, remission, and eventual passing and hopes to give others going through the same, or similar, situation some things she learned about dealing with long hospital stays, grief, and hope.
Her book is tentatively titled A Kintsugi Life: Finding Strength and Hope in the Face of Loss. Kintsugi is a centuries old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery and transforming it into a network of art with gold. “Kin” means “gold” and “tsugi” means “joinery.” Kintsugi pertains to the Zen ideal of wabi sabi, the concept of embracing imperfection. It also relates to finding value and beauty in those imperfections and blemishes.
A graduate of Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, Kelly is now remarried.
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Palestinian memoir due this fall
August 4, 2023 – Terry Ahwal’s memoirs of her life as a Palestinian Catholic under Israeli occupation and as an American citizen is in the final stages of production. The covers should get final approval any day; we’re adding what looks to be six pages of personal photos to the center of the book, and we’re making the final edits. We expect Keeping the Dream Alive: My Quest for Peace and Justice will available sometime this fall.
Virginia author earns poetry award
July 23, 2023 – Virginia author Bonnie Atwood won second place for a poem in the in the 2023 National Communications Contest sponsored by the National Federation of Press Women.
Nearly 300 professional communicators earned honors during the celebration at the 2023 NFPW Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 24. Almost 1,800 entries were submitted in this year’s contest. Winners in the contest first competed in contests within their state or in an at-large contest for states without contests.
Bonnie’s poem, titled “Reading,” was published in a publication called Virginia Bards Central Review: A Poetry Anthology.
Her book, My Journey through Eldercare: The Search for Peace and Meaning, was published by PathBinder in 2018. It is the story of her as a caregiver for her mother.
Bonnie’s poem:
Reading
Reading is my hot cup of morning coffee.
Reading is my cold glass of water in the afternoon.
Reading is my cocktail, my fresh-squeezed orange juice,
My Coca-Cola, my champagne.
NFPW, based in Purcellville, Virginia, is comprised of professional women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum and retirees from communications professions.
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The squirrels have landed
July 6, 2023 – Cleo and Roger, two squirrels with an insatiable thirst to learn all about the special
architecture and art in Columbus, Indiana, are now available in two charming books through PathBinder Publishing LLC. Children’s author Kimberly S. Hoffman, a (nearly) lifelong Columbus resident who has had six previous books published with PathBinder, has published new and improved second editions of her Cleo and Roger books with us.
Cleo and Roger Discover Columbus, Indiana – Architecture and Cleo and Roger Discover Columbus, Indiana – Art received a more kid-friendly typeface and both came in with a lower the price. There are full-color print versions in paperback and hardback available, as well as coloring book versions.
We’re excited to add these two awesome books, both illustrated by Bryan Werts, to the PathBinder library.
See below for links to the print and coloring book versions:
- Architecture hardcover and paperback.
- Architecture coloring book.
- Art hardcover and paperback.
- Art coloring book.
The books are also available everywhere you buy books, whether online or in stores. They have sold especially well at Viewpoint Books in Columbus.
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Podcasts, short stories, and presentations
July 6, 2023 – East Tennessee author John Bukowski has had what he termed “very enjoyable chats” on some podcasts recently. At the end of May, the author of the thrillers Checkout Time and Project Suicide was on the Blue-Collar Enlightenment show with Jonah. A couple of
weeks ago, it was FUNeMINDS, with Lynne B and Edward Biss for a chat about writing in general and his two books in particular. Then, he spent an hour talking with Andrew Stamper on Stamper Cinema. Andrew and John discussed Checkout Time and a movie that inspired it—Roller Coaster, a 1970s thriller. Podcasts with John should be posted soon.
Meanwhile, one of his short stories—Take Me to Your Lowenbrau—will be reprinted with a new title—Take Me to Your Liquor—in the ezine Bewildering Stories. An unpublished story of John’s, Silent Partner, has entered the short list for acceptance in Andromeda Spaceways scifi magazine.
You can meet John at Imaginarium in Louisville, Ky., July 14-16. He’ll lead a workshop on Effective Research and will serve on panels for Can Writers & Readers Ever Really Trust Each Other? and Enhancing Vocabulary & Grammar. Get all the details on Imaginarium by checking out its website here.
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Author to present at his hometown library
July 6, 2023 – Kyle Willis, author of Jason Phoenix and the Demon Lamp, will present a program at his hometown library, the Hancock County Public Library in Greenfield, Ind., from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Aug. 9. A Columbus resident, Kyle is originally from Greenfield, and graduated from Greenfield-Central High School.
His book, which published on March 23, centers on the title character, who is like any normal teenager … until he discovers a mysterious lamp. The seductive, female demon who emerges from the lamp in a spire of black smoke manipulates Jason into exchanging a piece of his soul for each time he uses the power of omnipotence.
Stay up to date with Kyle’s writing adventures at his website.
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Published poetry
July 6, 2023 – Greg Stidham, who has published two books with PathBinder, has published his first full poetry collection, Iced Tea Poetry, published by Silver Bow Publishing, a poetry-centric
publisher in Vancouver, BC.
Greg is a retired pediatric intensivist (ICU physician) living in Kingston, Ontario, with his wife Pam and two “canine kids.” His passion for medicine has yielded in retirement to his other passions — literature and creative writing. He has published three books, poems in a variety of literary journals, a memoir, and several short stories.
His PathBinder offerings are Blessings and Sudden Intimacies: Musings of a Pediatric Intensivist and Dear Friends. Blessings is an introspective look at how the experiences of an intensive care unit physician helped shape his optimistic worldview during a thirty-two-year medical career. Dear Friends is a look at how the experiences of an intensive care unit physician helped shape his optimistic worldview during a thirty-two-year medical career.
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PathBinder president to panel-ize at convention again
July 6, 2023 – For the eighth straight year, PathBinder Publishing President Paul J. Hoffman will be involved with Imaginarium, an annual convention in Louisville, Ky., for writers, creatives, and fans of creators of all genres that features three days of panel and workshop programming, an expo, a 
film festival, entertainment, cosplay, and more.
Imaginarium, to be conducted July 14-16, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It features a broad array of guests and panelists, including authors, editors, publishers, filmmakers, screenwriters, game designers, comic creators, artists, actors, and many other creatives. The convention is an inclusive environment that fosters networking, learning, professional opportunities, promotional opportunities, and other benefits to independent creatives.
Paul’s schedule this year includes serving on panels for Ethics of Writing True Crime and A Guide to Writing Non-Fiction. He might be involved with other panels; you just never know. He has written two nonfiction books: Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher, and Wicked Columbus, Indiana.
You can follow his author exploits at his website here.
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Alma mater interviews YA author Kyle WIllis
May 22, 2023 – Kyle Willis, author of Jason Phoenix and the Demon Lamp, was interviewed by his alma mater’s communication department recently. The Hanover (Ind.) College graduate was interviewed by host V. Lori Hedges about his debut YA book, and the video was posted to YouTube last week.
Kyle, a Columbus, Indiana, resident graduated just two years ago. He’s originally from Greenfield, Indiana.
The book, which published on March 23, centers on the title character, who is like any normal teenager … until he discovers a mysterious lamp. The seductive, female demon who emerges from the lamp in a spire of black smoke manipulates Jason into exchanging a piece of his soul for each time he uses the power of omnipotence.
Stay up to date with Kyle’s writing adventures at his website.
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And the title is …
May 22, 2023 – After much consideration, Terry Ahwal’s memoirs of her life as a Palestinian Catholic growing up before and during Israeli occupation, as well as her life in the United States after moving to the Detroit area as a teenager has a title.
We have chosen Keeping the Dream Alive: One Woman’s Quest for Justice, which we believe conveys the struggles she’s faced, the effort she’s put into her fight to right the wrongs she’s seen, and her hope that her people and homeland will eventually know peace.
The book is in the final editing stages, as well as the beginning stages in cover design. We hope to have it available this fall.
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Kimberly Hoffman aims to make prestigious author event again
May 22, 2023 – Kimberly S. Hoffman is trying to get selected to the prestigious Annual Holiday Author Fair at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in Indianapolis for the second straight year.
Hundreds of authors apply to be part of this annual event held in December, which annually showcases some of the Hoosier State’s top books and authors.
She is submitting I Llama Ewe, which published last fall. Beautifully illustrated by Calder Robinson, it teaches children that differences don’t drive us apart. In fact, our differences can teach us more about the world around us, how to be inclusive, and can often be the catalyst to form lasting relationships. The story also emphasizes that sometimes we don’t understand why someone loves us because we can’t see the beauty within ourselves that they see in us.
Last year, her book, The Red Coat: Giving and Gratitude During The Great Depression, also illustrated by Calder Robinson, was chosen to be featured at the event, and she was one of 60 authors in attendance.
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Podcasts aplenty for author of two thrillers
May 22, 2023 – East Tennessee author John Bukowski is in the midst of podcasting up a storm. The author of the thrillers Checkout Time and Project Suicide had fun talking with DJ Steady on the Who Dey Want Podcast Show. They chatted up Checkout Time and discussed writing in general. John also spent a delightful hour talking with Kevin L. White on his podcast/radio show. Kevin has a book out called Growing up White, An Oreo’s Guide to Fitting In, which John is reading now.
Podcasts in production that John’s been interviewed on, or will be shortly, are The Drunken Housewife Reviews with Ian and Sarah Kennedy and The Small Business Origins Podcast.
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Letter to editor talks about antiracism initiatives
May 22, 2023 – W.E. (Bill) Wynne, whose book Understanding and Combating Racism: My Path from Oblivious American to Evolving Activist was published by PathBinder in November 2021, recently had a letter to the editor published in the Rochester Beacon titled “Moving Forward with and to Equity.” The letter discusses his thoughts on how to move local antiracism initiatives forward and create the momentum for significant change.
He also has two presentations scheduled, one today at the Pittsford Library and one on June 21 at the Newark Public Library.
Bill’s website can be found here.
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In Memoriam
Earle Kirkbride (1927-2023)
April 22, 2023 – It is with great sadness that PathBinder Publishing LLC announces the passing of author Earle Kirkbride, whose first novel, Ranch Legacy, was published on his 95th birthday just more than a year ago.
Earle led an adventurous life, especially after retiring from more than a thirty-year career in U.S. Navy technical information. At the age of 63, he started volunteering with the U.S. Forest Service, spending summers in the West as a range rider. Most of these assignments included horseback riding.
He was born in 1927 on a dairy farm in New York and graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Earle lived his final several years in Vero Beach, Fla.
He took an interest in the way members of the LGBTQ+ community were being treated, and his novel, Ranch Legacy, was the fruit of that compassion. A synopsis of the book: “It’s the early 1970s in Northern Wyoming ranch country … not exactly an accommodating atmosphere for a gay man. But that’s exactly the situation third-generation rancher Jim Gustafsson faces as he fears the end of his ranch’s legacy: trying not only to come to terms with the revelation that his only son is gay, but also consider Howard’s requirement to stay and work on the Arrowhead Ranch is that his partner, Dave, moves in with them. Howard and Dave must prove they are willing and able to do the hard work, but they also face the even harder task of confronting prevailing prejudices of those around them.”
The book can be found everywhere you purchase books, online and in bookstores. If you don’t see it on the shelf, just ask for it.
Earle passed away on April 13. A complete obituary can be found here.
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Author of thrillers to speak on conducting research at convention
April 13, 2023 – John Bukowski, author of PathBinder thrillers Project Suicide and Checkout Time, has been selected to conduct a workshop at the 10th annual Imaginarium Convention in Louisville this
summer. The East Tennessee resident will discuss his six tips for effectively researching a novel. He’ll approach the hourlong presentation like an actor researching a role.
“You uncover a lot more backstory than you ever put on the page,” he says.
Imaginarium, which will be conducted July 14-16 at Holiday Inn Louisville East, is an event for writers and storytellers of all genres, including filmmakers, game developers, artists, musicians, poets, cosplayers, and many other creatives, and their fans. The convention features three days of extensive panel and workshop programming, an expo, a film festival, live entertainment, literary and film awards, cosplay, and much more.
PathBinder President Paul J. Hoffman, and his wife, author Kimberly S. Hoffman, will be in attendance at Imaginarium for the eighth straight year.
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Film planned on Terry Ahwal’s Kilimanjaro climb
April 5, 2023 – Terry Ahwal and two other women climbed the 19,340-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in September 2021. The Detroit area woman, whose manuscript about her life as a Palestinian under
Israeli occupation and in America is undergoing editing by PathBinder now, is one of three women featured in a film on the climb.
Three (Extra)Ordinary Women, which is just about finished, just hits its goal of $30,000 in donations to finish the project and, hopefully, generate a wide release. The film “highlights the intersectionality between global gender
inequality and systemic racism. For these three women, trekking up Africa’s tallest peak is the ultimate metaphor for conquering any barrier that stands in a woman’s way.”
“The women have overcome poverty, abuse, systemic racism, and political occupation. The film explores their lives,” according to the Seed & Spark, which raised money for the project. “By braving their biggest physical obstacle yet – climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro – they will show that through sisterhood, women can accomplish anything.”
Find out more about the project, including info on all three women and a promo video, by clicking here.
Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano, is Africa’s tallest mountain and is located in Tanzania.
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Kyle Willis makes an Indy TV appearance
April 4, 2023 – It didn’t take long for Kyle Willis’s debut YA fantasy book to get some media attention.
Shortly after his hometown newspaper, the Daily Reporter (Greenfield, Indiana) ran a piece on Jason Phoenix and the Demon Lamp on March 22, the Columbus, Indiana, resident appeared on Indianapolis’ WISH-TV’s Life. Style. Live! show. Check out the 4-minute-long interview here.
The book, which published on March 23, centers on the title character, who is like any normal teenager … until he discovers a mysterious lamp. The seductive, female demon who emerges from the lamp in a spire of black smoke manipulates Jason into exchanging a piece of his soul for each time he uses the power of omnipotence.
The Greenfield-Central High School graduate holds degrees in business and communication with a minor in creative writing from Hanover College. He now lives in Columbus, Indiana.
Stay up to date with Kyle’s writing adventures at his website.
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Checkout Time is now!
March 29, 2023 – East Tennessee author John Bukowski’s exciting second thriller, Checkout Time, officially launches Thursday, though it’s been available for presale in paperback, hardback, and ebook at all the usual retail outlets for a few weeks now.
A follow-up to his debut release, Project Suicide, which arrived on the scene in 2022, Checkout Time features handsome scientist Thomas Tomacinski, whose easy-going style has the ladies talking. But beautiful FBI agent Sally Butterworth doesn’t want to join the conversation. Not until they both land in the same hotel, where an extortion bomber sparks their romance with a bang. Tom and Sally are led on a chase through the scenic backroads of Kentucky and Tennessee as they fall in and out of both danger and bed, while learning tough lessons about love, loss, and themselves.
John has already gotten confirmation from the University of Michigan that a mention of this book will appear in the Class Notes of the Summer ’23 issue of Michigan Alum, releasing mid-June.
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Palestinian American’s memoirs forthcoming
March 29, 2023 – In 1969, Israeli soldiers burst into Terry Ahwal’s home while she and her family were eating breakfast. More than fifty years later, she still vividly sees her father’s arms up in the air while young soldiers kicked him, hit him, and beat him with their automatic weapons. Her mother’s shouting and pleading also are seared in Terry’s memory. And she still has visions of her and her sister howling from terror as they watched their father dragged into the street.
She wishes she had had a video camera then, so she could have shown what happened to her father, But she has her memories, and she’s willing to share them.
Terry and PathBinder Publishing LLC have contracted to publish her story in a book that will detail her years growing up as a Palestinian Catholic under Israeli occupation, her reluctant immigration to the United States as a teenager, and her daily battles in becoming a Palestinian American who cares deeply about both her homeland and her adopted country.
As Terry has ascended professional and political life in mainstream America, she also has endured harassment by the Israeli government for speaking on behalf of Palestinians. As an adult, she witnessed further horrors when she returned to Palestine with Jewish and Palestinian colleagues, and a U.S. senator, on an economic mission. She has since been banned from returning.
She also was invited to the White House for the signing of a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, an event whose outcome fell far short of her hopes and dreams.
Her goal is not to cast aspersions against the Israeli people, but to support her fellow Palestinians, who have endured much hardship under Israeli rule, and to realize her dreams of seeing a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
A Detroit area resident, Terry is a former president of Habitat of Humanity in Detroit, vice president of the YMCA in Livonia, president of the American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine, and held numerous board positions. She volunteers with four nonprofit agencies in the Detroit area.
The book, as yet untitled, is in the initial editing phase.