I Just Wanna Ride (FTW) Summer Appearances and Book-Signings

Posted by Michael Kleen on

June 1-2, 2012
Noon – 5:00 p.m. on Friday
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday

The Vintage Rally (J&P Cycles)
National Motorcycle Museum

Anamosa, Iowa
www.nationalmcmuseum.org
(Details, Activities, Schedule, Lodging)

July 14, 2012
7:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Rock River Valley Blood Center
1740 S. State and Route 20
Belvidere, Illinois

“Buy/Read a Book While Giving Blood to Save a Life!”

August 7, 2012
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame
999 Main Street
Sturgis, South Dakota
www.sturgismuseum.com

Appearances can be scheduled and bulk orders of book available
for your event, club, church, or shop by calling 815-544-6402.
Click on www.koppdisclosure.com for related inspirations/indigestions.

Meet Our New Authors

Posted by Michael Kleen on

Two new authors will be joining us soon at Black Oak Media, Susie Rigsby with her novel Second Chances: The Kate Corbin Story, and Kevin Scott Collier with his non-fiction book Final Doom: The Frederick Hollman Story. Both will be released early next month.

Susie Rigsby resides in southern Illinois with her dog and two cats. Once a working mother that raised three sons and a daughter, she had to balance her time between a job, school activities, sports and maintaining a home. A romantic at heart, and when time allowed, she was engrossed in reading a romance book. Always amazed at the various writing styles of different authors, she’s found that a good romance writer has a special way of making sure a reader will recognize their prose. She’s striving to attain that same distinction. She loves to read and says the only thing better than reading a good book is to write one. Now retired, when she’s not focused on writing another novel, Susie enjoys being outdoors to grow a garden, do yard work or just take a walk.

Kevin Scott Collier, 55, is the author and/or illustrator of over 100 books for children and teens. He began his career as an author in 2004 with his first published book, the critically acclaimed barthpenn@heaven.org. He recently wrote and illustrated a book series for the “Tanked” TV programs, which airs on the Animal Planet Network. Collier has also a graphic designer and columnist for the Grand Haven Tribune newspaper for over 30 years and is a member of the Dusty Dozens historical group of Ottawa County, Michigan.

In the past few years, Collier released a series of books titled “Strange Grand Haven” based on paranormal stories and folklore originating in and surrounding his hometown. The theme has also become a weekly column in the daily newspaper Collier works for. Today, he lives with his wife and son near the shore of Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, Michigan.

A history buff of the strange and unusual, Collier was struck by news in Grand Haven Tribune newspaper microfilm files from 1897 of a former resident of his hometown who moved on to become one of our nation’s first serial killers. He attempted to uncover more about the man, Frederick Hollman, but found virtually no record of the man, thus decided to write a book on American’s overlook killer. The research involved digging through countless historical newspapers, records, transcripts and uncovered many descendants of victims in the story. The result is Final Doom: The Frederick Hollman Story, which took over two years to compile and write.

An Excerpt from “Home of the Brave”

Posted by Michael Kleen on

The room was dark and cold.  Chris had never been there before, but he felt oddly at home.  The only illumination came from a large window at the far end of the room that looked out into space.  A figure interrupted the uniform picture of stars and galaxies in the window.  Slowly, the planet Earth rolled into view, but something didn’t seem right.

He walked hesitantly towards the figure.  “What are we looking at?” he asked.  His voice sounded distant, even to his own ears.

“The world,” the figure answered in a feminine intonation that was all-too-familiar, yet he couldn’t place it.

Chris stepped closer as the world in the window stopped moving and he was able to recognize the continent of North America at night.  It was the same as pictured on one of his computer desktop wallpapers, but the web of white lights spread across the landscape from the east to the west had vanished.

“What happened to the lights?” he asked.

The figure opened her mouth to speak, but only a loud, pounding thud emanated from murky hole.

Order today at Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
Kindle Edition
Nook Edition

“The Creeping Hand of the State” Available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and Other Venues

Posted by Michael Kleen on

“The Creeping Hand of the State” and Other Reflections On America’s Orwellian Future by Michael Kleen, our first audio album, is now available as an mp3 download from a variety of online stores.

“The Creeping Hand of the State” is a collection of columns and editorials as read by the author. Topics include the increasing intrusion of government into private life, regulation of the Internet, why culture is a more effective vehicle for social change than law, the growing crisis of confidence in government and media, totalitarianism, the erosion of civil liberties, and much more!

Track titles include, “Internet Censorship: A Litmus Test for Freedom,” “The Demoralizing Nature of the State,” “Say ‘No!’ to Moral Legislation,” “The Crisis of Confidence,” and “Courts Overturn 4th Amendment.” There are eleven tracks in all, for over 60 minutes of playing time. Order it today from the following online stores:

Apple iTunes
Amazon MP3
Rhapsody
Napster
Zune
Last.fm

Death Rides the Sky Rides High in the Press

Posted by Michael Kleen on

Death Rides the Sky: The Story of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, published earlier this year by Black Oak Media, continues to make headlines as the author conducts an extensive book tour throughout the region affected by the tornado. Here is a sample of the most recent articles:

Angela Mason visits for book signing
January 23, 2012
By RORYE O’CONNOR

MT. VERNON — — Angela Mason visited Mt. Vernon Saturday to talk about her book, “Death Rides the Sky.”

“Death Rides the Sky” follows the path of the devastating March 18, 1925, Tri-State Tornado, which damaged and destroyed several Southern Illinois towns, killing hundreds of people from Missouri to Indiana.

Mason, a Calhoun resident, wrote the book in 1999 after the newspaper she worked for at the time ran a special section remembering the anniversary of the disaster.

Continue reading →

Interview with Andy Nowicki

Posted by Michael Kleen on

Andy Nowicki is author of the book The Doctor and the Heretic, released in 2011 by Black Oak Media. The Doctor and the Heretic is a collection of three short stories that are sure to excite and challenge its readers!

How is The Doctor and the Heretic different from your previous books, and what would you say is the common theme trying together its three stories?

THE DOCTOR AND THE HERETIC AND OTHER STORIES is different from my prior two published books, CONSIDERING SUICIDE (Nine-Banded Books, 2009) and THE COLUMBINE PILGRIM (Counter-Currents, 2011), in one crucial way, I think. My prior two novels are very dark—at times darkly humorous, but still dark as hell. The stories in this collection have dark moments, to be sure, but I think there is a somewhat greater assertion of hope, particularly in the title story, where love is presented as a possible balm in Gilead, as it were… If there is a common theme in these stories, I would say it is obsession. The characters in all of these stories are swept up by forces that they barely understand, forces which seize their hearts in some irresistible manner. They all have to face things about themselves, and eventually they all feel compelled to act, and afterwards they must deal with the consequences of their actions.

Continue reading →

Interview with Amelia Cotter

Posted by Michael Kleen on

Amelia Cotter is the author of the book This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost, released August 8, 2011 by Black Oak Media. This House is the semi-autobiographical tale of Nora, who finds love in a very unusual place.

The subtitle of your book is “The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost”; is it based on your own personal experiences?

Yes, “This House” is based on my adventures in an abandoned haunted house when I was a child. The main character, Nora, is a teenager in the book, because in many ways this is more accessible and easier to handle for readers than the musings of a little girl who, in a way, becomes infatuated with an adult male ghost. I was 11 at the time most of this occurred. The house, known as “Walter’s House” and named for the ghost who allegedly haunted it, was part of My Lady’s Manor in Baltimore County, Maryland, a large plot of land founded in 1713 by Charles Calvert, the Third Lord Baltimore, for his wife.

Continue reading →

Interview with Cassidy O’Connor

Posted by Michael Kleen on

Cassidy O’Connor is the author of the book Diaries of the Dark Side, released July 20, 2011 by Black Oak Media. Diaries of the Dark Side is a memoir of one family’s battle with dark forces and the woman who never gave up on them.

Were you born and raised in western New York? What was your favorite ghost story growing up, and when did you decide to go out and explore these places yourself?

I was raised in a very rural area of Western, New York. Bliss, New York in fact.  I have a lot of work that I do in the state of Pennsylvania, but I still live in New York, despite the ridiculous taxes.

When it comes to my favorite ghost story growing up, I fall short.  Despite the classic Scrooged and The Ghost Busters movies, ghosts were not a talked about subject in my home.   Though, near to my home was a set of “haunted” state lands dubbed, The Lost Nations.  These 1,344 acres of hilly woods were always rumored to be haunted by the spirits of the Native Americans that disappeared there overnight.  I always wanted to go up and dig around as I was the classic little girl with heavy pockets, bringing home every stone that caught my eye.  It wasn’t until I was about 16 years of age that I explored these state lands.  Before this I was terrified of them due to  a story that my older sister brought home one telling of being witness to a horrifying event.  When I finally did go up there, I was with several friends and started to witness the happenings for myself.   I began to hear whispers and even was present for a horse jumping out of the weeds and into the darkness.  Since then, it has been a place I visit at least once a week.  The history that is held inside these woods could be wrote for miles.  So, whenever I need to clear my head, or have a day to myself, I spend it there digging in the old foundations for Buffalo China, and chatting with those long forgotten.

Continue reading →

Interview with Bruce & Lisa Cline

Posted by Michael Kleen on

Bruce and Lisa Cline are the authors of the new book, History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois, released July 15, 2011 by Black Oak Media. History, Mystery, and Hauntings of Southern Illinois takes you on a tour of some of the strangest and unique places in southern Illinois.

Were you born and raised in in southern Illinois? How long have you been investigating the paranormal there, and what about the paranormal interests you?

Bruce – I was born and raised in southern Illinois.  I lived in Harrisburg until I started attending Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1974.  I have been interested in the paranormal since the early 1960′s, about the time that the TV show Dark Shadows came out.  My interest in the paranormal is sparked by local history and the mysteries associated with it.  Many historical and mysterious events have occurred in southern Illinois, and several of these events have a ghost story associated with them.

Continue reading →