17-year old local Author Marta Stahlfeld.

Burien Books will be hosting a book signing for 17-year old local Marta Stahlfed, Author of ‘Darkwoods a young adult fantasy novel, on Friday Nov 25th from 12:30pm-2:30pm at 824 Sw 152nd Street.

Seventeen-year-old Marta Stahlfeld is a voracious reader, enjoying epic fantasy and historical novels, as well as books on history. The Seattle native has a particular interest in World War II, devouring both books and movies regarding that era. In fact, her Darkwoods’ Ranger Mice characters were inspired by the U.S. Army Rangers who scaled Pointe du Hoc on D-Day.

Marta began writing Darkwoods at age twelve, rewrote it numerous times, and through it all has known that her future lies in a career in writing. Darkwoods is the first in the new series by the same name, and Marta is currently working on the second book in the series, Pasadagavra.

To read an interview we conducted with Marta in June, click here.

For more information about Darkwoods and Marta go to www.DarkwoodsBooks.com.

Charm Hair Salon will be hosting a book signing event from 2 – 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10th with local Author George Matthew Cole, whose book ‘Colt O’Brien Sees The Light’ is set in Burien.

Artwork will also be exhibited during the signing.

Charm Hair Salon is located at 249 SW 153rd Street in Burien.

The book is based on a certification program that Mr. Cole participated in, that taught students about computer networking.

Cole, a Burien resident, spent over 30 years in the computing field, with experience on mainframe computers as well as PCs and servers. The idea for “Colt O’brien Sees the Light” came from personal experience working with high school students over a two-year period.

Cole lives in Burien with his wife and dog, and this is his first novel.

Here are the event details:

WHAT: Book Signing with George Matthew Cole, Author of ‘Colt O’Brien Sees The Light’

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 2:00 pm

WHERE: Charm Hair Salon, 249 SW 153rd Street, Burien, WA, 98166. Owner Holly Shaw, Phone: (206) 248-3259

INFO: “Please join us for the Charm Hair Salon’s first book signing event with a local author and a book that takes place in Burien.”

The paperback version of this book will be offered for $11.00.

Here’s more information about the book:

Colt O’brien doesn’t think that he has to prove anything. He is the most savvy computer technician at Highline High in Burien, Washington. When a PC needs fixing, Colt is called in to save the day. The short, energetic senior, with his bright, colorful attire and cocky attitude, knows that he is the best. He expects the respect that is showered upon him by peers and teachers. School will soon be over and freedom beckons. No more girl friend to tell him what to do. No more schoolwork to bore him to death. Colt is cruising through senior year, but his life is about to be turned upside down. Two freshman nerds start a computer class that will put Highline High on the map and challenge Colt’s credibility. Three women will show him the meaning of love. One will show him the meaning of hate. And, his hidden psychic powers will emerge when he least expects them to. Hang on Colt.

More information on the book is available here: http://www.georgemcole.com

BTB Advertiser Burien Books wants our Readers to know that they’re holding a free book-signing event from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 23rd for ‘Darkwoods,’ a young adult fantasy novel written by local teen author Marta Stahlfeld.

Marta is a 17-year old Burien native, and ‘Darkwoods’ is the first in a new epic fantasy series for teens and preteens – read our previous story about her here.

Burien Books is located at 824 Sw 152nd Street in Olde Burien.

Burien Author Marta Stahlfeld, 17.

Burien Books will also be participating in the 4-day Olde Burien Neighborhood Sidewalk Sale, which runs July 22 – 24, with an eclectic array of books and boxed cards for the sidewalk sale:

• Thurs., July 21st: 20% off sidewalk sale items.
• Friday, July 22nd: 30% off sidewalk sale items
• Saturday, July 23rd: 40% off select sidewalk sale items
• Sunday, July 24: 12- 4pm 50% off select sidewalk sale items.

Also clearance and select used books will 50%-75% off everyday of the sale. All sale items are non refundable.

Here’s some more information about Marta Stahlfeldfrom www.DarkwoodsBooks.com.

17-year old Marta Stahlfeld is a voracious reader, enjoying epic fantasy and historical novels, as well as books on history. The Seattle native has a particular interest in World War II, devouring both books and movies regarding that era. In fact, her Darkwoods’ Ranger Mice characters were inspired by the U.S. Army Rangers who scaled Pointe du Hoc on D-Day.

Marta began writing Darkwoods at age twelve, rewrote it numerous times, and through it all has known that her future lies in a career in writing. Darkwoods is the first in the new series by the same name, and Marta is currently working on the second book in the series, Pasadagavra.

The book is based on a certification program that Mr. Cole participated in that taught students about computer networking.

Cole, a Burien resident, spent over 30 years in the computing field, with experience on mainframe computers as well as PCs and servers. “Flashmath for Windows 95″ is a flash card program that Cole wrote many years ago which is still in use today.

The idea for “Colt O’brien Sees the Light” came from personal experience working with high school students over a two-year period.

Here’s the publisher description of the novel:

Colt O’brien sees himself as the most savvy computer technician at Highline High. The energetic senior, with his bright, colorful attire and cocky attitude, knows that he is the best. Colt is cruising through senior year, but his life is about to be turned upside down. A new computer program will challenge his credibility and his psychic powers will emerge when he least expects. Hang on Colt!

Cole lives in Burien with his wife and dog, and this is his first novel.

To download your FREE Ebook, available in 10 different formats, click here.

CORRECTION

New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni, known for his suspense novels with Burien settings (read our previous coverage of him here) is coming back for another book-launch/signing party at his main character David Sloane’s favorite B-Town bar, The Tin Room (BTB Advertiser), on Thursday, June 30th Wednesday, June 29th..

Dugoni’s latest book, Murder One is a continuation of his Sloane character’s story, who also happens to consider the Tin Room his favorite place to grab a bite and a drink, as well as Burien’s St. Francis being a place to seek answers as he works his way through murder and mystery.

Books will be on sale on site.

Here’s what his website says about his latest book:

A year after tragedy, attorney David Sloane has returned to work full time. At a black-tie dinner he reconnects with Barclay Reid, opposing counsel in Sloane’s most prominent case. Barclay is suffering from her own personal tragedy-the death of her teenage daughter from a drug overdose. In the aftermath, Barclay has begun an intense crusade against the Russian drug traffickers she holds responsible for her daughter’s death, pursuing them with a righteousness that matches Sloane’s own zeal for justice. Sloane finds himself drawn to this woman, despite their adversarial past.

When Barclay’s crusade stalls and the Russian drug dealer turns up dead, she stands accused of murder and Sloane is her chosen defender. Amidst the swirling media frenzy, in his first criminal case, Sloane finds himself once again in harm’s way, while mounting evidence suggests Barclay is a woman with many secrets. And may not be quite as innocent or as in love with Sloane as she purports to be.

With his signature fast-paced, page-turning action, and exhilarating plot twists, Robert Dugoni once again proves why he’s so often been named as the heir to Grisham’s literary throne.

Here are the event details:

WHAT: Author Robert Dugoni’s book launch/signing party for Murder One

WHEN: Wednesday, June 29th, from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

WHERE: Tin Room Bar & Grill, located at 923 SW 152nd Street in Olde Burien; (206) 242-8040; www.tinroombar.com

VIDEO: Here’s a video interview with Dugoni by The Seattle Channel’s Nancy Pearl:

Normandy Park 'Geek' Don R. Crawley.

Normandy Park resident ‘Geek’ Don R. Crawley has co-written a new book, called ‘The Compassionate Geek: Mastering Customer Service for IT Professionals,’ aimed at helping IT professionals learn all-important customer service skills.

Crawley is quite accomplished as an author, speaker, musician and actor. He also is president/chief technologist of IT training firm soundtraining.net, has spoken before audiences in all 50 states, plus Canada, the U.K. and Australia, has appeared in numerous local films and plays (most recently in Burien Little Theatre’s production of ‘Unfound Fossils’), is an ensemble cast member in Seattle Theatre Readers, and plays the pipe organ at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines.

“In his spare time, he laughs with his family, howls with his dogs, and watches the ships on Puget Sound from his home in Normandy Park,” reads his bio.

He also wrote the ‘Accidental Administrator’ series of books for IT pros, and adds this about his ‘Geek’ role:

As a longtime IT author and trainer, I get phone calls and emails every week from C-level execs, business owners, and HR managers who are frustrated with their IT staff.  They tell me that their IT staff members are technically competent, but lack the necessary customer service skills to help end-users with their jobs.  That’s why my co-author Paul Senness and I wrote ‘The Compassionate Geek: Mastering Customer Service for I.T. Professionals.’  In this short (164 pages) book, you’ll find:

• The four intrinsic qualities of great customer service providers
• How to use emotional intelligence skills to deliver great tech support
• How to say “no” without alienating the end-user
• How to listen so you understand
• Ways to maintain your calm and manage job stress

Here are some links to info on Don:

• Don’s business website: www.soundtraining.net
• The Compassionate Geek book page on Amazon: http://amzn.com/145371278X
• Don’s Amazon author’s page: http://amazon.doncrawley.com

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We love to profile authors, artists, filmmakers, musicians, 'geeks' and other talented local folk, so if you know someone who lives in the general area you think is worthy of a story, please email us!]

After suffering from being bullied at a young age, Burien Author Jacquie Ream has recently launched a “Don’t Be a Bully Dog” program to help create awareness, educate and offer productive dialogue for schools, churches, and youth focused organizations.

“We see it in the news every day—bullying on the playground, in the classroom, on the internet, and even through text messaging,” reads a press release. “Sadly, even the youngest of children can be targets of the devastating effects of bullying.”

The program developed by Ms. Ream, who herself was bullied at a young age, is the author’s effort to utilize fictional characters and stories to encourage children to openly discuss a topic that many shy away from out of fear of retaliation.

“When I was growing up, bullying occurred mostly in the school yard,” says Ream.  “It was something that wasn’t discussed much and we sure didn’t tell our teachers in fear of being called ‘tattletales.’  But now, with cell phones and the internet, bullying can happen anytime and everywhere and children have to understand why it is happening to them and what they can do about it, or the consequences, as we see on the news every day, can be detrimental.”

Ream’s efforts to help children grasp the complexities of bullying started with the first book in her new Bully Dogs series written for children from kindergarten through middle school. Her first book, and series namesake, Bully Dogs, and her second book, YNK (You Never Know), are gaining popularity with children and adults alike. Although the series is based on fictional characters, the events and challenges the characters face are very real.  In the first book (Bully Dogs), the main character, Fran, is victimized by not only the bullies in her school, but those of the canine persuasion in the neighborhood.  When the bullies at school are intent on destroying her beloved volleyball team, Fran must decide whether to “stand up” or “sit out” the tough times.  In Ream’s second book (YNK), Fran is exposed to the drama of cyber bullying and bullying by text.  But this time it is Fran who must decide whether it is easier to become a bully than fight the technology world.

As a former educator herself, Ream knew that if she could create stories and characters that children would enjoy reading and talking about, she could create a vehicle for greater discussion about bullying in an open and safe environment.

In addition to writing the books for children to read, Ream also created class discussion talking points, activities, and a “Don’t be a Bully Dog Pledge.”  All are utilized during her in-person presentations to educators, schools, youth groups, and parents’ groups across the state of Washington.  To ensure that children and teachers have access to her program and her books prior to her visit, she also included a free travelling lending library.

Jacquie Ream’s “Don’t Be a Bully Dog” program is available at no charge.  More information about the program, and author visits, is available at www.jacquieream.com.

“I truly believe that I can use my experience as a victim of bullying, and my stories, to make a difference,” says Ream.  “If children can be empowered to say “No” to bullying, the media reports and stories will start to dwindle.  I may have come to a place of peace around my childhood, but fighting against the horror of bullying is one fight I’m not willing to give up on–ever!”

ABOUT JACQUIE:
Jacquie Ream was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  She attended college by way of writing scholarships, and received her Master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Washington.  She has written three children’s books, including the first two books of the Bully Dog Series, and KISS – Keep It Short and Simple – A reference book for school children, teachers and parents that shows “simply” the Easy Steps for Better Writing.

Jacquie has taught classes in creative writing for ages five through 65 years of age and is a passionate advocate for the importance of learning proper writing skills. She has been interviewed numerous times, around the issues of bullying, cyber bullying, and writing.  Jacquie currently lives in Burien with her husband.

More information about Jacquie and the books she has written is available at www.jacquieream.com.

Burien resident Jack Burke, 89, a retired pilot, recently wrote a memoir about his exploits, called “A Life Aloft: From Montana Roots to Pan Am Wings.“

A native of Montana, Jack began his aviation career at a young age. His new book spans his nearly eight-decade career, which he calls a “hobby.” He flew nearly every new plane to “fly the line,” and crossed paths with dozens of memorable characters who became close friends who shaped his career. From the majestic Big Sky country of Montana to the remote, unrelenting wilds of Alaska, from wartime Europe to war torn Southeast Asia, from the boundless South Pacific to the eerily desolate north Pole – and nearly all points in between – Jack Burke shares a lot of stories from his 75-years of flying.

“Ride along with him, share first-hand the thrills, chills and occasional near-spills of a unique and remarkable life aloft,” reads a press release.

Here’s more info on his book:

Burke transferred to New York to fly the majestic flying boats across wartime North Atlantic, finished his service in World War Two in the Aleutians, and would return to serve in both the Air Force and Navy in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Amazingly, Jack’s ? “best day ever” with Pan Am was January 31, 1968, the first day of the gruesome Tet Offensive, when he made a daring landing with his 707 into besieged Saigon Airport and delivered more than 200 trapped civilians—many of them children—to safety. “All those little kids,” he recalls with a smile. And surely they have never forgotten him.

Retired from Pan Am in 1982, Jack had a 40-year career as an instructor, check pilot and even Chief Pilot—although he always preferred to ?fly the line.? But it was never a job to him. “I got paid for my hobby,” he says. Everyone should be so lucky.

Home base was in Seattle, where he remains today and still logs air time. In the book, he regales readers with some of his fondest memories including the chance to meet with many interesting people up in the air, such as the time he flew the Beatles at the height of their career, and forgetting to get their autographs for his daughter. She forgave him.

Sadly, the love of Jack’s life and his wife of 65 years, “Scotty,” succumbed to cancer in 2007. But her bright memory lives on, in many of the stories and photographs represented in this historical and loving tale of his journey in the air. A Life Aloft is a love story of many dimensions.

Listen to a recent interview with Jack produced by KUOW here.

Jack’s book can be purchased online here:

A Life Aloft (From Montana Roots to Pan Am Wings)

by Ralph Nichols

“Through a terrifying experience, I became involved in a fight against a local airport expansion. What I learned about jet emissions caused me great alarm and pushed me deep into a battle with nearly every agency in my state. These local issues turned into national and international aviation watch organizations working to unravel what appears to me to be a cover-up by the industry. The outcome of many of these battles, some of which turned into major discovery processes is disturbing.”

– Debi Wagner

A married working mom who lives with her family close to Sea-Tac International Airport in Burien – and a local airport communities activist for the last 17 years – Debi Wagner is the Author of the recently released book Over My Head.

Her first book, released in January by Trafford Publishing, Over My Head chronicles Wagner’s personal involvement and research into commercial jets and airport flight operations, which she says “spray cancer-causing chemicals from jet exhaust over homes, schools and playgrounds.”

She will have a book signing on Saturday, March 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Burien Books in Olde Burien. Over My Head is also available as a Kindle book from Amazon and a Nook book from Barnes & Noble.

The genesis of Wagner’s book – the experience that got her involved – occurred one morning before sunrise in the early 1990s.

“A military jet passed very low over my house in a thick fog. Its low altitude in the fog intensified the sound, and because military jet engines have a different sound, I thought the plane was in trouble. It scared the living daylights out of me.”

In the wake of this incident, Wagner started asking questions. “I wanted to know why that happened, what it was. And it gradually opened my eyes. There were hundreds of planes going straight over my home in a takeoff pattern every day. I realized I was living in a war zone.”

This, she continued, was the result of an increased number of flights that followed federal airline deregulation in the 1980s, and a “four-post” flight-path pattern subsequently adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration to limit the number of neighborhoods affected by jet noise.

But Wagner “didn’t get good answers” to her questions about the military jet and increasing flights over her home, fueling her new-found airport activism.

She also got runarounds about the airport’s second runway noise mitigation program, which was “extremely intrusive as far as my property rights were concerned.”

As the decade-long fight against a third Sea-Tac runway, which became operational in 2008, revved up, she got involved with the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) and Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (CASE).

One thing led to another, including a meeting Minnie Brasher, a long-time local activist “who wanted me to look into jet emissions.”

Debi Wagner

Wagner did, and said she eventually “found out the public is literally being crop dusted with cancer-causing chemicals from jet exhaust for 12 miles from each runway end … and we have higher cancer rates in the airport communities.”

“That’s what I want people to know,” she added. “That’s why I wrote the book. Not just for people here but everywhere because these same planes fly from their airports affecting millions of people.”

“One of the biggest ‘toxic emissions load’ in the state comes from Sea-Tac,” Wagner said. “People live within blocks of the runways. Kids are attending schools located almost next door to the airport near, where whole families have died from cancer.”

“It’s ridiculous that nobody is doing anything about this serious problem.”

You can purchase Over My Head from Amazon here:

Local Author Elizabeth Desimone

BTB Advertiser Burien Books will be holding a Book Reading and Signing event from 1pm – 3pm on Saturday, Oct. 16th, featuring local Author Elizabeth Desimone, whose book is Guatemala In My Blood: How Nursing In Remote Jungle Villages Revolutionized My Life.

This a free community arts event, and light refreshments will be served.

Here’s more info on Desimone:

In 1977, wanting to make a difference in the world and add more meaning to her life, Elizabeth Desimone left her comfortable home in Seattle, Washington and ventured into the jungles of Guatemala. At the age of 35, with other sturdy Maryknoll Missioners, she brought much needed medical care to a remote area that had never had any at all. Lavishly illustrated with photos, this book will introduce you to many dedicated professionals who served during a time of political upheaval in Guatemala. You’ll also meet many endearing Guatemalans whose lives were forever altered by their encounters with this American nurse and her colleagues.

Elizabeth Desimone R.N. and Nurse Practitioner, has spent much of her life as an advocate for the Guatemalan people. She was the co-founder of the Health Promoter Program in Poptún, Guatemala, which has since trained over 180 local people to provide basic healthcare in the small villages of the Petén. This is her personal adventure story of surviving and thriving in difficult circumstances and her joy in community and friendship with the Kek’chi people.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Local Author Elizabeth Desimone will read and sign her book Guatemala In My Blood: How Nursing In Remote Jungle Villages Revolutionized My Life.

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 16th from 1pm – 3pm.

WHERE: Burien Books, located at 643 SW 152nd Street in Olde Burien (206-244-1422).

INFO: Burien Books is located at 643 SW 152nd Street in Olde Burien. Their phone number is (206) 244-1422.