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Comfort Publishing Set to Make Splash at BEA; Receive Awards; Host Celebs -

Charlotte, NC(May 7, 2010) - Comfort Publishing, LLC, a young, independent press, is gearing up to make quite an impression at the Book ExpoAmerica, taking place in New York City later this month. Three major celebrities will be in attendance to help promote one of Comfort’s books and two other titles will be receiving awards.

Pro-wrestler, Ric Flair, former Olympian Dan Jansen and Former Dallas Cowboy Ed “too Tall” Jones will all be making an appearance to sign autographs in a special, ticketed event at the BEA on Wed., May 26 at 3:30, to help promote How Athletes Roll (ISBN: 978-1-935361-58-9). Authored by Barbara Terry with Don Eminizer, How Athletes Roll is a book all about 40 celebrity athletes and their cars, with vivid full-color pictures that grab the eyes and heart-warming interviews that tug at the heartstrings. Flair, Jansen and Jones are all featured in the book. Ticket holders to the signing will receive a commemorative, eco-friendly How Athletes Roll tote bag, as well as a special advance copy of the book which Ms. Terry and the athletes will sign.

In addition, Comfort will be a proud recipient of its second consecutive IPPY award. This year’s honor is being given for Fixing Forever Broken (ISBN: 978-1-935361-17-6), by Tamara Lyon. In the book, Abby Stafford, a rookie writer for an architectural magazine, believes she has everything she’s ever wanted. When she stops by her parents’ home to tell them of her engagement, she makes a grisly discovery. Her father, Erik Stafford, an esteemed and prominent lawyer, is hanging in the attic. His mysterious suicide and her mother’s unexplained absence catapults Abby’s life into chaos. As Abby struggles to make sense of the baffling circumstances surrounding her father’s death, all of her personal relationships threaten to crumble after she learns the truth behind her father’s suicide and discovers that she’s been betrayed by those she loves most.

Finally, ForeWord Magazine has listed former New York City Rockette, Diane Sheehan’s book, Zen and the Art of Being Slim, Rich and Adored (ISBN: 978-0-9821154-9-7) as a finalist for “Book of the Year” in the humor category. “Zen” is not a book about diets, financial strategies or advice on how to win friends and influence people. Nor does it spout formulas on positive thinking, visualization or repetitive affirmations. These eleven short stories impart the ineffable, indefinable, unthinkable Zen experience through the use of satire, rather than metaphor. Metaphor is pleasurable for it unites. It compels readers to dig deeper. Conversely, satire is disruptive, tearing apart familiar patterns, jolting readers from habitual thought processes, propelling them to a higher level, initiating inner change. Its humor and irreverence is not an indication of ridicule or cynical indifference, rather an affirmation of life. The stories are warm spirited, offering wisdom within whimsy. Readers have the opportunity to laugh at themselves in the life process, a major leap in clearing away the excess baggage that inhibits human potential.

“Having just celebrated our second year of publishing books, I can’t tell you how excited we are to be enjoying this kind of success and receiving these accolades,” said co-owner, Jason Huddle. “As far as the awards go, there are so many great books out there, it’s an honor to have a few that are considered among the year’s best! We also can’t wait to release How Athletes Roll, which is already garnering national media attention! Our profound thanks go out Barbara Terry, Ric Flair, Dan Jansen and Ed “Too Tall” Jones for coming out on our behalf to help promote this great book!”

How Athletes Roll will be in stores on August 2 and is currently available for per-order on Amazon.com. The IPPY awards will be presented in New York City on May 25 and Foreword Magazine will announce its award winners the following day. For more information about Comfort Publishing, please visit www.comfortpublishing.com.

Comfort Publishing Announces Plans to Re-launch Popular Youth Literature Series -

Concord, NC Comfort Publishing announces today that is has signed popular children’s adventure and mystery author, Max Elliot Anderson, to a contract that involves re-publishing seven of his very successful youth mysteries, as well as a new addition to the series!

Comfort Publishing, located in Concord, North Carolina, is picking up where Elliot’s previous publisher left off due to economic pressures.

titles to be republished by Comfort Publishing include Newspaper Caper, Terror at WolfLake, North Woods Poachers, Mountain Cabin Mystery, Big Rig Rustlers, Secret of Abbott’s Cave, and Legend of the White Wolf. A new book, Barney and the Runaway, will also be published. All titles will have new cover art and look upon their re-release.

“We are excited to have Max as part of the Comfort Publishing family of authors,” said Jason Huddle, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing. “Mr. Anderson has already proven himself as a successful author in his genre and we look forward to being a part of that success as he moves forward with this series of books for young men!”

“Over a period of three-and-a-half years,” Mr. Anderson added, “I wrote 35 manuscripts. Now I’m glad I did that.” Each book has different characters, locations, and plots.

“I began writing in 2001 because I grew up hating to read,” Anderson said. “Now, with a recent study released by the Center on Education Policy, which spotlights the difficulties boys have with reading, my books seem to be coming out at just the right time.”

Mr. Anderson began writing his action-adventures and mysteries geared toward boys ages 8 – 13. They are equally enjoyed by girls. Even adults find his books hard to put down. One child recently noted, “Reading one of your books is like being in an exciting movie.”

Further details can be found on Mr. Anderson’s blog, Books for Boys, at http://booksandboys.blogspot.com This blog consistently ranks # 1 on Google, when searching for information about books for boys. Comfort Publishing will announce the publishing dates for these books soon.

Former Rockette is Finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year -

Charlotte, NC - Comfort Publishing, LLC is proud to announce that ForeWord Magazine has listed former New York City Rockette, Diane Sheehan’s book, Zen and the Art of Being Slim, Rich and Adored (ISBN: 978-0-9821154-9-7) as a finalist for “Book of the year” in the humor category!

Zen and the Art of Being Slim, Rich and Adored is not a book about diets, financial strategies or advice on how to win friends and influence people. Nor does it spout formulas on positive thinking, visualization or repetitive affirmations. These eleven short stories impart the ineffable, indefinable, unthinkable Zen experience through the use of satire rather than metaphor. Metaphor is pleasurable for it unites. It compels readers to dig deeper. Conversely, satire is disruptive, tearing apart familiar patterns, jolting readers form habitual thought processes, propelling them to a higher level, initiating inner change. Its humor and irreverence is not an indication of ridicule or cynical indifference, rather an affirmation of life. The stories are warm spirited, offering wisdom within whimsy Readers have the opportunity to laugh at themselves in the life process, a major leap in clearing away the excess baggage that inhibits human potential.

Ms. Sheehan earned a Masters degree in philosophy at Brock University, majoring in Eastern thought and existentialism. She was accepted in the Ph.D. program of Religious Studies at McMaster University where she taught death and dying to medical students. “I then decided to skip death and dying to focus on life and living,” she said. Now, Ms. Sheehan is a certified hypnotherapist, which might seem a bizarre outcome for one who kicked off a professional dance career as a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall in New York City at age 17.

According to a release by Foreword Magazine, the winners will be determined by a panel of librarians and booksellers selected form their readership. Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners, as well as Editor's Choice Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction will be announced at a special program at BookExpo America in New York City on May 25. The winners of the two Editor's Choice Prizes will be awarded $1,500 each.

ForeWord's Book of the Year Awards program was designed to discover distinctive books form independent publishers across a number of genres. The Awards program often serves to provide these worthy projects with a second wind of publicity. For a complete list of finalists, you can visit www.bookoftheyearawards.com.

For more information on Ms. Sheehan’s book or other titles form Comfort Publishing, please visit www.comfortpublishing.com.

Poetry Author to Sign Books in Richmond -

Richmond, IN (January 7, 2010) - Comfort Publishing, LLC announces that the author of Dawn's Kiss, Michael Dennis, will be signing his book at Hastings (located at 4601 National Forest Road East) in Richmond from noon until 5 pm..

Dawn’s Kiss takes the reader on a journey to the domains of the heart and soul where dreams are given birth and love is honored and celebrated in its diverse aspects. It explores love’s heights and depths via a poetic feast offering beauty, depth, and passion to stir and help awaken the fires of love in the mind, heart and imagination. This is accomplished by painting a picture of the joys of love, love’s eternal promise, love’s anticipation, love’s magical moments, love’s sensuality, personified love, hoping and yearning for love, loving from afar, soul mates, memories of love, and finally, love’s farewell.

"Most everyone, somewhere in the far reaches of their heart longs to be elevated to realms of the soul where the heart is free to sculpt a pure image of the mystery, magic, excitement and sacredness of Love," said Dennis. "The poems’ lyricism and vivid imagery provide a cornucopia banquet for readers to enjoy over and over and to pass on to others. Dawn’s Kiss is a romantic, sensitive poet’s gift to help awaken the fires of love. For without love, we can never be complete or happy."

Mr. Dennis is a writer, counselor and educator. His graduate and doctoral studies were in Education and French Literature at IndianaUniversity, Bloomington, IN and The University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. His psychology self-help articles, poetry, science fiction and fantasy stories have appeared in various magazines. Mr. Dennis has written two other books: Morning Coffee with God and Wisdom From Beyond, as well as many other poems in collections entitled WellSprings of Hope and Sorrow’s Dance. He currently resides in Cincinnati.

For more information on this event, please call (765) 939-9546.

Blogcritics Review of "Skating Forward" -

All of these courageous young women you will meet in Skating Forward. There are many books on the market about persons who must deal with staggering life problems. But this book is unique because ALL of the women described are skating heroines who face situations which could easily crush most of us.

For sure, this is not a woman’s book; nor is it just a series of memoirs about ice skating. Skating Forward will leave all readers — female and male — in awe because it is one single tale of the stubbornness and flexibility of the human spirit. It will help people who are seeking a beam of light at the end of what could be a darkened tunnel of deep despair.

Author Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz’s book would be a fascinating read for high school and college students to study and discuss — particularly youth who feel life has treated them unjustly. The women in Skating Forward amend their lives and their spirits against all odds. You will not forget them

For the complete review visit HERE

"Skating Forward" Author to Sign Books in Spokane During Nationals -

Spokane, WA - Comfort Publishing, LLC announces that "Skating Forward" (ISBN: 978-1-935361-53-4) author, Joanne Jamroze, will be signing her book on January 23 at Auntie's Bookstore, located at 402 West Main St. in Spokane, from 10am until noon. This will take place during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which are taking place in Spokane and where the Olympic team for Vancouver will be named.

Just in time for the 2010 winter Olympics, "Skating Forward" introduces us to sixteen amazing figure skaters battling the odds every day. No physical limitations or personal challenges will keep them from the sport they love. Readers will join these special young women on ice, through their amazing stories, as they lace up their skates and celebrate life to the fullest.

Ms. Jamrosz has fifteen years experience as a contributing writer with U.S. Figure Skating. She is the author of numerous articles for Skating Magazine and PS Magazine, the magazine of the Professional Skaters Association serving figure skating coaches throughout the United States. She presently works as a contributing writer for U.S. Figure Skating’s web page, www. usfigureskating.org.

In 2006, Joanne assisted in coordinating “Skating for Freedom” an ice show fundraiser for Freedom Guide Dogs for the Blind featuring World and Olympic skaters. She also covers numerous events and competitions in the Lake Placid New York and Northeast region for U.S. Figure Skating. Joanne resides in Upstate New York with her husband Gregory, a veterinarian, and their golden retriever, Angel.

For more information, please call Auntie's Bookstore at (509) 838-0206‎.

Thrifty Author's Guide" on Book Marketing Strategies to Launch in Jan. 2010 -

"The Thrifty Author's Guide to Launching Your Book Without Losing Your Mind," a new series for authors on book marketing by Gail Z. Martin, launches in January, 2010.

The book provides a concise, step-by-step proven approach to marketing a new book. It is designed for authors to create effective buzz using traditional and online marketing as well a social media tools. It is the first in the Thrifty Author's series on book marketing strategies. The book is designed to be a resource for authors of fiction or nonfiction, and to be useful for authors who are traditionally published or who self-published.

Comfort Publishing began its line of books in 2008. It also publishes Cabarrus Business Magazine and Lake Norman Business Magazine.

Gail Z. Martin is a marketing expert and the bestselling author of The Chronicles of the Necromancer series from Rebellion, Ltd. (formerly Solaris Books). The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven and Dark Lady's Chosen. Ms. Martin's fiction is handled by the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency in New York City. Learn more at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com. Her marketing resources are available at www.GailMartinMarketing.com.

The Chimera Seed - Finalist in The National Best Book 2009 Awards by USA Book News -

LOS ANGELES – USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists of THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS” 2009 AWARDS (NBBA) on October 20, 2009. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2009 and late 2008.

Jeff Keen, President and CEO of USABookNews.com, said this year’s contest yielded an unprecedented number of entries, which were then narrowed down to over 500 winners and finalists.

Fiction & Literature: General Fiction
Finalist:
The Chimera Seed by Matthew Tully
Comfort Publishing
978-1-935361-32-9

Congratulations Matt Tully!

Examiner.com Review Round Up: The Chimera Seed Featured -

Michelle Kerns, Book reviewer for The Examiner had this to say about Matthew Tully's The Chimera Seed:

Title: The Chimera Seed

Author: Matthew Tully

Genre: Science-y suspense thriller

Remember Michael Crichton's The Terminal Man? A bit of mind-bending science mixed with some seriously intense scenes of blood and guts and horror? It worked like a charm for Mr. Crichton and it works for Mr. Tully's The Chimera Seed.

Michael Tiernan, the bourbon-swigging CEO of Oisín Pharmceuticals, discovers after his father's death that Tiernan the Elder had stumbled onto an amazing little find while researching resveratrol, the compound in grapes thought to have strong anti-oxidant properties -- a purplish concoction named Dionysinol that doesn't only stop aging, it reverses it. And is a powerful aphrodisiac. Talk about a Viagra effect.

Tiernan the Younger wants to sell Dionysinol and make a gazillion dollars. Tiernan the Elder's former partner, Ivan Falters, wants to destroy it. And everyone else involved in the fracas wants to either drink it, steal it, or use it for their own devious ends.

Ladies, if you've never read a science-y suspense thriller, this is the place to start. Two of the characters, Lori Adams and Mary McKenna, are the most interesting gals I've seen in popular fiction for a while. They are intelligent and polite and pretty and gracious and will smile while sewing your mouth shut. Or torching a gentleman's junk off. Or cutting their own legs to fake a miscarriage on the spur of the moment. Whoa.

What to drink while reading The Chimera Seed: While bourbon is the most consumed drink in the book, with grappa and rye each making guest appearances, this is a tome that cries out for a kicky red wine. If you want to go all authentic, spring for something like a Cannonau di Sardegna directly from Sardinia, an island that plays a big role in the book. But cheap plonk works just fine too. Even the kind that comes out of a box. I should know.

Verdict? Mr. Tully's writing puts me in mind of Michael Crichton: a little, but not too much, science, memorable characters, and a plot that trots along at a nice pace. An excellent addition to the freaky science novel genre. And did I mention there will be a sequel?

Interview with Margaret Hastings-James -

The staff at www.imperfectwoman.com took the time to read and review Star Crossed. They also interviewed author Margared Hastings-James. To read the full story click on this LINK.

Author Mark Miller Book Signing -

Books A Million in Leesburg Florida will host The Four Queen Author Mark Miller on Saturday, October 17.

Book A Million

Lake Square Mall

Leesburg Floridia,

11AM - 2 PM

"Thrifty Author's Guide" Book to Focus on Book Marketing Strategies -

Charlotte, NC: Gail Martin, Founder of DreamSpinner Communications and author of the bestselling Chronicles of the Necromancer dark fantasy adventure series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven and Dark Lady's Chosen) has sold a book on marketing strategies for authors to Comfort Publishing.

The Thrifty Author's Guide to "Launching Your Book Without Losing Your Mind" sold to Concord-based Comfort Publishing for a September 2009 release date. The book provides a concise, step-by-step proven approach to marketing a new book. It is designed for authors to create effective buzz using traditional and online marketing as well a social media tools. It is the first in the Thrifty Author's series on book marketing strategies.

Comfort Publishing began its line of books in 2008. It also publishes Cabarrus Business Magazine and Lake Norman Business Magazine.

The Chronicles of the Necromancer series is published by Solaris Books, the a UK-based fantasy and science fiction imprint from BL Publishing, the publishing division of industry-leading tabletop games company, Games Workshop. The Summoner, The Blood King and Dark Haven are part of The Chronicles of The Necromancer fantasy adventure series distributed in the U.S. by Simon & Schuster. Ms. Martin is handled by the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency in New York City. Learn more at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com.

Street Business by Ernest Lijoi and Larry Matthews -

Blogcritics offers their review on Street Business by Ernest Lijoi and Larry Matthews.

You can see the full review by clicking HERE

2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards Semifinalist - Star Crossed by Margaret Hastings-James -

We are so excited to announce that Star Crossed by Margaret Hastings-James has been announced as a simifinalist in the Independent Publishers Book Awards.

The only complicated things in Teddy’s life are cocktails until Nick Chandler is added to the mix... Left at the altar Teddy Richmond goes on the honeymoon alone to an exclusive Greek island resort. After a week of revenge-induced spending the phantom groom cancels his credit card and Teddy moves out of the bridal suite into a room at the back of the hotel. When her retirement savings run out Teddy decides to stay in Greece and rebuild a perfect life in which she has no responsibilities, no commitments, no heartbreak. Teddy rents a room with a view from a crabby old Greek woman and finds a job in a local taverna. She hangs out with co-worker, Chloe, the owner’s American-Greek niece who loves celebrity gossip and complicated cocktails. Life is just the way Teddy wants it until Nick Chandler arrives with his kids, Olivia and her entourage. All of a sudden life becomes complicated, committed and down-right scary.

Star Crossed placed in the Romance category.

Results will be announced in New York on May 29th at a special event. We will keep you posted on the final outcome.

Congratulations Margaret!

Blogcritics Magazine Post Review of "Searching for Blue Mercury" -

Blogcritics Magazine Blog recently posted a review for a new release "Searching for Blue Mercury". To read the review click HERE

Comfort Publsihing Announces New Shipping Option -

Comfort Publishing is pleased to offer a new shipping option to our customers. UPS Basic is a shipping option that works in conjunction with USPS. Tracking is not provided with UPS Basic and rates start at $3.80 for one book. This will benefit US customers wishing to purchase fewer books.

If you have an international order please feel free to contact us for other shipping options.

Comfort Publishing In the News -

Comfort Publishing was featured in an article that appeared in the Charlotte Observer on March 15th.

Click to check it out.