Author: Sonya Dalton

Hamlet’s Mirror by Elma Linz Kanefield with Dianne Conjeaud

Posted on by Sonya Dalton

Cover image for Hamlet's MirrorAt her audition, a young woman walked on stage and prepared herself to sing, but when she opened her mouth there was no sound.

This story sounds like a nightmare, but for Elma Linz Kanefield it was very real and life changing.  She wanted to understand how and why this “stage fright” happens and what makes some performers succeed while others struggle.

Elma’s trauma inspired her to become one of the world’s only specialists in the psychology of the performing artist. This September, she will share how she empowers performers and restores their mental health in her new book Hamlet’s Mirror: Reaching Your Performance Potential Onstage and Off (September 2022, Original Trade Paperback, $15.99).

Elma defines Performance Potential as “being the best you can be and doing the best you can do based on what you know in the moment of performance.”   This is an internal state when you are emotionally and mentally able to balance the challenges, fears, and insecurities that can come with entertaining others.

In Hamlet’s Mirror, Elma explores the performer’s culture:  its challenges, the highs and the lows.  Then she delves into the four performing personality profiles she identified in her work:

  1. Problem-Ridden Performer
  2. Pugnacious Performer
  3. Promising Performer
  4. Potential-Realized Performer

Each section of the book is accompanied by fictionalized anecdotes of real performers who worked with Elma throughout four decades of having a New York City psychotherapy practice exclusive to performing artists.  Also included are questions and reflections for readers who will have an opportunity to identify what kind of performer they are.  Finally, Elma reveals how to reach your performance potential and adds examples to support her points.

Hamlet’s Mirror is for anyone considering a life in the performing arts from young people preparing to enter the “real world” of professional artists to seasoned performers who feel they are not realizing their performance potential.

Hamlet’s Mirror
by Elma Linz Kanefield, LCSW with Dianne Conjeaud
Publication Date: Sep 15, 2022
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9862605-0-1
Price: $15.99
Page count: 212

Made for More by Lindsay Sealey

Posted on by Sonya Dalton

The cover of Made for More by Lindsay SealeyRelinquish the pressures of who you “should be” to who you can be—and rise to become even more than you imagined.

The most difficult part of one’s life often starts with figuring out who you are. For some of us, this question has been put on the backburner for many reasons: the business of daily life, the stress of outside influence and pressure, or simply the anxiety inherent in self-reflection. You may not even be able to pinpoint exactly why you struggle to figure out what matters most to you! If you find yourself overwhelmed by the idea of introspection, Made for More (Wonderwell, September 6th, 2022, ISBN: 978-1-63756-006-8 / 978-1-63756-007-5, Original Trade Paperback / eBook) by Lindsay Sealey will take your hand and provide the structure needed while trying to answer the all-important question: What do you really want from life and how do you make it yours?

Lindsay Sealey explores seven key areas of growth: authenticity, happiness, confidence, progression, mindfulness, connection, and power. The book is broken down into seven chapters dedicated to defining the meaning of each, discovering how to avoid their pitfalls and how to leverage their benefits. Learning how to get more of what you want and to let go of what you no longer need, you can find your own values and live a life beyond self-imposed boundaries.

“Inspiring, thought-provoking, and relatable. In a world so busy with to-do lists and digital distractions, Lindsay breaks down the beliefs and barriers that hold many of us back. Her strategies and stories offer readers practical ways to release these old habits and live a life that truly fuels them.” —Dr. Nicole Clement, ND, Skin Method

Made for More is a guide to getting a fresh start in life and realizing that the happiest path in life is the one you make for your most genuine self. Though the guide is geared towards young women, emphasizing Gen Z and the unique struggles they face— from digital distractions to changing societal pressures— it offers advice that can be taken at any age. The journey to becoming your boldest, most joyful self is never easy, but no one says it needs to be taken alone. Lindsay Sealey provides a brilliant and insightful reference book for the common strife faced when examining your needs and wants in life. Drawing from her experience as a life coach and educator, her suggestions are gentle, but demand honesty and confrontation when asking yourself the difficult questions. What does happiness look like to you? Why does confidence matter and how do you build it? Are you cultivating your most authentic self? Made for More is an inspirational call to action filled with creative tools and tips to help you live a balanced, purposeful life.

Made for More
By Lindsay Sealey
Publisher: Wonderwell
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63756-006-8 / 978-1-63756-007-5
Original Trade Paperback / eBook
Price: $22.00 / $14.49
Pages: 225

The Best Good Horse by J. Reeder Archuleta

Posted on by Sonya Dalton

“Moody, memorable tales powered by human struggle, tenacity, and an unshakable sense of survival.” – Kirkus Reviews

In his latest collection of short stories, J. Reeder Archuleta offers stunning, earnest, and sometimes heartbreaking glimpses into the lives of everyday people in the American Southwest. The Best Good Horse (Izzard Ink Publishing, July 26th 2022, Original Trade Paperback, ISBN 9781642280777, $19.95) captures the struggle of what it means to live as unapologetically as possible, one day at a time, from the perspective of the people who are commonly overlooked. Readers of Archuleta’s previous works may recognize a few of the names and faces, but there is no need for familiarity. Each story extends an invitation to briefly join them, sit down, and listen. They never overstay their welcome, often leaving the reader with a sense of contemplative melancholy or bittersweet amusement.

In the title story, an old cowboy befriends the daughter of a ranch cook and becomes her protector as she grows up. In the opening tale, “A Prayer to St. Michael”, a World War II spy tries to adjust to living with human depravity in a small Texas Town. “Imperfections” is an empowering and brutally honest story of an indigenous prostitute who rises above her abusive situation in a show of bravery, strength, and cunning. No two stories are the same, all managing to capture a unique time, place, and emotion. Some provide a sense of sweet innocence and some show how quickly that can be lost. Not every ending is happy, but readers can find solace in the shared human experience each has to offer.

“In addition to the character-forward approach to storytelling evident in each entry, the tones and moods work together to craft tales that are distinct from one another, despite their similar themes of aging, missed opportunities, and the rediscovery of inner strength… Throughout, the stories of The Best Good Horse brim with intense feelings, but are also rooted in the fact that reality can be both unpleasant and peaceful.” – Foreword Review

About the Author

Reeder Archuleta was raised in Texas close to the Mexican Border, and five generations of his family are in their final resting place there. His great-grandfather is buried in Concordia Cemetery in El Paso, Texas, withing spitting distance of the grave of John Wesley Hardin. Archuleta has authored three books: Rio Sonora: A Story of the Arizona Rangers, The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station and Other Stories, and his latest work The Best Good Horse.

The Best Good Horse and Other Short Stories
By J. Reeder Archuleta
Izzard Ink Publishing
Publication date: July 27th, 2022
Original Trade Paperback / Hardcover / eBook
ISBN (Paperback): 9781642280777
Price (Paperback): $19.95

Hurricamp! by Steph Katzovi

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“The sign was supposed to say, ‘Camp Hillside, a place for girls and young women adventurers,’ but I had noticed that some of the letters were faded. Like the ‘w’ in ‘women.’ That was definitely a bad omen.”

Welcome to Camp Hillside, a sleepaway camp with loads of fun activities from swimming to candle making to archery! It’s also where Laura “Noodle” Newman will be spending the next four weeks of her summer. Heading to camp for the first time with high hopes and eager anticipation, Noodle quickly finds that life away from home is trickier than she’d expected. Noodle is thrust into a world with entertaining and eclectic new bunkmates, and experiences that are completely opposite from her quiet existence back at her home in Great Falls.

The drama escalates when the campers find out that Hurricane Hilda is headed their way and Camp Hillside is forced to hunker down. The routine Noodle was finally starting to get comfortable with is suddenly turned on its head. The storm’s arrival gives Noodle a new-found strength that steers her past missing home and on to forging some unexpected bonds. Join Noodle and her newfound friends in Hurricamp! (Brown Books, June 2022, ISBN: 978-1-61254-554-7, Trade Paperback) as they navigate the perils of summer camp— Can the Sandpipers make it through a stormy encounter with an angry skunk? Will they ever succeed in out-pranking their neighboring cabin? How will they deal with the unexpected departure of their beloved counselor?

“‘I’m really glad I met you guys.’ The words came out of my mouth before I could take them back. Oh well, I thought. Too late now. ‘I wouldn’t want to go through a hurricane with anyone else.’

‘Yeah,’ Charlie piped up. ‘Same here.’

Aries squeezed my hand. ‘Me too.’

‘Could you imagine what camp would’ve been like without Hurricane Hilda?’ Buffy said. ‘So boooriiiinnnggg!’”

Hurricamp! is a charming and innocent throwback to childhood— Steph Katzovi perfectly captures the feeling of being away from home for the first time, and the power that comes from finding courage you didn’t know you had. The times where Noodle embarrasses herself seem like the direst of events, while the joys she experiences also shine through brightly. Told in Noodle’s witty, earnest and distinctive voice, Hurricamp! is as quirky as Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books and emulates Judy Blume’s relatable dialogue. Parents and children alike will identify with Noodle’s vulnerabilities and the humorous lessons she learns on her adventures at Camp Hillside.

Hurricamp!
By Steph Katzovi
Brown Books
ISBN: 978-1-61254-554-7
Publication Date: May 24, 2022
Original Trade Paperback
Price: $9.99
Pages: 200

Remember Whose Little Girl You Are by Ellen Nichols

Posted on by Sonya Dalton

“I was born in 1944, the second of four daughters. Our father was a Methodist preacher and our mother was a preacher’s daughter. My three sisters were each the epitome of what a preacher’s daughter ought to be: modest, caring, chaste, full of good deeds, discerning, and cautious. It fell to me to uphold the popular image of a daughter of the parsonage: wild, willful, religiously disrespectful, incautious, and a trampler of tradition. And oh, I fell to this role with relish and abandon.”

Born the daughter of a preacher but afforded none of the grace or modesty, Ellen Nichols recounts her memories of growing up in the Deep South with relentless honesty and biting wit. Moving around Alabama from parsonage to parsonage, her family and the church are the two things that remain constant through her life. Her father was never the average image of a southern Methodist preacher either, often preaching the importance of equal rights alongside gospel.

With every move, Ellen tells the stories of her new hometown and the people she meets there, from her childhood playmates to family friends to the many beaus (of varying quality) that she dated through high school. While the picture Ellen paints of the South during the fifties and sixties is transportive, it is not always idyllic. The narrative of the Civil Rights movement is woven intrinsically throughout the chapters of the book, with racial tensions always looming in the background. Whether it is the local Dairy Queen where Ellen would order her food from the “Blacks only” window or the protest she attended against her college’s rules, her account allows for a look into a past that isn’t always acknowledged in today’s world. There is a sometimes-jarring shock between Ellen’s humorous takes on the environment she grew up in and the grave seriousness of our nation’s sordid history. At times, Ellen’s memoir comes off as more of a tell-all, with her unabashed detailing of her life in the Deep South- both on a personal and broader level.

“That would have been my first conscious awareness of my dad’s civil rights leanings, although I probably didn’t understand it at the time… In the distance was a contingent of men in white robes and pointy hats. A flag with a cross on it was stuck on a pole beside them. They were stopping cars and handing out pamphlets. We slowed as if to take the handout, but just as we got right beside them, my dad leaned out the window and yelled, ‘You ought to be flying Hitler’s flag’ and rode off.”

Ellen Nichols’ memoir, Remember Whose Little Girl You Are (Köehlerbooks, June 1st, ISBN: 9781646635146, Trade Paperback) is an insightful, humorous adventure through the eyes of a “child of the parsonage”. With an open hand, she invites you to come along as she chronicles an important, pivotal time in America’s history with an extremely personal take. Hilarious, shocking, and at times heart-wrenching, it is a journey that readers will find both enlightening and enjoyable.

Remember Whose Little Girl You Are
By Ellen Nichols
Köehlerbooks
ISBN: 978-1-64663-514-6
Publication Date: June 1st, 2022
Original Trade Paperback
Price: $14.95
Pages: 119