Current Publications
READERS, align with realistic characters as they embrace Twenty-first Century diversity; step into the shoes of a crippled foster child who has a dark secret; learn how to format your manuscript into a publishable book; enjoy an amusing sandlot baseball game, an unexpected confrontation and a revelation that gives a poor, abused girl hope; enjoy the antics of a gutsy little boy; accompany a woman’s past-to-present as she shares small acts of acceptance.
Treat yourself to a BOOK
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GIFT ONE TO A FRIEND
Stubborness Cements His Intent.
2019 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD
“Nobody knows and nobody is going to know either.” This mentality has worked for Santa since the day he placated his father, saying, “Yes, Poppa, I’ll keep it secret forever.” Years pass. Not a soul outside the Region guesses his secret and no on in his homeland snitches.
This year’s Blessing Day (November first) brings many surprises—and disasters. Caught up in his favorite daydream, Santa dismisses the signs of impending doom. Little does he suspect Mother Nature’s vengeance. Her “snowball” surprise puts his fate in his wife Mitzi’s hands. How she handles his ensuing problems is disclosed in Volume 2.
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“BRILLIANTLY ILLUMINATES the interconnection between illusion and reality.” — Author Carol Strazer, MA Red Feather Lakes, CO
“CAPTIVATING from beginning to end . . .” — Dianne Wilson, M.Ed., Educator K-8, Detroit, MI
“AN ENGAGING STORY about a woman, her husband, and a cast of characters that would make Dickens proud.” — Loren Steinhauer, Ph.D, Bothell, WA
In Her Darkest Hour . . .
MITZI, FEELING RESPONSIBLE for her husband’s ensuing troubles, sets out to fix him. Despite being forewarned of possible failure, she plows ahead. Overreacting, misusing her authority, she finds herself in one pickle stew after another. Still, nothing deters her.
To help Santa, she needs help. But she has alienated everyone around her. IN HER DARKEST HOUR she turns to the only other person who knows about Santa’s problem. Together they come up with a solution. But, if she can’t regain the trust of everyone she’s alienated, it’s of no avail.
Later, Santa, posing as a Santa Claus helper in Seattle, meets his match in stubbornness—Sam Toddle, an eccentric reporter.
One night, under the watchful eye of this reporter, an unusual request by a guilt-ridden mother magically lifts one problem off his shoulders but sets him spinning when he realizes he can’t produce what she wants. Who saves his neck?
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“FRESH MOMENTS, surprises, endearing characters, thought provoking, convincing, and timely.” — Cindy Ruby, M.Ed, Kirkland, WA ”
Does Anyone TELL?
TRICKERY and DRAMA are set in motion as a child’s needs and the stability of a family hang in the balance.
Santa and Sam Toddle, the snoopy reporter, match wits; plus, a mystery man enters the mix. Who is he? And that guilt-ridden parent—why is she sneaking around? What is she up to? And who’s playing matchmaker?
Back home after the Holidays, cozying up in his favorite chair, Santa, about to watch a lively football game, is distracted by a knock at the door.
“Privacy? You want privacy away from here? Why?”
Is Santa’s secret safe for another year? The answer will surprise you.
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” . . . HUMOROUSLY CONFRONTS us with an unconscious ideology of racism without lecturing or judging.” — Janice M. DeLange, Ph.D., psychotherapist/Social Work professor [UW, WMU and GVSU], Grand Rapids, MI
2018 CIPA Evvy Award
FORMATTING—The Necessary Step Between Writing and Self-Publishing.
After completing a manuscript, many authors have little knowledge of what the next step—FORMATTING—involves. If you want to self-publish, this easy-to-follow award-winning tutorial provides all the As to Zs necessary for formatting a fantastic-looking book. Its many hints and problem-solving technique are easy to follow and the technical jargon is well explained.
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“DON’T NUMBER YOUR PAGES until you’ve finished everything else.” That advice, and many other helpful suggestions in Formatting Your Fantastic Book, saved me hours of frustration. — Carol Strazer, author of Barbed Wire and Daisies, Mountain Smiles and Tears (recipient of two 2018 Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY awards), and editor/contributor of Mountain Reflections.
Crippled, Angst Ridden . . .
Time travel back to the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Accompany Forrest as he shares tales and woes of growing up in foster care.
Crippled and a behavioral challenge, many foster families gave up on him. Enduring many surgical corrections, he spent a good share of his youth in the hospital . . . alone. At age 9 he found stability with the Fullers, a farm family barely eking out a living in a land too cold to produce much.
As he matures, Forrest learns to stand up for himself, to hold welfare to its promise and to use his ingenuity to save many a day. He also has a dark secret.
"And, Grace, honey, about our deal, I'm warning you. You had better not squeal because . . ."
WHAT A BASEBALL GAME. It’s not only the boys against the girls; it’s the bully against the victim. And the outcome? A fall during a run around the bases changes everything.
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“KORTE’S RHYMING PARODIES are, in my opinion, inspiring stories to which middle-grade students can relate.” — Michael Beardslee, MA, Educational Programs Manager, HandsOn Greater Phoenix, AZ.
Daughter of a wildebeest, I bet his anger he's about to unleash.
WHAT’S a dedicated teacher supposed to do when his boss, the principal, lets 29 FAIRLY FINE cocky chicks (both male and female) run wild every day? The only thing he can do if he doesn’t want to lose his job is: keep his mouth shut. But one day in early May, unable to stand the troop’s rowdy-ruckus roar anymore—and beyond worrying about being fired—he trots down the hall, reasoning, “Yes. I know I’m stepping out of line, but I’ve had it.”
Ah! What drastic measure does he take? What surprise will the cocky chicks face the following school year? And why does one student hang onto his every word?
Fed up with life's lot, she starts to plot. "I've gotta give book-learning an all-out shot."
Trapped in poverty, degraded and abused, plus shunned by classmates and labeled as poor White trash, the road to a better life looks bleak for Miss Maggie McPhee. Imagine everyone’s surprise when she takes charge of her destiny. What! Halfway there she gives up. But why? Years later, what re-ignites her quest to fulfill her dream?
SMALL ACTS OF ACCEPTANCE
IT IS A GIVEN . . .
Children’s minds absorb and believe as truths whatever they learn from parents and close friends. Sadly, in this manner, racism has been passed down from one generation to another.
At an early age, Author Mary Korte realized the injustice of racism. Rather than assimilating prejudicial lessons being taught and practiced around her, she quietly rejected them. Experiencing abuse at home and often hearing, “You’re nothing but Poor White Trash,” at school, she consciously rejected the mistaken notion that Whites were superior to other races. She did nothing great to change the world; but when the opportunity arose, she made it a point to do small acts of acceptance. She hopes True Colors will encourage everyone to adopt ACCEPTANCE as their True Color.