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The full, eventful, and rich life of Lew Wallace is examined in detail in "Lew: The Life and Times of the Author of Ben Hur." Biographer Michael E. Fox appears on the Sunbury Press Books Show to discuss Wallace's career, and how one of the most popular novels of the 19th century was not religious, but a semi-autobiographical account of his own times.

Fox traces Wallace's early life in Indiana (Fox was raised in Crawfordsville, where Wallace was sent for schooling at the age of nine, and where he retired), his experience in the Mexican War, and his time serving as a field commander under General Ulysses S. Grant during the western campaigns of the American Civil War. Wallace also served as Governor of the New Mexico Territory, where he completed "Ben Hur," and as a US Minister to the Ottoman Empire.

Wallace's greatest work, "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ" is considered the most spiritually influential novel of the century. He also wrote several other novels and a biography of President Benjamin Harrison, a fellow Indianan and Civil War general. 

Michael E. Fox developed friendships during his childhood with men who knew Wallace. He is a graduate of Purdue University, an attorney, and with a Master of Law (LLM) with Honors. He has worked for Eastman Kodak and served as President of Screen GP Americas, a maker of high-speed, high-resolution printing equipment and is considered a pioneer in modern-day printing and publishing technology. Now retired, he lives in Southern California.

 

Book 3 of the Rian Krieger's Journey takes Roger A. Smith's tomboyish heroine to Russia in "The Blackmailer." Thirteen-year-old Rian (that's Ree-in) runs away to Russia in 1838 to assist her uncle and cousin as they build a railroad for Tsar Nicholas I. There's a problem, though perhaps not for Rian--she is masquerading as her uncle's coachman, a boy. Rian's bravery and resourcefulness are soon noted by the Tsar, and Rian finds herself assigned to his palace, companion to Grand Duke Konstantin, his young son. 

Across the ocean, an economic depression has struck the US, and in Philadelphia, where Rian's family is based. Jules Freeman, a man who fled slavery years before works as foreman of Krieger Coach, while his home serves as a stopover on the Underground Railroad. He is then tasked with a new project, one that intrigues and challenges him.

Roger A. Smith continues to combine his love of history with a story that has been ignored for nearly two centuries. In his third appearance on the Sunbury Press Books Show, Smith discusses what brought Rian, her family, and friends to life, and how a girl who has already accomplished much in her life will live history. A teacher of mentally gifted students, a farmer, an entrepreneur, and director of a rural arts council, Smith lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Find out more about him at RogerASmith.com

Steven Grier Williams brings his latest work, "Skadi and the Geats," the third of the Prose Edda Series to the Sunbury Press Books Show. The heart of the mysterious Ironwood forest has been pillaged and turned into a mine. Hrothgar, the Earl of Lejre has staked his claim as ruler of Midgard, but with force and violence which leaves the kingdom in his grip. But there are those who will fight...

Skadi has proven her worth as Viking warrior and now joins the wide and bodiless Mimir in search of his physical form. An invitation from Hrothgar draws Skadi into a conspiracy that involves the Aesir gods, and she realizes that relying on others may be the only way to oust the Earl and restore her home.

Steven Grier Williams is a graduate of Northwestern University, and his interest in Iceland and Nordic myths has resulted in the series, which includes, "Skadi," and "Thyra." He lives with his wife Danielle in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Author Dan Van Tassel returns to the Sunbury Press Books Show to discuss his new travel memoir, "Beyond Barron." The sequel to the 2008 release, "Back to Barron," Van Tassel tells of he and his wife Rhoda's travels and career. The memoir focuses on schools and universities attended, taught and visited; homes built, bought and redecorated; vehicles and pets acquired, all done with humor and detail. 

Dan Van Tassel grew up in Barron, Wisconsin, about 80 miles northeast of Minneapolis, Minnesota and discusses his upbringing in a small town reminiscent of the life Garrison Keillor often wrote and told his own tales about. Van Tassel graduated from St. Olaf College, and earned graduate degrees from the University of Iowa. He taught literature at Muskingum College and Cal State-San Marcos, and now teaches courses for senior citizens. Dan is also the author of the 2022 Sunbury Press release, "Journey by the Book: A Guide to Tales of Travels."

He lives in Northfield, Minnesota. 

The life of Major William Trent is shrouded in relative obscurity, but his mark on the Colonial period of early US history cannot be taken from him. The son of a Philadelphia shipping merchant, and the namesake for the capitol of New Jersey, Trent served as the factor for one of the most powerful land speculation companies, known for his impeccable record-keeping and penmanship. By the eve of the American Revolution, Trent was the face of westward expansion. He was also purported to be the giver of smallpox-infected blankets to Natives at Fort Pitt in the summer of 1763.

Author and historian Jason Cherry works to dispel that notion and to tell how Trent served alongside contemporaries such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. A research consultant for the 1719 William Trent House Museum and the author of "Pittsburgh's Lost Outpost: Captain Trent's Fort," Cherry brings the biography of Trent forward in this new book. He lives with his family in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In this second of two special episodes, the Sunbury Press Books Show hears from participating authors in the 2024 Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia, held at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. Producer and presenter Tory Gates interviews three of these authors:

Hilary Hauck, author of From Ashes to Song, on our Milford House Press imprint, discusses the WCONA Conference experience, and her session on writing craft.

L.E. DeLano, author of both young adult and romance works, including Traveler, and Dreamer. Her 2021 novel, Blue was named the SPARK Award winner by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and was the 2021-22 Teen/YA Book of the Year by Reader Views Kids. 

Stephen Sherrill is a Professor of Creative Writing at Penn State-Altoona. He is the author of works that include Motorcycles, Minotaurs and Banjos: A Midwest Odyssey, which documents a personal and musical journey, Joy, PA: A Novel, and Visits from the Drowned Girl. He is also the creator of Despondent Man, a character you must hear about in Sherrill's own words.

Through our Northern Appalachia imprint, Catamount Press, Sunbury Press Books aims to highlight not only the past works of authors such as Herbert E. Stover but current works of fiction and non-fiction by authors of this region.