Books
Mother and Daughter Cope With Grief and the Pandemic While Writing YA Fantasy Novel About a Compassionate Vampire.
When Debra Keller’s autistic son left home five years ago, she was suddenly without a job and a purpose
Press Release
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updated: May 17, 2021
Petaluma, CA,
May 17, 2021 (Newswire.com) –
“Like many things in life, if you haven’t had the experience it’s difficult to understand what it’s like to raise a child with special needs,” said Debra. “The bond between parent and child is very intense, because the level of care is so high and unrelenting. As a mom, you give everything you have out of love, and because it’s necessary, but when the child leaves, you’re left with a huge void to fill.”
Debra found other work, but was unhappy and still missing her son, when her adult daughter Katie, asked for help developing and publishing her novella about an atypical vampire.
“When I first read Katie’s story, I was intrigued, but wasn’t sure what to do with it. I had never written anything close to fantasy,” said Debra, who has been writing in one form or another, most of her life. “Still, I wanted to help her realize her dream of publishing, so I dove in. Little did I know the novella would become a novel and my daughter and I would become co-authors.”
They wrote for over a year and finished more than half the book when Debra’s husband David, became ill. Debra took care of him for a year and a half, until he passed away in 2019.
“David was an incredible husband and father and our biggest fan. When he died, Katie and I lost all interest in writing.” said Debra. “But I knew we had to finish the book, so three months later, I started writing again. Katie wasn’t ready, so I’d write and we’d share ideas as the book progressed.”
Soon, the pandemic hit and the book became even more important while sheltering at home.
“Frankly, the book saved me. Writing it was a journey filled with creativity and joy, and compelled me to think about something else besides the pandemic and my grief. It also gave Katie and I a shared goal and one her dad would be proud of,” said Debra.
Skyler of Fanticlear, is available exclusively on Amazon.
“It’s a story about a ‘Kihnalta’ vampire princess,” said Katie.
“Kihnalta” is a play on the Irish word for compassion. These vampires envision a kingdom that embraces diversity and equality. But ‘Fiante’ vampires (Fierce in Irish) are brutal adversaries and oppose that vision, and therein lies the conflict,” said Debra.
“I’m glad my mom and I finished the book. I wish papa was here to see it,” said Katie.
Skyler of Fanticlear, can be read for free if you have Kindle Unlimited. There is also a paperback version available. You can learn more about this mother-daughter writing team on www.katieanddebrakeller.com. They are currently writing a second novel in what is becoming the Fanticlear series.
Source: Debra and Katie Keller
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Books
New Book “Camp Grampy” Chronicles a Retired Couple’s Homemade Summer Tradition for Their Eleven Grandchildren
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk
David R. Stewart has published "Camp Grampy: An Adventure With Grandchildren," a book built around a four-day summer gathering he and his wife, Nancy, started for their grandchildren after Stewart retired.
The idea, according to the announcement, grew out of a practical problem: grandchildren living in different cities who barely knew each other as cousins. Stewart and his wife set a recurring window each summer, picking the children up on a Sunday and returning them the following Thursday, timed around his Rotary Club schedule. Over time, that logistical arrangement became a standing family tradition with a name of its own.
Stewart draws on a background in sports, board games, and youth mentoring through scouting and Sunday school programs, according to the announcement, and he and Nancy built Camp Grampy around crafts, games, and activities modeled on traditional summer camp. The book states that children needed to be at least five years old to participate, a threshold set so everyone attending could take part in the full program. The family now includes eleven grandchildren, per Stewart.
"This book represents our family’s joy in building lasting memories and demonstrating to our eleven grandchildren that they matter," Stewart said in the announcement. "We wanted to show other families how accessible these meaningful experiences can be when approached with love and creativity."
The publisher describes the book as offering grandparents and extended families a model for building their own recurring traditions, framed around the argument that intentional, structured time together can carry weight beyond an ordinary visit. "Camp Grampy" was published by Christian Faith Publishing and is available in paperback and through major retailers including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, and the Apple iTunes Store.
Studio CarryOnHarry sees this as part of a familiar shelf of grandparent memoirs turning a family ritual into a template for others, and that’s exactly the kind of book that tends to find its readers by word of mouth rather than headlines.
Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.
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Brian Brady’s latest thriller, titled "The Crew," shifts away from San Francisco and explores international locales according to an announcement circulated this week.
The announcement positions this title as a shift for Brady, whose previous fiction has centered on the San Francisco Bay Area Details on plot, characters, and publisher were not included in the material provided, and no author biography or backlist accompanied the release.
Publishing contains multiple books with the title "The Crew" It’s also the name of a 2025 nonfiction book by fire chief Matthew Aalto on firehouse leadership and accountability, and echoes Stephen King’s 1985 story collection "Skeleton Crew." None of that overlaps with Brady’s book in subject matter, but readers searching for it online should expect some noise in the results.
Beyond the shift in geography, the announcement does not specify what genre conventions the book follows, who its central characters are, or where its globe-trotting story actually takes place. Those are the kinds of details that typically separate one thriller from another on a crowded shelf.
Studio CarryOnHarry will hold off on further comment until more specifics on plot and publisher emerge, but a known author moving away from a signature setting is usually worth a second look once the book itself is available.
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