Books
Debut Novel “Midland Fair” Follows One Family Through a Century of American Upheaval
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk
Edward Williams has published his debut novel, "Midland Fair," a work of historical fiction that opens in the fictional Reisenthal Valley, a hidden refuge where the Manrovii people have lived in isolation for a thousand years. The book follows what happens after a young man from that community leaves, a departure that sets off a chain of events reaching across generations.
The novel then shifts to the story of the Murphys, a family whose lives intersect with real moments in American history: the building of the Erie Canal, the settling of the Illinois frontier, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and the labor unrest at Pullman. According to the publisher, the book is built around the tension between the lives people inherit and the lives they choose to build for themselves.
Williams was born in New Jersey and studied at the University of Oklahoma, where, according to the announcement, his interest in literature and history developed. The publisher’s description notes that he drew on travels through the United States and Europe earlier in his life, and that he began writing the novel after retiring.
"This book represents my attempt to capture how individual choices ripple across generations and reshape entire families," Williams said in the announcement. "I wanted to explore the intersection of personal ambition and historical inevitability through characters whose struggles and triumphs feel entirely human."
"Midland Fair" is published through Fulton Books and is available at bookstores and through Apple iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Barnes and Noble.
Studio CarryOnHarry will be watching whether a debut spanning this many eras and this large a cast of historical touchpoints holds together as a single narrative, or reads as several novels stitched into one.
Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.
Are you an author with a new release? We’re always looking for books to cover and authors to interview — tell us about yours here.
Press Releases at Studio CarryOnHarry
Related Posts
TGC Worldwide Adds Three Hires Spanning Retail, Publishing and Screen Deals
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk TGC Worldwide, a firm that manages author platforms, publishing strategy and speaker representation, has appointed…
Seattle Car Dealer’s Memoir Recounts Building the Internet’s First Auto Marketplace
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Martin S. Rood, a longtime Seattle-area automobile dealer, has published a memoir about founding DealerNet,…
Children’s Author Kerry Padrick Releases “In Search of Sweet Dreams,” a Bedtime Story About Faith and Nighttime Fear
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Kerry Padrick, a retired educator with three decades in the classroom, has released a new…
New Children’s Book Turns a Childhood Playground Wound Into a Lesson on Forgiveness
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Author Lisa Doucette has published "Fatty, You Broke My Tire Swing!", a children's book drawn…
Christian Faith Publishing Releases Pamela B. Craig’s “Tears and a Tiara,” a Family Memoir of Childhood Cancer and Faith
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Pamela B. Craig has released "Tears and a Tiara: A Testimony of Faith, Hope, and…
Dawn E. Scaff Publishes Poetry Collection “God Is Always Near”
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Dawn E. Scaff has published a new poetry collection, "God Is Always Near," through Christian…
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk
Br. Chris Sweeney, SC, published "Ride for Reid: 6,000 Miles for Love, Faith, and Family," documenting a cross-country cycling expedition undertaken to raise awareness and support for his nephew Reid, who has Down syndrome. The book is out now through Covenant Books.
Sweeney, a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart for 34 years, rode from Florida’s coast to California’s redwood forests, a route the book describes as roughly six thousand miles. According to the publisher’s description, the trip included searing heat, freezing cold, mechanical breakdowns, saddle sores and a crash just miles from the finish.
Before the ride, Sweeney spent decades teaching in Catholic high schools across Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, followed by twelve years as a missionary in Mozambique, where he worked on farming projects, grant writing and feeding boarding students at his school. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of New Orleans and a master’s degree in Catholic School Leadership from the University of San Francisco.
The publisher describes the book as combining travelogue, memoir, and spiritual reflection with candid observations on faith and encounters with strangers during the journey. "Every mile reminded me that we are never truly alone, and that love is the most powerful fuel on any journey," Sweeney said, according to the announcement.
"Ride for Reid" is available through Covenant Books and major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and the Apple iTunes Store.
Studio CarryOnHarry sees this as part of a familiar but durable genre, the faith-driven endurance memoir, and one where the specificity of Sweeney’s own background, missionary work, decades of teaching, a family motive, gives it more grounding than most.
Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.
Are you an author with a new release? We’re always looking for books to cover and authors to interview — tell us about yours here.
Press Releases at Studio CarryOnHarry
Related Posts
New Book Chronicles Brother’s 6,000-Mile Bike Ride for Nephew with Down Syndrome
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Br. Chris Sweeney, SC, has published "Ride for Reid: 6,000 Miles for Love, Faith, and…
Debut Novel ‘Midland Fair’ Follows One Family Through a Century of American Upheaval
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Edward Williams has published his debut novel, "Midland Fair," a work of historical fiction that…
Debut Novel “Midland Fair” Follows One Family Through a Century of American Upheaval
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Edward Williams has published his debut novel, "Midland Fair," a work of historical fiction that…
TGC Worldwide Adds Three Hires Spanning Retail, Publishing and Screen Deals
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk TGC Worldwide, a firm that manages author platforms, publishing strategy and speaker representation, has appointed…
Seattle Car Dealer’s Memoir Recounts Building the Internet’s First Auto Marketplace
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Martin S. Rood, a longtime Seattle-area automobile dealer, has published a memoir about founding DealerNet,…
Children’s Author Kerry Padrick Releases “In Search of Sweet Dreams,” a Bedtime Story About Faith and Nighttime Fear
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Kerry Padrick, a retired educator with three decades in the classroom, has released a new…
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk
Br. Chris Sweeney, SC, has published "Ride for Reid: 6,000 Miles for Love, Faith, and Family," a book recounting a solo cross-country cycling trip he undertook to raise awareness and support for his nephew Reid, who has Down syndrome, according to the publisher, Covenant Books.
The book follows Sweeney’s route from Louisiana to California, passing through Florida’s coastline, mountain passes, and what the publisher describes as searing heat and bone-chilling cold along the way. The announcement states Sweeney faced mechanical failures, saddle sores, and a crash just miles from the finish line before completing the roughly 6,000-mile journey.
According to the book’s synopsis, the project began as a way to honor Reid, described as a boy whose smile could light up a room, and grew into what Sweeney frames as a broader meditation on faith and service to others. The publisher categorizes the book as part travelogue, part memoir, and part spiritual reflection, pitched at cyclists and general readers alike.
Sweeney is a member of a religious community, indicated by the "SC" designation following his name, and the book situates his physical endurance test within a framework of Christian faith throughout the ride.
For Studio CarryOnHarry, the story worth watching isn’t the mileage, it’s whether a personal fundraising ride like this translates into sustained attention or support for Down syndrome advocacy beyond the book’s release.
Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.
Are you an author with a new release? We’re always looking for books to cover and authors to interview — tell us about yours here.
Press Releases at Studio CarryOnHarry
Related Posts
Debut Novel ‘Midland Fair’ Follows One Family Through a Century of American Upheaval
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Edward Williams has published his debut novel, "Midland Fair," a work of historical fiction that…
Debut Novel “Midland Fair” Follows One Family Through a Century of American Upheaval
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Edward Williams has published his debut novel, "Midland Fair," a work of historical fiction that…
TGC Worldwide Adds Three Hires Spanning Retail, Publishing and Screen Deals
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk TGC Worldwide, a firm that manages author platforms, publishing strategy and speaker representation, has appointed…
Seattle Car Dealer’s Memoir Recounts Building the Internet’s First Auto Marketplace
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Martin S. Rood, a longtime Seattle-area automobile dealer, has published a memoir about founding DealerNet,…
Children’s Author Kerry Padrick Releases “In Search of Sweet Dreams,” a Bedtime Story About Faith and Nighttime Fear
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Kerry Padrick, a retired educator with three decades in the classroom, has released a new…
New Children’s Book Turns a Childhood Playground Wound Into a Lesson on Forgiveness
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk Author Lisa Doucette has published "Fatty, You Broke My Tire Swing!", a children's book drawn…
-
Books4 days agoNew Devotional from Cameron Boles Offers Parents a Chronological Bible Guide for Family Discipleship
-
Books1 day agoChildren’s Author Kerry Padrick Releases “In Search of Sweet Dreams,” a Bedtime Story About Faith and Nighttime Fear
-
Books4 days agoAuthor Ingo Solace Publishes Children’s Book “Hero Boy” Through Page Publishing
-
Books4 days agoChildren’s Author Linda McCain Releases Interactive Workbook ‘Good Night, Mr. White!’
-
Editor's Choice2 days agoRamayana Eyes Hong Kong Screens as Worldwide Numbers Keep Climbing
-
Books8 hours agoDebut Novel ‘Midland Fair’ Follows One Family Through a Century of American Upheaval