Book signing

Book signing

NILES —Vienna author John W. Street will sign copies of his new novel, “The First Officer’s Report: The Inside Account of Flight 919 and Its Place in the Age of Terror,” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Borders Books, behind the Eastwood Mall, 2102 Niles-Cortland Road S.E.

Street, an experienced Boeing 747 pilot, penned the novel under the pseudonym Shawn Rhodes, which is also the name of the book’s co-pilot/hero, who must stop his fellow pilot from intentionally crashing their airliner and killing everyone on board and thousands on the ground. It was released in March by BookSurge.

Boardman writer’s story featured on Web, in book

BOARDMAN — A story by Boardman author Julie Arduini was selected as the story of the month on author and life coach Kathy Vick’s new Web site — www.runlikeagirl.org — launching the 2009 release of her gift book, “Run Like a Girl” (Simon & Schuster/Howard).

Vick chose “Surrender Your Fear” based on a story Arduini shared for the book about running like a girl from a snowplow and childhood fears.

Arduini started writing two years ago and has a following through her personal blog, thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com. A graduate of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, she is the “Sunday mommy” blogger with the Christian Writers Forum and a columnist with www.takerootandwrite.com.

Her first published work as a contributing writer was in Lori Wagner’s book,” Quilting Patches of Life.” She has also had works featured in the Women of Passions Anthology: Ordinary Women Serving an Extraordinary God by Jeanice McDade and Jan Ross. She is working on a fiction piece for the Peculiar People’s Postcard Project book and will have three winning Editor’s Choice at FaithWriters entries published in anthologies. She also has regular writings featured in the Heart of God International JournEzine and writes monthly devotionals for the steering team members at Old North Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS).

Tow book publishers deciding to get mobile

NEW YORK — Two major book publishers announced mobile phone initiatives as a worried industry increasingly banks on a digital future.

Penguin Group (USA) has started Penguin 2.0, which includes Penguin Personalized, a way for customers to add personal dedication pages to digital books, and Penguin Mobile, which enables readers to receive text on Apple Inc.’s iPhones and other mobile devices.

The Random House Publishing Group said it would make some books available for free on the iPhone, including works by Alan Furst and Arthur Phillips. The text can be downloaded through Lexcycle’s Stanza reader

Other publishers with mobile phone programs include HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Simon & Schuster.

ALA launches award for teen books

NEW YORK — Five novels for teens are finalists for the American Library Association’s first William C. Morris YA Debut Award.

The prize is given for books that “illuminate the teen experience and enrich the lives of its readers through its excellence.”

The nominees are: Elizabeth Bunce’s (rhymes with once) “A Curse Dark as Gold”; Kristin Cashore’s (ka-SHORE) “Graceling”; James Lecesne’s “Absolute Brightness”; Christina Meldrum’s (MEL-drum) “Madapple”; and Jenny Valentine’s “Me, the Missing and the Dead.”

The winner will be announced Jan. 26.

Vindicator staff/wire reports