Commemorating our Women Authors
Happy Women’s History Month! March is the month to honor the achievements of women, educate people on women’s equality, and shine a spotlight on women’s history. We admire and appreciate all of the women authors that we’ve worked with, and wanted to feature some of their books that highlight women’s issues, empower women and girls, and feature strong women characters. Thank you for your inspiration and ability to make positive changes through publishing!
Aspire!
By Patty York Raymond
About the Book
Join Jessica on her exciting weekend adventures. Witness some of the possibilities for her promising future as her mother reaffirms her daughter’s positive character traits. “You’re brilliant! You’re inquisitive! You’re strong!” says her mom. Observe Jessica’s growing sense of autonomy and self-empowerment while she explores a variety of careers and occupations.
About the Author
Patty York Raymond is a multi-award winning children’s book author and native Texan. Patty earned her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Houston as well as an Educational Administration & Supervision certificate from Texas A&M International University in Laredo. She is best known for writing children’s picture books with rich language that incorporate music and movement and celebrate family and heritage. It’s Too Windy! and The ABCs to Ranching—along with their corresponding original theme songs, “That’s What My Grandma Said” and “Take Me To The Ranch,”—have received state and international acclaim. In addition to her published works for children, Patty contributed the poem, “We Are Sisters” featured in the Poets Facing The Wall anthology by The Raving Press in 2018.
Patty York Raymond has enjoyed working with children, families, and educators as a social worker, bilingual teacher, and administrator. She especially enjoys visiting elementary schools throughout Texas and beyond, sharing her stories and encouraging students to read and write.
She and her family reside in South Texas where she is an independent education consultant as well as owner/director of Abrazo Case Management Services for Children and Pregnant Women. Visit Patty at pattyraymondbooks.com. She can also be contacted for school visits and presentations at pattyraymondbooks@gmail.com or at patriciaraymondconsultant.webs.com.
Girl Strong!
By Megan Touchton
About the Book
With the light of your heart, you’re determined to soar.
Your inner strength will guide you across every mountain and shore.
Written in honor of strong girls everywhere, Girl Strong! reminds us all that girls are resilient, intelligent, and independent, and that true strength comes from within.
About the Author
Megan’s life is full of love! Love for her children, her family, and for writing. She lives in the foothills of Colorado—often drawing inspiration from nature and her two daughters—and has always dreamed of writing books. Prior to pursuing her life as an author, Megan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a double degree in business administration and human communication. Megan completed a double major of finance and marketing with her degree in business administration, and wrote and defended an honors thesis in interpersonal communication.
She then went on to become a globetrotting corporate trainer and work in the natural foods industry. She even worked in fashion as a sales manager and makeup artist before eventually taking off time to raise her two daughters. Megan returned to her first passion—writing— in 2017 and hopes to share love, light, and compassion with all of her readers, whether they are young, young at heart, or old souls.
Edited By Gabrielle Deonath and Kamini Ramdeen
About the Editors
GABRIELLE DEONATH is a Guyanese-American writer, editor, and content creator based in New York. She hopes to give voice to those without a platform and promote authentic representations of minorities and marginalized communities through storytelling. Her writing has appeared in publications including SISTERS Magazine, the Muslim Creative Writers Network anthology Survival of the Hardworking, VirtualMosque.com, and Brown Girl Magazine, where she has also served as an assistant editor for the Indo-Caribbean and political teams. Read more of her work at www.hijabdiaries.com.
KAMINI RAMDEEN is a Guyanese-American editor, graphic design artist, photographer, and small business owner based in New York City. She previously managed editorial teams at Brown Girl Magazine, where she led political and Indo-Caribbean coverage. She is the founder of Paulo Grand, a streetwear apparel company that seeks to create awareness and spark conversations about the first-generation American identity and its many intricacies.
About the Book
untold: defining moments of the uprooted is a collection of real stories that explores the South Asian experience in the U.S., U.K., and Canada through the lens of identity, being, and relationships. Thirty-two emerging voices share deeply personal moments relating to immigration, infertility, divorce, mental health, suicide, sexual orientation, gender identity, racism, colorism, casteism, religion, and much more, all while balancing the push and pull of belonging to two cultural hemispheres. Every story sheds light on the authentic truths of living as womxn with hyphenated identities that have only been whispered – until now.
Revolutionary Girls
By Toriè J. Anderson
About the Book
Why be ordinary when you can be REVOLUTIONARY?
About the Author
Toriè J. Anderson is a native Detroitor, urban educator, writer, literacy advocate, and activist. She holds a Bachelor of Science in English Language Literature and Writing, a Master of Arts in Education, and a Master of Education in Literacy Studies. Needless to say, she is well over her head in student loan debts, like most Americans her age.
Toriè currently teaches 11th grade English for the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where every day she stands in front of a classroom of 25-35 students and encourages them to:
“Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy,” courtesy of the trillest* teacher she’s ever known, Ms. Frizzle. When she’s not teaching, reading, writing, or procrastinating, she can be found spending time with her furry children: her cat, Egypt, and her dog, Tinkerbell. Together, they enjoy taking well-deserved naps.
You can follow her on Instagram at: @torie_torie_torie_ and @teachingittrill. For more information and to contact Toriè, visit teachingittrill.com.
By Paula Quinn
About the Book
This story is about Rosie, who lives in Chicago.
Within three weeks she lost all of her hair and asked, “Where did it go?”
Rosie loved to rock the bald, without even skipping a beat.
She happily wore sunscreen—not even a hat!—in the summer heat.
At bedtime, Rosie would tell her own stories with a smile on her face.
She’d imagine her hair going on magical adventures all over the place.
From a young age, Rosie loved herself and was not phased by her look,
So her mother decided to share her spirit to teach others through this book.
Come on this adventure with a confident bald girl,
Who tells us ”Bald is beautiful!” as she smiles with a twirl.
We hope this book can inspire you to love others as they are,
And to love yourself every day, whether your hair is near or far.
About the Author
Paula and Rosie Quinn are the founders of Coming Up Rosies, a nonprofit dedicated to fulfilling Rosie’s dream to make bald kids like her smile confidently. At two years old, Rosie was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis, an incurable autoimmune disease that results in baldness. From a young age, Rosie taught her parents how to embrace her difference by coming up with magical adventures of her hair each night before bed.
Despite Rosie’s confidence, awkward questions and comments about her baldness started to bother Rosie. One day, her parents surprised her with a headscarf made from one of her paintings. Rosie immediately felt confident again, and wanted to share this feeling of pride with all bald children. Rosie lives in Chicago with her sister Caroline, her parents Paula and Larry, and their bernedoodle, Enzo. As a family, they love to go to Cubs games, have dance parties, and cook Italian dinners at home.
Voices of LGBTQ+: A Conversation Starter for Understanding, Supporting, and Protecting Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer People
By Lynda Wolters
About the Book
Why do so many in our modern society reject those who are different?
Though the mainstream acceptance of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Queer community has made leaps and bounds over the past few years, many pivotal groups within our modern society still respond to the LGBTQ+ community with an overwhelming, knee-jerk reaction of “us” vs. “them.” Despite the progress that has been made, misunderstanding, hatred, animosity, aggression, and violence still affect this community on a deep level. Lynda Wolters knows firsthand: a strong ally, she has come to know, understand, and have a deep respect for the community through her son, who is gay.
Including highly personal, real-world anecdotes, Voices of LGBTQ+ helps outline some of the most critical challenges the community faces today, with topical insights into:
• Homelessness
• Hate crimes
• Suicide
• Economic challenges
• Discrimination and lack of equality
• Religious and biblical conflicts
Though judgment and divisiveness still run deep in our society, Wolters highlights the first key distinction, among many others, that will help eradicate bigotry: those who are different are not choosing to be, they simply are, and it’s our differences that make us stronger. Voices of LGBTQ+ helps educate, dispel fears, and start positive conversations about what knowing, loving, or simply peacefully and positively coexisting with someone in the LGBTQ+ community really means. After all, there is no “us” vs. “them.” We are all human.
About the Author
Lynda was born and raised in a tiny farming community of four hundred in northern Idaho, where she worked on the family farm. After high school, she traveled to New York to be a nanny for a few months before moving to Las Vegas to further her education. She moved back home to Idaho to raise her three sons while working in the legal field, a career that spanned over thirty years.
Watching her gay son navigate the LGBTQ+ community and the world in general, Lynda recognized a need to educate others—through a parent’s eye—on what LGBTQ+ people endure that others are immune or ignorant to simply because of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Lynda lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her husband and long-haired dachshund, Tucker “Bug,” where she spends her days writing and volunteering. Voices of LGBTQ+ is the second in the Voices Book Series, following the successful Voices of Cancer.
Becca’s Feat on Feet
By Becca Pizzi
About the Book
Becca has been running since she was just six years old. She ran her first race with her dad by her side—and she’s never stopped. After years of competitive racing, including over a decade of Boston Marathons, she decides that it’s time to raise the bar and run in one of the toughest races on the globe: the World Marathon Challenge.
Seven marathons.
Seven continents.
Seven days.
Running in this challenge will push Becca to her limits—and beyond. From icy terrains to hot desert climates, Becca must brave the elements and run faster and harder than she ever has before. Will she be the first American woman to win? Join Becca on this incredible, odds-defying adventure that shows everyone just how much they can accomplish with hard work and dedication.
About the Author
Becca grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband, Joe, and her daughter, Taylor. She graduated from Belmont High School in 1998. She loves the Belmont community and credits her success to Belmont for inspiring her to do her best. She has completed the World Majors. The Boston Marathon is her favorite marathon, and she has run it sixteen times! Becca is on track to complete a marathon in all fifty states. She is most passionate about directing the Becca Pizzi 5k race in Belmont, and loves seeing her community come together to support Belmont High School athletes.
Good to Be Me
By Jessica Parham
About the Book
Good to be Me celebrates our differences and gives parents the opportunity to have an open conversation with their kids about disabilities, race, body types, and more.
About the Author
Jessica Parham lives in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Andrew, and their three amazing kids. Her daughters and son inspire her every day to write fun kids’ books. When Jessica isn’t working on her newest original story, she loves baking (sourdough, anyone?), spending time with her family and friends (especially hosting at home!), and enjoying the beach (no matter the season).
Birdie Can, Too!
By Malaika Underwood
About the Book
Author Malaika Underwood was the first girl to play high school baseball in San Diego, California, and has been a member of the USA Baseball Women’s National Team since 2006. She lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida, with her husband and two amazing daughters.
Anika Orrock is an award-winning illustrator, designer, and author of The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Anna Incognito
By Laura Preble
About the Book
“Lots of narrative pull…wonderfully complicated.”
–Jincy Willett, author of The Writing Class, and anthologized by David Sedaris in Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules
Anna Colin Beck knows all too well what can happen when things go wrong—really wrong. So, she’s spent the last several years living an extremely regimented life at home, doing everything she can to avoid subjecting herself to the torments of a germ-infested world. Everything must be just so, and when things don’t go to plan, she punishes her own body…and that still hasn’t helped alleviate her pain.
After a chance meeting in a laundromat, she finds herself completely infatuated with another person, something that hasn’t happened to her in a long time. Dr. Edward Denture is seemingly brilliant and magnetic…and in the blink of an eye, she’s attending intense somatic therapy sessions as his newest client. The more he draws from her, the further their relationship grows, until it’s crossed countless lines and consumed Anna with a fierce toxicity. And before she knows it, she finds herself buckled into the driver’s seat of a powder-blue El Dorado for a solo cross-country road trip, determined to stop his wedding. It’s a trip that will test every limitation she’s ever set for herself, and though she’s planned extensively for all contingencies, there are some twists and turns you just can’t prepare for.
With wry observations on the intersection of luck, fate, and life, Anna Incognito is a searing, darkly witty exploration of what it means to be alive.
About the Author
LAURA PREBLE is the award-winning author of the young adult series Queen Geek Social Club (Penguin/Berkley Jam), which includes the novels Queen Geeks in Love and Prom Queen Geeks. Her novel, Out, deals with the concept of LGBTQ rights within a young adult dystopia; Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys, says, “Out explores an intriguing, mind-bending, and challenging portrait of an upside-down world that turns the tables on homophobia, acceptance, and love.” She has won a Kurt Vonnegut Fiction Prize, and has been published in North American Review, Writer’s Digest, Hysteria, and NEA Today.