Books by Mark Stallard

Acclaim and Praise for ROCK ''N FIREWinner of the 2021 NIEA African American Fiction AwardWinner of the 2021 Kops-Fetherling Gold Award for Sports BookFinalist of the 2021 IBA Next Generation African American Fiction AwardBronze Medal Winner of the 2021 Ippy Midwest Fiction AwardBronze Medal Winner of the 2021 New York City Book Awards for HistoryTop Five Placement in Historical Fiction for the 2021 Best Indie Book Award (BIBA)Finalist in TaleFlick''s Road to Development Contest"This is a rare gem...the story is amazingly written." -TaleFlick"A 1960s Hall-of-Fame historian trying to find information on a Major League ballplayer''s race-related taboo relationship occurring decades earlier...the Golden Age of Baseball and its tarnished surface are strongly featured." -IndieReader"Stallard weaves a tale of discovery (during) a turbulent time period in American history...juxtaposed against the racism of MLB." -Reader ViewsAn unforgettable story hides in the shadows of America''s national pastime... It''s 1963, and civil unrest simmers in America''s streets. Baseball Hall of Fame Historian Frank Aldridge receives a letter from a woman claiming that Ray Cavanaugh, a talented but forgotten left-handed pitcher, may be her father. Fascinated by her story, Frank sets out to discover the truth. What he finds and uncovers is a lost legacy of forbidden love, fragile dreams, and despicable racism... In the 1930s and ''40s, Ray Cavanaugh was known as Rock ''n Fire'', an ace pitcher with a stubborn streak a mile wide. After suffering an injury in a game against Negro League All Stars, Ray meets Aulette... a black woman. Together they defy society''s racist taboos and embark on a passionate affair, knowing it could have disastrous consequences for them both. Inspired by his personal need to know the truth, Frank is driven to find the elusive Cavanaugh, who has not been heard from in more than a decade. And as the years go by, Frank fights his own problems as he presses on to uncover the love story buried beneath decades of hatred and oppression. Told against the sprawling canvas of our country''s turbulent past, Rock ''n Fire is a mesmerizing look at the hope of love in the dark side of America''s favorite sport. 

Beginning with the first official football game played by K-State in 1896, the purple-clad gridders always struggled to find respectability. By the end of the 1980s, the team was mired in a 30-game winless streak and considered the worst college football team in America.Then the turn around.Bill Snyder took over the head coaching duties at K-State in 1989, and within five seasons did something many thought impossible, if not miraculous: he turned Kansas State into not only a winning program, but a dominant contender in the world of college football.From Wildcats to Powercats.Test your trivia knowledge with questions about players, coaches and big games, from George Maddox and Pappy Waldorf to Michael Bishop and Bill Snyder. From Independence Bowl to the Fiesta Bowl. Complete with hundreds of questions, facts and photos.