Books published by Compass Flower Press

Dorothy Canote has graced us with another lovely coffee table book of her experiences, thoughts and paintings. Her subjects range the full gamut from her family origins to research of her original home in Avalon, located in northern Missouri to Mexico to mitochondria and women in her life. Her love of family is evident from her depiction, both in words and watercolor painting (from memory) of her beloved Grandma Jesse and her home. Other subjects include travel stories from what she terms her "Middle Years," which showcase her rather fearless adventures during that time, such as caving, canoeing and all with complete with illustrations of the beauty found at those spots. We see her love of science in both her essays and illustrations.

These brilliantly imagined characters and colorful illustrations teach concepts of working for the things you want, cooperative effort, and sharing. Everyone will fall in love with Dharma the Donkicorn and Eldon the Elephant.

Greg Busacker deals with every subject imaginable. This does not seem odd for a poet, and particularly for a man in his late seventies. What a showcase of a life led with both purpose and fulfillment. These poems speak to all of us, of love, life, and the many facets of joy and strife. One can truly appreciate what human life is all about from a practical as well as emotional, and philosophical point of view while reading this book—slowly, ever so slowly with a savoring for the love of words.

When Heidy was just a little girl, she started learning about baking from her grandmother Andrea.Her bread was legendary in the small village and Heidy would go door-to-door selling it.If Heidy closes her eyes, she can almost picture her grandmother Andrea, wearing her modest, yet faded shin-length dress, her long dark hair secured in a bun. A few gray strands slipping out as she works over the outdoor fire as the sun rises, her rough hands stirring a large pot of maize. If Heidy allows herself to dream, she can even hear a cow mooing in the distance, or bees buzzing around the ripe mangoes in a nearby tree.These memories connect Heidy Gissela Lanza Baca to her maternal grandparents, Andrea and Juan de la Cruz Baca Hernandez, who lived in a peaceful village miles away from the bustling Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa where Heidy grew up. Spending vacation time with grandparents was precious, and something she and her many cousins treasured. Their grandmother always had many people around, but she never ran out of food. She was always ready to serve anyone who came by their home. No one ever left with an empty stomach.Sarah Kohnle met Heidy through her mission trips to Honduras, and through time she developed the idea and plan to bring Heidy's heritage through Honduran recipes to the world in this cookbook. In a bilingual format, you will find both English and the Central American Spanish of each of the recipes presented.  

Dark MusicPan, the deposed god of the world, was also the god of music. When he played his syrinx the nymphs danced for the pure joy of being alive.  But Pan was a moody god and would sometimes lead the unwary down paths to their own destruction. Pan is gone now. Or is he? Perhaps he still exists, lurking in the dark places. Music can soothe, but it can also seduce and destroy.

When Jenny becomes permanently confined to a wheelchair after an accident and then the family moves to the country, her dreams are shattered. The excitement of city life was all that kept her spirits up. But in one magical visit back to the city, new hope and direction slip into her unfamiliar new world!

"Sailor's Mail isn't just a war story, it's a love story." Sixty-three years after Homer Norris served in the United States Navy, his daughter discovered a family trunk filled with memorabilia from the 1940s, and skillfully reconstructed her parents' World War II experience. The newlyweds' lives are abruptly changed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Homer's letters vividly depict the honest emotions of a sailor who battles fear, homesickness, boredom, and physical demands while never losing his sense of humor. Ruth's diary and scrapbooks reveal her life on the home front and expose her fear that her husband might never return. The book is an inspiring testament to the power of love and one man's unparalleled determination to get back home to his beautiful wife-the love of his life. Within the pages of this historical biography you will: -Hear how Homer and Ruth devised a secret code to bypass military censorship -Appreciate Homer's inventive ways to make a little money on the side -Learn about the Navy's island-hopping strategy for conquering the Pacific Islands -Journey with Homer as he develops friendships with island natives -Witness Homer's emotions when he writes in one of his letters, "All I want is for this war to end so I can come home to my wife and live and raise a family."

Hazard, Kentucky is the setting for this historical story enhanced with some fiction, amazingly well told by author Wayne Combs, the great grandson of Bad Tom Smith. "Bad Tom" Smith was a notorious and murderous character in the late 1800s and as a result of his misdeeds was hanged in the town of Jackson, Kentucky for all to see. Still, there is more to a man than his public reputation. Bad Tom Smith was also a family man. This fast paced and realistic book will fill the reader in on many little-known facts, yet told in a storytelling fashion for enjoyable reading. But watch out, many of Americans have roots in Kentucky. You might find your own ties to this infamous character.