Books published by Sunstone Press

Alessandra "Alex" Petersen, an unhappily married woman from West Texas, is rescued from a fall into the cold waters of Holy Ghost Creek, a tributary of the Pecos River in Northern New Mexico by mysterious Mark Cassidy. After drying off at his nearby house, she goes to stay at a female friend''s house in Santa Fe. Thinking her friend gone, she is horrified to find not only her friend, but her husband, both murdered. Jeremy Radcliff, retired ex-CIA agent, is blackmailed into finding and eliminating-permanently-a fellow ex-CIA agent, a woman who happens to be Mark Cassidy''s sister, Evelyn, who is hiding out with her brother in their Holy Ghost Canyon safe house. Suspicions, lethal connections and coincidences abound, leading to a surprising finale in Holy Ghost Canyon.

The land to the south of the "villa" of Santa Fe was a series of ridges, like ripples in the earth. Indians standing on the roofs of the "casas reales" in the pre-dawn hours of December 16, 1693, could see across the ruins of the village to the hills beyond. The sun was just beginning to light the mountains to the east. Across the snowy hills came a winding army of men, wagons, and stock riding up from the south. The army, as warlike in appearance as any that ever marched to meet an opposing force, came slowly, a long beige snake spiked with muskets, horse snaffles, and lances glinting in the sun. The colonists'' first sight of the large, fortress-like "casas," the former government buildings and the residence of the Spanish governor, was marked by an outburst of extraordinary fervor. After the agonies of the past two-and-one-half months, the Army of Reconquest had finally reached its goal. The Indians and colonists observed each other across a great expanse as the army approached the city''s walls. Colonized in 1598 and driven into exile in 1680, the Spaniards were aware that theirs might be the first colony to be defeated by an indigenous people. They had made several previous attempts at reconquest, but each of these attempts had failed. The Spaniards were finally successful in 1692 in achieving a bloodless, but only ritual repossession. The actual occupation and resettlement of the New Mexico Kingdom, however, would prove to be a deadly affair. This book completes Lucero''s trilogy-"Voices in the Stillness"-regarding New Mexico''s colonial history. It provides an account of the better than 20 ancestral families-his forebears-that returned with the Army of Reconquest. Based on a true series of events, the book sets out the particulars of the Pueblo Indian Revolt of 1680 and its aftermath, as told from the viewpoints of the Lucero de Godoy and Gomez Robledo families and some of the other New Mexico colonists who experienced it. Author of several books regarding the New Mexico colony ("The Adobe Kingdom," "A Nation of Shepherds," "The Rosas Affair," all from Sunstone Press), Dr. Lucero meticulously retraced the colonists'' deadly retreat, as well as the trails of their several attempts at reconquest, as part of his research for this book. DONALD L. LUCERO is a former resident of Las Vegas, New Mexico. He received his undergraduate degree at New Mexico Highlands University. He holds graduate degrees from the University of New Mexico and the University of North Carolina. Dr. Lucero, a licensed psychologist, conducts a private practice in psychology in Raynham, Massachusetts.

In this new edition of the author''s first collection of poems, he writes about those simple truths and everyday experiences that inevitably shape our lives. With uncompromising honesty, these poems speak with a vibrant, dynamic voice. In poetry simple and uncluttered, with a flowing rhythmic style, they state their message lucidly and pointedly, creating an affinity between the poet and the man on the street. These are poems from the heart, written openly and honestly with always the abiding conviction that they should "tell no lies." Poems that never seek to deny the reality of those other, darker truths of our existence, movingly expressed by one who sees clearly in his own life and experience the central elements of the human condition. THOMAS GRISSOM is also the author of three other collections of poems: "One Spring More," "Journal Entries," and "Neither Here Nor There," all from Sunstone Press. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is Emeritus Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. In addition to poetry Grissom is the author of several works of fiction as well as non-fiction.

Father Hector, trained in agronomy and extension, delights in farming. When the bishop appoints him to San Miguel in the mountains of Mexico, he feels his prayers have been answered. The bishop''s agenda differs. He directs Hector to convince the Indian congregants that miracles are not the frequent events that they are reporting. When Hector reaches San Miguel, he confronts a Protestant evangelical, who is encouraging villagers to plant cash crops and use new pesticides and modern technology. Instead of battling for souls, Hector must pit sustainable agriculture and appropriate technology against his rival. Hector''s empathy and hard work win out over the charisma and charm of the Protestant, but his attempts to reduce the frequency of miracles at San Miguel are a different matter.

Frances DeWolf, wife of Seventh Cavalry surgeon James DeWolf, lay in bed alone on a frigid morning in 1875, listening to her husband''s activities in their military quarters-opening the parlor stove, tossing in logs, the metal-on-metal screech as he closed the stove door. She knew she should get up, but instead she curled under the warmth of heaped blankets and recalled their adventure so far. They had met in the Oregon wilderness where James was an enlisted hospital steward at an Army camp and she a teacher for ranchers'' children. She was 19 and he was 28 when they were married. In 1873, James applied for and was granted a transfer to a post near Boston so he could attend Harvard Medical School. But even with his Harvard degree, he wouldn''t leave the Army. So here they were in the middle of a frozen prairie. There were rumors that Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer would lead the cavalry in a campaign against roaming Indians next year. If true, she hoped her husband wouldn''t have to go off to fight as well. "Voices in Our Souls," a historical novel based on fact, tells James and Fannie''s poignant story-one filled with joys and triumphs, regrets and sorrows, and above all else, enduring love. Gene Erb is also the author of "A Plague of Hunger" based on two award-winning newspaper series, one focusing on the migration of jobs from Iowa to Mexico and the other examining world hunger issues. A former U.S. Navy pilot, Mr. Erb was a reporter and editor with the "Des Moines Register and Tribune" from 1974 through 2000. He has a bachelor''s degree from Iowa State University and a master''s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. Ann DeWolf Erb was a librarian at Iowa State University for five years and then an analyst, manager and officer at an Iowa insurance company through 2000. She has a bachelor''s degree from the University of West Florida and a master''s degree in library science from the University of Rhode Island. She is a distant cousin of Dr. James Madison DeWolf. The authors live in Iowa.

"e;She was my idol,"e; said columnist Mary McGrory. McGrory, in writing of women, referred to Doris Fleeson as "e;incomparably the first political journalist of her time."e; Fleeson was, in fact, the first woman in the United States to become a nationally syndicated political columnist. In 1945, with the encouragement of Henry Mencken, she launched her column. In her career she would write some 5,500 columns during the next twenty-two years. Fleeson's appearance could be disarming. Once at a party Lady Bird Johnson exclaimed, "e;What a gorgeous dress, Doris. It makes you look just like a sweet, old-fashioned girl."e; The wife of Senator Stuart Symington interjected, "e;Yes, just a sweet old-fashioned girl with a shiv in her hand."e; CAROLYN SAYLER lives in Lyons, Kansas, ten miles from the town of Sterling where Doris Fleeson was born in 1901. Knowing members of the Fleeson family, she began researching the life of the columnist whose straightforward take on Washington became a daily fix for newspaper readers across the nation. Sayler has a background in journalism as a member of a Kansas newspaper family. She is the author of a history of Manhattan, Kansas, which tells of the town's founding during the Free State struggle, its strong connections with New England, and its abolitionist college, now Kansas State University.

Santa Fe, as a tourist destination and an international art market with its attraction of devotees to opera, flamenco, good food and romanticized cultures, is also a city of deep historical drama. Like its seemingly "adobe style-only" architecture, all one has to do is turn the corner and discover a miniature Alhambra, a Romanesque Cathedral, or a French-inspired chapel next to one of the oldest adobe chapels in the United States to realize its long historical diversity. This fusion of architectural styles is a mirror of its people, cultures and history. From its early origins, Native American presence in the area through the archaeological record is undeniable and has proved to be a force to be reckoned with as well as reconciled. It was, however, the desire of European arrivals, Spaniards, already mixed in Spain and Mexico, to create a new life, a new environment, different architecture, different government, culture and spiritual life that set the foundations for the creation of "La Villa de Santa Fe." Indeed, Santa Fe remained Spanish from its earliest Spanish presence of 1607 until 1821. But history is not just the time between dates but the human drama that creates the "City Different." The Mexican Period of 1821-1848, American occupation and the following Territorial Period into Statehood are no less defining and, in fact, are as traumatic for some citizens as the first European contact. This tapestry was all held together by the common belief that Santa Fe was different and after centuries of coexistence a city with its cultures, tolerance and beauty was worth preserving. Indeed, the existence and awareness of this oldest of North American capitals was to attract the famous as well as infamous: poets, writers, painters, philosophers, scientists and the sickly whose prayers were answered in the thin dry air of the city situated at the base of the Sangre de Cristos at 7,000 foot elevation. We hope readers will enjoy "All Trails Lead to Santa Fe" and in its pages discover facts not revealed before, or, in the sense of true adventure, enlighten and encourage the reader to continue the search for the evolution of "La Villa de Santa Fe."

Santa Fe, as a tourist destination and an international art market with its attraction of devotees to opera, flamenco, good food and romanticized cultures, is also a city of deep historical drama. Like its seemingly "adobe style-only" architecture, all one has to do is turn the corner and discover a miniature Alhambra, a Romanesque Cathedral, or a French-inspired chapel next to one of the oldest adobe chapels in the United States to realize its long historical diversity. This fusion of architectural styles is a mirror of its people, cultures and history. From its early origins, Native American presence in the area through the archaeological record is undeniable and has proved to be a force to be reckoned with as well as reconciled. It was, however, the desire of European arrivals, Spaniards, already mixed in Spain and Mexico, to create a new life, a new environment, different architecture, different government, culture and spiritual life that set the foundations for the creation of "La Villa de Santa Fe." Indeed, Santa Fe remained Spanish from its earliest Spanish presence of 1607 until 1821. But history is not just the time between dates but the human drama that creates the "City Different." The Mexican Period of 1821-1848, American occupation and the following Territorial Period into Statehood are no less defining and, in fact, are as traumatic for some citizens as the first European contact. This tapestry was all held together by the common belief that Santa Fe was different and after centuries of coexistence a city with its cultures, tolerance and beauty was worth preserving. Indeed, the existence and awareness of this oldest of North American capitals was to attract the famous as well as infamous: poets, writers, painters, philosophers, scientists and the sickly whose prayers were answered in the thin dry air of the city situated at the base of the Sangre de Cristos at 7,000 foot elevation. We hope readers will enjoy "All Trails Lead to Santa Fe" and in its pages discover facts not revealed before, or, in the sense of true adventure, enlighten and encourage the reader to continue the search for the evolution of "La Villa de Santa Fe."

A unique characteristic of Native American medicine is the belief that each patient holds a different spirit, and that the healing can only work when it affects the individual spirit. Mythology is essential to this healing process. The belief stories within these pages reflect a culture that holds both poignant and alarming lessons. Readers of this book will discover the intriguing past and knowledge of Native American history and beliefs which are more enlightening than they may have previously realized.

At the age of ten, in early 1931, the author stood alone facing the steps of Caltech''s majestic Atheneum as Albert Einstein descended them, and asked for his autograph. Sixty years later, a graduate of Caltech, a member of the Atheneum, a Japanese wedding party he addressed in the same place were honored to meet someone who had met Einstein. Here are a dozen or so reflections on once and future famous men the author encountered during a long career in industry and government: the Nobel Laureate Robert A. Millikan; Theodore von Karman, Hungarian of the Teller-von Neumann-Szilard group of geniuses; Wernher von Braun, head of both Nazi and NASA rocket development; General Curtis LeMay, sketched in striking personal anecdotes; and President Kennedy, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, the British Minister of Defense and others shown dealing with the 1962-63 Skybolt Crisis. Tenzing Norgay, with Edmund Hillary the first to conquer Mt. Everest, appears in Chapter 7, carrying burdens of once-great fame. The volume ends with a short sketch of a man who, like Einstein, escaped Hitler''s Europe, but survived years of hardship worthily, a reflection on fate, Fortune, transience and hope. John H. Rubel was born in Chicago in April, 1920. He graduated from the California Institute of Technology (1942), married his sweetheart, and worked on classified war projects in the General Electric Research Labs until WWII ended. After the war he became director of a large aerospace development laboratory, leaving after Sputnik for the Pentagon in early 1959. He became Deputy Director of Defense Research and Engineering and Assistant Secretary of Defense in 1961. After ten years as senior vice-president of a large industrial company, he became a business consultant in 1973 until shortly after his wife''s untimely death in 1975. He has three children, five grandchildren and a great-grandson. He and his wife, Robin Emery, live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

When I lived on the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, my favorite luxury was sitting in the shade under a palm tree with a book. I loved Ernest Haycock''s westerns, and mostly his Western short story book. The romance of New Mexico and Arizona captured me early in the Saturday cowboy matinees at the local movie house. In 1959 I married western artist Robert Lougheed, and we were making my first trip west, since "The National Geographic" was sending him to the Bell Ranch in New Mexico to sketch some of the quarter horses in their remuda for a horse series he was painting. Because of that experience, my own short stories would run through my mind, and I would say to myself, "write them down." Life was busy for us on painting trips, and we would end up in Canada, or Montana, and then the stories would slip away, only to be replaced with new story ideas. Finally I took a note from my husband''s discipline, and started to work on them. While I was writing, I would become a participant in the stories and would be transported to the different parts of the country where we had traveled in our camper van, like "Route 93" in this book. I like the challenge of developing a beginning to a composition with the theme in the middle, and then putting the idea across with an ending in four or five pages. I even love reading stories myself, especially on a rainy afternoon. Cordelia E. Lougheed has lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico for forty years in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Having been raised in Connecticut winters, she moved to the tropical Virgin Islands for seven years, and then returned East when she and Robert were married. They were drawn to Santa Fe, where the bright sunlight and dry air attracted her husband''s desire to paint the New Mexico landscape full time. Their painting trips took them to Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, the island of St. Croix, and the Golden West. Cordelia soaked up story material as her husband painted.

In this epic drama of personality and politics, passion and ambition, courage and betrayal, Marcia Cohen tells the fascinating inside story of the feminist revolution through the lives of the women who made it-and were sometimes unmade by it. Focusing on Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Germaine Greer, and Kate Millett, "The Sisterhood" is a revealing group portrait of the women whose ideas and actions have so profoundly transformed us all. This classic account traces the women''s movement from its quiet birth in the 1960s through its startling triumphs in the 1970s and its troubled legacy in the 1980s. Today, everything seems possible for women as they function on an equal plane with men in nearly every walk of life. But the revolution was hard won. Now the irreverent, entertaining chronicle that reveals all the well-kept secrets of feminism, with a thoughtful new foreword by the author, appears in a special edition that serves as a riveting social history, casting light on an entire era so important for women as well as men. Marcia Cohen is a journalist/historian, a former editor at Hearst, Gannett, and the "New York Daily News," whose articles have appeared in "The New York Times Magazine" and "New York Magazine" as well as many other national publications. Born in Binghamton, New York, she is an honors graduate of Harvard and now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has studied art in Santa Fe and at the Art Students League in New York.

Fort Selden was a small frontier fort built in 1865 with the mission of protecting the citizens of the Mesilla Valley in southern New Mexico. This book tells the story of Fort Selden''s beginning, its years of service, and its eventual abandonment. Throughout Fort Selden''s history, its troopers conducted patrols, provided escort for wagon trains, and chased horse thieves, bandits, and Apaches through spring dust storms, drenching rains, winter cold, and other hardships to accomplish their mission. The story of the fort is told through the military reports and messages of the commanders and personal letters of the soldiers. Allan J. Holmes, a native New Mexican, is a retired infantryman who served 29 years in the United States Army in places such as Korea, Vietnam, Liberia (West Africa), Germany, Panama, and across the United States. It was this experience that piqued his interest in military history. After retiring from the service he taught United States Military History for thirteen years at Gadsden High School in southern New Mexico.

For over a year and a half, Santa Fe, New Mexico''s Poet Laureate, 2008-2010, Valerie Martínez worked closely with three generations of eleven Santa Fe families in the creation of unique works of art and poetry. The project and exhibition, entitled "Lines and Circles: A Celebration of Santa Fe Families," encouraged positive relationships within and between families, promoted meaningful community dialogue, and generated a body of art and poetry that commemorates family life in Santa Fe. This book documents the project and the families, celebrating art at the heart of community life. Ms. Martínez says, "This project was a labor of family and community love more than anything else. The "Lines and Circles" families will tell you that in addition to creating important family works of art that will stay with them for generations, they have come together, even more meaningfully, as families. They have also worked alongside and become friends with families they didn''t know, across the ''invisible lines'' that sometimes tend to separate us as city residents. "Lines and Circles" is our gift to ourselves, to our fellow residents, and to this beautiful city that means everything to us."

In almost everyone''s life, there appears at least one teacher whom he never forgets, a teacher who makes an impression not erased by years of separation. For many students who attended high school in the suburban Texas town of Mesquite, that teacher is Linda Muhl. Ms. Muhl spent fifteen years of her adult life in the business world working at a bank, managing an apartment complex, and running the group health insurance department of a large brokerage firm. It was not until her children were almost grown that she went to college for the first time in pursuit of her childhood dream-that of becoming a teacher. With a BA in English (with teaching fields of English, history, and gifted education) and a BS in Business and Human Development, Linda Muhl was well prepared to teach her students not only curriculum subject matter but important life lessons. Upon completion of her class, students were ready for college and, more important, ready for life. Due to circumstances demanding more of her attention, retirement came too early for this dedicated teacher; however, she keeps busy taking care of her family, serving her community, and following her many interests. During twenty-eight years as a public school teacher, Ms. Muhl experienced love from her students, appreciation from their parents, and respect from her teaching peers that have transcended to her retirement years. This book is an in-depth look into the life of an "unforgettable" teacher, and anyone who has had such an educator in his life should enjoy reading about this one.

In almost everyone''s life, there appears at least one teacher whom he never forgets, a teacher who makes an impression not erased by years of separation. For many students who attended high school in the suburban Texas town of Mesquite, that teacher is Linda Muhl. Ms. Muhl spent fifteen years of her adult life in the business world working at a bank, managing an apartment complex, and running the group health insurance department of a large brokerage firm. It was not until her children were almost grown that she went to college for the first time in pursuit of her childhood dream-that of becoming a teacher. With a BA in English (with teaching fields of English, history, and gifted education) and a BS in Business and Human Development, Linda Muhl was well prepared to teach her students not only curriculum subject matter but important life lessons. Upon completion of her class, students were ready for college and, more important, ready for life. Due to circumstances demanding more of her attention, retirement came too early for this dedicated teacher; however, she keeps busy taking care of her family, serving her community, and following her many interests. During twenty-eight years as a public school teacher, Ms. Muhl experienced love from her students, appreciation from their parents, and respect from her teaching peers that have transcended to her retirement years. This book is an in-depth look into the life of an "unforgettable" teacher, and anyone who has had such an educator in his life should enjoy reading about this one.

It's the autumn of discontent for David Berger--a season of mixed emotions. Retired after a lucrative but unfulfilling career, he lives alone by choice in a modest, sparsely furnished cottage in affluent Fairfield, Connecticut. True, he's proud of finally becoming a published author--a lifelong dream--although he will admit good-naturedly that fame has eluded him. True, he still loves his wife, Mandy--but a decade ago, a tragic loss drove them apart. And now he watches with regret as their married son, Philip, is manipulated by a possessive, mercenary wife. Still, David hasn't lost his sense of humor or his humanity. And he is determined to transform his autumn into spring--to reignite his romance with Mandy and rebuild their relationship with Philip. Surprisingly, the key to this transformation is a new friend, a fascinating, audacious, unpredictable lesbian author who insists on being the Muse for his latest novel. With her prodding encouragement, David's book leads him on an intense, emotional journey through the sometimes funny, sometimes sad memories of his life and loves toward a better new day. After a thirty-five-year career in public relations, MELVYN CHASE Chase retired from corporate life, but continued to work as a consultant. He also began to write fiction. In 2005, Sunstone Press published his first collection of short stories, THE TERMINAL PROJECT AND OTHER VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY--a finalist in the 2007 New Mexico Book Awards--and in 2008, his first novel, THE WINGTHORN ROSE. Chase was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a B.A. in English Literature at Brooklyn College and an M.A. at New York University. He and his wife, a retired editor and publicist, live in suburban Connecticut, only a short drive from their son and daughter and four grandchildren.

Cultural differences can cause problems. In this book, the author details a workshop she conducted and the lessons learned in "Vecinos" (broadly defined as "neighbors") experiences in New Mexico that addressed these problems. The themes explored were crucial: the power of names, the tri-cultural trap, culture and cultures, stereotypes, heritage, values, racism, communications, conflict, bridges, and more. Though the focus is on relationships, the implication is that these relationships will lead to action and alliances as everyone works together on community and individuals' problems. Some of the text is "commentary," introducing a theme or reflecting on some of its manifestations. Illustrative stories are sometimes included to add to the account. A large part of the book is devoted to quotations more or less intact, by individuals that reveal perspectives on some of the larger issues dealt with. Although there are plenty of resources-books, documentaries, articles, films-the author states that they must not substitute for contact with real people. Included also are many timeless tips about dealing with cross-cultural contacts. The author hopes that this book will help increase the reader's awareness, comfort and effectiveness in their own intercultural associations, and lead to warm, enriching friendships for many years.CAROL PARADISE DECKER came to Santa Fe from Connecticut in 1980 with a background in Spanish, adult education and intercultural relations. Since then she has taught Spanish, New Mexico Heritage, and Intercultural Relations to adult groups in many venues. For five years (1998-2003) she served as a volunteer at the Pecos National Historical Park. As she observed life in New Mexico, she wondered how to help cross the cultural gaps among the various people she encountered. Her previous books, both from Sunstone Press, are "Pecos Pueblo People through the Ages," explaining how changing times affected the lives of many people, and "The Great Pecos Mission," both based on her five years as a volunteer at the Pecos National Historical Park.

"She was my idol," said columnist Mary McGrory. McGrory, in writing of women, referred to Doris Fleeson as "incomparably the first political journalist of her time." Fleeson was, in fact, the first woman in the United States to become a nationally syndicated political columnist. In 1945, with the encouragement of Henry Mencken, she launched her column. In her career she would write some 5,500 columns during the next twenty-two years. Fleeson's appearance could be disarming. Once at a party Lady Bird Johnson exclaimed, "What a gorgeous dress, Doris. It makes you look just like a sweet, old-fashioned girl." The wife of Senator Stuart Symington interjected, "Yes, just a sweet old-fashioned girl with a shiv in her hand." Carolyn Sayler lives in Lyons, Kansas, ten miles from the town of Sterling where Doris Fleeson was born in 1901. Knowing members of the Fleeson family, she began researching the life of the columnist whose straightforward take on Washington became a daily fix for newspaper readers across the nation. Sayler has a background in journalism as a member of a Kansas newspaper family. She is the author of a history of Manhattan, Kansas, which tells of the town's founding during the Free State struggle, its strong connections with New England, and its abolitionist college, now Kansas State University.