Join us for an engaging literary event wit h two acclaimed Oregon authors from Regal House Publishing. Steven Mayfield will present Sixty Seconds\, his fourth work o f fiction with Regal House\, released in July 2025. Michael Strelo w will share from his forthcoming novel\, John and Julie and Robert\, launching in September. Together\, they will offer readings\ , discussions about their writing process\, and book signings. Don&rsquo\; t miss this chance to connect with two distinctive voices in contemporary fiction during this joint author event. \;
\nAbout the Novels:
\n
As the clock ticks down the final minute of World War II in Europe\, \;Sixty S econds \;tells the stories of nine people on both sides of the At lantic&mdash\;a legendary war correspondent\, a madwoman and her unwitting accomplice in a deranged assassination attempt\, a fifteen-year-old girl singing &ldquo\;The Star-Spangled Banner&rdquo\; in Times Square\, her sol dier brother still in Germany\, a Nazi war criminal undergoing interrogati on\, a German foot soldier frantically dodging Russian patrols as he attem pts to surrender to Americans\, and a Polish couple who endured the seemin gly unendurable only to be separated by an ocean as they are about to beco me parents. Individually and together\, these seemingly disparate and yet inextricably intertwined people hurtle toward their own climactic finishes as midnight and the official beginning of V-E Day approaches on 7 May 194 5. Foreword gave the book five stars and described it as &ldquo\; &hellip\;a captivating novel in which history unfolds moment by moment\;&r dquo\; Kirkus Reviews called it &ldquo\;An artfully composed latt icework that captures the moral chaos of war\;" and Midwest Book Revie w \;wrote\, &ldquo\;Replete with the blood\, sweat\, and tears of the common man on the cusp of multiple life changes after a long period o f struggle\, Sixty Seconds is a standout in World War II fiction. "
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John and Julie and Robert \;by Michael Strelow
\nIn a small town\, three childhood friends&mdash\;Julie\, John\, and Robert&mdash\;forge an unbreakable bond beneath the sprawling branches of a maple tree. As kids\, Julie dazzles them with her imaginative adapta tions of Shakespeare\, igniting their dreams of adventure. Now adults\, th ey&rsquo\;ve taken divergent paths: Julie becomes a globe-trotting activis t\, Robert a successful lawyer\, and John a passionate environmental crusa der\, often finding himself in trouble for his bold stand against pollutio n. As John battles against leaf blowers and other threats to their hometow n\, he relies on the stories of heroes and the power of their friendship. But can love truly navigate the complexities of their changing world? With Julie&rsquo\;s guiding light illuminating their paths\, the trio confront s the realities of adulthood\, grappling with the weight of their shared h istory and the challenges ahead. John and Julie and Robert \; is a poignant tale of loyalty\, nostalgia\, and the enduring ties of frien dship as the past and present collide\, reminding us that some narratives shape our lives forever.
\nAbout the Authors:
\n
Steven Mayfield is the award-wi
nning author of four novels and one collection of short stories. A past gu
est editor of the literary journal\, Cabin Fever\, his short fict
ion has appeared in Event\, The Long Story\, and the anthology
Michael Strelow\, \;professor eme ritus at Willamette University\, is an accomplished Oregon author based in Salem whose work spans adult fiction\, middle grade literature\, poetry\, and creative nonfiction. His forthcoming novels\, John and Julie and Robert (Regal House Publishing\, September 2025) and A Confluence of Strangers (April 2026)\, follow a diverse body of work that inclu des The Greening of Ben Brown (2005)\, a finalist for the Ken Kes ey Novel Prize\; Henry: A Novel of Beer and Love in the West (201 4)\; the Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated Some Assembly Required (2017)\; and The Moby-Dick Blues (2018). His middle-grade trilogy &mdash\;The Princess Gardener\, The Alyssa Chronicle\, a nd Jake&rsquo\;s Book&mdash\;playfully critiques the myth of &ldq uo\;royal&rdquo\; blood. Strelow&rsquo\;s poetry\, short stories\, and ess ays have appeared in numerous literary journals such as Orchid Magazin e\, Oregon Quarterly\, CutBank\, and Willow Spr ings. He has made public appearances at major bookstores\, universiti es\, and literary events throughout the Pacific Northwest and internationa lly\, including in Galway\, Ireland.
\nQuestions? Contact \;beccar@dpls.lib.or.us
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