Mark Singel’s memoir is Sunbury Press bestseller for November

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for November. Former Acting Governor Mark Singel’s memoir A Year of Change and Consequences took the top spot. Solomon Screech Owl’s Kangaroo Caper by Beth Lancione was runner up.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for November, 2016 (by Revenue)
Rank	Last Month	Title	Author	Category
1	—	A Year if Change and Consequences	Mark Singel	Memoir
2	7	Solomon Screech Owl’s Kangaroo Caper	Beth Lancione & Kathy Haney	Childrens
3	NEW	Seinsoth	Steven k Wagner	Sports Biography
4	3	Wonder Boy: The Story of Carl Scheib	Lawrence Knorr	Sports Biography
5	—	As the Paint Dries: The History of the Art Association of Harrisburg	Carrie Wissler-Thomas & Michael Barton	Local History
6	11	Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, 2nd Ed.	Mike Campbell	History
7	—	The Penns Manor of Spread Eagle …	Steve Troutman	Local History
8	—	Winter of the Metal People	Dennis Herrick	Historical Fiction
9	17	Pit Bulls	Anthony Julian	History
10	4	The Sign of the Eagle	Jess Steven Hughes	Historical Fiction
11	46	Bows, Bullets, and Bears	John L Moore	History
12	—	Pioneers, Prisoners, and Peace Pipes	John L Moore	History
13	16	Freemasons at Gettysburg	Sheldon Munn	History
14	15	Keystone Corruption Continues	Brad Bumsted	History
15	13	The Wolf of Britannia Part I	Jess Steven Hughes	Historical Fiction
16	14	Living in the Afterlife	Michele Livingston	Spirituality
17	24	Cast Iron Signs of Pennsylvania Towns and Other Landmarks	N Clair Clawser	History
18	—	Traders, Travelers, and Tomahawks	John L Moore	History
19	—	Settlers, Soldiers, and Scalp	John L Moore	History
20	34	Call Sign Dracula	Joe Fair	Vietnam Memoir
21	1	Hatched	Robert Barksy	Literary Fiction
22	—	Forts, Forests, and Flintlocks	John L Moore	History
23	—	Tulpehocken Trail Traces	Steve Troutman	Local History
24	—	Cannons, Cattle, and Campfires	John L Moore	History
25	—	Rivers, Raiders, and Renegades	John L Moore	History
26	—	The German and Welsh Origins of the Charles and Lottie Fetterolf	Steve Troutman	Genealogy
27	—	Warriors, Wampum, and Wolves	John L Moore	History
28	40	The Devil Tree	Keith Rommel	Thriller Fiction
29	33	Messages from Beyond	Michele Livingston	Spirituality
30	—	Jesus the Phoenician	Karim El Koussa	History
31	—	Capital Murder	Chris Papst	Local History
32	—	The Complete Story of the Worldwide Invasion of the Orange Orbs	Terry Ray	Paranormal
33	47	The Wolf of Britannia Part II	Jess Steven Hughes	Historical Fiction
34	—	Pit Bulls II	Anthony Julian	History
35	42	That Night at Surigao	Ernie Marshall	History
36	32	Hour 30	Brandon Musgrave	Memoir
37	50	The Relations of Milton Snavely Hershey	Lawrence Knorr	History
38	—	Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos	Beth Lancione & Kathy Haney	Childrens
39	28	Hidden Dangers	Bob Stout	Geopolitics
40	—	Dead of Summer	Sherry Knowlton	Thriller Fiction
41	31	The Ripper’s Haunts	Michael Hawley	History
42	—	Franni and the Duke	Anne E Johnson	YA Fiction
43	—	Pink Flamingos All Around	Matt Anderson	Childrens
44	22	Prohibition’s Prince	Guy Graybill	Biography
45	—	Solomon Screech Owl’s Antarctic Adventure	Beth Lancione & Kathy Haney	Childrens
46	—	Keystone Tombstones Sports	Joe Farrell and Joe Farley	History
47	2	The Journey Called Life	Christina Burns	Memoir
48	39	Emeralds of the Alhambra	John Cressler	Historical Fiction
49	—	Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania	George Donehoo	History
50	10	Dead of Autumn	Sherry Knowlton	Thriller Fiction

Mark Singel’s political memoir A Year of Change and Consequences was #1 due to author events during election season. Beth Lancione’s Solomon Screech Owl’s Kangaroo Caper took #2 thanks to holiday orders. Steven K Wagner’s biography Seinsoth about the Dodger who almost was, debuted at #3. Lawrence Knorr’s Wonder Boy: The Story of Carl Scheib – The Youngest Player in American League History continued to sell briskly due to seasonal interest, taking #4. Carrie Wissler-Thomas’ As the Paint Dries was lifted by gallery sales to #5.

The company released two new titles in November:

SUNBURY PRESS – New Releases for November, 2016
Seinsoth	Steven k Wagner	Sports Biography
The Book of Practical Wisdom	Terry Ray	Quotes

For more info: http://www.sunburypressstore.com/BESTSELLERS_c3.htm

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Papst smears the competition — “Capital Murder” leads Sunbury Press bestsellers

Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for April, 2015. Chris Papst’s expose on the financial collapse of Harrisburg, Capital Murder, took the top spot., followed by the Bethel AME church history Along the Bethel Trail.Flying Pants, by Lola James, claimed the third spot.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for April, 2015 (by Revenue)
Rank	Last Month	Title	Author	Category
1	23	Capital Murder	Chris Papst	Investigation
2	NEW	Along the Bethel Trail	Friends of Bethel AME	History
3	—	Flying Pants	Lola James	Childrens
4	—	As the Paint Dries	Carrie Wissler-Thomas	History
5	16	Call Sign Dracula	Joe Fair	War Memoir
6	26	Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last	Mike Campbell	History
7	NEW	The B Team	Alan Mindell	Sports Fiction
8	—	Rising Hope	Marie Sontag	Historical Fiction
9	25	The Wolf of Britannia, Part I	Jess Steven Hughes	Historical Fiction
10	24	Jesus the Phoenician	Karim El Koussa	Religious History
11	—	There Is Something About Rough & Ready	Lawrence Knorr et al	History
12	5	Rising Sun Descending	Wade Fowler	Thriller Fiction
13	18	Pit Bulls	Anthony Julian	History
14	NEW	Keystone Tombstones Anthracite Region	Farrell and Farley	Biography
15	NEW	Keystone Tombstones Susquehanna Valley	Farrell and Farley	Biography
16	8	The Complete Story of the Worldwide Invasion of the Orange Orbs	Terry Ray	Paranormal
17	9	The Sign of the Eagle	Jess Steven Hughes	Historical Fiction
18	—	Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania	George Donehoo	History
19	—	Freemasons at Gettysburg	Sheldon Munn	History
20	—	The Wolf of Britannia, Part II	Jess Steven Hughes	Historical Fiction
21	1	H Is for Hershey	Heather Paterno	Childrens
22	12	Winter of the Metal People	Dennis Herrick	Historical Fiction
23	30	That Night at Surigao	M Ernest Marshall	History
24	3	The Fossils of Blackberry Hill	Kenneth Gass	Paleontology
25	—	Bows, Bullets, and Bears	John L. Moore	History
26	—	Pioneers, Prisoners, and Peace Pipes	John L. Moore	History
27	—	Forts, Forests, and Flintlocks	John L. Moore	History
28	—	Cannons, Cattle, and Campfires	John L. Moore	History
29	—	Traders, Travelers, and Tomahawks	John L. Moore	History
30	—	Rivers, Raiders, and Renegades	John L. Moore	History

April has been a historically weak month for Sunbury Press. The company had its 2nd best April ever. YTD Sales are up 77% from last year. Hardcover books have grown to a 36% share of sales. EBooks have now slipped to less than 3.9% of sales. Trade paperbacks remain steady at 54%.

Chris Papst’s Capital Murder grabbed the top spot thanks to advance sales and author activity. Along the Bethel Trail, by the Friends of the Bethel AME, was also helped by advance sales. Lola James’s childrens book Flying Pants soared to #3 due to author events. Carrie Wissler-Thomas’s As the Paint Dries was boosted to #4 by ongoing sales at the Art Association of Harrisburg. Call Sign Dracula, the Vietnam memoir by Joe Fair, continued to chart at #5 thanks to steady sales in bookstores. Mike Campbell’s Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, soared to #6, up 20 spots, thanks to ongoing interest in the lost aviatrix. Alan Mindell’s new horse racing novel, The B Team, debuted at #7 thanks to support from his reader base. Rising Hope, Marie Sontag’s first volume in the Warsaw Rising Trilogy, charted at #8 due to author activities. Jess Steven Hughes nabbed 3 spots: #9 with The Wolf of Britannia Part I, #17 with The Sign of the Eagle, and #20 with The Wolf of Britannia Part II. Hughes benefitted from multiple books at his regular bookstore events. Karim El Koussa’s Jesus the Phoenician rose to #10 from combined sales of the paperback, ebook, and hardcover editions. There Is Something about Rough and Ready, by Lawrence Knorr, Steve Troutman, Elaine Moran, Cindy Baum, Christine Hipple, and Jeanne Adams returned to the rankings at #11 thanks to sales in the Rough & Ready area. Wade Fowler’s novel Rising Sun Descending slipped to #12 the month after his Sunbury Press Store event. Anthony Julian’s ever-present Pit Bulls moved up a few spots to #13 because of ongoing interest in the subject matter. The Joes, Farrell and Farley, grabbed numbers 14 & 15 due to regional interest in with two of their newly-released books: Keystone Tombstones Anthracite Region and Keystone Tombstones Susquehanna Valley. Terry Ray’s popular The Complete Story of the Worldwide Invasion of the Orange Orbs stayed on the chart at #16 thanks to ongoing interest in the UFO phenomenom. George Donehoo’s classic Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania joined the rankings at #18 due to sales in the up state. Sheldon Munn’s Freemasons at Gettysburg climbed to #19 due to orders from Gettysburg retailers in advance of Memorial Day. Heather Paterno’s H Is for Hershey slipped to #21 following her event at the Hershey Historical Society. Dennis Herrick maintained #22, slipping 10 spots, with his Winter of the Metal People. The book is popular in New Mexico. Ernie Marshall’s That Night at Surigao climbed 7 spots to #23 thanks to interest in the last fight between battleships in WW2. Kenneth Gass’s The Fossils of Blackberry Hill preserved #24 thanks to author activities. John L. Moore grabbed the remaining spots #’s 25 to 30 with 6 of the 8 books in his Frontier Pennsylvania Series: Bows, Bullets, and Bears, Pioneers, Prisoners, and Peace Pipes, Forts, Forests, and Flintlocks, Cannons, Cattle, and Campfires, Traders, Travelers, and Tomahawks, and Rivers, Raiders, and Renegades.

The company released nine new titles during the month of April.

SUNBURY PRESS – New Releases for April, 2015
Charlie Caw	Paul Argentini	YA Fiction
Capital Murder	Chris Papst	Investigation
Keystone Tombstones Philadelphia Region	Farrell and Farley	Biography
Along the Bethel Trail	Friends of Bethel AME	History
The Fossils of Blackberry Hill	Kenneth Gass	Paleontology
Keystone Tombstones Susquehanna Valley	Farrell and Farley	Biography
The B Team	Alan Mindell	Sports Fiction
Keystone Tombstones Anthracite Region	Farrell and Farley	Biography
The Best of Keystone Tombstones	Farrell and Farley	Biography

For a list of Sunbury’s best-sellers, please see the Sunbury Press web site:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/BESTSELLERS_c3.htm
For a complete list of recent and upcoming releases, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/COMING-SOON_c47.htm

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“The Chair” grabs the top seat again! — Sunbury Press bestsellers for November 2014

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for November, 2014. Jim Campbell’s memoir of his career as a pastor The Chair was #1.

About The Chair
Sometimes, one needs a special mentor to find life and its wonder. Sometimes, that mentor is a chair.

“The Chair is Pastor James Campbell’s spiritual odyssey that leads us through the night of emptiness and then emerges into the light of compassion, intervention, and redemption.  Through his renovation of a simple chair, reverence for worn out sewing needles in the Japanese celebration of Hari-Kuyo, and reflection upon how stress to the Diamond Willows of Alaska produces works of art, this parable describes Campbell’s own epiphanies during the course of his life travels ministering to the forgotten and broken.

“For members of the helping profession, caregivers, or those looking for meaning in meaningless times, Campbell is a valuable read.   He will guide you, literally and figuratively, out of the ruins of the great dust bowl to a peaceful Colorado valley.  And he will show you how all these things remain part of your soul.”

Steve Schoenmakers, M.S., Superintendent, Retired, Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for November, 2014 (by Revenue)
Rank	Last Month	Title	Author	Category
1	1	The Chair	James Campbell	Spiritual Memoir
2	NEW	Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
3	NEW	Keystone Tombstones Sports	Joe Farrell & Joe Farley	Sports History
4	11	Born Fire Dragon	Susan Kiskis	Spiritual Memoir
5	NEW	As the Paint Dries	Carrie Wissler-Thomas	Art History
6	NEW	Silver Moon	Joanne L. S. Risso	Childrens Fiction
7	NEW	Solomon Screech Owl’s First Flight	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
8	3	Poor Will’s Almanack 2015	Bill Felker	Almanac
9	9	Visions of Teaoga	Jim Remsen	YA Fiction
10	14	Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last	Mike Campbell	History
11	7	Head Over Wheels	Ken Mercurio	Sports Memoir
12	—	Call Sign Dracula	Joe Fair	War Memoir
13	20	Pit Bulls	Anthony Julian	History
14	—	My Mom Is an Alien	Joanne L. S. Risso	Childrens Fiction
15	—	A Brother’s Cold Case	Dennis Herrick	Thriller Fiction
16	—	Keystone Tombstones Civil War	Farrell, Farley, & Knorr	War Biography
17	—	The Power of Uncertainty	John Loase	Philosophy
18	19	The Bronze Dagger	Marie Sontag	YA Fiction
19	4	Dead of Autumn	Sherry Knowlton	Thriller Fiction
20	17	The Closer	Alan Mindell	Sports Fiction

Sunbury Press had its best November ever. For the month, sales were up 44% as compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date, sales are up over 18% overall. The company remains on track to have its best year ever. Trade paperback sales in 2014 have already exceeded sales of all of 2013. Hardcover sales since June have rocketed past eBook sales, which were down over 15% for the year.

Jim Campbell’s The Chair led the way thanks to the chair’s (accompanied by Jim) tour of the Midwest. Beth Lancione’s Solomon Screech Owl series, lavishly illustrated by Kathleen Haney, debuted at #2 (Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos) and #7 (Solomon Screech Owl’s First Flight)  thanks to author activities. Joe Farrell and Joe Farley returned to the rankings at #3 with their new biographical compilation Keystone Tombstones Sports. Their Civil War volume, co-authored with Lawrence Knorr, grabbed the 16th spot, all thanks to author appearances and collaboration with a real estate agent offering books as housewarming gifts.Susan Kiskis’s Born Fire Dragon soared to #4 thanks to her author event at Sunbury Press and her appearance schedule. As the Paint Dries, Carrie Wissler-Thomas’s history of the Art Association of Harrisburg, co-authored by Michael Barton, opened at #5 due to advance sales to the gallery for the December 5th book signing event (which was well attended!). Joanne L. S. Risso’s Chinese fairytale Silver Moon, illustrated by German artist Christiane Künzel, debuted at #6 thanks to sales in the US and Germany. Joanne’s My Mom Is an Alien also joined the rankings at #14 thanks to author activities. Bill Felker’s Poor Will’s Almanack 2015 held strong at #8 thanks to sales from the author’s annual buyers.  Jim Remsen’s Visions of Teaga held at #9 as a result of ongoing author promotions. Mike Campbell’s Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last held at #10 due to national media attention for the search for the aviatrix’s plane. Head Over Wheels, Ken Mercurio’s cycling memoir slipped to #11, It continues to receive strong interest from cycling enthusiasts. Joe Fair’s Vietnam memoir Call Sign Dracula returned to the rankings at #12 thanks to author appearances. Anthony Julian’s Pit Bulls I continued to draw interest among dog enthusiasts, ranking lucky 13th. Dennis Herrick;s latest, A Brother’s Cold Case, debuted at #15 in its new Sunbury Press edition. Professor John Loase’s polemic about the need for higher education, The Power of Uncertainty, ranked 17th thanks to author activities. The Bronze Dagger by Marie Sontag held on the list thanks to signing events at schools. Sherry Knowlton’s Dead of Autumn slipped to #19 the month after her author event at the Sunbury Press store. Alan Mindell’s The Closer stayed on the chart thanks to sales in the San Diego area.

The company released eight new titles during the month of November:

SUNBURY PRESS – New Releases for November, 2014
Traders, Travelers, and Tomahawks	John L. Moore	History
Solomon Screech Owl Goes to the Galapagos	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
Solomon Screech Owl’s First Flight	Beth Lancione	Childrens Fiction
Silver Moon	Joanne L. S. Risso	Childrens Fiction
Keystone Tombstones Sports	Joe Farrell & Joe Farley	Sports History
As the Paint Dries	Carrie Wissler-Thomas	Art History
A Guide to Finer Dining	J. R. Hipsky	Etiquette
Patsy (reissue)	Doug Brode	Historical Fiction

For a list of Sunbury’s best-sellers, please see the Sunbury Press web site:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/BESTSELLERS_c3.htm
For a complete list of recent and upcoming releases, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/COMING-SOON_c47.htm

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Carrie Wissler-Thomas recounts the history of the Art Association of Harrisburg

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released Carrie Wissler Thomas’s As the Paint Dries: The History of the Art Association of Harrisburg. The author is the association’s president.

About the Book:
This history of the Art Association of Harrisburg is both a factual accounting of the story of the region’s most venerable fine arts organization, and also an often-amusing romp through the personal reminiscences of author Carrie Wissler-Thomas. The Art Association was founded by cultured civic leaders who were passionate about the visual arts, and it has continued to survive and prosper throughout eight decades due to the dedication and support of both artists and committed patrons. The history of The Art Association in many ways mirrors the history of Harrisburg, reflecting the vicissitudes of the City’s economy and development, the Renaissance of the 1980s and ‘90s, the construction of the Hilton and other prominent downtown buildings, the re-development of Reservoir Park, and the emergence of Restaurant Row. The Art Association was founded during the heyday of The City Beautiful Movement, and like The Harrisburg Symphony and Theatre Harrisburg, the organization continues to provide cultural enjoyment and opportunities for art-lovers and practitioners of all ilks.

As the Paint Dries is a phrase coined by the author’s husband Scott Thomas as the humourous title of the on-going AAH daily soap-opera. The Art Association of Harrisburg is a family, a reality show, a visual feast and a very human comedy. The AAH story is a rich tapestry, filled with serious episodes  punctuated by incredible-but-true anecdotes. Most of all, the AAH story is the story of the people who have made it what it is today, and who continue to guide it into the future.

Excerpt:
(From the chapter AAH Exhibitions Through the Early Years: 1926-1954) … As has been noted in the section of this book on the early origins of The Art Association of Harrisburg, Homer St.Gaudens, director of the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, was instrumental in the creation of the organization. Even after the charter had been accepted and the Articles of Incorporation finalized, Mr. St. Gaudens retained his abiding interest in the wellbeing of AAH. It was he in February of 1926 who arranged for a major show of paintings by Sir John Lavery, R.A., of England, as the first exhibition to be presented under the AAH auspices.

According to an article in The Patriot dated February 15, 1926, Harrisburg was chosen instead of Palm Beach as one of the few cities for exhibition of Lavery’s paintings. Apparently, the AAH exhibition committee, chaired by Mrs. Lyman Gilbert of 203 N. Front St. had met to discuss the exhibition, with Homer St. Gaudens planning to arrive the next day to confer with the committee on the location for the show. St. Gaudens had planned the exhibition’s circuit, with it originally including only Boston, New York, Pittsburgh and Palm Beach. It seems that the “difficulty of transportation has made it impossible to take the collection of paintings to Palm Beach, and Harrisburg was chosen instead.”

The article explained that Sir John and Lady Lavery had been spending time in America, traveling with the collection of 46 portraits, interiors, and landscapes selected by the artist himself. An Evening Newsarticle from February 11 had called the paintings one of “the most unusual one-man collections ever exhibited in America.” Sir John Lavery was a member of the Royal Academies of London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Rome, Milan and Stockholm; of the Society of French Artists, Beaux Arts Society of Paris, Society of Spanish Artists in Madrid and of the Secessions of Berlin, Vienna and Munich. The article extolled the fact that Lavery had been knighted by the King of England, by the King of Italy and by the King of the Belgians, and had been awarded the degree of doctor of laws by Queen’s University, Belfast. At that time, Lavery was represented by paintings in the permanent collections of 38 public galleries and museums throughout the world. Obviously, having this collection come to Harrisburg as the premier exhibition of the new Art Association was a real coup, and a testament to the value Homer St. Gaudens placed on the organization he had worked so diligently to create.

The Patriot and The Evening News enthused over the exhibition, running excited articles as the paintings began to arrive. On February 25, 1926, The Patriot announced the arrival of two additional paintings and stated that the Lavery exhibit would open at the Civic Club at 11 AM on February 26 for a ten-day run. The two paintings that arrived were “The Silver Dress,” a portrait of Lady Curzon, and “The Red Hammock,” a portrait of Lady Hazel Lavery reclining in a hammock. The article explained that for each day of the ten days of the exhibition there would be a hostess on duty at the Civic Club to answer questions. The hours each day would be 11 AM to 1 PM, and 2 PM to 10 PM during the week, and 2 PM to 10 PM on Sunday. One hundred and fifty people were expected to attend the pre-showing, with “each trustee of the Art Association given the privilege of inviting 5 guests.”

It was noted that the club’s lecture room had been transformed into a “real art gallery,” with electric light reflectors installed over each painting to “give just the proper amount of light to bring out the rich colourings of the pictures.”

On February 26, The Patriot noted that Dr. C. Valentine Kirby described Lavery as “primarily a portrait painter” when he spoke about the collection at the show’s preview the evening before. The collection of paintings was valued at $100,000, an astonishing sum for 1926. Dr. Kirby explained, “The paintings of Sir John Lavery have something in them that shows he paints for the love of painting and not because he had to. Dr. Valentine was the director of art in the State Department of Education, and had been invited to give his informed comments to the elite group assembled at the Civic Club for the show’s “pre-showing.” Dr. Valentine further said that in Lavery’s interiors and outdoor scenes, the artist almost always included a figure “which seems to fit into the surroundings exactly and belong there.”

Book Release Event:
The Art Association of Harrisburg will be hosting an event to celebrate the release of As the Paint Dries on Friday December 5, 2014, from 5 pm to 8 pm at the association’s headquarters at 21 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.

As the Paint Dries: The History of the Art Association of Harrisburg
Authored by Carrie Wissler-Thomas with Michael Barton
List Price: $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-62006-501-3
B&W 6 x 9 in Cloth w/Jacket
196 pages
Sunbury Press, Inc.
BISAC: Art History / USA / Pennsylvania

For more information, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/As-the-Paint-Dries-9781620065013.htm

For more information about the Art Assocation of Harrisburg, please see:

http://www.artassocofhbg.com/index2.htm

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