9 December 2007 -

Jack Dixon's novel "The Pict" won an honorable mention at the 2007 London Book Festival

has had an article accepted by Civil War Historian magazine about the Civil War in Indian Territory.The article is titled The Little Brother of Civil War,  and will appear in a future issue.

LOCAL AUTHOR SIGNS CONTRACT WITH HOLLYWOOD SCREENWRITER

Donna Nordmark Aviles is pleased to announce that the screen rights to her books, Fly Little Bird, Fly! and Beyond The Orphan Train have been optioned by William Rotko (BREACH, Universal Pictures) of Los Angeles, CA.

Published in 2004 by Wasteland Press, Aviles’ books tell the true story of the author’s grandfather who was an Orphan Train Rider from New York City to Kansas in 1906.  Over 200,000 neglected and orphaned children rode the Orphan Trains from 1854 through 1929 in search of homes in the Midwest.

“It’s very American – their journeys to find their places in the world.  Donna tells the truth of it.  I’m attracted to true stories and these have a lot of heart.  When you get into the minutiae of characters you find a wellspring of drama, humor and adventure.  Donna’s books transport you back in time.  It’s a small, human story that I think will appeal to a large audience. BREACH was a small story too.”  ---William Rotko

When Oliver and his younger brother Edward are sent west on an orphan train in 1906 to live with farmers in Kansas, they promise to stick together and never be separated again.  When that promise proves to be out of their control, Oliver takes matters into his own hands and hops a freight train headed out of town in a hopeful search for Edward.  Follow Oliver’s true story of adventure and discovery as he learns to live by his wits and survive on his own – a child alone in a man’s world.  Where will he go?  How will he earn a living?  Will he be able to find Edward?  Oliver’s coming of age adventures are captured in these heartwarming, sometimes heart wrenching, tales of American history.