New Anthology Published!

Hodgepodge
The 2025 Prosateurs Anthology
NOW ON SALE! 
Enjoy fascinating articles, thoughtful devotionals, passionate essays, touching memoirs, thrilling poetry, and engrossing short stories from these amazing authors: 

Debbie Anderson 
Joanne Verbridge 


Hodgepodge is PERFECT as a gift for 
birthdays, anniversaries, and CHRISTMAS! 
Grab your copy today!

The 2024 Prosateurs Book Catalog!

If you're a book lover or are buying for a book lover, you can't go wrong with these! From fantasy to horror to humor to mysteries and more, you can find the perfect book for anyone!

INDEX


Here it is!

 The tease is over! Here's the cover of the forthcoming Floozy Goes Forth in all its glory!


Bigfooting around

From the forthcoming Floozy Goes Forth

Most Bigfoot encounters are benign with only glimpses of the creatures in the woods or darting across a field or disappearing into a forest. However, sometimes the creatures throw huge rocks, shake cabins and RVs, tear into food supplies, hit hunters and joggers, destroy tents, drink entire cases of beer, and run up large bills with Amazon. Basically, this means Bigfoot might simply be a hairy soccer hooligan. Or, as the rest of the world calls soccer, “Football.” (Their term for our version of the sport in which humans hurl their bodies against each other—NFL, NCAA, AFL, or Black Friday—is “America football” or “blamed foolishness with all those protective pads and helmets.”)
I am neutral in regard to Bigfoot. I don’t disbelieve it, but I don’t believe in it. I’m like a Free Range United Unitarian talking about God: the jury is still out. It would be nice if Bigfoot existed just like it would be wonderful to find other mythical creatures such as dragons, elves, unicorns, and fair, balanced cable news. And who wouldn’t want to see an honest politician in its natural environment attacking lobbyists and jumping over bribes? Of course, if we found an honest politician, we will need to find a mate for it. Perhaps instigate a careful breeding program until the species recovers. (Excerpted from the forthcoming Floozy Goes Forth. Copyright 2023 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.)

Prosateurs Books: Inspiration & Poetry

Inspirational

Tales from Bethlehem 

by Stephen B. Bagley
You've heard the story a thousand times: glorious angels, lowly shepherds, brightly shining star, three Wise Men, and wee babe in a manger. But have you ever wondered about everyone else in tiny Bethlehem on that marvel of nights? What did they think? What did they do? How would you have responded? In these funny and touching tales, you'll meet a stable boy, a serving girl, an honest spy, an astounding clerk, an empty innkeeper, a mighty ship of the desert, and many others as they share their amazing Tales from Bethlehem.
Buy on Amazon!


Poetry

Undying 

by Stephen B. Bagley & Gail Henderson
Enjoy a good shiver on a moonlit night with these thrilling, chilling poems. Oklahoma poets and authors Stephen B. Bagley and Gail Henderson share a sometimes darkly humorous look at the creatures of the ever night, mythical and otherwise. You'll meet a vampire who definitely doesn't sparkle, a werewolf who chooses freedom, gods, and goddesses who are all too human, brave astronauts and greedy planet jumpers, and down-to-earth monsters who may live next door. You'll learn what happens to a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein after he creates the perfect woman, why it's better to refuse that crimson invitation, and the sorrow that stalks us even when the sky is bright and the clouds few. You might even discover the creature that goes bump in the night is actually you.
Buy on Amazon!

Visit Different Worlds!

🌕 Fantasy ðŸŒ™  

Bone Sliver 
by Debra Chandler
The World is Changing.... Maxwell Edison, agent of The Office of Human Protection is given an assignment. Sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, he's staking out a spreading rash of anomalous activity unprecedented in the world so far. With agents and civilians dying all around him, it’s up to him to find a way to stop the oncoming paranormal cataclysm that has been engineered by a mysterious shadow organization. In the face of unstoppable magic, can he hold on to his humanity?
Buy on Amazon!


Dawn Before the Dark

by Wendy Blanton

An ancient curse keeps men in fear of dragons, so only women can ride them in Slan—while only men can perform magic. As a necromancer from beyond the edge of the known world threatens invasion, Briant appears—a young man who loves dragons. Wybren Tanwen must decide: Is Briant the dragonborn, the answer to prophecy? Will he save Slan?
Buy on Amazon!




Nova Wave 
by Debra Chandler
The Office of Human Protection has come to small-town Oklahoma, but the situation is anything but stable. When agents go missing, Maxwell Edison must investigate. When Max goes missing and a coup is staged from within, everything depends on a woman waking up in a changed world. A woman who has suffered a grievous injury, A woman with no training. Can she possibly save him?
Buy on Amazon!



Rogue Pawn 
by Wendy Blanton AKA Elizabeth Joy
Forced from her home, Sieger faced a long road paved with lies and manipulation. Desperate, she did the only thing she could: She turned the tables on her enemies and forged her own fate.
Buy on Amazon!






Sword & Scabbard 
by Wendy Blanton
When Nyakas killed his father to protect his wife and son, he wasn't thinking about the consequences. Because Malitor was a Divine Steward, Nyakas had two choices: take Malitor's seat, or defend himself against those who wanted it. Reluctantly, he and Robyn have moved to Mhovan Rosk. He knows that the other Divine Stewards have their own agendas, but it is not until he arrives that he realizes how corrupt the council is. When his advisors discover a hidden prophecy, the solution to the corruption becomes clear, but it may come at a price none of them are able to pay.
Buy on Amazon!


The Dragon's Lady 
by Wendy Blanton AKA Elizabeth Joy
A young army officer, heading a team in search of missing CIA agents, is captured by intergalactic slave traders. Her team is sold to a man who is much more than he seems.
Buy on Amazon!






WEATHERED 
by Debra Chandler
A shift in the wind. A change in the air. Weather has the power to affect everything around and inside us. What will the next season bring? Will the wind of change bring joy—sadness—or something darker? The pages of this book contain poems and tales that will leave even the most stalwart souls—WEATHERED.
Buy on Amazon!

A bit of everything good!

Anthologies

Blackbirds First Flight
By Various Authors

⇨ An unhappy wife can't decide what to do about her boorish husband until an uneaten meal gives her a dark idea...
⇨ Something is raising zombies in Tulsa, and Justina Grave is the only one who can stop it...
⇨ When a fat farm promises to make Edyth thin again, her dream comes true. She will never be fat again—or safe...
⇨ Hopping a freight train can be a cheap way to travel. Unless you pick the wrong boxcar...
⇨ One kiss gives Francois immortality, but at a cost he doesn't see coming...
⇨ A woman warrior must choose her fate as the Romans ravage her land...
⇨ Stalked by terrible creatures seeking vengeance, a band of robbers runs for their lives in medieval France...
This anthology will lead you into dark, twisted places filled with mystery and delight. Enjoy thrilling stories and chilling poems by authors Stephen B. Bagley, Kent Bass, Wendy Blanton, Gail Henderson, Tamara Siler Jones, and Jean Schara.
Buy on Amazon


Blackbirds Second Flight
by Various Authors
Enjoy new dark and twisted stories and poems from Stephen B. Bagley, Wendy Blanton, Gail Henderson, Ken Lewis, Jean Schara, and Heath Stallcup
Buy on Amazon







Blackbirds Third Flight
by Various Authors
Enjoy these dark fantasies:
✥ A dead girl asks one final question.
✥ A young man rides a forbidden dragon.
✥ With claw and fang, Malone will fight.
✥ Justina Grave battles a dangerous witch.
✥ A father faces his family's terrible secret.
✥ The end of the world begins in a backyard.
✥ A predator prowls on Halloween night.
✥ Thunder Mountain will kill the careless.
✥ Learn the final truth of the Tooth Fairy.
✥ A wolf reveals the face of the true beast.
And much more in this anthology of thrilling tales and poetry from Kathy Akins, Stephen B. Bagley, Wendy Blanton, Michael Canton, D.E. Chandler, Erin Cochran, Gail Henderson, Mariana Llanos, Jean Schara, and Heath Stallcup.
Buy on Amazon


Prosateurs: Tales & Truth 
by the Prosateurs
Enjoy articles, essays, memoirs, poems, recipes, short stories, and more from members of the Prosateurs writing group, including
➼ 13 Ways to be More Creative in your life.
How NOT to curse like a sailor.
➼ A daughter endures her mother melting away.
What's alive in that garage can?
➼ How to bake a Fruit Cocktail Cake.
Relish a sonnet for Autumn.
➼ Learn the amazing secret of the Thanksgiving Tree.
How do you deal with doubt?
➼ An Air Force wife confronts her future.
Special Bonus: Prosateurs share Writing Tips.
And much more!
Buy on Amazon!


Yule Tidings

by the Prosateurs

The Prosateurs celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's with articles, devotionals, essays, memoirs, poems, recipes, short stories, including:
Be the Hostess with the Mostest!
Enjoy Tasty Christmas Sausage Balls
Awake Prayer and Thanksgiving!
Marvel at the Ancient Yutetide Origins!

Listen to the Christmas Bells Sing!
Survive the Holidays with Ease!
When Does One Plus One Equal Eleven?
The Other Serving Girl Tells her Tale!
The Turducken Hits the Fan!
Realize You're Not Poor at All!

And much more!
Buy on Amazon!
Buy on Lulu!
Buy on Barnes & Noble!
Buy on BooksAMillion!




YULE TIDINGS ON SALE NOW!

Yule Tidings, the latest anthology from the writing group Prosateurs, is on sale now. The holiday-themed anthology celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with works of fiction and nonfiction.

“Besides making the perfect Christmas gift, Yule Tidings is great for planning your parties and get-togethers, too,” said Kathy Akins, Prosateurs vice president. “We have articles on easy party preparations and, of course, delicious recipes. And the stories, memoirs, essays, and poems will get you into the holiday spirit. It’s the perfect book to curl up with.”

Yule Tidings features works from these authors:

Kathy Akins has won several awards with her poetry, devotionals, and short fiction. Her short stories and poetry have been published in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Blackbirds Third Flight, Creations 2015, and Creations 2014. She is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc., Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and American Christian Fiction Writers. Visit her website at kathyakins.blogspot.com.

Debbie Anderson wrote the suspense novel Friend or Foe in 2018. Its sequel, Predators Among Us, will be published in early 2020. She writes short stories, memoirs, novels, children’s stories, and how-to books. She has been published in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Creations 2018, and Creations 2017.

Stephen B. Bagley's latest book is Floozy Comes Back, a collection of humorous essays. He co-wrote Undying, a book of dark poetry. His other books include: Murder by Dewey Decimal, Murder by the Acre, Tales from Bethlehem, Floozy and Other Stories, and Endless. His plays include: Murder at the Witch’s Cottage, Two Writers in the Hands of an Angry God, There’s a Body in the Closet, and Hogwild. His poetry, articles, short stories, and essays have appeared in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Writer’s Digest, Blackbirds First Flight, Blackbirds Second Flight, Blackbirds Third Flight, ByLine Magazine, Nautilus Magazine, Pontotoc County Chronicles, Tulsa World’s OKMagazine, Free Star, Dark Prairies & Deep Rivers, the Creations anthologies 2012-2015, and other publications. He is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. Visit his website at StephenBBagley.blogspot.com.

Wendy Blanton wrote Dawn Before the Dark, the first book in a fantasy trilogy, which was published by the Christian fantasy publisher Bear Publications in the fall of 2019. She also co-wrote three fantasy novels, The Dragon’s Lady, Rogue Pawn, and Sword and Scabbard, under the name Elizabeth Joy. Her short stories, articles, and recipes have appeared in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Blackbirds First Flight, Blackbirds Second Flight, and Blackbirds Third Flight. She is a member of Realm Makers and Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. Visit her website at wendyblanton.com.

Debra E. Chandler’s debut novel, Bone Sliver, was published in 2015, and the sequel, Nova Wave, in 2018. Weathered, a collection of her short works and poems, was also released in 2018. Her short stories, poems, photographs, and articles were also published in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Blackbirds Third Flight, The Green Country Guardian, The Sapulpa Herald, and Sapulpa News and Views. She is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. and Oklahoma Bloggers and Influencers. Visit her website at dechandlerwrites.com.

Barbara Shepherd is the 2019 Voice of the Fair Poet, the Poetry Society of Oklahoma’s 2019 Poet Laureate, and recipient of more than 350 writing awards in local, regional, national, and international contests. Her books include: The Potbelly Pig Promise, River Bend, Vittles and Vignettes, and Patchwork Skin. Her writing has also appeared in: State Cops Cooking in the Heartland - More Than We Can Say Grace Over, Candle Flames: PSO’s 70th Anniversary Anthology, Oklahoma Centennial Heritage Collection, Harp Strings, A Centennial Celebration of Oklahoma Stories, travelin’ Music, Elegant Rage, Poetry Is For Everyone, Imagination Turned Loose, Beads On a String–Peace, Joy, and Love, From the Heart of Galaxy, Ain't Gonna Be Treated This Way, and other publications. Visit her website at barbarashepherd.com.

Joanne Verbridge was born in Oakland, California, spending her early life experiences in Northern California. Family brought her to Oklahoma where she enjoys writing memoirs and crafting. She works to inspire her young nieces to take an interest in storytelling and writing. Her memoirs, short stories, and articles have been published in newspapers and Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Creations 2015, Creations 2014, Creations 2013, and Creations 2012.

Yule Tidings is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BooksAMillion, Lulu, and other online retailers, and from the Prosateurs members while supplies last. For more information, including book signing dates and locations, visit Prosateurs.blogspot.com.

2018 Prosateurs Christmas Book Catalog

🌟
Do
you
need 
any last 
minute gifts? 
The Prosateurs have 
the books for you! From 
cooking, children's books, humor, 
mysteries,  horror, inspirational, and 
more, you can find the right book for all
the lucky people on your list--and for you!



NEW RELEASE FROM MRH

MRH PUBLISHES NEW BOOK FLOOZY COMES BACK

OKLAHOMA—Many Rivers Harbor announces the publication of Floozy Comes Back, a new collection of humorous articles from author Stephen B. Bagley. The book is on sale now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BooksAMillion, Lulu, and other online retailers.

“Stephen’s first collection of humorous essays, Floozy and Other Stories, is one of the top books we’ve published and the readers wanted more,” said Ms. Pru Simmons, MRH associate editor. “Finally, after too long a wait, we have a new collection of these hilarious stories.”

Simmons said most of the essays in Floozy Comes Back had been published in print and online magazines and newsletters and in various anthologies. “Stephen wrote several new ones just for this book and also restored a couple of articles previously published in the first Floozy collection that had been cut by various editors to fit space and theme requirements.”

“I enjoy revisiting these essays,” Bagley said. “They’re like old friends. I’m glad to get to share them again with the readers.”

The book’s contents include: A Tale of Two Goldfish, Spice Boy, Hamlet or Another Four Hours I Won’t Get Back, The Terrible Truth about Women, Tanning My Hide, Congress & Other Monstrous Things, Work in Your Underwear, Taking Aim at Cupid, Needs Something More, Irish Dancing as Performed by Roofers, Pumpkin Pinterest, The Story of the Second Thanksgiving, Getting Lit at Christmas, Much Ado about Carbs, and many other reader favorites
.


The book’s contents include: A Tale of Two Goldfish, Spice Boy, Hamlet or Another Four Hours I Won’t Get Back, The Terrible Truth about Women, Tanning My Hide, Congress & Other Monstrous Things, Work in Your Underwear, Taking Aim at Cupid, Needs Something More, Irish Dancing as Performed by Roofers, Pumpkin Pinterest, The Story of the Second Thanksgiving, Getting Lit at Christmas, Much Ado about Carbs, and many other reader favorites.


Floozy Comes Back retails for $16 in trade paperback. For more information, visit manyriversharbor.blogspot.com.

Stephen B. Bagley co-wrote Undying, a collection of poetry with poet Gail Henderson. He wrote Murder by Dewey Decimal and Murder by the Acre, both in the Measurements of Murder™ series. His other books include Tales from Bethlehem, Floozy and Other Stories, and Endless. He wrote the full-length plays Murder at the Witch’s Cottage and Two Writers in the Hands of an Angry God and co-wrote Turnabout. He coauthored two one-act plays (“Hogwild” and “There’s a Body in The Closet”) that were published by Dramatic Publishing Company. His poetry, articles, short stories, and essays have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Blackbirds First Flight, Blackbirds Second Flight, Blackbirds Third Flight, By-Line Magazine, Nautilus Magazine, Pontotoc County Chronicles, Tulsa World OKMagazine, Your Country Music Magazine, Free Star, Dark Prairies & Deep Rivers, New Journeys & Destinations, the Creations anthologies 2012-2015, various newspapers in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and other print and online publications. He graduated from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. He is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. and a founding member of the writing group Prosateurs. Visit his website at StephenBBagley.blogspot.com.

ABOUT MANY RIVERS HARBOR
Many Rivers Harbors, a micropublishing company based in Oklahoma, is dedicated to helping authors publish and promote their books. For more information about MRH publications, visit MRH at manyriversharbor.blogspot.com or email at manyriversharbor@gmail.com.

"Up, Up & Away in My Beautiful Semi-Rigid Airship"

I’ve always loved dirigibles, those huge gas-filled flying machines that naturally would make us think of Congress if they were filled with hot air, but no, they’re filled with a helium mixture these days. I remember seeing the Goodyear blimp float over my town once. As it made its slow, majestic way across the sky, I felt true wonder in my soul, like the first time I saw Pamela Anderson in a bikini.

Even now, some people talk wistfully about days of the passenger airships. They were luxury cruisers and fast enough when compared with other modes of transoceanic transportation. The Hindenburg made it across the Atlantic Ocean in about four days, faster than even Michael Phelps could swim it.

Unfortunately, the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937 put an end to the airship era. It shattered the public’s faith in airship transportation, although statistics showed airships were safer than cheating on your spouse.

Read more in Floozy Comes Back on sale now! Copyright 2018 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

"We Like Big Trucks; We Cannot Lie"

Recently a major American automobile company announced it was going to stop selling almost all its cars and concentrate on big trucks. The idea being that fossil fuels will last FOREVER—or at least until our generation is safely dead and then it’s not our problem.

Not the company’s fault, of course. They’re making what the public wants, and apparently, the public wants vehicles large enough to be seen from orbit.

I myself drive a sensible four-door sedan. I would like a flashy sports car that can go from zero to sixty in a blink, but I am stopped by one) not having enough money to afford one, and two) if I did have one, I would have to butter myself to get inside and it would take the Jaws of Life and the fire department to get me out. I no longer have the body for a low-slung sports car.

Read more in Floozy Comes Back on sale now! Copyright 2018 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

"The Truth about Trees"

The first thing you learn is that trees are jerks. Big, mean leafy jerks. Trust me on this. Joyce Kilmer probably never had to dig up a sewer line in sweltering weather or pay a plumber soul-crushing amounts of money to do so because tree roots invaded the pipes, even though there’s a pond near enough for the tree to spit in if trees spit and I’m not sure they don’t.

But it’s not plumbing problems that have me riled up about trees this time around. Nor is it their world domination schemes that are aided by the squirrels but opposed by the noble chipmunks. (Oh, Chip and Dale, the terrible price you’ve paid for your selfless bravery!) No, it’s a new complaint: I’m trying to learn how to paint, and trees are hard to do.

Read more in Floozy Comes Back on sale now! Copyright 2018 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

"Inner Peace or Something Vaguely Like That"

"Have you ever tried yoga?” my therapist asked, popping another handful of pills down his throat and washing them down with a Red Bull in his shaking hands.

I regarded him doubtfully. He was young and had seemed healthy enough four weeks ago when he replaced my last therapist who had apparently entered a monastery, but he had gone downhill fast. I wonder what was going on in his private life that had caused this change.

“Yoga? You mean that chanting thing where they sacrifice chickens, go into trances, and make zombies?”

Read more in Floozy Comes Back on sale now! Copyright 2018 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

"Congress and Other Monstrous Things"

It seems a lot of people these days are excited about the idea of a zombie apocalypse; they’re even looking forward to it. Of course, they're assuming they will be a survivor fighting their way across a broken America—much like an ordinary voter approaching the polls in any election—rather than ending up as one of the shambling folk.

I don’t know how such frightening shows such as The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, The Talking Dead (a talk show about The Walking Dead), and Dancing with Barely Remembered Stars can pull in the viewer numbers that they do. If people really wanted to watch something horrific, they should watch C-SPAN. If what goes on there doesn’t frighten you, you’re most likely already dead or living in Washington, D.C., a fate well known to be worse than death.

Read more in Floozy Comes Back on sale now! Copyright 2018 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

"Much Ado About Carbs"

Carbohydrates are organic compounds with the empirical formula Cm(H2O)n; that is, it consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atom ratio of 2:1. What does that mean? I have no idea. In biochemistry, carbohydrates are also known as monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. (As Shakespeare put it: “Carbs by any other name would still taste as sweet.”) Basically, carbs are flavor molecules. They make food delicious. Actually, they work hand-in-hand with calories, which also make food taste better. And fat. Fat helps flavor, too. But I’m not supposed to have any of them.

Read more in Floozy Comes Back on sale now! Copyright 2018 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

"Irish Dancing as Performed by Roofers"

As I write this, the roof above me is getting reroofed, and from the sound of it, the roofers are performing Irish step dances. Thumps, shouts, crashes, and indistinct shouting (that could be Gaelic, but I suspect it is not) are all taking place up there and sometimes on the ground as they fall off.

Yes, they do fall off the roof. I actually got to see one of them do that. He rolled off the carport nearly in front of me. Naturally, his fellow workers sprang into immediate action showing their concern.

One of them called, “Hey, you okay?”

The one on the ground said, “(Expletive), yeah.”

And then everyone laughed uproariously, except me, of course, because I had to rush inside to see if my home insurance would cover a liability claim if someone did get hurt while working on my property. I already knew it didn’t cover other people’s pets who wander into large model rockets.

Read more in Floozy Comes Back on sale now! Copyright 2018 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.