Great Life Press is pleased to announce that Music Hall, How a City Built a Theater and a Theater Shaped a City by J. Dennis Robinson, has won the prestigious top award in History from IBPA, Independent Book Publishers Association.

The book is available directly from the Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH, or from local independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

The judges’ comments were extraordinary, and they said that the book had some pretty stiff competition, winning over 100 other books in the History category.

“If anyone lets this book sit on the coffee table without reading the text, as Mr. Robinson predicts, they are missing a real gem. The writing is great, the photos are great, the research is superb. I don’t have suggestions for improving this book because there isn’t a thing I would change. Reading this book makes me want to visit Portsmouth, NH, something I never thought about before. What better compliment could an author ask for?”

[Read more…]

How wonderful! Here are some important things you need to know before you begin.

Where to begin!

Talk to an experienced children’s book designer or publisher

Hello! I have experience as a children’s book designer and publisher, and working with a number of illustrators and commercial children’s book printers. Here’s some helpful tips that you might find useful to get you started. If you would like more information, please contact me.

Before you hire an illustrator…

Not just any artist

There are certain abilities required in a children’s book illustrator that not all artists understand or have experience with. [Read more…]

The Education of an American Chef

by Chef James Haller

Available October 5th, 2015 at RiverRun Bookstore

Heartwarming and nostalgic, here are stories of Chef Haller’s childhood experiences with family farm life and cooking in pre-World War II American Midwest, and how he came to be a chef and owner of the Blue Strawbery restaurant with his own unique approach to cooking.

The narratives in this book were previously presented on stage by the author for ACT ONE (Actors Collaborative Theatre of New England) at West End Studio Theatre in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

5×8 softcover, 128 pages, photos

Author, playwright, and film producer David Mauriello has newly published a set of 3 one-act plays based on short stories by O. Henry. The three one-act plays are: The Perfect Fool, The Perfect Stranger, and The Perfect Archer, based respectively on O. Henry’s short stories entitled The Ransom of Mack, Makes the Whole World Kin, and Mammon and the Archer.

O. Henry Perfect, Three Short Plays

Adapted from the works of O. Henry by David J. Mauriello

O. Henry Perfect, is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

From the book:

O. Henry (William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) wrote hundreds of entertaining tales. His perfection of the “twist-to-the-plot ending” and unique style make him a true American original.

His Christmas classic, THE GIFT OF THE MAGI, illustrates another reason for O. Henry’s popularity; his representation of the common man and woman.

“While adapting THE GIFT OF THE MAGI I more fully realized that O. Henry’s dialogue with its delightful combinations of superlatives and malapropisms would be “perfect” when spoken for theater audiences.” — David Mauriello

David J. Mauriello is an award-winning playwright, author of the book REMINDERS OF HOME, How To Remember Who You Really Are, and is the Executive Producer of the movie JUST SAY LOVE, available on Amazon Instant Video.

Reviews of David’s previous works:

JUST SAY LOVE —”A strikingly elegant, moving and satisfying film. Truly a wonderful cinematic creation.”
—TLA Video

SPIRITS WILLING — “sparkles, Mauriello proves a resourceful craftsman.” —The Boston Phoenix
BODY — “phenomenally well crafted script”
—Rockingham County News

Much gratitude to the Players’ Ring of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for their unfailing dedication to promote original plays.