Books published by publisher Stone Belt Press

Author Allen Northcutt's fun-filled holiday tale weaves a whimsical "ugly duckling" story of animal friends that love an amiable but tattered moose whose name is "Ugly." This picture book introduces eleven animal characters in rhyme as they join Ugly on a snowy trip through the woods to Momma and Poppa Bears' house. There, a Christmas eve party is made very special when Ugly gives unselfishly of himself to overcome a forgotten Christmas tree. The story addresses everyday issues of how "Ugly" names are hurtful and it is not nice to exclude someone from a group because they are different. In the end the animals embrace Ugly as part of their group and change his name to Chris Moose, because it sounds so much like Christmas and is what his spirit is all about. Christie Morris' captivating and humorous illustrations add magic to this soon-to-be-classic Christmas story.

"It's out there. I can feel it in my water. I can hear it..." Twelve tales go in search of creatures of myth, legend, and the spaces between the real and the imagined. From the overwhelming confusion of the Irish Civil War to the eerie expanse of modern day Bodmin Moor; from Elizabethan England to the skies above Persia, the Random Writers quest for an answer to the question - What is the nature of the beast? '

A miscellany of ghost stories, odd tales, and curious observations by a master storyteller who penetrated Japan more deeply than any other Westerner. Lafcadio Hearn captures the folk spirit and quaint “exoticism” of a land thought at the time to be both mysterious and sinister. Lafcadio Hearn (1850–1904) gained Japanese citizenship and wrote many books about Japan for Western readers.

The 1904 book that famously declared “Asia is one” was among the first studies in English to reference Zen as it explored the roots of Japanese beauty. Like the author’s The Book of Tea, this volume emphasized the spiritual ideals of Asian, and especially Japanese, art. Kakuzo Okakura (1863–1913) was an administrator and scholar whose writings helped shape the West’s early views of Japan and Asia.

Author Allen Northcutt’s fun-filled holiday tale weaves a whimsical “ugly duckling” story of animal friends that love an amiable but tattered moose whose name is “Ugly”. This picture book introduces eleven animal characters in rhyme as they join Ugly on a snowy trip through the woods to Momma and Poppa Bears’ house. There, a Christmas eve party is made very special when Ugly gives unselfishly of himself to overcome a forgotten Christmas tree. The story addresses everyday issues of how “Ugly” names are hurtful and it is not nice to exclude someone from a group because they are different. In the end the animals embrace Ugly as part of their group and change his name to Chris Moose, because it sounds so much like Christmas and is what his spirit is all about. Christie Morris’ captivating and humorous illustrations add magic to this soon-to-be-classic Christmas story.

The Blue Marauders tells the story of Nick and Erik, soccer players from a small town, who form a travel soccer team to compete in the Tri-State League. They find that competing against the well-organized, well-financed soccer powers that run the league is more challenging than they had anticipated. Besides finding a field, a coach, and a few extra players, Nick and Erik and their teammates need to stop fighting and learn to trust each other – a task complicated by personality clashes, social divisions, academic struggles and a budding interest in girls.

Woodcutter, Courier and King is a story about three men who, once they come together, are tested by life’s trials and tribulations. Each of them responds differently as the world evolves, and their interactions reveal their inner character. This story is about love, hope and duty. The tale also reflects how grief, desire and ambition alter the events of someone's life. Eventually the events that brought these three characters together, also sends them apart.While these men bare the effects of their motives and actions, a young prince falls in love with the King’s granddaughter, further impacting the fate of these three men. Ultimately the right or wrong decisions they have made results in a corresponding reward, and despite the challenges they have faced it is these results that have the greatest impact on them.The story is set in medieval Europe and the artwork is designed to capture that period of time. The art reveals the sophistication of medieval life, as Europe was headed into the renaissance. The merchant and artisan classes were rising out of the feudal society, and their great enterprises were setting the course for modern Europe’s professional and social development.The book is designed to draw upon the curiosity of children to know more about the medieval past. It can open their eyes to how the world developed long before they were born and how their own actions have consequences.This ninety-two page book is furthermore an advance reader for young scholars, and contains a dictionary in the back to help them with the difficult words. As readers develop, they also need to expand their reading comprehension skills and vocabularies, and this book is designed to promote this.

Author Allen Northcutt’s fun-filled holiday tale weaves a whimsical “ugly duckling” story of animal friends that love an amiable but tattered moose whose name is “Ugly.” This picture book introduces eleven animal characters in rhyme as they join Ugly on a snowy trip through the woods to Momma and Poppa Bears’ house. There, a Christmas eve party is made very special when Ugly gives unselfishly of himself to overcome a forgotten Christmas tree. The story addresses everyday issues of how “Ugly” names are hurtful and it is not nice to exclude someone from a group because they are different. In the end the animals embrace Ugly as part of their group and change his name to Chris Moose, because it sounds so much like Christmas and is what his spirit is all about. Christie Morris’ captivating and humorous illustrations add magic to this soon-to-be-classic Christmas story.

Caitlin Ober is back in Japan, teaching English in Kyushu. Some 15 years ago, as a little girl, Caitlin lived in Kyoto, but a tragic accident drove her and her family back to America. Now guilt obscures her path, just as ashfall from a nearby volcano covers Kagoshima in dust. In a garden Caitlin meets a teenage half-Japanese girl, Naomi, who may be someone Caitlin can save this time around. Together the two travel to Kyoto during O-Bon, the festival when the dead return. Amid bonfires, temple grounds, and ghostly memories, Caitlin bravely embraces her future. Ash is a bittersweet novel of redemptive beauty, of startling images and alluring details.Holly Thompson lives in Kamakura and writes frequently about Japan. This is her first novel.

*WINNER* 2019 National Indie Excellence Award (Best in Juvenile Fiction) Discover what dreams are made of . . . Ten-year-old twins Ashlynne and Julian share a special ability: the power to enter each other's dreams. They call it 'sharing' dreams. It's usually a great time; playing together in a dream is way more fun than playing in the boring real world . . . until one night, when the twins find themselves stuck inside a dream that feels all too real. The pair must work together to find a way to wake up--and they need to hurry--because the dream is quickly becoming a nightmare, thanks to an ancient evil bent on ensuring they never escape . . .

*WINNER* 2019 National Indie Excellence Award (Best in Juvenile Fiction) Discover what dreams are made of . . . Ten-year-old twins Ashlynne and Julian share a special ability: the power to enter each other's dreams. They call it 'sharing' dreams. It's usually a great time; playing together in a dream is way more fun than playing in the boring real world . . . until one night, when the twins find themselves stuck inside a dream that feels all too real. The pair must work together to find a way to wake up--and they need to hurry--because the dream is quickly becoming a nightmare, thanks to an ancient evil bent on ensuring they never escape . . .