Daystar Retirement Village in West Seattle will host author Cindy Safronoff on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, 2:30PM as part of a history and civics-related event series leading up to the election. Safronoff will discuss her award-winning historical biography CROSSING SWORDS: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage recently featured in the Boston Globe. Daystar Seattle residents, guests, and visitors are all welcome to attend the event in the Activities Room.  Copies of the book will be available at the event.

Daystar Retirement Village is located at 2615 SW Barton Street, just across the street from Westwood Village shopping center in West Seattle. To attend the event, please RSVP to Daystar at 206-937-6122.

Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage by Cindy Peyser Safronoff is available on Amazon, by special order from your favorite local bookstore, or through a growing number of public libraries, including Seattle Public Library. 

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The Tuesday August 2, 2016, in-store event, which included reading, discussion, and book signing, was part of Harvard Book Store’s well-known author events at the landmark independent book store in Cambridge, just across Massachusetts Avenue from Harvard University campus.

Harvard Book Store event staff introduced Cindy Safronoff to the audience as the author of Climbing Mount Rainier with the Chicks and as having a professional certificate in Genealogy & Family History from the University of Washington. Crossing Swords was introduced as an award-winning book, having won first place in Regional Literature from New England Book Festival and in Religious Nonfiction from Next Generation Indie Book Awards, among other awards.

Safronoff selected readings that showed a variety of pundits responding to Eddy’s and Woodhull’s career activities, making waves and making headlines in nineteenth-century America. Safronoff explained that these sections were added to the book after early manuscript readers found it hard to believe that Eddy and/or Woodhull were among America’s most famous and influential women. The readings included commendation and criticism about Eddy’s religious career by humorist Mark Twain, women’s rights leader Susan B. Anthony, and journalist Author Brisbane, and attack’s on Woodhull’s political career by author Harriet Beecher Stowe, political cartoonist Thomas Nast, and others.

In addition to the 50 or more people packed into the event room seating area at the store, staff throughout the store and shoppers browsing the book aisles could see and hear Safronoff’s  presentation through the in-store video broadcast system.

Harvard Book Store offered paperback copies of Crossing Swords at a special 20% discount for the event. More than 30 copies of the book sold at the Aug. 2 event. In addition, more copies sold in the days leading up to the event in the store or by phone order.

After the book talk, Safronoff met with people individually and signed copies of books. Later Harvard Book Store asked Safronoff to sign copies of books for people who were unable to attend the event but ordered book by phone to be picked up in the store or shipped. 

The several remaining copies purchased by the store for the event will be sold in the store as autographed copies. So run, don’t walk to Harvard Book Store to pick up one of the last autographed copies of Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage by Cindy Safronoff.

Thank you Harvard Book Store for a wonderful event!

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It is also on the “Women’s, Queer, and Gender Studies” shelf. Copies can be put on hold now, and if paid on Aug 2 the 20% discount will apply. Anyone can purchase a copy by calling the store at 617-661-1515 and they will ship anywhere in the USA.

At the HBS event on August 2, 2016, just one week after Hillary Clinton was officially nominated for President, Safronoff will speak about Victoria Woodhull’s 1872 run for President, Mary Baker Eddy’s take on of woman’s right to hold the highest office of the land, and how American pundits responded two these two women making waves and making headlines in America — as well as an American marriage debate in the 1870s during the early women’s rights movement.

Safronoff will also answer questions and be available afterwards to meet people and sign books.   

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Located at 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, the landmark Cambridge, Massachusetts, bookstore hosts frequent events in the store with authors, many of whom have published bestsellers and won awards for their books. Safronoff has won ten book awards for Crossing Swords in categories ranging from Nonfiction Drama to U.S. History, most recently in Women’s Issues from Independent Publisher Book Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards, plus first in Regional Literature from New England Book Festival in addition to awards from Readers’ Favorite, USA Best Book, National Indie Excellence, and Illumination Book Awards.

Crossing Swords will be on the Women’s Studies shelf at Harvard Book Store by the second week of July through the Aug 2 event, which will include a book signing. For anyone unable to attend the event, autographed copies can be ordered through the Harvard.com website or by calling the bookstore at (617) 661-1515 and then picked up at the store or shipped anywhere in the USA.

Harvard Book Store is an independent bookstore, but is adjacent to Harvard University, which was originally founded in 1636 shortly after the arrival of the first Puritan settlers. This has special significance to Safronoff’s book, since the culture of these early settlements is described in Safronoff’s book Crossing Swords as it relates to the history of the institution of marriage in America.

Crossing Swords has additional relevance to the Boston area because both Mary Baker Eddy and Victoria Woodhull have their historical archrives in Boston — Eddy at the Mary Baker Eddy Library at the Christian Science Center, and Woodhull in Special Collections at the Central Library of the Boston Public Library.  This is what brings Cindy Safronoff to Boston — research for a Crossing Swords sequel. Consequently, readers in the Boston area have the opportunity to hear her speak, ask questions, and have her sign their books on Tuesday, Aug 2, 2016, at 7:00PM at Harvard Book Store.      

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A Bulgarian television station sent a news crew to the May 11 awards ceremony for Next Generation Indie Book Awards at the Newberry Library in Chicago. The focus of the TV crew’s attention was Bulgarian-born author Vlad Zachary. As part of the news segment, which aired on Bulgarian television on May 12, 2016, the crew also interviewed Cindy Safronoff.

Indie Book Awards

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards recognizes the most exceptional independently published books, including independent publishers (small, medium or otherwise), university presses, self-published authors, e-book authors, seasoned authors and even first time authors. This international book contest is run by Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group, which is based in Oregon state. As one of the many perks, winning books are reviewed by Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency for possible representation. 

Bulgarian News Show

The TV crew attended the indie book awards to do a feature on Vlad Zachary’s book The Excellence Habit – How Small Changes In Our Mindset Can Make A Big Difference In Our Lives: For All Who Feel Stuck  which has achieved the status of #1 Amazon bestseller for Business Management books, and has also won an award in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards. Zachary, who has a professional background in journalism and television, won in the “Motivational” category in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. 

In addition to following Zachary through his evening at the awards presentation, the news correspondent wanted to hear from other award-winning authors why they chose independent publishing. During Cindy Safronoff’s interview, she explained the benefits of having complete control of the book title, cover, editing, and how the book is marketed.

In the clip used for the news segment, Safronoff speaks about how being an independent publisher is a huge amount of work, because the author is responsible for everything, so it has to be a labor of love.

Safronoff’s labor of love has been her historical biography Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage, which was the winner in “Religious Nonfiction” and a finalist in “Women’s Issues” in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Awards Presentation

Those attending the event at the Newberry Library enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres before and during the awards presentation. Book contest judges, publishers agents, award winners, and their friends and family had opportunity to meet and network. The atmosphere was social and friendly, and the food was excellent.

Catherine Goulet and Mary Ellen Gavin hosted the presentation. New York literary agent Marilyn Allen gave a speech about trends in the publishing industry from her perspective of having worked for over 25 year for large publishing companies Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books and having worked with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark. The number of books being published has been increasing dramatically, and these award winners are among the very best independently published books.

Winners and finalists each were announced and invited to the stage to receive metals and congratulations from the hosts. Afterwards, more formal photos were taken by awards coordinators of award-winning authors.

News Show on the Internet

The news segment that aired on BIT, Bulgarian International Television, is available for viewing on the internet. The 2 1/2 minute segment runs from 17:27 to 20:00. Cindy Safronoff’s 25-second interview is from 19:30 to 19:55. Most of it has been dubbed over in Bulgarian, but even those who don’t understand Bulgarian can enjoy the visuals of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards event of international interest. Click here to watch.

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On May 10, 2016, authors from as far away as all coasts of the USA, Australia, France, and beyond, converged in Chicago for the 20th Annual Independent Book Awards, an international contest commonly known as the IPPYs.

The celebration took place high above the city skyline on the 99th floor of the Willis Tower, the tallest building in Chicago. Cindy Safronoff was among them.

A lively group of authors, publishers, literary agents, along with their friends and family were treated to drinks and a buffet of hors d’oeuvres before the ceremony began. There was time to mingle and meet while enjoying the spectacular 360-degree panoramic view of the Chicago downtown skyline. 

Just as the sun began to set, the awards ceremony began. Jim Barnes, the IPPY Awards Director, played host, announcing each award category and inviting the award winners to come up to receive their awards.

The award recipients included an unusually high number of women. As the press release for the 2016 IPPY Awards announcement stated, “The role of women in book publishing has grown steadily over the decades, and this year the woman’s ‘roar’ is heard loudly in the work of many female authors and publishers.” One new publishing company, She Writes Press, had 17 award-winning books.  

Cindy Safronoff received an award in the category of “Women’s Issues” for her comparative historical biography on the role of two nineteenth-century trailblazing women in the early women’s rights movement.  Her 2015 book Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage received a second-place silver metal.  

As Jim Barnes announced Safronoff’s award, he noted that several books on Victoria Woodhull had been entered into the contest this year. Another book on Victoria Woodhull, Outrageous: The Victoria Woodhull Saga, Volume 1, Rise to Riches, by Neal Katz, won a first-place gold metal in the category of “Historical Fiction.”

Woodhull authors Cindy Safronoff and Neal Katz connected after the ceremony. Both plan to write sequels to their award-winning books on Victoria Woodhull. Both plan to read each others’ books, and may even include each others’ books in the bibliographies for their next book.

The IPPY awards ceremony was a fun event that gave everyone involved recognition of their accomplishment for producing a high-quality book. It brought together authors who might never otherwise have the opportunity to connect with each other.  It also created an inspiring sense of community among this special group of authors. Cheers to all the award winners!

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Not everyone attending will have read the book prior to the book club meeting, so Safronoff will introduce the topic as though it is new to everyone. As she did at a recent author event for the general public at University Book Store in Seattle, she will begin with a focus on Eddy and Woodhull as two examples of nineteenth-century trailblazing female leaders in religion and politics who represented opposite sides of an 1870s American marriage debate over how women’s rights should impact the institution of marriage. From there the focus will shift into the story behind the story, or the discovery of the interchange between Mary Baker Eddy and Victoria Woodhull that is the centerpiece of the book, and Safronoff’s unexpected journey into authorship.

The Time for Thinkers book club has read and discussed a variety of books together and, as a technology savvy group, has had several guests participate in the meetings via video conferencing over the past several years. For more information about the Time for Thinkers book club in New Orleans and its upcoming meeting, please see the Crossing Swords event flier. 

Cindy Safronoff is the author of Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage. This award-winning book is available for sale on Amazon or by special order from your favorite local bookstore. To ask about Cindy Safronoff’s availability for events, please use the contact form .

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In addition to people from the University of Washington and residents from the University District neighborhood of Seattle, people came from as far away as Burien, Bellevue, Bainbridge Island, and even Bellingham to hear about Safronoff’s book. One person even came from Grass Valley, California, to attend the event.

Safronoff’s talk focused on Eddy and Woodhull as nineteenth-century examples of female public figures, as well as their disagreement over how women’s rights should impact the institution of marriage–the battle for the soul of marriage, or woman’s climb to new heights and the genesis of modern marriage issues. The readings highlighted how American pundits responded to the influence of these extraordinarily accomplished trailblazing women. Some of the better-known commentators quoted in the readings included Susan B. Anthony, Mark Twain, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

After the readings, audience members showed their interest in the topic through their many questions for the author. The Q&A portion completely filled the remainder of the hour-long “Reading Allowed” event. Then attendees kept Safronoff busy signing books for the next twenty minutes.

Nineteen copies of the book were sold during the event. The bookstore staff seemed to consider the event a success. It was an especially good turnout considering it was the middle of a three-day national holiday weekend in a town that loves its weekend getaways, and the Seahawks, the local professional football team, was in a playoff game the same day.

University Book Store is an independent bookstore founded in 1900 by University of Washington students. The prominent multi-level bookstore, where UW students continue to purchase their text books today, is located near the main campus on University Way.

University Book Store has some coincidental associations to the career legacies of Mary Baker Eddy and Victoria Woodhull, the two leading ladies of the story told in Crossing Swords.

The present-day parking lot for the bookstore was formerly the site of a building part of Eddy’s religious organization. When the University Book Store needed the parking lot, the Christian Science Organization for UW college students sold the property and built their present building two blocks to the south on University Way. 

Also, University Book Store author events too large for the second-floor event room are held at Town Hall downtown, a public auditorium originally built as a branch of Eddy’s church. The auditorium-style building design was influenced by a church architectural style developed in the mid-nineteenth century by Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, Victoria Woodhull’s nemesis in Crossing Swords. 

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On Sunday, January 17, 2016, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM in the event room on the second floor, Safronoff will do a reading from her recently published book, Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage (This One Thing, July 4, 2015). She will also answer questions, and sign books.

Books can be purchased in advance through the University Book Store website.

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Safronoff will read selected sections of Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage and then will answer audience questions.

Weather permitting, the event will take place outside in the charming Langley Village courtyard. The Langley Village bookstore is located between Second and Third Streets in downtown Langley, Washington, the village by the sea, on Whidbey Island — about an hour north of downtown Seattle.

Copies of Crossing Swords are available now for purchase in the store. Look for it on the Local Authors shelf.

To reserve a copy, contact bookseller Christopher Peterson at 253-961-9515.  Crossing Swords is one of the many “Cool Reads for the Hot Summer” at Through the Reading Glass bookstore in Langley, WA. 

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