“Publication” Class Notes

Bradford Moore (Col ’07 CM) has published his debut novel, The Phoenix of Upperville.  Set in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, this political/legal mystery follows the investigation of the apparent suicide of a US senator.  The protagonists must grapple with the reverberations of Southern history that linger in our modern times as they attempt to uncover the truth behind the senator’s death.  Available from Brandylane Publishers.

John Teschner (Col ’03) has written his debut novel, Project Namahana, a mystery thriller set in Hawaii and published by Forge/Macmillan in June. It was inspired by the seven years he spent living on Kauai. He and his family recently moved to Duluth, Minnesota.

Mark Harrington (Educ ’00, ’02) has written the first edition of Preventing School Violence; A Self-Assessment Approach, released by Cognella Publishing and available through https://titles.cognella.com/preventing-school-violence-9781793570277 or at amazon.com or bordersbooks.com.

Alden Hathaway (Engr ’81 CM) and his son, Tripp Hathaway, have published Energy Independence – The Individual Pursuit of Energy Freedom, a step-by-step guide to achieving energy independence.

Chris Schroder (Col ’78 CM) published a humorous memoir detailing his journey growing bald and getting hair transplant surgery that has won all 5-star reviews on Amazon and praise from book critics. Headscape: how a bald guy replanted his hair and restarted his life begins with his first haircut and concludes with his attending a UVA reunion.

Christopher S. Lee (Com ’05) published his first novel, Between the Shimmer & the Blinding, which debuted at No. 1 in Genetics on Amazon. A multi-generational family drama, the book centers on a young couple grappling with the decision of editing their embryos to reduce disease risks, inviting readers to probe the meaning of parenthood and legacy in our era of profound biotechnological change. Find more information at www.chrisleeauthor.com

J. Dapray Muir (Law ’64) has more than 35 years of experience in corporate and securities law. His practice included counseling a wide range of commercial enterprises with respect to securities law, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investment transactions, contracts and litigation. He has served as lead counsel in numerous public and private offerings of securities.

Mr. Muir served one year as law clerk to a federal trial judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and two years as Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. From 1981 to 1985, he was chairman of the D.C. Securities Advisory Committee. He was a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Panel of Commercial Arbitrators from 1995 to 2015, serving as sole arbitrator or panel member in more than 40 proceedings.

Paul A. Lombardo (Grad ’82, Law ’85) of Georgia State University College of Law has published a new edition of Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Eugenics, the Supreme Court, and Buck v. Bell (Johns Hopkins University Press).

Ashley Bartley (Col ’06 CM) has released her third children’s book in a social emotional learning series published by Boys Town Press. Remi in Overdrive offers children struggling with ADHD, hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattentiveness ideas and strategies they can implement both at home and at school. Remi in Overdrive is available on Amazon, Boys Town Press, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, along with her other two books, Diamond Rattle Loves to Tattle and Opal Octopus is Overwhelmed. Ashley is a school counselor, author and curriculum writer who now lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and three young boys.

Elliot Felix (Arch ’99 CM) helps students and families get the most out of college with his new book. Felix founded brightspot strategy and has helped more than 100 colleges and universities use design thinking to improve what they offer, how they are organized and how they operate. In his new book, How to Get the Most Out of College (Alinea Learning, 2022), he shares what he’s learned about how colleges and universities work so that students and families can make it work for them, because it’s not just where you go to college but how you go to college.

How to Get the Most Out of College is the top new release in the academic development category on Amazon and was recently featured in Forbes. Having done hundreds of consulting projects to help attract and retain students, the book is a chance to give back and help level the playing field, including a “buy one, give one” model where for every copy sold, one is donated to a student in need.

Michael Goodwin (Col ’78 CM) has recently published his fourth novel, Vice Versa.

It can be purchased on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Vice-Versa-Michael-Goodwin/dp/1633635651/

Emily (Bean) Thiede (Col ’04 CM) sold her debut novel, This Vicious Grace, and an unnamed sequel in a six-figure deal to Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Publishing. The first in a planned young adult fantasy duology, This Vicious Grace will be published June 28, 2022 in the U.S. and in the United Kingdom by U.K. publisher Hodder & Stoughton, with translations announced for Germany (LYX Verlag), Russia (Eksmo), Romania (Storia) and the Czech Republic (Host).

BuzzFeed calls Thiede’s debut “remarkable” and “one of the best YA fantasies of the year,” and it is listed amongst Goodread’s “68 Most Anticipated YA Novels of 2022” and Nerd Daily’s “24 Debut Releases To Get Your Hands On In 2022.”

Launch events are to be announced in the Virginia/D.C. area for summer 2022, and This Vicious Grace will be available wherever books are sold on June 28.

Richard F. McGonegal (Grad ’75 CM) has published the novel Ghoul Duty with Cave Hollow Press.

The mystery is the second in the Sheriff Francis Hood series, which began with publication of Sense of Grace in 2020.

McGonegal is a 1975 graduate of the University of Virginia, where he received a master’s degree in English Language and Literature. While attending UVA, he studied creative writing with Peter Taylor, who later won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

“Ghoul Duty” is the unofficial moniker for the task of recovering corpses unearthed by Missouri River flooding. After the sheriff and his chief deputy retrieve a body, they learn it did not come from the cemetery.

The revelation begins the process of determining who the man is and how he died. Complicating Hood’s efforts are his early recovery from alcoholism; his separation from his wife and daughter; a new twist on a relationship from his past; and the puzzling behavior of an ex-convict, whose father was killed by Hood in a shootout.

McGonegal is also a 1973 graduate of Rutgers University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature.

He retired in 2017 after a 41-year journalism career at the Jefferson City News Tribune, a daily newspaper in Missouri’s capital city. McGonegal and his wife, Kristie, live in Jefferson City, Missouri, where their two adult daughters, Heather and Jane, also reside.

Print and Kindle versions of his books are available online at Amazon.com.

Paul L. Gaston (Grad ’66, ’70 CM) has published Credentials, a study of the academic and employment connection, with co-author Michelle Van Noy, director of the Education and Employment Research Center at Rutgers University. His other recent books include The Challenge of Bologna (2010), about European higher education reform, and Higher Education Accreditation (2014). All are published by Stylus Publishing, LLC. He is the author also of Ohio’s Craft Beers (2016) published by Kent State University press. Gaston is a former provost of Kent State and a former acting dean of Trinity Cathedral (Episcopal) in Cleveland. At UVA he was elected to the Raven Society and to Phi Beta Kappa.    

J. Ross Blankenship (Col ’08 CM) published his first book, Assessing CEOs and Senior Leaders: A Primer for Consultants with the American Psychological Association in 2021. Written for graduate students, psychologists and other professionals interested in better understanding how to work with executives, the book builds on theory, research and practice to provide an overview of senior leadership assessment, the contexts in which this work takes place and the tools and methods used. It also discusses ethical issues and future directions for practice.

Anne Hampford (COL ’83 CM) published a poetry chapbook Everywhere Is North in October 2021. The poems of Everywhere Is North are both self-portraits and portraits of the Antarctic continent—its ice, its creatures, and the ocean that surrounds it. They are meditations on home and rootedness in a most inhospitable but alluring place.

Carole Sargent (Grad ’92, ’94 CM) has written Transform Now Plowshares, a book about the nun who committed the largest breach in U.S. nuclear security history. It will be published in December 2021 by Liturgical Press. In August, 2020, in time for the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Georgetown University Press published A World Free From Nuclear Weapons – The Vatican Conference on Disarmament, co-edited by Sargent under the guidance of one of Georgetown’s Jesuits who advises the Holy See on disarmament issues. Their article on the book in The Conversation was published in hundreds of newspapers worldwide. Sargent’s article in The Conversation about Sister Ardeth Platte, who inspired the character of Sister Jane Ingalls in Orange is the New Black was also published in hundreds of newspapers. Sargent  is a literary historian of early modern women’s political thought and founding director of Georgetown University’s Office of Scholarly Publications.

Michael Pillow (COL ’79 CM) has published his second novel, Summer Brush Men. The novel tells parallel stories of a younger man and an older man “coming of age” in their own ways. Michael has retired from his day job and lives with his partner Stephanie in Crozet.

Natasha Saje (Col ’76) published Terroir: Love, Out of Place (Trinity UP, 2020), a memoir-in-essays that was a finalist for Pen, Lambda, CMLP, and Indie Book Awards, and was awarded first prizes for the essay by Foreword Reviews and IPPY/ebook.

Lorisa Bates (Col ’91) has published Benita Renee Jenkins 2: Boxing Rings and Cages, the second edition in the Benita series. It is is an action-packed page-turner filled with intrigue, romance, and twists – a perfect read on those crisp cool fall and winter nights! An entertainment veteran and author, Bates has always had a zest for telling stories. As a young child, while children her age were playing with dolls, she was developing characters and writing short stories. As she got older, her love for  writing only grew. With a career in the media industry spanning over two decades, her talents have expanded to include development, writing, producing and editing for film and television. Benita Renee Jenkins 2: Boxing Rings and Cages and Benita Renee Jenkins: Diva Secret Agent and are available everywhere books are sold.

Betty Lou Roberts (Nurs ’53) has published her fourth book, Still Climbing, a combination of biography and fiction, featuring 13 short stories. She would love to hear from classmates.

David A. Cook (Grad ’71) published A History of Three-Dimensional Cinema with Anthem Press, London, in September 2021.  This is a companion volume to his A History of Narrative Film (New York:  Norton, 1981, 1990, 1996, 2004, 2016), W. W. Norton’s longest running publication, translated into eight languages, and one the world’s best-selling film history textbooks.  He also wrote Lost Illusions:  American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979, Volume 9 of the History of American Cinema series (New York: Scribner’s, 2000, and Berkley: University of California Press, 2002).  After teaching in the Purdue and Emory University English departments, 1971-1985, he served as Program Director and Chair of the Emory’s Film Studies Department, 1986-2007, which he also founded, and then served as Head of the Department of Media Studies, 2007-2012, at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where he still teaches and does research.

Suzanne Miller (Engr ’60) has published I Am An American: Is America Racist? It uses the stories of her ethnically-mixed heritage (English/Scot/Native American/West African Black) to tell the story of America, and their place in that story. Carefully researched, the book contains or cites a substantial amount of relevant documentary evidence. The goal is to give readers a sound factual basis to form their opinion on this topic of current national importance. Many will may learn quite a few things about America that are not widely known, such as: Where did the phrase “all men are created equal” come from? Why were the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution written as they were? How were colonists with little military training able to defeat the most powerful military force on the planet at that time, the British Army? How and why did racism take root and develop in America? What does the very concept of “race” really mean? It is available as both an e-Book and paperback through Amazon, Apple Books and Barnes & Noble.

Lynda Marie Rozell (Col ’84, Grad ’86, Law ’88) recently published a bestselling non-fiction book Journeys with a Tin Can Pilgrim: from corporate attorney to Airstream nomad, finding joy in everyday life with st. john’s press.  Three years ago, Lynda retired from her position as project manager and in-house counsel with a non-profit in northern Virginia, sold her home, bought an Airstream travel trailer and a RAM 1500 truck, and hit the road full-time.  She writes a travel blog about shrines, religious sites, and areas of natural beauty.  Her book chronicles how she came to be a nomad ministering to the people she encounters on the road.  Based on her personal experience, the book shares entertaining stories and tips for how to live and travel in an RV.  Lynda’s travels take her all over the United States (except Hawaii because, although an Airstream resembles a submarine, it does not float!).  Lynda currently is on a book tour and has been interviewed in podcasts, radio stations, and publications listed on the media page of her book web page.  She frequently speaks at churches, RV parks, and community events.  On occasion, she rolls into town in Fairfax, Virginia to visit her grown children and spends several months each year visiting friends in Florida.  Previously Lynda served as Attorney Advisor to two sequential Commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. and worked in private practice for Hunton & Williams.

Kim Harrison Greer (Col ’89 CM) published her first novel in September 2021. Masked Intent: A Modern-Day Morality Play blurs the lines between contemporary romance and literary fiction, blending thoughtful prose with pointed observation, insights, and drama. The story arc follows the new, shaky romance between a divorced mom — who happens to be a UVA alumna — and a younger college professor. Told through a series of seemingly disconnected vignettes, the book examines our tenuous relationship with the truth and each other in a world where honesty and authenticity take back seat to the power of influence.

Michelle Jones Coles (Col ’02 CM) has written a debut young adult historical fiction novel called Black Was the Ink about the collapse of the Reconstruction Era. It will be published by Lee and Low Books on November 2, 2021. 

Thad Long (Law ’63 CM) has written a sequel to his first book, The Impossible Mock Orange Trial, which was released in 2020 and received composite 4.6 of 5-star reviews. The sequel is entitled The Vow: Ted Born’s Last Trial.  Released in August 2021,  it is also being well-received in early reviews.  Though the books fall under the category of “legal thrillers,” Long intends them to go beyond that, in exploring justice in America’s courtrooms.  Both are available in hardback, paperback and eBook formats.

William Darwin Prillaman (Arch ’76 CM) published Richmond In Watercolor -dining out + drinking in, an effort to help restaurant workers displaced by the pandemic by donating the profits to their cause. Plein air paintings of over 30 Richmond restaurants are featured, along with thumbnail sketches and recipes. The project began in the winter of 2020, when closures prompted him to decide to help the industry by sharing his art. His watercolor skills were honed by Professor John Ruseau (Arch ’56), while he was a teaching assistant in the Master of Architecture program. The book may be virtually viewed online at boprillaman.com.

Gary Alexander (Col ’64 CM) has published Poems For Your Pandemic, a light-hearted look at the way we lived in 2020. The book contains poems such as “My Wife’s My Barber!”, “Line Up, Line Up, Its For The Test!”, “Why Is Toilet Paper So Hard to Find?”, “I’ve Lost My Mask!” and many more. For more details, visit www.downtimewithme.com.

Gary’s love of history started at the University. It was the only subject he did well in, he says. Included in the book are  humorous poems written more than a century ago by Americans struggling with the Spanish Flu. As Gary observes, it’s pretty amazing how history repeats.

Gary hopes everyone stays safe and takes time to look back and marvel at how our lives have changed.

Richard Rannellone (Engr ’68) has published a novel,  Auslander (German for foreigner). The story deals with a World War II German soldier, who is captured in  North Africa by the American army.  After spending his captivity at  a POW camp in Texas, he returns to war-ravaged Germany, but is disillusioned by the dismal state of the country and the lack of professional opportunities for him, a degree holder in aeronautical engineering.  He longs to return to the U.S. and finally achieves that goal. Life in the U.S. presents a new array of opportunities and challenges that he must confront.  

Michael Widener (Col ’72 CM) has digitally published a novel, Fishbein, Ascending, now available, together with his non-fiction writings, at https://widenerites.com. Mike retired from law practice and public officialdom in 2021, and divides his time between Arizona’s deserts and the hills of Middle Tennessee with his wife Peggy.

Rod MacDonald (Col ’70 CM) published his 13th compact disc of songs, Boulevard, and second novel, The American Guerillas, in 2021. The CD is a collection of his first songs, written when he was a graduate student in New York City, living on upper Broadway. Though released on the independent label Blue Flute Music, the CD made the top twenty in national folk & roots music charts. The novel, a story of a man on the run who ends up on a remote desert American Indian reservation, was published by Archway Publications in April. MacDonald lives in South Florida and is a “geezer dad”, with two teenage children. He works full-time, as a performer, as co-producer of the monthly Greenwich Village Folk Festival, and as Music Americana instructor in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University, where he was named Distinguished Faculty Member in 2012.