Present Tense

Book Sense

Local Authors

Western New York has a rich and vibrant literary community. Present Tense is pleased to carry work from many local authors and support the local literary arts. Here is a small selection of current titles by our hometown writers.

    Batavia Revisited

    Batavia Revisited $21.99
    Written by Larry Barnes


    Batavia's origins can be traced back to 1801 when Joseph Ellicott, surveyor and land agent for the Holland Land Company, laid out the town's principal thoroughfares. As Batavia grew, it became incorporated as a village in 1823 and as a city in 1915. Over the years, the face of the community has undergone many changes. Mansions were built along Main Street and then largely disappeared. A number of major factories sprang up but later failed or the businesses moved on. The retail center moved out of the city's downtown and into the surrounding town of Batavia. Urban renewal dramatically altered the core of the city, as large areas were leveled and then rebuilt or turned into parking lots. Railroad tracks that ran through the center of the community were moved to its periphery. Traffic patterns changed as new bridges were built across Tonawanda Creek. This book documents these and other changes that occurred during the last 200 years.

House to House

House to House $16
Written by David Bellavia


SSG David Bellavia spent spent six years in the US Army, including some of the most intense fighting of the Iraq War. He has been awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his actions in Iraq, and recommended for the Distinquished Service Cross and Medal of Honor for his actions in Fallujah. His writing has been published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, National Review, The Weekly Standard, and other publications. House to House was selected as a September 2007 Book Sense pick.

    White Heart

    White Heart $18.99
    Written by Julie Caton


    Trapped in the extravagance and the artifice of the French court during the reign of the Sun King, Louis the XIV, Madeleline de Roybon D’Allone becomes desperate for an escape. When the king himself offers her the opportunity to flee to the New World, Madeleine eagerly accepts. Madeleine soon embarks on a new life in Ontario, but the trials of her past are not so easily left behind. Life on the frontier is fraught with its own opportunities and danger. Madeleine explores roles such as teacher to the Hurons, lady voyageur, and proprietor of a fur-trading post on Lake Ontario. Yet when the Iroquois attack her homestead and take her captive, her life and spiritual faith change forever. Based on the actual life of Madeleine de Roybon D’Allone, White Heart is a compelling story of faith, love, and recovery.

    Western New York Amusement Parks

    Western New York Amusement Parks $21.99
    Written by Rose Ann Hirsch



    For more than 100 years, western New Yorkers have enjoyed the region's exciting amusement parks. During the days of trolleys and steamships, area businessmen created Celoron Park, Crystal Beach Park, and other fine local summer resorts. Decades later, lifelong memories were formed for neighborhood baby boomers who visited Glen Park and Fantasy Island, as well as one of New York State's finest theme parks, Darien Lake. Western New York has always been a proving ground for some of the nation's most famous roller coasters. The terrifying Cyclone, the fast and furious Silver Comet, and the extreme Ride of Steel have attracted the very bravest of visitors. In the new millennium, the summer tradition of visiting local amusement parks continues with a blend of family-orientated parks and theme parks that appeal to all ages.

    Bye Bye, Miss American Empire

    Bye Bye, Miss American Empire $17.95
    Written by Bill Kauffman



    It's been almost a century and a half since a critical mass of Americans believed that secession was an American birthright. But breakaway movements large and small are rising up across the nation. From Vermont to Alaska, activists driven by all manner of motives want to form new states-and even new nations.So, just what's happening out there? The American Empire is dying, says Bill Kauffman in this incisive, eye-opening investigation into modern-day secession-the next radical idea poised to enter mainstream discourse. And those rising up to topple that empire are a surprising mix of conservatives, liberals, regionalists, and independents who-from movement to movement-may share few political beliefs but who have one thing in common: a sense that our nation has grown too large, and too powerfully centralized, to stay true to its founding principles.


    Farm Hands

    Farm Hands $13.95
    Written by Tom Rivers



    Batavia, N.Y. newspaper reporter Tom Rivers wrote a first-person series about farm work in 2008 that won state and national awards. Now the series, with more background and other information, is compiled in this book, Farm Hands: Hard work and hard lessons from Western New York fields.The 168-page book includes 101 pictures. Some of them were not published in the newspaper. ... Several farmers have told Rivers they hope the book will gain a wide audience, helping to educate Americans on the challenges of producing food and the grueling work needed to harvest fruits and vegetables.

    An Explorer's Guide to Western New York

    An Explorer's Guide to Western New York $19.95
    Written by Christine A. Smyczynski



    Christine Smyczynski is a native Western New Yorker with a longtime interest in regional history and local attractions. She is the author of dozens of articles on the region and a former writer for AOL's Digital City Buffalo, an online city guide. She lives outside of Buffalo, NY, with her husband and four children.

    Come Sunday

    Come Sunday $17.95
    Written by Paul C. Stomper, M.D.



    Paul C. Stomper, M.D. grew up in Batavia, N.Y. Dr. Stomper, a musician and sports enthusiast, studied at the Berklee College of Music and graduated from Syracuse University and Upstate Medical College. He has served full-time on the faculties of Harvard Medical School at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center (1982-1989) and Roswell Park Cancer Institute (1989-2004). Dr. Stomper has authored over one hundred papers in peer-reviewed medical journals and authored the book, Cancer Imaging Manual.

    The Craft

    The Craft $17.95
    Written by Tom Talbot



    At the request of President John Quincy Adams during a White House visit in April 1826, Matthew Prescott joins Zeb Cardwell and other presidential agents in the hunt for William Morgan-the man who revealed the secrets of Freemasonry and subsequently disappeared after a coach ride near the shore of Lake Ontario in September 1826. After the War of 1812, newly uncovered evidence uncovered reveals that Morgan was a spy for the British. After President Adams orders Morgan captured and brought back to Washington for trial, Prescott and Cardwell discover a plot to assassinate the president and must confront rogue British Masons who will stop at nothing to achieve their objectives. As presidential agents simultaneously deal with murder, arson, and stolen army weapons, the situation quickly escalates beyond their expectations. Their mission takes them to New York City, Albany, Canada, Rochester, and Batavia, and they have but one goal-to uncover the truth. "The Craft" is a fast-paced thriller that provides an intriguing fictional explanation for the kidnapping of William Morgan, a man who not only revealed the secrets of Freemasonry, but also was involved in a much larger secret life.