Hey, Golden Flashes — we've got a contest just for you.

OK, it's not just for Kent State alumni, but it's probably a contest that will interest them most. (Or, it will interest those who are looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the Golden Flashes in their lives.)

We've got a copy of Patrick J. O'Connor's book "Meet Me at Ray's: A Celebration of Ray's Place in Kent, Ohio" (Black Squirrel Books) that we'd like to give away.

If the title doesn't immediately grab your interest, check out the description from the publisher's website:

Meet Me at Ray’s celebrates more than seventy-five successful years (and counting) of Ray’s Place, a restaurant and bar located near the Kent State University campus in Kent, Ohio. Once referred to as the place “where the hustlers meet to hustle the hustlers,” Ray’s Place has survived decades of trends, changes, and events. Hundreds of students have worked there, thousands of customers have dined there, and millions of glasses have been raised there.
In Meet Me at Ray’s, author Patrick O’Connor features the stories, memories, and experiences of the legions of customers and employees who have made Ray’s Place what it’s been since 1937. Rooted in the hearts, minds, and experiences of the people who know it best, it is an “organic” story. Through humorous and poignant personal anecdotes, readers will come to know what makes Ray’s Place special and how important that is to the surrounding community. O’Connor has collected stories dating from 1943 to the present, including one declaring Ray’s Place the first sports bar in the United States. This book features the history of the eatery and its owners, including Charlie Thomas, the owner since 1978.
Through the long history of the restaurant, four different owners have sustained the connections between local residents and Kent State University employees, students, and alumni. For literally thousands, Ray’s Place is synonymous with Kent State University and Kent, Ohio.
A wealth of Ray’s Place trivia, traditions, and fun facts are complemented by photographs and original artwork that help tell the unique story of this Northeast Ohio institution.

To enter the contest:

1. Sign up for a Twitter account
2. Follow @newsheraldinoh
3. Tweet what you love about Ray's Place or your favorite memory of Ray's Place.
4. Include the hashtag #nh140 in your tweet. 
5. If you've got the characters, maybe give @RaysPlaceKent a mention. I'm sure they'd love to hear what you love about them!
6. Don't forget steps 2 and 4, or your tweet won't be eligible. 
7. Do this as many times as you'd like between now and 5 p.m. Dec. 9. That's when we'll pick our favorite memory as the winning tweet.
8. Tell your friends! (optional, but encouraged!)

Note: You must be a U.S. resident to win.

Cleveland resident Sandy Rozelman will be signing copies of her book "You're Gonna Laugh Your Tail Off" in Cleveland next month. More details from a news release:

WHEN: 2013-12-07TIME: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.WHERE: Backyard Nature Co, 830 Som Center Rd, Cleveland, OH
WHAT: Rozelman, a resident of Cleveland, OH, will be available to sign copies of her book, You're Gonna Laugh Your Tail Off.How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?
Should there be rules for stray cats?
And what are some pet peeves that dogs have about humans?
You’re Gonna Laugh Your Tail Off when you hear the answers!

Lyn Phoenix, a resident of Twinsburg, will be appearing in Brunswick on Dec. 4 to sign copies of her book "The Walk Home." More details from a news release:

WHEN: 2013-12-04TIME: 7 pm – 9 pmWHERE: St Ambrose Church, 929 Pearl Rd, Brunswick, OH
WHAT: Phoenix, a resident of Twinsburg, OH, will be available to sign copies of her book, The Walk Home.“Thank you, Doctor, thank you very much. I know that you did all that you could for him and he did also.” Her voice was surprisingly calm after all that had transpired that day. As she handed the phone back to the nurse she thought of all the things they had been through since her husband’s diagnosis of colorectal cancer two and a half years ago. He was stage 4 when they found it in a routine colonoscopy. After major surgery to remove part of his colon, seven lymph nodes, and part of his liver, and eight rounds of various combinations of chemotherapy drugs, he lost the battle and died.
Vicky Raven is trying to move forward after her whole life has been shattered. Cancer has taken her husband, and time has taken her career and children. What is left for her but to rediscover who she is and what God has in store for her in the years she has left?
In this story of faith, courage, and tenacity, one woman must follow her heart and take The Walk Home. 

Local author and comics expert Chris Lambert (who writes the blog Comics: Don't Get Me Started) has written a book on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "The Camelot Memo" (Bystander Books & Magazines) follows a columnist, a researcher and a police captain to find the truth about the connection between the JFK assassination, Watergate, Chappaquiddick and the missing 18 1/2 minutes on the White House tapes.

Cover art by David Russell

More details from a news release:

Tying in with the 50^th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death, “The Camelot Memo” is a fictional novel set in 1995 that presents one scenario that explains (through a cryptic memorandum found in President Nixon’s stolen personal papers) not only who was behind the assassination of the 35^th President of the United States, but also the true secrets behind Watergate, Chappaquiddick and more.
But as the protagonists of the novel begin to unravel the message behind the mysterious, decades old note, they entangle themselves in a string of serial murders whose beginnings may reach all the way back to Dallas, 1963.
As the reader, you can follow along with the heroes as they progress through this political/conspiracy/action thriller.  Then try and see if you can decipher the secret of … “The Camelot Memo!”

Lambert will be signing copies of the book during three appearances this week:

• 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at Comic Heaven on Robinhood Drive in Willoughby
• 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at Comics & Friends, next to Macy’s inside Great Lakes Mall in Mentor
• noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at Atlas Cinema (Great Lakes Mall) in Mentor

Geauga County Public Library patrons now have access to more than 66 million items, thanks to the system's recent connection with the SearchOhio consortium. Library users in Geauga County can now use materials from public libraries across Ohio, in addition to OhioLINK.

Below, the news release from the Geauga County Public Library:

Geauga County Public Library has joined the SearchOhio consortium of libraries, giving all GCPL card-carrying patrons access to a whole new world of materials. About 66.5 million items.
“We are extremely pleased to be able offer our patrons this kind of resource depth,” says
Deborah F. O’Connor, Director of Geauga County Public Library. “Geauga taxpayers didn’t spend a dime, and their collection expanded 100 fold. There is no need to purchase single-use materials when we take advantage of the collections from around Ohio. And, the relationship is reciprocal; other libraries have access to our collection of about a half a million materials. When we all share our resources, everyone wins. It’s exciting to consider the vast quantity of books, periodicals, movies and music we all can enjoy.”
SearchOhio membership gives our patrons access to virtually all the items from 16 Ohio public libraries. It also allows our patrons access to the OhioLINK catalog. OhioLINK is a consortium of 88 Ohio college and university libraries and the State Library of Ohio. It provides access to approximately 50 million books and other library materials.
GCPL is no longer using MORE to process requests of items not available in our catalog. However, MORE requests that had been placed prior to our SearchOhio launch date (Sept. 24, 2013), are being honored. You may check the status of your MORE holds / requests, or feel free to contact your local Geauga County Public Library location to speak with a librarian about any questions you may have.
To begin using SearchOhio, log into your account and begin searching for an item by typing a word or author name into the search field. To expand your search outside of the GCPL catalog, click the SearchOhio or OhioLINK buttons at the top right-hand corner of your page, just beneath the Geauga County Public Library logo.
Patrons with any questions regarding how to access SearchOhio or OhioLINK should contact any Geauga County Public Library location and speak with a staff member.

Mary Lu Stary, a resident of Brook Park and author of "Charlie, the Brave Little Turtle," will be signing books next weekend at the Christmas Craft Boutique in Cleveland. More details from a news release:

WHEN: 2013-11-23TIME: 10:00 am - 4:00 pmWHERE: Christmas Craft Boutique-Our Lady of the Angels School, 3644 Rocky River Dr, Cleveland, OH 44111
WHAT: Stary, a resident of Brook Park, OH, will be available to sign copies of her book, Charlie, the Brave Little Turtle.Charlie isn't the biggest turtle, but the other turtles trust him to help them find a new place to live. Now join Charlie and his family as they take off on a grand adventure. It won't be easy, but if they stick together they can make it, and they might even make some new friends along the way.

Bectoria Stafford-Crandall, a resident of Avon Lake, will be making multiple appearances in the next couple of weeks to sign copies of her book "A Hunt for Christmas." More details from a news release:

WHEN: November 15-17, 2013 / 6:00 pm / Olmsted Performing Arts, 6941 Columbia Rd, Olmsted Falls, OH
            November 22-23, 2013 / 6:00 pm / Olmsted Performing Arts, 6941 Columbia Rd, Olmsted Falls, OH
            November 27, 2013 / 6:00 pm / Olmsted Performing Arts, 6941 Columbia Rd, Olmsted Falls, OH
WHAT: Stafford-Crandall, a resident of Avon Lake, OH, will be available to sign copies of her book, A Hunt for Christmas Treasure.After the Christmas day excitement is over, the presents have been opened, and the wrapping thrown away, many families have a hard time keeping the enthusiasm of Christ's birth alive for the rest of the day. With this exciting book, families and children are whisked away on a biblical journey as the story of Christ's birth unfolds.
A Hunt for Christmas Treasure not only is a fun way for families to explore the nativity scene of Christ's birth, but get more familiar with their Bible.

Nancy Virden, author of "Called to Live," will be in Cleveland on Nov. 21 to sign copies of her book. More details from a news release:

WHEN: 2013-11-21TIME: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.WHERE: Nana's Italian Cuisine - Holiday Inn, 4181 W 150th St. Cleveland, OH 44135
WHAT: Virden, a resident of King of Prussia, PA, will be available to sign copies of her book, Called to Live.I have been asked before, "Will you please call me if you plan to hurt yourself?" To which I have always replied, "If I have the wherewithal to call you, I have the wherewithal to not hurt myself." This time I looked at it from a more "gray" perspective and allowed that the phone call could be made before I reach the point of no return.
This sometimes-quirky, sometimes-sad, sometimes cheery memoir follows the life of Nancy Virden as she recovers from her attempted suicide. Nancy takes the reader into the depths of a Major Depressive episode and beyond.
With a unique writing style and fresh outlook on life, Nancy documents recovery from what she thought was God telling her it was okay to commit suicide to realizing the act has consequences far beyond what she had imagined.
 As Nancy learns to accept life and herself, she provides a candid perspective on love, marriage, faith, and everything in between. Called to Live is a captivating account of healing from the lowest of lows, wavering between looking to the past and future, and ultimately being content with who and where you are.

Local author R. L. Anderson has released another book in his Will Nickerson mystery series.

 (You may remember Anderson's earlier work, which has been mentioned on this blog: Concord author borrows from Lake County locations for fictional work [April 17, 2012] and Will Nickerson mystery series gets update [April 29, 2013].)

The latest is "Let's Make it a Merry Christmas," which actually draws inspiration from The News-Herald. Anderson writes:

A couple of years ago, Jim Collins had an editorial about what he called "Christmas Cliches," all the tearjerker Christmas movies that come on TV every year. It was a great editorial and it got me to thinking–yes, those things really are pretty sad, and so are most Christmas related books. So–I came up with the idea–why not write a Christmastime story that's not sad? But what to write about? One of my pet peeves gave me the idea. That is, hearing Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. It's in all the ads and it makes me want to throw the TV or radio out the window! So–I got to work on the idea and Let's Make It Merry Christmas was the result. I decided to do it as a part of the Will Nickerson Mysteries, with many of my existing characters in my fictional small town of New Oslo, North Dakota telling the story. 

The scenario is that Dakota Ranch Park is turning its annual Christmas festival into a generic Winter Holidays event with no references to Christmas. Nativity scenes, caroling, Christmas trees–all gone. Even Santa is getting the boot, displaced by a silly character in a polar bear suit. A group of disgruntled volunteers walk away, vowing to hold their own Christmas festival to restore all of our cherished Christmas traditions to this North Dakota community. But–just as the Official Sakakawea County, North Dakota Christmas Festival Committee gears into action, a mysterious saboteur pops up at every step of the way, threatening to wreck it all. Can amateur detective Will Nickerson get to the bottom of it in time to save Christmas In New Oslo?

Let's Make It Merry Christmas is a very light mystery–without a murder this time, as it's Christmas and I wanted to keep it free of violence and death. The language is clean and it will make the reader laugh at times and maybe groan now and then at the occasional excursion into the corny. But it won't make you cry. Lose that handkerchief! You won't need it.

Anderson's book is available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon, as well as on Nook and Kobo.

Geauga County Library Foundation will host its Distinguished Speaker — Craig Johnson — at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Notre Dame Education Center. More information from a news release:

Craig Johnson, popular Western writer of Walt Longmire series, to speak at Distinguished Speaker event
Event includes wine-and-cheese reception Sat., Nov. 16 at Notre Dame Educational Center
Geauga County – Oct. 1, 2013 – Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire mysteries, is this year’s Geauga County Library Foundation Distinguished Speaker. A wine-and-cheese reception with the author begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Notre Dame Education Center (13000 Auburn Road / Munson) auditorium Sat., Nov. 16. Johnson’s presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the reception and program cost $20. Tickets for the program only cost $5. Tickets for the event are available at all GCPL locations starting Sept. 30. *
Johnson’s Longmire mysteries are set in fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming, where aging Sheriff Walt Longmire’s unique blend of humor, empathy, and pathos drives his investigations as well as his interactions with his lifelong friend, Henry Standing Bear; his fiery deputy, Vic (Victoria) Moretti; his daughter, Cady (a Philadelphia attorney); and his dog, Dog. Readers have called his novels beautifully written and very accessible.
The Longmire mysteries in chronological order are: The Cold Dish, Death Without Company, Kindness Goes Unpunished, Another Man’s Moccasins, Dark Horse, Junkyard Dogs, Hell Is Empty, As the Crow Flies, and A Serpent’s Tooth. The novella Spirit of Steamboat will be released in October 2013. He has also published eBook stories for Kindle and Nook: “Christmas in Absaroka County,” “Divorce Horse,” and “Messenger.” Visit his website (http://www.craigallenjohnson.com) for more information.
Based on the Walt Longmire mysteries, the television series “Longmire” recently finished its second season on A&E and has been renewed for a third year. It airs Mondays at 10 p.m.
The Walt Longmire series is available at GCPL in print and audio formats. GCPL also has the complete first season of the television series Longmire on DVD. Check out copies today and prepare for what promises to be a highly entertaining evening.
Check our website or Facebook page for more information. The Distinguished Speaker Series is sponsored by The Geauga County Library Foundation and the combined Friends of the Libraries.
*Tickets to the wine-and-cheese reception ($20) must be purchased at a GCPL location by Monday, Nov. 11. Program tickets ($5) are available at all GCPL locations through Nov. 16 and will be on sale at the door as well.