On January 25, 2011 in his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama challenged Americans to “Win the Future.” President of Echelon Press, Karen L. Syed, has accepted the challenge by developing a new program for Quake, a division of Echelon Press designed specifically for young readers. President Obama’s address focused largely on what we, as Americans, can do to improve our country and invest in the future by increasing the levels of education. Ms. Syed is approaching his ideas to focus on science and math from a different angle. No American can go on to excel in either of these areas if they cannot read.
All over, American children are crying out, “I don’t like to read!” Many of them simply cannot read. On March 1, 2011, Echelon Press will launch ‘Electric Shorts‘ for reluctant readers.
Electric Shorts is a pilot program for reluctant readers. Each series contains six short stories presented once per month as electronic downloads (eBooks), much the same as a television series. Geared for kids between the ages of seven and seventeen, each short story will include relevant material to attract and captivate the young and reluctant reader. From historical settings to future fantasy, across all genres, Electric Shorts will strive to satisfy all interests.
“By publishing the Electric Shorts as eBooks we can cut back our contribution of paper waste and perhaps save a few trees while we’re at it,” says Karen Syed. Echelon Press has been offering their titles as eBooks since the company formed in February 2001. “No heavy books to carry, nothing to clutter the shelves, and eBooks really are cool,” Syed says.
A group of authors from America, Canada, and teh UK have signed on to the project. The Electric Shorts will be released every Tuesday, with a new installment of each series appearing once a month. At only $.99 each, the short stories are affordable for all walks of life. Once the pilot program proves successful, Echelon will open to general submissions for the new imprint. Plans to create affiliate programs with schools and other literacy advocates are in the works, including a summer reading program to keep kids on track during vacation.
To obtain a complete listing of authors, concepts, and series please contact Echelon Press.
For advance review copies and requests for interviews and author events for any of the participating authors, contact Karen L. Syed at Echelon Press echelonpress@gmail.com.
Trouble seems to follow Buzz Miller, and this time it finds her outside the town of White Bass Lake, Wisconsin, where the dead body of a neighbor woman turns up stashed under her mother’s house! The retired detective is reluctantly roped into finding out “who dunnit.”
Gale Borger has been involved in law enforcement for over 20 years. This gives her an endless source of background material for her books. Growing up in a screwball household also gives her a sense for the zany and the bizarre. Gale writes what she knows, and she knows bad guys and funny stuff—but not necessarily in that order!
Like the main character in her Sadie Witt Mystery Series, Beth Solheim was born with a healthy dose of imagination and a hankering to solve a puzzle. She learned her reverence for reading from her mother, who was never without a book in her hand. 
Can opposites really be attracted? 
