A message from Ken Ryan, author of The Love Cycle of a Cicada:

Friends, you know I am proud of The Love Cycle of a Cicada, my debut novel. I hope those of you who have read it (and purchased it) have also enjoyed it. Cicada is a tale about love and friendship that spans a lifetime yet changes in 17-year increments. Commitment is the glue that binds the novel’s heroic characters. They all commit to each other in a common cause. They all persevere through tragedy to find triumph. 

As I stated in the book’s acknowledgments, “No author can live on a literary island and expect their work to ever see the light of day. I am indebted to numerous authors and editors for their advice, encouragement, and expertise that helped create this deeply personal, bucket-list achievement.”

You may note that Cicada is published by United Writers Press (www.UWPnew.com) based in Asheville, NC. You should know that my publisher runs her own small business. She and so many other art-centric businesses will feel the repercussions of Hurricane Helene for many years to come. She was committed to helping me realize my dream of being published. There must be more I can do to help her, and other artists in the storm-affected areas, recover and resume their pursuit of the humanities. 

I wish to announce that beginning today (October 3rd), and lasting at least until the end of the year, ALL profit from sales of The Love Cycle of a Cicada (ISBN 9781961813618) will be redirected to United Writers Press. I am certain that UWP will in turn redirect what is needed to those who need it most in her community.

What can you do? First, buy the book for yourself. If you are an avid reader, enjoy the story knowing that your purchase is helping a good cause. (Amazon KDP is an easy link to navigate.) Alternatively, if you know a bookstore owner in your town, advocate for them to purchase the book for sale. Bookstores know where to find me on IngramSpark, using the title and ISBN above.

If you want to donate directly to Hurricane Helena Relief (or toward any other crisis response), then I suggest the Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/). They were there for my family on 9/11. I trust them. Their action saves lives and their presence sends a message of hope. “Hope is a constant force that pulls our lives through the headwinds of time.”

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.