Page Turners: Beaver Falls and Rochester authors release books; also 'Growing Up Yinzer'

(Page Turners is a monthly profile of Beaver Valley authors and books with western Pennsylvania ties.)

“Breaking Negative Cycles: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Succeed,”

-- by Seth Whitted

Growing up in a low-income Beaver Falls neighborhood in the 1990s, Whitted witnessed joblessness, poverty and stagnation, all the aftermath of the steel industry's decline.

Determined to help his community and others like it, he became an entrepreneur, owner of Whitted Media, and now author, whose September release reimagines how Beaver County's underserved communities could look, feel and believe about themselves.

"Breaking Negative Cycles" aims to help people, especially vulnerable populations, with personal development, providing motivation with practical advice for how to succeed and grow in your business and personally.

A member of The Genesis Collective, an arts collaborative in Beaver County, Whitted explores where community development, art advocacy and purpose-filled work interconnect.

"We, as individuals and communities, possess characteristics about ourselves that we can't perceive − these are known as blind spots,” Whitted said. “Everyone else can see them, except for us. These blind spots can be an asset when we discover them, but they also become a continuous liability the longer they remain undetected. To uncover blind spots requires a much-needed tough conversation, one that challenges our perspectives and pushes us to self-reflect.”

"Breaking Negative Cycles" hard copy editions cost $30; Kindle is $4.99 at amazon.com.

"Growing Up Yinzer: Memories From Beloved Pittsburghers"

-- by Dick Roberts.

More than 50 of western Pennsylvania's most iconic figures of American sports, entertainment and culture share memories of growing up in the Pittsburgh area.

“What makes it different are the varied and thought-provoking personal stories of how each person profiled in the book grew up, what their experience was, and what or who influenced them," author Dick Roberts, a Ligonier native, said. "At the end of the day, 'Growing Up Yinzer' is a book about Pittsburgh."

Beaver County natives Joe Namath, Tony Dorsett and Donnie Iris are among those giving first-person accounts, along with Bill Cowher, Dan Marino, Swin Cash, Mark Cuban, Jeff Goldblum, George Benson and Billy Gardell.

The author, Roberts, began his career as an entertainment promoter with Dick Clark Concerts, and later launched his namesake firm, Roberts Communications USA. Roberts serves as an instructor of advertising, public relations and digital media in the Rowland School of Business at Point Park University, and created Yinzer Cards, a line of Pittsburgh-centric greeting cards, in 2018.

Award-winning artist Rob Rogers did the book's cover design and illustrations.

"Growing Up Yinzer: Memories From Beloved Pittsburghers" costs $24.99 at wildrumpusbooks.com and arcadiapublishing.com.

"Kindred Spirits"

-- by John Harrison

This Christian fiction author, born and raised in Rochester, sets his latest suspense tale in New England, though one chapter's action takes place in Rochester, where the protagonist was born.

"Readers get to see how the area has changed from the 1970s to today," Harrison said. "Rochester (called Fairport in the book) is almost a character in the story, and the protagonist's observations about the town's struggles help her decide how to address the troubles that are waiting for her back home in Massachusetts."

The fuller synopsis: "Rosalyn Pitts longs to find meaning and purpose in her life. A calling. But with so much of her time poured into a soul-crushing job, it’s hard to find energy to pursue lofty ideals. After an especially traumatic day at work, Roz seeks counsel from those closest to her. But no one seems able to help. Her quest takes her to the home of an elderly war vet with a strange secret and a malevolent house guest. Aghast at the old man’s predicament, Roz sees her chance to do something that really matters. It will also make her question much of what she believes, assuming the scary boarder doesn’t kill her first."

Moving away after college, Harrison continues to return to Beaver County to visit family in Rochester, Bridgewater, and Beaver.

"My family roots in Beaver County stretch back to the 1920s," he said. "I visited as recently as last week, and stayed in The Rochester Hotel, because I wanted to see what had become of the historic Penn Beaver."

"Kindred Spirits" and the rest of the author's Solid Rock Survivor series are at jharrisonwrites.com.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Page Turners: Beaver Falls and Rochester authors release books