PBL Limited

12/08/2025

Thinking of Christmas gifts? PBL Limited's local history books, featuring Ottumwa and southeast Iowa, are now available at the Meet Ottumwa office at 115 E. Main Street during weekday business hours, and online through Amazon.com anytime.

11/04/2024

This coming Saturday, November 9, I have a double-booking! I'll be in Burlington for a signing at BurlingtonBytheBook from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Before that, I'll be the Burlington Public Library's Author Festival. It will be a lovely, busy day, and I'd be delighted to have you stop by. I'll be signing my brand-new historical romance, A Marriage is Announced, and will have a bunch of my other books -- both historical and contemporary romance and local history -- as well. I hope to see you there!

08/15/2024

Excited to announce that I will be offering a new class -- Secrets to Successful Fiction. Intended for writers of all fiction genres, this class will focus on storytelling -- from hooking the reader immediately to understanding what the reader needs and wants to using point of view, narrative techniques, and dialogue to create a compelling story. Six Thursday sessions starting October 3. Find out more at

Like any other skill, writing well takes both knowledge and practice. Just as an athlete benefits from working with a knowledgeable coach, rather than trying to learn the game on his own, writers can knock months or years off their efforts by working with knowledgeable professionals. Rather than stu...

07/15/2024

Book of the week -- the brand new children's picture book from author Don Hansen and illustrator Leah Yoder. Meg and the Manisee Christmas released just this week -- it's the second of Meg's adventures, and the third children's book that Don and Leah have worked on together. Available now at Amazon:

Snow is on the ground and the temperature is freezing. Christmas Eve has come to Michigan and Meg is excited! But now that Meg is a BIG girl, what about Santa? Don Hansen is a retired history teacher with a fondness for children's stories. Leah Yoder is an artist passionate about sharing her crea...

07/08/2024

Book of the week -- At Home in Ottumwa, the stories of more than 100 historic and interesting houses and the people who built or lived in them. Available at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center gift shop, at the Midwest History Connection gift shop, and on Amazon:

At Home in Ottumwa

07/02/2024

Book of the week -- Gone but not Forgotten, by Doug Potter and Leigh Michaels, featuring memories of Ottumwa people, places, and events from the mid twentieth century. Find it now at Ottumwa Regional Health Center's gift shop, The Midwest History Connection's gift shop, or at Amazon...

Businesses, restaurants, hangouts, entertainment, stores, events and people -- memories of a bustling Iowa city in the 20th century. Memories which are now gone... but are never to be forgotten.

04/08/2024

Mark your calendar for April 20 -- and join me at the Ankeny Authors Fair at Kirkendall Public Library!

09/18/2023

Visit the fall Craft & Vendor event at Bridge View Center on Saturday, September 23rd from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. I'll be there with books -- Ottumwa local history books, historical romance, and contemporary romance. Come to chat and browse!

Shop from a variety of arts & crafts vendors. FREE ADMISSION 10am-3pm.

02/09/2023

With O'Hara Hardware in the process of closing, there have been questions about where to buy local history books. There are still several options:
A limited variety of titles are available at Hotel Ottumwa's gift shop. The Meet Ottumwa office in the Bridge View Center lobby has a wider selection on hand. Antiques and Uniques on East Main Street has some titles, as does the gift shop at Midwest Connection (county history museum).
I am confident that other retailers will be handling books in the near future. In the meantime, I am open to suggestions and happy to discuss ways we can partner. Interested businesses, please PM me.

11/10/2022

I'll be signing books at O'Hara Hardware on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and handing out Local History BINGO cards -- just for a bit of fun. How many of these do you have?

10/25/2022

Chili cookoff Saturday at O'Hara Hardware will also feature the brand-new local history book, AT HOME IN OTTUMWA -- Ottumwa's historic, notable, and interesting houses. Come get your signed copy Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.!