Dear Old and New Friends of New Horizon:

“Life, misfortunes, isolation, abandonment, poverty are battlefields which have their heroes; obscure heroes sometimes greater than illustrious heroes.”

Twenty years ago, as an assistant professor at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, the words of Marius in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables resonated in my mind. I taught a wide diversity of students, many of whom had overcome issues of adversity and challenge in their lives to become the first in their families to enter college. It was then that I realized that, though masterful writers like Thomas Carlyle had championed the cause of superhero worship from history, it was the lives of everyday heroes in our world who made the choice not to be victims that would inspire and motivate not only my students but many others. These exemplary people of courage face tragedy and challenges in their lives and want—as one would-be story teller recently wrote me—”not just to be a survivor, but a victor.”

And so I began New Horizon, with the help of my mentor Ben Rayburn, who founded the distinguished Horizon Press, bringing to light works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Sir Herbert Read, James Farrell and Robert Olen Butler. My goal was and is to champion the voice of the common, everyday hero among us, to exemplify the human spirit. As Jeff Herman writes in his heralded Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents,

“The New Horizon list (“Real People... Incredible Stories”) accents true-life events in narrative nonfiction accounts told by actual participants. In its broader program, the house addresses topics of social concern, including corporate and professional responsibility, behavioral diversity, and politics, as well as personal self-help, how to and mainstream business books... These incredible tales of real people display an intense human-interest appeal and often embody an investigative journalistic stance that probes related public issues.”

Highlighted on the New Horizon 2006-07 list: Fall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town A gripping true crime narrative and a poignant exploration of survivor guilt, community justice, the enduring effects of homicide, and how a brutal act forever changed one peaceful town.; Saving Grace: The True Story of a Mother-to-Be, a Deranged Attacker and an Unborn Child Sarah Brady tells, in her own words, and for the first time, the whole story of how she fought off and killed a knife-wielding attacker who wanted to steal her unborn child.; Finding Center: Building Identity and Confidence in Girls' and Womens' Lives: Finally a book that shows women how to center themselves and develop confidence by building a better sense of identity from within, so women will value themselves.

Small Horizon’s “Let’s Talk” series for children (ages 4-8) will add David and the Worry Beast: Helping Children Cope with Anxiety and Finding the Birthday Cake: Helping Children Raise their Self-Esteem.

We are, as always, searching for proposals and manuscripts about today’s true-life heroes and important current issues. If you hear of one or have a story to tell, we welcome unsolicited submissions and ideas. Please let us hear from you with your suggestions and comments.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joan S. Dunphy Publisher and Editor in Chief