An Ohio doctor who reportedly once published a paper on “violent and homicidal” adolescents and what leads teens to kill was allegedly shot dead by her 18-year-old daughter’s boyfriend and his friend. Tamela Dutcher, 55, was allegedly shot in the face by her daughter’s boyfriend, Christian Evans, and his roommate, Dajameous Payne, during an invasionContinue reading “Mom who studied violent kids killed by teens”
Category Archives: book news
Book Tour Review from Amorina Carlton
Review by Amorina CarltonTitle: Bam Bam the BunnyAuthor: Ben St JamesGenre: Children’s (age 0-8)Pages: 24Gifted Format: eBook What an absolutely adorable and adorable picture book! I read this with my 8 year old and her first words when we finished were, “I loved it.” And I agree! It had a pleasing rhymed structure, which childrenContinue reading “Book Tour Review from Amorina Carlton”
Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town receives recognition in KC.
Kansas Authors Club Children’s Book Award – Finalists Revealed I’m incredibly grateful to share that Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town has been named a Finalist in the Kansas Authors Club Children’s Book Award in the Picture Book category! Congratulations to my fellow finalists:– Pip, Zip, Hooray! by Rosemary Chick & Dawn Feltrop (Happy HorizonContinue reading “Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town receives recognition in KC.”
New Lobby Cards/Postcards
Find out where you can get one.
Ukrainian Cinema in Schools Initiative
A quick film update from filmmaker Ben St. James Earlier this month, I was notified that my short film Cupid School had been officially selected for the Max Sir International Film Festival and would also be included as part of the festival’s Cinema in Schools initiative organized in collaboration with the ICJ Film Awards. ThroughContinue reading “Ukrainian Cinema in Schools Initiative”
Sponsor Spotlight ReaderViews
Reader Views was kind enough to give individual shout outs to me and some of the author sponsors — one of whom I got to chat with Dwayne, great guy very knowledgeable! Looking forward to this years awards and finding out who the first ever winner of the Ben St. James Author/Illustrator award will be.
2,179,078 Channel Views
TikTok numbers finally arrive from April 2026 Great news! I just learned that as of April 30th 2026, my TikTok channel views for the year surpassed 2,170,000. It’s exciting and an honor to reach this milestone with four videos surpassing 400k views — one of which got over 1 million views since January. It’s beenContinue reading “2,179,078 Channel Views”
The Ben St. James Author & Illustrator Award
Discover The Newest Sponsored Prize At The Reader Views Fiction Awards This year, I am sponsoring an award at the Reader Views Fiction Awards. The Reader Views Fiction Awards program recognizes outstanding independently published fiction across a wide range of genres, honoring work by independent authors and small presses alike. The awards encourage and spotlightContinue reading “The Ben St. James Author & Illustrator Award”
Article in Kiddable Magazine
The article highlights how the Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town project expands from the original children’s book into a screenplay that emphasizes themes of adventure, community, and history. You can read the full article here.
Bam Bam the Bunny Premium 1st Edition Books Now Available.
The premium edition softcover of Bam Bam the Bunny is now available. ORDER NOW!
Richard K. Lowy Wins the Nellie Bly CIBA Grand Prize for Journalism
Chanticleer Book Awards Grand Prize winner honored for excellence in journalism and international literary achievement I had the honor of working with Richard K. Lowy as a publicist and consultant in 2024. His book Kalman & Leopold has made waves internationally and has already won numerous awards and honors. In 2025, I recommended he submitContinue reading “Richard K. Lowy Wins the Nellie Bly CIBA Grand Prize for Journalism”
Announcement: Ferret Force heroes coming soon!
The Fuzzy Heroes universe expands… and things are about to get four times fuzzier. This brand-new adventure stars four fantastically feisty ferrets, bringing their playful energy to a story told entirely in rhyme, just like the first two books in the Fuzzy Heroes series. The original manuscript was penned in February 2024, right after Bam BamContinue reading “Announcement: Ferret Force heroes coming soon!”
The California International Children’s Film Festival
Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town Rides into the Spotlight as a 2026 Finalist The CICFF is a biannual event that brings together talented filmmakers, showcasing the best in independent and international cinema while creating a rich and rewarding experience for both audiences and creators. This is my 5th selection on Film Freeway. According toContinue reading “The California International Children’s Film Festival”
Bam Bam the Bunny: Nominee in the Wolf Media Festival
Great news arrived this morning via Film Freeway. The screenplay Bam Bam the Bunny: Hole Lot of Trouble moved forward as a nominee in the 2026 Wolf Media Festival. According to the platform this screenplay is in the upper tier of projects since gaining a 4th selection from a festival or contest.
Goodreads Update
Bam Bam the Bunny is added to 523 reading lists on the platform after launching roughly one month ago. One user also left a memorable review I wanted to share here on the blog. Be sure to grab a copy if you haven’t yet. The eBook is only $1.99 USD.
TikTok Update: March 4
News from the social media front This morning I woke up to seeing a new high for my follower count. I am fortunate to experience continued growth on this platform. It’s one I have studied and examined a while. It can be hard to create on social media know you don’t fit firmly in oneContinue reading “TikTok Update: March 4”
Chart Update: Bam Bam the Bunny
As Easter approaches it’s natural to see more interest in rabbit related stories The softcover edition of Bam Bam the Bunny climbed from #9 into the Top 5 on the New Release Children’s Rabbit Books chart on Amazon Canada. This marks the book’s first appearance on the Canadian charts, just in time for the EasterContinue reading “Chart Update: Bam Bam the Bunny”
Cowboy Cooper and the American Story Showcase
Another update about the Cowboy Cooper Screenplay Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town was named an official selection in the American Story Showcase we just got word today. Congratulations to the winner Casey Nolan and the other featured writers. American Story Showcase The American Story Showcase recognizes scripts, books, short stories, & stage plays in any genreContinue reading “Cowboy Cooper and the American Story Showcase”
Bam Bam the Bunny #1 for 9 Days in a row
The latest installment in the Fuzzy Heroes series holds the top spot in New Release Children’s Rabbit books for 9 days in a row, as of February 23, 2026! Thank you 🙏 to everyone who bought the book and left a review.
Cowboy Cooper and the Missouri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship
An update for the screenplay for Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town Although the piece was not selected as a finalist I did receive valuable feedback – a written review of the script. “Good read! I think the script was well written and presented properly. I did enjoy reading this submission. This script shows aContinue reading “Cowboy Cooper and the Missouri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship”
TikTok Update
What’s new over on TikTok this month? It’s been a very active 2026 for social media activity. My vertical video “Flower Girl” brought in over 1 Million views this year. Fans who liked the video also followed. The result so far is over 35.24 new followers decided to support me on my TikTok journey. WhatContinue reading “TikTok Update”
Flower Girl hits 1 Million Views
A Quick TikTok update It’s been a busy last few weeks with the launch of Bam Bam the Bunny, a giveaway, and Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town reaching semi-finalist status at the Chanticleer Book Awards. There has also been additional excitement surrounding my vertical drawing process videos, which are gaining attention in 2026. “Flower Girl,” which wasContinue reading “Flower Girl hits 1 Million Views”
Bam Bam the Bunny jumps to #1 on Amazon.com
The newest Fuzzy Heroes book takes the top spot in 5 categories after debuting at #2 on Valentines Day On February 14, Bam Bam the Bunny debuted at #2 in both Children’s Rabbit eBooks and Children’s Cartoon eBooks on Amazon. Since its release, the book has continued to gain traction, and today it reached #1Continue reading “Bam Bam the Bunny jumps to #1 on Amazon.com”
#2 on Amazon
Bam Bam the Bunny debuts at #2 on Amazon U.S.A. As The book reached #2 in Children’s Cartoon ebooks and Children’s Rabbit ebooks, alongside Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales. There’s no shame in being second.
Bam Bam the Bunny: Hole Lotta Trouble
Short Script becomes Official Selection in European Film Festival Last December, I completed a short script titled “Bam Bam the Bunny: Hole Lotta Trouble,” set within the world and characters of Bam Bam the Bunny. I am pleased to share that the project has been named an Official Selection at the 2026 International Animation Festival.Continue reading “Bam Bam the Bunny: Hole Lotta Trouble”
Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town is a Semi-Finalist in the Chanticleer Little Peeps Awards
I’m excited to share some great news: Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town has advanced to the Semi-Finals of the 2025 Chanticleer Little Peeps Awards for Early Readers Fiction. The Little Peeps Awards celebrate outstanding children’s and picture books, and reaching the Semi-Finalist tier means the book has now advanced through two competitive rounds ofContinue reading “Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town is a Semi-Finalist in the Chanticleer Little Peeps Awards”
Bam Bam the Bunny: Goodreads Giveaway
Enter this limited time book launch promotion. Celebrate Valentine’s Day and the release of Bam Bam the Bunny, the second book in the Fuzzy Heroes picture book series. Bam Bam is a hero who spreads love and understanding. Although he has many super abilities, like jumping over buildings, his real superpower is listening and problem-solving.Continue reading “Bam Bam the Bunny: Goodreads Giveaway”
Chanticleer Shortlisted
Little Peeps Awards for Early Readers Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience for Early Readers. Story books, Beginning Chapter Books, Picture Books, Activity Books, and Educational Books. These books have advanced to the Long List for the CIBAs.
Guinea Pig Power Rocks the New Year!
The book is already topping the charts in 2026 A special New Year 2-day promo took place January 5-6 to start 2026 off with a bang!💥 The book also appeared back on the chart at home in the U.S. A big thank you 🙏 to everyone who welcomed this story into their home during thisContinue reading “Guinea Pig Power Rocks the New Year!”
ITSP – Magazine Feature
ITSP Magazine launched with a Ben St. James and Guinea Pig Power feature. Check out this feature as well as some other great articles in ITSE magazine.https://issuu.com/inthespiritentertainmentmagazine/docs/itse_magazine_winter_2025?ff