BOOKS To purchase Inherent Vice ($15.00), The Other Sister ($18.95), or Crosswind ($12.95), simply choose the "Add to Cart" button after the appropriate title. A $2.50 shipping and handling charge will be added to the purchase price for individual signed copies up to a quantity of five per title. To purchase six or more copies of any one title, please contact the publisher directly. New Poetry in 2011: Inherent Vice "Inherent Vice takes its title from the scientific property of objects to decay, to deteriorate, whether those objects are man-made or natural, human or not. From the title poem to 'Hawk Mountain, September', which ends the book with its eloquent evocation of birth and growth, we are treated to Pat Valdata's empathy with growing things and with, often, her sly and appealing wit." --H. Palmer Hall Poet Barbara Crooker notes, "Graced by clean lines, sharp images, economy of words, these are poems that will linger, long after you close the covers of the book." Published by Pecan Grove Press. The Other Sister View the book trailer! Pat's award-winning second novel, The Other Sister, tells a story of three generations of Hungarian immigrants during the first half of the 20th century. United by language, custom, and religion, the first generation of immigrants forms a tight-knit community to help one another in a town that is not often welcoming and is sometimes openly hostile. As succeeding generations become more Americanized, their challenge is to make a place for themselves in a rapidly changing society. Their personal conflicts are set against a background of larger social issues, including world war, the influenza pandemic, the Great Depression, and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Published by Plain View Press. Crosswind Pat's first novel, Crosswind, tells the story of Ellen Horvath, a young woman who overcomes personal tragedy to discover truths about herself and about life in circumstances she never expected. Published by Wind Canyon Books. Looking for Bivalve Pat's poetry chapbook, a competition finalist, was published by Pecan Grove Press. This volume can be ordered from the publisher or purchased from Pat at book fairs. Pat's work has appeared in anthologies and literary magazines, including: Delaware Poetry Review, FieraLingue, Thanal Online, North American Review, Amarillo Bay, Tattoo Highway #7, Tattoo Highway #11, Salt River Review. She received Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards for poetry in 2001 and 2003. In additon to these grants, her work has received the following awards: Joseph C. Lincoln Award for short fiction Eastern Shore Regional Poetry Competition, First Place Icarus Poetry Competition, First Place Gold Medal, the Arpad Academy of the Hungarian Association Pat writes the "Winged Adventures" column for Cecil Soil. She has also written articles for Chesapeake Bay, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, and Suite101.