One of the largest international literary events, the London Book Fair 2026, presents a tale of perseverance and hope on March 10–12 in London, England. The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County is a work of literary fiction that offers a quiet meditation on what it means to keep going when no one is watching.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 28th Apr 2026 – Following a young and inexperienced preacher, this character-driven novel traces his travels from one scattered settlement to another as he carries nothing more than a saddlebag and the responsibility of his calling. The places he visits are marked by distress and misfortune—homes shaped by loss, relationships strained by hardships, and rural communities that rarely see anyone from the outside for long.

In each settlement, he is met with circumstances he cannot easily change—grief that does not resolve in a single conversation, tensions that remain after he leaves, and lives shaped by difficulty that his presence can only briefly touch. Over time, these encounters and the isolation of constant travel weigh on his sense of purpose, leading him to question the value of his work when its effects are often unseen or unfinished. These experiences bring his sense of purpose into tension with doubt.

The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County explores the human tension between spiritual conviction and personal doubt, positioning it among contemporary literary fiction that examines faith and uncertainty. The preacher is not portrayed as flawless; his faith is something he must deliberately maintain in the face of adversity, isolation, and discouragement.

The book further reflects the realities of working with limited control over outcomes, where effort does not always produce visible results. It portrays the experience of carrying responsibilities despite uncertainty, a theme that resonates strongly in modern literary narratives focused on perseverance and purpose.

This perspective reflects C. R. Violet’s grounding in lived experience. Violet is a self-published author with professional experience in marketing, public relations, and nonprofit management. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University and lives in the Midwest, which informs the regional setting of her fiction. The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County grows out of the stories her mother shares about life in southern Ohio, as well as the discovery of long-forgotten family documents. Together, these accounts reveal a family and regional history grounded in place, forming the foundation for this historical-inspired literary work.

The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers.

About Explora Books 

Explora Books is a book marketing firm located in the heart of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company specializes in self-publishing and marketing, taking pride in its exhaustive research and creative strategies that provide wider avenues for aspiring authors to gain recognition for their works. Explora Books aims to guide authors through the complexities of self-publishing, offering convenient solutions to navigate this process. The firm fosters and redefines creativity and innovation, setting new industry standards. Explora Books is dedicated to empowering authors globally.

Media Contact

Organization: Explora Books Ltd

Contact Person: Simon Pratt

Website: https://explorabooks.com/home

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +16043306795

Address:Jameson Offices, 838 W Hastings St w, Vancouver, BC V6C 0A6, Canada

City: Vancouver

State: British Columbia

Country:Canada

Release id:44448

The post C. R. Violet’s The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County Showcased at the 2026 London Book Fair appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section

New joint study reveals a rapidly growing, bipartisan backlash against Big Tech’s physical infrastructure, with a new local opposition group forming every day

United States, 28th Apr 2026 — Today, the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development, Evitable, and Together Against AI released the Data Center Opposition Report, which documents an unprecedented surge in grassroots opposition to hyperscale AI data centers across the United States. The report identifies 268 local data center opposition groups organizing through Facebook. 

According to the report, more than 360,000 Americans have mobilized to resist the construction of hyperscale data center facilities across 37 states. Total opposition membership has quadrupled since December 2025, with more than one new group forming per day. The opposition is spread between blue and red states, as well as over 100,000 people in swing states.

The largest planned AI data centers will have an electrical capacity of over 1 gigawatt (1,000 megawatts), which is as much as the entire city of Seattle. This enormous scale and energy consumption is one of the main reasons for the surge in opposition. “Many people are concerned about the effects of million-square-foot data centers that would use as much electricity as entire cities,” said Matthew Shaw, one of the authors. “The construction of power-hungry hyperscale data centers is raising alarms among locals about everything from power bills and water use to noise and pollution,” he added. 

On top of this, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are a common practice in the process of land acquisition and rezoning for data centers. “Many people are understandably frustrated,” Matthew Shaw says, “because deals are being made behind NDAs to put giant data centers next to residential neighborhoods, and subsidize them with 90% tax cuts.”

“The massive data centers AI companies want to build are proving incredibly unpopular with local communities.  They have to fight to get their concerns addressed; plans for datacenters are getting rushed through without citizens’ consent,” said David Krueger, CEO of Evitable. “We’re keen to show people the scope of this resistance and how they can help support people involved in these fights.”

“Initially, we just wanted to make a list of opposition groups so people could find one near them,” said Matthew Shaw, one of the report’s authors. “But when we updated the membership counts in February, we were shocked at how quickly the movement had grown, so we decided to track the numbers on a monthly basis.” 

Opposition groups across America are collectively fundraising approximately $1.4 million, with a median ask of just $8,000 per campaign. The publicly available donation links are listed in the report’s appendix.

To read the report, visit datacenteropposition.com. The data will be updated monthly.  

Media Contact

Organization: Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development

Contact Person: Matthew Shaw

Website: https://datacenteropposition.com

Email: Send Email

Country:United States

Release id:44420

The post Grassroots Opposition to AI Data Centers Surges 4x in 4 Months; Over 360K Mobilizing in 37 States appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section

Cheri Magnuson debuts her chicken-keeping memoir, The Adventures of Dumdum, for Explora Books this year. The book features a collection of heartwarming stories portraying the challenges and joys of animal husbandry, centered on a directionally impaired Polish hen named Dumdum.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 28th Apr 2026 – After retiring from engineering in 2013, Cheri Magnuson established the Coldstream Icelandic Sheep Farm in Maine. She raises sheep specifically for their fleeces, which she sells to artisans and spinners. Her farming philosophy dictates that no animal is raised for food; instead, the sheep are treated as companion animals in farming from birth.

Magnuson’s experience as a shepherd is shaped by the loss of her son, who dies by suicide the same year her first lambs are born. She manages this ongoing grief alongside the seasonal demands of lambing season on a sheep farm, which she describes as a source of hope and personal promise.

In addition to shepherding, Magnuson writes poetry and true stories about her animals to express her internal feelings and memories. She openly discusses her dyslexia and memoir writing, as well as her history of feeling different from traditional social norms, viewing her unique spirit and her work on the Maine sheep farm as her intended purpose.

The Life Lessons

Cheri Magnuson chronicles her deep bond with Dumdum, a directionally impaired hen whose frequent accidents require constant care and protection. This relationship serves as a vital emotional anchor, showing how small-scale farming and animal care offer profound insights into a life shaped by personal loss. This experience yields several key lessons from her life with chickens.

• Embracing One’s Unique Nature

Magnuson reflects on her identity as someone who has long felt different. She draws a parallel to Dumdum’s poor sense of direction, suggesting that difference is not a defect but an inherent trait. Rather than measuring oneself against conventional standards of normality, she emphasizes self-acceptance, identity, and finding comfort within one’s own path.

• Resilience in the Face of Grief

The book revolves around the coexistence of joy and grief. Magnuson portrays her Maine sheep farm life as a place of recovery following the loss of her son. The endurance of her hens—such as Lady Guinevere surviving a harsh winter and frostbite to hatch a chick—depicts persistence amid hardship, offering a grounded example of resilience in grief and rural life.

• The Weight of Personal Responsibility

A key lesson in the book involves responsibility and care. After a neighbor’s miscount leaves Dumdum exposed to freezing conditions, Magnuson realizes that the well-being of those in her care cannot be entrusted to others. She assumes full responsibility, reinforcing themes of farm stewardship and animal care responsibility.

• Finding Hope and Renewal

Even against the backdrop of grief, the cyclical nature of farm life points to renewal. The anticipation of new lambs and the growth of the flock signal continuity and change. These patterns imply the perennial nature of life—the unceasing possibility of meaning, healing, and renewal through farming life.

• Authenticity and Vulnerability

Magnuson maintains transparency about her dyslexia and grammatical inconsistencies in her writing. This choice conveys a commitment to authentic memoir writing rooted in lived experience. In doing so, she frames authenticity as a willingness to remain visible in one’s own voice, rather than conforming to external expectations.

Through the rhythms of farm life and the fragile, persistent presence of Dumdum, Magnuson traces a way of living that holds grief and care in the same hand. Her farm stories suggest that meaning is not found in overcoming loss, but in learning to live responsibly, honestly, and attentively within it. 

Follow The Adventures of Dumdum on Amazon and other major retailers.
About Explora Books 

Explora Books is a book marketing firm located in the heart of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company specializes in self-publishing and marketing, taking pride in its exhaustive research and creative strategies that provide wider avenues for aspiring authors to gain recognition for their works. Explora Books aims to guide authors through the complexities of self-publishing, offering convenient solutions to navigate this process. The firm fosters and redefines creativity and innovation, setting new industry standards. Explora Books is dedicated to empowering authors globally.

Media Contact

Organization: Explora Books Ltd

Contact Person: Simon Pratt

Website: https://explorabooks.com/home

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +16043306795

Address:Jameson Offices, 838 W Hastings St w, Vancouver, BC V6C 0A6, Canada

City: Vancouver

State: British Columbia

Country:Canada

Release id:44446

The post Backyard Adventures: Life Lessons From Chickens appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section