November began with National Author’s Day and at Kast Publishing, we would like to celebrate our writers. Kast Publishing is honored and humbled to have helped these authors publish their books. Their stories are inspiring and transformational. They wanted to leave a legacy for their families and loved ones, but they have helped so many more. Help us congratulate our wonderful authors.
Here’s a little about Kast Publishing authors and their books:
Corporal Gene Cully settled down with his morning coffee and began his daily routine in Vietnam in September 1967. In an instant, Cully found himself in the midst of one of the worst firefights near the DMZ, providing cover fire to help save wounded Marines without regard for his own safety. In Warrior Forgotten: A Native American’s Perspective of Vietnam, Cully recalls the extraordinary accomplishments of Golf Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment during the firefight. For his heroic efforts, Cully was recommended for the Navy Cross, but never received this high military honor. After all these years, Cully still wonders about the missing documents concerning the recommendation and elusive medal. Cully was inspired to share his perspective of Vietnam because of the courageous, loyal, and dedicated men who sacrificed their lives so others could survive. Throughout the book, Cully draws parallels between his Native American culture and that of the Vietnamese people as he shares about his time in Vietnam. When Cully’s service was up, he re-enlisted for another tour of duty, which eventually led to a career in the military. Cully retired with the rank of first sergeant after more than twenty-three years of honorable and faithful service. Cully and his wife, Maribeth, were married in 1991. They are happily retired and live in Texas.
Megan Hurley was an English teacher, one of the best. She loved English literature and inspired her high school students to appreciate the classics by transforming her classroom into one of the scenes from Othello or showing up in class dressed as one of her favorite characters from The Great Gatsby. Megan had a command of the English language and could previously write without hesitation. That was until she suffered a traumatic brain injury. Megan was pursuing her master’s degree and while in a local library, she fell on the marble floor due to a grand mal seizure, fracturing her skull. The resulting traumatic brain injury left her without the ability to put thoughts and words together in a coherent manner. However, as Megan gained strength physically and mentally she was determined to be an author. Piecing her story together ever so slowly, she accomplished a long-time dream of writing her story. Through “Hope Survives: Strength After A Traumatic Brain Injury,” Megan shares an incredible story of survival while helping others understand the challenges and realities of traumatic brain injuries.
Gary Bulmer had a hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 20. Technically, an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that ruptured. He and wife, Elaine, were just naive enough to listen to the professionals and follow their advice. Gary was told to develop a hobby…he did. All the artwork in this book was created by Gary. Additionally, he has worked as an advocate for the American Heart Association. They have flown him to Washington, D.C. to speak to a Senate sub-committee a few years back. In October 2019, he addressed Congress about stroke issues, including my story. He would encourage all survivors to explore some kind of hobby. He is grateful for the fantastic marriage that he and Elaine have achieved and for the wonderful family that they have. Most importantly, Gary has a good life.The purpose of his book, “The Compassionate Side of Compromise,” is to help those who have found themselves on a journey of brain injury recovery. By reading stories of how even the simplest of activities has been altered by this brain injury, other survivors can choose stories that may resemble an experience or emotion they are feeling. Then share that story or stories with those around them to improve conversation and to help create a balance of this new lifestyle adding some clarification and understanding. While the brain injury itself may have only happened to one, it can impact every dynamic of everyone around.
Sherry Kast has worked in the public relations field for nearly 30 years, enjoying a career of promoting the organization’s she’s worked for in both the nonprofit and corporate worlds. She currently serves as president of Kast Publishing, a company she started to share inspiring stories and give back to the community. She has been fortunate to cross paths with so many intriguing people throughout her career, but none as awe-inspiring as Mr. Phillip W. Coon. “A Soldier’s Silent Prayer” is the first biography written by Sherry and it chronicles Mr. Coon’s life and his service in WWII. He was a Bataan Death March Survivor and Ex-POW for three and a half years in Japan. It has been a love for her to write about such an incredible man and his survival story. Sherry is Cherokee and resides in Oklahoma.
To book a speaking engagement of these authors or to submit a inquiry to publish, please email sherry@kastpublishing.com.
Publishing. Writing. Giving Back. 