“Believe,” written by rkfdnews and published by Life Artners.   Click to download a hi-res press release image (jpg).

Press Release, December 14th, 2014

“Believe,” the debut book by rkfdnews (and the first release by Life Artners publishing), is now available to purchase. It is available in print and digital formats. Amazon (U.S. and International), Barnes & Noble (and many other online book retailers) are carrying it now. Limited signed copies by its authors and artists are only available from a few independent sources, read below for book details, ordering options and locations.

• Believe is available in print and digital formats for your hands, book shelves, coffee tables, tablets, book readers and crappy smart devices.
• If you buy our printed book from Amazon, you will receive the eBook for free from Amazon through their Kindle store. The Kindle version eBook features interactive links and color images–exclusive to Amazon buyers.  Note: Apple iBooks and Nook users, digital eBook versions will be available in early 2015, but there is a free Kindle app to enjoy on any of your crazy digital devices to enjoy the eBook now vs. waiting.  Your best bang of your buck will be buying the print version to receive the free eBook version from Kindle.
• A limited amount of signed and numbered first edition copies (166) were mailed to pre-order customers (they who took advantage of a 48 hour Cyber Monday Dec. 1st sale) on Dec. 15th, 2014.  Each customer already received a download PDF of the book in advance for taking advantage of the pre-sale offer.
• A limited amount of signed copies by the authors, Chief Tchad Beale, Chief Jay Vannigan and Ron Kites, will be available at Phoenix Traders and Olympic Tavern, located in Rockford, IL.   Additional northern IL locations may be announced soon, but with extreme limitations applied due to the equally-extreme lack of time, money and patience that we have for dealing with Rockford area businesses and their poor ethics. (See below for requirements)
• A limited amount of artist signed copies (12) by Andy Whorehall, the book’s illustrator and author, are available at his online store. Each book order comes signed with an interactive download PDF link of the book and a signed miniature 6″ x 6″ archival ink print of one of the illustrations featured in the book.
• A limited amount of artist signed copies (12) by Johnny Emerald the IIIrd, Rockford’s Homeless Pop Star, are available at Rkfdnew.com’s store. Each book order comes signed and with an interactive download PDF link of the book and a free set of MP3s of Johnny’s hit songs.
• “Believe” is available for independent stores to purchase at wholesale bulk order rates to sell in your stores.  Minimum requirements are necessary to purchase from Life Artners:
  1) Minimum order requirement is 1o books. Wholesale discount available. Discount does not apply towards S&H fees.
  2) Rockford, IL / Winnebago County businesses must fill out a 1 page application form for Life Artners to review if your business, intellect, ethics and interests are worthy of carrying our book to begin with.  Sorry, no scumbags, penny pinchers, public charity thieves and Transform Rockford reps who run businesses will be approved.  NOTE:  Out of city or state need not fill out the form. Please email us to request a wholesale bulk order and an approval application.
• Believe retails for a list price of $24.95 with major online retail companies. Sales and discounts vary per major online retail sellers and quantities in stock. We have no control on those sales, discounts, special offers.
• Prices can vary per independent seller and are based on the limited quantities that are made available, and if they are signed or not.  (If you don’t want your book signed, you may as well pay less at Amazon, yes? Yes, but it’s up to you.  This is not your average book as it has interactive links to music, videos and other outsider folk art resources that exists to further reveal how deep, dark and often ignored the creative well of Rockford, IL, is.)

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Life Artners; First Edition edition (December 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692334890
ISBN-13: 978-0692334898
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces

Book Description:
MADE IN THE U.S.A. – Written, illustrated, created and published in Rockford, IL / Printed in South Carolina, Delaware, Indiana and a few other states not named Illinois. (Fact, this was an intentional, creative, politically-minded business move.)

“Believe” is a collection of noose breaking stories inspired by the city of Rockford, Illinois, and its strange, beautiful people. This book, your bible, contains 256 thrilling pages filled with words, illustrations and photos about fast food, poverty, crime, carp, Quinn Gelastio, Willard Hunter, Johnny Emerald The IIIrd, TED, Lord Thomas Derby, Simbo, $cumbags, animals, romance, sex, medicine, health, fitness, fried chicken, pizza, tacos, cantaloupes, nutrition, science, unemployment, finance, depression, feelings, internet and a lot of whatever. These incredible faith based stories will help everyone (in Rockford, IL) to remain proud n’ positive with cold n’ empty hearts n’ wallets, well-fed stomachs and toasty warm toilet seats. More importantly, these original stories will hopefully help everyone else (on earth) laugh more, believe, fart or whatever.

No one was paid to contribute to the existence of rkfdnews,com and the formal creation of this book – the joy of creating and entertaining something free for the cost of a free public reaction. Those reactions varied and were often confused and negative in overall response – but that was the point.  Rockford’s community, which represents any American small city in the modern post-recession-bank-bailout era, as a whole seems drunk on blind transformation, political positivity and strange pride.  Truth being, no one is actually doing anything because they’re relying on state grants, federal funds and financial bailouts – the new American way is to expect a bailout and a free bag of cash to hide with your friends in government and business.  (The rich continue to feed the rich while the poor settle into more of nothing.  All talk, no do – the new American way.)

“This book exists as the majority’s absurd opposition and an artistic response to the political and communal insanity that’s seeped into our American Communities’ intellect circa 2014.  Rockford, IL, could be anywhere in America.  The people, from our leaders down to our neighbors, have lost a sense of right and wrong.  Everyone is out for themselves.  Mother f**kers are easily sold a bag of pony sh*t in broad daylight and no one seems to be too upset with it.  It’s getting harder and harder to find faith in mankind when the wrong people are getting ahead, rewarded the jobs and opportunities to own a speedboat and summer home for their three children and the wife they cheat on while the working class becomes the no-name-no-jobs class.  That’s right, I want a speedboat, too. Wait, no, I want more bread and water first.  TO you college grads, you have it worse with your debts and smarts. You may as well be anyone but yourself to get ahead in today’s world.  Start lying now to get that job or settle into your student loan debts you owe and find a few jobs to hold down at your local Walmart, tavern, Chilis, Stop N’ Go until you’re age 40 plus or worse – it’s not getting better for you.  You’re done before you start,”  says one of Believe’s authors and chief editor, Chief Tchad Beale.

“While everyone was talking, raising funds, breeding kids, preaching positivity, applying for grants, screwing over friends and neighbors, expecting federal funds, hosting town forums to talk more, marketing the hope, pride nonsense but not really doing anything, we made a book about nothing with nothing to prove that doing anything together is better than sitting around and talking about how great our community can be while expecting handouts to make work happen.  We made this with nothing but our time and efforts, the way our grandparents did it.  Lazy Americans are everywhere in 2014.  Rockford, IL, is everywhere; transforming depression into delusional hope and positive insanity, instead of jobs, ” offers Chief Vannigan, contributing author and editor.

Book Category:
Humor/General
Art/Outsider Folk Art

About the Authors:
Rkfdnews was written by a noose breaking creative conglomeration of professional artists, small business owners, minority realists and humorists. They are based in and around the region of an economically and socially devastated American city called Rockford, Illinois. The debut book, “Believe,” features written and illustrated contributions by many fictional and non-fictional organisms and inanimate objects, including: Jason “Mossy” Vaughn, Johnny Emerald the IIIrd, Chief Jay Vannigan, Benji the Carp, Dave DeCastris, Andy Whorehall, Lord Thomas Derby, Chief Tchad Beale, Zachery Rotello, Ron Kites, Quinn Gelastio, Lisa Soland, Chuck Toncha, Barry Syversen, Kate Menstraight, Gilbert Grebner, Rance Crabtower, Steve the Pony, JoAnne Rankles, Chet Fairway, Eric Knoll, Jojo Wrinkles, Pancake Johnson, Graham Nickles, The Great Paula, George Brawn, Dana Vaughn (Grammatical Zealot), Daniel James McMahon, Willard Hunter, Marc Kinnemann, Eric Fleming, Irish Brian Kelly, Brian Diamond, Max Bordell, Theodore Lepolli, Russell Gillespie, Brian Milo, James Strumwell, Donny Lothario, Andy Scarpaci, Jesus Abraham Correa VIIth, David Pedersen, Dolph Lundgren, Foodstamp Davis, Mean Gene Okerlund, Matt Makris, Chris Wachowiak, Bill Wennington, John Kruk, Reggie “Railroad” Reynolds, Mister Meerasaké, Francis the Macaque, Frank Stallone and Maria Alvarez-Thromsbergher. “Believe” is the debut published release by Life Artners; a creative conglomeration of midwestern artists (from all medias), founded in November 2014 by Dave DeCastris and Jason “Mossy” Vaughn.