Echelon Press Publishing's Page

The Heat of the Moment
Benefits San Diego Fire Survivors

Laurel, MD–December 1, 2007 — FIRE! You see it on the news, on the Internet, in the papers, but if it doesn't strike close to home it's easy to ignore. When a small fire in Karen Syed's Maryland apartment complex brought neighbors out, Karen got proactive. With one e-mail sent to 21 authors, The Heat of the Moment was developed. Each of the authors, the youngest being sixteen years old, involved in this remarkable collection of short stories has made a pledge. Contributors, authors, editors, and artist, have all committed their royalties to benefit the survivors of the San Diego fires of 2007.

After speaking with Marty Leavitt, President of the The Fire Safe Council of San Diego County (FSCSDC), Echelon Press pledged to send all proceeds from the sale of The Heat of the Moment to the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County. "It is important to us that these people who have lost everything know they don't have to do this alone. We may be strangers, but we care," states Ms. Syed. The goal of "The Heat of the Moment" is to put money directly into the community of San Diego, and those who lost so much. With no direct link to San Diego, Ms. Syed had to make a difficult decision as to who would benefit from the publication of The Heat of the Moment. With thousands of homes destroyed in the 2007 San Diego fires, and dozens of injuries, the loss is impossible to measure. This fact alone spurred Karen Syed, president of Echelon Press, LLC, to take a step to do something. "This organization (FSCSDC) represents everything that we would like to accomplish with this project," states Syed.

The Heat of the Moment is a compilation of twenty short stories with one common theme—fire. From fantasies to tributes remembering historical catastrophes, chilling and moving, the stories will tap human emotions with their overwhelming credit to survival.

The Fire Safe Council of San Diego County (FSCSDC) was formed in 1997 and is comprised of a 15-member Board of Directors (voting members). The Board consists of federal, state, and local agencies and stakeholders as determined by the (FSCSDC). The (FSCSDC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is incorporated under the California Franchise Tax Board. The (FSCSDC) is a member of the California Fire Safe Council, a non-profit corporation, and is authorized to use the name "Fire Safe Council" and the FSC logo. All (FSCSDC) Council members have common goals of fire safety education and pre-fire management, attend meetings, and participate in SDCFSC programs and activities.

Echelon Press, LLC, is an independent publishing house based in Laurel, MD. With ninety authors in their three divisions, Echelon Press has spent nearly seven years cultivating a stable of authors ranging from beginners to national award winners. Echelon authors are located across America as well as in New Zealand, Australia, Israel, and Canada.

A listing of all parties contributing to The Heat of the Moment is available upon request. The list includes story titles and author locations.

For review copies, requests for interviews, and author events, please contact Karen L. Syed at echelonpress@comcast.net.