Shelf Unbound December/January 2017

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

SHELF UNBOUND WRITING COMPETITION

2016 INDIE BEST AWARD WINNERS

1

SEPTEMBER 2010

what to read next in independent publishing

staff

Margaret Brown fo u n d e r a n d p u b l i sh e r Anna Nair edito r i n ch i e f Christina Davidson c re a t i ve d i re c tor Ben Minton circ u l a t i on ma n a g e r Patricia McClain c o py e d i to r Marc Schuster c o n t r i b u t i n g e d i tor Hayley Whitehead e d i to r i a l i n te r n

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Morgan Siem c on su l ta n t , soc i a l me d i a Kasia Piasecka so c i a l me d i a ma n a g e r Jane Miller ac c o u n t i n g ma n a g e r For a dve r tising inqu ir ie s: c al l 2 14.704.4182 or e- mail m a rga ret@ s he l fm e di agrou p.c om For editor ial inqu ir ie s: e- mail m a rga ret@ s he l fm e di agrou p.c om or write to Shelf U nbou nd, P O B ox 852321 R ich ard s on, TX 75085

Photograph: from On Bittersweet Place by Ronna Wineberg

what to read next in independent publishing

december/january

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contents

finalist The Human Face of Big Data created by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt

60 Pete Delohery award for

best sports book

The Eighth Wonder of the World:

The Life of Houston’s Iconic Astrodome by Robert C.

Trumpbour and Kenneth Womack 62

editor’s choice: best series If You Were Me and Lived in Ancient Times by Carole P. Roman

16

winner On Bittersweet Place by Ronna Wineberg

64 editor’s choice: most creative

Freedom Trail of Boston Pop Up Book by Denise D. Price

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finalist The Illuminator’s Gift by Alina Sayre

66

editor’s choice: poetry Digest by Gregory Pardlo

32

finalist Cephrael’s Hand Book 1 by Melissa McPhail

40

finalist Kwong’s Next Three by Vic Warren

68

navigating indieworld A how-to guide for indie authors by Carole P. Roman

72

recommended reading

44

finalist The Secret of the Sacred Scarab

by Fiona Ingram

52

finalist The Wrong Side of a Gun by David Grace

114 the Shelf Unbound notable 100 166 outstanding

photography books

DEPARTMENTS

Above Photography: (top) by Melissa McPhail. (bottom) Written by Himself by Gregory Pardlo.

8 a note from the publisher 12 shelf media podcast 173 last words

What if survival required you to unlearn who you are?

How far would you fall to save yourself? Sometimes happiness is a long way down. “ ...highly addictive, spectacular, and mind blowing...Thomas is a wizard of fiction.”

—US Review of Books “A sweeping literary saga in the tradition of ‘Dr. Zhivago’, ‘Gone with the Wind’, and ‘The Thorn Birds’, this book has it all...original and stirring...”

—The Eric Hoffer Book Award

An Amazon Best Seller

“ ...Every now and then, seemingly out of nowhere, a new voice comes along and knocks your socks off. Owen Thomas owns that voice... .”

—The Anchorage Press “ ...This is a powerful, gripping and realistic story... . The Lion Trees does what so very few great novels can: it will take a lot out of you, but leave you with much more than you had when you began.”

—Pacific Book Review

The Johns family is unraveling. Hollis, a retired Ohio banker, isolates himself in esoteric hobbies and a dangerous flirtation with a colleague’s daughter. Susan, his wife of forty years, risks everything for a second chance at who she might have become. David, their eldest, thrashes to stay afloat as his teaching career capsizes in a storm of accusations involving a missing student and the legacy of Christopher Columbus. And young Tilly, the black sheep, having traded literary promise for an improbable career as a Hollywood starlet, struggles to define herself amid salacious scandal, the demands of a powerful director, and the judgments of an uncompromising writer.

By turns comical and poignant, the Johns family is tumbling toward the discovery that sometimes you have to let go of your identity to find out who you are.

lives and writes in Anchorage, Alaska. His novel “The Lion Trees” is available in paper and electrons at Amazon.com.

Reviews, excerpts, interviews, discussion guides, as well as other information about the author and his work, are available at

OwenThomasFiction.com

AWARDS: WINNER of the KINDLE BOOK AWARD, the GLOBAL EBOOK AWARD, BOOKS AND AUTHOR.com BOOK of the YEAR, and 12 other International Book Awards, including The Eric Hoffer Book Award, The London Book Festival, The New York Book Festival, The Amsterdam Book Festival, and The Beverly Hills International Book Awards.

Lamb to the

Slaughter

by Pete Delohery A novel about love and cour age, sin and redemption “Iron” Mike McGann is facing the twilight of his prizefighting career.

Desperate for his future, he has refused to honor his promise to his wife to quit the ring and start a family.

Rufus “Hurricane” Hilliard is the most menacing presence in prizefighting. But behind his menacing ring presence lives a man nobody knows, a complex man who despises his own image.

Rufus “Hurricane” Hilliard vs. “Iron” Mike McGann, just another fight shown on The Continuous Sports Network, but by the time it is over the lives of these and many others will be forever different.

“This heartfelt tale makes a powerful emotional impact.”

—Blue Ink Starred Review Also in Spanish: El Cordero al matadero Available in print and e-book at Amazon, xlibris, and Barnes & Noble.

w w w. p e t e d e l o h e r y. c o m

“No one who reads this book will ever again look the same way at a criminal trial.”

LAWYER GAMES is the TRUE story of

the murder case that gave rise to the international best-seller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

It is told by the original Chief Assistant DA, who was at the scene while the body was still on the floor, who made the decision to arrest the defendant, and who tried the first of four murder trials, side by side with the District Attorney.

“Kirkland provides a fascinating insight into a criminal justice system that is more interested in winning than in justice.

A must read for anyone who wants to know the truth about legal mind games.”

—Aphrodite Jones, Investigation Discovery host and NYT bestselling author

WWW.LAWYERGAMESTHEBOOK.COM Check out the promo video for the book HERE

“A meticulous, intuitive, and riveting nonfiction work.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“This nonfiction book often resembles a torrid TV drama....”

—Kirkus Reviews Available for purchase at

Prepare to take off on an incredible quest through the heavens.

W

hen Billy wins a Bible verse memorization contest at his Sunday shool he’s awarded a free trip to the county fair and $30 to spend.

On the way to the fair, he and the other winners plan to stop by a children’s hospital. Before reaching the hospital Billy meets a balloon salesman. The salesman tells Billy a story about God letting the most beautiful balloons into heaven, for children, who had died too young to find and play with. The balloons that make it to Heaven’s gate but are not pretty enough to gain entrance are popped become thunder during storms.

When Billy himself meets an unfortunate death, he sets out on a Heavenly quest to find his balloon.

From Author Jason Marchi

In this compelling story of a young Quinnipiac brave named Blackbird, we experience the exciting Quinnipiac tribal legend of how the Sleeping Giant land form in Hamden, Connecticut came to look like a giant man sleeping on his back.

“The Legend of Hobbomock is a wonderful book providing an authentic representation of Quinnipiac tribal folklore. [ Jason Marchi’s] rich storytelling is a great way to introduce elementary-age children to Native American worldview and legend, and to inspire them to observe nature and to explore the world around them. Highly recommended.”

—Dr. Kevin McBride, Director of Research Mashantucket Pequot Museum A Barnes & Noble recognized regional best-seller.

A REVERE Awards finalist in 2015.

When Granny Quigley knitted a purple sweater with a white lace collar for her granddaughter, Ashley, she never imagined the adventures that would ensue. Ashley loved her sweater, but when it came time to wash it, the sweater grew. It was far too large for Ashley, so she gave the sweater to her older sister, hoping to one day grow into it again. But with each subsequent washing, the sweater became larger and larger, making it ever more challenging to find a use for this magical growing sweater.

The Growing Sweater, by Jason J. Marchi is an imaginative story that will enthrall and delight young readers. The illustrations, by Ben Quesnel, are a wonderful addition to this book which is sure to become a favorite with young readers. Recommended for home and school libraries, this book has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval and was awarded GOLD in the Early Reader Picture Book category.

—Literary Classics Review Recipient of ten awards! Three gold medals.

www.jasonmarchi.com

Available through FOLLET School Solutions, Baker & Taylor • Barnes & Noble, and Amazon Also available at discount to schools and libraries on-line through Fahrenheitbooks.com Or Call 203.453.5700 for library & school discount orders via credit card or purchase order

a word from the

publisher

C

INDIE

hristmas comes early at Shelf Media, as over the summer through October we receive book after book as entries in our annual Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition. We received about a thousand entries this year in all manner of genres—including for the first time a supercool pop-up book which we honored as “Most Creative.” Our overall winner is On Bittersweet Place by Ronna Wineberg from Relegation Books. From our judges: “Wineberg’s coming-of-age story of Lena Czernitski, a young Russian Jew who has fled the Ukraine with her family to brave the challenges of assimilation in 1920’s Chicago, has all the elements of a classic. It is a lovely novel with a heroine of depth, intelligence, and tremendous heart.”

Wineberg’s stories have appeared in numerous magazines and been broadcast on National Public Radio. She received a scholarship in fiction to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and residencies to the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Ragdale Foundation and was awarded a fellowship in fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts. Wineberg, who lives in New York, is the founding fiction editor of the Bellevue Literary Review.

We also honor in these pages six finalists, three outstanding photography books, editor’s choice for best series and for poetry, the Pete Delohery Award for Best Sports Book, and 100 “notable” books. To everyone who entered, we want to let you all know how much we enjoyed reading your books.

The message from our judges to all of our authors is this: Keep Writing.

Margaret Brown publisher

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

Photograph: Debra Pandak

International Books Award – Best In Non-fiction History!

Is what we know about Jesus true?

D.C. Smith reintroduces

history’s most misunderstood Messiah. He presents the Torahobservant teacher, accompanied by classical artwork and concise explanations, to show what actually happened to him both before and after Christianity took root in Roman-occupied Judea. Using a carefully drawn out series of historical segments, Smith peels back 2,000 years of revisionist distortions to uncover the many myths and made-up stories about a local rabbi we now think of as “Jesus,” but whose real name was Joshua.

From start to finish, this remarkable book separates fact from fantasy in reconstructing the historical Jesus and the turbulent times in which he lived. It is a must read for inquisitive people of all faiths as well as secular humanists.

JESUS

The Jew No One Knows

by D.C. Smith

Available in paperback and e-book at Amazon or www.blossomingrose.org

WHAT PATHWAY ARE YOU ON?

www.brmaul.com

Teenagers have a hard enough time finding their path in life, but for Simon and Jak it’s a whole other world.

When the two boys are taken through a portal to a faraway land, they find themselves on opposing sides in a cruel war of evil versus good. Simon is set on a path to save the land, while Jak is on a path to tear it apart.

In the Land of Magnanthia is the first book in the series Portals, Passages & Pathways, a teen & young adult fantasy adventure that journeys to the magical land of Magnanthia. Follow Simon and Jak as they go up against the hardships with coming of age, struggle to find redemption, and fight to discover a way off the roadway of eternal death and onto the path to everlasting life!

A MAGICAL READ

ABSOLUTELY ENCHANTING

“This book is an exciting mash up of all my best loved fantasy novels. It has MYSTERY, MAGIC and MAYHEM; plenty of adventure and enough action to keep me glued to my Kindle.”

“’In the Land of Magnanthia’ really blew me away. It was SMART, FUN and MAGICAL. B.R. Maul wrote about a magnificent world and characters that you will fall in love with.”

—Roxy Kade

—Courtney with readbetweenthebooks91. blogspot.com

Now Available on

In the first Shelf Media Podcast, publisher

Margaret Brown talks to author Matt Bell about his three books and about writing, teaching the craft of writing, and his

forthcoming novel. She also talks to book reviewers David Rice and Michele Filgate about Bell’s most recent novel, In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods.

bevel

down by todd langley Bevel Down is not your usual novel. Set in the mid-1990s and told in the first person, it combines the format of a novel with a memoir in revealing the short life of a junkie whose life becomes lost. It’s a gripping narrative that shows how such a decline takes place. The conclusion offers a satisfying blend of hope and despair: something also not common in your typical singular novel, and highly recommended for readers seeking accounts of social challenges and community evolution.

Diane Donovan The Midwest Book Review

The Absurd, Tragic Memoir of an Okie Meth Head

Bevel Down has been required reading for literature students in high schools and colleges in the U.S.

FROM AUTHOR

GENE BOFFA

Comes Another Thrilling

Mac Daniels Novel

North Korea’s weapons-grade uranium is missing, and the Korean spies back in the U.S. have determined that the United States is responsible.

Even though the U.S. denies responsibility, the truth is...

Mac Daniels has stolen it! To prevent a war, Mac will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

He must return to North Korea to face the Supreme Leader and confess his role in the stolen uranium.

With layers of clever plotting, non-stop action, ever-present danger, and a heart-pounding pace, Deception seizes the reader’s attention and clamps down hard until the very last word. It is a roller coaster of twists and turns, and what turns out to be is not as it appears.

DECEPTION.

Available at Amazon, Kindle Bookstore, Nook Bookstore, iTunes Bookstore, Google Books, and Kobo Bookstore.

WWW.GENEBOFFA.COM

Check out Gene Boffa’s 1st Novel of the Series, THE DEED. Available on Amazon.

k boo 1st !

REE is F

Detroit Homicide Detective Russ Baker has been sent to work the Cold Case Division due to a screw-up he committed on a case.

He was all alone in the basement office until he was visited by an unlikely partner. A dead former detective who was now an annoying ghost. Would the ghost help him solve the cold cases allowing the murdered victims to go on to the hereafter?

Murder, mayhem, humor, ghosts galore, sexy women and lots of fun are in store in these paranormal ghost crime stories by Bob Moats.

These books are novellas. “I will not lie! I peed my pants! OMG! Book 1 was hilarious. I mean there are some good stuff that happens and a love interest but the funny parts, for the love of Pete, YEAH . ..� Melissa Martin Blog and Goodreads Review.

All Ghost Squad books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore

interview

WINNER of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

On Bittersweet Place

by Ronna Wineberg Relegation Books relegationbooks.com

Wineberg’s coming-of-age story of Lena Czernitski, a young Russian Jew who has fled the Ukraine with her family to brave the challenges of assimilation in 1920’s Chicago, has all the elements of a classic. It is a lovely novel with a heroine of depth, intelligence, and tremendous heart.

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WINNER Shelf Unbound: How did the idea for this novel come about?

Ronna Wineberg: The seed for the book came from my family history.

My mother’s family fled from Russia.

Though she and my father were born in the United States, many of our relatives had come from Russia. As a child, I didn’t know much about the family background. When I was in college, some cousins of mine and I decided to talk to our grandparents and aunts and uncles about life in Russia. We all sat in the living room of my parent’s home and asked questions. I was riveted by the stories.

My great grandfather was murdered

by Cossacks but not in the way that occurs in the book. I thought then that someday I’d like to write about an immigrant family. But when I began to write fiction, I wrote stories about contemporary life. Eventually, I decided to write a series of linked short stories about a Russian girl and her family. After I had written a few stories, I realized I was writing a novel. The Russian portions of On Bittersweet Place are loosely based on my family’s history.

Shelf Unbound: You have rendered a complex and memorable

character in Lena. How did you go about creating her?

Wineberg: Thank you. At first, I experimented with different voices for the narrator and different points of view. When I discovered Lena’s voice, she led me through the novel.

Things happened in the book that I didn’t expect. Lena evolved as I wrote and as I revised; she became a stronger character. The key for me was finding her voice on the page and her internal voice. Sometimes I read sections aloud to be sure they sounded like her.

Shelf Unbound: You cover a lot of weighty topics in this novel: prejudice, sexual abuse, mental illness, death, infidelity, class. Yet you weave them into the story so seamlessly that the book never feels heavy handed. Why did you want to include all of these topics and what was your approach to doing so?

Wineberg: The topics arose as I wrote. When I created Lena and her family, I knew that one family member would suffer from mental illness. The sexual abuse arose in the course of writing. I wanted to capture Uncle Maurice’s essence as a person— what he does in the book seemed

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WINNER

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”

—Martin Buber

to describe who he is, his character.

It’s also a burden Lena has to carry.

After I finished a draft of the book, I realized there were a lot weighty topics in the pages and that Lena faced many challenges. But I felt this was realistic for the era and for a child in a struggling immigrant family.

Shelf Unbound: What kind of research did you do to so effectively portray Chicago in the 1920s?

Wineberg: I grew up in Chicago and am familiar with the landscape of the city and the lake. I visited Chicago while writing the book, drove around and walked in the area where Lena lives. I didn’t know much about the city in the 1920s and had to do a lot research, which I enjoyed. I read books about popular culture in the 1920s. I learned about music, fashion, jewelry, books, prices of products, schools, sexual mores. I read about daily life in the United States in the 1920s and read Irving Cutler’s The Jews of Chicago. The Encyclopedia of Chicago was very helpful. And I read about American, Russian, and world history before and after World War I. I did research on the Internet and spoke to librarians at the Chicago Public Library who found names of Chicago

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PROLOGUE September 1922

T

he first day in the apartment on Bittersweet Place, my father carried two wooden crates to a corner of the living room. He set a wide piece of wood on top.

“Desk,” he said. “This is your desk, Lena.” He gave me three pencils and a square black notebook. Here I began my labors in English. I was ten years old. Each night, I

printed words. Smokestacks in the sky. Rise high. Blue. Like a sea. Der yam. The noises of the city and the apartment were my companions. The roar of the elevated train.

The clatter of cars. The landsleit and relatives talking and arguing.

From the open window, I imagined I could see all the way to Maxwell Street, where pushcarts squeezed one next to another like squatters’ houses, where the odors of sweet warm breads and foul raw chickens rose in the air.

If I walked east from the apartment, I knew I would find the blue waters of Lake Michigan.

In Russia, we lived by a gray-green lake, in a white wooden house in Belilovka.

What we saw then was all that we knew: the hilly green land, the smoke that flowed like ribbons from a lumber mill, my father’s letters that arrived from America on thin white paper.

At my desk, I willed myself to forget the past. But the memories charged through my mind. My grandfather at the head of the table. His dark beard gleaming like

satin. My grandmother next to him. My two uncles and my older brother. I felt safe in that house by the lake. Then, we’d heard drunken laughter from outside. “Cossacks.

The Petlurias,” my mother had cried. “Go to the forest.

Quick.” She’d pushed my brother and me to a window in the back. We scrambled out barefoot and ran.

This was what I wanted to forget: the dark, damp forest.

My brother’s hand clutching mine. The smell of pine, the cold dirt beneath our feet.

The scratch of weeds. We hid behind a cluster of trees in terrified silence. And then the crack of a gun and the awful screams. Later that night, I wept when I saw my grandfather slumped on the table, his arm stretched out as if he’d been offering the visitors a glass of wine.

At my desk, I told myself: Lena, stop thinking about this.

Instead, I tried to concentrate on schoolwork. Then I printed in my notebook. I prepared a list. At first, I wrote in Russian.

Later, as I became better at it, in English. I added and erased until my list felt exact and complete.

My Fears

by Lena Czernitski September 15, 1922 I Will never speak good English Will not have one American friend I will be attacked on the street by an American Petluria I Will lose someone dear to me Will never have a home that is safe Will never grow up I will never ever know happiness again

I wrote my fears to try to pull them out of me. I promised myself I would find a solution for every problem. I would work hard, learn English.

I would become like an American so I could have American friendships. When I had banished all my fears from my heart and mind, I would belong in this new country, I was sure. The Goldene Medina. This golden land. I would finally be strong and grown up

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WINNER streets in the 1920s, weather patterns, streetcar routes, and other information about the city. I did research before I wrote the book and while I was writing and revising. It was important for the details in the novel to be accurate.

Shelf Unbound: You write in your acknowledgements that your grandparents and other relatives fled Russia, arriving as immigrants at Ellis Island. What does it mean to you personally to have written this novel?

Wineberg: I wanted to capture the warmth, tension, and difficulties of a family and portray what it was like to be a Jewish immigrant in the Midwest during a time of prejudice. The book is a way to honor my grandparents and other relatives, to bring back to life their world as they may have experienced it, to imagine that world. The novel is fiction, but I wanted to make the emotion in the book true. Writing the book also helped me reconstruct what it feels like to be a teenager, part of a family yet trying to break away, a piece of my life that is long past. I’m grateful that Relegation Books and its extraordinary publishing team believed in the book and took such good care of it. And I’m happy the novel speaks to you and other readers.

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UNTIL PHILOSOPHERS

BECOME KINGS BOOK ONE

by Chris Thomas

When does good end and evil begin?

A tale of conflict and moral dilemmas arising from the best of intentions, Until Philosophers Become Kings explores the gray and blurred lines of morality.

Available at

“An intense crime thriller from debut author Thomas that follows an undercover agent embedded deep within a Mexican drug cartel...the dynamic tale takes the reader along for one harrowing journey.”

—Kirkus Reviews

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NEW MEXICO AUTHOR

MARK CONKLING

www.markconkling.com

“Mark Conkling has written a doggone good tale about animals and the people who love (and abuse) them. This is a nicely written novel that keeps you jumping and engages the reader in the lives of the main characters as well as the animals. It’s written with a spirituality that doesn’t beat you over the head. If you are looking for a feel good tale invest in Dog Shelter Blues.”

John Crudele, Columnist for the New York Post and dog lover

“Mark Conkling offers the reader a wonderful way to explore the northern seas and those most mysterious creatures of the deep, cold waters, the whales. You will enjoy every moment of this book and come away with a newfound respect for both the researchers who spend their lives pursuing whales, and the writer whose imagination weaves a tale that is part mystery, part call to action, and part love story. “ Brent Spencer, author of Rattlesnake Daddy (2011)

A portion of the proceeds from sales goes to charities we support. Go to www.markconkling.com to find out how you can help.

Available in paperback and Kindle at

“Prairie Dog Blues ignited feelings and emotions that are always simmering on the back burner of my mind. The Corley family is like so many if not most families. Striving for perfection that will never be achieved, and going through the motions of what the perfect family should be. What appealed to me was the spiritual discussions between Mom and Pastor June, the very real and painful issues of addiction, and having to cope with the illness and loss of someone who you love deeply.

Like with any good book, Prairie Dog Blues left me wondering: What’s going to happen next?”

Vicky Chavez, Bibliophie

Energy Healing for Animals

A hands on guide for Enhancing the Health, Longevity and Happiness of your Pets

Communication With All Life

Natural healing for pets has emerged into the mainstream—veterinarians across the nation are now providing acupuncture, chiropractic, and other alternative methods. With Energy Healing for Animals, acclaimed animal communicator Joan Ranquet offers an essential guide for anyone seeking to enhance their pet’s health, longevity, and quality of life—and deepen their bond with a beloved companion.

Revelations of an Animal Communicator

Although Communication with All Life is about animal communication, it isn’t just a how-to book, but a guide that will help you discern how much you’re already exchanging feelings, words, and pictures with your pet. Woven throughout the book are many stories to illustrate and support the theory that animal communication isn’t something that you do or need to learn . . . it just is.

Joan Ranquet is an animal communicator, author and founder of Communication with all Life University. She teaches workshops, teleseminars and takes people on animal communication wildlife retreats.

www.joanranquet.com

Digger Cartwright WWW.DIGGERCARTWRIGHT.COM @MysteryDigger

www.mysterydigger.com

THE HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS Mystery, intrigue, deceit, extortion and a romance that may not be what it seems...

THE VERSAILLES CONSPIRACY International intrigue, political high drama and death intertwined in a conspiracy where no one is above suspicion...

THE MAYNWARINGS A GAME OF CHANCE Politics, Scandal, Gold, and the biggest cattle ranch in the Old West...

MURDER AT THE OCEAN FOREST Murder, secrets, and deception shake up the opulent seaside resort where all guests have skeletons in their closets...

CONVERSATIONS ON THE BENCH Life lessons, wisdom, wine, women, and simple conversations...

All books available at

interview

FINALIST of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

The Illuminator’s Gift

by Alina Sayre alinasayre.com

“Ellie is a 12-year-old orphan who joins the crew of a flying ship and discovers she has magical powers, but will they be enough to combat a deadly enemy bent on destroying her world?”

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FINALIST Shelf Unbound: How did you go about creating your main character Ellie?

Alina Sayre: For me, characters tend to come from lots of different sources. The first inspiration for Ellie was a little girl I met when I was a 15-year-old junior camp counselor. Her eyes were so blue they were almost clear, and her name was Ellie. I filed the idea away in a notebook. Over time, other ideas joined it: a character who could see a deeper truth behind the reality of the world, someone with a talent for manuscript illumination.

Plus, for some reason, I’ve always loved orphan stories. Eventually, about eight years ago, all these ideas started to spin together, and the character came to life.

Shelf Unbound: This is Book 1 in your the Voyages of the Legend series. Did you map out what’s going to happen in the whole series before you began writing the first book?

Sayre: I wish I could say I’m that organized, but my writing style is sometimes known as “pantsing” (flying by the seat of one’s pants).

I tend to let each book, each set of

characters, drive the story, so that the first draft really is a voyage of discovery (followed by a heck of a lot of editing). I do work within a general outline, but the Voyages of the Legend series has definitely evolved since I started writing it.

Shelf Unbound: What are the challenges of writing a series as opposed to stand-alone novels?

Sayre: On the one hand, I thought it would be easier to write a series, since many of the characters carry over from book to book and I’m already familiar with them. On the other hand, sequels pose a particular challenge: The writer has to set new goals, raise the stakes, and present a compelling adventure, all without repeating or contradicting anything from previous books or letting the characters get static or flat. Luckily, I enjoy a good challenge!

Shelf Unbound: What authors or novels have influenced your writing?

Sayre: I could write you a novel just on that topic. My home library is full of “book friends” who have kept me company and mentored me on my own writing journey. For this

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FINALIST particular series, though, I have to say that J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Kate DiCamillo, and several poets helped shape the way I thought about writing a story.

Shelf Unbound: What do you enjoy about writing middle-grade fiction?

Sayre: Well, I’m pretty sure I’m eight years old on the inside, so I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing in this genre. But really, the late elementary/early middle school years are a crucially formative time.

Students at this age are trying to figure out who they are, what they love to do, what kind of people they will be, and navigating life at this age can feel like trying to cross a swamp full of alligators backward and blindfolded. I know that books were important friends and guides to me as I navigated those difficult years of my life. If I can write books that offer that same friendship and guidance to middle-grade readers and inspire them to be the kind and brave heroes of their own stories, then I can be satisfied that I’ve done something worthwhile.

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Fr

e sh

Book Two in the Nine Inch Bride Series

Paperback O “A ff ticking time th eBook bomb of a book. e In another age, Pr its author would be ess Do You dragged out of anonymity Oc Review? to be lionized or shot…The author belongs in the company of to Orwell and Vonnegut…yet a uniquely ber American book,” writes one reviewer—and 20 look no further than the cover to see why!

16 !

“Amid a global duel of espionage and power politics, All Reader Formats

Ken’s double-agent exploits rival the drama and fun of his James Bond and Jason Bourne peers. Yet this is scorchedearth storytelling—timely, powerful, artfully woven—written with an intensity that rewards the slow, careful reader.”

Suited For War “...hooks with heft and uppercuts with ambition—a one-eyed pirate of a book, clutching a knife in its teeth and preparing to board your mind with ravishing intent...”

Book One in the Nine Inch Bride Series

Ni n e Inc h Bri de . c om

Wrap Your Head Around a Radically New Perspective...

An Epiphany On Wall Street “At long, long last...the antidote to Atlas Shrugged!!”

“The writing is confident, persuasive, highly literate...action effectively conveyed...the Nine Inch Bride series could well take its place among the great works of philosophical fiction.”

“Revolutionary meets Wall Street...visionary, metaphysical, and lots of fun!”

Book One ~ 99 Cents ~ Limited Time

eBook All Reader Formats

“Truth is shared here in the most powerful and memorable way: Fiction!”

Paperback

“By all that’s Jeffersonian, it should strike fear into capitalist hearts!”

From complete innocence to revenge and debauchery. Sexually explosive. Seriously humorous. Humorlessly serious. From shy naivety to kick-ass female empowerment.

Based on the story of a true 1st Placed USA team that the US media ignored. “Gullible’s Travels: Raw & Uncut” follows the naughty and humorous antics of two friends on a USA ladies sports team and their 1st Place stretch both domestically and internationally. Go USA! Find out what countries were destroyed in their path, on and off the field.

“...This author proves racy reading can be done funny, without the S&M, whips and chains.”

Available at fine bookstores everywhere.

@JLeeWebsterAuthor @JLeeWebster @ j.leewebster

“Gullible’s Travels: Raw & Uncut” is becoming a blockbuster,

already getting great reviews; revealing an exciting sport that gets no attention in the USA, and a team that brought the USA to victory and was worshipped everywhere they went. It’s a sport that is celebrated everywhere else in the world, except by mainstream USA media. Warning, it’s not for the young reader; it’s racy, adults-only reading. Is it fiction, or non-fiction? You decide.

There’s also a “bonus book” in the back 80 pages where the author speaks of today’s taboo topics that everyone else wishes they could. Beware, it’s raw, but honest. It is very easy reading as the author talks to you like one of us and says what you probably want to! This back book interview with the author shares a candid voice for the silenced Middle Class American, that the author also feels the mainstream media ignores. The author wrote this extra feature of the book almost a year ago, and readers are finding it amazing as the predictions made and topics breached are actually already coming true today! A celeb rocker loves the book, and raves about it on the book’s Facebook page.

www.gulliblestravelsraw.com

eBook: $9.99 ISBN: 978-1-4575-4572-6 Paperback: $22.95 ISBN: 978-1-4575-4436-1

TotIs explores the nature of human perception and consciousness, and delves into the process that provides us, as biology, an experience of reality, investigating whether this process creates for us, instead, a perfect illusion, beyond which, reality itself remains hidden.

For novices and experts alike, Author J. Joseph Kazden, with considerable finesse, presents his keen insights in a clear and comprehensible way.

As entertaining as it is profound, Totls illuminates a hidden truth about the unity of the universe that will have significant ramifications in areas ranging from philosophy to cosmology to spirituality— and beyond.

IS WHAT WE EXPERIENCE THE LAST WORD ON REALITY, OR COULD IT BE THE PERFECT ILLUSION? “A learned, bold journey to the limits of human perception and beyond.”

—Kirkus Reviews—

WWW.JJKAZDEN.COM jjkazden@gmail.com

interview

FINALIST of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

Cephrael’s Hand

by Melissa McPhail Five Strands Publishing melissamcphail.com

“Cephrael’s Hand introduces the story of the First Lord Björn van Gelderan’s attempt to save his magical race from extinction and the brave (and sometimes unknowing) souls who play a role in this game.”

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FINALIST Shelf Unbound: How did you go about creating your main characters Bjorn van Gelderan, Prince Ean val Lorian, and Trell?

Melissa McPhail: I’m an organic writer (sometimes called a pantser, in the sense of “writing by the seat of your pants”), which means I do minimal planning and mostly let the story go where it wills. That also applies to characters. Basically, I don’t make up characters until the story calls for them. I liken it to the way that you don’t know who’s inside a tavern until you walk inside. Suddenly a scene spreads before you, and you have to describe it. Who’s waiting there? It’s always an exciting mystery to me.

When I first began writing this tale, 13 versions ago, it was a very different story. It actually began in another character’s first-person viewpoint—the boy named Tanis— and out of his viewpoint, both Ean and Björn appeared.

For those who know my series, this is a rather significant statement. When I’m writing in a character’s viewpoint, I am being that character to the best of my ability. I’m thinking like him or her, feeling like they feel, experiencing what they experience. Looking back on how Ean and Björn appeared into

the story is actually rather profound for me, because in a sense, Tanis created them both. Tanis needed a prince to show up unconscious on his doorstep, and so Ean became. And in the back of this, Ean needed a reason to be unconscious, and so Björn became. If I’d started writing the story from any other viewpoint character, those two might never have become at all. What makes this so meaningful to me in retrospect is how intrinsic and vital Tanis is to the entire story now, but when I was writing the first book, he was simply an innocent boy.

In the same sense as the above, Trell appeared because of Ean. I can’t say more than this without spoilers.

Shelf Unbound: This is Book 1 in your A Pattern of Shadow & Light series. Did you map out what’s going to happen in the whole series before you began writing the first book?

McPhail: As you might guess from my answer above, I really had only the bones to work from, and they weren’t even assembled into any kind of form. I knew the conflict. I knew who stood behind it. I knew their motivations—because their motivations are central to the theme of the series—and I knew that

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FINALIST Bjorn intended to do something about them. That is, I knew he had devised a plan. I knew that creating a new realm was part of that plan, but I really had no idea what he’d intended to accomplish through building T’khendar—it just sounded portentous, creating an entirely new world, whole-cloth, out of the aether, and it served as a compelling reason why Bjorn would’ve been ostracized and eventually branded a traitor.

Really, looking back on the path I’ve followed, it’s amazing this story makes sense. But that’s why I love writing organically, because you find true magic guiding the experience.

Shelf Unbound: What are the challenges of writing a series as opposed to stand-alone novels?

McPhail: I’ve never written a standalone novel, so I can’t speak to that, but there are many challenges in writing a series. Inventing a conflict that can span multiple books is definitely an important fundamental.

Frequently I’ve come across a series that feels like the author only intended one book, because the conflict is mostly resolved in the first, but then suddenly they come out with two more books. It’s as if

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their publisher said, “Let’s make it a trilogy” and now the author is trying to extrapolate some additional conflict out of what remained from their first storyline. A series will definitely have a more holistic feel if the author has been working from the outset upon a conflict that cannot possibly be resolved in one book.

Shelf Unbound: What authors or novels have influenced your writing?

McPhail: Honestly, all of them. I take away something new from every book I read, because I can never quite read only for pleasure. If a particular turn of phrase strikes me, I’ll stop and analyze it for structure. With that said, Victor Hugo is my go-to master for prose. His use of metaphor is unparalleled. I read Les Miserables before starting each new book my series. When I’ve been immersed in Hugo’s work and have his language in my head, I find it draws out the lyricism in mine.

Shelf Unbound: You are a musician and composer. What are the similarities of writing fiction and writing music?

McPhail: You’re weaving a tapestry of images and emotion with both mediums. They’re just not woven with the same thread.

THE SILVER SHIPS IS A SERIES OF FULL-LENGTH, SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS THAT EXPLORE FIRST CONTACT BETWEEN THE DESCENDANTS OF TWO EARTH COLONY SHIPS, WHO LANDED ON THEIR SEPARATE PLANETS, OVER 700 YEARS AGO.

Check out the latest book in the series, Espero.

Released Oct. 2, 2016

“They are magnificent writings on the human spirit and what it means to be human. Yes, these are science fiction books. But, they are much more.”

— J. Chapman, Midwest Book Review

Available in eBook, paperback, and audiobook.

WWW.SCOTTJUCHA.COM

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Can you be a good parent and “not know” what goes into your children’s educational material? Or, can you be a better parent if you did know what goes into it?...

Some say that love, nurturing, and the ability to nurture, religion, and education all start at home.

Parenting, education, and nurturing are some of the most important aspects of family life that a family with school-aged children can experience. We as parents spend millions of dollars and thousands of hours teaching our children; yet, many still do not know what goes into our children’s educational make-up. ...MIND GAMES is far ahead of even our presidential candidates; as they are just now bringing-up the subject for a campaign issue, when we are trying to inform parents of how to improve their children’s educational abilities. How much wiser can you be as a parent if you had this information to aid your child with in their educational quest?

“COMMON CORE”

WWW.ALTAIRBEY.TATEAUTHOR.COM

From Bestselling Author

MICHELE PARIZA WACEK

As a child, Kit’s twin sister Cat disappeared, never to be heard from again.

Until one dark, twisted Halloween night.

But is it really Cat? Or is it someone else playing a sinister and deadly game?

“Well-written and gripping from beginning to end, The Stolen Twin is a must read mystery.”

—US Review of Books

It’s taken six months, but Linda has finally gotten her life back together after her sister, Elizabeth, killed herself. Or has she?

There’s a killer on the loose—a killer who resembles Elizabeth. But, it can’t be her. Could it?

“Best psychological thriller since Gone Girl.”

—Confessions of the Perfect Mom

www.MicheleParizaWacek.com

Spiritual Transformation Simplified™— The Six Fundamentals for Life Mastery

by Candace Stuart-Findlay Are you ready for lasting positive change? Looking for a transformational “road map” to help you create your best life? This is it...Spiritual Transformation Simplified™— The Six Fundamentals for Life Mastery! A step-bystep guidebook created to streamline and demystify enlightenment, based upon the culmination of Candace Stuart-Findlay’s years of quantum science research, personal spiritual reawakening experience, and transformation facilitation for a worldwide client base. empoweredwholebeing.com 47

GIFT GUIDE 2016

Escaping Religion— Getting Back My Heart!

by Mary March Newell

Prairie Magic— Adventure Seekers Saga, Book One

by Joan Pillen

Rebel— Adventure Seekers Saga, Book Two

by Joan Pillen

This is the life story of Mary March Newell, who was born and raised in the LDS (Mormon) belief system.

Leaving proved difficult.

She went into hiding from church members who threatened her family. Along the way Mary had many new Spiritual experiences, and finally found a way to reconcile a life-threatening phenomenon that occurred after her mission and before her marriage decades earlier.

A powerful read!

Tokada Good Elk, worldfamous author and horseman, stood still in the middle of a desolate South Dakota highway. Desperate for guidance, he stretched one hand up to Great Spirit while his other arm cradled the lone survivor of the atrocious crash—a frightened puppy he had rescued from the stranger’s car.

Book One of the awardwinning Adventure Seekers Saga, Prairie Magic is exciting, entertaining, and enlightening...the perfect mix of warm humor and ancient wisdom!

Rebel, award-winning Book Two of the Adventure Seekers Saga, is an upbeat story about redemption and growth. Favorite characters lead extraordinary lives in the gorgeous countryside of Wyoming. You will be entertained and enlightened in the pages of this book as you learn about Tarot cards and Rune stones.

marymarchnewell.com

the-adventure-seekers.com

the-adventure-seekers.com

Auntie Duck’s Story Rhymes—Ducklings, Volume One

by Francesca Thoman

Silverspun Stories— Four Enchanting Tales

by Francesca Thoman

The Quantum Children— A Parent’s Guide for the 21th Century, Book 1

by Michael Orwig

Illustrated by the author, this early-reader book can be shared and enjoyed by both parents and children.

From a charming elf that gives impossible answers to important questions, to an otter that finds a home by the sea, these stories are both unusual and delightful.

In this book, magic opens wonderful things, and selfdiscovery, patience, wisdom and compassion lead to success as the characters learn good lessons for life.

For ages 5 - 9

In this first collection of Silverspun Stories, enjoy humorous and insightful fables of Witches and Wizards, Tsars and Tsarinas, dogs, cats, horses, and many other animals. Weaving magic and wisdom, mysteries and wonder, these Enchanted Tales encourage compassion, hope, self-discovery and courage! For ages 7 -12

Whether it is aspects of parenting, or difficulties in medical care or the education system all of the structures of society are woefully behind where they need to be in order to support our children.

As a consequence, you as a parent or a grandparent are going to have to make choices that will lead you outside of the old models of society.

We have entered into the unknown world of parenting children whose consciousness and DNA is higher than we have ever seen before. This book series is designed to be a guide into that process.

francescathoman.com

francescathoman.com

The Growing Soul— My Transformational Journey From Adversity to the Divine Within

by Maria Angela Russo, LCSW The Growing Soul is the in-depth inward journey of one individual recognizing challenge as a sacred pathway inward to the goodness and beauty of your soul.

Filled with insight and wisdom, the award-winning The Growing Soul offers support and clarity for those who experienced childhood abuse. mariaangelarusso.com

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interview

FINALIST of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

Kwong’s Next Three

by Vic Warren vicwarren.com

“Inspector Kwong and Matson solve a murder in San Francisco, cope with the serial killer the media calls The New Year’s Avenger, and chase a dangerous assasin to Guangzhou.”

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FINALIST Shelf Unbound: How did you come up with your main character, Inspector Kwong?

Vic Warren: He first appeared in my novel, Hong Kong Blues.

Readers liked him so much that I created this spin-off series of The Inspector Kwong Mysteries.

Shelf Unbound: Your style is both hard-boiled and humorous.

How did you develop it and who are your literary influences?

Warren: When I read, I prefer some humor, even in a violent story. I think it keeps the reader more interested than having just the one side. I like a lot of writers, among them Elmore Leonard, Ray Bradbury, Michael Chabon and Neil Gaiman.

Shelf Unbound: You spent your career as an advertising executive. What lessons from advertising have you brought to your novels?

Warren: Wordy ads don’t work. I think the same rule applies to fiction.

Shelf Unbound: You have another quite different series, The Neptune Chronicles. Tell us about those novels.

Warren: They’re classified as sci-fi, even though they read like mainstream. The reason is obvious. They deal with the discovery of a race of underwater humans. I’ve only finished the first two books, but plan on tackling book three, Ooci, the Seamount.

Shelf Unbound: What’s next for Inspector Kwong?

Warren: I’ll be finishing the sixth story soon. It’s called The Rain and is probably the most violent of the Kwong series.

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“Buck’s situation is just silly enough for young readers, who worry about teeth and just about everything else, to laugh at, raising this above the many other books about self-acceptance that populate the shelves.”

Lots of sight words, fullcolor cartoon illustrations, easy-to-read speech bubbles, humor, and lots of likable characters add up to a surefire hit.

—Kirkus Reviews

e w th iler e i a V k Tr E! o o B HER

Three simple questions are all that you need to help guide your decisions and grow closer to God/love on a daily basis. These questions will help you put your daily life into perspective and help you realize what is important and what isn’t. By living your life according to these three simple questions, you will be happier and more fulfilled because you will know, not hope, that you are acting in a beneficial way at all times, doing things that will deepen your relationship with God/love.

In Three Simple Questions, Charlie Horton provides all of the tools you will need to achieve this deeper relationship. The book is divided into chapters, each addressing a different aspect of life that can be confounding without help and guidance. Each chapter presents a series of daily meditations to help you examine and overcome these challenges and answer the three simple questions.

WWW.CHARLIEHORTON.NET

Hard Copy from

eBook from

interview

FINALIST of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab

by Fiona Ingram fionaingram.com

“A thrilling adventure for two young boys, whose fun trip to Egypt turns into a dangerously exciting quest to uncover an ancient and mysterious secret”

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FINALIST Shelf Unbound: How did you go about creating your main characters Adam and Justin Sinclair?

Fiona Ingram: In my case, art definitely imitated life! The whole book is based on a family trip to Egypt. I went to Egypt with my mother and my two young nephews (then aged 10 and 12) and we had the most wonderful adventure. I saw Egypt through their eyes and their enthusiasm, their excitement, and just their whole attitude to being in an amazing and exotic location really inspired me. On our return I decided to write them a short story of our exploits (of course with some embellishments), making them the heroes of the tale.

I modeled my fictional characters on my nephews and often included exactly what they said.

Shelf Unbound: This is Book 1 in your Chronicles of the Stone series.

Did you map out what’s going to happen in the whole series before you began writing the first book?

Ingram: I didn’t even know I would be writing a book until we came back from Egypt. The short story I planned for my nephews turned into a book that turned into

a book series. Interestingly, I was halfway through Book 1 when the story suddenly took flight, the plot became deeper and more complex than I had imagined it would be.

There was too much happening to squash into one story and by the end of the book I realized that there wasn’t enough time for them to save the world; my young heroes would need more books. Luckily I had oodles more plot already whirling around in my mind. At the end of Book 1, I mapped out the rest of the books in the series.

Shelf Unbound: What are the challenges of writing a series as opposed to stand-alone novels?

Ingram: In a book series, a gifted author will be able to create characters that readers can relate to, and either love or hate. The readers get to know the characters well as the action evolves and, as each book comes out, can explore something new about their heroes. Characters become friends to the avid reader, who shares in the hopes, dreams, and choices the characters make.

Readers are amazingly loyal to their favorite characters, even though they may often disagree with the

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FINALIST character’s choices. A good writer can explore these further, enabling readers to begin to make their own choices, especially in a moral dilemma or emotional conflict. The biggest pitfall is a writer’s ability to sustain an intriguing plot and compelling characters over several books. Can the writer maintain readers’ interest and create enough interesting and plausible action to keep the story going? The plot will evolve naturally if the characters are appealing, and if their personal growth and development hold readers’ attention. Again, appealing characters are not worth anything if the action and conflict are not compelling. There has to be a perfect marriage between plot and characters to sustain the strength of a series. I have written books in a series as well as stand-alone books and I enjoy both and find both very rewarding.

Shelf Unbound: What authors or novels have influenced your writing?

Ingram: All the classic children’s books found space on our bookshelves. From The Magic Faraway Tree, to The Hardy Boys, to Nancy Drew, to The Hobbit, to The

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Wind in the Willows, to The Water Babies and The Secret Garden. While I can’t pinpoint an exact influence, I think one absorbs these tales while growing up and the glimmer is there at the back of one’s mind while writing.

Shelf Unbound: What do you enjoy about writing middle grade fiction?

Ingram: I think it is very important to remember how one felt at the age group one is writing for. I remember the magical Middle Grade years very, very well. That sense of adventure, jumping into anything exciting because who knew where it would end up. I hope I have conveyed that in my adventures when Adam and Justin hurtle headlong into an exciting quest. I just love the action and adventure so much, the sense of uncovering amazing mysteries and solving puzzles. I think I am fortunate in really enjoying myself writing in this genre. Middle Grade is where my heart is and I think it’s the same for so many adult readers who love my books, the ones who are young at heart and still have memories of wanting to save the world.

www.adventurequestbooks.com

U R E T N E V D A AN

I T P Y G E AN

When 15-year-old Rosa agrees to help the ghost of King Tut find his lost queen Hesena, she doesn’t count on falling for him. Once back in Ancient Egypt, Rosa discovers that finding Hesena is not all she must do and is not as easy as she thought it would be, even though she carries part of that lost queen in her soul. She must also keep out of the reach of the living Horemheb--who crosses mortal boundaries using Seth’s evil magic—if she is to stay alive to make it back home.

www.beyondtodayeducator.com

A 5000-year-old mystery comes to life when a scruffy peddler gives Adam and Justin Sinclair an old Egyptian scarab on their very first day in Egypt. Only when the evil Dr. Faisal Khalid shows a particular interest in the cousins and their scarab, do the boys realise they are in terrible danger.

Justin and Adam embark upon the adventure of a lifetime, taking them down the Nile and across the harsh desert in their search for the legendary tomb of the Scarab King, an ancient Egyptian ruler.

With just their wits, courage, and each other, the boys manage to survive … only to find that the end of one journey is the beginning of another!

www.FionaIngram.com

The fourth adventure in the Shadows from the Past series: Max, a cat unlike any other you might encounter, is terrified of Egyptian mummies. He is, therefore, extremely nervous to find himself transported back in time to ancient Egypt alongside his owners, Joe and Jemima Lancelot, and their friend, Charlie. The twins are still hoping to find their missing parents who are trapped somewhere in the past. Arriving at the court of Tutankhamun the children uncover a deadly plot to assassinate the young pharaoh.

Can they save his life and will they make it back safely to their own time before the plotters discover their true identities?

www.wendy-leighton-porter.com

A COLLECTION OF 55 FLASH FICTION AND SHORT STORIES

by Dan Groat

“Every entry is polished and displays the fine talent of Dan Groat.

Highly recommended—to all writers as well as to readers who love fine stories.

He is an author of major significance, a writer unafraid to take on the tough topics of the times.”

—Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame and Top 100 Reviewer

www.dgroat.com

THE GREAT PANDEMIC A NOVEL

DAVID CORNISH MD

“1918” is a rigorously researched historical novel about the influenza pandemic that killed 100 million people…humanity’s worst natural disaster. The actual medical literature and terminology of the time are used to put the reader in the mind of an early 20th century physician.

Winner of the Independent Publishers of New England Book Award, and the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award.

Print ISBN: 9780692334805 eBook ISBN: 9780692334812

WWW.DAVIDCORNISHBOOKS.COM

“A first rate domestic drama. Insightful, gripping, in the end thrilling.”

—Wayne Johnson, bestselling author & Pulitzer nominee for Deluge, Don’t Think Twice and The Devil You Know

“Feely’s novel reminds us of the heartbreaking fragility and mystery of the teenage mind…a finely crafted plot…compulsively readable.”

—Washington Independent Review of Books

Named a 2016 best debut by Amazon UK, Saving Phoebe Murrow

is a story of mothers and daughters with a razor-sharp 21st century twist: the devastating impact social media can have on teen girls. Acclaimed writer, Herta Feely, has received writing awards and fellowships, including the James Jones First Novel Fellowship and an Artist in Literature from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

www.hertafeely.com

From award-winning author and Pushcart nominee, Louise Farmer Smith, comes Cadillac, Oklahoma,

a town where you’ll wade through currents of hilarity and romance, where the sheriff is in love with the wife of a prominent lawyer, and the banker’s widow and a Las Vegas sex worker team up to beautify Cadillac.

“The voices and visions of [Cadillac’s] citizens are... sweet, cruel, ignorant, and full of yearning, and always they are the real thing.”

—Bonnie Jo Campbell, bestselling author of Mothers, Tell Your Daughters and the National Book Award Finalist, American Salvage

www.louisefarmersmith.com

NEW RELEASES FROM

“This meticulously researched volume follows the evolution of the United States from 13 disparate, self-interested colonies to one nation united by the Constitution…

The author shows a knack for choosing the best material to reinforce his points.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Many excellent books survey the genesis, writing, and ratification of the American Constitution...

Donald J. Fraser’s outstanding new book deserves to share the same shelf as these classics; indeed, in some ways, it supersedes them.”

—Blueink Starred Review

About the Author: DONALD J. FRASER has spent a lifetime working in a variety of capacities in government. Fraser holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public policy and administration. He currently teaches through the extension program at the University of California at Davis.

Divisiveness is the hallmark of American politics today. Sometimes it seems we are no longer one nation, but in fact we are. Division and argument have always been a part of the American scene, no more so than at our founding, as The Emergence of One American Nation explores. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, it is more important than ever to remember the ideas that ignited the American Revolution and that continue to bind us together as one nation.

interview

FINALIST of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

The Wrong Side of a Gun

by David Grace

“Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Quinn’s search for the one missing person he can’t find, his own daughter.”

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FINALIST Shelf Unbound: You’ve written dozens of novels, both crime and science fiction. How has your writing evolved since you began?

David Grace: I’ve sharpened my craft in the basics of writing fiction: character development, plot structure, narrative and dialog.

In my more recent books I always work to introduce emotional plot issues and events into my stories.

Earlier in my career I would decide that I wanted to write a “chase” book or a serial killer book or whatever sort of plot I picked and then I’d figure out what kind of a story that fit that plot type.

Now, I start with the personality of the hero and the challenges I want him to have to deal with and then I craft the story around that character and those issues. I think that leads to more rounded characters and more interesting stories. For what it’s worth, my favorites are The Concrete Kiss, Death Never Sleeps, Death Never Lies, Death Doesn’t Care, Shooting Crows At Dawn, True Faith and this book, The Wrong Side Of A Gun. Shelf Unbound: How did you develop your main character,

Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Quinn?

Grace: I always start planning a book with an idea of what kind of person the protagonist is. What is his life all about? What is his personality? What is his character?

I want to be able to predict what he would do in any situation. Think about the character Andy Sipowitz in NYPD Blue. If you asked anyone who was a fan of that show what Sipowitz would have done if X happened or Y happened they could tell you what his response would be. He’s three-dimensional and unique. I want to create characters whose personalities don’t leave any question about how they would react in a difficult situation.

As I do for all of my principal characters, I wrote a bio for Virgil Quinn, when and where he was born, where he went to school, when he got married, etc. in order to try to understand him better.

I can’t begin plotting a story until I understand the personalities of the principal characters. But I also have to know a little bit about the kinds of challenges the character will face and how I will want the character to react to them. That gives me a guide to what kind of

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FINALIST personality I want him/her to have, so there’s a bit of back and forth between building the character and constructing the plot.

more interesting, faster paced, if the reader saw Virgil investigate and solve several different crimes in different places and in different ways with the missing-child plot Shelf Unbound: How did you line progressing in parallel in the come up with the story idea for The background.

Wrong Side of a Gun? Once I identified those other Grace: I liked the emotional criminal events that Quinn was element of someone who once was going to tackle I began constructing lost and then was found, but I didn’t a story that would tie all of the want to write a bad guy/kidnapped pieces together. child story. I thought that the tension between a somewhat Shelf Unbound: Which authors unbalanced mother and a married- or novels have influenced your to-his-work law-enforcement father work? with the child in the middle used by Grace: In crime novels, Michael one as a pawn against the other was Connelly, Martin Cruz Smith and a more interesting way to explore John Connolly. I think they are this “lost child found” element. all excellent writers. I like all the Against the background of Michael Connelly “Harry Bosch” Virgil’s search for his runaway wife novels. and daughter, I wanted to show Martin Cruz Smith’s novel, Quinn involved in various different December 8 is an amazing book. If criminal investigations. you want an example of what a I didn’t want to write this book great writer can create, read it. with just one long, strung-out crime In the thriller category I very story—find a clue, find another much admire Daniel Silva’s talent. clue, to here, go there, string it I would recommend any of his out until, finally, three hundred Gabriel Allon novels. I think he’s a pages later the hero identifies the terrific writer. criminal.

In science fiction and fantasy, I felt that the book would be Jack Vance and Robert Silverberg,

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Lutfullah, a young Afghan fearing for his life, seeks refuge in Australia, leaving his home and his family behind in hopes of finding a new life, free of violence and war.

by Jerome Rabelista Caluyo

Love from Afghanistan When humanitarian worker Jerome Caluyo first arrived in Kabul as the Country Director for his organization in Afghanistan, Lutfullah was the first employee he wanted to remove from office.

Lutfullah, the administrative and finance manager, seemed much too young to command compliance from an unwieldy Afghan staff of 300, but he proved everyone wrong.

The events narrated in Dear Dad: Love from Afghanistan are true. Spanning a period of only ten days and set against the backdrop of human suffering, this powerful book follows Lutfullah the refugee as he chases hope beyond hopelessness. His journey triggers memories for Jerome and his own struggles to overcome childhood abuse, searching for a life beyond violence...and eventually arriving at forgiveness and healing. jerome.caluyo@gmail.com UNBOUND

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FINALIST both of whom I’ve had the privilege of knowing personally. Great talents both. For Vance, check out The Blue World and Showboat World. For Silverberg, read Lord Valentine’s Castle and Nightwings.

Shelf Unbound: What novel are you working on now?

Grace: Usually I write the book then pick a title. This time I already have the title, but I’m keeping it a secret until I release the book because I don’t want anyone else to grab it.

The new book is set in Los Angeles. I know who the two main characters are, what their personalties are, and what each of them are after, the emotions that are driving them. I haven’t outlined the book in a chapter-by-chapter format yet but I do know the major story elements.

I’ve taken a little break from writing fiction for a few months while I concentrate on non-fiction essays. I think I’ll start working in earnest on the new book sometime in the next two to three months.

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In Always North you will learn how because of plain ignorance by early 19th century governmental leaders, a factual part of history continues to be denied from being taught in our schools. And as we move on with our lives in the 21st century, our children continue to be deprived of an important part of American history.

An eye opener, this book contains information from documented sources and from stories handed down from family to family through the generations. It is a story of the Romero family, my ancestors who were part of the settlers who established the very first permanent European settlement in 1598 in present day United States.

Available in both print and ebook.

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feature

FINALIST of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

The Human Face of Big Data Created by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt againstallodds.com

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“The Human Face of Big Data captures, in glorious photographs and moving essays, an extraordinary revolution sweeping, almost invisibly, through business, academia, government, healthcare, and everyday life. It’s already enabling us to provide a healthier life for our children. To provide our seniors with independence while keeping them safe. To help us conserve precious resources like water and energy. To alert us to tiny changes in our health, weeks or years before we develop a life-threatening illness. To peer into our own individual genetic makeup. To create new forms of life. And soon, as many predict, to re-engineer our own species.

And we’ve barely scratched the surface …”

—againstallodds.com

by Helene Andreu This book highlights both verbally and visually the development of today’s dances—ballet, modern, jazz, modern— as well as the influence of peoples’ beliefs, cultures, and lifestyles, and the functions of dance in various societies.

Richly illustrated with 300 images related to dance— paintings,

sculptures, sheet music covers, and photographs.

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feature

WINNER of the Pete Delohery Award for Best Sports-Related Book

T

The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston’s Iconic Astrodome

by Robert C. Trumpbour and Kenneth Womack

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his book is, first and foremost, an attempt to capture what unfolded as the Astrodome was planned and built, with specific focus on the larger-thanlife personalities who were instrumental in bringing the project to fruition. Roy Hofheinz, Bob Smith, George Kirksey, Craig Cullinan, Kenneth Zimmerman, and many others worked tirelessly to bring Houston to the “Major Leagues.”

Their stories offer a fascinating look into what Houston was and what it has become. The Astrodome was a reflection of the creativity and vision of these strong-willed individuals, so the publicity it initially received was overwhelmingly positive. Houston rapidly moved away from its image as a cattle town with a vibrant oil industry to become a space-age city that was on the cutting edge of new technology. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration helped Houston to transition away from the old stereotypes, but the Astrodome served as a more visceral example of Houston’s commitment to modernity From The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston’s Iconic Astrodome

by Robert C. Trumpbour and Kenneth Womack.

Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

THE PETE DELOHERY AWARD We created the Pete Delohery Award in honor of the late indie author of the boxing-themed novel Lamb to the Slaughter. We’re proud to honor Pete’s creativity and passion for writing with this award. We talked to his wife Pat Delohery about Pete and his writing.

Shelf Unbound: Tell us a little bit about Pete Delohery.

Pat Delohery: Pete Delohery was born in Washington, D.C. in 1942. He received a B.S. and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech; taught at Virginia Tech; was Town Engineer of Blacksburg, Virginia (home of Virginia Tech) and an engineering consultant in Atlanta, Georgia.

Even though he was successful in engineering, his passion was always writing. Pete’s writing style immediately involves you in the story and the life of all his characters.

Shelf Unbound: And how about his novel Lamb to the Slaughter.

Delohery: Lamb to the Slaughter is a novel about love and courage, sin and redemption. “Iron” Mike McGann, 32 years old, is facing the twilight of his prizefighting career. Desperate for his future, he has refused to honor his promise to his wife to quit the ring and start a family. In despair, his wife, Madge, is leaving him.

Rufus “Hurricane” Hilliard, Mike’s next opponent, is the most menacing presence in prizefighting. He has won all 22 of his fights by knockout and is said to be a former enforcer for something called The Black Mafia. But behind Rufus Hilliard’s menacing ring presence lives a man nobody knows, a complex man who despises his own image.

Unexpectedly left alone before his bout with McGann, Rufus “Hurricane” Hilliard is forced to confront the past that haunts him and the future he dreads. Charles “Charliehorse” O’Connell, Rufus’s cornerman, has been terrorized by a mob kingpin to sabotage him. O’Connell, who is an alcoholic and a compulsive gambler, blames himself for the ring deaths of two prizefighters. Trapped

in a moral crisis, O’Connell must finally confront his “Cardinal Sin.” Rufus “Hurricane” Hilliard vs “Iron” Mike McGann, just another fight shown on The Continuous Sports Network, but by the time it is over the lives of these and many others will be forever different.

Shelf Unbound: How did the idea for the book come to him? How long did it take him to write it? What was his writing routine?

Delohery: Pete was very interested in boxing.

We attended matches and/or watched boxing on TV. He also was very interested in people and how they handled problems. The two combined to create Lamb to the Slaughter, where three men connected by a championship match were all at a major crossroad in their lives. The novel is about love and courage, sin and redemption.

Pete took a sabbatical for one year and wrote two novels as well as short stories. The second novel was Lamb to the Slaughter. He would write all morning and work out with weights three days a week. Sometimes he would write after dinner and on the weekends.

Shelf Unbound: You have devoted yourself to promoting Pete’s book following his death in 2011. What does promoting his book mean to you?

Delohery: Pete dedicated one year of his life to create this novel. There was a near miss but the novel was not published. One of my last promises to Pete was that I would get his novel published. The publication, translation of the novel into Spanish, and promotion reflect my belief in his novel and his dream.

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best series

If You Were Me and Lived In ...

If You Were Me and Lived in Ancient Times Series

by Carole P. Roman caroleproman.com

“J

oin Carole P. Roman and travel through time to visit the most interesting civilizations throughout history in her new series. Learn what kind of food you might eat in Ancient Greece, the clothes you wore in 15th century Renaissance Italy, what your name could be in Elizabethan England, and what Colonial American children did for fun. If You Were Me and Lived in… does for history what her other award-winning series did for culture. So get on-board this time-travel machine and discover the world through the eyes of a young person just like you.”

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JUNE/JULY 2012

BEACH READS

SURF, SUN AND

SUMMER

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Poetry After 9/11

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IRAQ THE RETURN OF STEPHEN STARK

GEEK MYTHOLOGY

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THE GREAT FITNESS EXPERIMENT

BEFORE (DURING) AFTER

how they were found

ULYSSES SEEN

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PAM GRIER

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RISING FROM

Detroit Disassembled

Laura Dern

RENAISSANCE READS

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TOWARDS ZERO ENERGY ARCHITECTURE

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BOY SCOUT BOOKS

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máze MERIT BADGES

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DORTHE NORS ELVIRA DONES CARMEN BOULLOSA

SHELF UNBOUND WRITING COMPETITION

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KEVIN MORRIS JACK LONDON THE INSTAGRAM BOOK

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Chanel, Astaire, Lindbergh, and other Twenties somethings

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poetry

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Written by Himself

by Gregory Pardlo

I was born in minutes in a roadside kitchen a skillet whispering my name. I was born to rainwater and lye; I was born across the river where I was borrowed with clothespins, a harrow tooth, broadsides sewn in my shoes. I returned, though it please you, through no fault of my own, pockets filled with coffee grounds and eggshells.

I was born still and superstitious; I bore an unexpected burden. I gave birth, I gave blessing, I gave rise to suspicion.

I was born abandoned outdoors in the heat-shaped air, air drifting like spirits and old windows.

I was born a fraction and a cipher and a ledger entry; I was an index of first lines when I was born.

I was born waist-deep stubborn in the water crying ain’t I a woman and a brother I was born to this hall of mirrors, this horror story I was born with a prologue of references, pursued by mosquitoes and thieves, I was born passing off the problem of the twentieth century: I was born. I read minds before I could read fishes and loaves; I walked a piece of the way alone before I was born.

“Written By Himself” from Digest (c) 2014 by Gregory Pardlo.

Appears with the permission of Four Way Books. All rights reserved.

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ss le d a h rs e sh li b u -p lf se , e Once upon a tim d e w ie v re s k o o b ir e th g in of a chance gett ked ic w r e h g n si a le p d a h a ll than Cindere . d e g n a h c s a h y r o st t a Th stepmother.

BlueInk Review: because every book

might not be a princess, but they all deserve a shot at the ball.

serious reviews of self-published books www.blueinkreview.com

Navigating Indieworld:

A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book

by Julie A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman facebook.com/Navigating-Indieworld

Chapter 1 Genesis ~ Carole

It’s a highly personal experience. You are taking your deepest thoughts, your et’s start with Genesis, the fears, perceptions and laying beginning, the tiny seed of them out like a smorgasbord an idea that roots itself in your for the world to read, peruse, brain crying out to be nurtured. and finally, judge you based It ignites with a spark, the on their personal point of light that illuminates the recesses view. Sometimes they are of your mind, making the wheels brutal, flaying the words from start to whirl feverously. your book like a marauder.

The thoughts refuse to be Other times, you will strike extinguished. They needle, a communal cord, touching interrupting your daily chores, their heart and soul in the most making you stare off into intimate way. Either way, it space and think. You shelve is one of the most rewarding it; you have too much to do, experiences in the world. but it percolates, the “what ifs” Your subject or story means bubbling up until they erupt in a everything to you. You can cataclysmic explosion that finally plot and plan, but somehow forces you to take your computer they take on a life of their in hand and gaze at the white own. Don’t obsess about what screen that turns your face red you are writing. You may with the heat of embarrassment. find that like the childhood Can you do this? game of telephone, your book Writing a book is subjective. has morphed somehow and

L

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is a completely different story from where you began. In the end, it won’t matter; keep the momentum going, and let it develop organically. Once your characters take the lead, it becomes their story and not yours. Push to the finish line.

As soon as you complete it, you’ll find out that is when the hard work really starts. Jump into the world of indie writers.

You will find plenty of experts to help you take your project from idea to a finished work of art. Amazon and the internet are filled with books to help you through the nuts and bolts of writing a book.

I got started writing when most people are thinking about jettisoning work and lightening their load. My sons dared me to take on the challenge. After all, I had talked about it my entire life. It was a long time dream, put on the back burner, the demands of family and business eclipsing my passion.

I didn’t know where to begin.

My son urged me to sit and start writing. You don’t need special tools or carved out time.

It could be while you’re waiting for the kids at practice, when you are on the train, or in my case, at my desk, in the office, before everyone arrived to

begin the workday.

Experts say, write about what you know. I don’t agree with that. Write about what you want to know. Write about what you love or hate. What about what you want. If we all wrote about what we know, do you think there would be so many choices on Amazon in science fiction or fantasy?

All that matters is you enjoy it and finish it. You could be the one to make a fortune and become the next literary breakout. Maybe you won’t.

Either way, you are leaving a permanent marker that you were here. You are sending out a piece of yourself to our vast universe to mingle with other notions. Perhaps you are going to change the world. Uh oh, did I make you feel self-conscious?

Don’t be intimidated by the thoughts rushing through your head! Once you start, your imagination will take on a life of its own.

You can’t do it, you tell yourself. You feel stupid. It’s silly, a childish daydream, you are thinking, but still your fingers type. You are so lost in research; nobody can have a coherent conversation with you.

You’re discovering things you’ve never known before.

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Navigating Indieworld Your spouse is annoyed; the kids are hungry; the boss is mad; you missed a deadline for work. It doesn’t matter.

All that counts are the words flowing from your speeding fingers, your shoulders shaking with mirth at your humor. It will start to take shape; the paragraphs will add up, and a story will emerge. Enjoy the sting behind your eyes at the sad turn of events for Brad, Thad, Emily, or Justin. The thrill of a chase or the crazy quilt of twists you are creating.

Check the word count.

Fifteen hundred words. Is that dawn peeking under the shades? Sixty-five hundred by the following weekend. You hit twenty thousand yesterday. Did you share your creation with anyone? Did you tell your bus driver you are writing a book?

You do sleep; you still eat; you continue to perform your day job. Mindless activities like laundry are a welcome relief as you plot and plan, playing out scenarios in your mind. You function in a Twilight Zone of want. You want to complete the next chapter; you want to tie the threads together; you want to—finish? The computer waits on the table, mocking you, daring you to continue.

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Reread or not to reread— you can. Don’t let it stop you.

Don’t overthink it, yet they’ll be others who will do that for you.

Today you’re like a dynamo.

Just finish the darn thing!

The story is taking shape; your characters have a personality—you love them; no, maybe you hate them. They are as real to you as the faces you are cleaning up after dinner and the soft cheeks you kiss goodnight. You return to your computer with ice-cream or popcorn, whatever your comfort food of choice and continue.

So it begins, your opus, your work of art. The shaping and molding of words to echo your thoughts, your deepest, love/fear, hate/joy—it doesn’t matter. It’s yours, and it’s here. You read it multiple times, but you need to have another opinion. It could be your spouse, lover, or friend, but the time has come to share your creation with someone who promises to be honest. It’s time to launch this baby into orbit.

To Do List: 1 - Write your book.

From Navigating Indieworld

by Julie A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman. Reprinted with permission.

All rights reserved.

"A m ad ple vic an d e pu con will tho ug plu blis sid h ng hin erin elp htf t e - B w g to g s hos ul i e Fo arr thou tak lf- e t re y e wo Silv dro the rd er wn R ste ing ev " iew in, s

"KNOWLEDGE IS

POWER" - JULIE A. GERBER

""N sh avig 'm ould atin

u g co st r be c Ind ie en ns e o ga ide ad' nsid wor rin fo - M ge ld e d idw in g o r a red " es se r a nyo a t B lflr ne oo pub eady k lish Re ing vie ." w "IT IGNITES

WITH A - CAROLE P. ROMAN

AVAILABLE ON UNBOUND

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excerpts

SHELF UNBOUND’S

RECOMMENDED

READING Take a bite from your next favorite book.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION 72

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

The Christmas Club

by Barbara Hinske www.barbarahinske.com

V

erna Lind expects Christmas of 1952 to be the best holiday she’s had since the war ended. But as she’s leaving the bank, a frigid wind off Lake Erie catches her hard-earned Christmas club savings, whisking the bills into the busy streets of downtown Cleveland and devastating her plans.

Strangers come to her aid, though no one anticipates the power of their chance encounter or the seeds of happiness Verna’s lost money will sow.

From Barbara Hinske, best-selling author of the Rosemont series, comes this heartwarming Christmas tale celebrating the generosity of the human spirit and the irresistible pull of love—an instant holiday classic for admirers of It’s a Wonderful Life and The Gift of the Magi.

“This will become a must read each year as the story and each character reminded me of the real spirit of the season.”

—Amazon reviewer “Immerse yourself in a heartwarming, uplifting story of human kindness.”

—Amazon reviewer “The perfect Christmas gift: warm, hopeful, and kind. This is the kind of book you want for yourself and to share.”

—Amazon reviewer

Barbara Hinske is a practicing attorney by day; novelist by night. When she’s not writing, she’s working on home décor projects or cuddling with her dogs. She and her husband have four grown children and an old house that they spend every spare dollar and moment on.

“Barbara Hinske never fails to provide incredible stories.”

—Amazon reviewer See also her Rosemont series: Coming to Rosemont Weaving the Strands Uncovering Secrets Drawing Close Available on Amazon and for Kindle.

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WWW.MOMENTSWITHHEROES.COM

You’ll see society/history repeat itself. Today is a reflection of the past: with shootings, riots, an overseas war (that one in Viet Nam,) effecting our lives then, as now. There was a fight for gender equality. Richard Nixon signed Title IX for equal rights in athletics. There was “Black Power,” and the “Battle of the Sexes.”

74

Share private moments with your heroes from the past: Ali, Musial, Mays, Jesse Owens, Dan Marino, IndyCar... NasCar...F1...drivers, Billie Jean King, Cindy Potter, Wilt, Rod Laver, George C. Scott, Bob Hope, Jerry Rice, the Kennedy family, golf and hockey stars, most of the major names of the last half of the 20th Century.....

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

WALT BROWN is a retired radio and television broadcaster who did playby-play of more than 20 different sports. This began while he was a broadcast student at Stanford University and continued while he was a Naval Officer at the Armed Forces Radio Television Service in Hollywood.

Professionally, he covered sports and news in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Nebraska during his 30 year career.

Athletes, Celebrities, Personal Moments The 60s and 70s

by Walt Brown

www.momentswithheroes.com

A Personal Moment with Muhammad Ali

T

he station host introduced himself to the Muslim guard, and to Ali. I saw him gesture toward me and the leader of the guard shake his head “no.” Ali smiled and, in turn, shook his head at the guardians; nodding at me to come on over. I signaled my videographer to join us.

As we approached, my videographer seemed scared by the guards, and held back. Ali noticed the girl, and walked to the bench. With a friendly smile, he asked the girl why she was there. I said

to Ali, “she’s a champ, too, Champ; national age group track champion.” Ali said to the girl, “You are? Let’s see how you run.” The girl got up and started jogging around the room. Ali joined her.

I whispered to my videographer, “get them jogging!” He didn’t turn on his camera. And we missed out on what would have been one of the great Ali videos of all time; jogging in a reception room alongside a Junior Olympic Champion pre-teen white girl. It was joyful and warm.

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Crossing at Sweet Grass Historical Romance Fiction

by Laurie G. Robertson www.laurierobertson.com

The American frontier. A strong woman.

A tale of survival and hope. Come join the adventure.

Discover the enchantment of the American west, Native American mysticism and unforgettable characters in a journey of self discovery as heart wrenching events intertwine in this west adventure.

Winner of Editors Choice, 2016 iUniverse

“A delightful book! The thing that resonates throughout the book is the tremendous amount of research done; as the view of Native American life is so beautifully constructed! “I enjoyed it from the first page to the last!

The opening scene captured my attention quickly; and it took a number of chapters to get the back story—which I really liked. The main characters are well developed and add a richness to the story line. I particularly liked the opening poem and the Chapter titles.

There weren’t any long lulls in the book; it was a fast pace narrative which held my interest.

The events at the end of the book kept me in suspense, right down to the last page.”

—Leslie Saari

west seeking voices from the past to influence her writing.

She lives with her family in Fairbanks, Alaska and teaches high school science.

Laurie enjoys downhill skiing, snowshoeing and the study of herbal medicines.

Crossing at Sweet Grass is her debut historical novel.

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iUniverse, or order at your local bookstore.

Laurie Robertson is an Alaskan author who has ventured into the American

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION 76

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

God and Other Poems

by Paul Carroll

www.bigtablebooks.com

P

aul Carroll was dying, but he couldn’t stop writing. Poet Dan Campion says that Paul “staked his life on poetry, he went all in. A poet had to be daring. Poetry and life needed to merge, not merely share.

Inhibition killed both life and poems: a poet had to put it all out there.

Paul creates a procession of images and associations that capture the ambiance of a place and then, with a kaleidoscopic flourish of optics, startles us with a new angle, a revelation or hidden pattern, or a fine detail selected from or suddenly discovered in a large picture, that crystallizes the scene and the feelings attached to it. Sometimes the startling revelation or juxtaposition comes first and the elaboration after. Aficionados of jazz talk about saxophonists’ “tone.”

There is nothing else in our literature quite like the fluidity and richness of tone in Paul’s conceptual riffs.”

Chapter 1. Song To be able to walk along and see the fierce green sun the meadow grass the tall gently bobbing weeds then to take a walk inside yourself and see trees tall as Tom Thumb It’s always raining here It never rains I’m strolling among the shadows of everyone I’ve ever loved But this morning I was flying with the birds Not knowing like the map there was a destination But it was fun Like making love on Tuesday instead of our customary Sunday afternoon I’ve learned to suffocate death and continue doing so all day “in many of Paul’s poems, there’s the recurrent battle (sometime violent – sometimes comical) between the deterministic & absolute church of his childhood & the

delight he took in the world of philosophical & physical experimentation, whether it be sensual, sexual, literary, social or personal. For him, poetry was the plain on which these great ‘battles’ would be waged.”

—Roger Aplon One of Paul Carroll’s famous battles occurred, 1958-60, when he championed the work of Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Burroughs and won a court trial brought on by the US Post Office’s attempted censorship of his magazine Big Table.

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Sorrows & Songs

by Janice Wood Wetzel www.sorrowsandsongs.com

Happy Birthday Baby recovered from the measles in time for my eighth birthday. In preparation, Mother suggested a birthday party breakfast for the ten little girls in the neighborhood.

She and I planned the menu together. Cocoa with marshmallows, fresh squeezed orange juice, French toast, little sausage links, and of course birthday cake with pink icing—special treats in a year still scarred by the Depression. When I came downstairs on the morning of the party, I couldn’t have been more pleased. The dining room chandelier was scalloped with crepe paper, and a Happy Birthday! swag festooned the mirror over the buffet. Our best lace tablecloth for special occasions already covered the table. At each place there was a pastel nut cup filled with pastel mints

I

and a pink snapper that promised a party hat and streamers when it popped.

Near the top of the plates were small favors wrapped in paper printed with adorable kittens tumbling in ribbons. It was all I could do to wait until the guests would arrive at eleven.

They never came. ...

Two hours later, Barbara, a little girl who lived across the street, rang the front doorbell. “I can’t stay. Here.

This is for Janice.” She handed my mother a present for me. Mother urged her to come in while she called her mother. I sat immobilized, the pain of humiliation and rejection seeping into my pores. “Please let Barbara stay for some birthday cake,” she pleaded on the telephone. “My daughter’s so disappointed.” The answer was no. I had no idea then that my parents’ drinking

at the umbrella table in the back yard and Mother passing out in the yard were probably the reasons for the neighborhood boycott.

Somehow, even today it doesn’t make me feel better to realize it, nor am I fully convinced that I wasn’t personally rejected by the little girls on my street. It’s a scar that is still tender to the touch.

Soft cover and links to e-books versions can be found on the website.

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

The History Major

by Michael Phillip Cash www.michaelphillipcash.com

A

fter a vicious fight with her boyfriend followed by a night of heavy partying, college freshman Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm room to find things are not the same as they were yesterday.

She can’t quite put her finger on it. She’s sharing her room with a peculiar stranger. Amanda discovers she’s registered for classes she would never choose, with people that are oddly familiar. An ominous shadow is stalking her.

Uncomfortable memories are bubbling dangerously close to her fracturing world, propelling her to an inevitable collision between fantasy and reality. Is this the mother of all hangovers or is something bigger happening?

The History Major took shape as a hazy idea when I discussed an incident with my son that occurred in his school. He was being bullied and it brought back memories of elementary and Junior high, of those kids that pick on others to feel better about themselves.

My son has a strong sense of his own self-worth, so instead of concentrating on what they were saying, we talked about where the bully’s need to push or belittle other people. Where does that come from? Why are some people like that, and others kinder? The conversation drifted into the time-worn saying, you don’t understand people or where they come from until you walk in their shoes. The History Major

is a story about what shapes us and our motivations?

The seemingly innocent incidents mixed with more traumatic ones, that shape our personalities and the way we react to our lives.

Does our own person history haunt us?

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AWARD WINNER

What Doesn’t Kill You

by Donna Huston Murray www.donnahustonmurray.com

“Brave and determined, humorous despite it all…an admirable, down-to-earth heroine.” —Kirkus Review Chapter 1 (Excerpt) ’ve sidled up to my honorary uncles Norman and Tom, two of my dad’s dearest friends.

“Nice homily,” Norman remarks.

I open my mouth, but Nina is storming toward me, fists clenched, face aflame.

“You,” she shouts, “you’ve got a nerve.” The room goes silent. Faces gape and stare.

“I can’t believe you’re here, you you you MURDERER!” Hands covering her face, she crumbles into the arms of her despised ex-husband.

The uncles and I have backed up so far we’re literally against the cementblock wall. The whole room is holding its breath.

“Nina, really.” I pat the air. “You’re upset. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“The hell I don’t.” The whites of her eyes are so exposed she looks rabid.

“You’re going to jail for a long, long time, Lauren Beck…”

I

Many of the onlookers are friends of my family.

Others know the Beck name from my dad’s real estate dealings, or maybe I arrested somebody’s husband or son for something or other back when I was on the job.

Nobody here will forget me now. Never mind that I’m innocent; I’ve just become the OJ Simpson of Landis, Pennsylvania.

Pointing toward the door, Nina’s “GET OUT!” lands on me like spit.

Norman steps forward, but I halt him with my arm.

“She’s just upset,” I tell the old bulldog. “I’ll be okay.”

But I won’t. My dad’s friend knows it, and I know it; but he backs off anyhow. What other choice does he have?

The annex door clunks shut behind me.

An unmarked car sits at the curb. Wearing softened designer jeans, a tweed sport coat, and no particular

expression, Scarp Poletta opens the passenger door more like a gentleman than a homicide cop.

When we’re eye to eye, I finally ask. “Is this our first date, or are you here to arrest me?”

“This book could easily sit on the shelf with traditionally published novels and beat them hands down.”

—Judge, Writer’s Digest SelfPublished Book Awards Available at Amazon, BN, iBooks, and Kobo.

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TotIs

by Joseph Kazden www.jjkazden.com

FROM CHAPTER 9 question has persisted since well before the time of the discovery of relativity, and it is this,” I said. “Does the universe exist if we’re not looking? I believe that the universe as we experience it does not exist when we’re not looking, because we’re actually creating it via our biology. A universe exists, but not this one of created human experience.”

“So how can we possibly expect to discover this universe you believe exists outside of our experience?” asked Neatono.

“Because nature has shown her hand, but we’ve been unable to interpret it properly, dependent as we are on explaining all via our experience of it,” I said.

“And what is this evidence nature has shown us?” Neatono asked.

“As we’ve experienced via QM, matter exhibits both wavelike and particle-like

“A

properties, and when we’re caught observing them, they will exhibit one or the other, but we have no idea when or how they change state. The theory is that they exist in a superposition of both states, and, upon observation, their probability wave function collapses, and they become one or the other. Now Doctors S. Haroche and D. Wineland won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2012 for actually creating particles in superposition. Doctor Wineland specifically created one electron that existed in two of its possible orbital positions simultaneously. How he did it is not the important point.

That a particle is first in one place in space-time and then in two at the same time is a state change that occurs outside of time.

This is not a particle moving to another place; it is a state change for a single particle. How long does it take for the particle to be

in superposition? There is no now through which this transformation occurs.

Without a now, there is no flow of time at all.”

“But aren’t these results explained by QM’s theory and its mathematics?” asked Neatono.

“The same theory and mathematics created through the lens of our unshakable belief in the reality of time’s arrow,” I replied.

“I suggest that this shows us another possibility.”

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81

Jesus: The Jew No One Knows by D.C. Smith International Books Award: Best In Non-fiction History!

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his short book describes Jesus of Nazareth as he lived day to day, walking the hill country of Herod’s domain nearly two-thousand years ago, sharing communal meals along the way, teaching neighbors and fellow travelers not only what to believe, but how to behave.

Unfortunately, it did not take long for the king to hear about what was happening.

Informants reported that ordinary people were responding to the new rabbi in ever-increasing numbers and that Zealots may even have joined his messianic movement. Worse still, it appeared certain that the youthful teacher had recently formed an alliance with John the Baptist, the most popular preacher of the age. Together they would join forces to bring an end to Roman rule so they could build a new nation dedicated to God. We all know what came next. Both men were executed, leaving their disciples in disarray, especially the followers

of Jesus who expected a miraculous return and who hoped to keep the memory of his earlier pilgrimage alive. Yet their master’s mission and his revolutionary message began to slowly fade away, distorted over time by selfappointed apostles claiming to speak on his behalf, by gospel writers who never knew him, and by church fathers competing for control of their fledgling faith.

To satisfy Jews they doctored the genealogical record and moved his place of birth from Galilee to Judea. To attract Gentiles they made his mother “a perpetual virgin,” his father “an adopted caretaker,” and his brothers “reluctant bystanders” instead of comrades and co-conspirators. Even his name and his birthday were changed because “Joshua” offended non-Jews and December 25th glorified a god-man named Mithras.

Local aristocrats, foreigners and narcissistic

emperors could not abide who he seemed to be, another Galilean rebel inciting insurrection! So they manufactured a very different story where Romans were exonerated, Judeans vilified and his descendants cruelly exterminated.

Anyone wanting to discover the truth about this ultimate icon of the ages, whether for religious reasons or merely because he’s such a fascinating historical figure, has found the right book to read.

D. C. Smith, Big Bear Lake, California

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Lawyer Games

After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

by Dep Kirkland

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

PROLOGUE n the end, this book is not about a single, though fascinating, criminal case. This book is about the underbelly of the criminal legal system. It’s not a pretty sight.

We will cover witnesses, evidence, and tactics from all four trials, but with a focus on the larger war.

Why was a question asked in a particular way? How was a witness’s answer crafted to convey an impression rather than a fact? When is a lawyer “testifying” through a question rather than asking one? We will go beyond the game on the playing field, to the game within the game. I expect that you will never look at a criminal trial quite the same way again. In my opinion, that’s a good thing.

Seldom is a murder case tried four times. Only occasionally does a murder case involve a defendant

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with virtually unlimited financial resources. These forces came together in this case, presenting a rare opportunity to observe the criminal system operating at its best and at its worst.

The great advantage of seeing multiple trials on the same facts is the ability to see changes in strategy, approach, and, unfortunately, even testimony when there are plentiful Benjamins to fund the battle and very little in the way of ethics to restrain the combatants.

Thus, there are two stories within the following pages. One is the story of the case: the facts, the evidence, the trials, and the result. The other is a deeper story that is, in many respects, more disturbing: the story of an eight-year campaign of a defendant and his lawyers to beat a murder rap—no matter what it took—and what that campaign says

about the criminal justice system and those who ply their trade therein.

There are some aspects of the criminal law that I do not miss. It can be a dirty business, when the lust for the win overwhelms all else. Prepare yourself to know as much about one unique murder case as anyone currently living, and more about the dark side of criminal law than you might want to know.

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83

The Stolen Twin

by Michele Pariza Wacek www.MicheleParizaWacek.com

My life has been dominated by two dreams.…

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y second dream is completely opposite – much like the difference between Cat and me. It begins with me and my parents in the car. We’re going to Milwaukee to visit my grandparents, but suddenly my parents take a detour. We drive down an old country road filled with potholes and thirsty cracks.

My chest begins to take on a familiar heaviness.

We’re at a church, a white country church with a tall steeple and an elaborate stained glass etching of Mary and Jesus in the manger. A bell rings, deep and melodious. I’m having trouble breathing.

We walk to the graveyard behind the church, my parents in front of me,

talking quietly, ignoring me (as usual). The bell continues to ring, the sound growing louder, echoing in the stillness. I stumble, trying desperately to breathe, to draw air through lungs now shrunken into a tight ball of twine. I need my inhaler, but don’t know where it is.

My parents continue to ignore me. I gasp and start to fall, but now I’m floating, floating, toward the graveyard. All I can hear is the tolling of the bell. I can’t breathe at all. My lungs burn, a bright fireball in my chest. This is it, I realize.

This is the end. This is where I die.

I wake then, gasping and reaching for my inhaler.

As uncomfortable as it is, I prefer it to the hot tears and heavy sick feeling that follows the fairy dream. Cat is the chosen one. I’m the disappointment.

These were the dreams that dominated my life. If I had other ones, I never remembered them. Only these two. I never told a soul about my dreams— they were my penance, my burden, my personal hell.

Until the day Cat came back, turning my life into something worse than any nightmare I ever could have imagined.

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Holes In My Shoes

by Alice Breon

CHANGES eptember, 1939. The summer is ending. The days are still warm, but the early September evenings are cool. Leaves on the trees give us warnings that they will soon change color.

There are big changes in everyone’s lives. Dottie has moved to Chicago to start her new life. There is an empty feeling in my heart when I walk past her house.

Life will never be the same.

I turned my thoughts to the “big day”. In a few weeks I would leave my childhood behind and become a freshman in high school. My mother took me shopping for new school clothes and this time we shopped in the teen department. I sensed a change. Mom didn’t have that “worried look” as we shopped. Unlike previous times, she let me choose clothes I really loved, and she didn’t examine the price tags so carefully. She seemed to enjoy watching me make selections. She even bought

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me new shoes, and my old ones didn’t have holes in them yet.

It seems like a heavy load has been lifted from the shoulders of my parents, aunts, uncles and neighbors.

People are making plans for the future and buying new furniture and appliances.

Our neighbor, Mr. Olson, was notified that he could start back to his old job.

The Olson family and the Nelson family celebrated this occasion by going for a long walk around the neighborhood after supper, talking, laughing and even singing. The Depression was ending.

Newsreels at the movies are reporting on a war in Europe. I prayed that the princesses in England will be safe. During one of our Sunday dinners, Aunt Sadie and Aunt Tonie told my parents about some people who had escaped from Germany and are living next door to them in Chicago.

Mom excused me from the

table after dessert was served and, from the back porch, I could hear them talking in lowered voices about “how awful things were over there”. I also learned a new word—”atrocities”.

For me, a change was coming that I never dreamed of. I was going to have a weekly allowance! I would be given one dollar every week. Fifty-five cents had to be used for a weekly bus ticket to go to high school but the rest, forty-five cents, was mine to spend.

I was rich!

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85

Return of the Convict

by William Alan Thomas www.williamalanthomas.com

Dec. 16, 2143 here were forty-five of us transports crammed into the space bus, and even though everyone was sedated, the two and a half day trip was arduous.

After we docked there was a slight shaking. Our capsule shot backward, and stopped. With a hissing of air, the door slid open.

“Welcome to Mir,” a man’s voice said. “Everybody out.”

The artificial gravity here was less than the moon’s; I got up without much difficulty. Two uniformed guards checked us off as we came out. “You’re Dominic Tessier,” one said crisply, when she touched my ID tag with a scanner.

My legs uncertain, I stepped onto a moving sidewalk that took us through a tunnel. In a few minutes the passageway curved, and the main terminus area of the

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space station came into view.

I held tight to the railing and stared. The people here arrived and departed from all over the solar system: personnel from the space ships, businessmen, and new-world workers. Some, while roughly dressed, had a special swagger. I thought they might be prospectors.

Then a group of T-men walked through in unisex suits and skull caps. Although silent, their expressions and gestures showed communication. Thanks to their brain implants, they were telepathic.

Only a few months earlier, I’d been a student at the Space Training Academy. My brain was being transformed through implants, and I looked forward myself, to a career in space as a T-man administrator. An awful injustice had been done to

me, and my dreams were trashed. Yet I felt no regret, resentment, or any emotion at all. A silver bracelet around my wrist created a chemically-induced docility, more powerful than chains.

Our guards took us along a walkway above a large, brightly lit loading

dock. Through the sidemesh I could see the Stellar Blossom. The ship’s blue hull seemed to stretch on forever; it dwarfed the men gathered to service her.

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Shot Down

by Steve Snyder www.SteveSnyderAuthor.com

CHAPTER 1 February 8, 1944 he bursting of the Focke-Wulf ’s 20 mm cannons around our ship was the first indication that we had been singled out.

Then the celestial dome blew up in front of me.

After that I could hear 20 mm striking and exploding as they hit the ship. Pieces of equipment and parts of the ship were flying about, striking my feet and legs.

When the oxygen cylinders exploded, I didn’t realize what had happened. The noise of the explosion was muffled by my helmet and headset, but the concussion stunned me for a few moments. Someone lighting a match in a gas-filled room would cause much the same effect as the explosion. Only, instead of flames decreasing immediately after the explosion, they seemed to

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continue all around us with the same intensity.

In a half-dazed state, I became slowly conscious that the entire cockpit was filled with smoke and flames. I must have been knocked unconscious for a period of time. It was difficult to see through the smoke and flames, but I could see the terrified face of Eike, his eyes almost out of his head, looking crazily around him as he tore frantically at his flaksuit and safety belt. I think Holbert had already jumped as I couldn’t see him at all.

As I looked back at Eike, after trying to see Holbert, he seemed absolutely mad and out of his head. Then, as my mind seemed to clear a little more, I too became absolutely terrified. I had been frightened before but never completely lost my wits from terror. It was horrible.

I tried to yell or scream, but the sound died in my throat and my open mouth emitted no sound. I tried to jump out of my seat, but my safety belt held me there.

My only thought was to get out of that terrible fire.

I couldn’t think as I clawed wildly for my safety belt.

The fact that I had buckled my safety belt under my flak suit on this raid, instead of over it in my usual way, was the only reason I was able to regain a semblance of sanity.

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87

The Tail Wags the Dog

by Dr. Amy Beth Taublieb www.dramybeth.com

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orking with people as they plowed through their psychological struggles of varying severity taught me an enormous amount about the human life condition.

By guiding people through their tears, anger, grief, pain, laughter, fears, hallucinations, delusions, obsessions, anxieties, insecurities I learned that therapy is not “just listening to people’s problems” and applying the latest empirically proven treatment methods.

Rather it is experiencing the vast array of emotions along with the people with whom one is working so that the therapist can provide them with the skills to help them successfully maneuver their way through the forest of their emotional pain.

In so doing, I soon realized that I was getting as much (if not more) wisdom from my patients as they were from me. Although this may superficially appear to be contradictory, after several years of doing therapy, I began to recognize

certain patterns in human interactions. There were certain principles which seemed to surface time and time again—significant patterns, which, when recognized and heeded, helped my patients understand why we behave, feel and interact with others the manner in which we do.

The eventual acknowledgement and subsequent respect of these so-called life lessons served as the genesis of this book.

Whether relevant to parenting children, struggling with psychological/psychiatric symptoms, interacting with a spouse or family member, functioning in the workplace, or, simply conversing with those with whom we interact in our daily life, this books is designed to share those basic truisms which I have been fortunate enough to learn from my patients over the years.

Having the privilege of sharing the inner most thoughts and feelings of

so many people as they foraged their way through their psychological struggles, allowed me to be exposed to more wisdom than any person could learn in a lifetime of formalized education. It is this wisdom (presented in terms of basic statements which can serve as actual guides to living life) which this book offers its readers. It is presented with genuine pride and the sincere hope that these lessons learned from my patients prove to be as valuable to the reader as they have been to so many others with whom I have some into contact.

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Conversations With an Angel Named Bill

by Michael Hanian

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. …You can easily imagine my surprise then, when I perceived another figure striding beside me, in perfect cadence with my own steps. Since at the moment I became cognizant of the stranger’s presence we were already far removed from the sole functioning light, I was unable to discern his features, glimpsing only a dark cloak and a wide-brimmed hat.

“I have an aversion to intrigue,” noted the stranger without slowing his step, “I dislike preludes and comments about the weather.

Allow me to introduce myself—I am an angel.”

“Pardon?”

“An angel. From there.

From above.”

“Excuse me sir, but are you…”

“Let us eschew formalities.”

“Alright…” I mumbled, after which my companion fell silent, evidently giving me time to collect myself.

This was in fact a necessary respite. During this time, I struggled to recall the hotline

for the Night Brothers, who are said to help those who have gone off their rocker.

Try as I might I could not remember the number, but I repeated last year’s mantra in my head instead, and completed a breathing exercise “For General Stress Relief.” This ‘auto-training’ had a soothing effect on my sensitive temperament.

Regaining my self-possession, I decided to yield to circumstance and see what would come of it. Perhaps sensing some favourable turn of thought within me, the stranger continued: “Let us become acquainted—Bill” “Max” “That’s better, Max. We will have enough problems as it is.”

“As what is?”

“Without overcomplicating our communication with needless formalities.”

“Communication?”

“I hope this is not our final conversation.”

“But why me?”

“Why not?”

“But Mr.…Bill, you have not answered my question.”

“You will understand later.

There is a time for all things.”

“Forgive me Bill, but I am…an educated man, and… how do I say this politely…”

“You don’t believe in angels.”

“Something like that.”

“Then don’t. I am not forcing you to. In fact, if it makes it any easier for you, forget what I said earlier. Let’s just talk. Didn’t you complain that you had no one to talk to?”

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The Silver Ships

by Scott Jucha www.scottjucha.com

Chapter 1 nomaly detected,” Tara’s dulcet voice announced.

Alex sat upright in his pilot’s seat. “Show me.” On the navigation screen, a thin red line encircled a tiny dot.

“Any telemetry available?”

“The object is headed in system at 13 degrees below the ecliptic. Distance: 388 million kilometers.”

“Velocity?”

“It’s constant at 0.02c.”

Alex’s heart skipped a beat. “That’s too fast for an asteroid. So what are you?”

New Terrans had ventured no farther than the ice fields, a dense ring of asteroids circling beyond Seda, a gas giant and the system’s ninth and last planet. Since the colony’s founding 732 years ago, there hadn’t been any outside contact—human or otherwise.

“How soon before it reaches the ice fields, Tara?”

“At its present velocity, it will enter the rings in five

“A

days.”

“When will it intersect our system horizon?”

“Two days later, it will cross the ecliptic near Seda.”

At present, Alex was headed for Sharius, one of Seda’s moons, for refueling.

The Outward Bound, under its 1g acceleration, had achieved a velocity of 0.01c. In seven days, his path would intersect with the anomaly’s.

Thirteen days earlier, Alex had piloted his explorer-tug next to a dark, craggy, 580m long asteroid, whose thick layer of ice covered a small, solid core. Using tethering beams, he’d pinned it to his ship then fired a 2-meter long metal shaft into the ice. An electronic beacon housed in the shaft switched on and began broadcasting.

Encoded with Tara’s telemetry, it did double duty as information for bidders and as a tracking signal, broadcasting the asteroid’s tag and his ship’s ID. Tara recorded the claim

with the Ministry, initiating the bidding. All the mining outposts on Ganymede’s frozen, rocky moons and the government habitats on Niomedes were bidders, as none possessed a natural source of water. Days later, the Niomedes Gordon Habitat was confirmed as the highest bidder and the new owner of Alex’s latest haul.

With the asteroid firmly tethered in place, the Outward Bound, with engines blasting, slowly redirected the mass from its ancient orbit into a new trajectory.

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Always North

by Herb Romero

Available at Amazon and Infinity Publishing.

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n Always North you will learn, that because of plain ignorance by early 19th century governmental leaders, a factual part of America’s history continues to be denied from being taught in schools.

And as we move on with our lives in this 21st century, our children are still deprived of an important part of American history. Reviewed as a five star eye opener, this book contains information from documented sources, and from stories handed down from family to family through the generations. It is a story of my ancestors, who as part of a group of Spaniards in 1598 established the very first permanent European settlement in present day United States.

Three centuries later, we would know this region as the American southwest.

Because of foreign infringement rumors into remote parts of his Kingdom, Spain’s King Phillip II directs resettlement of families from New Spain to a northern

region; an area, Coronado had originally recorded as favorable in 1540.

Life proves harsh for the colonists. For the first two hundred years, they follow laws of New Spain until that Dominion is overthrown by a peasantry coalition revolt later known as Mexicans.

And unknown to settlers because of an antiquated communication system, several months go by before Kingdom settlements find they are now under Mexican rule that lasts twenty five years.

As a fledgling government with internal growing problems, Mexicans ignore non-threatening settlers in their far isolated region, except for annual visits to take a census and collect taxes. Then after winning the American-Mexican war in1848, the United States inherits the vast number of original Spanish territories.

Now confronted with a large number of Spaniards who seem to speak a language

similar to those they just defeated, congress in Washington question “the loyalty of this new class of colored people.”

For the next thirty years, American congressmen continue to vacillate.

Spaniards are referred to as Mexicans by new eastern immigrants, and Spanish parents continue begging for their archaic Spanish speaking children to be educated in the new English language. My father was ten years old before seeing his first American book.

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91

Saving Phoebe Murrow

by Herta Feely www.hertafeely.com

Excerpt Chapter One

when Isabel brought her home, Ron found their daughter’s wobbly walk Monday, November 10, 2008 vaguely amusing. In front of Phoebe, they’d kept a At the end of the day, as united front. But later, in Isabel stepped through the bedroom, Ron told the large glass doors of Isabel she was being too her law office, a strange harsh on their daughter. thing happened. Outside in “She’s only thirteen, Ron.” the cold, she suddenly felt “Almost fourteen,” he’d said. trapped in a bright cone She really couldn’t of light. As if some alien understand Ron’s blasé spaceship were training its attitude toward the eye on her. drinking that Sandy had Uneasily, she gazed into allowed, encouraged even, the dark November sky. nor could she understand There was the culprit. A Phoebe’s recent obsession smiling gibbous moon. Or with some boy named was it smirking, maybe Shane. They’d met on even mocking her? Yes, Facebook, of all places, she thought, that would be and he’d promised to more appropriate. Work show up at the party, then had become insanely busy, hadn’t. Ron had attributed though in its own strange Phoebe’s drinking to her way that kept her mind disappointment over this no from dwelling on her recent show, as if that made it okay. topsy-turvy personal life.

Not okay, definitely not.

Which included that Nor did she like the fact awful teen party at Sandy that Phoebe had never Littleton’s, an event that actually met this Shane, that had ruined the weekend. all of her communication Phoebe drunk, and with him had been online.

Who was he anyway?

Again, Ron thought it was no big deal! “That’s the way kids communicate these days,” he’d said.

In the end, Phoebe had received little more than a slap on the wrist. Mostly because Isabel feared the possibility of the 9th grade kids teasing and taunting her as so many classmates had the previous year. Now, she was eager to get home to find out how Phoebe’s school day had gone. She hoped there had been no fallout from the Saturday night fiasco.

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Cadillac, Oklahoma

by Louise Farmer Smith www.louisefarmersmith.com

Excerpt VOICE OF EXPERIENCE 1948

Methodist church secretary, and I let myself imagine that this job—keeping attendance records, paying utility bills, and writing Sally arrived in our town notes to shut-ins—was a the summer I turned cover, a kind of recompense seventeen, and that threefor the former, racy life month stretch of heat her husky voice suggested. burned up what was left of Sometimes I’d feel ashamed my childhood. She had that of this fantasy when I’d kind of wrecked voice that see her in town, modestly made her sound like a pack- dressed and minding her a-day smoker, a woman own business. But she was with a story to tell in what one of the few good-looking my granddad Sloane single women in Cadillac, Benjamin Willard, who’d and I finally convinced been to France in WWI, myself that seeing as how called a whiskey voice. She I was from a good Baptist looked to me like she might family, it would be a step be as old as twenty-five, the in the right direction for perfect older woman to train her to get to know me. I me for what I hoped would devised a plan. . . . be a lifetime of pleasing That night I overheard women. . . . my aunt tell my mother I was surprised when that Sally had been Mother told me Sally married very briefly to had taken a job as the what she described as a

“clean-cut young man from a good family.” The two women went on to speculate about what went wrong, and I pretended to shine my shoes. . . .

My whole body heated up at the idea of Sally having been married, and my mind pressed her against the wall of the church office. “I’ll just finish these on the back porch,” I told the women as I clutched my shoes in front of my zipper.

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The Commandments of God

by Cornie Banman

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www.corniebanman.com

raditional mainstream Christians are brought up and trained to obey the doctrines of the church which they faithfully attend, having been assured that their doctrines come from the Holy Scriptures.

But, how can one be sure whether or not that is really true? In his book, The Commandments of God, author Cornie Banman shares the results of his studies regarding the discernment of God’s Laws vs. man’s laws. Having himself been a dedicated member of a traditional church system for the first 48 years of his life in a close knit religious community of a few thousand very dedicated Anabaptist Mennonites, he finds it to be of utmost importance for each individual to test the church doctrines with the Scriptures.

In The Commandments of God, traditional church doctrines are being put under pressure to see whether they come from

the eternal God Who created heaven and earth, or from the gods of this world, or, more accurately Satan the devil’s ministry. After studying the foundational Scriptures of this book, readers will be able see how they can test the doctrines of any and all churches. They’ll see how following the traditional doctrines of men systematically tramples down the eternal Laws and Commandments of the Creator God of heaven and earth.

The Holy Scriptures show us how the eternal God of creation, millennia ago, set His Laws in motion for all eternity, and that they can neither be annulled nor changed by any man or beast, for which readers will see hard and solid evidence in both the Old and the New Testament Scriptures.

Contrary as it may seem to common teachings - it will be clearly shown that mankind’s burdens come

from none other than from one’s following of man’s commandments, and that true liberty comes from following God’s Commandments. Thus, we will see how the Scriptures plainly reveal to us that God created ALL of His Laws and Commandments solely for the benefit of His people, and NOT as a burden.

This book is available at iUniverse, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.corniebanman.com

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Traditional Anti-Torah Church Doctrines

by Cornie Banman

A

www.corniebanman.com

uthor Cornie Banman gives readers an informative and comprehensive guide on the methods to validate the church doctrines they abide by. He believes that humans have a strong desire to agree with anything that comes out from the pulpit. He desires to give everyone the ability to discern between what should be faithfully followed and what shouldn’t, so that they would be in alignment with the true will of the true God. He digs deep into Scripture and history to solidify his methods of discernment.

He hopes that, through this book, everyone will be on the right path in their spiritual journey.

Have you ever stopped to think whether the doctrines you hear in your church are actually coming from the Word of the Creator?

In Traditional Anti-Torah Church Doctrines, Banman offers an analysis of doctrines to help Christians ascertain whether a doctrine comes directly from God or

originates from man.

Banman explains how and why traditional Christendom has rejected the Ten Commandments and how that belief has inevitably created an antiGod messiah. In Traditional Anti-Torah Church Doctrines, he shows how: * A subtle and powerful philosophy of anti-Jew doctrines has indoctrinated traditional Christians into believing the Messiah’s first coming was to abolish the Ten Commandments * The philosophy of a few church fathers has undermined the Ten Commandments by elevating manmade traditions to Commandment status * An anti-Jew philosophy plays a key role in abolishing the Commandments and exposes its foundation * The God of Abraham has given mankind a simple formula to test and measure all doctrines against His Word * Anyone can use that test against all doctrines to see

whether they are inspired by the God of the Scriptures or by the gods of this world. * A person who’s snared by deceived indoctrination can get back into alignment with God’s true Word Illustrating his beliefs with Biblical evidence, Banman provides guidance for testing and measuring the instructions coming from your church with God’s truth in a simple way.

This book is available at iUniverse, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.corniebanman.com

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95

Portals, Passages & Pathways In the Land of Magnanthia

by Bruce Maul

From Chapter 15: The Power in a Name

www.brmaul.com

spider intended to attack.

He slowly brought the torch down from above his head e stopped and held to straight out between him the torch high above and the freak of nature, his head. The scuttling which emitted a series of stopped. clicks and clacks with its It crept slowly into the pinchers. The eerie sound torchlight as if there were echoed down the hollow a chance it wouldn’t be corridor behind him. seen. Jak held his breath at Another series of the sight of the abnormally abhorrent clicks responded large, hairy spider slowly from behind Jak; there moving toward him. Its were more than one. But black, mirrored eyeballs glancing behind him, he were void of thought and didn’t see anything. Then emotion. It stopped and he heard it again and it was sank low to the ground even closer. Glancing on when Jak took a step back. either side of him, he didn’t Its body was bulbous, see it on the floor, but he resembling a large, black, could hear it…. The reason hairy watermelon with a snapped in his mind just in tiny head protruding from time. one end. The spider’s hairy Spiders can climb walls! legs were jagged and as Keeping the torch large as those of a king crab. between himself and Jak froze. Holding tight the crouching spider, every muscle in his body Jak glanced up over his he prepared to dodge if the shoulder in time to see spider jumped at him. He another spider making couldn’t read the spider’s its way near him on the empty eyes so he couldn’t ceiling. anticipate at what angle the As soon as Jak spotted

H

it, the spider sprang from the ceiling. Jak reacted.

He swung and ducked at the same time connecting his forearm and torch to three of the spider’s bristly legs. The large arachnid squealed like a lame rat and landed near the other spider.

The wounded spider scuttled toward Jak with vengeance; the other one followed suit. They each took to a side of the corridor as a third spider, nearly twice their size, came up the middle.

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

Lamb to the Slaughter

by Pete Delohery www.petedelohery.com

Round One The Blue Horizon

artery was visible in stark detail. Luke threw his magazine to the floor, n a hotel room in a rose, and stalked into a London suburb three smaller adjoining room. Bo black men went about observed Luke’s departure that most arduous and and then got up and agonizing of all tasks: approached the man on the killing time. Each was lost bed. He murmured softly: in the limbo that always “Johnny?” He murmured precedes long-plannedthis several times more, for events. Bo, fat, gray like a mother tenderly haired, and middle-aged, awakening a sleeping child. sat at a writing table and Finally, the muscular young played solitaire. Luke, a man turned his face and lanky man in his middle stared at him vaguely. “I’m thirties, nervously tapped gonna be gone for a few his foot as he tried to read a minutes, hear?” the fat magazine. The third man, man crooned. The younger in his mid-twenties, sat man nodded. “You stay put cross-legged on one of twin ’til I get back, OK?” The beds and stared vacantly young man nodded again, at a painting of a hunting and then returned his gaze scene on the opposite to the painting, to the sky wall. He stared beyond beyond the horses and horses and hounds into the hounds. He resumed his painting’s deep blue sky. He murmurings. Bo entered muttered unintelligibly. He the adjoining room and wore blue jeans and was found Luke pacing the bare-chested. He resembled floor; every two or three an ebony anatomy chart; steps he drove a fist into his every muscle, every a palm. Luke glanced at

I

Bo and spoke in a voice ragged with frustration: “Most fighters gotta loose weight t’make the weight,” he snarled. “Our man gotta gain!” Bo turned and shut the door quickly but quietly. “Thought I was gonna have to shove a rock up his ass ’fore we took him to the weigh-in!” Luke whimpered. “Lighten up, man!” Bo commanded in a low, firm voice. “And keep it down. We don’t want Johnny hearin’ somethin’ like that, not now.

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97

Until Philosophers Become Kings

by Chris Thomas

I

t was near six and his head snapped up; he had been dozing, for how long he wasn’t sure. He was sitting at his writing table, loose papers and scribbled notes everywhere; nothing but deep thoughts, terrible thoughts, penned in a fit of self pity around three.

The subcompact Glock 29 that Raul had given him as a graduation gift from law school years before was still there, lying on the corner of the desk. Raul had intended the gift as personal protection, the last line of defense in an unsafe world. Instead, ironically, it had dangerously become the opposite as he imagined that it had spoken to him at four, I am your only friend, and I can stop the pain and end this nightmare.

He spent the better part of the dark and terrible night staring at the Glock,

his thoughts as cold and black as the steel it was made from. Memories of his mother finally silenced the black thoughts as he held the handgun pressed against his temple, and the safety was reset, the terrible cold object set aside, to be returned to the closet where it had sat undisturbed for years. The remaining night and coming dawn were spent in an examination of other hard truths. In the end, one such realized truth was he did not want to die, but neither did he know how to live.

In his struggle to see his way forward, just as the sun started to make its appearance through the delicate decorative filigree of the antique cotton drapes of his bedroom windows, it was a thought from Burke, not Plato, remembered from his studies years ago,

that came to him; “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.�

He had to choose. It was one or the other, good or evil, no matter how hard that once simple choice had surprisingly become for him, for good now had more than one meaning to him, black and white now less clear, obscured by shades of gray he had never contemplated.

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UNBOUND

99

BOOK SHELF The Vampire Girl Next Door

by Richard Arbib

M

The Vampire Girl in London

by Richard Arbib

I

ark falls in love with Sylvia, the beautiful, but quirky girl next door, not realizing that she’s a vampire who killed his last neighbor.

When Mark first meets Sylvia, he tells her, “You’re the girl of my dreams!” Sylvia smiles and responds with a warning—“Be careful what you wish for.”

n this sequel to The Vampire Girl Next Door, Mark and Sylvia must deal with terrorists, a CIA agent, a vampire-hunting cult, and a mansion full of Sylvia’s vampire friends— some of whom she can’t really trust. Will Mark and Sylvia’s love be enough to survive it all?

“The Vampire Girl Next Door is a choice pick for one looking for a romance with a supernatural twist, highly recommended.”

—John Burroughs, Midwest Book Review

“The Vampire Girl in London would satisfy supernatural fans and I’m once again entertained

by Arbib’s fascinating couple, Sylvia and Mark.”

—Lit Amri, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

www.thevampiregirlnextdoor.com

www.thevampiregirlnextdoor.com

Available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

Available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

Paperback and all e-book formats available on author’s website.

Paperback and all e-book formats available on author’s website.

Pokergeist

by Michael Phillip Cash

Return of the Convict

by William Alan Thomas

A

A space cadet’s coming of age in 2143 in Vancouver, B.C.

n awful gambler trying to scrape by as a professional poker player, Telly becomes the protégé of world famous poker champion Clutch Henderson. The only catch…Clutch is a ghost. Telly and Clutch navigate the Las Vegas gambling life learning to trust each other in order to win the elusive International Series of Poker, repair their shattered relationships and find redemption. www.michaelphillipcash.com FACEBOOK LINK | TWITTER LINK Available at Amazon.

“A crackling, well-told story…”

—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “...should more than satisfy anyone who enjoys cerebral sci-fi...”

—Blueink review (starred review) “...has the makings of a powerful sci-fi franchise.”

—Foreword Reviews (Clarion review, 5 stars) www.williamalanthomas.com Available at Amazon.

BOOK SHELF Escaping Viet Nam– H’Yoanh’s Story: A Memoir of Determination, Defiance and Deliverance

by Harriet T. Hill and H’Yoanh K. Buonya

“The story…is one of the most amazing and impressive accounts of individual strength and determination that I have ever read. It is so inspiring to read of such individual valor and constant effort against tremendous odds.”

—William B. Fuller, Sr., Lt., US Navy, 1964-1967 (Wilmington, NC)

Toru: Wayfarer Returns

by Stephanie R. Sorensen

A Japan that might have been…

“Cool alternative-history of yester-century Nippon.”

—Kirkus Reviews “A terrifically vivid historical novel set in an 1852 Japan re-imagined along Steampunk lines.”

—Historical Novel Society

After Saigon falls in 1975, a 16-year-old girl follows other Montagnards into the jungles of the Central Highlands to flee persecution by the North Viet Nam Communist Regime. For the next 11 years, danger, starvation, death and faith are her constant companions.

FINALIST, Fantasy, 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

www.harriethillbooks.com Available at bookstores and Amazon.

Available through bookstores and at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes.

Walking Away From Texas

by Sharon Bradley

K

atie Mitchell and Alan Thomas have been best friends since kindergarten and are about to prepare for college and their future.

Katie is struggling with conflicting feelings and is unsure about leaving her friends and family behind. She discovers that her feelings for Alan run deeper than platonic. Can Katie and Alan’s friendship survive the challenges that lie ahead?

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

BRONZE MEDAL, Multicultural Fiction, 2016 eLit Book Awards www.stephaniersorensen.com

Jockey Hollow, Where a Forgotten Army Persevered to Win America’s Freedom

by Rosalie Lauerman Jockey Hollow has all the makings of fiction—treason, mutiny, enemy attacks, extreme weather, supply shortages—but the riveting story is entirely and monumentally true. This book spotlights a little-known Continental Army encampment in a wilderness called Jockey Hollow, near Morristown, New Jersey. Jockey Hollow earned 2016 IPPY and Moonbeam awards for nonfiction. www.rosalielauerman.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indie bookstores.

BOOK SHELF The Commandments of God: Are They Burdensome? Are They Abolished?

by Cornie Banman

T

he Holy Scriptures show us that the Eternal God set His Laws in motion for our benefit and welfare, and for our health; for all eternity. In this book you will see that liberty can be obtained by following God’s Laws and Commandments, and that man’s burdens come from following man’s commandments/traditions.

www.corniebanman.com Available at Amazon and iUniverse.

God Never Says “Oops!”

Even When We Do

by Blondina Howes Jeffrey

G

od Never Says “Oops!” published by Say So Books, is another inspirational work of Blondina Howes Jeffrey. It offers encouragement to Christians bogged down by thoughts of past errors, sins, and mistakes assuring them that no matter how heinous our past, nothing is beyond repair, because of grace. www.blondinahowesjeffrey.wordpress.com Available at Amazon, iTunes, and the author. $15.99. Like us on Facebook.

Traditional Anti-Torah Church Doctrines

by Cornie Banman

C

ornie Banman gives readers an informative and comprehensive guide on the methods to validate the doctrines they abide by. He believes that humans have a strong desire to agree with anything that comes out from the pulpit.

He desires to give everyone the ability to discern between what should be faithfully followed and what shouldn’t, so that they would be in alignment with the will of God. He digs deep into Scripture and history to solidify his methods of discernment. www.corniebanman.com Available at Amazon and iUniverse.

When the Brook Dries Up

by Blondina Howes Jeffrey

A

t one time or another in our lives the bottom drops out. Who do we turn to and what do we do? In When the Brook Dries Up, Blondina Howes Jeffrey points us to God, the only One who is more than enough in every circumstance of our lives. He always remains faithful and works all things for His glory and our good. www.blondinahowesjeffrey.wordpress.com Available at Amazon, iTunes, and the author. $10.99. Like us on Facebook.

BOOK SHELF Yiayia Visits Amalia

by Maria G. Mackavey

T

hrough the story, children get to experience the anticipation and joy of a reunion between a little girl and her grandmother. Yiayia, who is Amalia’s grandmother, uses several modes of transportation to get to the apartment where Amalia lives with her parents. On her journey, Yiayia experiences some unanticipated hurdles that threaten to derail her visit.

“A wonderful, well-illustrated look at the relationship between a grandparent and granddaughter who live miles apart.”

–Kirkus Review www.facebook.com/yiayiavisitsamalia www.beejohnson.com/childrens-illustration Available at Amazon.

The Caterpillar That Learned to Fly

A Children’s Nature Picture Book, a Fun Caterpillar and Butterfly Story For Kids, Insect Series (volume 3), 2nd edition

by Sharon Clark

T

his beautifully illustrated, awardwinning picture book will delight children ages 5 to 9. It utilizes an engaging story, told from Cutter the caterpillar’s perspective, to deliver interesting facts. Kids will discover how his appearance changes, most spectacularly with his wondrous transformation into Flutter, a beautiful Monarch butterfly. And Flutter’s amazing migration to Mexico will inspire children to explore new frontiers. www.educational-kids-books.com Available at Amazon.

Stemmie

wants your family to know all that his wellness team can do to keep you strong, smart and healthy! (for children 3-10 yrs) When Rick Was Sick

by Auntielynny With 16 years of writing publications about stem cell research, holistic health and longevity.

Available at Amazon.

If You Were Me and Lived in...

Colonial America

by Carole P. Roman

J

oin Carole P. Roman and travel through time to visit the most interesting civilizations throughout history. Learn what Colonial American children did for fun. If You Were Me and Lived in... Colonial America does for history what her other award-winning series did for culture. So come and discover the world through the eyes of a young person just like you. www.caroleproman.com FACEBOOK LINK | TWITTER LINK Available at Amazon.

BOOK SHELF Wisdom of a Life Well-Lived

by Ethel Pearson Levine

E

thel Pearson Levine, school teacher and guidance counselor, lived to age 101. She wrote short advice columns about marriage and divorce to relationships, aging, and death. She took on subjects that affect us all. Within each article, there’s a message, an affirmation, for living a meaningful life. This book is a collection of her selected articles and life tribute. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPKA6zWdK7Y Available at Bookbaby.

The Loneliness Cure

by Kory Floyd, PhD

L

oneliness hurts.

Although today’s technology lets you communicate with people across the globe, it can leave you feeling disconnected and unhappy in the real world. The Loneliness Cure describes the epidemic of loneliness and offers six compelling strategies for attracting greater intimacy. It’s a valuable guide for anyone who longs for more emotional connection in his or her life. www.koryfloyd.com Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Should Syndrome

by Karen B. See Operating on autopilot?

Overcommitted and plagued by guilt?

Struggling with a major life change?

Make 2017 the year you take charge of your life!

The Should Syndrome is an easy-to-read, thought-provoking story that teaches a process for discovering who you are, what you want and how to realize your goals and dreams. www.theshouldsyndrome.com Paperback available from the author’s website.

Paperback and e-book formats available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Love’s Destiny, When Dreams and Visions Collide, and Love’s Legacy

by Dr. Ngozi M. Obi

D

r. Ngozi M. Obi is an American author whose love for writing has evolved into 3 published novels to date.

Love’s Destiny, her 1st novel, is an intriguing tale of love lost & found. Her 2nd novel, When Dreams & Visions Collide, is an uplifting tale of fulfilling dreams despite arduous challenges. Her 3rd novel, Love’s Legacy, continues the quest of true love in a riveting sequel to her first novel.

Visit www.ladyofdestiny.com to learn more.

BOOK SHELF Hawkins Lane

by Judith Kirscht

N

ed Hawkins’ and Erica Romano’s love and their love of the mountains overcomes their dissonant backgrounds—until the release of Ned’s father from prison disrupts the harmony.

“An engrossing story of the influence of family in our lives, and of the struggle by two people to triumph over tragedy. You’ll be captivated from the first page!”.

—Chanticleer Reviews www.judithkirscht.com Available at your independent bookstores and at Amazon.

The River of Grief

by CJ Hines

P

eople die. It’s inevitable.

But when someone close to you dies, you may feel like you have died too.

The trouble is that the rest of the world doesn’t share in your grief. They are still alive, and their lives have gone on normally.

Grieving is like being stuck in a murky, tangled, rock-ridden river with no way out and no one to throw you a lifeline.

Learn from author CJ Hines, who shows you, through sharing stories of her own grief, how to navigate the swirling waters of The River of Grief, with God’s hand guiding you all the way. www.cjhines.tateauthor.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Tate Publishing.

The Christmas Club

by Barbara Hinske

V

erna Lind expects Christmas of 1952 to be the best holiday she’s had since the war ended. But as she’s leaving the bank, a frigid wind off Lake Erie catches her hardearned Christmas club savings, whisking the bills into the busy streets of downtown Cleveland and devastating her plans. Strangers come to her aid, though no one anticipates the power of their chance encounter or the seeds of happiness Verna’s lost money will sow. www.barbarahinske.com Print and Kindle available on Amazon.

The Tail Wags the Dog

by Dr. Amy Beth Taublieb

H

aving worked with folks as they plowed through their psychological struggles of varying severity taught Dr. Amy Beth Taublieb an enormous amount about the human condition.

Her book, “The Tail Wags the Dog”, serves as a virtual guide to living life at an optimal level while navigating life’s inevitable struggles.

www.dramybeth.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Author House.

BOOK SHELF Scapegoat—A Flight Crew’s Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption

by Emilio Corsetti lll

T

he true story of a flight crew wrongly blamed for causing a near-fatal accident and the captain’s decades-long battle to clear his name.

“Fasten your seatbelt for an incredible story of injustice.”

—Karlene Petitt, international airline pilot, safety consultant, and best-selling author www.emiliocorsetti.com www.facebook.com/Scapegoatbook Available everywhere in eBook, print, and audio download You Shall Know Our Names

by Ezekiel Nieto Benzion

Grind City

by Gary Hardwick

A

black woman is murdered in a police precinct. Charges of brutality are leveled on law enforcement and Detroit is in society’s crosshairs.

Danny Cavanaugh, a white cop raised in an allblack neighborhood, has a compelling reason to work the case: the murdered woman was his beautiful and provocative sister-in-law.

Danny takes up an unauthorized investigation, always one step behind the ruthless killer. But as he closes in, the case takes a turn that plunges Danny into the abyss of the criminal mind, where he finds a motive more evil than murder.

Available at Amazon, Nook, Smashwords, and iTunes.

Shot Down

by Steve Snyder

W

That is how my journey began. And by its end, I learned all the secrets inscribed in my name.

inner of 20 national book awards, Shot Down is about the dramatic experiences of each member of a ten man B-17 crew after their plane (piloted by the author’s father) was knocked out of the sky by German fighters over the French/ Belgian border on February 8, 1944 and about the courageous Belgian citizens who risked their lives trying to help them. The hardcover book has more than 200 time period photographs of the people who were involved and the places where their stories took place.

www.tellingourtales.net Available at Amazon.

www.stevesnyderauthor.com Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

FINALIST National Jewish Book Award, 2014

A

s my grandfather gave me the old dusty journals, he pleaded, “I can’t read these. There are codes and puzzles I don’t understand. Who were these men? What did they do? Who recorded their deeds? I must know the truth before I die.”

BOOK SHELF Sorrows & Songs

by Janice Wood Wetzel

W

riting about herself with humility and grace, Wetzel demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit. Her life story is one of courage and triumph over adversity, culminating in an extraordinary professional and personal life. Her achievements as an international social work educator and women’s rights advocate are remarkable. “Sorrows & Songs” is an inspiration for women of all ages. www.sorrowsandsongs.com Soft cover and links to e-books versions can be found on the website God & Other Poems

by Paul Carroll

N

obody really wants to die, but the fact that he was facing death in 10 weeks did not deter Paul Carroll from writing what may be the best poems of his life. He reckons with his feelings, death, and ultimate questions through wonder, satire, and generous humor.

Join in his love and laughter: “Is there a Mrs. God?” www.bigtablebooks.com Available at Amazon.

http://parispolter.com/the-dance-of-the-moon Available at Amazon, Baker and Taylor, and IngramSpark.

See review by Dr. Thomas E. Phipps, Jr. in PHYSICS ESSAYS, Volume 28 Number 2 June 2015 page 290.

Minoan Signs

by GJK Campbell-Dunn MA (NZ), MA (Camb), PhD (Cant) The Minoan Linear Signs are NigerCongo (Atlantic) : Sign meaning = sign phonetic = Atlantic meaning = Atlantic phonetic. Minoan QE = Gola gbe ‘sun’; Minoan SU = Fula sudu ‘house’; Minoan PO ‘axe, foal’ = Gola po ‘zerbrechen’, bowo ‘jung’; Minoan WO ‘man’ = Fula wor ‘male’. Twenty-five words, including MARU ‘fleece’ = Fula mbalu ‘sheep’ are related to Fula. Minoan is “Fula”. www.minoansigns.wordpress.com Available at Amazon and BookWhirl.

BOOK SHELF Life Over Death

by Grant W. Fletcher

T

om Roddin mysteriously receives the ‘gift of Hope’ allowing him to create 10 miracles in exchange for 10 deaths. Dealing with the power of the gift and the consequences of his choices takes him on a soul-baring journey testing his moral foundation and redefining the boundaries of situational ethics while ensuring the choices validate Hope for those involved.

http://grantwfletcher.com/index.html Available at Amazon.

The Friday Edition

by Betta Ferrendelli

A

beautiful, young DA falls from her balcony to her death on Christmas Eve. Police suspect suicide, but the DA’s sister, Samantha Church isn’t buying it. Can she write the biggest story of her career before it’s too late and she’s targeted herself? A compelling and suspenseful read for those who love James Patterson, David Baldacci and Sue Grafton.

“The Friday Edition is a page-turner from start to finish.”

—Readers’ Favorite, 2014 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner www.bettaferrendellibooks.com Available at Amazon.

What Doesn’t Kill You

by Donna Huston Murray AWARD WINNER: Lauren Beck’s friends, phone, home, credit and credibility are gone, severed with surgical precision by an enemy intent on framing her for murder.

“Brave and determined, humorous despite it all… an admirable, down-to-earth heroine.”

–Kirkus Review “…a gripping page-turner.” –Publisher’s Weekly “This book should be picked up and savored.!”

–Judge, Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards www.donnahustonmurray.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes.

Magnolia Moonlight

by Mary Ellis

W

hen a preacher takes his own life, the congregation is quick to believe rumors, but his widow knows this was no suicide. When Price Investigations scratch beneath the surface, they discover Reverend Dean was a victim, not a thief. They uncover an elaborate pyramid to bilk millions from nonprofits, thousands of miles from where no one is whom they appear to be. www.maryellis.net Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Christian Book.

BOOK SHELF

Historical Romance Fiction Awarded Editor’s Choice iUniverse

Crossing at Sweet Grass Historical Romance Fiction

by Laurie G. Robertson

Palette of Secrets

by Joan Fallon

K

hen Ana is asked to help the famous artist, Nancy Miller, to write her memoirs, she doesn’t realise that the woman is hiding a terrible secret.

As she gradually unravels the mystery of Nancy’s past, she is faced with the dilemma of what to do with this information which, if revealed, could ruin Nancy’s reputation and devastate her family.

allie is a young woman traveling the Oregon Trail. After an unsuccessful river passage, she is taken captive by an Indian warrior and must rely on her innerstrength, stubbornness, and healing knowledge to survive. Immersed in a world where dangers lurk in the shadows, Kallie surrenders to conflicting emotions and discovers love in a future she never could have imagined.

www.laurierobertson.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iUniverse.

Mistletoe, Mischief, and the Marquis

by Amelia Grey

M

W

www.joanfallon.co.uk/palette-of-secrets.html www.facebook.com/PaletteofSecrets1 Available at Amazon.

First Comes Love: Portraits of Enduring LGBTQ Relationships

by B. Proud

arquis of Wythebury plans an ordinary Christmastide until the cheeky Miss Prim challenges him concerning his young nephews. Few people have ever been brave enough to do that.

Lillian Prim doesn’t understand why two boys can’t play outside until she meets their dashing guardian. Lord Wythebury is too serious-minded.

Lillian decides to create Christmastide mischief and teach the boys and the Marquis how to play.

he LGBTQ “must have” story of our times. First Comes Love seeks to change attitudes and open hearts simply by introducing and sharing black & white portraits and love stories of 65 real long-term couples, including Edie Windsor, Bishop Gene Robinson, the Proposition 8 plaintiffs, Barbara Gittings and more. Foreword by Edie Windsor. Gold Medal winner- Independent Publishers Book Awards.

www.ameliagrey.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and iTunes.

www.firstcomeslove.org Available at author’s website and Amazon.

T

BOOK SHELF Holes in my Shoes

by Alice Breon HOLES IN MY SHOES is a heart-warming story of one family’s experiences during the Great Depression.

Journey back eighty-five years to a time of drugstore soda fountains,penny candy, homemade root beer,and ten-cent movies.

“I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning what life was like during this time period, but more so for every school age child to learn about what it means to live your life not dependent upon or for things, but for the relationships with family, your neighbors, and your closest friends.”

—Amazon Reader’s Review aandwbreon@comcast.net Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Xlibris.

Pure Moxie

by Leda Sanford

I

mpetuous Leda Sanford abandoned secure suburbia in the 1960s in exchange for a life on the edge, as a top magazine editor and publisher, in the competitive and maledominated Manhattan magazine publishing world.

Her new memoir, Pure Moxie, is set in the ‘Mad Men’ period of magazine publishing and advertising—complete with the day drinking, romance, scandal and drama.

Pure Moxie recreates a world of jet-setting opulence many women can only fantasize about— private planes, five-star hotels, and a state dinner at the White House—plus a headline-making affair. www.ledasanford.com Available at Amazon.

Conversations With an Angel Named Bill

by Michael Hanian

O

ne day Max, a young idler who drifts along his tedious and uneventful life, meets Bill, an angel on an undisclosed assignment. They start a series of conversations covering a variety of issues. Gradually, these sessions develop into a friendship. Being an angel, Bill is capable of analyzing intricate situations and offering infallible solutions, but his talents are greatly limited when it comes to love…

“A rare example of inspirational fiction that will appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike.”

—Kirkus Reviews Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

*

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Contact publisher Margaret Brown to reserve your space.

Margaret@shelfmediagroup.com 214.704.4182.

BOOK SHELF The Blood Key

by Vaun Murphrey

Z

ENA SKALA is freed from an asylum at age eighteen after serving time for a crime she didn’t commit—the presumed murder of her missing brother.

Unwanted attention from the police and media ensues. Zena’s only hope resides in the deserted Skala Estate and memories from her odd past.

Secrets await in her family home. Some more dangerous than others... www.vaunmurphrey.com Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Ask Me Again

by Gina L. Maxwell

B

rokenhearted, Trish swears off love and heads back to her small hometown to lick her wounds.

When the girl who friend-zoned him as kids returns home, Tony shows her he’s not the scrawny, timid boy she remembers; he’s a man who knows what he wants, and he wants her. *Based on true events of a real-life love story.

www.ginalmaxwell.com Available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

Chemistry

by C.L. Lynch

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assy, plus-sized seventeen-year-old Stella Blunt faces selfesteem issues, bullies, first love, and a zombie outbreak in this hilarious girl-power response to Twilight. Teens will laugh out loud as Stella solves her problems with confidence, feminism, and a chainsaw.

“Delightfully funny, wickedly sharp.”

—Carol P. Roman, author of the Captain No Beard series www.cllynch.com Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in ebook and print editions.

*

Promote your book in Shelf Unbound in our Special Advertising Section for Authors. Each issue of Shelf Unbound is distributed to more than 125,000 people in the U.S. and 62 countries around the globe. Our introductory ad rate for this section is $375/quarter page as seen here.

Contact publisher Margaret Brown to reserve your space.

Margaret@shelfmediagroup.com 214.704.4182.

BOOK SHELF Shopping for the Real You

by Andrea Pflaumer “The chapter on the LBD (little black dress) alone is worth the price!”

“I found this to be the best book for advice on color and style, easy to read and understand.”

“It is loaded with information, all clearly explained. Definitely the best book I have read on the subject.”

www.shoppingfortherealyou.com Available at Amazon and the author’s website.

Let’s Go On A Letter Hunt

by Sue Tenerowicz and Lynn Champagne

A

n alphabet adventure that takes your young reader on a marvelous journey of rhyming and hunting for letters from A-Z. The fun loving guide, Alphie, leads the reader or listener up trees, on beaches, into parks, and many other fun places where the alphabet is hiding, in plain view.

This fun and interactive book engages the reader from beginning to end.

www.alphietheletterhunter.com/buy-the-book www.spellitoutphotos.com/our-book Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Abstract Painting, A Practical Approach

by Hennie Reimer

W

hile many art how-to books offer explicit stepby-step instructions, Abstract Painting: A Practical Approach uses a less stringent strategy to teach you how to paint, which not only leaves ample room for your own creativity but also frees you to have plenty of fun with the process.

Are you ready to sidestep formulas and search the depths of your own creativity? www.henniereimerwebsite.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Alibris.

*

Promote your book in Shelf Unbound in our Special Advertising Section for Authors. Each issue of Shelf Unbound is distributed to more than 125,000 people in the U.S. and 62 countries around the globe. Our introductory ad rate for this section is $375/quarter page as seen here.

Contact publisher Margaret Brown to reserve your space.

Margaret@shelfmediagroup.com 214.704.4182.

BOOK SHELF THE UNIQUE CHILDHOOD OF A

HUMMER Growing up as a fatherless boy near Center City Philadelphia in America’s most extraordinary orphanage

The Unique Childhood of a Hummer

by Lewis N. Rinko

A Second in Eternity

by Gary L. Wimmer

By Lewis N. Rinko

This memoir/novel recounts the author’s childhood as an orphan growing up in an extraordinary school for fatherless boys. Leaving home at age eight after his father dies in a mining accident, he experiences cruel conditions, harsh punishment, but also humorous escapades and adventures as he learns that to survive he must depend on only one person—himself.

Available at musingspress.com and Amazon Books.

A Journey of a New Person

Jouney of A New Person, Harden Not Your Heart

by Robert Spruce and Sherri Petrek

Robert W. Spruce and Sherri C. Petrek

O

f profound importance are “relationships” and influences on those relationships: one’s relationship with God, one’s relationships with fellow new persons, with others that are encountered, and with self. The book focuses both on the practical and the spiritual application of the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. www.journeyofanewperson.tateauthor.com Also available in Spanish and eBook.

Available at Amazon, eBay, and Tate Publishing.

A

Second in Eternity is the true story about the author’s intense and enlightening “neardeath” experience in 1977, an experience that changed his life forever and still inspires and empowers him to this day. A witty and insightful page-turner, this book challenges the reader to think outside the box about every facet of existence. www.lithomancy.com http://garywimmer.com/writer/eternity.htm Available at Amazon.

*

Promote your book in Shelf Unbound in our Special Advertising Section for Authors. Each issue of Shelf Unbound is distributed to more than 125,000 people in the U.S. and 62 countries around the globe. Our introductory ad rate for this section is $375/quarter page as seen here.

Contact publisher Margaret Brown to reserve your space.

Margaret@shelfmediagroup.com 214.704.4182.

e Coaching bit Say s, Ask More hange the y You Lead ever Michael Bungay Stanier

author of e at work

CHECK OUT THIS YEAR’S TOP 100 NOTABLES

S T U F F

a novel by

John Crawley

114 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

Finding Your Style in Pastel

2

Shot Down

by Jean Hirons

by Steve Snyder

Finding Your Style in Pastel is a book about decision making and how the decisions each artist makes contributes to his or her own personal style. No artists have such wide variety of choices as those who use the beautiful medium of soft pastel. Many artists have shared their work in this book, making it clear how the decisions each made regarding composition, contrast, color usage, and stroke have created an individual style. Hirons also shares a wealth of experience gained from both painting and teaching a college course in pastel.

Set within the framework of World War II in Europe, Shot Down recounts the dramatic experiences of each member of a ten man B-17 bomber crew after their plane, piloted by the author’s father, was knocked out of the sky by German fighters over Belgium on February 8, 1944. The individual stories of each crew member and the courageous Belgian people who risked their lives to help them are all different; some tragic but all remarkable.

The hardcover book has more than 200 time period photographs of the people who were involved and the locations where the events took place.

“Writing this book was a labor of love.

I knew that it would have to be unique and add something not currently available. Being able to publish this book independently gave me the freedom to develop the theme, organize the book as I liked, and choose whose work to include.

The greatest joy was that the I found the people with whom I worked most closely from among my pastel students, including the book’s designer and the two editors.

The beautiful and functional design provided by Elroy Williams makes the book truly special.”

NOTABLE 100

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“After retiring, I had the time to delve into my father’s was history in greater depth.

Reading my father’s diary and the letters he had written to my mother, I became absolutely fascinated with the story of my father and his bomber crew. Following 3 years of dedicated research and trips to Belgium, I came to the conclusion that the story was so unique and so compelling that it needed to be told and people needed to read about it.”

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No Cape Needed

All I Ever Needed Was the Music

Award-winning leadership and communication expert David Grossman has helped hundreds of leaders become great communicators who drive their businesses forward in impressive ways.

In No Cape Needed, Grossman brings that insight to all leaders, demonstrating how communication can be a “superpower” in today’s highly competitive business environment.

As Grossman shows, great communication skills are a lot easier to attain than many leaders think, and there is a clear path to becoming an inspiring leader and communicator. Through this engaging book with a simple Do/ Don’t format, leaders learn how better communication skills clearly translate to better leadership, allowing them to quickly transform their organization, not to mention their relationships and their lives.

No Cape Needed addresses common frustrations and challenges leaders face, whether they feel stuck communicating strategy, engaging their teams or they’re unable to see a clear path through the dizzying array of challenges amid incredible demands on their time.

“All I Ever Needed Was the Music: A Biography of Edward Kleban, Lyricist of ‘A Chorus Line’” by Phillip Sprayberry is the first biography of this underrecognized talent of the 20th Century.

Kleban was a figure of vital importance to the musical theatre community and the biography discusses his personal and professional life and his value to musical theatre by examining his work as a record producer, as a student and teacher at the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, as a composer, and as a lyricist, especially regarding his contribution to the multiaward winning musical, “A Chorus Line.”

Edward Kleban was eclipsed by the brighter personalities associated with “A Chorus Line.” The great paradox of Edward Kleban was his yearning for success coupled with self-imposed stumbling blocks and a lifetime of emotional issues—but his life was more than a footnote. “All I Ever Needed Was the Music” strives to put a face on Kleban and establish a connection between him and a public that has adored his lyrics for more than three decades.

by David Grossman

116 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Phillip Sprayberry

The Magic of Moments

6

Sever

by Joan Kantor

by Matt Ingwalson

The sensual magic of the natural world comes alive in this collection of meditative nature poems. The colors, smells, textures, and shapes of the outdoors are cast in high relief. Forsythia explodes ‘in wild popcorn profusion’, dandelion puffs become a summer snow shower and vernal pools disappear ‘with a snap f summer’s scalding fingers’. Outdoor denizens will rediscover the familiar vividly rendered. Armchair nature lovers will find delight that tempts them outside, to a place of mindful reflection.

Sometime toward the end of Leo Thomas’ junior year, the tiny college town of Epshire was set upon by four axe murderers, two of them serial killers. No one could say why, exactly. And no one could make the killing stop.

Sever is a coming-of-age novella wrapped in a horror story wrapped in a love letter to college, a time when you’re supposed to feel invincible, a time when you shouldn’t be able to die.

“The natural world is a vehicle for me to calmly look deeper, see connections and the juxtaposition of harshness and beauty, life and death. It brings me to a place of heightened awareness and spirituality; a meditative state. With this book I hope to encourage you to take a little time away from the high pressure digital world to notice nature. If you do, you too might discover The Magic of Moments in a peaceful place of mindful reflection.”

NOTABLE 100

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“Sever sometimes trends on Amazon’s YA horror lists. This is confusing and vaguely worrisome to me. Partially because I’m not sure the violence is appropriate for the under-sixteen set. But mostly because I haven’t the slightest idea why teens would be interested in 160 pages of mid-Nineties nostalgia. Kids these days. What are you going to do?”

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The Flip

The After House

Julie and Brad Evans are house flippers.

They buy low, clean out the old occupants junk, and try to make a profit. Enter Hemmings House on Bedlam Street in scenic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island.

Too good a deal to pass up, but with an ominous secret. The old Victorian Mansion has dwellers that do not want to be dispossessed. As the house reveal it’s past, will the couples marriage survive The Flip?

“We had just bought a new house and were in the process of renovation. I found a cigarette burn on a countertop in the kitchen. It was small, but a permanent reminder of the person who lived in our home before us. Did it get there from a careless flick of a lit ember? Was there a fight about ruining a countertop? Did the years of smoking stay with the former resident leaving a similar mark on their lung, as it has with my own father? Do we leave cosmic traces of ourselves behind when we leave this place? These are the thoughts that morphed into The Flip. Is there more to us than our bodies and do we leave a piece of our soul as proof that we were here?”

Remy Galway and her daughter Olivia are rebuilding their life after a failed marriage in a 300 year old cottage in historic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Little do they know, another occupant is lurking in the haven of their own home. Will the After House be their shelter or their tomb?

by Michael Phillip Cash

118 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Michael Phillip Cash

“I live near a small town in Long Island call Cold Spring Harbor. As a child, my mom used to take us there to explore and shop.

The town was founded in the 17th century and has one long street filled with small cottages that are now stores and still retain the smoky wood scent of the fireplaces that used to warm them. They are the former homes of the sea captains that worked the whale trade in the eighteenth century. There’s a small whaling museum with artifacts and a diorama that actually inspired the whole book. It’s a three d depiction of a whale being killed by a group of seamen. The whale’s agony is horrific as it is heart-breaking. They have an original longboat in the museum, when I stood inside of the small craft and thought of the beauty of those majestic creatures, Captain Eli took shape.”

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The Shaping of Destiny

Scapegoat: A Flight Crew’s Journey

The Shaping of Destiny is the first volume in my trilogy about the life and times of King Pyrrhus of Epirus. He was part of the generation after Alexander the Great, and was a critically important figure in the Hellenistic World left behind by Alexander.

Volume I begins with the fateful Battle of Ipsus, where Pyrrhus and his friend, Demetrius, have to flee to Greece, after Antigonus, Demetrius’ father, is defeated and killed.

It was the most popular aircraft in the world. But did it have a flaw? Scapegoat is the true story of an airline crew wrongly blamed for causing a near-fatal accident and the captain’s decades-long battle to clear his name.

This is a story that has all the elements of a wrongful conviction: tunnel vision by investigators, attempts to explain away evidence that doesn’t fit a theory, even faulty eyewitness testimony.

The author presents the evidence. The readers can draw their own conclusions.

The investigation into TWA 841 is a mystery that has taken over three decades to unravel.

by Ian Crouch

“My favourite reading since my early days in Medical School has been Greek and Roman history. The books are the next step in this journey. They give me an opportunity to offer my own comments on, and representations of, a favourite time in history.

Pyrrhus of Epirus is a great figure in history, but he has been ignored from the point of view of Historical Fiction.

This gave me an opportunity to present a magnificent story that was fresh, and free of previous tellings.

Pyrrhus was presented with the chance of being remembered as one of the great captains of history. He was also desirous of such fame, as were Alexander, Hannibal (one of Pyrrhus’ greatest admirers), Scipio and Napoleon. I.C.”

NOTABLE 100

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by Emilio Corsetti III

At the heart of this story is a mystery.

What caused an airliner to roll over and dive some 39,000 feet? The answer to that mystery isn’t solved until nearly eight years after the incident. It takes the efforts of a retired aeronautical engineer and a lone pilot investigator, neither of whom took part in the original investigation, to finally piece together the evidence pointing to a probable cause not considered by the original investigators.

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The Vampire Girl in London

by Richard Arbib

In The Vampire Girl Next Door, Mark fell in love with Sylvia, the beautiful, but quirky girl next door, not realizing that she was a vampire who killed his last neighbor.

Now, in The Vampire Girl in London, they fly from Mark’s San Francisco to Sylvia’s London. They tangle with terrorists, are shadowed by a CIA agent, and are pursued by a vampire-hunting cult.

Even more challenging, they must cope with living in a mansion full of Sylvia’s vampire friends—some of whom she can’t really trust. And Mark still has to deal with Sylvia’s sexual hijinks. Will Mark and Sylvia’s love be enough to survive it all?

“I’ve liked female vampires since I was young. Years later, as a writer, I wondered: What if the ideal woman also happened to be a vampire? The result was Sylvia, who is eternally beautiful, sexy, intelligent, loyal, and devoted to Mark, the protagonist of both novels. But she can also alienate his friends, cause embarrassing situations, and have unusual sexual demands. Mark falls for Sylvia in The Vampire Girl Next Door. Their adventures continue in The Vampire Girl in London.”

120 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

12

Wasted: Murder in the Berkeley Recycle Yard

by John Byrne Barry

Berkeley reporter Brian Hunter investigates the “recycling wars,” finds the body of his friend Doug crushed in an aluminum bale, and hunts down the murderer, all the while trying to win the heart of Barb, Doug’s ex, now the prime suspect.

Wasted is not just another trashy mystery.

Set in the gritty and malodorous world of garbage and recycling, Wasted explores rich themes of reinvention, transition, and discarding that which no longer serves us. Part mystery, part love triangle, and part political satire, Wasted asks the ageold question: How do I act with truth and integrity and still get laid?

John Byrne Barry wrote his first booklength work in fifth grade at Kilmer School in Chicago, a 140-page treatise on dinosaurs. One dinosaur for each page.

He’s been writing ever since—magazine and newspaper stories, political comedy, plays, and novels. He’s even written advice columns. His first novel—Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher—won the Best Book 2015 Award from the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. He lives in Mill Valley, California, with his wife and family.

Wait, How Do I Write this Email?

14

Unfolding Happiness

by Danny Rubin

by Ambika Devi, MA & Vijay Jain, MD

In his comprehensive guide, communications expert Danny Rubin provides more than 100 email/document templates for networking and the job search. With each template, Rubin saves you time and takes the stress out of professional email writing.

Wait, How Do I Write This Email? is a perfect resource for people who need to build relationships and grow into careers. It’s used in high schools, colleges, workforce development and the Pentagon as part of communications courses for senior-level personnel.

Rubin also includes LinkedIn templates, memorable handwritten notes, a powerful one-page resume and a fresh cover letter strategy with a focus on storytelling.

Unfolding Happiness is a beautiful introduction to Ayurveda. In it, Ambika and Vijay share their heartfelt stories and guidance that lead you to a state of happiness and understanding what healthy truly is. This knowledge blossoms forth through the wisdom of Ayurveda and her sister sciences of Yoga and Meditation and our cosmic connection to nature. Things you can try at home and a concise Sanskrit glossary make this a must read!

“People often tell me they will fret over a single email for two hours – deleting, starting over, deleting, starting over.

What’s more, the business book market has lacked a wide-ranging guide of templates for common writing scenarios.

As writing skills fritter away in our culture, people realize they need a guide to write professionally. That’s why I wrote Wait, How Do I Write This Email?. I hope to provide a solution to a societal problem.”

NOTABLE 100

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Ambika Devi, MA fills her pockets with degrees including an MA in Yoga Vedanta Education and a BS in Astrology. Her first novel Lilith won finalist in the International Book Awards. Here she shares how Ayurveda has unfolded mysteries and increased intuition that have brought great healing and opened her path to happiness.

Vijay Jain, MD practiced general surgery for more than 40 years and has been practicing and teaching Ayurvedic medicine for the last 20 years. He lectures on how to create optimum health using the principles of Ayurveda. Here he shares his own personal story of healing from an autoimmune disease and the path to happiness.

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The Coelho Medallion

The Sign of Jonah

An ancient medallion is unearthed in Pueblo, Colorado, revealing a secret that will rewrite the history of North America—Vikings somehow made it to the continent’s interior, centuries before Columbus, and there they built a city of gold. But today the Coelho Medallion has been stolen, and a linguist has been abducted in connection with the crime.

Could the abductors be after the fabled city of gold? Or do they have a more sinister plot in mind? It’s up to independent archeologist, Dan Kotler, to find the medallion, save his friend, and prevent a doomsday attack on US soil.

A group of Filipinos and expatriates are living peacefully together on an island in the central Philippines until a plan to salvage a Japanese World War II wreck and sell it for scrap divides the community along predictable fault lines: Filipinos, an American and an Australian vs. two Japanese, a German and a seemingly neutral Swiss. As the novel progresses, nationality has less and less to do with anything. People want gold for the power it brings. In spite of how things may appear, it is the fundamental choices that each character makes that will decide the outcome.

“The Coelho Medallion started as a dare.

A friend and occasional writing partner wanted me to try my hand at a thriller. I did, and my readers went insane for it. So much so that I published a prequel novella and I have a sequel novel ready for release.

That dare has brought me more satisfaction and more amazing readers than I ever expected. It’s reshaped how I think of and approach my career, and it has inspired me to take more risks as an author. It’s one the books I’m most proud of.”

“I’ve lived abroad for twenty-three years and seen many things. But for all the differences in the world today in terms of culture, ethnicity, and religion, the daily battle for the human soul is remarkably the same. The central question no matter where we are living or what we believe in is: Are we going to capitulate to the darkness or turn to the light? Our answer will inform every action that we take and every word out of our mouths.”

by Kevin Tumlinson

122 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Charlie Canning

The Brand New You

by Julie Broad

Many people think that branding is about cool logos, fancy websites and social media popularity. But this line of thought causes potential successes to fail. So what does work? In The New Brand You, Julie Broad, MBA and award winning entrepreneur, shares the secrets of creating a trusted brand. You’ll learn what is critical in reinventing your personal brand, and why you may never have to tweet, pin or post on Facebook to do it. The New Brand You is your detailed guidebook to successfully recreating your brand and attracting your ideal clients.

“Selling made me so nervous I once forgot to wear pants! But, if you want to create a successful business (or career!) you have to be able to network, sell and showcase your expertise. So, what can you do? Create a personal brand that does the hard work for you. This book contains the research, the results, and the (sometimes funny) stories of what works and doesn’t work to become the name people know and trust in any business.”

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NOTABLE 100

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The Maiden Voyage of the Destiny Unknown

by Nicholas Ponticello

It is two hundred million years into the future, and Earth is devastated by a dying sun whose expanding photosphere has melted the surface of the planet and driven humans underground. In this world, humankind is doomed to extinction. But Marcus Fincus thinks he can secure the survival of the human species. He selects a small crew of brave voyagers from the insignificant but determined planet Earth to set out in search of a new home.

The Maiden Voyage of the Destiny Unknown is a dark parable about the nature of human existence told from the perspective of an alien observer who refuses to intervene when our heroes come face-to-face with deadly meteor showers, alien cannibals, and other crises. Funny and philosophical in its treatment of human nature, The Maiden Voyage not only seeks to understand the place of humans in the universe—it also seeks to address the looming question: What makes us so special?

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The Coaching Habit Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever Michael

19

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Bungay Stanier

bestselling author of do more g re at work

The Coaching Habit

by Michael Bungay Stanier

Michael Bungay Stanier’s new book, The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, is a follow-up to the best-selling Do More Great Work. The Coaching Habit translates solid research on the neuroscience of habits and engagement into seven easy-to-apply questions that can change the way busy managers lead.

Chances are you sometimes feel overconnected and overwhelmed at work.

You probably can’t work any harder than you already are — so wouldn’t it be great if you could work less hard and have more impact? This book will help you do just that.

“To build a coaching habit as a busy manager, you don’t need a whole lot — a few really good questions and the tools to make asking them a regular habit. That’s exactly what my new book, The Coaching Habit, provides you with — seven powerful questions and the means to help change the way you work and how you lead.

Master them, and you’ll be able to work less hard and have more impact. The book is short and practical and I think it’s my best one yet!”

124 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

The Cancer Card: Dealing with a Diagnosis

by Karen Van De Water

The Cancer Card is an indispensible guide for cancer patients and their caregivers.

Uplifting, practical, and hopeful, this book chronicles the journey through a cancer diagnosis, surgery, and chemotherapy. A resource and terminology guide is included to help navigate through the uncharted waters. Informative and inspiring, this book will provide invaluable tips for every step of the way with dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

“I wrote The Cancer Card in the hopes of helping someone who is put in the same place I was when I learned of my lung cancer diagnosis. It’s shocking. I was so overwhelmed by being diagnosed, and wish I had had some sort of guide or play book to let me know what to expect, and what resources are available. I’m hoping to impart some of the vast knowledge I learned along the way. I want other patients and caregivers to know they are not alone. “

The Divorce Talk: How to Tell the Kids

by Vikki Stark

The Divorce Talk: How to Tell the Kids is the definitive guide that helps parents learn how to tell their kids of an upcoming divorce with the least risk of trauma. Based on interviews with over one hundred children whose parents divorced, this practical book covers the technical stuff— when, where and what to say—as well as specific issues, such as dealing with affairs and handling blame, but the core of the book is that it teaches parents how respond sensitively to their children’s emotions so they can break the news without breaking their hearts.

“In my work as a family therapist, every couple of months an anxious couple comes to see me to ask how they should tell their kids that they are getting divorced. Deeply worried about how their children will react, they pepper me with questions, both practical and emotional. It was my wish to provide parents with a clear-cut guide to this difficult conversation that led me to write this book.”

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NOTABLE 100

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The Depth of Beauty

by A.B. Michaels

In San Francisco’s Chinatown circa 1903, slavery, polygamy, and prostitution are thriving—just blocks away from the city’s elite. Wealthy and well-connected, Will Firestone enters the mysterious enclave with an eye toward expanding his shipping business. What he discovers will astonish him. With the help of an exotic widow and a gifted orphan, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, where lust, love and tragedy will change his life forever.

A stand-alone novel, The Depth of Beauty is part of the multi-generational saga “Sinner’s Grove,” which chronicles the family and friends of an artists’ retreat on the northern California coast.

“The Depth of Beauty is ultimately about exploring beyond one’s comfort zone, and I loved setting it in early twentieth century Chinatown. I’ve woven several historical figures into the story, including Donaldina Cameron, Rupert Blue, and Sieh King King, each of whom played important roles in San Francisco’s history.

Likewise, descriptions of the plague (and attempts to eradicate it), lotus-foot women, mui tsais, the use of opium, the call for reform, etc. are all based on historical sources.”

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S T U F F

a novel by

John Crawley

Stuff

Storykeeper

Fire!

You are awakened at dawn by a fire brigade and told you have less than an hour to pack up your things and vacate the premises. Your home is going to be destroyed. There is nothing the fire fighters can do to save it.

What do you take? What do you keep?

What history is in those possessions you call precious? It is time to leave, but one more thing. Just one– And so goes the day for David Taylor in Stuff—a novel based on the Bastrop fires of Texas in 2011. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and lives turned upside down.

David’s was just one of these stories. But his tale reminds us all that stuff is not what life is made of—not entirely anyway.

“A vivid slowly unfolding epic” (Kirkus Reviews) based on historic documents, this award-winning novel examines a devastating milestone in the history of the people of the Mississippi River Valley.

Conquistadors arrived in 1541. A century later empowered by a dream, Manaha fights against the taboos of her tribe to keep alive the stories of their decimated and abandoned homeland. A “story that needs to be told” (BookLife Prize in Fiction) and “will both intrigue and entertain” (Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards).

by John Crawley

“I watched the Bastrop fire from a distance and wondered about the lives of the men and women caught up in the fight to save their homes and their belongings. Then my wife asked me, ‘What would you take?’

And from that question came the thriller of David Taylor’s life. Realizing stuff is just stuff until it becomes important in a life and death race. Be careful what you choose.”

126 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Daniel A. Smith

“Ishi In Two Worlds, a book about the last survivor of the Yanti nation, inspired me to wonder about being the only one who remembers an entire people and their stories. On a late-night drive through the Ozark Mountains images of a bitter old hermit finding a young child abandoned in her own grave pushed me write four lone paragraphs. Two years later I started Storykeeper. Twenty-two pages into it, I pasted those four paragraphs in without changing a word.”

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Storm Wolf

Snowflakes in July

Alexei loses control of the wolf-magic he inherited from his grandfather and becomes a killer who slaughters his neighbors, his friends -- even his family.

Heartbroken at what he has become, Alexei flees his home and wanders through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Bohemia. He encounters the Master of Wolves who forces him to terrorize local farmers and the infamous Frau Bertha with her belt of sailor-skin to trap those who anger her in the form of wolves. Can Alexei ever dare to hope that he will find an enchanter who can free him from the curse?

“I read a random sentence in a folklore study that mentioned the Estonian belief that werewolves could fly and protect farms and villages from devastating storms and—VIOLA!—the character of Alexei sprang fully formed into being! He was going to be a supporting cast member in another novel but the editor said that he was too good a character not to have his own story so I gave him his own novel.”

Domestic terrorists have a highly placed mole in the Pentagon!

Following his tips, the New Left terrorists make massive weapons thefts, assassinate moderate leaders, and explode bombs in the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and police stations. When the mole relays weaknesses in the storage of Navy nuclear weapons, the terrorists prepare a commando raid to steal warheads.

In the Pentagon, POW hero Captain Mike Duquesne becomes suspicious of the mole and enlists Leslie Thomas, a Navy staff lawyer, in his investigation. The terrorists target her for blackmail for a youthful indiscretion. Can Mike thwart a nuclear theft?

by Stephen Morris

NOTABLE 100

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by Warren Bell

“In the Pentagon, I dealt with a DOD analyst whose snowflakes (proposed cuts) would have destroyed every advantage the U.S. Navy had over the Soviet Union. We joked that the man must be a Russian mole.

New Left terrorism plagued the 1970s.

Better protection of U.S. nuclear warheads became urgent. POWs came home from Vietnam. These events coalesced into my plot for Snowflakes in July: A POW hero battles a terrorist theft of nuclear bombs.

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Heartfelt Connections

Opportunity Found

Heartfelt Connections celebrates the lifechanging bond between people and animals and provides unique insight into the dynamics and rewards of having these relationships. With narratives and research about horses who heal, dogs who help children read, cats who save the lives of their caretakers, and pigs, sheep, ducks and llamas who help reduce stress and lift the spirits of those around them, it shows how animals are in action across the United States at nursing homes, at hospitals and at homes—and are making a difference in the lives of many people.

Humans have expanded across the solar system. The Off-Earth settlers have created a truly free society. But this life is threatened. Living out here requires tremendous amounts of energy, which means a great deal of methane is needed.

Luckily, slabs of methane ice are laying here on the surface of Pluto. Timothy Krane and his team are here struggling to keep the supply flowing.

But a murder changes everything.

Several acts of sabotage follow cranking up the pressure cooker they inhabit. Krane searches for those responsible as he works to prevent a small war between his crew and the miners.

by Anne E. Beall

“I decided to write this book when I had the epiphany about how much animals help us. I had observed how the feral cats I care for had managed to rid our neighborhood of rats and I’d seen how my indoor (non-feral) cat seemed to try to comfort me when I was distressed. Those experiences made me realize that animals are highly engaged with us and led me to explore this topic in more detail.”

128 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

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by David Mullins

“The story I tell in Opportunity Found is a mystery inside a science fiction adventure.

I have also worked in my vision of the Off Earth settlements and the free society they can and will build.

I began this novel quite a while ago, repeatedly putting it aside but always coming back to it. There is a lot of work in this novel and a lot on me in there as well.

I hope you enjoy it.”

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The Sound of Falling Stars

Saving Phoebe Murrow

When Martin Krumm learns that a beloved character from his childhood has died, he returns to his mother’s home in England in search of answers.

But a disturbing secret is soon revealed, sending Martin on a strange and twisting journey that takes him from rural England to the bright lights of Berlin and the winding canals and cobblestoned streets of Amsterdam. Armed with just a name and an old address, he sets out in search of someone he has never met—someone he must find if he is ever to learn the truth about the secrets that were left behind.

The Sound of Falling Stars is a love letter wrapped in a mystery. It is an unconventional love story about an extraordinary woman and the profound effect she had on a troubled, young boy— one that ultimately, and unexpectedly, changes the course of his life long after she has disappeared into the past. It is a sly and surprising story that illustrates how love can always come back to us, even after decades of silence, and change everything.

Set amidst the complicated web of adolescent relationships, Saving Phoebe Murrow tells a story of the devastating impact social media can have on teen girls. Isabel, a DC lawyer, does everything she can to keep Phoebe from harm, but fails when the mysterious Shane appears on Facebook and flirts with her teenage daughter. Not only is this novel about a fragile girl who resorts to cutting and the difficulties of mother-daughter relationships, but it also revolves around a harrowing cyber-bullying incident that leaves readers wondering whether anyone can save Phoebe. “...a harrowing yet completely addictive read.” —Sophie Hedley, book blogger

by Michael Flocker

NOTABLE 100

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by Herta Feely

“The inspiration for the novel came from an article I read in 2008 about 13-yearold Megan Meier, who committed suicide after a boy cyber-bullied her on MySpace.

It turned out that the “boy” was actually Lori Drew, the mother of a former friend of Megan’s. It shocked me that a mother was capable of such cruelty and made me want to write a novel, with its own set of characters and plot, to understand how someone could do this.”

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Saffron

Royal Partners: Learning to Work with God

by Vic Warren

Jamie Edmondson is friends with nearly everybody, as long as they don’t disagree with his strident views on the environment.

When he leads an expedition up the California coast to the discovery of a new race of humans who live under the sea, things change. That’s when he meets some really bad people who don’t like humans that aren’t human. We call them Neptunes, and this race of telepaths threatens everything we humans stand for.

When Jamie falls for a beautiful young Neptune, he discovers that when you’re underwater, no one can count your tears.

“The idea for the Neptune Chronicles came to me in a dream, and my wife, Laurel, saw the merit in the idea of underwater humans and urged me to write something. As I got into it, I realized it is a perfect vehicle for a strong statement about the way we’re damaging the oceans, and early readers liked the voice and suggested it become a series.”

130 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

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2017

by Larry Fox

Being a child of God can be confusing.

Does serving Him mean doing only what He tells us, or do we have authority to act on our own? Why should we ask for His will to be done on earth or say “Amen” to His promises? God is pleased to include us as members of His family and develop a cooperative, interdependent relationship with us, including us in everything He does and being involved in everything we do. Only then can we become Royal Partners with Him, work beyond our ability and produce extraordinary results.

“For years I heard preaching and teaching about the nature of our relationship with God; all of it based on the Bible, but some of the conclusions seemed contradictory.

As a Bible student, I began to research the topic for my own clarity and benefit, and what I learned continues to shape my perspective of my relationship with God. I believe “Royal Partners” lays an important foundation that will benefit anyone who embraces our partnership with the Almighty.”

Hellkat

by Robyn Roze

Romance, mystery, and family drama will keep you reading past your bedtime. Kat James thought one hot night between the sheets would get Tucker Williams out of her system. She was wrong. Now what?

She may not live long enough to find out...

When dangerous family secrets surface, Kat will confront the people who’ve irrevocably changed her life. And in the end, she and Tucker will battle a union of madness they could not have seen coming.

Family is supposed to watch your back, but sometimes they stab you in it instead.

“Resilient women are the inspiration for my stories. And I confess a fondness for older heroines. Kat James is such a heroine. She’s late thirties, intelligent, tough, confident, and independent. A single woman who isn’t looking for a man to complete her. But rather a partner in life who will accept her as-is, faults and all.

And Kat is a woman who will not settle for less. She’s the kind of woman I aspire to be in my own life.”

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Pilgrim Spokes: The Journey Continues …

Cycling East Across America

by Neil M. Hanson

A cross-country bicycle adventure is the canvas for this tale of discovery along the winding backroads of America’s heartland.

The second book in the “Cycling Reflections” series, Pilgrim Spokes tells the story of the eastern half of the transAmerican trek, continuing the saga begun in Neil’s award-winning previous book— Pilgrim Wheels—which reconnoiters the western half of the journey.

More than just a journal of a bike ride across the country, Hanson’s delightful and beautifully written story takes the reader on an engaging pilgrimage of observation and reflection. Often hilarious, sometimes poignant, and always inspiring, it’s a mustread adventure that will stir your soul.

“My sojourn across America was more about the journey than the destination, and this book is a journey story in the truest sense of the word. This story written for anyone who wants to share in the adventure, the people and places I met along the way, and how those people and places traveled through my life.”

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Pilate’s 7

Pennies from Burger Heaven

Pilate’s 7 features seven short stories spotlighting seven characters in the world of the popular John Pilate Mystery Series.

In this unique installment—the fifth in the series—John Pilate isn’t the center of attention, but his presence is keenly felt in stories featuring his friends, family and even a few enemies. Pilate’s 7 promises bite-sized new insights, backstory and fun “Easter eggs” for the seasoned John Pilate Mystery fan and “newbies” alike.

“After four successful John Pilate novels, I wanted to look at the series from a different angle. In Pilate’s 7, I thought it would be interesting to flex my short story muscles with seven stories told from the points of view of supporting characters-John Pilate is nary in sight. I had some fun skipping around to different times, including a possible future path for the series. Fans responded well to it, and I’m honored Shelf Unbound enjoyed it, also.”

Eleven-year-old Copper Daniels is homeless and alone. She spends her nights sleeping beneath the cemetery’s Warrior Angel statue for protection, and her days battling the mean streets of the big city. She’s hell-bent on discovering what happened the night her mama disappeared. While Copper and her ragtag group of friends find danger at every corner, two questions haunt her. Is her mama dead, or alive? And, will Copper survive long enough to find out? Like The Lovely Bones and Room, Copper Daniels will steal your heart, then break it in two.

by J. Alexander Greenwood

132 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Marcy McKay

Marcy McKay knew she wanted to write stories the moment she read about Oompa Loompas in the fourth grade. She’s an award-winning short-story author and copywriter, as well as a freelance journalist.

Her work has appeared in Writer’s Digest, The Write Practice, Write to Done, and Positive Writer and Jane Friedman. Marcy lives in Texas with her husband and two teens, who all still like her...most of the time. Connect with her at marcymckay.com.

We, Our Fathers’ Sons

by Samuel Santana

We, Our Fathers’ Sons unfolds on the United States-Mexico border.

Isidro Escamilla becomes the ironfisted kingpin of the most dangerous drug cartel in Mexico. Border Patrol Agents Manny Zamora and Henry Mendez are tasked with hunting down the cartel’s “mule teams” who transport narcotic shipments on their backs across the border day and night. Soon Manny and Henry find themselves in the center of a perilous game of cat and mouse with Isidro Escamilla and his well-trained team of smugglers. Two decades later their sons follow in their fathers’ footsteps only to meet the same fate.

We, Our Fathers’ Sons is the story of the birth of the Mexican drug cartels and the “Old Patrol,” when border enforcement technology was nonexistent, and when U.S. Border Patrol Agents relied only on their ability to cut for sign and track a man over any terrain. It was a time, not long ago, when American federal agents on the U.S.-Mexico border knew little about illegal narcotics and nothing about what came to be known as the Mexican drug cartels.

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One True Home: Behind the Veil of Forgetfulness

by Claire Candy Hough

In Claire Candy Hough’s remarkable novel, One True Home-Behind the Veil of Forgetfulness, she explores not only what happens when we die but what happens to us between incarnations. Follow the adventures of Ariel, an extraordinary heroine, as she lives through many lifetimes, each a step on the path to spiritual awakening. Ariel’s earthbound adventures and spiritual evolution will stay with you long after the book is read. One True Home is among those rare books that is both a page-turning tale and a work of profound wisdom and insight; destined to become a classic of new age literature.

One True Home-Behind the Veil of Forgetfulness is an adventure about the journey we all get to take after we cross over; sparking a remembrance that we’ve done this before.

It helps us understand that we have always existed and that we come back to learn our lessons in practice, not just in theory.

It clearly shows how each incarnation is created across the veil by building our next life on what we have garnered from our previous lives.

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Rhinos Don’t Like It and Neither Do I

My Mummy is an Engineer

Have you ever wished you could become someone else so you wouldn’t have to do all the things you didn’t want to do? The boy in this story pretends to be a rhino in order to get out of doing things he doesn’t want to do—such as taking baths, getting haircuts, going to school, and eating foods he doesn’t like. Eventually, he realizes the things he’s trying to avoid aren’t so bad; there may even be good things about them. Readers Favorite calls Rhinos Don’t Like It And Neither Do I! “a great book to share with a child.”

My Mummy is an Engineer is the first title by Butterfly Books, who publish career themed picture books. This book introduces children to the exciting world of engineering; creating real things that once were dreams. It will not only educate, but also inspire!

This story is all about a Mummy’s adventure as an engineer, from working with her team in the office to visiting a construction site. It covers various fields of engineering, including electrical, civil and mechanical.

“I drew the inspiration for this book from my nephew. He was four at the time and was going through a phase during which he pretended to be animals. On the week I happened to visit, he was pretending to be a rhino. He was suddenly an expert on what rhinos liked and didn’t like and ran around the house, head-butting the furniture. The rhino had become his alter ego and he imitated the qualities he admired in the animal.”

“I’m a female engineer, and after experiencing and seeing first hand the gender bias and skills gap problems in my own profession I decided to help make a change with this book.

The co-author is my brother Jason, who has a young daughter and is concerned that children are not exposed to the range of opportunities available to them early enough in life.

Our books aim to reduce skills gap problems as well as reduce gender bias in various careers.”

by Riccardo J. Simpson

134 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Kerrine Bryan & Jason Bryan

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Sly Goes to the North Pole

Motherlines

Sly the Fly and his adventure to the North Pole is exactly that. Sly will fly to the North Pole, and visit Santa’s workshop watching the elves make all the toys. He will then zoom off to see Mrs. Claus in the kitchen making his very favorite pie.

The Chocolate Russe pie. Sly will spend the night at the North Pole and fly home on Christmas Day to his parent’s and his house and his toys under the tree. This is a fun read for kids, and parents if your child can’t read yet, it is a fun read for you too.

Candid and compelling, this memoir illuminates the unvarnished truth of growing up female in the 1980’s—a story of sex with men and with women, of celibacy, illegal abortions, making vows and breaking them.

In her soul-searching quest for meaning, Reis discovers an unlikely confidante in her aunt, a free-spirited Franciscan nun. Their letters grow increasingly intimate and honest, creating a bridge between two women living very different lives. A spiritual journey and a creative tour de force, this memoir is a potent and tender tribute to the motherlines that connect us all.

by Hamilton Williams

The Sly the Fly adventures are a series of books all about a fly who just loves to explore, and see new places, and meet new people. Each adventure has a moral or lesson in it for the kids, or they can come up with their own lesson. There is an adventure to the circus, the big city. Sly goes to school and skiing in the mountains.

Also in production are a Halloween adventure, a Sly to the rescue, and Sly will also go visit the zoo. These will be out in the upcoming year. You will love this little guy. Oh, and the books also.

NOTABLE 100

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by Patricia Reis

“When I was twenty, my mother asked, ‘What about your spiritual life?’ Her question went unanswered until I was shoved onto the trembling threshold of midlife—a time of stripping, unmaking, unraveling—a time of wrenching misery, hunger, desire, magic, and danger, potent with possibilities but no insurance policy for the future. A state of spiritual emergency. Motherlines shows how a woman’s true spiritual growth is dependent on the love of others who witness, encourage and ensure her unfolding.”

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champagne LIZ PALM ER

The most comprehensive, visually stunning guide to Champagne.

In these pages you’ll discover: Over 220 Engaging Photos, Maps and Charts, Historical Anecdotes, Economics of Champagne, Extensive Glossaries, Tips for Weddings, How to Explore the Region, Grape Varieties and Styles, The Houses / Grand Marques / Growers and Cooperatives, The Annual Viticulture Cycle, Harvest and Production, Champagne and Food Pairing Guides, Recipes from Champagne Families, How to Taste and Identify Flavors, Describing and Rating, How to Shop, Store and Serve, Champagne Etiquette & Style, International Champagne Bars, Health Benefits, Science Facts, and much more...

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champagne

t h e

6 pouces

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T H E U LT I M AT E G U I D E TO

NOTABLE 100

6 pouces

Highly recommended for everyone, from beginners to experts.

The Champagne Bible for ALL wine lovers.

t h e ISBN 978-0-9918946-3-5 ISBN 978-0-9918946-3-5

9 780991 894635 >

LIZ PALM ER

LIZ PA LM E R M E D I A G R O U P I N C . www.liz-palmer.com

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champagne LIZ PALM ER

Miss E.

The Ultimate Guide to Champagne

Being the new kid in town is a way of life for Bets, but moving to California in 1967 is different. Her father leaves for the war in Vietnam, her history teacher gives an assignment that has the whole school searching for clues, and the town’s most mysterious resident shares a secret with Bets that has been hidden away for decades. When a peaceful protest spins out of control, Bets is forced to reconsider how she feels about the war her father is fighting and her own role in events taking place much closer to home.

There is much more to champagne than the drin—Champagne is named after the region where it is grown, fermented and bottled. This essential guide takes you to this region, explores its culture and honours its history.

Unlike any other book about Champagne, The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is the most comprehensive and visually stunning guide you’ll ever come across—in these pages you’ll discover: Over 220 Engaging Photos, Maps, Detailed Charts, and Historical Anecdotes, How to Explore the Region, Grape Varieties and Styles, Grand Marques/Growers and Cooperatives, The Annual Viticulture Cycle, Harvest and Production, Champagne and Food Pairing Guides, How to Cook with Champagne, and more.

by Brian Herberger

“I’ve always been interested in the ‘60s.

The music and culture, the many paths of history that converged in the decade, and the idea that one person could raise up their voice to change the world. I’m also fascinated by the historical figure that Miss E. is based on. This book gave me a chance to combine those two interests in a story that is both meaningful and fun while creating two characters that I absolutely fell in love with.”

136 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Liz Palmer

One of North America’s leading experts on Champagne, Liz Palmer wrote The Ultimate Guide To Champagne with a strong personal passion for Champagne and the region.

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Midori and the 1000 Stitch Belt

The City

Midori is a Japanese midwife wedded to a General in the Imperial Japanese Army who is responsible for the barbarous assault on China in 1937. This is the story of her valiant efforts to save the lives of her three sons, who are all caught up in the war, and to keep their names from being embroidered on the Thousand Stitch Belt. The belt contains over five centuries of her husband’s lineage of deceased warriors who gave their lives for an Imperialistic ideal. The novel is a tale of senseless suicide by mere children caught up in the fanaticism of the times, who willingly sacrificed themselves for the glory of their Emperor.

Seventh Dimension—The City pits occultism against Christianity in an epic battle between good and evil. Where time is an illusion and world travel only a stargate away, the conflict takes on an even more sinister reality in the seventh dimension against the backdrop of 33 A.D. Shale and Daniel, young adults in search of Daniel’s father, discover the apocalypse has begun. As the battle rages from Jerusalem to Shambhala, glimpses of the netherworld take center stage. Powerful people want Shale’s ancient scrolls and will stop at nothing to find them. Shale and Daniel will do everything to protect them, but at what cost to themselves and their families?

When I asked God to reveal to me what happens at the end of days, He opened my eyes to a spiritual world beyond anything I could have imagined. Now we see through a glass darkly, but all hell is about to be unleashed on Earth.

Are you spiritually alive? You will be after you read Seventh Dimension—The City, the fourth book in the Seventh Dimension Series. Let me warn you, terror awaits you in Shambhala if you are lost.

by Dr. C. Thomas Somma

Dr. C. Thomas has served as a Professor of Medical Technology for over 38 years at Old Dominion University. This novel resonates with his deep commitment to exposing the hidden horrors of the Imperialistic Japanese Army in their brutal actions, against a mostly civilian population, during World War II. While this is a work of fiction, it is historical accurate in every aspect.

NOTABLE 100

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by Lorilyn Roberts

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47

Many Blessings: A Tapestry of Accomplished African American Women

by Sonnee D. Weedn, Ph.D.

African American women are resilient and resourceful. They have frequently faced and overcome oppressive circumstances in order to make significant contributions to the fabric of contemporary American society.

California psychologist, Dr. Sonnee Weedn, wanted to know what it was about these women that allowed them to overcome the hindrances of racism, both overt and internalized, as well as sexism, which can undermine the success of any woman.

In this deeply personal book, Dr. Weedn shares her journey of discovery, illustrated by interviews with—accomplished African American women. The seven characteristic strengths of these women serve as a blueprint for success in anyone’s life, regardless of ethnicity “Traveling the country for three years, I interviewed many African American women, some famous and others unknown except in their own particular circles of influence.

I studied these women to determine what encouraged them to transcend discrimination and other obstacles they faced in order to rise up and claim their destinies.”

138 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

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Olympia

by Kris Kramer

In the late 21st century, economic and religious upheavals led to widespread unrest, and then to a devastating world war. As cities began to disappear from the map, salvation came from the most unlikely of sources—the gods of Olympus, Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Ares, all recently returned to earth to save humanity from itself. Stunned nations quickly became ardent supporters, following the Greek gods in their pursuit of a new way of life, a rebuilt society in which old borders and beliefs no longer exist. A society they called Olympia.

“Olympia started off as a purely sci-fi concept, a traditional utopia-turneddystopia type of story. But once the opportunity came to add in heavy doses of Greek mythology (thanks to an author friend of mine), I jumped on the chance to write this book. I don’t know how many science fiction/Greek mythology mashups are out there, but I sincerely hope you enjoy this one as much I enjoyed writing it!”

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Legacy

Kindling

The epic Andalusian Nights trilogy reaches its dramatic conclusion in Legacy, with love, intrigue and redemption under the scorching Spanish sun… A troubled young journalist goes undercover in Spain, and finds her loyalties tested when love and desire unearth secrets she hadn’t bargained for. Can love survive family legacies of feuding and tragedy, and rise like the phoenix from the ashes of the past?

Legacy is a story of truth, dreams and desire. But in a world of secrets you need to be careful what you wish for…

Kindling is the story of Ezekiel Daniel Titcomb, a fifteen-year-old pyromaniac who sets several fires in his hometown of Chaldea, Maine, an isolated, upcountry community on the Kennebec River. When Chaldea High School burns down, the town falls into a panic. The fire chief and the sheriff try sorting out the mystery of the fires while leading townspeople, including Zeke’s obnoxious father, begin clamoring for answers. Ultimately, Zeke is caught and found guilty for arson. While incarcerated in the Portland Youth Center, through the aid of his psychologist and two of his teachers, Zeke slowly begins to open up.

by Hannah Fielding

“I fell in love with Spain when I first visited it in my twenties: the rich culture, the ancient history, the passion and pride of the people. When I began writing I just knew I had to situate a love story there, because it’s the perfect backdrop for epic, sweeping, evocative romance. My heroine Luna’s native Spanish blood fires in this land of exotic legends, flamboyant gypsies and seductive flamenco guitars, as dazzling Cadiz weaves its magic on her heart.”

NOTABLE 100

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by David Cappella

“Kindling is loosely based on a true event. Back in the 80s, the year after I left teaching in rural western Maine, a student, who I never had in class but knew, torched the high school. I stewed about it for over twenty years. In March 2008, on sabbatical in Sydney, Australia, one day, as I struggled with research, I typed the words “I like flames.” Zeke’s voice had come to me, and I imagined the story built around it.”

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King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court

by Kim Headlee

Are you sick of U.S. politics? Afraid of what will happen to America because your chosen candidate didn’t prevail? Do you believe the world is doomed regardless of who has claimed the Oval Office throne—er, chair?

Refresh your spirit by laughing along with what Mark Twain might have written about today’s political falderal.

“Solidly entertaining.” –Publishers Weekly Morgan le Fay casts a spell to waylay the Yankee, Sir Boss, but it misses by 300 miles and 200 years, landing her in the Washington DC of 2079. Whatever is a time-displaced queen of magic and minions to do?

“In 2007 I had attracted a major publisher’s interest with this book’s concept and began churning out words… then it hit me: how dared I believe that I could emulate the father of American literature?

That lone doubt lost me the publishing deal and sent me into a three-year hiatus on all my fiction projects.

Completing King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court taught me to never give up on my writing goals. It is the book of my soul.”

140 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

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Kai

by Derek Vasconi

As an otaku teenager, the only thing Satsuki has going for her is the upcoming birth of her sister. No longer will she be alone. But when tragedy strikes, Satsuki spirals into an uncontrollable rage that threatens to spread like a nuclear fire.

Mental health worker Seul Bi starts to unravel under the weight of her job, living a lonely life, and being twice an orphan.

Her life devolves into a series of ominous hallucinations that challenge not only her sanity, but her very existence as well.

Two girls. Two lives. One of them is about to end.

“The bastard child of Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 and Stephen King’s CARRIE, KAI explores how one innocent girl becomes the target of enormous rage living inside another girl-who is seemingly from another world.

It was both really interesting and extremely difficult to write about a young Japanese girl from Hiroshima, and an adopted Korean girl living in Chicago, and their enigmatic connection to each other. I spent five years writing KAI, and I hope everyone appreciates my efforts!”

Invisible Me

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Jerome & His Women

by Debbi Mack

by Joan O’Hagan

Meet 13-year old Portia Maddox, military brat, albino, and perennial outsider. When Denise Laughton, the most popular girl in eighth grade, asks for her help in exchange for an invite to Denise’s big birthday bash, Portia reluctantly agrees. The catch is that Portia must spy on Randy, Denise’s boyfriend, to find out whether he’s cheating on her.

Portia’s spying, however, unearths a tangled web of duplicity, hidden agendas and family secrets. And when Portia’s budding friendship with social outcast Judy and her feelings for Randy conflict with Denise’s interests, Portia must decide who her real friends are.

Historical fiction about the controversial Saint Jerome is given a contemporary twist.

When the Pontiff commissions Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin Vulgate, it is a political masterstroke set to establish Christianity as a world religion. Yet Jerome is his own worst enemy and quickly alienates the ruling elite, many of whom are targets of his famously sarcastic wit. As rumours circulate about his relations with the aristocratic women assisting him, and the beautiful widow Paula in particular, his enemies plot his downfall …

Includes a foreword by Richard Johnson, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Australian National University.

“To a great extent, this book was inspired by my own adolescence. I had to move around the country a lot during my teen years, due to family circumstances beyond my control. The plot is complete fiction, but the protagonist’s sensibilities reflect many of my own anxieties at that age.

“I also wanted to write a young adult novel which challenged stereotypes about teenage girls, with a protagonist willing to look beneath the surfaces of our others’ lives.”

“What, I wondered, was St Jerome like as a human being rather than purely a scholar or saint? And what did the women who surrounded him, so often ignored in history books, feel and think? Such were the questions which led me to delve into this slice of ancient history. The more I researched the lives and practices of the early Christians, the more fascinated I became— from writing habits and the role of dreams to philosophical debate and exorcisms …”

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Jamie’s Journey: Cancer from the Voice of a Sibling

Teens: A League of Their Own – Cooking and Baking Recipes

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, siblings may struggle with complex emotions such as confusion, guilt, and fear.

Part story, part journal, Jamie’s Journey: Cancer from the Voice of a Sibling helps siblings cope with those intense feelings. The first half of the book describes Jamie’s roller coaster of emotions after her 10-year-old sister, Jordan, is diagnosed with cancer.

Jamie laments the loss of her life and feels forgotten as her family focuses on Jordan’s cancer. Jamie journals about her experiences; she encourages the reader to share his or her own journey in the journal section of the book.

Christine Burton’s book shows teens are in a league of their own, in the “kitchen arena;” they cook and bake. Cultural traditions and techniques are creatively combined allowing novice, long-time cooks, and chefs to explore a one-of-a-kind experience, while inspiring them to create new flavors and dishes. “…Encouraging children and teens to develop kitchen skills will serve them well when it’s time for them to strike out on their own…” The US Review of Books Burton’s recipes are detailed, kitchen tested—photographed, and developed to set cooks/bakers up for success and further attempts preparing food at home.

The rollercoaster of emotions for the siblings is tremendous. A range that spans the gamut. How do they begin to handle these emotions while their parents are in the throes of the cancer diagnosis? Do other siblings feel this way? Jamie’s Journey lets siblings know they are not alone with a place to let their voice be heard. The diagnosis doesn’t matter; the emotions do.

Siblings are the unsung heroes.

“My book is written to connect as a resource for the new generation of cooks/bakers.

Conveying the pairing of kitchen tested recipes with photos, step-by-step directions, and alternate ingredients it guides individuals to adapt recipes to their preference of flavors and techniques.”

by Sharon Wozny

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2017

by Christine Burton

Hanukkah with Uncle Reuben (Not Santa b)

by Mark Tuchman

How can Santa’s Jewish counterpart hold a candle, let alone eight candles, to a jolly, magical man who bears gifts? The answer is, “he can’t!” This realization is at the heart of this quirky picture book. Reuben, of the Lower East Side, doesn’t keep flying reindeer or attempt fancy chimney entrances. (“You want I should ruin my good suit?”) The text claims that Reuben is not like Santa. But the similarities are obvious, and therein lies the joke!

Uncle Reuben is an unlikely hero, and, ultimately, Jewish kids will concede that Reuben is not Santa—but not bad.

“HWUR began as a personal project in the 1990s: a photocopied holiday greeting booklet. As a Jewish New Yorker transplanted to a real-life winter wonderland, Colorado, the idea for a Jewish Santa figure seemed obvious and fun—and came easily. Years later, back in New York, married with children, I was surprised that nothing like Uncle Reuben had ever been published. So for the last two years—late at night when not a creature was stirring—I wrote this book!”

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Hobo Annie Hits the Road

by Annie Howland

“Just get on the plane.” Armed with her husband’s parting advice, a generous supply of motion-sick pills, composition book, and pen, Annie faced her life-long fear of the unknown and set off to explore.

Ten years and eight countries later, her detailed journals filled a shelf, bursting with enthusiasm and begging to be shared with others who might be hesitant to take that first step.

Entertaining and humorous, at times philosophical, Annie’s writings to her husband are a literary snapshot of the world through the eyes of a novice traveler, a chatterbox adventurer, and a finally fearless Hobo Annie.

“As a child, I planned to visit China...via a hole I was digging in the backyard! But my dreams of traveling the world became fearful hesitation at the thought of leaving home. I was afraid to fly, afraid to be lost in an unfamiliar land filled with strangers.

Six months after the tragedy of September 11th my husband, Bearwalker, casually suggested I climb aboard a plane and visit England—alone. I did. And that was all she wrote … and wrote… and wrote.”

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59

Grind City

by Gary Hardwick

A black woman is murdered in a police precinct. Charges of brutality are leveled on law enforcement and Detroit is in society’s crosshairs.

Danny Cavanaugh, a white cop raised in an all-black neighborhood, has a compelling reason to work the case: the murdered woman was his beautiful and provocative sister-in-law.

Danny takes up an unauthorized investigation, always one step behind the ruthless killer. But as he closes in, the case takes a turn that plunges Danny into the abyss of the criminal mind, where he finds a motive more evil than murder.

“In his fourth novel, Danny Cavanaugh faces the stark reality of being a cop and the father of a son. Police brutality is a hotbutton issue but as usual, Mr. Cavanaugh sees through the surface of the issue into the core of its origin and it is as ugly as you can imagine. This story lingered in my mind for a while until the world woke it up in a most murderous fashion.”

144 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

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Getting to the Heart of Employee Engagement

by Les Landes

Few trends in recent years have captured the fervor of the business world like the quest to unleash the full potential of people in the workplace. While some efforts have been fruitful, significant employee engagement remains largely untapped.

Getting over that hurdle begins with a thought-provoking premise about the main differences between human beings and other living creatures—imagination and free will. This book tells the story of two principal characters: Tom Payton, a human resources and employee communications manager who’s looking for insights on employee engagement, and David Kay, an enigmatic consultant who guides Tom on a curious journey of discovery.

“It’s easy to drown in the sea of remedies being thrust at the business world for optimizing employee performance.

I struggled with it for years both as a corporate executive and later as a consultant to organizations looking for a new path to the promised land of extraordinary employee engagement.”

62

Foliage

Even in Darkness

Set in in late 1980s Paris and New York, Louise Moscow, a brilliant investment banker with a knack for wooing rich clientele, loves her new life and career at Bank of Credit Commerce International.

With a high-profile dream job, plus fascinating friends and love interests in a glamorous city, things couldn’t be better.

When she stumbles upon criminal activity at her company, the FBI and CIA force her to cooperate and bring down the murderous brazen bankers in what turns out to be one of the greatest scandals of the twentieth century. Code word: FOLIAGE!

“The idea for the book came from my personal experience while living in Paris. Several of my close friends were working for BCCI Paris at the time the international scandal brought the bank down. Later, after working in finance for over 20 years in Silicon Valley and Hollywood, I decided to write my first novel. Following the advice “write what you know,” I used my experience in finance and the BCCI scandal as the backdrop to create the Louise Moscow Novel series.”

Based on a true story, spanning a century and three continents, Even in Darkness tells the story of Kläre Kohler, whose origins in a German-Jewish family hardly anticipate the second half of her life with a German priest half her age. They survive WWII, and find renewed meaning together, transcending the boundaries of generation and religion, bearing witness to how love, as redemption for pain and suffering, enters our lives in unexpected ways. Even in Darkness resulted from 15 years of research, travel, translation of letters, and interviews with the people who informed the primary characters.

by Lorraine Evanoff

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by Barbara Stark-Nemon

“I wrote Even in Darkness because I was so influenced by the love, grace, and resilience of my great aunt Kläre that I wanted to preserve her legacy. Kläre’s story, the story of my family and my heart allows readers to learn about terrible times in a meaningful way through historical fiction. Kläre inspires others. Her story is compelling. Life is unpredictable, and we never know where love will claim victory over loss and distress.”

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Errant Spark

by Ronelle Antoinette

They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but In Egalion’s Imperial court, you can’t always tell one from the other. Treachery lurks behind the mask of opulent splendor and political maneuvering threatens to destroy the peace of two thousand years.

Battlemage Jex Xander has a smart, everrunning mouth, while in contrast, Enari Namelum speaks not at all. Amidst the mounting chaos, passion and romance should be the last thing on their minds, but life and the Goddess seem to have other ideas.

The flint has been struck and the world may just go up in flames.

“The Elemental Trials series—of which Errant Spark is the first—was born of an overactive imagination fueled by a lifetime of voracious reading. I came of age during a time when some of the most beloved fantasy novels were made into equally iconic movies. Errant Spark was—forgive the pun—sparked by the hours I spent immersed in these worlds and became an endeavor of sheer necessity to give Jex, Enari and all the others the life they deserve.”

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2017

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The Emergence of One American Nation

by Donald J. Fraser

Divisiveness is the hallmark of American politics today. Red state versus blue; liberal versus conservative; secular versus religious; the list goes on. Sometimes it seems we are no longer one nation, but in fact we are.

Division and argument have always been a part of the American scene, no more so than at our founding. Donald J. Fraser explores the difficulties that the founding generation confronted in molding the United States into one nation. At the heart of that endeavor was the effort to create and ratify a new Constitution for the country, one to replace the failed Articles of Confederation.

“I wrote this book, in part, as a reminder that the forces which bind us together are stronger than those that pull us apart.

Conservatives and liberals were present during our founding just as they are today, and these divergent views have made us stronger. The problem is not debate, which the founders extensively engaged in; but a failure to find the principled compromises needed after differing opinions have been expressed, and one side or another wins an election.”

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EKO

Everybody’s Guide to Everyday Pain

Midnight in Osha: an injured woman is left at the gates of a commune. Eighteenyear-old Sydel, an medical apprentice hungry to prove her worth, is certain that healing the blue-haired stranger will finally win the respect of her community.

But tensions spike when two men appear in search of their sister: Phaira, the woman in the clinic. And when Sydel’s experimental treatments on Phaira prove successful, instead of accolades, her elders make the sudden decision to banish her.

Phaira and her brothers take the bewildered girl under their care. Then the reason for the expulsion comes to light: Sydel is an Eko, a being that can read minds and accelerate healing. Sydel becomes a prize to possess, with the siblings as her only means of defense.

This first of a three-volume series, is not about chronic, debilitating pain. Instead, it addresses the familiar bouts of everyday aches and pains that can easily lead to a lifetime of discomfort. Volume One—Put Out the Fire guides readers through an intuitive exploration of the why, what and how of everyday pain. Author Ya-Ling Liou, a seasoned chiropractic physician and teacher, turns complicated anatomical processes into easily understood concepts.

With over one hundred photos and illustrations her easily grasped analogies describe clearly the intrinsic nature of the body’s mechanical, chemical and emotional causes of pain.

by Loren Walker

“EKO will appeal to fans of paranormal, fantasy and science fiction, comic books and anime, world-building, fast-paced action, and psychic phenomena. As one of six siblings, I’ve always been drawn to stories that delve into the natural drama between brothers and sisters.”

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by Ya-Ling J. Liou, D.C.

“When guiding my patients along the path back to health and out of pain, I have seen time and again that progress is only possible once three key questions are addressed.

Why does it hurt? How do I make it stop?

How do I keep it from happening again?

The answers lie in our ability to understand not only mechanical influences on the body but also the equally impactful biochemical and emotional aspects. These are the answers you’ll find here.”

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67

Dead Serious: Youth Suicide – Myths, Facts, and Prevention

by Jane Mersky Leder

Dead Serious, written for teens but reviewed as an important book for adults as well, combines case histories, narratives, facts and statistics as it asks readers to consider the finality of suicide and ways in which young people can help curb the number of youth suicides in the United States today. The book presents ways of coping with such tragic losses and encourages teens to consider some of the major reasons that may contribute to teen suicide. Most important, Dead Serious suggests ways in which teens can help a friend through a problem and steer them toward experienced professionals. An excellent book for courses in peer counseling, death education, and psychology.

Jane Mersky Leder was born in Detroit, Michigan. The “Motor City” and original home of Motown have driven her writing from the start. A “Baby Boomer” who came of age in the Sixties, Leder is fascinated by the complexities of relationships between generations, between genders, and between our personal and public personas. Leder currently spends her time in Evanston, Illinois, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

148 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

68

Come Back to Me

by Melissa Foster

Tess Johnson has it all: her handsome photographer husband Beau, a thriving business, and a newly discovered pregnancy.

When Beau accepts an overseas photography assignment, Tess decides to wait to reveal her secret—only she’s never given the chance.

Beau’s helicopter crashes in the desert.

Tess struggles with the news of Beau’s death and tries to put her life back together. Meanwhile, two Iraqi women who are fleeing honor killings find Beau barely alive in the middle of the desert, his body ravaged by the crash. Suha, a doctor, and Samira, a widow and mother of three young children, nurse him back to health in a makeshift tent. Beau bonds with the women and children, and together, with the help of an underground organization, they continue their dangerous escape.

“Before my husband, a U.S. Army Colonel, went on tour to Iraq, I thought of all the horrible things that he might face. The strength and courage that those at home, and those serving their country, must endure is endless. That was the impetus behind Tess and Beau’s triumphant story.”

Blood Lake

by R.L. Herron

No one knows how long the Cherokee have lived in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, although artifacts indicate their ancestors were there more than 11,000 years ago...at the end of the last Ice Age. Following discovery of gold in their territory, the U.S. began a forcible removal of all Cherokee from the land they had occupied for generations. History remembers it as “The Trail of Tears.”

Blood Lake is a horror/thriller based on a Cherokee curse following one American family with relentless, supernatural horror. A Readers’ Favorite Bronze Medal Winner, it will make you wonder if curses really exist.

“In tracing my heritage I discovered my great-great-great-great grandfather was married to a full-blooded Cherokee. My interest was stirred to the point of doing more research. What I discovered set me on the path to write this story. There really was a Cherokee named Tsali.

The characters are fictionalized and the story itself is pure fantasy, but my story idea began when I thought … his people considered him a prophet. How would a dying curse on his assassins affect future generations?”

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A Tale of Two Beehives: Leveraging the Power of Engagement and Working Culture

by Sharoq Almalki

A Tale of Two Beehives brings new insight to an important topic; employee engagement and working culture. The contemporary corporate fable is written in an engaging style and applicable in organizations all across the countries. The story echoes one how to increase employee engagement in today’s competitive market, and provides tactics on leading the organization working culture.

This book is endorsed by Chester Elton, NY Times Bestselling author of “The Carrot Principle” and “All In,” who stated, “In A Tale of Two Beehives, Sharoq Almalki uses a fable to teach us all how to be better leaders.”

“The book is based on, and rooted in, my professional life and work as well as each employee in the corporate world.

The problem of employee disengagement is global, and permeates every industry. A Tale of Two Beehives addresses this issue in a format that is accessible across any culture, and provides a powerful tool for anyone within an organization who recognizes the importance of increasing employee engagement.”

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72

Asphalt and Blood

Wired In

The 1968 Tet Offensive explodes across Vietnam. Shot down in Hue City while scouting for bases, Navy Seabee Officer Kevin Corcoran takes shelter with South Vietnamese holdouts. Enemy fire drives off rescue helicopters, leaving Kevin isolated in Vietcong territory. He worries about his Vietnamese lover, Linh, whom he knows is on a Vietcong hit list. With Seabee support, Marines begin to retake Hue. Trained for counterinsurgency, the young “grunts” adapt to urban combat and gradually wrest the city from the enemy. Will they get to Kevin in time? And what fate awaits Linh at the hands of the vicious Vietcong?

In this first installment in the Paradise Crime Series, Special Agent Sophie Ang’s emotions are battered by a child kidnapping case that goes badly wrong.

In tracking the criminal ring, her rogue data analysis program D.A.V.I.D. identifies an anomaly that leads her into a cat-andmouse game online with a deadly enemy whose motives are unclear. The chase lures her through dark corridors of cyberspace into a confrontation with the violence from her past that sent her fleeing to the United States. She’ll need every skill she’s learned to defeat her worst nightmare—and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Sophie first appeared in Book 4 of the Lei Crime series, Broken Ferns. She was so compelling that I gave her a point of view in the next book, Twisted Vine— something I’d never done before or since— and then I had to keep editing back to keep the story focused on Lei Texeira, my main character. While writing Wired In, I realized I wanted to do a whole new series with her as main character. Wired Rogue is available on November 25 and in errant 2017, Wired Hard.

by Warren Bell

“I was a Seabee in Vietnam during the 1968 Communist Tet Offensive. We all heard of the heroism and ingenuity of the Seabees who helped the Marines take back Hue City and reopen the logistics links to Da Nang. I resolved at the time to someday write about those exploits. Later stationed near Hue, I studied the battle and the surroundings, talking with many battle survivors. My notes and memories formed the basis of the story in Snowflakes in July.”

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2017

by Toby Neal

Almost Mortal

by Christopher Leibig

Three brutal murders. One mysterious journal.

Emerging criminal defense attorney Sam Young has always known he had a gift. Or a curse. Minor psychic abilities, he sometimes thinks. Sam is hired by an attractive young nun, Camille Paradisi, to help discover the identity of a serial killer before her Pastor is exposed for not having turned in the man after a confession— thereby allowing another murder to occur.

While Sam’s psychic abilities seemingly enhance as he investigates the case, he quickly learns that the enigmatic Camille is not telling him everything.

Camille asks Sam to read sections of an old journal anonymously mailed to the Church which she tells him she believes may have been authored by the killer/ confessor. The journal purports to tell the life story of a man with mind control and other special powers who claims to be a descendant of the fallen angels cast of out heaven by God. Sam ponders its relation to the case while using his legal and investigative skills to establish the identity of the killer.

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Abstract Painting, a Practical Approach

by Hennie Reimer

This is a book about the art of Painting.

Artists with varied backgrounds and experiences can all benefit from reading and completing the projects outlined in this book.

The author has brought together a delightful blend of varied topics including: addressing the personal feelings of artists, developing individual style and the inclusion of her own unique personal experiences and artistic talent designed to enhance the creations of others.

There are many “how-to” books on the market. This one, however, is practical, easy to understand and an effective means of transferring various techniques, especially related to color and line.

“In my book I have drawn upon my many interactions with students in the classroom and my own creative experiences in order to present readers with an invaluable resource for reaching new levels of excellence in their creative work.

In my introduction I have stated for whom the book is intended. I would like to suggest that the book is filled with practical ideas that would also benefit anyone who is teaching art.”

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75

A Girl Like You

by Michelle Cox

It’s 1935 Chicago, and Henrietta Von Harmon works as a taxi dancer on Chicago’s northwest side, trying to bring in money to care for her antagonistic mother and younger siblings after her father kills himself during the Great Depression. When the dance hall matron shockingly turns up murdered, the aloof Inspector Howard arrives on the scene and persuades Henrietta to go undercover for him on a much darker mission into Chicago’s gritty underworld. As the case begins to unravel, becoming more sinister and still more dangerous, the lovely Henrietta and the impenetrable Inspector find themselves unexpectedly drawn to each other in most unsuitable ways.

“The character of Henrietta is based on a real-life woman I once met in a nursing home. She was 81 at the time, but sharp as a tack. Frequently, she would follow me around, telling me that “Once upon a time, I had a man-stopping body and a personality to go with it!” From this, Henrietta was born! Much of the novel is “true,” and those parts, I think, are more fascinating than the fiction!”

152 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

76

CROCODILE LOVE: Travel Tales from an Extended Honeymoon

by Joshua Berman

In Crocodile Love, award-winning travel writer Joshua Berman recounts the mishaps, quests, and encounters of his 16-month, 16-country voluntourism honeymoon. In 2005, he and his bride, Sutay, canceled their wedding reception, created a plane ticket fund, and applied to volunteer around the world. The reader learns about Sutay’s family legacy in Pakistan, sees the world’s great religions through a traveler’s lens, volunteers on a tea plantation in India, and finally, strides into the mud-hut Gambian village where Sutay had once lived as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

We wanted to go to hot, intense places together, to cities where open markets breathed that sweaty, fish-gutty, trashburning smell that clings to travelers’ memories forever. We had each whiffed it before, this odor of deep travel, but it was something else to embark as husband and wife to seek it together. We would pressurecook our fragile new marriage, take it around the world, introduce it to new friends, and make it bubble and boil into everything we could be. Joshuaberman.net

Pianist in a Bordello

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Jesus: the Jew No One Knows

by Mike C. Erickson

by D. C. Smith

What would happen if a politician decided to tell the truth—the whole truth? Richard Nixon Youngblood, aspiring Congressman, is about to find out. He’s running on a platform of honesty and transparency—and against the advice of his friends and advisers he’s decided to start with himself. His autobiography will lay his entire life bare before voters just days before the election. Pianist in a Bordello is a hilarious political romp through the last four decades of American history from a narrator who is full of surprises.

“Then there was the time I had a fantasy about a quick trip in a time machine.

Musta been when I picked up that new book about Jesus because it looked so inviting. I wanted to know who the man really was. What was he like? What would I discover from knowing him better? I wondered how anyone could still be so significant and omnipresent after more than two thousand years!

In short, the book satisfied an itch in me, and then some. It is down to earth, authentic and endlessly informative.

Moreover, it makes things that are always so intangible, tangible. I heartily recommend it!”—Craig C. Kellem— Writer, Director and Producer of scripts, tv shows, independent films and books

“Whether a true believer, secular humanist, or something in the middle, one should be able to find something of interest in Smith’s attempt to resurrect yet again—and in his own unique and original way, rediscover— the person he considers to be ‘the most misunderstood human being who ever lived.”

“Sometime during the Eighties I wrote (long hand on legal pad) what became most of Chapter One of Pianist in a Bordello.

Years later I rediscovered this masterpiece when searching old files and I liked it better than when I first wrote it. It is a fictional autobiography of Richard Milous Nixon Youngblood, who was born in a hippy commune on election day, 1968, and his mother in an act of vengeance against the her absent husband named him after the newly elected President. My main inspiration in writing this novel was entertaining myself with my own words that are often humorous and sometimes meaningful.”

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Operation Ivy Bells

Dragonfriend

Operation Ivy Bells is a first-person account of the U.S. nuclear submarine USS Halibut and a team of Navy deep-sea saturation divers fearlessly facing death on the bottom of the Sea of Okhotsk while tapping Soviet underwater communication cables and retrieving missile parts from the sea floor, gathering intel under the nose of the enemy that tipped the scales to win the Cold War. The story is based on real events—the author led a team that accomplished much of what is depicted in this book.

Stabbed. Burned by a dragon. Abandoned for the windrocs to pick over. The traitor Ra’aba tried to silence Hualiama forever.

But he reckoned without the strength of a dragonet’s paw, and the courage of a girl who refused to die. Only an extraordinary friendship will save Hualiama’s beloved kingdom of Fra’anior and restore the King to the Onyx Throne. Flicker, the valiant dragonet. Hualiama, a foundling, adopted into the royal family. The power of a friendship which paid the ultimate price. This is the tale of Hualiama Dragonfriend, and a love which became legend.

by Robert G. Williscroft

Dr. Robert G. Williscroft is a retired submariner, diver, scientist, businessman, author, and adventurer. He spent 22 months underwater, a year in the equatorial Pacific, three years in the Arctic, and a year at the South Pole conducting atmospheric research. He has appeared on dozens of radio talk shows, and nationally on the Michael Medved show, CNBC, and FOX News. Current books: The Chicken Little Agenda, A Relativity Birthday Present, Operation Ivy Bells, Slingshot, The Starchild Compact, and four diving books from earlier times.

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2017

by Marc Secchia

“I invite you to experience fiery dragon adventure in this unique, volcanic world set above the clouds, where Humans and Dragonkind battle for supremacy. The Dragonfriend series features majestic landscapes, deep dragon lore and richly woven story-tapestries. Dragonfriend is one of eight bestselling dragon adventures I’ve written in three allied series, which also include Aranya and The Pygmy Dragon.

What are you waiting for? The Dragonride of your life awaits!”

It Came From the 70’s: From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now

by Connie Corcoran Wilson

It Came From the ‘70s : From the Godfather to Apocalypse Now is the book movie lovers old and new have been searching for. The 1970s represented a fertile decade that produced such films as: Alien, Dirty Harry, Apocalypse Now, The Exorcist, Chinatown, The French Connection, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Godfather (Parts I and II), Star Wars, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and many, many more. Featured in these pages are over 75 photos, major casts, a multitude of reviews, “Best of/Worst of” lists, and trivia for both the film buff and the uninitiated. It Came From the ‘70s is a slice of film history, painstakingly documented by noted author and journalist Connie Corcoran Wilson as she reviewed for the Quad City Times in print.

The original reviews found here could not be replicated today. Consider them tiny time capsules capturing the zeitgeist of a decade.

Connie continues to review film at www.

WeeklyWilson.com (her own blog), www.

TheMovieBlog.com and www.QuadCities. com. Check out her author page at www.

ConnieCWilson.com. She will be covering SXSW in March, as well as the Chicago International Film Festival ongoing now.

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She Bites

by Roger Arsht

Dr. Robyn Sparks is a veterinarian with a dark secret: she moonlights as a selfappointed vigilante, who deals her own brand of justice to animal abusers by murdering them. If you do bad things to dogs, Robyn does bad things to you.

She Bites tells the story of a talented veterinarian who dispenses brutal judgment. Her work with sick and injured animals provides Robyn with a view of life’s most tender moments as well as a view of man’s most brutal behaviors.

Robyn’s regular habit of sending bad people to the pet crematorium is interrupted when she meets Jack Williams, a damaged detective who is fighting his own demons. Their relationship is a roller coaster ride of tangled emotions and legal close calls.

Ultimately, Robyn has to make a choice: whether to continue down her destructive path and kill a twisted psychopath turned professional dog fight promoter, or to pursue a romance with a cop who believes morality is best served by the hand of the law.

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84

Falling Off Broadway: A Memoir

Ghosts in Sunlight

The inspiration for my memoir Falling off Broadway is the story the of my twenty-three years producing Broadway shows with theatrical luminaries and well-known figures such as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Julie Harris, Gene Hackman, Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters, Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Joshua Logan, Alan King, David Merrick, Donald Trump, and Richard Nixon.

On a summer night in 1963, a young American soldier, Lieutenant Marc Gaines, walks into the London bistro where a sweet and shy eighteen-yearold English girl, Marian Barnard, is a waitress. Like the song Strangers In The Night, it is love at first sight for both of them. In Massachusetts, Marc’s French mother, Jacqueline Castineau, rich and beautiful, is still obsessed by her years as a young unit commander in the French Resistance against the Nazis, which turned her into a merciless killer. Now Jacqueline has only one love in her life, and it is not her husband whom she views with indifference, but her son Marc, whom she is not willing to lose to some two-bit English waitress. A beautiful and tremendous love story clouded by the flashbacks and consequences of a World War now past, and foreshadowed by the Vietnam War about to start.

by David Black

“After losing $950,000 in one night for the second time, I gave up producing and became an artist. I used what I had learned about the creative process in theater to paint. The New Yorker printed my self-portrait on a page all by itself and galleries began showing my paintings. One of the galleries asked me to tell the story of how I became an artist which became my one-person show called Falling Off Broadway. I was back in show business!”

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by Gretta Curran Browne

Hope in Hungnam

86

The House of Dark Shadows

by David Watts Jr.

by Digger Cartwright

Inspired by historical events, Hope in Hungnam takes place during the Korean War in 1950: from the Battle of Chosin Reservoir to the Christmas Eve evacuation of 100,000 civilians from North Korea. In the depths of war, US Marine Jack Stiles desperately searches for meaning in the frozen killing fields of North Korea. This is the story of the woman who saved him, the Captain who saved them all, and the ship that did the impossible. David Watts weaves an epic tale of the men who fought and died and risked everything in the greatest naval evacuation in all of human history.

Alex Rommel, a debonair Charleston playboy, is skeptical about online dating.

When he encounters an old college buddy by chance, he learns his friend has found love over the internet. Tormented by demons from his past, a contentious land deal, the memories of the woman he loved, and his sexually insatiable secretary, Alex wades into the shadowy world of internet dating only to find the woman of his dreams—a French freelance journalist, Hope. Just when he thinks he has found true happiness, Alex’s relationship takes a mysterious turn, and hefinds himself immersed in Hope’s world—one plagued by a nagging mother, lies, and drama. As pressures mount in the relationship and in his business dealings, Alex, torn between love and reality, finds himself questioning Hope’s motivations. As the sinister web of deceit and danger slowly begins to envelop him, Alex frantically searches for the truth. Not knowing who to trust or believe, Alex finds himself trapped in a house of dark shadows. With time running out, Alex must summon the courage tof ace the truth before the doors close behind him and he is locked in the house of dark shadows forever.

“In 2006 I learned of the 1950 evacuation of 100,000 civilians from North Korea.

Even more: one ship took an amazing 14,000 civilians to safety in a single voyage. My mind was set: the story must be told. I was able to find three surviving crewmembers and a man from North Korea from that amazing voyage. Hope in Hungnam is a story of war and hate, of love and forgiveness, but ultimately it is a gripping story of the enduring power of hope.”

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Kauai … in My Heart

Outrageous

Growing up as one of 13 children in the tiny sugar plantation camp of Kipu, on the island of Kauai in the 1930s and 1940s, always felt like a grand adventure to Harry Yamanaka. In this collection of his short stories, you will join Harry as he catches frogs to help feed his many siblings; makes his own fishing canoe using corrugated iron roofing; walks along a mile-long road at night with the ghost of Felix, and more. Harry’s memories of his childhood are humorous, sweet and insightful. He also writes with love and respect about his parents, who immigrated individually from Japan, met on Kauai, fell in love, and together raised their large family on his father’s salary of $35 per month. When you have finished reading “Kauai . . . in my heart,” Kauai will be in your heart, too.

Historical fictionalized account of Victoria Woodhull’s rise to presidential candidate and wealth, coming from poverty and abuse. What compels a woman and her youngest sister to overcome abject poverty and violent abuse to grow up to defy convention and obliterate every barrier to become the first women to own and operate a Wall Street brokerage firm and publish their own newspaper?

How did Victoria Claflin Woodhull (1838 - 1927) become the first woman invited to speak to the United State Congress, and then the first female to run for president. What made Tennessee Celeste Claflin (1845 - 1923) so beguiling that the richest man in America, Cornelius Vanderbilt, fell completely in love with her?

What caused the sisters to live out their long lives as royalty and peerage in Europe.

Victoria living as landed gentry outside of London, and Tennessee in a huge castle like a queen? Why aren’t these empowered and independent women iconic in our culture?

by Harry T. Yamanaka

158 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Neal Katz

90

Renato After Alba

Sand Dune Daisy

Grief astonishes. Ten years after the conclusion of Renato Stillamare’s defiant confessions in Renato, the Painter, Alba, his beloved wife of fifty years, dies without warning, and the blow leaves him in pieces. When he resumes his narrative, this larger-than-life artist has been reduced to a gray existence of messy confusion broken belief, crazy hope, desperate philosophy.

A man of fragments but still an artist, he assembles a collage of scenes of life with and without Alba, recollections of his eccentric Sicilian-American family, encounters with well-meaning friends, daily attempts at resuming his former life, and metaphysical railings against any deity capable of destroying what it has created.

In Renato After Alba, the deepest sorrow is not merely lacerating, outrageous, heart-rending, and tragic, but also, for someone so completely human as the enduring Renato, touchingly comic. And miraculously beautiful in its astonishment

Sand Dune Daisy, written by travel author Lili DeBarbieri and illustrated by awardwinning artist Fred Barraza, is a magical blend of art, high adventure, and natural history. Daisy is a playful, young pocket mouse who must navigate her way through a challenging environment meeting a colorful cast of desert characters and conditions along the way. DeBarbieri’s charming narrative takes readers on an action-packed journey through this dune locale with charismatic desert wildlife and ecology. The book is inspired by the real but little known wonderland that is the sand dunes of the American Southwest, igniting wonder for the natural world in children of all ages.

by Eugene Mirabelli

NOTABLE 100

89

by Lili DeBarbieri

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NOTABLE 100

91

92

Sirocco

The Maynwarings

On All Saints Day, 1954, the Algerian War of Independence from France begins, forever changing the lives of ten-year-old Nanna, her family, and a million-and-ahalf French settlers.

As Arab rebels carry out terrorist acts against civilians, hatred and bloodshed permeate the fabric of European and Muslim lives. A safe bus ride to town means keeping an eye out for stray shopping baskets containing hidden bombs. A day trip to the beach requires the protection of a military convoy.

But life goes on, and Nanna’s loving mother, mischievous but good-natured siblings, and kind grandfathers provide plenty of adventure and humor. Nanna worships her Papa, who provides for his family and keeps them safe, but, growing up, she begins to understand that he is also a braggart with unyielding views of right and wrong, who believes that attending a supervised party with boys will compromise a girl’s virtue. Nanna defies him and falls in love, thus setting the stage for an ongoing clash of wills.

Barron Maynwaring, patriarch and United States Senator from Nevada, returns to the Greenbrier ranch only to be embroiled in a political smear, cattle rustling, the murder of their neighbor, and the lynching of their long-time friend. When a mysterious stranger starts acquiring property, suspicions are aroused as to what his plans really are for Carson City. The Maynwarings struggle against bad publicity to stop covert forces from changing the future of the area.

When United States Senator Barron Maynwaring returns to his family and his beloved ranch, the Greenbrier, much has changed in Carson City. Family friends have taken to gambling. Cattle rustlers have increased activity around the massive ranch. A mysterious stranger, Giddeon Van Thorn, has arrived in town on secretive business. A political opponent and the press have launched attacks on Barron and his family. When Dan Arkin, the Maynwarings’ neighbor, is murdered, suspicion immediately turns to Jeremy Foster, a loner who had threatened Arkin after a crooked card game.

By Danielle A. Dahl

160 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Digger Cartwright

94

The Versailles Conspiracy

Tread Softly on My Dreams

When a city building inspector is murdered, Lieutenant Wickland opens an investigation that stretches from the high society of local country clubs to The Flamingo Beachwear Store, whose Russian owner is suspected of selling counterfeit goods, to a mysterious international arms dealer to the notorious but elusive drug kingpin known simply as Mr. Grey. As the investigation takes them deeper into the backroom deals of the local good old boys and the net tightens around the crafty Russian with a loathing of America, Wickland and his colleague, Doug Graisco, are drawn into a web of international politics, deceit, and danger.

As they navigate the complex web of intrigue to decipher who is who, they race against time, political roadblocks, and unexpected assailants to unlock the secrets of the Versailles conspiracy and stop an international incident that threatens global security.

The Emmets are Protestants, belonging to the elite society of Ireland’s ruling class.

Born in 1778, Robert Emmet, the youngest son of the State Physician of Ireland, has grown up in the heart of a prosperous and loving family, one of the most respected in Dublin city. From his parents he acquired a deep love of Ireland and a commitment to justice. From his brother Thomas he acquired an understanding of the divisions and inequalities of his country.

In the historic year of 1798 Robert’s life changed from its charted course to one of rebellion. A brilliant student at Trinity, he casts aside all hopes of a scientific career, all the privileges of his class, to join the United Irishmen—a society dedicated to the union of Protestant and Catholic. But the men in Dublin Castle determined on the continuance of English rule, force him to flee to France. But even as his boat sails away from his beloved homeland, he looks back and knows he will return—to the cause of his country’s liberty, and to the beautiful girl he has fallen in love with.

by Digger Cartwright

NOTABLE 100

93

by Gretta Curran Browne

UNBOUND

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NOTABLE 100

95

96

Light of the Desert

Escaping Viet Nam: H’Yoanh’s Story

Within some Middle-Eastern families, there is an ancient practice called honor killing. This unspoken law allows men the right to kill their own daughters without consequences, if it is believed that they dishonored their family name.

During her senior year at a London ladies college, and months before her wedding to her love, Michael, Noora Fendil’s jealous, younger sister frames her. When Noora returns home from college on break, her father greets her with a brutal welcome, and suddenly the once-gentle hands that taught her to swim are drowning her.

This is the remarkable story of Noora’s fight for survival.

“I was inspired to write this novel after seeing a news story about a young Middle Eastern woman who was brutally killed in the name of honor, and her father got away with it. While it seems like something that is done in the darker corners of the Middle East, it is prevalent in the United States today. This book is a combination of research and my own experiences growing up in Egypt. I hope it increases public awareness.”

A naturalized U.S. citizen, H’Yoanh Ksor Buonya was a Montagnard refugee from the Central Highlands of Vietnam, near the Jarai village of Cheo Reo. Escaping Viet Nam—H’Yoanh’s Story is a survival saga beyond the imagination. Shortly after childbirth, her mother died, and relatives cared for her until she was four, when they placed her in a Catholic orphanage/school.

Education became most important in her life, but in 1975, at the age of 16, she found it necessary to follow other Montagnards into the jungles of the Highlands to escape persecution by the North Vietnamese Army/Viet Cong. From 1975 to her arrival in North Carolina in November 1986, H’Yoanh faced starvation, danger, death and incredible hardships resulting from the potential capture by Pol Pot’s genocidal regime. Even though her faith was tested, she believes that angels were with her through the darkest of times.

by Lucette Walters

162 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by Harriet Hill and H’Yoanh Buonya

98

Eden’s Revelation

Before the Court of Heaven

An explosion at a Ugandan mine ignites the spark of unrest. An inadvertent battle fans the flames, threatening an inferno of global war. Two superpowers struggle to weaponize a secret that will reshape the world’s power structure—a secret found only in a valley high in the Rwenzori Mountains, until now.

The saga continues with Andrew and Kabilito, back from crisis in New York, now cast into contentious roles over prophecies revealed and the emergence of a madman.

With both his sanity and the tribe’s identity at stake, Andrew is driven to the brink by the shock of Eden’s Revelation.

“With the success of my first book “The Second Tree” I was challenged to continue the trilogy with the same traditions of credibility, exotic locations, political unrest and supernatural thrills steeped in sound science. As an engineer and international business traveler, I once again drew from experience. It’s fun letting a story unfold while I write, but creating a great thriller series that spans centuries requires planning, which for me was even more enjoyable.”

Germany, after World War I. Ernst Werner Techow, son of a magistrate, joins the violent right-wing response to Germany’s defeat. He is recruited into a clandestine assassination network, the seeds of the Third Reich, trying to destroy Germany’s fledgling democracy.

Ernst participates in the murder of Walther Rathenau, the highest-ranking Jew in the Weimar Republic.

While on trial for his life, Ernst receives an unfathomable offer of forgiveness that jolts his surety in the fascist cause and sets him on a complex and harrowing journey of redemption. Throughout, he pursues his childhood sweetheart, Lisa.

They are star-crossed lovers, their passion inextinguishable, buffeted by the rising storm of Nazi ascendance.

Winner of 10 book awards, this historical fiction is based on the true story of a fascist assassin, Ernst Techow and his turning from evil. Three themes impel this novel: understanding the rise of Nazism, unfathomable forgiveness, and the complexity of redemption.

by John Butziger

NOTABLE 100

97

by Jack Mayer

UNBOUND

163

NOTABLE 100

99

100

Get Clarity

Sheppard of the Argonne

Get Clarity®, The Lights-on Guide to Manifesting Success in Life and Work, presents a Visioning and Operating System that will lead you on a profound journey of selfknowledge and action,

Captain Sheppard McCloud, an American naval hero from the attack on Pearl Harbor, struggles to overcome both his physical and psychological injuries when he is selected for a new command on a vital mission. He must tackle the demons in his mind and the painful, lingering, injuries he suffered when Japan attacked on December 7th. McCloud’s been tapped to command the U.S. Navy’s latest capital ship, the Argonne, in the early phases of World War II. He needs to follow his new orders while keeping his fears secret.

A commander’s life isn’t easy; McCloud faces a host of challenges and decisions as he assumes total responsibility for the ship and crew. He’s aware that his every move, behavior, and decision influences the men he leads in battle; for it is their performance as the sum total of the ship’s character that is the weapon deciding outcomes.

by Cathy Hawk and Gary Hawk

Get Clarity® will reveal: • How to read the energetic clues that ignite and renew your passion and focus.

• How to link energy to attraction and attract what you want into your life • How to stop doubt, connect with your passion and trust you can create the life you want.

• A model of thought and behavior that energizes every aspect of your life.

• The secret to having more energy and mental clarity every day.

Get Clarity® eliminates clarity amnesia, setting up a new way to live, work, love and play. It is a systematic guide to a life methodology that creates and fuels vibrant living, energetic relationships and enlivening work.

164 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

by G. William Weatherly

The Association of Independent Authors (AiA) is a global not-for-profit membership organization representing, advancing, supporting and encouraging self-published (independent) authors. Our membership spans five continents, with directors based in the USA, Asia, Australia and South Africa.

The role of the AiA is to guide, educate, support, encourage and unite authors who have chosen to self-publish.

Our Body of Knowledge (BoK) is a comprehensive resource on all aspects of selfpublishing and running a small business—today’s authors must understand the business side of publishing (sales, marketing, promotion, legal and financial issues) and how to sell a book in a global marketplace.

Our vision is that independent publishing will be the preferred, first choice, for all authors.

Our mission is to create a culture of excellence, teamwork and professionalism in a community environment where sharing and collaboration benefits each individual member and independent authors as a whole.

Annual membership subscription (Associate, Member) US$50. Affiliate level is free. Come join us! (Mention promo code SHELF to receive an additional three months membership for the annual subscription of US$50.)

www.independent-authors.org

photography

OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

Rio Grande del Norte: An Intimate Portrait

by Geraint Smith

166 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

UNBOUND

167

photography

OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

The Noise Beneath the Apple

by Heather Jacks; photography by Bryan Clos 168 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

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169

photography

OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

Inside Tracks

by Rick Smolan

170 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

UNBOUND

171

photography

OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK of the 2016 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book

LIVING MOLLUSKS

I

Living Mollusks

LIVING MOLLUSKS Charles E. R awlings, MD, JD

Rawlings Pepper tree Press

Living Mollusks

by Charles E. Rawlings, MD, JD

172 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y

2017

n his int Living Shells amazing wor Rawlings, onc world of the knows what Most people creature, or a Most people experience a shells, howev of the grand some of the leave no she be found by ethereal crea Few, if any is the largest named mari neurological most dange known inver highly divers and structure Mollusks inh the polar ab humans. Wh In Living M incredible re of different, Mollusks-gas presents mu species. His i Nembrotha Squid. Dr. Ra as mesmeriz Mollusks.

A BOOK O F HER OWN

When I am grown up I shall carry a notebook—a fat book with many pages, methodically lettered.

I shall enter my phrases. ―Virginia Woolf, The Waves

UNBOUND

173