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TOPSHELF COLUMNS THANK YOU Page 17 HORROR 2020 Page 21 BEING A CAPTAIN IS HARD WORK Page 23
TOPSHELF INTERVIEWS ROBERT J SAWYER RACHEL TAMAYA
Page 6
Page 10
DANIEL WARLOCH Page 14
September 2020
ISBN: 978-1950282968
~Amazon Review
~Kirkus Reviews
~Amazon Review
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TOPShelf
A Comprehensive Bookseller’s Guide to TopShelf Authors & Books!
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table of contents
masthead
interviews
CEO
6 10 14
Robert J Sawyer Rachel Tamaya Daniel Warloch
columns 17 21 23
Thank You Horror 2020 Being a Captain is Hard Work
reviews 25 25 25
Murder on the Metro
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President & Publisher Rebecca Katsikas
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Lead Editor Kyle Magnus
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SBN: 978-0999066546 SBN: 978-0999066546
Assistant Editor Sharon Isbell
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Social Media Specialist Stephan Katsikas
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The Last Merry Go Round Embodying Soul
creative edge reviews 28 29 29 29
Keith A. Katsikas Jr.
Allaigna’s Song: Aria Carnal Knowledge Jam Sessions
Contributors & Reviewers
Bobby Jo Calder Jenn Kraft Jenn Taylor J.M. LeDuc Kathrin Hutson Kyle Magnus Micah Richards Michael Rowland Mickey Mikkelson, Creative Edge Media Grady Harp
978-1795415927
The Equinox
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TOPShelf Spotlights Da k Fan a EVE OF SNOWS i a i m han , nning fi b k in he SUNDER NG THE GODS e ie ." ndieReade Rice handle a la ge ca f cha ac e i h he kill and flai f a fi e j ggle ." B klife Edi ' Pick
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Fifty years ago this year, six friends and I were determined to get away from the predictable, miserable summer weather in Great Britain. We wanted to venture further afield for our holidays, traveling to a country where we were guaranteed blue sky, endless sunny days, warm nights, golden sand, Azure crystal waters, bikini clad bronze bodies, and ice-cold beers…
Genre Price ISBN
Memoir $7.80 978-1094665757
Without expecting praise from the man who trained him to survive this centuries-old, malignant war against the inhuman followers of an invincible lord.
Genre Science Fiction Price $16.95 ISBN 978-0994495600 www.tsmag.co/2QXHREw
A lady with a dark secret refuses
to marry the man of her dreams in order to protect him... but will he let her?After returning to London from his Grand Tour, serious-minded Jeremy St. Clair, the Marquess of Sather, attends a ball and meets a luminescent beauty who draws him out of his shell. They share a searing kiss— her first—and though he never planned to wed, Jeremy desires to make this young woman his…
Genre Regency Romance Price $11.99 ISBN 978-1092602433
www.amzn.to/2wIUtIN
The stories told around the campfire taught us of legends— tales of demons and heroes. I thought they were only stories, but I was wrong. They were warnings. My name is Pamoon and until recently I lived a normal life. Well, as normal as it could be growing up on a Cree reservation. My birth mom left me on the steps of the reservation medical center when I was just an infant. Being Cree is all I’ve ever known and all I ever wanted to be.My life changed the night my friends disappeared. Genre Non-Fiction Price $11.95 ISBN 978-0692078259 www.tsmag.co/EvilAwakened
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Being late to an interview lands her the biggest job opportunity of her life. He may be rich and successful— but he’s just this side of miserable. Can a wannabe be The One for the biggest star in Hollywood?
Genre Contemporary Romance Price $11.99 ISBN 979-8663491372 www.tsmag.co/hollywood
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AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR, ROBERT J SAWYER Congratulations on your newest novel, The Oppenheimer Alternative, which released on June 2nd, 2020. This excellently crafted depiction of the “Birth of the Atomic Age” has been lauded as “ringing true” and the characters—all real historical figures—“accurately portrayed.” What inspired you to choose this topic for your 24th novel? Isaac Asimov defined my genre thusly: “Science fiction is that branch of literature that deals with the responses of human beings to changes in science and technology.” Normally we SF writers try to predict technological changes and extrapolate how humans might respond to them, but I found myself asking if one could set a legitimate big-ideas, philosophically rich, character-driven SF novel in the past. 6
As you leaf back through the decades, you come quickly to 1945 and the biggest, most dangerous, most awesome technological change since the taming of fire; it’s no accident that the most famous nonfiction book about J. Robert Oppenheimer and his work on the Manhattan Project, which created the first atomic reactor and then the first atomic bombs, is called American Prometheus. Oppie and his associates literally took the power of the sun and brought it down to earth, and nothing has been the same since.
Did you originally plan to release The Oppenheimer Alternative in such a timely fashion to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of the Birth of the Atomic Age, or did that fall into place during the writing process? It was late in the game. I’d first started noodling around with the idea of doing something about J. Robert Oppenheimer five years ago, in July 2015. But it wasn’t until January of 2018, that I realized that this year, 2020, would be the 75th-anniversary year of so many of the key events I was writing about: July 16 for the Trinity test, August 6 for the bombing of Hiroshima, and August 9 for the bombing of Nagasaki. At that point I had fewer than 9,000 words of actual novel written—I was mostly still researching—but realized that the book could have a great sales boost if it came out while everyone was thinking about those historic events again. That’s when I really got cracking writing the manuscript.
Historical fiction and crafting real-world figures as such in-depth characters, especially those involved in the creation of the atomic bomb—and all the inherent political and wartime implications—requires an immense amount of research. How much of this compelling story did you already have a fair understanding of before setting out to write The Oppenheimer Alternative? Comparatively, how much research did you have to perform before you were satisfied enough with the basis of the story to sit down and write it? I’m lucky enough to be a full-time fiction writer, and, indeed, have been for over twenty-five years now. I’m also lucky enough to have a financial cushion, in part due to their having been an ABC TV series, FlashForward, based on my novel of the same name. I knew I really had to dig in and research before I could write a single word of this novel, and I spent an entire full-time year doing nothing but that. Not www.TopShelfMagazine.net
only did that research let me get the facts right, it also gave me the moral authority to tell a story about people who had really existed, whose children and grandchildren are still alive. Even when my book veers off into completely made-up events, I knew, because of my extensive research, that I was doing justice to who these people really were.
Was there anything that surprised you in the research and writing of The Oppenheimer Alternative? Tons! Setting aside some eye-opening historical stuff, such as that the plan had always been to drop not one but two atomic bombs on Japan, the revelations about Oppenheimer himself were fascinating. The guy was, literally, a mad scientist: in 1925, when he was twenty-one, Oppie tried to murder his tutor at Cambridge—a man who later went on to win the Nobel Prize. In 1939, he became the first person to predict the existence of black holes. And in 1945, he offered up his own newborn daughter for adoption while his wife was out of town. After the attempted murder, he was diagnosed with dementia praecox—what we now call schizophrenia—and certainly was his own worst enemy.
Of all the “powerful and quirky personalities” portrayed in this novel, did you find yourself identifying with and/or favoring the writing of any particular historical figures? Absolutely—and it was the one who, ironically, is probably the least well known of the major figures in the book: the Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard. He was the first to conceive of the runaway nuclear chain reaction; the person who ghostwrote the letter Einstein sent to President Roosevelt urging the creation of the atomic bomb; and the first scientist to come to regret his involvement in the whole damn thing. A rotund gadfly, with no visible means of support, he was the catalyst for so many things and was so quirky and witty that he was an absolute joy to write.
How did writing The Oppenheimer Alternative affect your own previous understanding, knowledge, and interest in these historical events, figures, and the Birth of the Atomic Age? It made me realize how unnecessary it all was. My mantra has become this: the world would be a better place if the smartest people in it simply refused to make the things the stupidest people want them to make. The Manhattan Project, which folded into it the earlier British atomic-bomb effort, codenamed Tube Alloys, was the only serious effort to make an atomic weapon. The Germans weren’t working on it; the
TOPShelf Interviews Japanese weren’t working on it; the Soviets only eventually got it by stealing the secret from the Americans. The Nazis surrendered in May 1945, three months before the first atomic bomb was ready; the Japanese had been seeking peace since the summer of 1944 and only wanted an assurance that their divine emperor, Hirohito, wouldn’t be dethroned. Even without the atomic bomb, everyone agrees that Japan would have been defeated by conventional warfare shortly anyway. It’s not a new message; it’s the most famous quote from Jurassic Park: “You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could” make an atomic bomb, “you didn’t stop to think if you should.” Today, the same thing might be said of the headlong rush to create artificial intelligence happening in military installations and at corporations with no public debate and little if any oversight.
What do you hope readers gain from reading The Oppenheimer Alternative? My novel isn’t just timely because of the anniversaries mentioned earlier. It’s also timely because of its central theme. In a crisis, do we listen to politicians, or do we listen to scientists? Whether it’s the potential for nuclear annihilation, dealing with catastrophic climate change, or battling a worldwide pandemic, listening to the experts is the only thing that will save us.
What can readers expect next from the author who’s become “Canada’s answer to Michael Crichton” (The Toronto Star)? It’s my contention that the COVID-19 plague is this generation’s World War—this generation’s Great Depression. It has already monumentally changed things while we are dealing with it, and I don’t think we’ll ever go back to the way things were beforehand. Add to that the tipping point that it seems we’ve finally reached in terms of addressing systemic racism, and the future is going to be radically different and in many ways better. Well, despite the fact that The Oppenheimer Alternative was set in the past, it’s the future that is the normal milieu for a science-fiction writer, and, using SF’s toolbox of masks and metaphors, I’m embarking on my 25th novel, which will explore the strange new world that lies ahead of us all after the pandemic is over. Read our interview with Robert J Sawyer at:
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TOPShelf
September 2020
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TOPShelf Spotlights DASHING & CLEVER, private eye Armand Arnolfini confronts a dazzling array of wily thieves, brilliant forgers, and ruthless murderers in this riveting series of art crimes. Each case is a standalone episode, yet are arranged chronologically, thereby creating a harmonious and sweeping narrative from Armand’s first intriguing case to his last.
Genre Mystery Anthology Price $11.99 ISBN 978-1950052042 www.tsmag.co/ArnolfiniArtMysteries
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They say the pen is mightier than the sword. In Sleepwater’s world, words are literally more powerful than bullets. Leo could always make people believe anything she says—really believe. When her chest burns and the words come from her mouth, her targets’ eyes glaze over, they forget their own thoughts, and they’ll do anything she says. It’s what keeps her alive after being on the run and living on the streets for years.. Genre LGBT Science Fiction Price $14.99 ISBN 978-1732201651 www.amzn.to/3dFP6KS
Tequila Rose may have met the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, she wakes up suffering from alcoholic amnesia and doesn’t remember anything about the night before. Tall, dark, and Jack may be the cure her jaded heart desperately needs, but Tequila’s wary as friends warn her that Jack hangs out with the local drug dealer. Thrust together at a Speed Dating event, their chemistry sizzles, but is Jack after a different kind of fix?
Fifteen-year-old Matt Mitchell was having the worst summer imaginable. His misery started when his mother died in a senseless car accident. Matt’s grieving father, unable to remain in the family’s seaside cottage, moved Matt and his twin sister as far as possible from the ocean they loved…
Genre Thriller Price $13.00 ISBN 978-1732467491
Genre Dark Fantasy Price $16.99 ISBN 978-1734935929
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www.tsmag.co/secretsofhawthornehouse
A heartwarming and humorous book which breaks the Motherhood Code of Silence with A Tell ALL series of essays on Motherhood, Childhood and EVERYTHING in between. It brings humor and love together while honestly sharing the often UNSPOKEN experiences in raising children and the CrAzY balancing act and understanding heart it requires! It’s guaranteed to make you laugh and shed a few tears!
A depression-era boy wants badly to become a classical musician against the wishes of his hard drinking, heavy equipment operating father. His longsuffering mother wants him to escape the kind of life she’s had and supports his musical dream. He convinces himself that music is the most important thing in his life and marries the woman who has set her sights on him…
Genre Non-Fiction Price $9.99 ISBN 978-0692412459
Genre Coming of Age Price $19.95 ISBN 978-1937818265
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AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR, RACHEL TAMAYO First, congratulations on your release of Carnal Knowledge, the second stand-alone Thriller in your Deadly Sins series. How did this newest launch go for you? Were there any particular highlights? Thank you so much! Book releases are always stressful. Between spending months gathering reviews, editing, editing some more, praying that readers love it, and planning out the next book, it’s that kind of stress that you have a love-hate relationship with. No matter how many books you write, it never changes. The fear and stress and hope are always there. A nail-biting time for sure! 10
The Deadly Sins series, so far, is comprised of stand-alone novels with different main characters. What inspired you to write a series of books this way instead of in the traditional vein of following one main character through multiple books? The simple fact is I wasn’t sure I could come up with a believable way to string one set of characters together in a way that would embrace all seven sins. I really strive to make what I do original and unlike other books in the genre. It is a goal for each book and for the entire series. I think readers will like the fact that they can grab any book and not be lost, moving seamlessly into the next. The sins are the silver thread that bind them all together.
Which do you find easier? Writing multiple standalones or writing a more traditional multibook series? This is my second series, my first being a Romance trilogy. I think that writing one standalone after another is harder, for sure. In writing a series, you typically have the story carry on from one book to the next. There isn’t the need to create a new world and birth new characters and a fresh, exciting plot. It’s almost like writing one huge book that is simply broken down into smaller stories. I’ve done both, and I like both, but I love the challenge of creating an entirely new story based around one central theme.
What was your favorite part of the entire writing process from beginning to end with Carnal Knowledge? The end, hands down. I’m super proud of how the end came out and took it as a personal challenge to ensure that I created an ending no one would guess. I love twisted, surprise endings, so I really wanted this one to be a thing of beauty. I think it turned out simply perfect, and from feedback I’ve received, readers love it as well. It is my favorite ending in any of my books to date. I had the ending in mind when I wrote the book, and I created the entire book around it.
You used to be a Romance author before you dipped into Thrillers with the first book in the Deadly Sins series, Break My Bones. What prompted you to switch genres? Did you know would be something you enjoyed as much as you do before you sat down to write Break My Bones? I used Romance to hone my skills and build my writer’s muscles. I always wanted to dive www.TopShelfMagazine.net
into thrillers, but when I did, I wanted to be sure that I was where I needed to be to pull it off. When I was ready to try, it was a process of weaning my readers away from my romance and into darker waters with Crazy Love and Lucifer’s Game. When I started Break My Bones, I was ready but scared, since it was so different than what I was used to. However, once I got a taste of it, I knew there was no going back.
Do you still currently write Romance, or have you officially made the switch to Crime and Domestic Thrillers? My last romance was the novella Once Upon a Kiss. It was my last official contemporary romance. I wrote it between Break My Bones and Carnal Knowledge as a sort of kiss goodnight to the genre. That being said, I’m in the process of a cowriting in a genre I’ve never tried before. I have plans to release a short novella next year with author Cynthia Austin. This time, it will be a Dystopian thriller. Look for that next spring. Anything I write now will be in one genre or another but always a sub-genre of thriller. I don’t see myself going back to romance.
TOPShelf Interviews not to be the run-of-the-mill, serial-killer book, and so I drew upon my knowledge to make that happen.
What is the most difficult or your least favorite aspect of writing Domestic Thrillers? What is the easiest or your most favorite aspect? The raw power of domestic fiction can be hard to swallow. Sometimes I write a difficult scene and wonder how readers will take it, knowing that it might be a trigger for someone. But then I have to look at it from the other side as well, realizing it may be a trigger but is also cathartic, and some of these things need to have attention drawn to them. People reading these stories should be feeling the emotions that are drawn up in these kinds of books. The best way to help someone in these situations is to draw attention to the hard truth of it.
For aspiring authors out there wanting to break into the Thriller genre themselves, what would you say are the top three things every good Thriller novel must have? The ability to bring realistic and raw emotions into your story is terribly important. You can write a fast-paced story with breakneck, whiteknuckle turns, but if it’s flat, then no one will get it. I recommend authors look into and practice what is called writing in deep point of view. It’s the ability to draw the reader into the character’s head so fully that they can feel the emotions, they are there in the moment, and that is what you want in a book like a thriller. Learn to do that, and you are set.
Twelve years spent as a 911 emergency operator and police dispatcher has set the groundwork for your intimate knowledge of domestic crimes, among many other types. How much of your own personal experience in this field dictates the subject matter of the Deadly Sins series? And finally, what can readers and fans of the Break My Bones is spun around a true Deadly Sins series expect from you in the future? event that occurred my first year of dispatching. The story of what led to Brooklyn’s escape from her husband was taken from a true story. In Carnal Knowledge, I worked from the other side of law enforcement, not wanting to write myself into a cliché or a box when it comes to criminal fiction. The need to make the story its own and not fit into the box got to me, and I created a police force that has characteristics that, while realistic in some aspects, aren’t usually how police are portrayed in fiction. I needed the book
Book three should be signed soon with my publisher, expect that one out sometime in 2021. That one will center around the sin of greed, and it is another one full of twists and turns. Nothing like the first two books but perfect for the series. I have just started working on book four as well. Read our interview with Rachel Tamayo at:
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OCTOBER2017 13
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR, DANIEL WARLOCH Please tell us a little about yourself and your background. I started work in the printing industry at the tender age of 15, as an apprentice hot metal compositor. The apprenticeship lasted 6 years and from then on, I held many senior positions in the industry, such as Production Manager to Operations Director, working closely with a number of ‘blue chip’ customers, such as Avon Cosmetics, British Telecom, British Gas and the BBC, to name just a few. 14
I am now retired and living very close to Liverpool in the UK with my wife, June. I have two grown-up sons and two grandsons. They say that there is a book in everyone? Well, I was 60 when I began writing 9/11: Official Complicity by Michael Rowland. My children’s novels and short stories are written under the pen name of Daniel M Warloch (anagram of Michael Rowland). The reason for the pen name is because I didn’t want to associate a serious novel with my children’s work.
Your very first book, 9/11: Official Complicity, was targeted towards adults and then you began writing children’s stories. What is it about children’s adventures that you enjoy more? After writing and self-publishing 9/11: Official Complicity, I was hooked. I would like to proudly add, that the book has been endorsed by Dr. David Ray Griffin. DRG is the leading exponent of 9/11 and has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. My first children’s novel was Leap Year, and the spooky house mentioned in the book was a house that I lived close to when I was six years old, and it stuck in my mind all that time. After that I wrote Christmas Presence and then the first in the Jake Hollywood series. You asked me what is it about children’s adventures that I enjoy? Well as I say on my web site ... “In the eyes of a child, the world is an enchanting place, and that is the reason I didn’t grow up.” Having said that, I do love reading children’s books. Basically, I’m just a big kid at heart. Children of all ages have a great imagination, and I hope I can copy them. And it’s when I visit schools and do book signings; I know I am doing something right from the response I get, and especially from www.TopShelfMagazine.net
the children I meet who tell me how much they enjoy reading my books. You may be interested to know, I also have the second and third in the Leap Year series in manuscript form
Tell us about your Holly KissKiss series, what age they are targeted towards and what they teach young readers. The Holly KissKiss series have been written to help young children with learning difficulties and on the spectrum. Also for children of all ages, not on the spectrum, making them aware what it is like to have autism. I have been told by a number of children and parents that I write in pictures, which is gratifying because when I do write the stories, I always imagine the story flashing like a movie in front of me. My dream is to be offered a book deal
TOPShelf Interviews You wrote The Key to Survival, a vividly descriptive historical fiction about the Titanic, targeted towards middle-school age children and up. Can you tell us more about the novel and what prompted you to write it? Good question. I wanted to combine historical fact with an edge-of-the- seat fiction children’s novel. The idea about the background to the story and the main character – Jake Hollywood came to me one morning. I do have a vivid imagination. I won’t give anything away, but there are a number of clues throughout the story, which will be made clearer once the series comes to an end. I am fortunate, living close to Liverpool, where the Titanic exhibition is on show at the Maritime Museum. I spent many hours researching about the fateful liner and I hope when you read the book you will get a feeling of what it must have been like on the Titanic. So as the synopses says on the back of the back cover ... “So book your ticket, board the doomed ship, and find out if Jake will be able to change history, or find out why he was chosen to be transported back in time, as the Titanic crosses the Atlantic Ocean, on its way to New York...” My brother, Andrew Rowland, designed the cover.
The Key to Survival is a very engaging way to teach children about historical events and ends with quite the twist. Is there a second book in the works, and if so, when can we expect it out?
and the publisher, publish all of the Holly series as a picture book. And I am delighted to announce that Rudolph’s Little Helper has now been published on Amazon USA and UK as a picture book with the illustrations done by Joshua Mitchell-Taylor.
Yes there is a second book, which is in manuscript form. I am currently putting the finishing touches to it, and I hope to publish it very soon. I also have the third in the series in manuscript form, and the idea for the fourth one. I really enjoyed writing The Key to Survival, researching the facts, especially the tons of food they had to store and the vast amount of champagne on board. Since a young age, I have always been interested in history, so by writing this series, I’m learning a great deal I didn’t know before, and I hope when the children read this series, they may also learn something new? Read the complete interview with Daniel M. Warloch at: www.TopShelfMagazine.net
TOPShelf
September 2020
15
THANK YOU, READERS FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR by Tosca Lee
Twitter @ToscaLee | toscalee.com
I LIKE TO IMAGINE US FIVE, MAYBE
seven years in the future. We’re at some social event—maybe a wedding—or hanging with family during the holidays. Sharing life updates and talking about the news. Inevitably someone will mention 2020 and what a strange, pivotal, surreal, and challenging year it was. About how we coped with quarantine. Politics. The onslaught of the news. I hope among the home cooking experiments, Netflix binges, and online meetings that conversation includes the books that helped us escape. That made life seem like a distant memory in favor of a more vibrant, sane (or bizarre) reality on the page—if only for an hour at a time. That gave us reprieve—not just from the pandemic and headlines, but the screens that came to dominate our socially-distanced lives. As an author, I’ve said for a long time that I take my job as an entertainer seriously. That it’s an honor to help readers escape the rigors of everyday life. I also admit that the lethargy of quarantine has worn on me. That creativity has felt like an elusive and spectral thing with the entire family at home in the chaos of a recent move and www.TopShelfMagazine.net
stalled house renovations. Having just released A Single Light—the sequel to my 2019 pandemic thriller, The Line Between —a mere four months before the actual pandemic hit, it’s been easy to question the merits of making stuff up (especially disaster fiction) against the backdrop of actual disasters. Somehow, that same duology has managed to final for and win more awards than any of my previous work, including twin International Book Awards last month— highlights in an otherwise run-on sentence of a year for which I want to say a hearty “thank you.” Not just to my readers, but to all you readers. Thank you for continuing to support authors— libraries, bookstores, publishers, editors, and everyone associated with written storytelling— by turning to our shared worlds for escape and bringing them to life again and again. Because no story is a one-way conversation; readers co-create the story in new and vivid ways by the act of consuming it. Which is why experienced writers know they’re only a part of the process that lands a book in your hands and story in your mind. So thank you for continuing to turn to the work of authors like me during these challenging times, for encouraging us with your readership,
reviews, and letters, and supporting us and the stores that sell our stories through your purchases and word of mouth to other bibliophiles. Thank you most of all for helping us continue to do what we love so much by accompanying us on adventure after adventure in the midst of this strange and wild year. We are here for you, hard at work creating new stories we hope will delight you, and we appreciate you.
Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels including A SINGLE LIGHT, THE LINE BETWEEN, THE PROGENY, THE LEGEND OF SHEBA, ISCARIOT, and the Books of Mortals series with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages and been optioned for TV and film. A notorious night-owl, she loves movies, playing football with her kids, and sending cheesy texts to her husband.
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TOPShelf
September 2020
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Narrated b Jeff Lemucchi
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Dick Sn der provides an e pressive, almost l rical, narrative to the stal art Jonas Kirk, and the intricate details of murder and crime-solving are arguabl some of the best out there. Kri Miller, TopShelf Revie s for Jona Ki k M
Center Spread Dick Snyder
HORROR IN THE LANDSCAPE OF 2020
LOOMING SHADOWS, disembodied voices whispering, the startling crack of thunder. For some, the mere thought of these things makes the hair on their arms stand on end as goose bumps break out across their skin. Others rub their hands together with glee. I've been a lover of all things horror ever since I was a little girl. It sounds strange, I know, but while my friends were reading about ponies and princesses, I was reading about infamous hauntings and obscure paranormal phenomenon. That's not to say I wasn't scared. There were many nights spent with the bedside lamp on. Especially after reading my first Stephen King book when I was ten... Yet I always came back for the next scary book or scary movie, like so many of us do. Why, some might ask? Well, when it comes to reading and watching horror, there's always that part of you that's thinking "It's okay! It's not real! It’s just a movie/book.” However, with the outbreak of the corona virus we’ve experienced unprecedented and sudden social www.TopShelfMagazine.net
changes the world over. We’ve become accustomed to words like lockdown, asymptomatic, isolation and quarantine—words that sound more at home in the synopsis of the latest horror offering than they do in our daily lives. Instead it’s become our new normal—a horror story which we’re forced to accept as reality. We can’t press pause or skip to the next chapter. We’ve become the main characters in a modern horror tale where we feel the walls closing in on us and every cough is cause for concern. Or where we stare at the clock, waiting for the one hour a day we’re allowed outside. Horror in the landscape of 2020 isn’t slasher films and copious amounts of gore. It’s more subtle, creeping towards you from all sides as it slowly chips away at your resolve while you gather as much optimism as you can and hold onto it with everything you have. It’s the unravelling of your sanity like yarn yanked from your favorite sweater. You know it’s happening, but you feel helpless to stop it. Our modern horror story, like in any great apocalyptic tale, sees us stripped away of the things we took for granted —the things that if we’d only known we wouldn’t get to experience again (or at least for some time) that we would have taken the time to appreciate better. We are left looking at our reflections that
by Liz Butcher
Twitter @lunaloveliz | lizbutcher.com.au
don’t quite look the way they did before. There’s a slight hesitation in our smiles, the glint of anxiety in our eyes. We know there’s a monster moving beyond the safety of our homes, silent and nondiscriminating in where or who its victims might be. It weaves around us, unseen, unheard—a monster we don’t know how to defeat. Yet that’s not to say that we won’t. When the world records no more cases of the corona virus, the modern landscape may look a little different— we might feel a little different—but we’ll once again get to utter the words, "It's okay! It's not real! It’s just a movie/book.”
Liz Butcher lives in Australia, with her husband, daughter and two cats. She’s a self-confessed NERD with a BA in Psychology and an insatiable fractionation for learning. Her debut novel, Fates’ Fury, released September 2019
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September 2020
21
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BEING A CAPTAIN IS HARD WORK by Carole P. Roman
Twitter @caroleproman | caroleproman.com
CAPTAIN NO BEARD’S REFRAIN that being a captain is hard work is woven into each one of the ten books I have written in the series. I didn’t plan for him to say it, but the world weariness is something both the captain and I have shared many times in our lives, in many different situations. I became a mother at twenty-two. I was the first of our crowd to embark on this portion of our lives and remember vividly the shock at the unremitting volume of work, the mind-numbing exhaustion, the tense worry that I was somehow now in charge of someone who knew less than I did. The days ran together into a kaleidoscope of unending moments. I felt stuck on an out-of-control merry-go-round, that twirled with a steady abandon. If I thought being a teenager was hard work, I had no idea of the allencompassing soul-sucking responsibility and job that parenthood commanded. The workload changed. Less laundry, more drama. Nobody likes me, your child complains, your child is not working to his full potential, the teacher complains, you don’t make time for us, your spouse www.TopShelfMagazine.net
complains, we never see each other, your parents complain, you’re no fun anymore, your friends compl…oops. The friends evaporated with the work load. So, now that the kids can wipe their own…noses, you’ve moved back to the work force, just to prove that like Superwoman, you can do it all too. Whether it’s a head cold, a deadline, a business obligation, or science fair, you break your back showing everybody you can do it all, with a smile, and only your therapist and your mother know that being a mom/ businessperson is hard work. You’ve arrived. Almost at the finish line and you’ve decided to squeeze another career into your resume of caretaker, councilor, chauffeur, teacher, cook, chief bottlewasher, and what ever you went to college or trade school for. You decide to live your dream and become a writer. You write your first book. Didn’t you know it has to be illustrated, formatted, edited, then edited some more? What about marketing, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, oh we left something out. I don’t know what, but I know I did. Pin
it, did you remember to PIN IT!! Where, I’m not sure, but you better PIN IT somewhere! You published, but the facts are wrong. Take it back and get it right. You may have offended the people on the left, or maybe it was the folks on the right. Does it matter? Being a writer is hard work. It really is, but like all the professions and jobs I’ve taken on in my lifetime, this I know for sure. It was all was worth it!
Named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Roman is best known for her Captain No Beard series, but she has many compelling series that will captivate the hearts and minds of young readers.
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September 2020
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A alia a h , Vic ia Ca e , ake a ag ifice j e ac he back, gi i g he feeli g f ac all bei g he e. SBN: 978-1925271492
SBN: 978-1925962062
SBN: 978-1925962055
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TOPShelf Reviews
Thriller
Hardcover
$27.99
Thriller
Paperback
14.99
Self-Help
Paperback
$18.00
LIGHTS AN ADRENALINENOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED, GREAT FUN, AND FILLED, SLOW-BURNING FUSE! ALL ABOUT LIFE'S LESSONS EXTREMELY UNIQUE When I heard Jon Land was writing the next Margaret Thurman’s Capital Crimes novel, I knew I had to read it. It only took one page to see the pairing of Jon Land with this series was genius. What I loved about Murder on the Metro is how Land uses a slow burn. The action begins immediately, but then the intricacies and plot twists sizzle until the heart-pounding and explosive climax. Jon Land does what no thriller author does better. Multiple plot lines have nothing to do with one another, magically weave into an intricate tapestry that makes perfect sense. Murder on the Metro takes us from the beaches of Isreal, where a terrorist drone strike kills hundreds and draws the attention of ExMossad agent Lia Ganz, better known as the Lioness of Judah. We then meet Robert Britton, Ex SITQUAL agent, who accidentally stops a suicide bomber on the Washington Metro. Our heroes are eventually brought together in a political storm, ending in a race to save humanity. Jon Land grabs the reins of one of the best thriller franchises and lights an adrenalinefilled, slow-burning fuse that will ignite the world in explosive fury!
What is real, and what is fiction? When is it best not to keep a secret? Is there ever really a “happily ever after”? This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is incredibly open to the point of abrasiveness in tearing back the facade shown to society and letting the real “self ” of Diane and her family show. In many ways, it is a difficult read because of the raw, emotional content and the ability to connect with the characters on a personal level. The plot flows well – not predictable, but with many twists and turns. The characters are well developed and mesh well together. The story is very believable, but some parts are not. It is something that you may have to read a bit of, put down, and come back to it later. It is all about life’s lessons and how to deal with them.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. Embodying Soul is a fantasy memoir, which, in itself, is great fun and extremely unique. Having the storyline of Keri's life interwoven throughout makes this book accessible and exciting, rather than dry and dense with advice, as many self-help types of books can be. The imagery in Embodying Soul helps to quantify and give vision to spiritual and emotional concepts, which tends to be hard to articulate. It is easy to take some of these concepts and apply them to your own life. ~Bobby Jo Calder, TopShelf Review
~Bobby Jo Calder, TopShelf Review
~Mark Aducci, TopShelf Reviews
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September 2020
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TOPShelf Spotlights C
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A step-by-step roadmap for anyone interested in learning how to rise above emotional or physical pain. Combining the best of both eastern- and western-insights with the latest neuropsychological research, Dr. Bushman provides several, ' e 1940 . WW . A easy-to-remember steps that Nesummarize E a information d a b so d richer, morea people can live e. T a ' a Home balanced lives…
Front: A Memoir from WWII a ab e b ac , e a , Genre e ea Fantasy , e a aPrice d e$8.50 e e e eISBN . A 978-1949931167 e e a ,D a , awww.amzn.to/2QZD4lW a a b ed a .
P ce $18.95 SBN: 978-0960081509 Step into the mysterious mists a e of the beyond,ewhereefascinating .c occurrences, unexpected twists, space adventures, time travel, bizarre happenings, and even humor are coupled with thought-provoking undertones that edify and entertain.
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If you never read one of Willow Rose’s 80 books, this is an excellent place to start! Get this new mystery from multi-millioncopy bestselling author Willow Rose today! Four rich teenagers are murdered on a boat. Another is found dead in a dumpster, all from the same high school in Miami. Soon, Detective Harry Hunter will risk everything while racing to stop a serial killer who has left everyone else in the homicide squad shaking in terror. Genre Science Fiction Price $16.95 ISBN 978-0994495600 www.amzn.to/2WUoTSZ
When Jake Hollywood finds an envelope, he feels it is drawing him towards it. He discovers a newspaper inside the envelope: TITANIC SINKS FOUR HOURS AFTER HITTING ICEBERG…. Moments later, he finds himself in the bowels of the ill-fated liner. Knowing what will happen if he does nothing—and a mysterious key he finds in the maze of corridors… Genre Thriller Price $27.44 ISBN 978-1913264239 www.amzn.to/3atHBol
There are three letters when put together that can change your life--they can either bring happiness or sadness. The letters spell the word Y - E - S. When spoken lovingly, Y E S means everything. When fear underlies the answer, Y E S becomes a trap with ominous consequences. The Last Merry Go Round peels back the skin of a volatile marriage with dark secrets, revealing what happens to the family when the secrets explode.
Genre Science Fiction Price $11.99 ISBN 978-1950052004
Genre Thriller Price $27.44 ISBN 978-1913264239
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OCTOBER2017 27
Fantasy
Paperback
$24.95
HEROISM IS NOT IN MY BONES. ITS IN MY BLOOD, CERTAINLY.
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 50 Reviewer and has collaborated with Creative Edge Media to provide quality book reviews. Creative Edge is a publicity firm specializing in arranging events such as book signings, library or school presentations, online and print media opportunities, and many other related events.
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Allaigna has discovered that her family has lied to about her parentage all her life. Fueled by anger and spurred by her betrothal to a neighbouring lord, Allaigna has packed her saddlebags and stolen away in the night. The perils of the road provide more than a distraction from her fury, and test her ability to sing music into magic to its limit. Unlikely allies, subterfuge, captivity, and assault conspire to change Allaigna’s status from mere runaway to fugitive. While Allaigna charts her dangerous course, the quieter tales of her mother and grandmother unfold in tender, poignant, and heartbreaking vignettes that underscore the political and family tensions of the richly rendered world of the Ilmar. ‘ JM Landels continues her richly woven story with both grace and ardor as befits the realm of her tale. Yes, the story includes magic, even beyond the quality of the prose, and loom is elaborated with line drawing illustrations. This is a fascinating, fresh series! ~Grady Harp
Thriller
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EXPECT HIGH ANXIETY LEVELS, KEEP LIGHTS ON ONCE FINISHED This mentation rises out of an opening gruesomely described scene that pivots the story's progress. A plot outline by the author describes the direction: 'Six women are dead, and Wren Addison is the next victim on the SMS Killer's list—or so she's been told after waking in a pool of blood with no memory of the events that have transpired. Newly separated and struggling to start her life over after her husband's infidelity, Wren tries to remember what happened to her, but nothing is adding up as more horrors unfold around her. She realizes there is nothing typical about this serial killer with her life on a timer, and the murderer taunting her. Wren is pushed to the edge as she dances between knowing she's likely to die and fighting to be the first to survive. As the truth starts to emerge, she rises to the challenge and decides not to go down without a fight. Someone is going to die, and she's determined it won't be her.' Rachel Tamayo has successfully scribed a dark, moody piece that defies the reader to put the story, once started, aside before the final page. Expect high anxiety levels while reading it, and keep the lights on once finished. Highly recommended. ~Grady Harp
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Teen & YA
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$7.99
Thriller
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$16.99
NAVIGATING THE PRETEEN WORLD ONE WHO WALKS ALONE Meet Phillip. His mom relocates him to a new school in the middle of the school year. Things do not go well and Phillip lands himself a trip to the dean of student’s office when he tries to forge his mother’s signature. There is one class Phillip has that is going well. It is with Mr. Filter, who starts each day with a writing prompt. These “jam sessions” allow students to be creative and enjoy writing. Phillip writes about being a basketball on a soccer field. Another day he writes about receiving two dragon eggs in the mail, one for himself and one for an incredibly cute girl. But will Phillip ever be able to make his real life go as well as his Jam Sessions?’ Not only is the story organically excellent, but at the end of this book, Jerry invites Dr. Timothy Sisemore to contribute information about anxiety and panic attacks. Most additive to the quality of this excellent new book – one that hopefully parents will read as well as the youngsters for whom it is written. ~Grady Harp
Preston's synopsis shares the plot without destroying the anxiety-riddled pace that makes this book so engaging. Daniel Blackbird has been chasing the murderous shapeshifter known as The Walker across North America for over a decade. Blackbird follows unrelenting, obsessed with vengeance. In its wake, the Walker leaves a bloody trail of eviscerated victims. Along the path. Blackbird finds himself drawn to Thomasville's Prairie town, where a string of child murders is being investigated. There, the police chief has uncovered a mass grave in the cornfield of a local farmer named Stephen Hopper. Hopper has confessed, even identified the graves, but claims that he is merely the caretaker of this macabre burial ground and that a creature who he thinks is the devil is responsible. As Chief Logan grapples with the unthinkable, Blackbird sets out for the prairie town, which, as the Equinox approaches, is destined to become a killing ground where cultures and worlds will collide. Will he get there in time? And who will believe him?' MJ Preston's skill in creating terrifying horror stories covering many social mores and preserving indigenous peoples' magic and culture is unmatched today. Enter his world and be transformed by his craft, highly recommended. ~Grady Harp
TOPShelf
September 2020
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TOPShelf Spotlights Can love heal a wounded army officer who doesn’t believe it exists? Lady Rachel St. Clair has witnessed how powerful love can be… Major Evan Drake, Marquess of Merrick, witnessed his father murder his mother and believes love doesn’t exist. Will Evan be able to regain Rachel’s trust—and open his heart to love?
According to the Wall Street Journal, teachers are leaving their positions in greater numbers than ever before. Truth: educators do not commit their passion to teach believing untold wealth awaits them. The purposely concealed story: national teacher shortage is due to a dominating hostile work environment, created by the people educators serve…
Genre Regency Romance Price $11.99 ISBN 978-1093255515
Genre Non-Fiction Price $19.99 ISBN 978-0578480442
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Get 3 Bestselling Cozy Mystery Novels In One! Treat yourself to this 3 Book Box Set with more than 700 pages of fun-filled, clean cozy mysteries and follow Gloria and the Garden Girls as they solve mysteries in their cozy town of Belhaven Genre Memoir Price $9.99 ISBN B086BPJSZG www.amzn.to/3dKpX1G
After a mass murder in Israel, a renowned investigator from the Ministry—Vince Ramsey— is called in. Some experts at the scene believe only something supernatural could be responsible for such an atrocity. Ramsey finds an artifact which leads him to the Antiquities Authority. There, he teams up with historical specialist April Fulton. Together they learn the artifact is linked to an ancient secret society founded by a famous Greek philosopher…. Genre Thriller Price $12.99 ISBN 978-1710317190 www.bit.ly/realmoftheunknown
Abandoned and left at a local shelter, a Maine Coon kitten awaits an uncertain fate. During his stay, Khan befriends a wise old tomcat, who speaks about his experiences of life on the streets, bringing comfort to the frightened kitten. Four days later, to Khan's horror, the shelter workers take his friend away to the Big Sleep, as the tomcat called it, leaving Khan scared and alone. Just before Khan's time is up, a man enters the shelter and adopts Khan, bringing him to a new home… Genre Pet & Animal Price $10.99 ISBN 978-1502582515 www.tsmag.co/khan
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The turn-of-the-century world of New York City ragtime is the backdrop for a story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness. A failed concert pianist achieves fame as Ragtime King of the World, only to discover he is haunted by the life and the woman he left behind…
Genre Biography Price $14.95 ISBN 978-0998440644 www.amzn.to/39t1RVH
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TOPShelf Spotlights D
It's the 1940s. WW II. Home Front chronicles a farm family and how their lives were irrevocably changed by the war and by"progress" in the post war period.
Genre Historical Fiction Price $18.95 ISBN 978-0960081509 www.amzn.to/3bGWoMB
After the death of an innocent bystander in a drive-by shooting, the two gangs responsible for his murder begin facing an unstoppable Edgar Allan Poe inspired vow of revenge from beyond the grave.
Genre Urban Price $15.99 ISBN 978-0473237028 www.amzn.to/3dG6E9T
Against an international landscape of power, affluence, control and fear, a young woman defines what it means to find strength, passion and love for life. Her choice to trust herself, and dare to take the first steps away from what she could not allow, led to acts of boldness. With the unexpected help of strangers, and guidance from her alter-ego, her journey led to an unprecedented escape to freedom. Genre Suspense Thriller Price $19.99 ISBN 978-0997583687 www.https://tsmag.co/Truth
T H E C AT D E T E C T I V E S I N RUSSIA: THE CASE OF THE MISSING FABERGÉ EGG is the 9th standalone children’s book in the Diary of a Snoopy Cat series, which is purrfect for kids ages 7-12. If you and your child like new cultural experiences, animal detectives, and tales of teamwork, then you’ll love R.F. Kristi’s globetrotting adventures. Genre Thriller & Suspense Price $6.91 ISBN 978-0515120127 www.amzn.to/342ex4J
When Jake Hollywood finds an envelope, he feels it is drawing him towards it. He discovers a newspaper inside the envelope: TITANIC SINKS FOUR HOURS AFTER HITTING ICEBERG....Moments later, he finds himself in the bowels of the ill-fated liner. Knowing what will happen if he does nothing—and a mysterious key he finds in the maze of corridors—Jake tries to save the ship and himself. If he does, will Jake manage to return to the present? Genre Fantasy Price $12.99 ISBN 978-1704622828 www.https://amzn.to/2R1eLnt
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TOPShelf Spotlights Margi calls in with a surprise for the Mary and Eddie for their joint birthday and anniversary. A very humorous start to the story with Mary, Eddie and Margi swapping stories and banter, which shows their ability to both give and take a bit and also their undeniable love for each other. Margi’s surprise for them is a cruise for the elderly, a twilight cruise. Once they board the ship Mary’s world turns upside down…
Following their abduction from Earth, Laura Sinclair, and son, Jason, lead a group of desperate humans in a bid to forge their own future and that of their home planet. To succeed, they must solve the puzzle of extraterrestrial races in the throes of a perplexing and historic conflict. But they are in a strange new universe.. Who can they trust as they struggle to understand the challenging and hostile environment that holds them in a grip of iron?
Genre Short Story Price $4.99 ISBN 979-8641687643
Genre Science Fiction Price $1.25 ISBN B07Q2D4XNR
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Following their abduction from Earth, Laura Sinclair, and son, Jason, lead a group of desperate humans in a bid to forge their own future and that of their home planet. To succeed, they must solve the puzzle of extraterrestrial races in the throes of a perplexing and historic conflict. But they are in a strange new universe.. Who can they trust as they struggle to understand the challenging and hostile environment that holds them in a grip of iron?
The ageless laws binding the world in ignorance have begun to shift. Kherron draws closer to the Amneas coast and the Brotherhood attempting to shatter Dehlyn’s defenses. Few beings remain who fully understand the consequences of unlocking such volatile, rampant power amid unstable and longforgotten magic. Kherron can rely on none of them. He has only one option—stay alive long enough to free Dehlyn….
Genre Memoir Price $15.00 ISBN 978-1943070442 www.amzn.to/3bFW6p9
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Harold Goldfarb is a sixty-year old retiring actor who's only looking for some peace and contentment in his advancing years, but in the middle of the night he is visited by a strange otherworldly being (who looks remarkably like Mel Brooks) and after that Harold's whole world, or what he thinks is his world, gets completely turned upside down. Harold is tasked with an outrageous assignment, and unfortunately, the fate of mankind depends on what he does next.
Emerging criminal defense attorney Sam Young has always known he had a gift. Or a curse. He thinks of them as minor psychic abilities. When Sam is hired by an attractive young nun named Camille Paradisi, he agrees to help discover the identity of a serial killer in order to prevent Camilles pastor from being exposed for not reporting the man after a confession thereby allowing another murder to occur…
Genre Humor, Sci-Fi, Fantasy Price $14.99 ISBN 978-1733051200 www.https://amzn.to/3dPzh4z
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Genre Paranormal & Urban Price $2.99 ISBN B082J84GHV
Genre Thriller Price $15.98 ISBN 978-1633931794 www.tsmag.co/AlmostMortal
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TOPShelf Spotlights Who would ever suspect that their mentor, teacher, and friend is a cold-blooded killer? Attorney Jessie Martin didn't--at least not until she answers the midnight call. Late one August night, Jessie's lifelong mentor and friend--and presently a popular, charismatic, and handsome high school teacher-Terrence Butterfield calls. He utters a startling admission: he's killed someone. He pleads for Jessie's help… Genre Thriller Price $13.00 ISBN 978-1732467491 www.tsmag.co/midnightcall
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If James Patterson and Janet Evanovich had a love child... Meet Jessica James!
a DeDonors to theanew world class
When Grandma Teaches You to Lie is a collection of colorful tales from Jenny Prevatte's childhood in rural North Carolina, a time and place ruled by the cycles of farm life and the grace of God. A pivotal figure in Jenny's life, Grandma was a conventional Southern woman in many ways but unconventional in all the best ways. She instilled in Jenny a mischievous sense of humor, fierce independence, and good common sense--lessons we can all use today. Genre Memoir Price $15.00 ISBN 978-1943070442 www.tsmag.co/Grandma
Hidden in plain sight, is a mysterious hotel that doubles as a supernatural refugee: The Soppronaturale. Each supernatural inhabitant has a specific purpose, job, and destiny—all to keep the hotel running and its secrets safe. Vampires exist. Werewolves exist. Witches exist. Shape Shifters exist. And now Faeries exist. The last two Faeries, once unified, could be the most powerful forces on Earth… Genre Fantasy Price $8.50 ISBN 978-1949931167 www.tsmag.co/Gauntlet
The Alchemy of Glass weaves a tale magical as spun glass and terrifying as a shattered mirror, drawing upon cutting edge science and the most ancient of Celtic mythology, intertwining the magic of fairy lore and the harsh reality of difficult choices, returning us to the world of immortal apothecary Gaelan Erceldoune, as his past, present and future collide, in an attempt to prevent a catastrophic future.
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