Shelf Unbound December/January 2014

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

INDIE BEST SHELF UNBOUND

WRITING COMPETITION

AWARD WINNERS

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SEPTEMBER 2010

what to read next in independent publishing

EST. 1972

HPB.COM

staff

Margaret Brown fo u n d e r a n d p u b l i s her Anna Nair e d i to r i n ch i e f Christina Davidson c re a t i ve d i re c to r Ben Minton c i rc u l a t i o n m a 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 to r Kelly Bergh yo u n g a d u l t / ch i l d re n ’s reviewer

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Jandy Jace a c c o u n t i n g m a n a g e r

For adver tising inqu i r i e s : call 214.704.4182 or e-mail margaret@she l f m e d i a g ro u p. c o m For editor ial inquir ie s : e-mail margaret@she l f m e d i a g ro u p. c o m or write to Shelf Unb o u n d, 3 3 2 2 G re e nv i ew D r. , Garland, TX 75044

Photograph: from The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson by Nancy Peacock

what to read next in independent publishing

I am writing you today concerning...

Letters from Paris The new novel from John Crawley is about the life and times of Clare de Fontroy From slavery to Jazz—from Nazi’s to McCarthy, Clare de Fontroy observed it and lived it, fought it and wrote about it.

Over four decades, Clare kept a running dialog with her old friend, John Dos Passos. It is their letters that capture the spirit, the history and the class struggle of the world between 1927 and 1970.

She was a journalist. Poet. Teacher.

Mother. Daughter, And killer. She was in the Harlem Renaissance, in the Lost Generation and in the French Underground. But most importantly, she was in the middle of almost every human rights fight she could find.

Follow her colorful life in the new breath-taking novel from John Crawley, Letters from Paris.

w w w.johncrawleybooks.com Available at Amazon.com, Lulu.com and iBooks.com.

december/january

shelf unbound WRITING COMPETITION 2013

WINNER,

FINALISTS, AND NOTABLE BOOKS 6

winner: the life & times of persimmon wilson interview with author nancy peacock

contents

NOTABLE BOOKS 32

literary fiction

34

favorite covers

36

page-turners

44

epic sagas

50

memoirs

56

children’s books

58

middle-grade books

60

teen books

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finalist: art on fire interview with author hilary sloin

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finalist: bright and yellow, hard and cold interview with author tim chapman

80

how-to

82

poetry

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finalist: one out of five items that adeline stein left on the bus on the way to the zoo interview with author heather pedoto

DEPARTMENTS 78

last year’s winner: jennifer bresnick’s latest book

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finalist: after action interview with author dan sheehan

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pubslush spotlight

88

last words

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finalist: aliens and other stories interview with author kathleen wheaton

30

best book design award: paleo 2 a look at melissa joulwan’s gorgeous new cookbook

Cover photo: Stephanie Williams Photography stephaniewilliamsphotography.com.

a word from the

publisher

O

INDIE

ur cover photo is from the album cover of a nowdefunct indie band, Janu and the Whalesharks, fronted by Jake Pappas. After leaving the band, Pappas moved from California to Nashville, started writing new material, and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money to produce an EP, City Maze, with his new group J. Thoven.

I discovered the photo, and thus the band, rather randomly through an Internet search, and I love their music, which you can sample in the video below and at jthoven.com.

I cite this story because it speaks to the possibilities of the indie movement today. Thanks to the Internet, artists can be discovered by a global audience—and in some cases even be funded by philanthropic strangers.

The challenge, of course, is the discovery part—how do the indie artist and the indie audience find each other?

That’s what this special issue of Shelf Unbound—honoring the winner, finalists, and notable entries in our second writing competition for best indie book—is all about. We received more than 1,000 entries, and here we spotlight over 100 of our favorites, connecting our global audience of readers with some of today’s best indie authors. We immensely enjoyed reading all of these books, and we hope you enjoy the issue.

Margaret Brown publisher

Like what you read? Click on any book cover to purchase from an online bookstore, or click on the publisher website for more information.

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Photograph: Belinda Baldwin

El cordero al matadero will be displayed at the Combined Book Exhibit in the U.S. Pavilion at the International Guadalajara Book Fair from November 30 – December 8.

Now AVAILABLE on Amazon.com, B&N.com and petedelohery.com in e-­‐

book, paperback and hardcopy.

“Set against the vividly rendered backdrop of professional boxing, Pete Delohery’s hard-­‐bitten yet generous-­‐spirited novel focuses on three men at a crossroad in their lives. A moving portrait is created of the men, each damaged by a brutal world, who flee from personal demons toward the only imperfect redemption available to them, victory in a fight.”

“This heartfelt tale makes a powerful emotional impact.”

—Blue Ink Starred Review

winner

Winner of the 2013 Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book

Nancy Peacock

It’s 1875 in Drunken Bride, Texas, and the eve of former slave turned Comanche warrior Persimmon Wilson’s hanging. Nancy Peacock has created an enthralling character in Persy and a story that is at once an epic adventure, a love story, and a history lesson. We talked to Peacock about the novel.

Lystra Books & Literary Services | www.lystrabooks.com

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Shelf Unbound: How did you come to the Shelf: Your first line is one of the best idea of writing a novel about a slave?

I’ve ever read: “I have been to hangings Nancy Peacock: The original idea was to before, but never my own.” Tell us about explore the possibility of a black man rid- writing that line. ing with the Comanche Indians. I’d read Peacock: Thank you. It’s one of my favorite a book several years earlier about white lines too, and it just came to me one day. captives (mostly children) of the ComanI think that writing—and all art—takes a lot che who assimilated into of psychic space, and I was I think that writing — and the tribe and even fought in a place like that, a place with them. I found myself all art — takes a lot of psychic of inner spaciousness, when asking the writer’s favorite I started wondering about space, and I was in a place question—What if? What if a black man riding with the like that, a place of inner a black man rode with the Comanche—and then that spaciousness, when I started Comanche. That led to the line just showed up in my next question—How did he wondering about a black man head. I didn’t so much write get there? I kept on like this riding with the Comanche — it as deliver it. That’s the until I had backed it all the and then that line just showed way it was working with the way up to a cane plantation up in my head. character of Persy. He has in Louisiana. The reason an incredible strength to him, for that location was that and a lot of focus, which I knew New Orleans had fallen early in the made my job a lot easier. I did not need to go Civil War, and I knew that some of the planta- in search of him, so much as get out of his tion owners fled to Texas with the enslaved way and be his writer, and check the historical people so as to keep what they saw as their facts to make all the puzzle pieces fit together. property. I thought that this would be one I really believe that sometimes a story and way for my character to end up in Texas— a character choose a writer, rather than the and it almost happened that way. other way around, and I think that is why that

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psychic space, that spaciousness for art is so important.

Shelf: The novel takes place in Louisiana and Texas in the late 1800s. How did you go about researching the regions in this era?

Peacock: This was hard. These are two places I had never been, and could not afford to visit, so I had to piece it together without the benefit of travel. Once I had accepted that this was the way it was going to be I started trying to figure out how. I felt that Louisiana would not be too difficult. I knew swamps, and I knew rivers. I read a lot about cane planting and processing, and created Sweetmore, the plantation where Persy is enslaved. In the Louisiana section he stays in one place, so once I’d created that place it could continue to serve me as the setting.

But Texas! Texas is a big place with lots of ecosystems, and Persy is traveling in most of the Texas section. I watched some movies that were supposed to be set in Texas, but the thing that really helped was drawing my own map, and then looking up national and state parks, getting pictures of them and marking them on a map. In this way I got a

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handle on what sort of terrain Persy would be passing through. I also read a lot of memoirs and diaries from the period, and these provided some good description.

Shelf: Your characters use the word “nigger,” which would have been accurate for the time. Did you have any qualms about using it?

Peacock: Yes, I did. But it was necessary to use it as it is true to that period, and I always try to stay true to the story. I open every reading saying that this is an offensive word, and that I only use it the context of fiction, and apologizing to anyone who still finds offense with it.

Shelf: In writing out his life story just prior to his hanging, Persy is candid about his shortcomings, for example of his lies to Chloe about escape plans he never actually makes, he says, “I told Chloe whatever I thought she wanted to hear, and she rewarded me with her love.” Yet he is unrepentant of the murders he commits when he later becomes Twist Rope, a Comanche warrior. Was it your intent

from the start to write him as an emotion- and one that many enslaved people lived ally and morally complex character or did with. I think Persy told Chloe these lies as much to convince himself that he was doing that develop as he emerged?

Peacock: I think that to be human is to be something as to convince her.

Later, riding with the Comanche he emotionally and morally complex. As a reader I find these sorts of characters the most becomes a warrior, something he could believable and the most interesting. As a never be while enslaved. He carries guilt about not being able to prowriter I hope for my humantect Chloe, but this is someity to touch my characters’ All this came from really thing that will never happen humanity. In other words, trying to listen to the again. He’s empowered.

I try to understand what it characters. We all share It’s also important to rememwas like to be that person, something as human beings, ber that these were bloody and to be other people in and this is why fiction is times, and Persy had seen the story. possible, and why being killing before. The killing he If I were Chloe, trapped moved by a story is possible. participated in as a Comanin the big house with a man I think stories connect us che was just sanctioned by who rapes me, I would desa different group of people perately want to escape. in deep ways, ways that we than the killing he’d seen preAnd if I were Persy, I would could not otherwise connect. viously. All the acts of violence be frightened to try. Persy understands the swamps and the danger Persy witnesses were sanctioned by someone.

All this came from really trying to listen to the better than Chloe. Yet he is a man, and I think every man who is in love wants to characters. We all share something as human please his woman, wants to save her from beings, and this is why fiction is possible, and any unpleasantness if he can. What Chloe why being moved by a story is possible. I think was going through was more than unpleas- stories connect us in deep ways, ways that we ant of course. It was an impossible situation, could not otherwise connect.

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finalist

Finalist in the 2013 Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book

Hilary Sloin

Complex and brilliantly structured, Hilary Sloin’s Art on Fire is rendered as a biography of an enigmatic, famous painter, Francesca deSilva, whose childhood was warped by neglectful parents and a brilliant but emotionally disturbed older sister. Sloin’s debut novel is a story of art and love and loss and coming of age.

Bywater Books | www.bywaterbooks.com

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Shelf Unbound: Tell us about your book.

Hilary Sloin: Art on Fire, a fanciful fiction, is the pseudo-biography of an imagined 1980s-era painter, Francesca deSilva, who rose to fame almost effortlessly, and whose paintings were celebrated as much for their sensationalized subject matter as for their artistic merit—perhaps even more. DeSilva ran from an unaccepting home at 18 and lived in a cabin beside a railroad track in Wellfleet, Mass. This is where she began painting and where she continued to paint until the end of her brief life.

Punctuated by essays on deSilva’s work and written by an imagined panel of experts, art critics, queer theorists, and psychologists, layered with footnotes, Art on Fire merges a coming of age story about love, neglect, and the struggle to be authentic with an absurd, unsparing spoof on art criticism, biography, academia, gay politics, racism, Judaism, mental illness, classism… and more.

Shelf: Tell us about Isabella deSilva.

Sloin: Though the book purports to be Francesca deSilva’s biography, her older sister Isabella is just as pivotal to the story. Franc-

esca flees her unaccepting home at a young age and begins life anew, elsewhere, and with better results. She never moves on from her childhood love, Lisa Sinsong, a genius chess competitor whom she met through her sister and who, much to Francesca’s surprise, rejected Isabella and chose her.

Isabella, a child genius who was pathologically adored and indulged by her mother, seems to invert, becoming obsessed with literary women who came to tragic ends and repeatedly planning and attempting to accomplish her own demise. She spends her life at home, emotionally arrested, mentally ill, alcoholic, and without real friendship or intimacy. And yet the book invites us to find humor in this tragedy.

Shelf: What is one of your favorite lines from your book?

Sloin: “In the hospital, with no vodka to slow down her thinking, Isabella had learned to soothe herself by enumerating metaphors: the crack of ice cubes under heat (mania) versus the slow bleeding of brown tea into hot water (depression). The patter of boiling water on the pillow of tea (mania) ver-

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sus the immeasurable slowness of heat (depression)… Cities were mania; farmlands, depression. Paris was mania; New Hampshire, depression…”

Shelf: Where did the idea for the book come from?

Sloin: I really don’t know. I was very influenced by The Shipping News and by volumes of Vladimir Nabokov’s playful and subversive writing. The sisters came to me first, but it was when I began to make up the paintings and write the phony analyses and criticism that the book took off for me.

Shelf: How did you decide on the title?

Sloin: The original title was The Unfinished Life of Francesca deSilva. But it was always too long and not very sexy. When Bywater awarded me the Bywater Prize for Fiction they said they wanted a different title. I was actually pleased at the chance to come up with something more exciting. The book is about art and fire and the link between them—metaphorically, literally. So the title seemed a perfect way to suggest the book’s major themes.

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Shelf: Tell us about yourself.

Sloin: I am a writer and former musician who lives with an undersized, intense Jack Russell Terrier named Pluto. I live in the middle of nowhere, at least that’s what people tell me. After losing my 25-year editing job in 2009, I searched high and low for something else to do. I wanted, of course, just to write, but that was not feasible. As mysteriously as ideas for writing projects assert themselves, so did a passion for antiques take hold of me. Since that time I have spent countless hours out in my workshop—formerly the garage—restoring antiques and selling as many of them as I can. It is almost like being two people—one who works with her brain and one who works with her hands, though I suppose both pursuits demand the participation of each. Since completing Art on Fire I have written a collection of short stories called The Cure for Unhappiness (these can be previewed at www.hilarysloin.com). I am now working on my next novel, Pimpin’ the Frontier, about a middle-aged woman coming apart at the seams amid her life as an antiques dealer.

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finalist

Finalist in the 2013 Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book

Tim Chapman

Tim Chapman’s Bright and Yellow, Hard and Cold is a riveting page-turner about a current-day coroner trying to stop a murderer. Chapman mixes mystery, a stash of missing gold, and 1930s-era Chicago gangland with his main character’s personal life and challenges, adding depth to the traditional crime novel.

Allium Press | www.alliumpress.com

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Shelf Unbound: Tell us about your book.

Tim Chapman: Contemporary Chicago forensic scientist Sean McKinney tracks a serial killer who is targeting senior citizens associated with the 1930s-era Barker-Karpis gang. Can he get justice for a wrongfully accused man, or will the trail of corpses left by the real killer include McKinney? Interwoven with his story is that of Delroy, a Kentucky farmer who brings his young wife to Chicago in the 1930s and falls in with the gang.

Shelf: Tell us about your main characters.

Chapman: Sean McKinney, a forensic scientist with the Illinois State Police, struggles with the conflict between his desire to prove the innocence of a young autistic man who’s being tried for murder and his obligation as a scientist to remain dispassionate. He’s the kind of guy who thinks of his profession as a responsibility rather than a job. He’s also a widower who feels overwhelmed by the task of raising a teenage daughter by himself.

His daughter, Angelina, though devastated by her mother’s death, takes on the role of the responsible member of McKinney’s small family.

Delroy is a sharecropper who leaves his Kentucky farm and ventures to the roughand-tumble world of 1930s Chicago. Unable to find work, and with a wife to support, he reluctantly joins up with bank-robbing gangsters Alvin Karpis and Freddie Barker. His wife, Lucille, is both his motivation and his conscience.

Gilbert is a burglar obsessed with the search for a cache of gold that has remained hidden for nearly 80 years. As his hunt escalates he finds himself willing to use ever more extreme measures to attain his goal—including kidnapping, torture and murder.

Shelf: How did you choose the book’s settings?

Chapman: Bright and Yellow, Hard and Cold is primarily set in Chicago, with glimpses of rural Kentucky and Florida. I’m a Chicago native, and I currently live on the north side.

I’ve lived in several other towns in the United States, and I think Chicago has a unique personality. It’s simultaneously tough and sentimental. We’re the lovable losers of the Midwest.

The novel is composed of three intertwin-

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place in the 1930s are the result of a lot of research. That’s a period in our history that’s always fascinated me, though I’m certain that my understanding of Depression-era Chicago owes more to old movies and pulp magazines than to historical accuracy. As for the characters, some part of me is in all of them, even my killer, Gilbert. My interpretaShelf: What is one of your favorite lines tion of the old “write what you know” aphorism is to help a character express what I from the book?

Chapman: McKinney, on why he became would feel if I was in his or her shoes. a forensic scientist—“What hooked me, though, was my professor’s definition of Shelf: Tell us about yourself. forensic science. ‘Law is man’s attempt to Chapman: Well, I’ve done a lot of stuff. I’ve civilize society. Science is man’s attempt to worked loading trucks, designing magareveal truth. Forensic science then, is the zines, and analyzing evidence from crimes. I intersection of civilization and truth.’ I like have a couple of degrees. I’ve lived in cities, the idea of having a job that lets me look for in small mountain towns, and on a boat in an ocean harbor. I like to travel and have spent truth.” time in Europe, Mexico, and China.

Currently, I’m a teacher. I teach writing at a Shelf: Where did the idea for the book city college and Chinese martial arts. In my come from?

Chapman: As a former forensic scientist, it spare time I paint and, to the chagrin of my wasn’t much of a stretch to fictionalize real neighbors, I’m taking saxophone lessons. forensic scientists and other members of I live in Chicago with my lovely and patient the criminal justice system. The sections of wife, Ellen, and our squirrel-chasing dog, Bright and Yellow, Hard and Cold that take Mia. ing plot lines, one of which takes place in the 1930s. Those characters live in a Chicago that’s hosting a lavish World’s Fair while coping with the Great Depression and trying to recover from prohibition. It’s an exciting and dangerous place, as is its present-day counterpart.

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Apply now to the new BFA degree program at the Southwest School of Art. 300 Augusta • San Antonio, TX 78205 • www.swschool.org/bfa admission@swschool.org • 210.224.1848

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finalist

Finalist in the 2013 Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book

Heather Pedoto

In One out of Five Items that Adeline Stein Left on the Bus on the Way to the Zoo, Heather Pedoto has created a dark comedy and a most engaging protagonist in the form of the smart and hilarious Adeline Stein. We can’t wait to see what comes next from Pedoto’s fresh, original voice. www.areyouaddy.wordpress.com

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Shelf Unbound: Tell us about your book.

Heather Pedoto: Adeline Stein dropped her journal on the bus when she left in a hurry, and instead of trying to return it to her the man who found it published it. One out of Five Items that Adeline Stein Left on the Bus on the Way to the Zoo is that journal, a no names changed, no punches pulled dark comedy in which Addy falls in love, makes friends, and pretends to be a superhero. Shenanigans are shenaned, skullduggeries are skulldugged, and hootenannies are both hooted and nannied.

Shelf: Tell us about Adeline.

Pedoto: Adeline is an angry young lady navigating a world she doesn’t understand, unflappable in some ways and highly flappable in other ways that might not make much sense to the casual observer. She has a very rich imaginary life and is prone to volatile outbursts and self-sabotage. She never goes anywhere without her journal.

Patrick is possibly a spy, if Addy is to be believed (which she isn’t, in almost all cases). He cares for her very much, if she’s to believe him—and given that Patrick is

more trustworthy than she is she probably ought to. He can cook, he loves bad science fiction, and he’s overall a nice guy.

Shelf: How did you choose the book’s setting?

Pedoto: The book’s setting is a fictional city in California. I’m actually not sure how that came to pass. As I’ve matured as a writer, I’ve learned to become more intentional with the places that I write about, do my research, visit if I can. I think, this being my first book, I was concerned about authenticity. About writing a real place wrong.

Shelf: What is one of your favorite lines from your book?

Pedoto: A fan favorite is “I think I’m in geek with him,” and my personal favorite section is the part where Addy gets fired, because those three journal entries, in their early stages, are in the very first short story. It’s like looking at Addy’s baby album.

It’s hard to choose just one, but I really like this: “A little bit of crazy is good for people. It’s like a little bit of a disease which helps your body make the antibodies it needs.”

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Shelf: Where did the idea for the book come from?

Pedoto: Adeline truly began as a roleplaying character on a Livejournal game. One of those games my mom considers a major time-suck in my life, though it’s less so now. To get her ready for her book debut I had to do a major overhaul, reexamine each part of her. She’s been around more or less since I was in high school.

I started writing her journal in one of my short story classes in college, and I never wanted to stop. So I wrote the rest of her story as my senior honors thesis. And then, the summer that I graduated, I doubled it in size. Everything was out of order. I carried around a Spiderman notebook for the better part of a year that I’d painstakingly drawn a calendar in. I color-coded it and tried to work out what happened when and why.

Shelf: Tell us about yourself.

Pedoto: I love to create, whether through writing or other outlets.

I actually made the masks that Addy writes about in her journal on a writing retreat! My greatest ambition right now is to become a

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knight, which I know isn’t technically possible. I asked a couple British friends of mine to hook me up, so, fingers crossed. I’ve been getting into gardening, building miniatures out of everyday objects, and I even do painting commissions on occasion.

I never go anywhere without my notebook ...or if I do it feels like how normal people must feel if they leave their cellphone at home.

I don’t have a smartphone. Not because I’m a hipster or anything but because I love the internet so I know that I need to disconnect sometimes. I need to step away from my computer when I’m out and about.

I’m a huge comic nerd, and I love Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman (and his beautiful, talented wife Amanda Palmer; I’ve adored their work separately for a long time so to see them together is brilliant).

This is going to sound cheesy, but helping people really matters to me. It’s the thing I love doing even more than artwork because there’s no pressure other than to go out there and care. Feed people if they need food. Hug them if they need hugs. Just be a human out around other humans, and let them know that they’re valuable.

THE UNIVERSAL GOD

BY R. WILLIAM DAVIES

T

he purpose of this book is to search for God within each of the great modern religions. There is only one God. What we must understand is that: The God of the Christians is Allah to the Muslims, Adonis (The Lord) to the Jews, Brahman to the Hindus and is found by the Buddhists in their concept of Universal Mind. When each of these religions are examined back through their ver y most inspirational core beliefs, we find that they share much in common.

“A methodical, reasonable initiation for the student or spiritual seeker.”

—K irkus Review

—Clarion Review

“This book :...is an ambitious work of comparative relig ion. ( It is”...informative and thought provok ing.”

—Blue Ink Review

AVAIL ABLE AT

www.theuniversalgod-thesearchforgod.com UNBOUND

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finalist

Finalist in the 2013 Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book

Dan Sheehan

After Action: The True Story of a Cobra Pilot’s Journey is Dan Sheehan’s candid memoir of his tours in Iraq and the challenges of returning home bearing what he describes as “the burden of peace.” While a fascinating and moving read, After Action also gives much-needed insight into the veteran experience. www.dansheehanauthor.com

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contain all the lessons learned from the past operation—mistakes and successes—and puts them in one place so others can learn from them. When I realized my own journey could help other veterans, the choice of title became clear. This book is my personal After Action Report. The title also serves to show the reader that the main focus of After Action Shelf: Why did you decide to write this is not combat itself, but rather what happens afterward. While it does contain exciting flybook?

Sheehan: I initially began writing After Action ing scenes, dust storms, surface-to-air fire, in an attempt to uncover the root cause of and true heroism exhibited by my comrades, my unease. This feeling started in Iraq and the book’s main message lies in my actions didn’t dissipate after my return. In fact, it after combat. grew stronger. Mistaking it as weakness, I suppressed the unease and refused to Shelf: Do you think telling your own story acknowledge its existence for years after I’d is more difficult than writing fiction would come home. It wasn’t until I recognized I was be? in danger of hurting my children’s emotional Sheehan: I don’t think telling my own story well-being that I admitted I wasn’t “okay.” is more difficult than fiction, just different. In Writing became my tool for understanding telling my story, I had the scenes, sequenchow combat had changed me—and count- es, characters, and events all dictated to me by reality. The challenge was finding the less other veterans. right events and reactions to emphasize so the story would build to a conclusion. The Shelf: How did you decide on the title?

Sheehan: Every military operation concludes downside of this process was that there with an After Action Report. These reports were large parts of my life, and many indiShelf Unbound: Tell us about your book.

Dan Sheehan: After Action is a nonfiction military memoir focused on the invisible wounds of war. It chronicles my combat experiences as a Marine helicopter pilot during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and how they impacted me at a fundamental, human level.

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vidual friends and relatives, who were totally excluded from the narrative. These people are incredibly important to me but in order to maintain the focus of the story I simply couldn’t include them in the book. I would like to delve into fiction writing in the future and recognize that it carries its own set of challenges. The sheer freedom of plot and characters to go anywhere my mind creates is paralyzing in its vastness. When I get to that point, I’ll just have to pick a direction and start writing. Otherwise, I’ll never get started.

Shelf: Was writing the book cathartic?

Sheehan: Incredibly. Before I began writing, the emotions and reactions from my combat tours were jumbled together in my head. I had compartmentalized them in the heat of battle—stripping them away from my consciousness so I could focus on doing my job. On some level I knew I needed to revisit them but that day just never seemed to come. Over time, those caustic emotions began to seep out, poisoning my present day feelings with unpredictable and intense reactions. I was, in effect, living in peace but reacting to war.

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The act of writing, of pulling those intense emotions out of my mind and trying to put into words their depth and nuances, served to reattach them to the events that gave them birth. In doing so, they were put in order along the timeline of my life and ceased escaping at inappropriate times.

Shelf: Tell us about yourself.

Sheehan: I was a Marine officer for 12 years and served two tours in Iraq; the first as an AH-1W pilot during the 2003 invasion, and the second as a Forward Air Controller with a special operations unit in 2004. My personal decorations include the Bronze Star and two Individual Action Air Medals—all with combat distinguishing devices.

I left active duty as a Major in 2007 and began writing After Action: The True Story of a Cobra Pilot’s Journey in 2009. In addition to marketing and promoting After Action, I’m actively working on a second book addressing the challenges veterans face upon returning from combat. I’m also a stayat-home dad in San Diego where I live with my wife, our two young kids, and a pit bull named Kitty.

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National bestselling author, Jane Porter (on SISTERS IN LOVE)

“Sensual, sexy, and satisfying, the Braden series a captivating.”

Bestselling author, Keri Nola, L MHC (on THE BR A DENS)

SNOW SISTERS Sisters in Love Sisters in Bloom Sisters in White

THE BRADENS Lovers at Heart Destined for Love Friendship on Fire Sea of Love Bursting with Love Hearts at Play

finalist

Finalist in the 2013 Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book

Kathleen Wheaton

In Aliens & Other Stories, Kathleen Wheaton’s “aliens” are not Martians but people suffering all manner of alienation—from each other, from themselves, from their places of birth. Wheaton’s prose is lovely and precise, her observations astute. This collection of short stories is strong throughout, and we are eager to read more.

Washington Writers’ Publishing House | www.kathleenwheaton.com

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Shelf Unbound: Tell us about your short story collection.

Kathleen Wheaton: It’s a loosely linked collection of stories about people living in some sort of exile—psychological as well as geographic. Many of the stories revolve around a character named Gabriel Baum— a journalist from Argentina who disappears during the 1976-1983 dictatorship, and are narrated from the point of view of his wife, his children, his friends, his parents. Other protagonists include a survivor of a Cuban shipwreck, a daughter of American missionaries to Peru, an expat in Spain, refugees from Nazi Germany and the Spanish Civil War. A couple are American suburbanites who feel like strangers in their own families.

Shelf: Where do the ideas for your stories usually come from?

Wheaton: The subject matter of the stories from this book was inspired by my years in Latin America, and then moving back to the U.S. and readjusting to life here. So Latin American immigration was the overarching theme, but I wrote the stories over a long period, so I see the influence of later news events and personal preoccupations—9/11, the Iraq War. There is a teenager, Joaquin, who in early stories resembles my older son.

After that son went to college, Joaquin took on some of the characteristics of my younger son.

Shelf: How did you decide on the title?

Wheaton: “Aliens” seemed to fit all the stoShelf: What is one of your favorite lines ries better than any other story title in the collection. But I realized it can be misinterfrom your book?

Wheaton: “She realizes that what Paul has preted. An early cover design was a photo told Amy about her is that she’s Peruvian. of a street in Buenos Aires where you might What Amy must have pictured is a woman think the slanting sunlight was coming from across a vast cultural chasm: in a wooly cap a UFO. So I went with a human couple dancwith ear flaps, maybe, wearing dozens of ing tango to make it clear this is not science fiction. petticoats, leading a llama.”

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finalist

as a fiction writer, I feel that the influence of journalism on my fiction has been positive—I’ve learned to be economical and flexible. Nothing stays in just because it sounds pretty. And I think the who-cares question is as important in fiction as it is in nonfiction. Articles are on the front page because you need to know about them, and the best fiction has a similar urgency.

Shelf: Tell us about yourself.

Wheaton: I started out as a fiction writer—I Not that it needs to be about war or historic majored in creative writing and then got an events, but at the end the reader should be MFA. I published a few stories, but began thinking, Whoa, I’m really glad somebody to feel that I didn’t know enough about told me about this. life to write about it. So I got a job writing and editing travel books. Then I worked as Shelf: Do you have plans to write a fulla newspaper stringer in Spain and Latin length novel or are you going to stick with America. I also got married and had two short stories, and why? kids. The boys have grown up, and I’m back Wheaton: I’ve always loved the compreswhere I was just out of grad school—alone sion of short stories—whole lifetimes packed all day in a quiet house. This time I’m so into 20 pages or fewer. There is a generally accepted idea—and short story writers can happy to be here. have it, too—that one eventually grows up Shelf: You worked for many years as a and starts writing novels. I guess that could journalist. Does having written as a jour- happen to me, and I’d welcome it, because nalist influence the writing style of your short story collections are hard to sell. But fiction? thanks to Alice Munro, there’s less shame in Wheaton: Perhaps because I started out not writing a novel.

Shelf: What is your writing ritual?

Wheaton: A pot of strong tea, half an hour reading passages from my favorite books, and whatever it takes to stay offline. Now I use a broken computer as a typewriter.

Because the Internet is deadly for fiction writers.

28

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Hidden Account of the Romanovs is a book of romantic historical fiction. In preparation for President Putin’s State Visit in 2003, The Bank of England has been instructed to close any remaining Russian Imperial accounts. The Bank’s investigation follows the career of a Grenadier officer through World War I and the Russian Civil War from 1914 to 1922.

Against a background of international intrigue and Imperial elegance, the story winds its way through two of history’s greatest mysteries, the murder of the Russian Imperial Family and the Ml6-led plot to kill Rasputin.

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

U.S. $XX.XX

HIDDEN ACCOUNT of the

ROMANOVS

By

JOHN BROWNE COMMEMORATIVE SOLDIERS EDITION Grenadier charities will share in the profits of this Edition.

www.iuniverse.com

Hidden Account of the Romanovs is a book of romantic historical fiction. In preparation for President Putin’s State Visit in 2003, The Bank of England has been instructed to close any remaining Russian Imperial accounts. The Bank’s investigation follows the career of a Grenadier officer through World War I and the Russian Civil War from 1914 to 1922. Against a background of international intrigue and Imperial elegance, the story winds its way through two of history’s greatest mysteries, the murder of the Russian Imperial Family and the Ml6-led plot to kill Rasputin.

John Browne is a

Pittsburgh Tribune Review columnist, senior investment Notable events include: strategist at Euro Pacific Capital Build-up and fundamental of World WarFellow I. and causes a Visiting of the Path of the Second Battalion Grenadier Guards from Mons to the Somme and Gauche Wood with The Prince of Wales and Winston Heritage Foundation.

He was Churchill in the Grenadier trenches.

Combat flying with 56 Squadron, Corps. farm near raised onRoyal a Flying family Wall Street’s financing of the Bolsheviks.

Bath, historian and Abdication, imprisonment and England. murder of EmperorA Nicholas II and his family.

Pressures causing King George V to delay his initial plan to rescue his cousin economist, he graduated from Emperor Nicholas II. Evaluation of the DNA evidence surrounding the Imperial murder Sandhurst, Cranfield and the possibilityMalvern, of a survivor.

Institute of Technology and Hard Copy: ISBN: 978-1-4759-7833-9 Soft Copy: ISBN: 978-1-4759-7832-2 Harvard Business School.

E-Book: ISBN: 978-1-4759-7834-6 Formerly with Morgan Stanley Library of Congress Control Number: 2013907564 and a Member of Parliament, he lives now in2013Florida. In the AVAILABLE JUNE Through: Grenadier Guards, he served Regimental Headquarters, Grenadier Guards. Telephone: 0207-414-3285; Book Sellers; in British Guiana as the 2nd www.iuniverse.com; www.barnesandnoble.com; www.amazon.com www.hiddenaccountoftheromanovs.com Battalion pilot.

â—? â—?

â—? â—? â—? â—?

â—?

John Browne is a Pittsburgh Tribune Review columnist, senior investment strategist at Euro Pacific Capital and a Visiting Fellow of the Heritage Foundation. He was raised on a family farm near Bath, England. A historian and economist, he graduated from Malvern, Sandhurst, Cranfield Institute of Technology and Harvard Business School. Formerly with Morgan Stanley and a Member of Parliament, he lives now in Florida. In the Grenadier Guards, he served in British Guiana as the 2nd Battalion pilot.

Available at iuniverse, barnes and noble, and amazon

www.hiddenaccounttheromanovs.com [Review and video trailer]

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29

2

welL FEd

best book design award

MORE

By Melissa Joulwan

PALEO RECIPES

FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO EAT

by melissa joulwan

design

Photos and illustrations by David Humphreys Design by Braid Creative Smudge Publishing | www.smudgepublishing.com

Even the vegetarians on our judging team cast enthusiastic votes for Well Fed 2: More Paleo Recipes as the best-designed book entered in this year’s competition. Gorgeous photos and fun, clean layouts showcase recipes made with zero grains, legumes, soy, sugar, dairy, or alcohol as well as a wealth of information on why and how to eat paleo.

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

BBQ Sauce

page

056

naturally sweet and spicy

makes

2 cups

PREP

COOK

15

25

min.

min.

Any respectable BBQ sauce balances sweetness and spice with a touch of sour, all the better to enhance the meatiness of hunks of slow-smoked beef, pork, or chicken. The problem is that most recipes rely on various forms of sugar as their base: commercial ketchup (a.k.a., corn syrup), molasses, brown sugar, honey, and in one classic version, three cups of cola! In this sauce, a humbly-sweet, dried date, sugarfree apple sauce, and the natural sugars in tomato paste do the trick.

directions

ingredients This is stick-to-your-ribs thick, but can be thinned with a little warm water if you prefer.

In a blender or food processor, combine the water, tomato paste, applesauce, vinegar, coconut aminos, mustard, sunflower seed butter, hot pepper sauce, and date. Purée until smooth.

1 cup water 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce 1/4 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons coconut aminos 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter (no sugar added) 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1 date, pit removed 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons) 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper pinch ground cloves pinch ground allspice

Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, dry mustard, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and allspice.

Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Pour the tomato mixture into the saucepan, and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

YOU KNOW HOW YOU COULD DO THAT? Like it hot? Amp up the amount of cayenne.

Want it smoky? Add 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke.

tasty ideas BBQ Beef “Waffle” Sandwich, p. 116

Old School Italian Meat Sauce

Sunday Gravy, paleo style

serves PREP

10

8 to 12

COOK

40

MIN.

MIN.

simmer

2 1/2 hrs.

In the Italian households I knew growing up, Saturday was sauce and meatball day: You made the sauce in the afternoon so it could simmer all evening. Meanwhile, on Saturday night, you fried up meatballs and put them on the back porch to cool until they were dropped into the sauce on Sunday morning. In addition to quality tomatoes, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil, a respectable “Sunday Gravy” also included a hefty dose of red wine (both in the sauce and in the cook). But for our good health and happiness, we're replacing pasta with veggie nooodles and wine with balsamic vinegar.

directions

ingredients MEat:

1 teaspoon coconut oil 1 1/2 pounds pork chops (bone in or boneless) salt and ground black pepper 1 pound Italian sausage (chicken, turkey, or pork) Sauce:

2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups) 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2/3 cup beef broth 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, slivered Meatballs:

TASTES GREAT WITH Zucchini Noodles, p. 168 Roasted Spaghetti Squash, p. 168 Mashed Cauliflower, p. 167 Pizza Veggies, p. 194 Crisp-Sweet Collards, p. 198 Simple Lemon Spinach, p. 170

2 tablespoons warm water 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 pound ground beef 1/2 pound ground pork or turkey 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon Italian herb blend 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Brown the meats. Heat coconut oil in a large, deep pot. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper, then brown them on both sides, about 10 minutes.

Remove the chops from the pot and place in a bowl to catch the juices. Brown the whole sausage links in the same pot, about 10 minutes, and place in the bowl with the pork chops.

Make the sauce. You’re going to make the sauce in the same pot, so add a little coconut oil if there’s no fat left in the pan. Cook the onions with the oregano until they’re very soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cocoa.

Sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the balsamic vinegar and stir, about 1 minute. Add the broth and crushed tomatoes; stir to combine. Nestle the pork chops and sausage into the sauce. Bring to a robust bubble, then cover and simmer, 2 hours. Meanwhile...

Prep the meatballs. Preheat the oven to 400F and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. In a small bowl, mix the water, baking soda and cream of tartar with a fork until combined. Crumble the beef and pork into a large bowl, then add the garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, parsley, salt, Italian herb blend, red pepper flakes, and water/baking soda. Mix well with your hands (or if you want it very smooth, with a food processor or mixer) until combined.

Cook the meatballs. Measure 1 tablespoon of the meat and roll into a ball.

Line up the meatballs on the baking sheet, then bake 20 minutes, until browned.

The final steps. When the sauce has reached its 2-hour simmer deadline, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer an additional 15 minutes, uncovered. Remove the sauce from the heat and toss in the fresh basil, then taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

If you used bone-in pork chops, the meat could fall right off the bones; you might need to liberate them from the sauce (lest you choke a dining companion).

Ladle the sauce over a pile of Zucchini Noodles or Roasted Spaghetti Squash (p. 168) and top with a little of each kind of meat. Mange!

Oven-Fried Salmon Cakes

page

protein & carbs in A CAKE

serves PREP

2 to 4 COOK

25

min.

30

min.

138

I predict that this is going to become one of your go-to recipes. It’s fast – less than an hour from pantry to plate. It uses ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. It’s great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And like a favorite little black dress that makes you feel good and goes with everything, it’s easy to adapt to your mood. Plus, it has cake in the name. How could it not be a favorite?

directions

ingredients 1 (14.75 ounce) can wild-caught pink or red salmon 1 cup cooked (or canned) sweet potato, mashed 2 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup almond flour 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 2 scallions, white and green, very thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon hot sauce 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper zest from 1 lemon garnish: 2 tablespoons ghee, melted Tartar Sauce (p. 54) Remoulade (p. 54) Awesome Sauce (p. 54) minced fresh parsley

notes

page

094

Use Better Butter (p. 60) for another taste explosion!

Serve these on top of Simple Lemon Spinach (p. 170).

Preheat the oven to 425F and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Drain the liquid from the salmon and using your fingers, crumble the fish into a large mixing bowl, removing the bones and flaking the fish. Add the sweet potato, eggs, almond flour, parsley, scallions, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, hot pepper sauce, paprika, black pepper, and lemon zest. Mix well and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Brush the parchment paper with some of the melted ghee, then use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the cakes and drop them onto the parchment. The patties should be about 2 1/2 inches wide and about 1 inch thick. Brush the tops of the cakes with ghee, then bake for 20 minutes. Carefully flip each patty with a spatula and return to the oven. (Brush with more ghee if that tickles your fancy.) Bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and your sauce of choice.

YOU KNOW HOW YOU COULD DO THAT? Replace Old Bay Seasoning with these spices and top with sauces listed.

Indian: 2 teaspoons curry powder (I like Penzeys Maharajah.)

Middle Eastern: 2 teaspoons Lebanese Seven-Spice Blend (p. 84) + Almost Amba (p. 58 ) + Tahini Dressing (p. 74) Mediterranean: 2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves + Romesco Sauce (p. 70) Tropical:1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger, 1 clove crushed garlic + Spicy Coconut Mayo (p. 54) Spicy-Sweet: 2 teaspoons Sunrise Spice (p. 78) Asian:2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder Tex-Mex: 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, lime zest + Lizard Sauce (p. 68) Jerky: 2 teaspoons Jerk Seasoning (p. 82)

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LITERARY FICTION The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell

by William Klaber Greenleaf Book Group Press www.greenleafbookgroup.com

Where Are the Songs of Spring?

by Daniel D. Watkins CreateSpace www.bareskindie.com

“One day in “An emerging 1855 Lucy dystopian vision Lobdell cut her of Cairo after hair, changed the January clothes, and went 2011 Revolution off to live her where hopes for life as a man. By freedom and the time it was over, she was democracy have been crushed notorious.” by the forces of continued government corruption and foreign interests.”

Nelson’s Castle: A Bronte Fairy Tale

by Susanne Petito-Egielski Amuninni Press

“In 1877, in the medieval town of Bronte, a peasant girl with red hair and golden eyes, both feared and mocked by the townspeople, aches to know her true path in life.”

32

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Sea of Hooks

by Lindsay Hill McPherson & Company www.mcphersonco.com

“In this riveting, darkly humorous and sometimes harrowing novel, Christopher Westall, an alarmingly imaginative young man, experiences repeated trauma and transformation.”

The Biology of Luck

by Jacob M. Appel Elephant Rock Productions www.erpmedia.net

The Devil’s Own Day: Shiloh and the American Civil War

by John D. Beatty Booklocker.com

“Juxtaposing moments from Larry Bloom’s guided tour of New York City on the June day of his “dream date” with Starshine Hart with excerpts from the novel in which he imagines Starshine’s concurrent escapades, this inventive structure weaves a highly imaginative love story across all five boroughs.”

“A story of three armies that fought for two days near an obscure flatboat landing in southeastern Tennessee that lay just two miles from a Methodist meeting house called Shiloh; the battle would determine the course of the Civil War in the Mississippi Valley.”

LITERARY FICTION A Widow in Waiting: The Chronicles of Glenscar, Volume 1

by Anne B. Walsh CreateSpace www.annebwalsh.com

Renato the Painter: An Account of His Youth and His 70th Year in His Own Words

by Eugene Mirabelli McPherson & Company www.mcphersonco.com

The Orange Suitcase: Stories

by Joseph Riippi Ampersand Books www.ampersand-books.com

“From a childhood spent snipering neighbours with BB guns, to adulthood grasping at love and art in New York City, The Orange Suitcase shows us not only the way life is lived but perhaps more importantly how it is remembered.”

“Who killed Alfred de Maine, Lord Farnton?

Highwaymen on the backroads of Ireland, as his pretty widow Eleanor claims?

Eleanor knows the truth, but she also knows the value of a secret.”

“Renato is a lusty, largehearted, smart, opinionated, and occasionally intemperate man whose life is about to become much more complicated when the goth-bedecked daughter of a former student shows up at his studio with her little boy in tow.”

Who by Fire

by Mary L. Tabor Outer Banks Publishing www.outerbankspublishing.com

The Angry Woman Suite

The Bonus

by Lee Fullbright Telemachus Press www.telemachuspress.com

by Georgia Lowe Lucky Dime Press www.luckydimepress.com

“A male narrator tells the story he does not actually know but discovers through memory, through piecing the puzzles of his marriage, through his wife’s goodness and her betrayal.”

“Every family has skeletons, but the Grayson family has more than its share of secrets -- and of portraits.

Mystery portraits that incite and obscure. Portraits to die for.”

“Through the eyes of a WW1 veteran and newspaper reporter with recurring shellshock, we relive the tragic, violent confrontation between our peaceful, bonus-seeking veterans and the U.S. Army.”

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33

The phrase

first appeared in George Eliot’s 1860 novel The Mill on the Floss, with the character Mr. Tulliver commenting on a particularly beautiful book binding. While we did not judge books by their covers in our competition, our judges did have so many favorite covers that we decided to share a good number of them.

PAGE TURNERS Horns of the Devil: A Jeff Trask Legal Thriller

by Marc Rainer CreateSpace www.marcrainer.com

The Long Road to Paris

by Ed and Janet Howle Xlibris www.thelongroadtoparis.com

“The first around-the-world “Horns of the Devil car race in a takes the reader hundred years. on a gripping Ed Talbot, ride through the driver, organized crime finds himself and murder embroiled investigations in a world complicated by Washington of international espionage, politics and international murder, betrayal, and a face-off intrigue.” between two nuclear powers.“

Red is for Rage

by Connie Corcoran Wilson www.redisforrage.com

“The second book in the award-winning The Color of Evil. In Book Two, we learn more about the exact nature of Tad’s paranormal power, Tetrachromatic Super Vision.”

36

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Bootlicker

by Steve Piacente 9 to 1 Press www.stevepiacente.com

“In the summer of 1959, two black teens stumble on a Klan lynching led by the local judge. One bolts.

The other freezes and winds up with a choice: join the man about to die, or begin hustling black support the judge needs to advance in politics.”

Steel’s Treasure

by Nick Auclair www.steelstreasure.blogspot.com

“F4 strafing runs, assassin attacks, the murderous rage of a rebel army commander, jungle death marches – what won’t Steel endure to find the treasure of the infamous General Yamashita, the Tiger of Malay?”

Cover of Darkness

by Gregory Delaurentis

“A high-profile murder of a Wall Street executive in Westchester pits three people against the criminal underbelly of Manhattan nightlife. … A gritty noir saga that untangles a web of deceit in the course of tracking down a brutal murderer.”

PAGE TURNERS Pilate’s Ghost: A John Pilate Mystery

by J. Alexander Greenwood www.pilatescross.com

“When a shadowy enemy rises from the dead, and the heavy hand of a guilty past weighs on his marriage, John Pilate must master his own fear and marshal his resources to defend his family and his life.”

809 Jacob Street

by Marty Young Black Beacon Books www.blackbeaconbooks. blogspot.com

“Fourteen-yearold Byron James wishes he’d never been dragged to Parkton. His only friends turn out to be class rejects with an unhealthy interest in monsters. They want to discover the truth to the infamous monster house at 809 Jacob Street.”

Patient 22

by Jerry Maples Ms. Tree Publishing

“A lethal virus created in a biochemical laboratory sparks a worldwide plague. …

Beyond this, there is a far worse threat – a sinister plot to produce a more potent strain for crafting a lethal weapon.”

Footfalls

by Eddie Gresham 23rd Street Publishing www.eddiegresham.com

“One night, as Jimmy is falling asleep, a soft, familiar sound creeps into his ear. It is a sound from his childhood— one he had long forgotten, as his mind pushed the terrifying events of 30 years in the past deep into the recesses of his memory.”

Death of a Keynote Speaker

by Sara Elliott Sommerville CreateSpace www.saraelliottsommerville.com

A White Room

by Stephanie Carroll Unhinged Books www.stephaniecarroll.net

The second in the Zanna Armstrong Mysteries Series: “The blood drained from Zanna’s face as she saw a key committee member storm past. Could the famous keynote speaker be a fraud? Was the murder threat a real one?”

“A Gothic Victorian novel of madness and secrets, A White Room presents a fantastical glimpse into the forgotten “Cult of Domesticity,” where one’s own home could become a prison and a woman has to be willing to risk everything to be free.”

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37

PAGE TURNERS Black Lion

by Carlos Viola Harris & Johanssen Publishers www.harrisandjohanssen.com

Amazon Moon

by Glenn Starkey Abbott Press www.abbottpress.com

“Black Lion tells the story of Michael Harris, a fearless U.S. Army major and member of the dreaded Desert Lions, an elite group within the Special Forces and feared by the enemy.”

“If he’s going to be a free man, John Alvarez must become the bodyguard of a Mr. Standish and lead him on a journey into the mysterious Amazonian kingdom ruled by the devil himself. The mission has two possible outcomes: redemption or death.”

The Final Defense

by Kenneth Wash Washboard Productions

Our Darker Angel

by Michael Segedy www.mseg.info

“When it is suspected that a nuclear warhead has made it onto American soil and is in the hands of a group of terrorists the stage is set for a race against time to stop the terrorists before the weapon can be deployed.”

“When FBI agent Richard Clark becomes involved in hunting down the leader of a terrorist group, he finds himself undertaking an investigation that opens old wounds and pushes him to the edge of despair.”

38

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Deep Into Dusk

by Laurie Stevens Follow Your Dreams Publishing www.lauriestevensbooks.com

“From the enclaves of the super rich to the kinky underbelly of Los Angeles, women are turning up dead and Detective Gabriel McRay is determined to hunt down the killer.”

The Harrowing: A Zoe Flynn Novel

by Kenneth W. Barber www.kennethbarber.blogspot.com

“After witnessing an apparition of her sister, a private investigator delves into her sister’s life and death, discovering a world of Angels and Demons, zombies and witches, monsters and heroes, ghosts and ghouls.”

PAGE TURNERS The Madman Theory: An Alternate History Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis

by Harvey Simon Rose Moor Press www.rosemoorpress.com

The Nirvana Plague

by Gary Glass BookBalloon Enterprises www.bookballoon.com

The Thief’s Daughter

by Freya Katrina Ashby Lulu.com

The Concrete Kiss

by David Grace Smashwords.com

The Tipping Point

by Walter Danley www.walterdanley.com

“A black glove on a stark white business card, simple and enigmatic. But to the police force it reads volumes.

He’s back, the great retired cat burglar, who managed to run circles around them. Everyone is so sure. Everyone except his daughter.”

“Homicide Detective Ned Danes torpedoes a corrupt Deputy D.A.’s case and is exiled to the tiny basement office of the Cold Case Squad, where he becomes obsessed with finding the real killer who the Deputy D.A.’s scheme has allowed to run free.”

“Murder and mayhem follow ten business partners who succumb in four assassinations, one suicide, and three bankruptcies, leaving a remaining partner to exorcise greed and fraud in order to restore the company to its former acclaim.”

“A schizophrenic scientist, an ambitious “Richard Nixon Chicago has been in office psychiatrist, and less than two a hard-driving years, having Army colonel won election by a are at the center razor-thin margin of a frantic over Senator John Kennedy. A international struggle between U.S. spy plane has discovered the powers of government and missiles being set up in Cuba, a mind-bending outbreak of and Nixon will soon announce cosmic consciousness.” his response.”

The Silence

by Matt Allen www.mattallenbooks.com

“Eoin Brennan’s twin sister, Erin, a vibrant college athlete and pre-med student, has disappeared. The police have no answers. Eoin knows he has to do something--but who can help if his parents and the police cannot?”

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39

San Francisco Book Festival 2012: Honorable Mention “I work as a pipefitter at refineries, paper mills and various power plants.

The National Indie Excellence Book Awards 2012: Finalist I have had to face the fact that women are discriminated against in the industrial construction field which is dominated by men. I have learned to deal with it in different ways. Discrimination has become part of my job.

After reading my book women will realize that with a little imagination, determination and hard work that any dream can come true.” – Susan Miller

HISTORY OF A PIPE DREAM

By Susan Miller

“I work as a pipefitter at refineries, paper mills and various power plants. I have had to face the fact that women are discriminated against in the industrial construction field which is dominated by men. I have learned to deal with it in different ways. Discrimination has become part of my job.

After reading my book women will realize that with a little imagination, determination and hard work that any dream can come true.”

—Susan Miller “I was surprised and happily entertained!”

—Jill Otradovec, Amateur Traveler Wyoming native Susan Miller has worked the past 27 years as pipefitter in industrial construction.

She’s a rare sight, but gets great career satisfaction out of her chosen profession. … She shares her life story and encounters with workplace discrimination in a new memoir, History of a Pipe Dream.

—Winning with DraftSight

WWW.HISTORYOFAPIPEDREAM.COM Available at

ACTION/ADVENTURE

In a nal desperate attempt to establish his legacy, the forty-third president of the United states, Gerald W. Burke, issues an ultimatum to the leaders of Israel and Palestine to resolve their conict on his terms—or else. The ultimatum triggers a chain of unforeseen consequences that cause Burke to be marked for death by al-Qaeda—or is it al-Qaeda? That’s the question Kathy Romano, Homeland Security Terrorism Analyst, has to answer as she follows a labyrinth of clues that lead to a shocking discovery that can forever shatter the friendly relations between Israel and the United States.

JOHN CAVI ,

the pen name of John Cavaiuolo a retired Citicorp executive, was born in Brooklyn, New York and now lives in Southport, Connecticut. He and his wife Ellen enjoy spending time with their two daughters, Tricia and Kristin and their two grandchildren, Kate and Matt. This is his rst novel.

At the center of the action, is Ari Bugari, an Israeli undercover agent, recruited into al-Qaeda after Iraq is invaded and defeated by the coalition forces. On orders from the al-Qaeda leadership, Ari pursues President Burke across three continents.

Caught between his Israeli and al-Qaeda masters, Ari, himself, becomes the hunted quarry and is forced into hiding when he learns the explosive truth that underlies his relationship with Mossad Director General Shalom Eitan.

In this tale of adventure, betrayal, and redemption, President Burke must do everything in his power to salvage the peace agreement and his presidency.

U.S. $XX.XX

Visit John’s website at www.johncavi. com

RISING

STAR

THEY’RE SAYING...

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets The Shining!”

TEXAS

er ika

BACKYARD ADVENTURES

Black Dotted Line = Trim Edge

Blu e Dotted Lin e =and Spiher ne Fhusband old experiences she

Fold placement may vary slightly.

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free-range. Based on several years of observation, she talks about

Cover Template

6.0” X 9.0” Book (152.4mm X 228.6mm)

0.17” Spine Width

the pecking order dynamics and chicken behaviors towards one

(4.32mm)

another, other animals and people. She also takes a trip down memory lane and tells about the natural progression from her

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longtime interest in whole foods to backyard chickens and vegetable gardening on their one-acre piece of land in College Station, Texas.

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andy otto

CreateSpace

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and why they chose to let their chickens be

Back 6.0” x 9.0” (152.4mm x 228.6mm)

Location & Size 2” X 1.2”

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CHICKEN POOP FOR THE SOUL

Page Layout Size = Print Sheet Size 19”(w)X 13”(h) (482.6mm x 330.2mm) The trim size of this book including spine 309.12mm x 228.6mm) 1In 2.this 17” xbook, 9.0” (the author describes

CHICKEN POO P FOR THE SOUL: BACKYARD ADVENTURES

by andy otto

CAUGHT ON FILM: AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE

ON FILM:

AN NIGHTMARE

Front 6.0” x 9.0” (152.4mm x 228.6mm)

Not For Profit A NEW THRILLER

BY GLENN SHEPARD MD “Slick and intelligent, Not for Prof it is a thrill ride of a debut that whisks the reader around the globe. I had a hard time putting it down.”

—Layton Green, K indle bestselling author of The Dominic Grey Novels

“A spellbinding, highly charged thriller. With each turn of the page, the tension tightens.”

Plastic surgeon Scott James is suspected of murder af ter t wo bodies are found at his surger y center. A s Dr. James hunts down evidence that might free him, he faces a barrage of threats to his life and libert y— and ma kes one chilling discover y af ter another.

— Gar y Birken, MD, author of Code 15, Embolus, and Plague

“Not For Prof it unfolds at a breakneck speed and with real medical authenticity.”

—Daniel Kalla, author of Pandemic and The Far Side of the Sky

“Not For Prof it draws the reader in with terrif ying details plotted with surgical accuracy.”

—Dr. Ross Pennie, author of the Zol Szabo myster y series

Available now at Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle versions.

WWW.MYSTERYHOUSEPUBLISHING.COM

EPIC SAGAS Sons of Prophecy: Davian’s Deception

by Steven W. Schmutz CreateSpace www.sonsofprophecy.com

Dawnflight

by Kim Headlee Lucky Bat Books www.kimheadlee.com

Gift of the Phoenix

by Donna Cook Penrose House Press www.giftofthephoenix.com

“Pregnant and desperate, Jena Bain hid in a secluded cave high in the Jaar Mountains, not knowing she was about to give birth to not just one, but three sons, and in so doing would bring to pass the fulfillment of a long-awaited prophecy.”

“Among the misty lochs and glens of ancient Scotland, duty wages war against love on the battlefield of opposing cultures, religions, and political agendas.

Unless Gyan and Arthur can avert the civil war that is sure to erupt, their love will be doomed.”

“When three strangers are brought together by three mysterious stones and the discovery of a common enemy, they must fight to keep the magic of the Phoenix out of dangerous hands before their world is destroyed forever.”

Iron Fist of the Oroqs

by Hans Cummings www.vffpublishing.com

Keeper of Reign

by Emma Right www.emmaright.com

Shadowborn

by Moira Katson www.moirakatson.com

“Long ago, the World of Calliome was sundered by mortals. Since the Healing of the World, magic and fae folk returned, and primeval wonders of the ancient world began to resurface, along with longforgotten horrors.”

“Sixteen-year-old Jules, heir of a Keeper, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Jules journeys into enemy land to find the truth.”

“Catwin, plucked from her life at the edge of the Kingdom, is thrust abruptly into the world of the Court when she is chosen by the Duke of Voltur to be a Shadow—spy, shield, and blade—to his niece, the Lady Miriel DeVere.”

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EPIC SAGAS Monarchy’s Shadow

by Alexander A. Germanis Satchel Pages www.cycoproductions.com

Nebula Andra: Synchronicity Abyss

by Niki Bono Nova Remnant Publications

Synthesis

By J.A. MacLeod Lone Shieling Press www.jamacleod.net

“The Third World War has claimed the life of the planet. Those that remain: a group called the Shadows, the innocents they’ve sworn to protect, and the Monarchy—a society that seeks human perfection through the destruction of the imperfect.”

“The first of an epic fantasy series that takes you into a world that mixes magic with astrology.

Anya Ciran sets out across a country torn by a dark lord in order to find a friend she’s only met through telepathy. But how will she find him?”

“Jack Gray is alone on a subway platform in Cambridge when he hears a desperate call for help. Pulled by the cry, he ventures down the dark tunnels and stumbles into the edge of another world —where the line between physics and magic is blurred.”

The Bane of Yoto

by Joshua Viola with Nicholas Karpuk A FiXT Book www.baneofyoto.com

The Eight Walls of Rogar

By William Woodward AuthorHouse

The Raven Son

by A.E. Barnes CreateSpace www.aebarneswriter. wordpress.com

“After ages of formless existence, the Arbitrators craved physicality once more. In their search for a worthy body to inhabit … their hunger sparked a blaze of revenge and revolution that soon found its home in the heart of Yoto.”

“Desperate to escape a life of meaningless drudgery behind the plow, Andaris ventures alone into the unexplored depths of Fingar Forest. What he finds is a whole new world full of mystical creatures that are only supposed to exist in storybooks.”

“Five hundred years of peace and prosperity have been shattered by the assassination of the king’s eldest son, the heir to the Union of Cities’ throne. Now the kingdom must determine how to prevent being overtaken by a malevolent force.”

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i

NEW From Pacific Northwest

Award-Winning Author

KAYLIN MCFARREN

and sexy!

“

Exciting, “dangerous

– Jamie Leigh Hansen, author of Betrayed

A disturbing prophecy sends a treasure hunting duo on an urgent race to rescue a country in Kaylin McFarren’s heart pounding new novel, Buried Threads. Full of erotic suspense and wild adventures, this is one trip that readers will never forget!

Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen work together as the successful owners of a treasure hunting company. But a seemingly simple assignment – to track down a priceless gem that is believed to be buried in a shipwreck deep within the Sea of Japan – takes a starling, and dangerous, turn.

Faced with a monk’s dark prophecy that a natural disaster will soon strike Japan, killing millions, Rachel and Chase must embark on the mission of a lifetime in order to uncover the three cursed samurai swords that can avert the catastrophe.

Chaos ensues as their adventure takes them from shark infested waters and creepy caves to haunted hidden tombs and a confrontation with Yakuza gang members. Time is running out as the prophecy’s day of reckoning draws near. Will Rachel and Chase succeed before disaster strikes?

Available at Amazon.com or at kaylinmcfarren.com

Soprano E. Rawlins tells the story of how one crazy little dog changed her life...

PETS

E. Rawlins

U.S. $XX.XX

Learning to Live with Fritz

“A heartfelt and engaging read” — BlueInk Reviews

“Genuously hilarious...”

Available at Amazon, Barnes+Noble and IUniverse

— Clarion Reviews

w w w.LearningtoLivewithFritz.com

MEMOIRS Six Guys from Hackensack

by George B. Kirsch Infinity Publishing www.buybooksontheweb.com

“Six Guys from Hackensack is a memoir of friendship and a social history of Hackensack, NJ, during the post-World War II era. I tell our stories in the context of an archetypal New Jersey community that underwent profound change after 1945.”

Six When He Came to Us: A Memoir of International Adoption

by Ellie Porte Parker Dog Ear Publishing www.sixwhenhecametous.com

While … Born During WWII

by Margaret Leis Hanna and Brunhilde Maurer Barron Authorhouse www.peg-board.net

Sugar Hill: Where the Sun Rose Over Harlem

by Terry Baker Mulligan Impulse Press www.terrybakermulligan.com

“The noontime conversations of an American housewife and a German cleaning lady about their contrasting lives during and after WWII. While WWII began, two little girls were born and grew up in opposing countries and living in its aftermath.”

“Using Harlem’s cultural institutions and memorable characters as her backdrop, Mulligan writes joyously about weathering adolescence while history unfolds around her. Sugar Hill is a living document of mid-20th century Harlem.”

Out of Nowhere

by Robin Abel and Peggy Sturdivant Lazy Jane Productions outofnowherethebook.com

Something Lost Behind the Ranges: Memoirs of a Traveler in Peru

by Phyllis Mazzocchi Travel Gravel www.travelgravel.com

“Maria Federici, “While this is a 24, was on her personal memoir way home from of raising a work when a child who lived heavy object in Russian on the road orphanages the catapulted first six years of his life, and of through her windshield and dealing with a blended family, into her face. This is the story the story is intertwined with of a woman determined to emerging research about the rebuild her daughter’s life and effects of orphanage life on change road safety laws.” children.”

50

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

“Before the luxury hotels, high-speed trains, and express helicopters, an independent traveler armed with a poem encounters the obstacles and rewards of a puzzled trail in the quest to reach Machu Pichu.”

MEMOIRS Bobby’s Trials

by Bobby Wilson, JD Apache Publishing Co. apachepublishingcompany.com

The Abbey and Me: Renegades, Rednecks, Real Estate & Religion

by J. Patrick Rick CreateSpace

The Gar Diaries

by Louis Bourgeois The Other Publishing Company otherpublishingcompany.com

“Born from a film project, The Abbey & Me is an account of invasion and seizure of a Midwestern Catholic monastery, chronicling a 1975 Native American act of Civil Disobedience and 34 days of armed occupation in harsh winter conditions.”

“Lucas grew up as a gar fisherman’s son, in the steamy backwater bayous of southeastern Louisiana. His story invites you into a brutal world dominated by domestic violence, poverty, and the dayto-day struggle for survival.”

Takes An Uprising: A Memoir in Lesbian Parables

by Patricia Lee Jackson www.takesanuprising.com

The Jay Flight: A Migration by RV

by Kelli Wallner CreateSpace

“Not until nearly three decades into my life could I begin living as my complete self. My journey out of those early years from shame into pride and defiance evolved the way people often come into our own, through movements for social change.”

“A family’s beloved travel trailer takes them on a migration of both place and spirit, from the parched land of the Southwest to the damp forests of the Pacific Northwest, and across lines of culture, socio-economic status and community.”

What About the Boy? A Father’s Pledge to His Disabled Son

by Stephen Gallup Lestrygonian Books www.fatherspledge.com

“In this dramatic true-crime memoir, Bobby Wilson pens a heartbreaking and intimate narrative of how he was charged with the murders of his mother and sister. … The nightmare changes the course of his life.”

“Even though their little boy has acute and mysterious developmental problems, even though his doctors advise only patience and acceptance— parents Judy and Steve plan to bring about a full recovery, one way or another.”

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a war… ”

“There was always

The Last Death of Tev Chrisini Winner of the Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Self-Published Book

“An exceptionally well-built world... the sheer depth was done brilliantly.”

—Fantasy Book Review UK “Jennifer Bresnick’s enchanting Tolkien-esque epic fantasy The Last Death of Tev Chrisini captivated our judges from page one and held us in thrall through its conclusion 467 pages later. We fell in love with the story and its characters and with Bresnick’s assured literary tale-spinning.”

—Margaret Brown, Shelf Unbound magazine

Available on

and

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MILES DAVIS

A new look at the jazz great’s paintings

FOREGROUND INTERVIEW A conversation with Wayne Thiebaud

MY FIRST TIME

Actor Louis Ozawa Changchien’s first trip to the Met

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CHILDREN’S BOOKS Giraffeman Goes to the Doctor

by Dr. Walter Bain illustrated by Joey Fauerso DeviBook www.devibook.com

“A young giraffe decides to go the doctor, but he isn’t sure where to start.

He meets the allerGATORist, the gasterFROGenterologist, and the RATiologist, just to name a few. Giraffemans learns a lot of big words and also about the practice of medicine.”

How Dachshunds Came to Be

by Kizzie Elizabeth Jones illustrated by Scott Ward A.V. Harrison Publishing avharrison-publishing.com

“A tall tale not just for dog lovers everywhere but for all young readers who ever wished for a friend. Discover how creatures of the ocean, the power of love, and the magic of the sea came together to make a little girl happy.”

56

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Silkii: A Mermaid’s Tale

by Karen Smullen www.beginnerswork.com

Scamper with the Peanut Butter Feet

by Pat Eytcheson Taylor illustrated by Nancy Garnett Peterson

“Silkii, a brave young mermaid, explores the air above her lagoon and becomes friends with a butterfly, even though they are from very different worlds. As we move through the story the butterfly’s life cycle is displayed in pictures.”

Catch-a-Winner Publishing catchawinnerpublishing.com

Bump! written and illustrated

by Greg Steele William G. Steele

ABC, Adoption & Me

by Gayle H. Swift with Carey A. Swift illustrated by Paul Griffin WRB Publishing

“A book of a child’s imagination when the lights are out, and things go bump in the night.

The boy learns that the dark can be scary, but there is nothing to be scared of in the dark.”

“Scamper the big gray squirrel lived in Aunt Boo’s yard.

His greatest enjoyment came from annoying her. Aunt Boo thought about how she could get even and teach Scamper a lesson. Her solution taught Scamper to be satisfied with what he had.”

“A book about adoption that celebrates the miracle of family and addresses the difficult issues as well, deepening understanding of what it means to be an adoptive family and providing teaching moments that bring families closer.”

CHILDREN’S BOOKS Don’t Judge a Bird by its Feathers written and illustrated

by Tori Nighthawk Anne Stone Publishing www.annestonepublishing.com

My Favorite Hugs

by Debby Guddee and Melissa Rodrigues illustrated by Su Mon Balboa Press www.myfavoritehugs.com

“Luminous was the most popular bird of paradise in the New Guinea rainforest.

Phoenix had loved her since they were chicks, but with his drab feathers and awkward dancing, he thought he didn’t stand a chance.”

“Hugging in the eyes of a child can say many things—you’re my friend, you care about me, you love me, or simply thank you. Different hugs are brought to life with rhymes that encourage children to ask for a specific type of hug.”

The Well illustrated by Miles Wisniewski verse by Mya Schaefer Chungaboo LLC www.chungaboo.com

Coco LaSwish: A Fish from a Different Rainbow written and illustrated by Reagan E. J. Jackson R.E.J.J. Arts www.rejjarts.com

“Nestled in bed, dreams fill my head, when a tap on my window is heard. Wipe sleep from my eyes, to find a surprise, in the form of a beautiful bird. Should I follow his lead? Should I stay or proceed? He has taken me to the well.”

“Coco LaSwish learns that sometimes you have to be your own fish. This book is about saying no to haters and yes to being your beautiful, unique self.”

This Is the C-130 Hercules

by Loraine Nunley www.lorainenunley.com

“This book introduces children to the C-130 Hercules aircraft, one of the most versatile and well-respected transport planes.

Its design has made it the perfect choice for many kinds of tasks, both in the military and civilian worlds.”

Lucinda and the Mighty Oak written and illustrated by Kathleen Vossler AuthorHouse www.authorhouse.com

“Lucinda is a girl with a dream, an improbable goal. She wants to climb the oak tree that is a big part of her world. But she has to do it her way – through her own hard work and effort. Let Lucinda inspire you to achieve your goals.”

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MIDDLE-GRADE BOOKS Esme Dooley

by Jane Donovan and Rosie McTozy Sky Candle Press www.skycandlepress.com

Midwest Mischief: An Historical Indiana Adventure

by Jennifer Soboleski AuthurHouse www.authorhouse.com

“Troubles beset eleven-year-old Esme. Dangled over wells, thrown into root cellars, and forced to empty chamber pots, she longs for a better life. Just in time, Esme hears a startling secret that could very well change her destiny.”

“Andy, a fourth grader from Indiana, whose mouth runs quicker than his brain, finds himself in trouble again. While hiding in his mother’s car, a tornado hits and sends him back thousands of years—surrounded by Indians and praying for his life.”

The Fairies of Turtle Creek

by Jill K. Sayre Wisdom House Books www.wisdomhousebooks.com

Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student

by Ann Swann www.annswann.blogspot.com

“Claire is a science-minded 13-year-old whose brother is away fighting in Iraq. Her estranged and eccentric grandmother comes to live with Claire and her family and teaches her skeptical granddaughter to believe in magic, hope, love, and … fairies!”

“Stevie asks Jase to help her find out why the ghost of a girl keeps appearing in her mirror.

They think it has something to do with the new student, a boy who has Tourette syndrome. Both the new kid and the phantom seem to need their help.”

58

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

The Pirate Bride

by Ryan & Anna McKinley illustrated by Jerry Bennett www.thepiratebride.com

“A wipeout catapults 13-yearold Rachel and her surfboard to a strange part of the ocean, far away from land and her family.

Rescue arrives, or so Rachel thinks, in the form of an old sailing vessel. She quickly realizes that her heroes are lost pirates.”

The Grand Adventures of Petit Louis written and illustrated by Kayce M. Swigelson Monograph Publishing monographpublishing.com

“Petit Louis is a Parisian cat who wanders around the city of Paris painting mustaches on famous works of art and other notable French landmarks as he searches for the perfect birthday gift for his owner, Claire.”

MIDDLE-GRADE BOOKS The Knighting of Sir Kaye

by Don M. Winn illustrated by Dave Allred A Cardboard Box Adventures Book www.donwinn.com

The Rules According to Ellsworth Speedball

by J.E. Richardson illustrated by Valerie Jauma www.ellsworthspeedball.com

Leonardo and the Magic Art Cart

by Marianne Bickett Trafford Publishing www.trafford.com

“Ellsworth Speedball and Moots Sperkel are nine-year old best friends living in Sheron, Texas. In this book, the boys’ experience of putting on a play with Moots’s sisters makes Ellsworth realize the importance of playing fair.”

“A new art teacher with an amazing art cart takes her class on wild adventures, including meeting Leonardo da Vinci in person.

When he slips unnoticed into the future, the students try to get him back to the Renaissance.”

Oscar’s Gift

by Lisa Rivero www.lisarivero.com

The Starters

by Robin Allen www.thestarterbooks.com

“In 1904 on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, 11-yearold Tomas meets Oscar Micheaux—a man who will one day write novels about his homesteading life on the Great Plains and be known as America’s first African-American feature film maker.”

The Tesla Connection: A Cavalier Family Adventure

by Adam Cornell Jade Hudson & Steele Publishing jadehudsonandsteele.com

“Will the new coach for the girls’ basketball team change Riverbrook “Elina and Tipp High’s losing are the greatreputation? grandchildren Coach Olivia of an eccentric Remmington multi-millionaire. chooses five When their starters to lead parents must leave them in the racially diverse team to victory. Once the season begins, his care under mysterious circumstances, they find there is no turning back.” themselves pulled into a tangle of peril they could never have foreseen.”

“Kaye is an ordinary boy who likes exploring and dreams of being a legendary knight like his father. When the new queen knights Kaye for doing a brave deed to help another person, he gets his wish a lot sooner than he expected.”

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TEENS BOOKS Choose Your Weapon: Book I in the Helen of Hollingsworth Trilogy

by Sarah Rodriguez Pratt Quail School Press www.quailschoolpress.com

Fatty in the Backseat

by Deborah M. Prum Still Mountain Bookworks www.deborahprum.com

“A judge tells 15-year-old Cuss Brewster, “When Helen “Behave for suddenly receives the next six a second chance months, or to become a you’ll go to Dragonfighter, jail.” But for nothing can Cuss, behaving ruin her happiness—until she is a lot harder than it seems. has to train with two arrogant Trouble hounds him. Cuss can jocks and a bitter “weirdo.” The almost taste prison food….” teens struggle to find common ground in the Erwingdonian hills.”

“Fifteen-year-old Megan and her single mom both wind up in steamy relationships.

But neither of the guys is quite what he seems.

In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride. Megan has precious little time to stop him.”

Isola di Squalo: The Delmar Shark Chronicles

by Heidi Peltier heidipeltier.wix.com/squalo

Jump When Ready

by David Pandolfe jumpwhenready.blogspot.com

Long Black Veil

by Jeanette Battista www.jeanettebattista.com

“Since he drowned, Henry has remained with the same group of teenagers, and he keeps wondering why. Before he can reach any conclusions, he witnesses his sister being kidnapped. As police chase false leads, Henry finds he’s his sister’s only hope.”

“A girl, a boy, and a family curse ... As she digs into her family’s past, Devon uncovers secrets that may be better left buried. Why is she suddenly seeing strange visions of a woman in a veil mourning over a hundred year old grave?”

“Seventeen-year-old American Dylan Murphy is thrilled when he is accepted to a shark study program on Isola di Squalo.

He scoffs at the island legend about the shark— until he comes face to face with it.”

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

Boyfriend from Hell

by E. Van Lowe White Whisker Books www.evanlowe.com

TEENS BOOKS Fear and Laundry

by Elizabeth Myles CreateSpace Fearandlaundry. mylesandmyles.info

“Veronica bonds with gifted but temperamental Jake over their affinity for gory horror. While fake blood and guts and machete-wielding movie maniacs don’t faze her, the thought of risking her heart in a relationship sends chills up her spine.”

Sharavogue

By Nancy Blanton iUniverse blantonn.wordpress.com

“England’s uncrowned king leads his brutal army across Ireland to eliminate a violent rebellion in 1649. Fifteenyear-old Elvy Burke, daughter of a great warrior, wants only one thing: to live her destiny as a leader and defender of her country.”

The Broken God Machine

by Christopher Buecheler www.brokengodmachine.com

“When the vile creatures known as Lagos descend upon his village, 16-year-old Pehr’s world is shattered.

What begins as a simple attempt to rescue his cousin becomes instead a journey that will change him forever.”

Journey into the Realm: The Elf Girl

by Markelle Grabo BookLocker.com

The 89th Temple

by Charlie Canning Outskirts Press www.charliecanning.com

Monica Nemo

by Jay Fulmer Xlibris www.xlibris.com

“At 15, Ramsey spends every day receiving insults because of her strange, exotic looks.

When she meets a pair of siblings who have the same physical features as she, Ramsey learns she is far more different than she realized. She is an elf.”

The 89th Temple, set on a Buddhist pilgrimage in Japan, is multicultural look at the subject of bullying, complete with school sports and field trips, cell phones and blogs, reform schools and electronic surveillance.

“Monica, a teenager, falls in love with her neighbor, Meredith. When they break off their relationship their friendship erodes. Through athletics, friendships and music, Monica finds a sense of empowerment that helps her through her dark passage.”

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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

BOOK The Story Behind the Accelerating Life And How We in the Year 22025 View Our Past

by Youth the Writer

I

s this life real or is it advanced concept of virtual reality?

“In sum, as with the rest of this series, this book will leave readers puzzled from first page to the last.”

—BlueInk review “A marriage of science fiction and philosophical dialogue.”

—ForeWord Clarion Review “A strange tale that may be better understood in the future.”

—Kirkus Available in softcover or ebook, $15.98. ISBN: 9781456857721 and 9781456857745. Fiction.

Available at Amazon.

Forevermore: A Pat O’Malley Mystery

by Jim Musgrave

L

iving in Poe’s cottage following the Civil War, Pat O’Malley reads a strange note hidden on the bedframe and decides to prove that his former employer, Edgar Allan Poe, was murdered in Baltimore, 1849. O’Malley must confront the most dangerous serial killer in 1865 New York City, and he must also learn why he can’t be intimate with women.

http://contempinstruct.com/Forevermore/ Available at Amazon.

I Can Always Sleep Tomorrow: Real Life Stories of Love and Larceny, Adventure and Awakening

by Everett Elting

“A

dventures in distant lands, hot tubs and cold wars, lawsuits with celebrities, lunches with Presidents. Now that’s how life should be lived.”

—Charlie Johnson Nine true tales of adventure, romance, war, criminality, and more take place in the U.S.A. and Canada as well as in Asia, Europe, and Africa. The author’s award-winning short stories have appeared in many magazine and short story collections.

Available at Amazon or at a $10 special price directly from the author at everettelting@yahoo.com.

*

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 Call Me Sonja

by Arthur E. Hedstrom

“C

all Me Sonja is a well-paced, classic romance set in the early 1900s. Hedstrom does a masterful job of making this post-Victorian romance interesting. Fans of turn-of-the-century romances will love this book. And there are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep even the most sophisticated reader interested.”

—Blueink Review

Link to BlueInk Review Available at Amazon.

The Killvein White

by Ralph Reynolds

W

hat happens when doomsday descends upon a remote ski village?

This stark tale of progression to disaster answers that question with a tumbling journey that delivers menace, debauchery and heroism. The Killvein White sets a truly human drama against a cruel and icy landscape. But by the time the thaw arrives redemption and forgiveness may rule the day… for some.

Brandy

by Eralides E. Cabrera

T

he new woman of the 21st century.

She’s independent, she’s brave, skilled and thriving. But she is also sensitive. She has not forgotten how to feel and how to experience the human greatest passion. It’s a new identity that craves to be defined and Brandy depicts it in a smooth, easy way. Hard as a shell but emotional like no other novel you’ve ever read. www.eralidescabrera.com Available at Amazon, BarnesandNoble, and Authorhouse.

Far Eastern Overexposure

by Paul Tweiten

I

n the summer of 1995, Tweiten accepts a job that casts him into anything but the familiar. “With a plain, yet powerful style, he lets his story speak for itself. For anyone eager to learn about life in the Russian countryside, Far Eastern Overexposure tells it like it is, the good as well as the bad.”

—Blueink Review

BlueInk Starred Review http://authorralphreynolds.authorsxpress.com/ Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

BOOK American Haiku: This is Roger Madon and This is What I Think

by Roger Madon

T

oday our beloved country is in a war of political ideologies.

As American citizens, it is our responsibility to protect our birthright and perpetuate the legacy of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness for our future generations.

Becoming aware and sharing ideas is the first step towards making a difference. This book is a transliteration of audio presentations which were prepared for radio and have been heard by millions of listeners throughout the country.

Available at Amazon.

Brassankle

by David G. Weaver

B

Dead Dreams, Book 1: A Young Adult Psychological Thriller Mystery

by Emma Right

E

ighteen-year-old Brie O’Mara has much going for her: a loving family on the sidelines, an heiress for a roommate, and dreams that might come true—of going to acting school, finishing college and making a name for herself. Except her dreams are about to lead her down the road to nightmares. Nightmares that could turn into a deadly reality. www.emmaright.com TRAILER LINK Available at Amazon.

Never Quote the Weather to a Sea Lion and Other Uncommon Tales from the Founder of the Big Apple Circus

by Paul Binder; foreword

by Glenn Close

rassankle is an historic novel set during the American Revolution. Truly Nolan, half Caucasian/ half Catawba, learns hunting-fighting skills from his tribal leaders then is taken to Charles Town to learn the white man’s ways. Truly becomes a scout for the Patriots under Francis Marion and William Washington. Between battles he enjoys steamy liaisons with several women.

celebration of Paul Binder’s life in and around the circus. Street juggler, talent booker for Merv Griffin, floor manager for Julia Child, Sesame Street regular, and founder of Big Apple Circus, Binder has lived and worked with the finest circus artists. He shows the nuts and bolts of a little-understood life that touches the dreamer in all of us.

Available at Authorhouse, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. For signed copies call 941.624.6107.

Copies signed and personalized by the author available from www.paulbindercircus.com Available at Author House and Amazon.

A

BOOK Other Side

by Gene Olsen

A

OLSEN

lthough man does act civilly at most times, events in human history have shown that when pushed to the edge and starvation and death is near, men G E N E O L S E N can be as savage and merciless as any wild animal. In Other Side author Gene Olsen has created a veritable panorama of fantasy combined with the realistic edge of a survival of the fittest thriller.

Available at Xlibris.

Selected Contemporary Native Issues in Canada—Personal Observations Made in the Field

by Eric John Large

T

his bold and honest account of a former First Nation Chief of the plight of the First Nations people of Canada outlines issues that impact them within the Canadian fabric. The author reveals the control legislation, policies and court decisions have on the Treaty Rights of First Nations such as education, health, development, and inherent rights to land and resources. www.ericjlarge.com Available at Xlibris, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local bookstore.

There’s the Rub

by Joseph M. Humbert

Connected Obsessions

by Neil Mavrick

H

H

istorical fiction about the first black

filmmakers in early Hollywood. Jimmy Johnson, a grandson of freed slaves—the Spike Lee of his day—battles racist director D.W. Griffith. But more importantly, he struggles to re-unite his far-flung family.

“An intriguing novel … [Its] rich detail and the mystery of Jimmy’s mother’s disappearance make for an engrossing read.”

—Kirkus Reviews www.josephmhumbert.com Available at Amazon/Kindle, Barnes and Noble/ Nook, and iTunes.

ow far would you go to save someone you love? Beyond the boundaries of science?

Perhaps, but what if the two of you had never actually met?

BlueInk Reviews describe Neil Mavrick’s Connected Obsessions as ‘A shrewdly constructed page-turner. A highly entertaining, emotionally compelling read.’

Learn of one man’s determination to save his woman, and the ecology of the future. www.neilmavrick.info/docs/live/obsshelf.html Available at Amazon.

BOOK Artama & The Watchtower Portal: The Second Journey

by Bruce Paul “Magical and mystical.”

“An imaginative, thought-provoking adventure for teens.”

Among the countless stars, there is but one decision to make.

Journey with Artama through the watchtower portal, on a quest for answers about dragons, other worlds, and matters of the heart. www.theartamalegend.com Available at Amazon.

I am I: The In-Dweller of Your Heart (Part 3)

by David Knight

W

ritten with, from and through “Spirit” this third installment … will uplift, inspire and guide your heart and soul towards self-realization, enabling you to reach your eternal goal in this lifetime. Each “lesson” aims to help you not only find your own truth “within,” but also enrich your life with joy and love, to finally remember who you and why you’re here. http://AscensionForYou.co.uk/blog Available as an ebook and on all reader formats at Smashwords and as a paperback from Amazon in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Spain, France, and Italy.

Something Wrong with Her

by Cris Mazza

The Last Stratiote

by LeAnn Neal Reilly

A

A

poignant memoir about a girl who didn’t feel the sexual awakenings she knew she was supposed to feel and the boy who loved her nonetheless. Thirty years later Cris Mazza went back to find that boy, now a man, only to discover that he’d never stopped yearning for her. Something Wrong with Her is an astonishing real-time testimony of a couple’s reconnection and their wrestling with 30-year-old memories, questions and regrets. http://jadedibisproductions.com/cris-mazza Order direct from the publisher and receive the music soundtrack FREE! Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Elliot Bay, and other fine bookstores.

vengeful Albanian mercenary must choose between the tenets of Blood Law and the law of the heart.

“Infused with intensity and intelligence … conveys sensuality and eroticism that stimulate the libido and the mind. … The Last Stratiote excels on so many levels.”

—Lee Gooden, Five-Star Clarion Review

“Smart and erotic” —Kirkus Review www.nealreilly.com Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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port, with Who about

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BOOK Viral Games

by Jan Smolders

A

whirlwind adventure into the depths of Santo Domingo politics, Colombian terrorism and the crooked world of AIDS medicines.

Powerful men battle the powerless for information that the murdered Anita Tavares carried. No rule is sacred. Greed and corruption rule the streets as the AIDS epidemic continues to spread, and criminals try to take control of secrets they must hide.

The Dogs … Barking

by Jan Notzon

T

he electrifying story, graced with moments of hilarity, of a boy growing up in small-town Texas battling the demons of his upbringing. To his astonishment, he finally finds redemption in the home he had abandoned and the howl of the dogs that once serenaded him to sleep.

“I found this book very compelling. It’s hard to put down!”

—Sylvia Klein

www.jsmolders.com Available at Amazon, BarnesandNoble, Kobobooks, Booksamillion, iUniverse, and Bol.

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Xlibris.

Quiet Horizon

by Greg Jemsek

South of Burnt Rocks, West of the Moon

by G.J. Berger

Q

uiet Horizon is the dramatic true story of the spiritual journey of one man who sought to honor his childhood mystical experience and ended up in a terrorist boot camp. Author Greg Jemsek intertwines his story with a compelling theory of how ideologies work, and why they continue to dominate our social discourse.

n this mostly true “captivating debut historical fiction, a young Iberian-Celtic she-warrior makes a stand against the invading Roman army.... A wonderfully crafted balance of Romanera drama and the fierceness of battle.”

—Kirkus Review, September 2012.

www.quiethorizon.com Available at Amazon, Trafford Publishing, and Barnes and Noble.

www.gjberger.com www.writerschoice.org Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most other booksellers in e-book, soft cover, and hard cover formats.

Winner— Best Published Historical Fiction for 2012, San Diego Book Awards, June 22, 2013.

I

BOOK Ezrah’s Plateau

by Jacqueline Mahan

Green Gravy, Monster Bread and Other Adventures

by Alice Breon

Alice Breon gives her readers a glimpse of her generation with this lighthearted historical collection of short stories that chronicle a 25-year journey from her teens during World War II to JFK’s assassination. Her experiences as an Air Force wife and mother of four traveling the world during the Cold War provide the material for her heartwarming stories.

ngela Horne discovers an old diary in the attic of her grandmother’s house that reveals secrets about Ezrah’s Plateau.

After reading it, her attempts to shed light on a centuries old town secret and the truth about the local cemetery witch are dismissed. However, some people want those secrets preserved and both Angela and the diary out of the way.

www.greengravy.net Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble online and in stores, and Xlibris.

www.jacquelinemahan.com Available at Amazon.

Lion’s Head Deception

by Chuck Waldron

A

n investigative blogger uncovers a sinister conspiracy, a billionaire’s plan backed by select government officials, designed to exterminate citizens who do not live up to a predetermined screening matrix; under the guise of rioting and a destabilized city, the plan is implemented and the blogger fights not only to discover and reveal the truth, but to survive. www.chuckwaldron.com Watch the trailer here: http://youtu.be/2AFCcjdCsmQ Available at Amazon.

A

Life in a Jar The Irena Sendler Project

by Jack Mayer

T

he true story of a Holocaust hero who rescued 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto, but whose heroism was forgotten. Sixty years later, three Kansas teenagers, each carrying her own burden, “rescue the rescuer” and elevate Irena Sendler to an international hero, championing tolerance and respect for all people.

2012 IndieReader Discovery Award 2011 Kansas Notable Book Award 2011 Eric Hoffer DaVinci Eye Award. www.longtrailpress.com Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore.

BOOK Three Monotheistic Faiths

by Andrea C. Paterson

T

he book Three Monotheistic Faiths is a very brief analysis and history of three major religions— Judaism, Christianity, Islam—their similarities, their common grounds, their differences, their good and their bad points.

All three of these faiths are worshippers of One God or Supreme Being. In Judaism, He is known as Jehovah. In Christianity, He is known as the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Islam, He is known as Allah. www.andreacpaterson.com 416.996.0385 Available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon ca, Amazon, Chapters, iBookstore, and Christianbook, among others.

Gnash

by Brian Parker

“G

NASH is simply one of the best zombie novels I’ve ever read! It reads as kind of a mash-up of Stephen King, Tom Clancy, and just a dash of Dan Brown, which is quite impressive for a first-time self-published horrorgenre author.”

—Amazon Review by Larry Duane

www.facebook.com/BrianParkerAuthor www.BrianParkerAuthor.com Available in the U.S. at www.tinyurl.com/GNASH-Parker and in the UK at www.tinyurl.com/GNASHforUK.

The Feasts of Israel

by Andrea C. Paterson

T

he Feasts of Israel discusses the Sabbath and the seven major feasts of Israel. Do they have a relationship to the holidays of the Christian Church? They writer believes that they do.

The concept of a day of rest (or Sabbath) is one of the greatest spiritual contributions to civilization made by the religion of Israel. www.andreacpaterson.com 416.996.0385 Available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon ca, Amazon, Chapters, iBookstore, and Christianbook, among others.

Fortune’s Mail

by Greg Wright

T

he discovery of a cache of undelivered mail in an employee’s home while working at a closing post office leads to a wave of letters being delivered years after they were initially sent. Within this collection of stories, mysteries are solved, second chances are given, and truths are revealed as the recipients open correspondence sent long ago.

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Authorhouse.

BOOK Counterfeit

by Scott L. Miller

S

t. Louis Homicide Detective JoJo Baker asks social worker Mitch Adams to counsel a man arrested for counterfeiting and armed robbery. It looks like an open and shut case, but when millions in fake $100 bills disappear, Mitch’s life hangs on the word of a counterfeiter, the greed of a prosecutor, and his refusal to go down without a fight. http://scottlmillerbooks.com Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

Devolution

by Peter Clenott

C

Until the Darkness Goes

by Renée Ebert

M

eet Molly Morris, an intense and enchanting East-Coast woman, determined to reinvent herself.

Currently a resident of the Long Beach, California barrio, Molly unexpectedly finds her life derailed through unspeakable tragedy.

Read this debut novel by Renée Ebert for an enthralling story of rootlessness, love gone astray, drug addiction and redemption.

Available at Amazon, Nook, and Kobo.

Available at Amazon.

Ejituru

by Nwanganga Shields

E

hiku Flynn wasn’t raised to be human.

Born in Africa, she lives with the chimpanzees her parents are studying until her mother’s violent death. Sent back to the States, Chiku grows into a maladjusted teenager until her father disappears. At sixteen she must return to the jungle where murder, civil war and environmental calamity await. And her chimpanzees with whom she can communicate using sign language.

ighteen-yearold Ejituru, a medical student in Nigeria, is pressured by her father to enter into an arranged marriage with an older man believed to be a successful US immigrant.

She agrees because she desperately wants a US education. Ignatius, the prospective husband, is actually a taxi driver. He promised his mother that he would marry from the village. Will this be enough for them to make the marriage work?”

www.peterclenott.net Available at Amazon, http://amzn.to/15Eackf, and Smashwords.

www.ejituru.com Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble online and in stores, ejituru.com, and Xlibris.

BOOK The Evolutionist

by Rena Mason

P

lagued by cryptic nightmares in a post-apocalyptic world where she is the sole survivor, Las Vegas woman Stacy Troy must decipher maddening clues hidden within her nocturnal visions. These scenes begin to enter her everyday life and destroy everything that made it worth living. Out of time, she must make a heartrending decision before her cataclysmic dreams become reality.

GOODREADS LINK www.renamasonwrites.com Available at Amazon and Nightscape Press.

Death’s Twisted Tales

by J.J. White “Every story ends in death if one waits long enough.”

S

o quotes Death as he introduces twenty-eight twisted tales for your enjoyment. Written by award-winning author, J. J. White, these tales have been published internationally and have won awards from the California Writers Club, Oregon Writers Colony, Arizona Mystery Writers, Florida Writers Association and Writer’s Digest. www.jjwhite.webs.com Available at Amazon.

809 Jacob Street

by Marty Young

T

he house on Jacob Street calls to them all, but what will they find when they open its door?

“This is a writer cutting his own way through horror, and I can’t wait to see where his journey takes him.”

—Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Dead City

www.martyyoung.com Available at Black Beacon Books and 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.

BOOK Firehurler, Book 1 of the Twinborn Trilogy

by J.S. Morin

The Alpha Gambit

by Will Winfield

A

Enter to win a signed paperback!

liens attack Earth to save the planet from destructive human activity, and to enslave the survivors. This story is predominantly about a middleaged downsized factory manager who makes his way through the Alien devastation and relocation while others plan to repel the Invaders.

www.jsmorin.com/shelf-unbound Available at Amazon.

Available at Buy Books and Amazon.

One world of magic.

One world of reason.

Two lives intertwined in a connection mistaken for a dream.

N

amed one of the “Best Indie Fantasy Books Worth a Read” on Goodreads, Firehurler introduces epic fantasy readers to the world of the Twinborn, where dreams are not what they seem.

The Biology of Luck

by Jacob M. Appel

“O

dd-job queen Starshine Hart is about to go on somebody else’s perfect date. It could be with you….”

Available at Amazon. www.jacobmappel.com

Dream Caster

by Najeev Raj Nadarajah

H

is settlement massacred, Weaver seeks refuge in a hidden city, there discovering he possesses the amazing power to cast his dreams into reality. But Weaver is nothing like the Dream Eater, who uses the same powers to bring nightmares to life. Up against these monsters, Weaver must master his powers before his new home and all of mankind are destroyed.

www.nrnadarajah.com Available at Amazon.

BOOK Hush, Boy

by George Beddingfield

H

USH, BOY is a novel about Jonathan Harding, a young boy growing up in the Deep South in the 1930s and ‘40s. Jonathan is full of questions about life, but the only answer he gets is, “Hush, boy, we don’t talk about that.”

Jonathan’s tales follow him to mature adulthood when he finally discovers some of the truths he has long sought. www.georgebeddingfield.com Available at CreateSpace and Amazon.

Secretsincity

by Deray Ogden

B

RINEY RUZA has created a bizarre graffiti game, but the walls she paints on begin using her to release secrets they were built to contain. One secret lures Briney to Terezin, once a Jewish Ghetto under Nazi control during WWII. Here the walls draw her deep into the conspiracies surrounding the Holocaust, corruption and rise of neo-Nazism … with a deadly outcome. www.ogdenimprint.com Available at Xlibris.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, iBookstore, and most major online bookstores.

Deceit

by Robert Wangard

DECEIT W “Great series . . . excellent . . . ” BookReview.com

hat do you do when a former lover turns up dead ... and you discover everything she told you was a lie? That question burns in Pete Thorsen’s mind and drives his investigation into the ROBERT WANGARD death of Lynn Hawke in this latest Pete Thorsen Mystery thriller! “... events as chilling as the weather ...“ —BookReview.com

www.rwangard.com Available in independent bookstores and online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

The Vampire Girl Next Door

by Richard Arbib

M

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.”

“Alternately eerie and funny, the novel blends horror, romance, and humor.”

—from the publisher’s press release. www.thevampiregirlnextdoor.com Available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

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

BOOK Backseat

by Tom Wascoe

I

n 1969 failure from college or dropping out meant the draft and possibly Vietnam.

Michael’s freshman year has not gone well. He believes that pledging a fraternity will put him on the right path. To get in he must hitchhike 1,500 miles in one weekend.

The rides he gets, the people he meets change his life. www.TomWascoe.com Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBookstore.

Operation Doublepayback

by Jack Freeman

A

fast-paced thriller set in 1961. An ex-CIA officer turned London-based beat generation bookseller, blackmailed into infiltrating a revolutionary terror group (RPI), is quickly involved in an attack on the U.S. London Embassy, assassination in Amsterdam, bombs in Berlin, fire fights in Venice and L.A., affair in Miami, torture in Mayfair, and a conspiracy to provoke all-out nuclear war in N.Y.C. jackfreeman_writer@hotmail.co.uk Available at Amazon.

The Beautiful American

by Marilyn Holdsworth

My Prison Without Bars

by Taylor Evan Fulks

E

2013 IRDA & READERS FAVORITE AWARD WINNER

lizabeth Monroe, James Monroe’s wife, and Jasmine, a young slave girl, develop an extraordinary relationship as they are united by pivotal historic events and personal tragedies. From a bucolic Virginia plantation to the bloodied streets of post-revolutionary Paris, this powerful tale follows the lives of two courageous women from the past as they inspire a woman of today’s world. www.marilynholdsworthauthor.com Available at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.

A

courageous, harrowing journey through the catacombs of hell, from the voice of a little girl, living with her own monster underneath her bed. This novel is less memoir and more psychological thriller, chronicling one woman’s attempt to claw her way out of the darkness of Child Sexual Abuse. *Dark and Graphic Content.

www.taylorfulks.com Available at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.

Find your next favorite book in SHELF UNBOUND’S

COOL READS FOR KIDS.

CHECK OUT THE PREMIERE ISSUE SIGN UP FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION AT W W W.SHELFMEDIAGROUP.COM

Sips Card puts short fiction and poetry into local coffee shop venues around the country. We are a publication run by artists, for artists.

Each card contains a QR code, loaded with a short story, or set of poems, from an independent writer, meant to last as long as a cup of coffee. Our passion is to share the work of other artists with likely readers. Visit

www.sipscard.com for more information.

Call for submissions: We are accepting short fiction and poetry submissions for our October 2012 issue from August 1st through August 31st. Guidelines can be found at www.sipscard.com/submit.

indie

We asked last year’s competition winner, Jennifer Bresnick, for some thoughts on the state of self-publishing. Bresnick has recently released a prequel to her award-winning The Last Death of Tev Chrisini titled The Spoil of Zanuth-Karun, and she shares an excerpt with us here. We can’t wait to read the new book!

PERSPECTIVES ON SELF-PUBLISHING

by Jennifer Bresnick

I

’m going to bet you ten dollars that you don’t remember the Phillips Videopac G7000. And I’m pretty sure you don’t know where your Sony MZ1 MiniDisc player is. You’re probably not even holding on to your old Betamax tapes, because you’ve finally accepted that VHS—wait, no, DVDs—no, BluRay is the standard of choice ... unless you’re just going to stream it.

When these products were introduced, the technology market was fluid. There were hundreds of competitors using the sudden explosion of advancement in computer science to fight for a top spot on the consumer’s media shelf. Few of these products succeeded. The market forced out the overly expensive, the inefficient, and the undesirable. Companies failed. Novelties disappeared. And the winners went on to 78

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

be household names—for a while, at least.

Right now, self-publishing is in exactly the same position. Everyone is trying to grab a piece of the action because it’s shiny, new, easy, and holds lots of promise. It’s producing the first generation of household names, and it’s also throwing out an enormous number of failures. It’s a frustrating time for many authors who feel unable to grab a readership, but it’s also an opportunity for those with focus, drive, and a quality product to break free from the crowds as the market defines itself.

If you’re feeling squeezed by the competition, try being patient. The herd is going to thin out, and the authors who stick around in five or seven years are going to see a new standard emerge. Just don’t forget to back up your manuscript on a couple of 8-inch floppies.

The Spoil of Zanuth-Karun

by Jennifer Bresnick

S

erdaro Ashosu picked at the grass, plucking a few stalks from the soil and tearing them into pieces. There was dirt under his fingernails, which would annoy his mother, but not half as much as Daralya was annoying him at the moment.

“I just don’t see why you won’t come with me,” he said peevishly, dropping the shreds and watching them twist away on the breeze. It was a beautiful midsummer day, and they were sitting at the top of the earthen embankment that surrounded Sayis, a popular spot for picnics and sunbathing.

“Because Yarrin offered first,” Daralya said. “I told you that. You should have asked me sooner.”

“I wasn’t here. That’s not fair.”

Daralya shrugged. “That’s not my fault.”

Serdaro made a little noise of frustration. The solstice festival was the biggest celebration of the year, and no one worth a brass farthing would dare attend alone.

He had taken Daralya for three years running, which was quite a coup considering that she was the most sought–after girl of his acquaintance, and he was little more than tolerated by his peers.

The Eidarhta boys he knew had been raised to be wary of his people, with their private language, strange ways, and inexhaustible longevity, and they often took it upon themselves to test the claims of his heritage by pushing him down the stairs, throwing rocks and ice at him in the winter, or even slashing at him with bits of glass or pocket knives to see how quickly the wounds would disappear.

Daralya never really stood up for him, of course, but neither did she take an active part in the teasing. It was better than being Llorani, she had said to him once, trying to comfort him as he nursed a black eye behind the merchant’s offices where he worked. It hadn’t been much consolation.

From The Spoil of Zanuth-Karun by Jennifer Bresnick, www.jenniferbresnick.com. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

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gurus

How To

From how to get a job after college to how to eat like a caveman, 34 books from our competition provide experts’ advice

GET A JOB AFTER COLLEGE Getting Hired: Handbook for College Graduates by Frances R. Schmidt 1

I Wish Someone Had Told Me! Financial Lessons Learned the Hard Way by Charlotte Stallings

CURE THE SEXUAL BLAHS Taking Sexy Back by Jean A. Campbell

BE A BACHELOR FOODIE Man Cave Gourmet: The Single Hunter/Gatherer Foodie

by Edward Mudd Gordon

LIVE LONGER Don’t Die Early: The Life You Save Can Be Your Own by Rocky Angelucci

6

FINANCIALLY NAVIGATE WIDOWHOOD Moving Forward on Your Own by Kathleen M. Rehl, Ph.D, CFP 2

GET YOUR DREAM VACATION IN SCOTLAND 3 FIX THE GOVERNMENT The Golf Widow Travels – New American Revolution: Scotland by Karen Howe The Constitutional Overthrow of the United 8 AVOID RELAPSE States Government by Every Silver Lining Has a William F. Fawell Cloud: Relapse and the Symptoms of Sobriety by 4 FIND YOUR WAY, Scott Stevens GROW RESILIENT, AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE 9 CULTIVATE YOUR Bounce Forward by Debra GARDEN AND YOUR LIFE Dane Gardening: A Window on our Soul by Kathleen P. 5 BE IN CONTROL OF O’Beirne YOUR MONEY DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014

11

NAVIGATE THE CONSUMER CULTURE Conscious Spending, Conscious Life by Laurana Rayne 12

7

80

10

MOVE PAST A LACK OF MOTHERING Ghost Mothers: Healing from the Pain of a Mother Who Wasn’t Really There by Kathryn Rudlin, LCSW 13

HELP THE GRIEVING Griefprints: A Practical Guide for Supporting a Grieving Person by Radha Stern 14

HAVE A SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION The Battle Inside by Wes Hodges 21

FIND HEALING, HAPPINESS, AND SELF-REALIZATION Taming the Invisible Dragon

by Sloan Rawlins 15

FIND JOY THE SATCHMO WAY Live Like Louis! Inspiring Stories from the Life of Louis Armstrong to Help You Lead a More Wonderful Life by Phil Lynch 16

LIVE WELL AFTER 60 I’ve Got Some Good News and Some Bad News: You’re Old – Tales of a Geriatrician/ What To Expect in Your 60s, 70s, 80s, and Beyond by David Bernstein, M.D. 22

DETERMINE WHAT IS ENOUGH Enough by Rick Rhone LIVE A SPIRITUAL LIFE Fill in the Blank, Vol. 1: Inspiring Truths in a Busy World by Jason M. Frazier

FIND LOVE AND HAPPINESS Becoming What You Want to See in the World by Mary Claire O’Neal

MAKE HEALTHY LIVING YOUR NEW WAY OF LIFE Four Quadrant Living by Dina Colman

CREATE PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS 360° of Success: Money, Relationships, Energy, Time

by Ana Weber

BE A FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE MALE Men, Get Real with Your Finances: It’s Time to Face the Spiritual Issues that Cause Our Financial Issues

by Bradley Vinson

18

19

REPAIR AND STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP Couples’ Therapy: A Do-ItYourself Guide to a Better Relationship by Ariel S. Compton, M.D.

MAKE MONEY IN REAL ESTATE More than Cashflow: The Real Risks & Rewards of Profitable Real Estate Investing by Julie Broad 29

23

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST 27 Flavors of Fulfillment by Nathan Crane 17

BOOST YOUR VOCABULARY Mnemonic and Association Techniques for English Vocabulary by Henry Davis 28

24

25

26

20

BE A FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FEMALE Purses, Pearls and Pumps: Straight Talk About Women and Finances by Bonita Vinson, PhD 27

BETTER UNDERSTAND AUTISM Is My Child Autistic or Delayed by Susan Louise Peterson 30

EMBRACE AGING Positively Ninety: Interviews with Lively Nonagenarians

by Connie Springer 31

HANDLE BEING A COLLEGE ATHLETE Seasons: What College Athletes Need to Know About Their Future by Ryan Sprague 32

STUDY THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS Travel through Ephesians: Transforming Grace by Thomas L. Hiegel 33

EAT LIKE A CAVEMAN Well Fed 2: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

by Melissa Joulwan 34

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poetry

Arachne

by Joseph Dorazio There’s a spider crawling across the balustrade with my mother’s head on it. She’s laboriously dragging that gray clothesline behind her.

I sense she’s happier with eight appendages than with children, and with her husband devoured and out of the way, she’ll accomplish much: a hand each for clothespins & laundry, mop & broom, dustpan & brush. And when her housework is finally done, she’ll weave as only she can weave and hang upon a web finely spun.

From As Is: Selected Poems of Joseph Dorazio by Joseph Dorazio, www.josephdorazio.com. Reprinted with permission.

All rights reserved.

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poetry

Cove with Traveler

by Robert Herschbach The women divers of Korea are out in the cove, surfacing and disappearing again among bobbing Styrofoam coolers. Near the bleached weights piled on the dock, hemp nets dry in the sun. Folk song’s coming across a bullhorn on a truck parked in the sand …

You wanted to be somewhere else, and you are. What’s not to like?

Still, you keep looking out across the bay to that other tapering peninsula, the next one, as though it’s home to further marvels – a rare bird, a village on stilts, the oldest cast-iron bell in the hemisphere – the best of all sights, the one thing you don’t want to miss.

From Loose Weather by Robert Herschbach, Washington Writers’ Publishing House. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

UNBOUND

83

poetry

Hurricane Birds

by Dawn Lonsinger In the eye of the storm we came up out of basements and found sea birds in our yards – gulls and terns stockpiling debris, and frigate birds gliding flawless over the interstate. A white ibis crawled out of the gutter and loosed its looped limbs into the air.

Petrels and doves swarmed wet parking lots. what glistened overwhelmed us, swallows rising like a sheet over the injured.

From Whelm by Dawn Lonsinger, Lost Horse Press, www. losthorsepress.org. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

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This is the proof of the dust jacket for the hardcover version of your book

poetry

NOTE: SPINE WIDTH may change during final production of the boo Below 108 pages or 0.216 of an inch will no longer have spin

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STUDIES: Joint Memories

Somehow, This Soft Summer Night (Germany) Margaret Schuyler Sternbergh wrote these poems over the course of her life. Written at a time when women were

by Margaret Schuyler Sternbergh meant to be docile and submissive, they reveal a vital and passionate spirit.

STERNBERGH

They touch on the death of night a child, on the joy of love, Somehow, this soft summer and the pain of unrequited love, on the wonder of man, and despair at his destructiveness.

I feel the pain revealnever a life-long struggle for justice Soft and goodness.

Of men’s bodiesTheyas before: as this Not discovered until after her death, the poems are sweet airfor their lyrical beauty and intensity of feeling. remarkable Their flesh brittleof herbone, They are presented with here as a remembrance indomitable spirit.

Set and joined and woven as mine (Lying lazily on this bone, sofather, brittle Margaretcounterpane).

Schuyler Sternbergh lived Brittle from 1887 until 1982. Her James Hervey Sternbergh was the founder of the Reading Bolt and running through.

Perishable!

Nut Works which later became Bethlehem Steel.Water, Her mother,dust Mary of Candace Dodds, was the oldest of twelve children born on a farm in minerals Flowered into form, Burlington, Vermont. Margaret, or Mardi as she was known, attended National Cathedral School inof Washington, as a high teenager, But,thethough the pain theseD.C. flare and then boarding school in Weisbaden, Germany.

And simultaneous these bodies She was an independent spirit, an artist, a musician and a poet, Yield to discontinuity and die, a woman beyond her time.

StillThese is the spiritual fort imperishable poems, dedicated to her beloved sister, Gertrude, were not found until after her death. flashes They are published here now in her honor.

Turned light that Over this pain—that is no more …

ISBN: 978-1-4363-9611-0

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From Studies: Joint Memories by Margaret Schuyler Sternbergh. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

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IMPORTANT! Crop Marks or Book Edges

These lines are where the design will end. Images or any design elements beyond these lines will be cropped and will not show on th Bleed allowance must be 1/4 or .25 of an inch all around the edges.

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WHAT THE FOX SAY

“

‘You should never turn down the offer of another man’s story,’ the fox persisted ...

‘Stories are the only thing that separates us from the animals after all.’

”

— from The Dragon and the Crow by T.B. McKenzie http://magickless.blogspot.com.au/

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december/january JENNIFER BRESNICK is a 2007 graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a major in history. Born and raised on Long Island, NY, she now resides in the Boston area, fervently avoiding all discussions about professional sports. Bresnick’s debut novel, The Last Death of Tev Chrisini, won the 2012 Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book.

TIM CHAPMAN is a former forensic scientist for the Chicago police department who currently teaches English composition and Chinese martial arts. He holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Northwestern University. His fiction has been published in The Southeast Review, the Chicago Reader, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and the anthology, “The Rich and the Dead.”

JOSEPH DORAZIO began writing poetry in 2007. Since then, his poems have won awards, and have appeared in over 30 literary magazines in the U.S. Joseph Dorazio’s first two chapbook collections were finalists in poetry competitions, and in 2009, his poem, “The Tree of Life” was set to music by the composer, Eleanor Aversa, in response to the Dialogues with Darwin Poetry Project, at the American Philosophical Society Museum in Philadelphia. Mr. Dorazio lives and writes in Wayne, Pa. ROBERT HERSCHBACH is the author of Loose Weather, published in Fall 2013 from Washington Writers’ Publishing House. His poems have appeared in Fine Madness, Eclipse, Fugue, Gargoyle, Natural Bridge, Painted Bride Quarterly, South Carolina Review, The Southern Poetry Review, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, Subtropics, Quarterly West, West Branch and other journals.

MELISSA JOULWAN writes the blog The Clothes Make The Girl (theclothesmakethegirl.com). She has authored four books and contributed to a New York Times bestseller: It Starts With Food. After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and food as the enemy, Joulwan found the paleo diet in 2009 and has been happily, healthily following it ever since.

DAWN LONSINGER is a poet and essayist and the author of two chapbooks: the linoleum crop (chosen by Thomas Lux as the winner of the 2007 Jeanne Duval Editions Chapbook Contest), and The Nested Object (Dancing Girl Press, 2009). Her full-length collection of poems, Whelm, won Lost Horse Press’s 2012 Idaho Prize in Poetry.

NANCY PEACOCK’s first book, Life Without Water was published in 1996 and chosen as a New York Times Notable

contributors

Book. It was followed a few years later by Home Across the Road. Her third book, and her first work of nonfiction, was taken from her experiences of living as an artist and a maid.

A Broom of One’s Own: Words on Writing, Housecleaning, and Life was published by Harper Collins in April 2008.

DAN SHEEHAN served as a Marine Officer from 1996 to 2007. An AH-1W pilot by trade, he deployed aboard the 13th MEU (SOC) in 2000 and the 11th MEU (SOC) in 2002.

During those deployments he participated in operations in East Timor, Yemen, and in various countries in the Middle East. In 2003 he flew close air support missions during the invasion of Iraq and in 2004 served in Baghdad as a Forward Air Controller with Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Detachment One. HILARY SLOIN began her writing career as a playwright in the 80s. Her plays, which were mostly gay-themed and fairly subversive, were widely produced in the U.S. After a time, she switched to essays and short fiction, publishing in many small journals and anthologies and attending a number of residencies. Sloin has recently completed a collection of short fiction entitled The Cure for Unhappiness and is currently at work on a manuscript about selling antiques, Pimpin’ the Frontier.

MARGARET SCHUHYLER STERNBERGH lived from 1887 until 1982. Her father, James Hervey Sternbergh, was the founder of the Reading Bolt and Nut Works which later became Bethlehem Steel. Her mother, Mary Candace Dodds, was the oldest of twelve children born on a farm in Burlington, Vermont. Margaret, or Mardi as she was known, attended the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C. as a teenager, and then boarding school in Weisbaden, Germany. She was an independent spirit, an artist, a musician and a poet.

KATHLEEN WHEATON has worked for 25 years as a journalist and travel writer, and lived for 12 years in Spain and Latin America. Her journalism and interviews have been published in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The San Francisco Examiner, Town & Country, European Travel & Life, Via, Smithsonian and the Paris Review. She has been the recipient of three Maryland Arts Council grants. In 2013 she received the Washington Writers Publishing House award for fiction.

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