Summer 2025 | Shelf Unbound Magazine by Shelf Media Group

OUR STORY

SHELF UNBOUND MAGAZINE

All we wanted was a really good magazine. About books. That was full of the really great stuff. So we made it. And we really like it. And we hope you do, too. Because we’re just getting started.

Shelf Unbound Staff.

PRESIDENT, EDITOR IN CHIEF

Sarah Kloth

PARTNER, PUBLISHER

Debra Pandak

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Corinna Kloth

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Christina Consolino

Michele Mathews

Anthony Carinhas

V. Jolene Miller

Chrissy Brown

Corinna Kloth

FINANCE MANAGER

Jane Miller

For Advertising Inquiries: e-mail sarah@shelfmediagroup.com

For editorial inquiries: e-mail media@shelfmediagroup.com

2003: THE TIME-LOOP DEVICE

Nolan Emerson, PhD, is a brilliant young theoretical and experimental physicist who is a professor at the University of Geneva, and the lead scientist at the CERN particle accelerator. He is a leader in the areas of general relativity and quantum mechanics. Dr. Emerson devises an experiment so radical and revolutionary that it seeks to unlock the astounding, complex, and mysterious secrets of Einstein’s space-time. Ultimately, his work challenges the fundamental notions of consciousness and of the concept of reality itself.

«(AUDIOBOOK available! See DavidCornishBooks.com)«

1918: THE GREAT PANDEMIC

Major Edward Nobel’s mission, as a physician, is to help protect American troops from infectious ailments during the First World War. However, his unique vantage point in Boston allows him to detect an emerging influenza strain that is an unprecedented global threat. Eventually, the 1918 influenza pandemic killed up to 100 million people, and became the worst natural disaster in human history.

1877: A NORTHERN PHYSICIAN IN SOUTHERN UNGOVERNED SPACES

Colonel Charles Noble is a US Civil War veteran, and an Army surgeon reservist. Extreme violence in the former Confederacy, in anticipation of a national election, has caused President Grant to send additional federal troops to the Southern states. Terrorists are determined to counter Noble’s good intentions, as they threaten the civil rights, and the very lives, of all who oppose them.

1980: THE EMERGENCE OF HIV

Dr. Arthur Noble is a brilliant first-year medical resident in San Francisco. Noble encounters a strange new ailment that seemingly appears out of nowhere, and delivers its victims a most horrible merciless death. Dr. Noble struggles to find answers to the medical mystery, even as many researchers and society refuse to believe that it is a serious public health hazard, or that it even exists.

LEARN MORE AT

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

20 Indie Bookstores: Your Ultimate U.S. Roadtrip for Book Besties By Sarah Kloth

38 Interview with Christina Consolino

Author of The Marriage Debt By Meredith Doench

45 Interview with J. Střelou

On debut novel Sea of Evil and Desire By Christina Consolino

51 Interview with Matthew Gasda

Author of The Sleepers By Michele Mathews

56 Interview with Mark Phillips

Author of My Father’s Cabin By Michele Mathews

78 Interview with Paulette Stout

Author of What We Give Away By Christina Consolino

93 The Big Summer Reads List By Corinna Kloth

175 Interview with Lola Glass

Author of series Marked Beneath the Moon By Christina Consolino

184 Summer Scares By Corinna Kloth

BY SARAH KLOTH, PUBLISHER

As the sun sets a little later and the days stretch into warm, endless afternoons, it’s time to pick up the book that’s been waiting for you all year. Welcome to our Big Summer Reads issue, where we’ve curated a collection of must-reads for the season — stories that will take you to new worlds, spark your imagination, and keep you turning pages long after the sun has set.

This issue isn’t just about the books; it’s about the journey. We’re hitting the road and stopping by some of the best indie bookstores across the U.S. From hidden gems tucked away in cozy corners to bustling hubs of literary discovery, these indie

Pages, Places & Summer Escapes.

bookstores are the lifeblood of our reading culture. They offer more than just books—they provide the experiences, the community, and the passionate booksellers who help you find that perfect read.

Whether you’re planning a roadtrip through America’s indie book scene or enjoying the serenity of your own reading nook, there’s a perfect book for every summer adventure. So, grab your iced tea, settle into your favorite spot, and let this issue guide you to some unforgettable stories and indie bookstore discoveries.

Enjoy the issue!

SECRETS OF THE MANOR

- The Prairies Book Review UNLOCK THE

PACKED WITH UNEXPECTED TWISTS AND A JAW-DROPPING CLIFFHANGER, THIS NOVEL WILL KEEP READERS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS UNTIL THE VERY END. RIVETING.

NOT EVEN DOCTOR PHIL CAN FIX THIS

The Psychological Mystery series has everything. Serial killers, twisted secrets, an axe or two, plot twists, more plot twists, a little romance, a Secret Army, Gitmo, tragedy, a pig farm, nightmares, a ghost, more serial killers, and twisted irony. Intertwining plots twists run rampant making it clear that something sinister is at play.

THE COVID SACRIFICE WAS US

Hermes Runs the Game: Inverted Sacrifice, Myth and Initiation In-Formoing the Events of 2020-2024

Steve Crimi takes the time in the first third of the book to educate the reader in the elements of classical Greek ritual sacrifice as sacred offering to the Divine, and he includes the most exquisitely beautiful artwork throughout the book that serves to not only illustrate the myths and the ritual components, but also to elevate the reader and more starkly contrast that uplifting beauty with the garish imagery used in modern media.

In the second part of the book Steve explicates the dark timeline we all lived through, beginning with Event 201, which served as the ritual invocation, and leads us through that time in the most astutely eye-opening way so that once you see it, you can’t unsee. His research is absolutely breathtaking, and he manages this very intense material with candor and a rapier wit.

The last third of the book is titled, The Light of Initiation, and it explores the preSocratic philosophers and their ability to access the divine light of inner knowing through the goddess herself, and the eventual loss of such access through the preference for the intellect, which is sterile in comparison. Ultimately, this is a mystery school manual that showers the reader/student/initiate with profoundly thoughtprovoking material that spans the elements of both sacred ritual and inverted dark ritual. Like life itself, this book is composed of the beautiful and the terrible. I cannot recommend this book enough, but it is only for those who are ready to face some very difficult material and as well, receive a depth of spiritual understanding that goes well beyond the superficial nonsense that is so rife today.

–Shonagh

Home, author of Poetic Whispers from the Otherworld

INDIE IN THE NEWS

Top News in Independent Publishing

The indie publishing world is buzzing with exciting updates! From rising indie publishers expanding into new territories to indie authors making their mark with major book deals, the landscape is evolving faster than ever.

Here’s a roundup of the latest and greatest happenings in the world of independent publishing:

OwlCrate Takes the Leap into Publishing

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, OwlCrate has launched OwlCrate Press— marking its big move into the publishing world. The new imprint is committed to uplifting emerging voices and providing fresh stories

in genres like romantasy, horror, romance, and sci-fi. The first four subscription boxes will roll out later this spring, each one dedicated to exploring new books by up-andcoming authors.

Independent Bookstore Day 2025: A Huge Success

On April 26, 2025, over 1,600 independent bookstores participated in Independent Bookstore Day, celebrating everything that makes these local gems so special. From author meet-and-greets to exclusive events, bookstores across the country came together to highlight their vital role in keeping communities connected and fostering a love for reading, despite the challenges posed by online retailers and book bans.

Indie Publishers Sweep the International Booker Shortlist

For the first time ever, all the finalists for the 2025 International Booker Prize are independent publishers! Imprints like Fitzcarraldo Editions, Faber, and And Other Stories are taking center stage, proving the growing influence and undeniable impact that indie publishers are making on the global literary stage.

AI and the Future of Publishing

The publishing industry is figuring out how to best harness artificial intelligence (AI) without compromising creativity. As more publishers and authors turn to AI tools for research and idea generation, concerns have emerged over its potential to misuse copyrighted content. Efforts are underway to develop clear guidelines and contracts to ensure that AI complements, rather than replaces, the creative process.

Thomas R. Weaver Makes the Jump to Traditional Publishing

Indie author turned tech entrepreneur Thomas R. Weaver has secured a major two-book deal with Del Rey after his debut novel, Artificial Wisdom, went viral. The deal marks a significant milestone in Weaver’s career as he transitions from selfpublishing to a major traditional publisher, showcasing the growing recognition of indie authors in the mainstream market.

Wrapping Up

The landscape of independent publishing continues to change and grow, with fresh opportunities for both indie authors and publishers alike. From OwlCrate’s exciting new publishing venture to the rise of AI in the industry, it’s clear that the future of books is in for an exciting ride. Stay tuned as we continue to see the innovative strides indie publishers and authors make in the months to come.

Finalist: Next Generation Indie Book Awards

A Town on the Brink. A Janitor with a Past. A Reckoning Begins.

“A gripping, action-packed ride. Fans of Deliverance and The Godfather will love it.”

- Kirkus Reviews

The Philadelphia mob wants Twin River. But standing in their way is Gene Brooks—a Vietnam veteran, a high school janitor, and a man with nothing to lose. When the town’s darkest history begins to repeat itself— kidnappings, murders, and a school hostage crisis—justice can’t wait for the law.

A relentless thriller in the tradition of Dirty Harry, First Blood, and Death Wish, Twin River is a bloody salute to vigilante justice.

“This grisly thriller will sink its teeth right in you.”

- Kirkus Reviews

“Twin River II is ideal for those who prefer a dose of reflection and depth of character along with swiftly moving action and lurid confrontations” - Clarion Review

“Thrilling, action-packed, and captivating—leaves you eager for the next installment.” - Readers’ Favorite

His name is Palladin— as in pallbearer.

Wesley Palladin was raised to be a killer. Trained by his father and hardened by the Philadelphia mob, he perfected his deadly craft. But when a contract goes wrong, he vanishes— reappearing in Twin River as a quiet security guard.

Then he meets Matt Henry, a violent teen on the brink of destruction. As Matt battles extreme bullying, a brutal juvenile institution, and a dark hunger for revenge, Palladin becomes his mentor. But in a town plagued by kidnappings, human trafficking, and unchecked brutality, redemption comes at a deadly cost.

The Saga of Twin River Continues… and the Stakes Have Never Been Deadlier.

“Readers who love classic gritty crime novels like The Godfather will love Twin River III.” – Pacific Book Review

Twin River III: A Death at One Thousand Steps

When Twin River students Heather Wainwright and Alice Byrd are abducted into a twisted underground video ring, they have no idea of the horror awaiting them. Meanwhile, a violent confrontation brews as mobsters, mercenaries, and vigilantes collide at the sinister Happy Hollow Hunt Club, a fortress guarded by electrified fences, ruthless enforcers, and monstrous wild hogs.

Vietnam veteran Gene Brooks and young Matt Henry refuse to let evil reign in their town. With a team of unlikely heroes, they take the fight to the mob in a battle of grit, survival, and vengeance— culminating in a heart-stopping showdown at the historic One Thousand Steps.

“The latest visit to Twin River becomes an exhilarating exercise in sustained, multipronged tension” - Kirkus Reviews

“Intense, sinister, and thrilling, Michael Fields has finished the Twin River Series with a powerful ending” - Readers’ Favorite

Twin River IV: C U When U Get There

The final book in the Twin River series, C U When U Get There, delivers an explosive conclusion filled with terror, survival, and vengeance.

Resurrected in Death Valley, Cain Towers embraces his brutal nature. With his ruthless uncle Abel, he returns to Twin River, Pennsylvania, seeking revenge against Vietnam veteran Gene Brooks and the town that betrayed him. But their deadly path collides with three vulnerable teens— Stanley Banks, Niles Wilson, and Amber Crawford—who must fight to survive.

Inspired by real-life crimes, Fields delivers a relentless, pulse-pounding thriller. From the scorching desert to a town on edge, Twin River IV is an electrifying finale that will leave readers breathless.

“What you read in her collection of articles is what happens when a Black journalist does not compromise their identity to do their job.”

- Sonya Green, journalistpected Journalist, essays by Reagan Jackson

Through this collection of essays, author and activist Reagan Jackson, chronicles her journey into the world of journalism. Art, cinema, social justice, feminism, Black reparations, health & reproductive rights, dance, education—while Jackson’s subjects range far and wide, her writing brings an intimacy & immediacy to all.

“Emotions roar off the pages, pure, raw, and bristling. Long, meandering sentences lead the way, doubling back, bounding forward, and experimenting with language. Conversations run without punctuation or tags; different consciousnesses bleed together.”

- Elaine Chiew, Forward Reviews

Three Alarm Fire is a collection that presses into the most important concerns of our time. With a diverse set of characters and experiences, Juan Carlos Reyes’s debut fiction collection examines the range of grief and healing we navigate as Americans. Reyes explores themes of immigration, identity, family legacy, sexuality, trauma, and what belonging means, as well as the cultural tensions between us that can be downright explosive.

“A heartfelt story that took me back to the ‘inbetween’ chapter of my own life—an experience many other readers will relate to as well. I was sorry to see my time end with Joann and her crew.” - Maggie Carr, Co-founder, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle

At The Sylvan, a small Seattle luxury hotel, Joann finds herself caught between late-night confessions, love affairs, and friendships while trying to figure out her future. As the 90s roll on, a deepening connection with a teammate forces Joann to confront the bittersweet adventure of growing up, all while navigating the quirky, electric world of the hotel’s swing shift.

VIEW MORE TITLES AT HINTON PUBLISHING

My Bully, My Aunt, & Her Final Gift

Harold Phifer

Discover Resilience in the Face of an Unlikely Relationship

In My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift, Hal confronts the bittersweet memories of his childhood, shaped by his aunt’s unpredictable and often cruel influence. As he plans her memorial—a gathering no one seems eager to attend—Hal is pulled back into a world of twisted philosophies and emotional turbulence.

But amid the chaos, he discovers unexpected lessons that lead to healing, self-discovery, and redemption. Through laugh-out-loud moments and heartfelt revelations, this memoir reveals how even the darkest

Indie Bookstores.

Your Ultimate U.S. Roadtrip for Book Besties

BY SARAH KLOTH

Let’s be real: nothing beats the thrill of stumbling upon a hidden gem at an indie bookstore. Whether it’s that perfect book you didn’t know you needed or a quirky shop that just gets you, indie bookstores are the ultimate destination for any book lover.

Grab your book bestie, hit the open road, and get ready to experience the coolest, coziest, and most vibe-filled bookstores the U.S. has to offer. From coffee shops with bookshelves to literary havens that spark pure joy, these spots are perfect for your next road trip.

So, let’s get those road-trip playlists ready and dive into the literary heart of America!

1. Powell’s Books

Portland, OR

The World’s Largest Independent Bookstore

Welcome to Powell’s City of Books, the granddaddy of indie bookstores. With 68,000 square feet of space and over a million books, Powell’s is more of a book-lover’s city than a simple store. Founded in 1971, this iconic Portland institution spans an entire city block and is renowned as the world’s largest independent bookstore. Whether you’re a bibliophile hunting for rare first editions or someone simply looking for the perfect weekend read, Powell’s has something for you.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL:

Powell’s is a maze of literary treasures, and part of the charm is that you can get lost within it. The store’s rooms are color-coded, each dedicated to specific genres, and browsing feels like an adventure in itself. The Rare Book Room is a must-see—packed with rare, antique, and collectible books. You can even trade your used books for store credit here, so it’s a great place to find unexpected gems.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:

5. City Lights Bookstore

San Francisco, CA

Home of the Beat Generation and Literary Rebel Souls

A literary institution founded by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1953, City Lights in San Francisco is a must-see for anyone interested in literature and cultural history. Famous for its association with the Beat Generation (hello, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg!), this independent bookstore is a haven for readers and writers alike. The store’s commitment to radical politics and free speech makes it as relevant today as it was when it first opened.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL:

City Lights is famous not just for its extensive collection of books, but for its historical significance in the literary world. The store’s bookstore and publishing house have long supported groundbreaking authors and works that challenge conventional thinking. You’ll find a carefully curated selection of literature, from poetry to political essays, with a special focus on progressive and socially conscious themes.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:

Beyond the books, City Lights exudes an artistic, intellectual atmosphere. Whether you’re browsing the shelves or attending an event, you’ll feel like you’re stepping into literary history. If you love poetry, politics, and progressive culture, this is a place that will truly inspire you. Don’t forget to check out their events calendar—City Lights regularly hosts author readings, signings, and community discussions.

6. BookPeople Austin, TX

Texas’ Literary Hub

BookPeople is Austin’s largest indie bookstore and is a beloved gathering place for the city’s literary scene. Known for its extensive selection and knowledgeable staff, this store hosts frequent author events and book signings. It’s also home to a cool café that serves up great coffee and snacks, perfect for a mid-shopping recharge. What makes BookPeople unique? Its friendly vibe and active community, which makes it feel less like a store and more like a hangout.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL:

Located in a beautiful, spacious venue, BookPeople is known for its wide variety of genres and focus on local authors. Their dedication to promoting Austin’s literary culture is evident in their carefully curated events and collaborations with local institutions. If you’re in Austin, this is the spot to pick up a book that will keep you reading well into the night.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:

Whether you’re looking for a classic or the latest bestseller, BookPeople has something for every reader. Plus, the in-store events bring the local community together, creating a warm and welcoming environment for book lovers. Don’t forget to grab a coffee and check out their book recommendations while you’re there!

Not only does Copperfield’s have a wide variety of books, but it also hosts regular author events, book signings, and literary talks that make it an essential stop for anyone interested in the literary culture of Northern California. The store also regularly features local authors and artists, giving it a unique local flair.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:

Whether you’re in town for a wine tour or just passing through, Copperfield’s is the perfect place to stop for some great reading material. The relaxed atmosphere and charming setting make it a fantastic place to find a book that complements your wine country experience.

15. Little Shop of Stories

Decatur, GA

The Bookstore with a Big Heart

Little Shop of Stories is a charming indie bookstore in Decatur, Georgia, that caters to both children’s books and young adult literature. The store’s playful and colorful design is perfect for kids, while the vast collection of YA books makes it a fantastic stop for adult readers as well.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL:

With its focus on children’s literature and YA, Little Shop of Stories hosts storytime events, book clubs, and readings. It’s a fun, energetic space that creates a warm environment for families and book lovers alike. The store frequently organizes local author events and book signings, helping to foster a sense of community among readers of all ages.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:

Little Shop of Stories is a gem in Decatur, offering a welcoming environment where both young readers and adults can find their next great read. It’s the kind of bookstore where you feel like you’re visiting a friend’s house—filled with books, warmth, and a lot of heart.

BOO K S T ARGA M

BOOKSTAGRAM

Each issue we feature a new bookstagrammer highlighting some of their amazing work.

NAME: SOFEE

FAVORITE GENRE: HORROR AND FANTASY

BOOKS READ PER YEAR: AROUND 70

FAVORITE BOOK: EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE

FAVORITE AUTHOR: GRADY HENDRIX

CURRENTLY READING: EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED

@ThePagesoftheMoon

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOU.

@ThePagesoftheMoon: My names Sofee, I live in South Wales with my boyfriend and little sausage dog Pickle! I didn’t start to actively read again until about 3 years ago when I discovered the series “of blood and ash” I was HOOKED! I read a fair bit as a child but it trailed off as a teenager, now I don’t go a day without physically reading something or listening to an audio book, i am a BIG horror movie fan, which has quickly spiralled into reading horror books, the scarier the better, I seek that THRILL!!

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BOOKSTAGRAM ACCOUNT AND HOW IT GOT STARTED.

@ThePagesoftheMoon : I decided to start my Instagram to find like minded people, I was suddenly reading more than I ever have and I was desperate to discuss my reads with someone, I also love to take pictures and edit them, so decided an Instagram dedicated to books would be a great little hobby! It quickly escalated and now I have a home library with over 500 books and counting and a BIG sprayed edge addiction!!

WHO

IS YOUR FAVORITE INDIE/SMALL PRESS AUTHOR AND WHY?

@ThePagesoftheMoon : Gregory Kontaxis is definitely a stand out indie author for me, he first captured my heart and attention with “The Knight of the moon” novella, which quickly lead me to devour “The return of the Knight” absolutely incredible reads, I’m working my way through his second book “The fall of giants”

ALLTIME

FAVORITE INDIE BOOK?

@ThePagesoftheMoon : Honestly? I think it has to be “The return of the Knight” it was incredible, this book definitely deserves more hype and you will soon be seeing it A LOT more on my page! I just adore the story and the writing style, it is nothing but captivating!

TELL US A BIT ABOUT WHY THE BOOKSTAGRAM COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT TO YOU.

@ThePagesoftheMoon : Reading for me as to escape reality, life isn’t always easy and can get overwhelming, so having an outlet such as reading has really helped my mental health! In addition, the bookstagram community is beyond supportive, I have made genuine lifelong friends and the support network on there is incredible, I never feel alone and feel so understood! Would I sacrifice a meal for that special edition? I absolutely would! And is there like minded people who support this decision and would so the same? Absolutely there is!

@THEPAGESOFTHEMOON

SEE MORE BOOK ADVENTURES ON INSTAGRAM

Interview with Christina Consolino

Author of The Marriage Debt

BY MEREDITH DOENCH

Christina Consolino is a mother, dreamer, author, editor, and teacher, though the order varies depending on the day. Her work explores the complexities of daily life, the tumult of family dynamics, a human’s capacity for resilience, and the weight of familial and societal expectations. Her latest novel, The Marriage Debt, “examines the hard truths about sex that overbooked women face in their forties, as well as the joys still to come once a woman knows who she is and how to ask for what she wants.”

THE MARRIAGE DEBT IS YOUR THIRD NOVEL. HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM REWRITE THE STARS AND THE WEIGHT WE CARRY?

CC: All my contemporary fiction features dysfunctional families. The characters in Rewrite the Stars were almost divorced but still lived in the same home; those in The Weight We Carry dealt with the negative consequences of aging parents in denial; and The Marriage Debt’s Nika and Ethan Stewart share their home with Nika’s dad and must address communication issues. My stories all take place in the Midwest; they all incorporate scenes from my own life; they all feature a physical or mental

health issue (post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia, and menopause, respectively). But The Marriage Debt differs in multiple ways.

It utilizes a single point of view (Nika’s), it’s mainly told in the present tense, and my reason for writing the novel stems from society’s ill-conceived perspective and understanding of the highlighted issue (menopause). Menopause has been misunderstood, even vilified, by some for years. Even those who have experienced it don’t fully comprehend it. Writing the book helped me better understand “the change,” but more importantly, it helped me find my voice, something I’ve been using quite a lot lately.

THE

MARRIAGE DEBT

PAINTS A PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY IN CHAOS, AS THE MAIN CHARACTER, NIKA STEWART, USHERS HER FAMILY THROUGH THE THICK OF IT. SHE’S THE LYNCHPIN OF EVERYTHING, THE WEIGHT OF RESPONSIBILITY FALLING TO HER. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO FEATURE A CHARACTER LIKE NIKA?

CC: Nika represents all the parents, mothers especially, who aim to fulfill

the needs of many people in their lives, which, in Nika’s case, includes her two children, husband, father, stepsister, and students, just to name a few. Nika barely has time for herself, much less a moment for reflection on the physical and emotional changes her body exhibits as she wades through perimenopause. My job as an author is to both entertain and educate, and I hope that Nika and the lessons she learns help those who might be experiencing something similar. I also wanted to highlight several ideas: one person in a family cannot shoulder every day-to-day burden, effective communication is paramount to healthy relationships, and sometimes, a person must ask for what they need.

NIKA IS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARIAN WHO SERVES AS AN ALLY FOR LGBTQIA COMMUNITY. FIRSTLY, WHY THAT PROFESSION, AND SECONDLY, HOW DID HER ALLY ROLE COME ABOUT?

CC: Some of the kindest, smartest, and most generous people I know are librarians, and in fact, the book is dedicated to two librarian friends of mine. When my children were young, I volunteered in their elementary

school library, so Nika seems like a natural extension of the glorious hours I spent in that setting. (To date, the library is one of my top five favorite places to spend time). Her character emerged easily, though not fully formed, with some of her characteristics— intelligence, uncertainty, quirkiness, and nurturing nature—appearing rather early. But as the storyline took shape, and she spent more time in the library with her students, it became very clear that Nika had another role besides educator: she would serve as a voice for people who, for whatever reasons, might not be able to speak for themselves. This idea stemmed, in part, from an event that happened at one of our local middle schools, which involved some parental backlash against a visiting gay author. Many of us took a stand, advocating for the visit and the author, and though the news quickly dissipated, the occurrence wormed its way into my head and then bloomed into what happens in the book (no spoilers here!).

Nika’s role as ally is merely a subplot of the book, but as it turns out, it’s a thread I’m most proud of. Nika and I both believe that people are people, that all people deserve the same rights, and that humans should celebrate our differences, not stigmatize them.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

THE NOVEL EXPLORES SEXUALITY THROUGH PERIMENOPAUSE AND BEYOND, AND NIKA CHOOSES TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP IN THE FORM OF A SEX THERAPIST. SEX AND SEX THERAPY AND THE SHAME AND/OR EMBARRASSMENT THAT MIGHT GO ALONG WITH THEM ARE DISCUSSED WITH HUMOR AND GRACE. CAN YOU COMMENT?

CC: The whole idea for this book first came to me after multiple conversations with friends, colleagues, and, yes, random strangers about the almost laughable decline in libido we experienced as we approached menopause. Most people echoed the same refrain: If I’m getting into a bed, it’s because I want to sleep. The more I thought about the reason(s) behind that refrain, the more a storyline started to emerge. How could someone with too many responsibilities find time for sex? If someone’s mind is always on something else, why would she even think about sex? And how would a partner react to someone who didn’t want to have sex?

From there, the idea of a sex therapist

seemed the most natural choice, and I did some research on what was out there and who might be the best fit for Nika. She is a closed book at times, open at others, and seeking help is hard for her—she doesn’t do so until she feels it’s almost a last resort—but once I got her into the therapist’s office, Nika revealed herself to me: she carries years of shame about her body, sex, and a toxic first marriage on her shoulders. That baggage often overwhelms her and manifests in multiple ways, only one of which is a lack of interest in sex.

Regardless of the weight we carry, everyone deserves empathy, and the only way we truly can be kind to ourselves and love ourselves— something Nika must learn to do—is by learning the skill from others.

The therapist helps Nika with that journey—using humor and grace, two of my favorite characteristics—and seeing her is the right path for Nika.

THE BOOK ALSO DISPELS SOME MYTHS OF WHAT SEX THERAPISTS DO. WAS THIS YOUR INTENT?

CC: I always aim to entertain and educate with my stories, and once I started researching sex therapy, I understood how many myths existed. Those myths usually state some

variation of the following: sex therapy is only for people with major sexual issues; sex therapy is only for those who are not compatible with their partner; sex therapy is always awkward and uncomfortable; and so on. I’m not a big believer in absolutes, and to modify anything with “only” makes me wary.

While I didn’t intend to dispel any myths surrounding the profession, I learned a lot about sex therapy with my research, and it’s important to authentically portray something I’m highlighting. The therapist in the story challenges Nika (again, no spoilers!), which is something she truly needs to move forward in her relationship with her husband and with her personal growth.

YOU PROVIDE READERS WITH A SNAPSHOT OF A PARTNERSHIP—NIKA AND ETHAN WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE MAJOR ISSUES AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER— BUT ETHAN DOESN’T ACKNOWLEDGE HOW ADJUSTING HIS APPROACH TO THEIR LIFE, INCLUDING THEIR SEX LIFE, MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL TO HER. WHY NOT?

CC: Nika is usually steadfast in her belief that she “got it right” with her second marriage to Ethan. I use the term “usually” because she does waver in the beginning of the book when she lets her mind spiral. Now, a spoiler alert: She did get it right. Ethan is a supportive partner and loving and involved stepparent who is devoted to Nika, despite the emotional baggage she carries. In fact, he doesn’t look at that baggage as baggage—it’s just a facet of who Nika is, a facet of the woman he loves.

Part of their secret is open and direct communication, but as the reader (and the characters) find out, Ethan and Nika don’t communicate as well as they think they do. Ethan trusts that Nika will speak to him honestly, but Nika doesn’t always do so. After self-reflection and therapy, she chooses not to condemn Ethan for not reading her mind, and by the end of the book, she’s learned how to adjust her approach.

Ethan does make changes, but his adjustments aren’t as obvious to the reader, mainly because the book is told from Nika’s point of view. But Nika is aware of the strides he’s taken, and she’s immensely grateful.

NIKA TRULY IS A PART OF THE SANDWICH GENERATION—SHE HAS TWO KIDS AT HOME AND HER FATHER—THE THIRD, MOODY CHILD?—LIVES WITH THEM. WHY DID YOU INCLUDE MULTIPLE GENERATIONS IN THE STORY?

ABOUT THE BOOKS

CC: When I began the book, the only characters I planned on writing were Ethan, Nika, and the two children. But early on, well before the first chapter was even finished, I heard a story on morning radio as I drove into work. The announcer asked callers to share their “most memorable Thanksgivings,” and one listener’s story stuck with me. As a college student, she went home to meet her boyfriend’s family, and who showed up to Thanksgiving? Her boyfriend’s grandfather, who happened to be a weed junkie.

At first, the idea of including the grandfather was meant to serve as some levity to the story, but soon I realized he could infuse a layer of conflict for the Stewart family. In addition, his presence allows for an exploration of marijuana use and its consequences and how different generations perceive the use of it. I didn’t go too far into the grandfather’s story or reasoning for the weed use, but he teaches Nika lessons

and develops her character, something I think can be said when different generations cohabitate, even without the complication of drug use.

I’M CURIOUS ABOUT THE USE OF THE INTERSTITIALS, WHICH UTILIZE THE SCRIPT FORMAT. HOW DID THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK COME ABOUT?

CC: Revision is where it’s at for me. When I write, my first drafts are usually pretty easy to get on the page. The drafts that come after— they often vary dramatically. In this case, once I began digging into Nika’s character, things started to change. Sure, she had a tanked libido, partly due to a decline in hormones, but that didn’t explain everything. And her complicated backstory started to reveal itself. Eventually, I thought, I have to give some of this to the reader in order for them to get a better sense of why Nika says and does things and chooses to do things. At the same time, I gave this librarian a project—she directs the elementary school play—and realized, in part thanks to an incredible beta reader, that the script format could tie her project and backstory together.

YOU’VE CHOSEN TO PUBLISH WITH MOTINA BOOKS

PUBLISHING. WHY CHOOSE THIS SMALL PUBLISHER?

CC: Small publishers have been my publishing vehicle of choice, and I’ve been very pleased with my decision. I met Diane Windsor of Motina Books online, and from the very beginning, something about her approach drew me to her. She’s open, honest, practical, and incredibly supportive. Even when I wasn’t publishing with her, she supported me.

A book like this, one that covers an important topic for women and women’s health, needs to be published by a woman, so Diane was my first choice. She’s a very small publisher, so

I queried her very early on and was thrilled when she extended a contract!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

LG: That remains to be seen right now! I almost always have a story or two bubbling, but I’ve had a very busy four years. Between my contemporary fiction and romance (writing as Keely Stephens), I’ve birthed six books. Honestly, I need to take a break from formal writing, both physically and mentally. Not writing isn’t an option, though, so readers will still be able to find me on my blog (www. christinaconsolino.com).

Sex is never just about sex. From the outside, Nika Stewart’s life looks perfect: two loving kids, a fulfilling job as an elementary-school librarian, and a wonderful second marriage to Ethan, her sexy husband. The only problem? She doesn’t want to have sex with him. Maybe it’s the harrowing hot flashes and formidable fatigue, or maybe it’s trying to juggle a weed-junkie dad, an onerous stepsister, and the avalanche of responsibilities that have left sex just another chore to cross off the to-do list. When an honest conversation with her best friend leaves Nika worried her aversion to sex might drive Ethan away, she begrudgingly agrees to see a sex therapist. But as the sessions go on, Nika discovers that talking about sex with a therapist isn’t the same as facing the problem with her husband and that sex with Ethan might not be the only problem after all.

INTERVIEW

Interview with J. Střelou

On debut novel Sea of Evil and Desire

BY CHRISTINA CONSOLINO

Poet, speaker, and romance author J. Střelou’s debut novel, The Sea of Evil and Desire, launched last month. Readers might recognize her work from Instagram, where “millions of people around the world have shared her signature black-and-white quotes.” Others might also recognize Střelou from the Inspirational Women Awards and her advocacy role for victims of domestic violence. In October 2024, she was named winner for Social Impact Innovator by Spirit of the Wakatipu Awards, which acknowledge “altruists, philanthropists, volunteers and community heroes who make a positive difference to life in Queenstown.” We chatted about Střelou’s debut novel, what inspires her writing, and what’s coming next.

CONGRATULATIONS

ON YOUR DEBUT NOVEL, THE SEA OF EVIL AND DESIRE, BOOK ONE IN THE DEEP SAGA SERIES. THE STORY FEATURES AN “ANCIENT FEUD,” “A FORBIDDEN LOVE AND A TRAGIC CURSE,” ALL THE MAKINGS OF AN EXCELLENT READ! WHAT DREW YOU TO NOVEL WRITING, IN PARTICULAR, ONE THAT INCLUDES THESE CLASSIC ELEMENTS?

JS: Before I was old enough to read on my own, my mother would read books like The Hobbit and The Dark Is Rising aloud to me. Growing up on a primitive commune without electricity, my sister and I relied entirely on our imaginations. We played Hobbits in the forest, created magical board games, and spent countless hours writing and reading. It was during that time that we dreamed up the idea of a girl with a Selkie coat. I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean. As a Pisces (need I say more?), it felt like a part of me. My favorite shirt as a child was a Greenpeace tee that read “Save Our Coral Reefs,” featuring an image of the ocean. Sea of Evil and Desire [comes from] an idea that’s lived inside me for many years, though life delayed its arrival until now. I wanted to create a fantasy series that mattered, one that shed light on the importance of protecting our oceans. And what better way than through the Mer characters we fall in love with, who find themselves haunted by “the Shadow,” their name for pollution.

DID YOU SET OUT TO WRITE A SERIES, OR DID IT ARISE ORGANICALLY? HOW MANY BOOKS ARE PLANNED? DOES WRITING A SERIES CHALLENGE YOU IN A WAY THAT WRITING

STANDALONES MIGHT NOT?

JS: The Deep Saga is a planned tetralogy. Initially, it was meant to be a trilogy, but after my developmental editors encouraged me to limit the first book to 100,000 words, I decided to split the debut book into two.

I haven’t written any stand-alone novels yet, only poetry, but I can say that the first book was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Thankfully, the process has become much smoother with the later books, now that I’ve learned so much.

The tetralogy will include: Sea of Evil and Desire, Sea of Pleasure and Pain, Sea of Seduction and Sin, Sea of Sacrifice and Redemption.

THE NOVEL IS CONSIDERED A DARK ROMANCE FANTASY. WHAT ABOUT THE GENRE APPEALS TO YOU AS A WRITER? IN YOUR HANDS, HOW DARK IS DARK, AND IS ANYTHING OFF-LIMITS TO YOU IN TERMS OF ITS DARKNESS?

JS: I didn’t initially set out to write a dark fantasy. But this story unfolds in

the depths of the Atlantic. It’s a dark place down there.

Throughout mythology, mermaids have been portrayed as wild, dangerous creatures, and many of the Drowned are pirates from Port Royal, a city infamous for its wickedness. Given the setting and lore, the darker tone felt inevitable.

That said, book two, while still addressing some heavier themes, won’t be as dark. Set primarily in the Mediterranean, it lets me lean into the ocean’s beauty and explore the opulent lives of the Mer who dwell there.

Nothing is off-limits in terms of darkness if it is the right fit for the situation and the character’s traits, but I won’t go out of my way to make a scene darker than it needs to be.

READERS APPLAUD THE

UNDERWATER WORLD YOU’VE CRAFTED FOR THE NOVEL. WHAT SORT OF RESEARCH DID YOU PERFORM IN YOUR QUEST TO BRING THE WORLD TO LIFE? DID YOU UNEARTH

ANYTHING SURPRISING?

JS: I did a lot of research to create the Kingdom of the Deep, and I am doing more now for book two. I researched water mythology, as well as Scottish, Irish, and Greek mythology, and the mysteries of Atlantis. I watched every National Geographic documentary led by James Cameron. But the most helpful show was the “Drain the Oceans” National Geographic series, which uses groundbreaking technology and the latest scientific data from underwater systems to visualise the oceans’ secrets. I’m watching it again now for book two.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

YOU DEDICATE THE BOOK TO YOUR MOM AND SISTER, AND MENTION YOU WERE INSPIRED BY THE STORIES YOUR MOTHER WROTE. WHAT OTHER INFLUENCES IMPACTED THIS STORY/SERIES AND ITS CHARACTERS?

JS: I’ve always had a vision of what the last mermaid might look like and what she might have gone through. I channeled this vision into painting, poetry, and now the Deep Saga. My Scottish heritage inspired the creation of the Selkie coat. I was

conceived on the Isle of Skye and born in Glasgow.

LET’S CHAT TROPES! ROMANCE ISN’T ROMANCE WITHOUT THEM. THE NOVEL TAKES ON SEVERAL THEMES—A SMALL TOWN AND AGE GAP, TO NAME A FEW. HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHICH TROPES TO USE? DO YOU HAVE ANY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ROMANCE TROPES? IF SO, WHY?

JS: I don’t really plan my tropes. I just write the story I want to tell and figure out the tropes afterward. That said, I did intentionally include the “Who did this to you?” scars on the MMC, because I can’t resist a tortured bad boy.

That’s my favorite trope: the darkhaired, mysterious, morally grey bad boy. Give me Snape or Darth Vader any day.

I love slow-burn romances, tumultuous will-they-won’t-they dynamics, and aching, bittersweet love stories. I’m drawn to devastating romances like Romeo and Juliet, and of course, enemies-to-lovers, especially when it’s

unexpected. I also have a soft spot for found family stories. This might give you a little sneak peek into what’s in store for some of my characters.

YOU’RE ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED POET, SHARING MUCH OF IT OVER ON INSTAGRAM. WHY POETRY? WHAT CREATIVE SLOT DOES IT FILL THAT NOVEL WRITING MIGHT NOT? WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION FOR YOUR POEMS?

JS: My mum was a poet, and she used to take us to slam poetry nights when we were kids, so I suppose it’s in my blood. Poetry is a way to connect emotionally with audiences online, raise awareness about issues, and make people’s hearts feel heard. People have told me that they’ve used my poetry as a tool for healing, which inspires me.

THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO THIS NEXT QUESTION: MUCH OF YOUR WORK INVOLVES HEARTBREAK AND HEALING. WHY FOCUS ON THOSE THEMES, AND HOW DO YOU FIND A PROPER BALANCE,

AS BOTH COULD WEIGH A READER DOWN?

JS: The central theme of the Deep Saga is: “Love is the reason for everything, but it can also be our ruin.” Every character in the story, whether good or evil, is ultimately driven by love. I don’t aim for balance; I just write from the heart, and the heart of the characters. If readers connect with the story, it means the world to me. If they don’t, that’s okay too. Reading is such a subjective experience that even if you tried to please everyone, you couldn’t. In the end, it’s far better to stay true to your vision and your character.

WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK WITHOUT MENTIONING THE INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN AWARDS, “AN EVENT THAT ELEVATES AND CELEBRATES WOMEN WHILE RAISING FUNDS AND AWARENESS ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.” HOW DID ORGANIZING THIS EVENT COME ABOUT? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM IT? WHAT DO YOU HOPE IT ACHIEVES MOVING

FORWARD?

LG: I have always been an advocate for anti-domestic violence. One in three women globally has experienced domestic violence. Shining a light on this issue and giving survivors a voice is important to me, and it’s something that I’ve used my poetry, the Inspirational Women Awards, and now the Deep Saga to do. As a survivor myself, this is a cause that’s close to my heart.

BESIDES THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE SERIES, WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

LG: I have fully immersed myself in

the Kingdom of the Deep. I don’t have time to do anything else at the moment except for writing, researching, and hanging out with the MMC in my life: my dog, Diego. However, once I finish the Deep Saga, I have an idea for a stand-alone romance novel I want to pursue.

A LOVE BOUND BY FATE. A KINGDOM ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION. Beneath the waves, an ancient feud between the Mer and Drowned has simmered for centuries, sparked by a forbidden love and a tragic curse . . . Morgana Scott isn’t like anyone else—she senses people’s feelings. The unexpected death of her grandmother sends her to Ruadán’s Port, a windswept seaside town on Scotland’s Isle of Islay. Steeped in superstition and shadowed by eerie tales of Mer, Selkies, gods, and ghosts, the town holds a history as restless as the sea itself. Here, she meets Finn—magnetic, dark, and utterly unreadable. His mystery pulls her in, but the very thing that intrigues her might be why she should keep her distance. As the festival of Samhain approaches, the ocean whispers tales of the dead, and an ancient prophecy stirs—one that could unravel everything Morgana thought she knew about herself and the world beneath the waves.

INTERVIEW

Interview with Matthew Gasda

Author of The Sleepers

BY MICHELE MATHEWS

Matthew Gasda is an author and playwright, and his newest work is called The Sleepers. In this interview, he gives insight about his novel and what his readers can expect from him soon.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE SLEEPERS AND WHAT INSPIRED THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK?

MG: One night in 2017, I was reading Anna Karenina and leapt out of bed with my own vision of a woman trapped in a relationship, of course, one deeply contemporary. I can’t really say for sure beyond that. Sometimes you start with a name, a circumstance, and you have to figure out what it means or how you can invest it with meaning.

HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THE CENTRAL THEMES IN THE SLEEPERS? WERE THEY DRAWN FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR MORE FROM A LARGER SOCIAL COMMENTARY?

MG: Certain aspects of The Sleepers, like the relationship to the Internet and technology, political, and moral hypocrisy, are so indigenous to the 2010s that I have trouble saying what’s personal and what’s larger social. Certainly, the book is completely made up, and there’s nothing autobiography in it, directly; but my own sense of the texture of life in NYC comes from living here, living there at the same time as my characters.

THE SLEEPERS HAS GARNERED A LOT OF ATTENTION FOR ITS UNIQUE BLEND OF GENRES. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE THE BOOK TO SOMEONE WHO MIGHT NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH IT, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS IT APART FROM OTHER WORKS IN ITS GENRE?

MG: I would push back on this in the sense that I think it’s very clearly a traditional late modernist novel, but the dialogue maybe goes on for longer than people are used to. There’s a sense of persistent dialogue-driven drama, so I would say it’s got the energy of the play even though formally it is composed just like any other mainstream novel—with prose description interrupted by dialogue. What I’m most proud of and what I do think sets it apart is the brutal almost clinical honesty in the way that my characters speak and the narrative contextualizes them. Again, maybe this reminds people of stage drama.

THE SETTING IN THE SLEEPERS FEELS SO IMMERSIVE. WHAT WAS

YOUR APPROACH TO WORLDBUILDING, AND HOW DO YOU ENSURE THE SETTING BECOMES AS MUCH A CHARACTER AS THE PEOPLE IN THE STORY?

MG: I think I can slip inside of characters’ skins and live moment to moment as them; it’s a very cognitive approach, like forgetting the outside world, the real world, simulating someone else’s and then proceeding as logically as possible, step by step, as them. As for the setting itself, I feel like I drew on things I was very familiar with: Brooklyn apartments, Manhattan coffee shops, the subway, the Greenpoint waterfront, the experience of sitting in front of a laptop.

THE CHARACTERS IN THE SLEEPERS ARE MULTIDIMENSIONAL. CAN YOU SHARE HOW YOU APPROACHED DEVELOPING THEIR PERSONALITIES AND MOTIVATIONS?

MG: I think I mostly described this above in #4, but I think it begins with understanding the foundational details (career, age, basic emotional needs, childhood, class) and seeing how those simple operators suggest more complex emergent possibilities. Like, we’re all a collection of resume details, but we all

have souls. So, I try to think about how who these characters are on paper— on their paper lives, their resumes— conflicts with deeper, more animalistic aspects of human nature. Basically, how does the universal form a tension with the particular and quotidian?

WHAT

WAS THE WRITING PROCESS LIKE FOR YOU WITH THE SLEEPERS? DID YOU HAVE A STRUCTURED OUTLINE, OR DID THE STORY EVOLVE ORGANICALLY AS YOU WENT ALONG?

MG: I’ve never outlined anything! Very much organic. Usually, I have a chapter to accomplish, a zone of combat between characters, and then I think what the consequence is of that interaction, then shift my energy there. So, it evolves into big blocks of dialogue and conflict—sort of like fighting different battles in a larger war.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE IN WRITING THE SLEEPERS, AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

MG: The amount of time that passed between first draft (2018 completion) and final edit of the book for publication (2024). It started as a commentary on the present (2018) but became a meditation on the past, which

meant that I had to find a degree of distance and irony in the rewriting process that wasn’t fully there in the beginning. In a sense it became a different book while not changing all that much.

THE PACING IN THE SLEEPERS SEEMS CAREFULLY CRAFTED, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUSPENSEFUL MOMENTS. HOW DO YOU STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN TENSION AND RELEASE?

ABOUT THE BOOKS

MG: There’s not really a formula; I think it’s about getting to the point where the characters have hit an internal wall, run into their own truth or animus or anima, and can’t go further. It’s like once you’ve discovered something new and scary, it’s time to stop and move to the next moment. If you surprise yourself as a writer, then you’re likely to surprise your reader, and you shouldn’t get greedy and keep pushing for revelations.

THE SLEEPERS EXPLORES SOME COMPLEX EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DYNAMICS. HOW DO YOU APPROACH WRITING ABOUT THESE DEEPER, SOMETIMES

DARKER ASPECTS OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE?

MG: You just do it! I don’t know how surgeons perform surgery, but I guess I feel like that as a writer. When I pick up the scalpel, I’m calm; I don’t get squeamish about cutting in.

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR MOMENT IN WRITING THE SLEEPERS WHERE YOU REALIZED THE STORY HAD TAKEN ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN, OR WHERE SOMETHING UNEXPECTED IN THE PLOT SURPRISED YOU?

MG: I don’t want to give anything away, but I feel that way about the last chapter and the last few pages. There’s something new and fresh in the perspective right at the end—almost like a totally new novel is beginning.

HOW HAS YOUR WRITING STYLE EVOLVED SINCE THE SLEEPERS, AND ARE THERE ANY NEW TECHNIQUES OR APPROACHES YOU’RE EXCITED TO TRY IN YOUR FUTURE WORK?

MG: My next novel, as with Arcade for 2026 spring release, called Stranger Beauty, is much stranger— set in the future, with a completely different narrative technique; it’s more emotional and formally inventive and at times lyrical.

IF YOU COULD SEE THE SLEEPERS ADAPTED INTO A MOVIE OR TV SERIES, WHO WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL CAST FOR THE MAIN ROLES?

MG: It should be a movie, but I’m really not sure! I’m pretty bad at this. What do you think?

WHAT DO YOU HOPE READERS TAKE AWAY FROM THE SLEEPERS? ARE THERE PARTICULAR EMOTIONS OR QUESTIONS YOU WANTED TO PROVOKE?

MG: We are more historically and socially conditioned than we realize, but we are more creative than we realize. Don’t be Dan! Don’t be Mariko! Write

your own life more actively than they do! Escape your author.

FINALLY,

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY NEW PROJECTS OR IDEAS THAT YOU’RE EXCITED TO SHARE.

MG: A new play called Over the Moon, potentially a Dimes Square film adaptation, and I’m working on an untitled long family saga novel.

A Contemporary Tragedy in a Classic Style

Four New Yorkers’ paths collide in the days ahead of the 2016 election. Dan teaches Marxism while secretly courting a student. His girlfriend Mariko, an actress, finds refuge in her dying mentor’s bed. When her sister, Akari, arrives from LA—in flight from her own dead-end romance—she becomes the unwitting witness to their mutual destruction . . .

In crystalline prose, Gasda maps the territory between who we pretend to be and who we are—and how far we are willing to go when we think the internet isn’t looking. The Sleepers, a ruthless portrait of educated Millennials who know better but act worse, throws a jagged, electric light on how desire upends our carefully curated social personas.

Interview with Mark Phillips

Author of My Father’s Cabin

BY MICHELE MATHEWS

My Father’s Cabin was first published in 2001 but was republished in May 2025. Mark Phillips shares the story of the relationship he and his father had during the 1960s in the Rust Belt.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE MY FATHER’S CABIN?

MP: When I was publishing memoirs in magazines, mostly about family members, a writer friend asked me whether I knew I was writing a book. I thought the writing of a book-length memoir would be like performing a prolonged striptease—and why would anyone care to see me strip? Yet eventually, his question led me to attempt the book. I began to hope I could write Cabin while keeping on some of my clothing and that the book could be about much more than my life.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE CENTRAL THEMES OF THE BOOK?

MP: My father had a hobbling concept of masculinity—what he thought a boy and man should be—and I barricaded myself within adolescent solipsism. We sometimes treated each other cruelly without realizing it. In part, Cabin is about how little I understood and appreciated him and about the limited autonomy he granted me despite his love for me.

The relationship between parent and child evolved and became much better,

but almost too late, when he was dying. It’s an unfortunate truth that many of us resent or take for granted some of our family until we are losing them. My father was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer when he was only 40. He agreed to surgical castration in order to prolong his life a few more years. Not because he was afraid to die, but because he was supporting our family financially and needed to work longer before he could collect a small pension. He went on working in tremendous pain. He worked in a coal-fired power plant. Cabin is a story about misunderstanding and hurt, but also sacrifice and reconciliation.

I suspect his cancer was work-related. Industry does violence to workers. I’ve known too many people with work-related diseases and injuries, including asbestosis and loss of fingers and limbs, in addition to the usual back and joint damage. Meanwhile, the smooth-handed, wealthy people in Congress keep talking about raising the retirement age at which workers can collect Social Security benefits. It takes strength to survive industrial employment. And it takes a lot of love to hold a workingclass family together.

HOW DID YOU APPROACH WRITING ABOUT FAMILY DYNAMICS IN THE STORY?

MP: At first, hesitantly and with some dread. Eventually, eagerly—because I

was beginning to understand more about who I was, who my loved ones were, who my friends were. And I realized that even though my family had its particular experiences and relationships, the dynamics were somewhat similar to those in many other families, regardless of social or economic class.

WHAT ROLE DOES THE SETTING OF THE CABIN PLAY IN THE NARRATIVE, AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT PARTICULAR BACKDROP?

MP: For better or worse, possessing land was long part of the American dream. To a degree, it still is. By the time of my childhood, most workers lived in or near cities. Some desired get-away acreage in the countryside: a small vacation cottage or, in my father’s case, a hunting cabin. My mother was not enchanted by the cabin. To her, the cabin meant she would need to go on cooking and cleaning while my father was building his cabin or was hunting and fishing.

But the cabin is where he and I became close. Away from the dirty, dim, deafening and sweltering power plant. Several years after his death, I married. Margaret and I moved into the cabin and lived off-grid and without indoor plumbing. Eventually, it was modernized and expanded into a house. We raised our children there. Margaret died two years ago, but I still live

in what was my father’s cabin, haunted by good and bad ghosts. In a way, I’ve formed friendships with the bad. I can’t easily imagine living anywhere else. Most of this is in the book, toward the end.

DID

YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC

AUDIENCE

IN MIND WHEN WRITING

THIS STORY,

OR WAS IT MORE ABOUT TELLING A PERSONAL

NARRATIVE?

MP: I didn’t have a specific audience in mind. Memoirs are, of course, personal narratives, or usually are, but I hoped the story I was telling would resonate with other people who have a working-class background, although not solely them. Family struggles, selfishness, alienation, sacrifice, love, reconciliation—more than a single class of people experience these.

WHAT ROLE DOES NOSTALGIA PLAY IN THE STORY, AND HOW DID YOU CAPTURE THAT FEELING IN THE WRITING?

MP: Not much. I know people who wish they could be 16 or whatever again, but I’m not such a person. I didn’t have a terrible childhood, but I was even more ignorant than I am now. I do miss the people I wrote about, and I did find that when I gave myself to the story they felt alive again to me. When I was done with the writing, I mourned because they were again going away. Nostalgia can be a sentimental balm, a beckoning of friendly

ghosts, and an abolishment of time—and there is nothing wrong with any of that. But for some people, it becomes selfdelusion, a sentimental fantasy about the past and present. I kept nostalgia at a distance.

IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK MY FATHER’S CABIN REFLECTS BROADER SOCIETAL THEMES OR ISSUES?

ABOUT THE BOOKS

MP: I answered this in part when I got carried away in response to your question about my central themes. Cabin might also help someone to understand part of why so many working-class citizens feel betrayed by the Democratic Party and voted for a presidential candidate who was born into wealth and shares few of their personal values. And why some in the workingclass revel in the current destruction of what they consider to be—in certain cases, correctly—institutions and agencies designed to benefit elites. These voters are angry. Some take the attitude, “What more do we have to lose?”

The working-class lifestyle described in my book is rapidly vanishing. In fact, it was disappearing in my father’s time; the term “rust belt” was already in common use. Blue collar work is difficult and dangerous, but most of the workers take quiet pride in what they do. The mill or plant or factory can seem like an overbearing and occasionally abusive member of the family,

but family all the same. The separation isn’t going well. Pensions? Gone. Dream home? Gone. Working in a plant where a grandparent did and a grown child could be employed? Gone. Job security? Gone. To imagine working-class anger, one first needs to seriously acknowledge—to feel— what has been lost.

Maybe lost is the wrong word. A guy in a working-class bar took issue with my use of it: “Lost it, my ass. It got ripped off.”

HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THE VOICE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE NARRATOR IN MY FATHER’S CABIN?

MP: The development was tricky at first. I was writing as an adult who was looking back on much of his childhood. My younger self had a different voice. The voices were in conflict, but made peace by engaging in a sort of shadow conversation with each other.

WHAT ROLE DOES MEMORY PLAY IN THE STORY, AND HOW DO YOU EXPLORE THE COMPLEXITY OF REMEMBERING VERSUS FORGETTING?

MP: Yes, it’s complex. I wanted to write truthfully, but had to rely on my imperfect memory. One of my siblings was close to my age, but she died before I began writing Cabin. My other sibling was 10 when our father died, and I was beginning

college. Our childhoods did not overlap all that much. I checked my memories with my mother as I wrote, and that helped.

After Lyons Press published Cabin in 2001 (it has been reissued by Arcade Publishing, an imprint of SkyHorse Publishing), I gave my mother a copy. When she finished reading, she threw the book against a wall and wept. I said, “Well, that’s quite a criticism.” That wasn’t it, though. The story brought back profoundly good and bad memories, very emotionally for her. I asked whether I had been accurate. She said yes, although I suppose she might have said it out of parental kindness. My uncle Fred called me up after the book was published and told me he had liked it. Then he gave me a backhanded compliment. “I didn’t think you had it in you.” Now there’s a working-class uncle for you.

A short aside. My wife wouldn’t read Cabin in manuscript form after I told her she was in it. When I asked why, she flipped the question. “Why do I need to be in your book?” I answered, “Well, Margaret—sex sells.” Actually, there is no sex in the book. Later, I said, “You’re in it because you saved my life.”

WERE THERE ANY SURPRISING TWISTS OR MOMENTS DURING THE WRITING PROCESS THAT YOU DIDN’T ANTICIPATE WHEN

YOU FIRST STARTED THE BOOK?

MP: I knew I would be writing about incidents that would probably be painful to recall, but was surprised to find that I felt distant as I wrote, as if writing about people other than my family. When I finished, I was filled with emotion, but not until then.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH FICTIONAL ELEMENTS IN YOUR WRITING?

MP: I partially answered this question when I got off-track in reply to the one about memory and forgetting. I should have added that all memoirs have omissions because of forgetting, but also because narratives are not minute-byminute or even month-by-month accounts of lives. Actual life is plotless. We construct plots in retrospect. If I may paraphrase Joan Didion, we tell ourselves stories in order to make sense of our lives. Although most people wish to be truthful, I suspect that the stories we sincerely believe to be true about ourselves are fiction as often as they are not. Still, I wanted and tried to be truthful: honest with myself and the reader.

There are overtly fictional elements in Cabin, nonetheless. Between each main chapter, short italicized interludes tell a story about the land on which the cabin was built. I researched the history of the land, but I imagined incidents to give

flesh to the history. The italicized sections are obviously fictional. I included them because the land itself is a character in the book. The final italicized section is about my father and is based on an object I found in my pond after his death. I won’t say more about the object because I don’t want to give away the ending. That section is italicized because it’s a product of speculation and imagination. I like to think of it as a creation of the land.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF WRITING MY FATHER’S CABIN?

MP: There were two. One was to keep in mind Virginia Woolf’s struggle to kill “the angel in the house.” That’s not easy when writing about loved ones. Joyce Carol Oates, who grew up in a workingclass family, gave an endorsement to Cabin; she called it a “relentlessly honest, unsentimental and unsparing account of working-class life.” I like to think her endorsement means that I banished my angel while writing.

The other challenge was in deciding what to leave out of the story. For example, my hometown—which, by the way, is now mostly an upscale community, no longer a working-class bedroom community—was the hometown of Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber. That’s interesting, but I never met him and he didn’t belong in the story I was telling.

Another example, I donated a kidney to my sister Kim. She developed an infection after the transplant and died without ever leaving the hospital with her new kidney. That story is an important part of my life, but is given only a single sentence in my book. It just wasn’t part of the narrative thread I was unraveling.

HOW DO YOU THINK MY

FATHER’S CABIN WILL RESONATE WITH READERS WHO MAY NOT HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR FAMILY DYNAMICS?

MP: That depends on how open and curious the reader is and how well the writing succeeds. Writing can grant wide resonance to a story regardless of its specific characters. I’ve read many good memoirs and novels about people or characters whose lives have been very different from mine, and yet those books have welcomed me. It usually doesn’t hurt to meet new people.

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS

YOU’RE WORKING ON, AND CAN YOU SHARE ANY DETAILS ABOUT THEM?

MP: I’m finishing work on a novel about the civilian life of an American who participated in the Mai Lai massacre. Given the current market for mid-list literary fiction, I doubt it will ever be published.

Another book might be emerging from my most recent essays. One of my essays will be published in the summer issue of The American Scholar. It’s about the duality of nature, a subject I think about whenever I become lost in a forest, which happens far too often and suggests that I’m a ninny. Another will be published in the autumn Notre Dame Magazine; it’s about the blessings and hazards of nostalgia. Aspects of these essays should help me to write about trees, as odd as that might seem. I’m kicking around the idea of beginning a short book with the working title A Life in Trees. When I was young, New York Times Magazine published a short essay of mine about my planting of seven thousand or so trees on my land.

Since then, a lot has happened in my life and in the life of those trees and the larger natural world. This spring, my son planted more trees here. Trees have always been central when I try to make some sense of life. They teach me how brief human life is and remind me of the fragility and dearness of all life, and yet they give me a form of hope that feels realistic. The meaning of life is life. That’s the sketchy, cliched, nascent idea. What’s the plot? No idea. Where the story might actually lead and how, I can’t guess yet. Writing is discovery—where the wandering ends. As I said, I get lost a lot.

In the Rust Belt of the 1960s, a blue-collar father works double shifts, chasing elusive dreams: a good night’s sleep, eternal life, a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains where he can hunt and fish. His son is a child of the times, chasing his own dreams: girls, long hair, politics, and independence. And both chase the same dream: each other’s elusive love. This is a familiar story uniquely told, in a voice that perfectly captures America at its most turbulent, an era that continues to define the largest generation in American history. My Father’s Cabin chronicles life in America as the Greatest Generation gives way to the Me Decade, as responsibility gives way to selffulfillment-and then back again, as responsibility becomes self-fulfillment.

EXCERPTS

Take a bite from your next favorite book.

Born a Viking: Berserkr.

BY RICCARDI POLACCI

Library and Archives Canada | May 2024

We finally seemed to be arriving at our destination, The Great Temple of Uppsala. We were half a day away from getting there, and I already saw a change in Father’s behaviour. He seemed worried, almost nervous. I had never seen him showing any emotion at all. Unexpectedly, while we were preparing our bags after our last resting stop, Father called me. It was the first time that he directly spoke to me during the voyage. All that time, he had been like a mute, with little more than some mutters and murmurs pronounced.

“Sit,” he commanded. And, of course, I obeyed and sat right where I was standing, on the ground. A weak simper appeared on his face.

“There is a rock near you; you can sit there,” he said with almost a sweet voice. I started laughing, but immediately he changed back to his serious and almost menacing look. I had a knot in my throat.

Maybe this wasn’t a time for laughs. He sat near me with the same focused expression on his frowned face.

“Do you know where we’re headed?” He asked while breathing deeply.

“Yes,” I replied, “A Great Temple. We’re in Uppsala, right?”

“The Great Temple,” he corrected, “and yes, we’re in Uppsala. Do you know why we came here?”

I thought I knew the answer, but I didn’t want to risk it. The depth in his voice, the ice-cold eyes, his frown, the scar on the left part of his face… Sometimes, he could be very scary, and other times, gentle, but today, he was both at once. I didn’t dare to answer. I just shook my head. Without a moment of hesitation or any type of reaction, he explained.

“We’re here to meet people from different backgrounds, some might say. We’re here to meet Swedes, Danes and Norwegians, some might say...”

A huge disappointment and rage could be read on his face.

“We’re not here for those things, Sigurd. We don’t care about the living; we don’t care about the dying. We care about the gods. That’s all that matters, and that’s all that should matter.”

While pronouncing these last words, he gasped and turned his head to the side. For a moment, he looked enraged. I couldn’t quite understand why. I noticed that for him, this was a big deal, but apparently, for others, it wasn’t. While turning his head back to me, looking me straight into my eyes, I could feel

his look piercing me. He could look right through me. I felt like he could read my mind.

He then continued with his explanation, talking slowly and deeply, as if his life depended on every word that would come out of his mouth.

“We’re here to expose ourselves to the gods. We’ll build a bridge of blood to reach the gods that will act like the Bifrost. They’ll see right through us, they’ll evaluate us, and they’ll decide what our fates will be.”

He then paused for a moment. I sensed he wanted those words to sink in.

“Sigurd, we need to prepare ourselves to be in their presence. This is not Uppsala, nor is it Sweden or even Scandinavia. At least not these days. These days, this place is Asgard. And we’re the gods’ guests now.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Behave accordingly.”

I was so focused on absorbing, understanding and deciphering every syllable out of his mouth that I didn’t realise that I was gasping, holding onto the rock on which I was sitting with both hands as if it was a cliff. During this whole time, Father had his left hand closed into a strong fist and his right hand, the one missing a finger, was grabbing his Mjölnir pendant, the Hammer of Thor.

Probably, I showed some signs of worrying; after all, I thought we were just going to a bigger temple to take part in a bigger blót. The moment Father noticed my concern, he placed his left hand on my shoulder. I was shaking and sweating. “You’re over eight winters old now. You’re a man. You’re my son. Whatever happens,

Blood seals alliances, treachery births tyrants. The Born a Viking saga reaches a fever pitch in Born a Viking: Berserkr.

Betrayal’s scars and brutal lessons learned in Blót propel Sigurd and his family into a desperate fight against the tyrannical King Orm. Unhospitable mountains and foreign lands become their battleground as they forge uneasy alliances for survival.

Amidst whispers of an ancient prophecy that questions the fate of the legendary Twelve, including Sigurd’s own father, the stakes have never been higher. Are they doomed to fade into oblivion, or can they defy fate and rewrite their destiny?

Driven by this chilling uncertainty and the need to survive, Sigurd pushes himself to the brink. But will his determination be enough to overcome the forces arrayed against him?

whatever you see…” he paused, took a deep breath and then grabbed me gently by my neck with both hands while going down to his knees in front of me. Putting his forehead against mine, he whispered, “It’s the will of the gods. We’re nothing without them. Just remember that.”

The Lair.

BY LISINA CONEY

Independently Published | March 2025

The sun was shining the day I got kidnapped.

I remember every detail from that day—the three pancakes I had for breakfast, my little brother’s temper tantrum before leaving for school that morning, the A-plus I got on my math test, and Marie complaining about her ruined skirt on our way out of school.

“I’ll make my mom send her the dry-cleaning bill, I swear,” she seethed, staring at the white yogurt stain on the front of her pleated skirt.

Eloise had accidentally knocked it over during lunch—and profusely apologized—but Marie couldn’t let it go.

“Yogurt stains can’t be that hard to remove,” I offered lamely.

The truth was, I had never washed my own clothes, so I had no idea how stains were removed. I just didn’t want her to feel bad.

But Marie kept cursing Eloise while trying to remove the stain with her nails. Under the scorching summer sun, I tuned her out and kept walking down

the stairs that separated the main school building from the parking lot—and I smiled to myself, knowing nobody was waiting for me. After a couple screaming matches, I’d finally convinced my mother to let me ride the school bus with Marie. I was old enough, and all the cool kids in my grade were doing it. We’d agreed I’d carry a cell phone with me at all times in case something happened, and that I wouldn’t use it for anything else in case the battery ran out. I was only too eager to agree.

That’s why I was surprised to hear a feminine voice calling my name when Marie and I stepped out of the front gate of the school.

“Allison! Sweetie, wait.”

My steps came to a halt. With a frown, I stared at the blonde woman rushing out of a modern black car. Her smile was a mix of worried and awkward. I didn’t recognize her.

“Do I know you?” I asked her.

Her hair looked too shiny and yellow, almost fake. She wore office

clothes—nothing that would make her stand out from other businesswomen in the city or give me any clues about her identity.

“I’m Claudia, one of your mom’s friends,” she explained.

Does Mom know a Claudia? I wasn’t sure.

“So sorry to bother you, sweetie.” Claudia took a step closer. “Your mom sent me to pick you up and drive you to the hospital. Your brother was in an accident, and he’s in the ER. I’m so sorry, but we have to hurry up.”

My mouth turned dry. Johnny had been in an accident?

“Um, I need to take the bus,” Marie quipped

awkwardly, walking backward in the opposite direction.

“Bye.”

I couldn’t pay attention to her.

“How do you know that?” I asked Claudia, my voice laced with skepticism and fear while my mind raced with worried thoughts about my brother.

Johnny has been in an accident. Johnny is in the ER.

“She knows I work a couple blocks away, so she sent me to pick you up. She and your dad had to rush to the ER with Johnny. He hit his head and was bleeding a lot, from what she told me.”

Despite Johnny being only five years younger than me, we weren’t super close, but I still loved him. Of course I did. The ER always meant bad news, and I didn’t want him to die.

But my feet wouldn’t move. Something in my stomach turned with an emotion I couldn’t put a

ABOUT THE BOOK

name to. Terror, yes, but also something else.

Among the fog in my brain, I scrambled for any reminders of Claudia and found none. My mother had many friends, and my twelve years were long enough to meet them all. Or at least to have heard of them.

“I-I don’t know you,” I stammered, holding on to my backpack straps a little tighter. Her chuckle took me aback.

“Don’t be silly, Allison. I was at your house just last week. I helped your mom replace those black shelves in her dressing room.”

That made me pause. My mother had replaced some dark shelves for white ones in her massive dressing room after complaining that it altered the feng shui of the room. Whatever that meant. There was no way for Claudia to know that unless she’d been there.

“Come on, sweetie,” she

urged me, putting a cold hand on my arm to walk me to her car.

“Your parents are waiting. They want you to be there for Johnny.” I took a step forward, then another. The closer I got to the car, the more my stomach clamped, and the more nauseous I felt.

Something wasn’t right.

Allie Smith is a liar. For starters, her name isn’t Smith—but it sounds common enough to hide her real identity. And with a new haircut and some hair dye, no one will recognize her on the other side of the country. Or so she hopes. Years after running away from home and the memories of her kidnapping, Allie finds her footing again in a small town in Maine. She has a safe roof over her head, freedom, and a job she loves at The Lair—a local bar managed by a stoic, protective ex–Navy SEAL who makes her heart beat faster than it should. But the internet never forgets, and Allie’s parents made sure her most vulnerable years were broadcasted for millions to see. When her past resurfaces and her true identity is at risk of being discovered, Allie finds that her growing crush on her older boss isn’t her biggest problem after all.

Firerend.

BY EMMA KENNEDY

Of The Page Press | June 2025

Allara flipped a gold piece in her hand over and over with the cadence of the ocean’s tide. Taran had said to meet at the docks after the last bell, so they could walk to the warehouse together. If it were anyone other than Taran who had asked, she wouldn’t have gone at all.

Whatever the job was, it was most likely above her skill level. And if the payout was any indication of the danger, then it was too high. With work like that, you had to be good, or you would be dead. And Allara couldn’t leave her sister alone. But she also needed medication, food, and everything else, and that was the insidious thought at the back of her mind that strapped on her boots and urged her to go and consider the work.

The unfortunate reality was that the further you worked from the law, the more you got paid. One could have a sense of morality, or have

enough money to eat; there wasn’t room enough for both.

The docks were near empty, ominous in their stillness. A guard stood at the far end to the left of where Allara leaned against the railing, but made no move to come near her. As long as Taran didn’t take much longer, then they should be content to leave her alone, but the longer she stayed out past the bells, the more attention she would draw. Her pass was a very good counterfeit— she’d made it herself—but she didn’t like to use it if it could be avoided.

Footsteps sounded above the crashing of the waves, quicker than Taran’s usual careless pace. He must have felt sorry for making her wait in the cold by herself. She turned slowly, tucking the gold piece back into her bag while rolling her eyes. “It’s about time, Taran. I know you’re not one for punctuality, but with—” Except it wasn’t Taran at all.

She saw flashes of black clothing, slickedback hair, and a gloved hand rapidly approaching her temple. She tried to duck out of the way, but was struck in the shoulder, sending her careening down to the right. She grunted at the harsh yet precise impact to her joint. The pain smarted and spread all the way down to the tips of her fingers that rested against the damp wood. “Hey!” the guard called from the end of the dock, too far away to do her any good. Allara pulled herself up from the dock, swiping out

with her left leg on the ascent. Her attacker must have noticed the way she shifted her balance and had no trouble sidestepping her attempt. Her wrist ached where she’d caught herself on her fall, and her neck was starting to throb. He might have hit a pressure point— or maybe she was just too weak from malnutrition.

Where was Taran? She tried to clear her mind and focus on incapacitating her attacker enough to get away. She’d never taken defense classes or joined a club to fight. Kids like her didn’t get to join the guard or the navy, so why bother? But she was a woman in the poorest district of the most populated city on the island, so she’d picked up some skills along the way. Taran and his brothers had tried to teach her basic self-defense,

ABOUT THE BOOK

but it seemed their lessons didn’t adhere enough for her to actually put it into practice.

Allara tried swinging wildly, listening for the sound of footsteps that would mean the guard had finally arrived. Each attempt by her was swatted away from the man as if he were dissuading a fly. She wanted to scream in frustration— and she might have, because the man had started to laugh—honest to gods laughter right in her face as he tried to rob her or do whatever it was he planned to do.

All of a sudden, as if he were tired of humoring her, he went on the offensive, knocking her arms with real force and pushing her back away from the multicolored lanterns that hung above the rails

of the dock. He moved too fast for her to track, and it was clear he really had been toying with her. The next time he aimed for her temple, she had no chance of dodging it, and she crumpled to the dock before everything went dark.

One last job, one last chance. Allara will do anything for her sick sister, but in a city like Oberon, gold is hard to come by and even harder to earn without selling your soul. With no marketable skills and high costs to keep up, Allara’s conscience might be the price she pays. Nymm fled her past to survive, leaving everything behind, but when her guild falls on tough times, she’ll have to rebuild their reputation or risk losing the only family she has left. The odds are stacked against her, but she’ll do anything to keep them together. Auren has been living for himself for so long, he’s forgotten what it means to have a purpose. With the chance of unimaginable wealthand a shot at redemption-he jumps at the opportunity. But is this job enough to make up for his mistakes, or will it drag him deeper into the shadows?

Between Flames and Deceit .

BY M.A. FRICK

Independently Published | March 2025

Nienna

Wind whipped through my hair as a black-tipped tail snaked around my knees with a quiet hiss.

“I only want to see!” I protested, bracing against the purple-hued appendage.

As I leaned over the Nest’s edge, the updraft slammed into me, stealing my breath. It thrummed with power, urging me to leap, to feel wind tear at my skin, to soar like my dragons.

Behind me, the dragon queen huffed, her tail coiling tighter around me like an unyielding vise. I was her wingless hatchling, the Dragon’s Heart.

Far below, the cities appeared as fragile toys, dwarfed by the height of the Spire. The Nest sat at the highest peak of Draconia’s dark palace, where bones littered the floor and the biting wind stung my skin. Yet in that stark, chilling expanse, a strange calm settled over me, as though the winds themselves cradled me. There was no

place in the world I felt safer.

Argos swept through the sky, his massive shadow blotting out daylight, a blur of green and blue followed close in his wake. Tsunami, irritable, snapped at his tail. My father, a mere speck on Argos’ back, seemed almost swallowed by the distance. Behind them, ridden by my brother, Gyrak—small and black as night—spun through the air, spewing a jet of flame at the wild blue.

Tsunami ducked, dodging the blast before pivoting toward the Nest, earning a grumble of displeasure from the dragon queen at my back.

“They’re just playing,” I mused, scanning the sky.

Riderless and restless, Tsunami refused to leave our land. Instead of venturing to the Wild Shores as other wildlings did, she prowled our skies, a constant thorn in our side. Even the Dragon Riders struggled to keep her in check.

To contain a ship-

sized meddling beast was a full-time job.

A flash of white streaked across my vision. I clenched the muscled scales beneath my fingertips, my heart lurching into my throat. That was not a rock gull’s mottled hue, but the unmistakable gleam of a dove—a symbol of peace.

Although the sight of it eluded me at this distance, I knew a scroll was attached to its foot. It flew with purpose, soaring toward home, to the loft where the message would be read.

That parchment carried my future—a promise that I’d sail to another nation and marry a stranger to save my people.

Signed in blood, a Draconis oath could only be purged by dragonfire.

Tsunami lurched, caught the updraft, and veered toward the dove.

“No!” I screamed, but the queen was already moving, already scrambling to the edge. Her massive form blocked my view as she towered over me, a deafening roar ripping from her throat.

Jaws snapped just shy of the poor bird, and it plummeted.

Gyrak shot between Tsunami and the dove, his wings a blur. Argos flew toward the Spire, and his enormous paw snatched the falling creature out of the air.

The great black dragon hovered a breath, and I locked eyes with my father across the expanse. Sorrow darkened his gaze, lips twisting into a pained smile before his beast

ABOUT THE BOOK

descended, spiraling toward the earth. They pulled up at the last moment and veered for the landing, a jagged outcrop that led to the throne room. My father had not surrendered me willingly. I saw it in the tightness of his jaw, the way his hands shook before he shoved it behind a mask of stoicism. To ask me to marry a prince in a foreign kingdom wasn’t a decision he made lightly. It was a sacrifice that weighed heavy on him— on both of us. Our people were starving, their bellies hollow, their strength faltering. Our island could only sustain so much. Any crops we managed to grow withered beneath the relentless seasonal whirlstorms. The wind tore through the fields, as though the earth itself was protesting, scattering the seeds before they could take root. And with each passing season, it became

harder to coax life from the soil. My people needed food to survive, to push into the Wild Shores and expand. They depended on me to forge alliances and secure their future. No, it wasn’t an easy thing for the dragon king to give me away, but it was his duty to use me.

Just as it was my duty to marry the prince of Radaan.

She wasn’t allowed to fall in love. Least of all with the father of her betrothed. When Nienna, the Dragon’s Heart, sails to Radaan, she knows she’s bound for a marriage to a prince she’s never met. No stranger to duty, she welcomes the alliance as any princess should. But the prince is not what she expected. Kallias, king of Radaan, has spent a lifetime fighting. A treaty ends the war between Radaan and Vellos, but it hinges upon the marriage of his son. If their betrothal ends, the tentative peace will crumble. Yet Nienna is more than he expected. Forged of fire and steel, her responsibility to kingdom mirrors his own. Nienna needs to feed her people. Kallias needs her dragons. Promises were made. But when duty conflicts with her heart will Nienna be strong enough to resist? Kallias signed a blood oath. Bound by honor and the threat of dragonfire will he be able to stand by and watch her marry someone else? Between Flames and Deceit is a forbidden love, age gap romance. Perfect for lovers of Fourth Wing and Mariana Zapata!

Grave Situation.

BY LOUISA MASTERS

Independently Published | March 2025

“Let me tell you about our mission,” I say loudly, dragging Coryn’s attention to me.

“Do you have to?” he asks.

The stone thrums, so I ignore what I really want to do and instead say, “Yes. You need to know what we’re facing so you’ll be prepared.”

Again, his face immediately becomes alert. It seems the secret to managing Coryn is to speak to his sense of duty. “I’m ready.”

“A month ago”— has it been so long already?—“the life stone returned to the continent and made itself known to the combined councils of mages, healers, and riders.” I pause for the usual gasp of surprise.

He just looks at me blankly.

“You do know what the life stone is?” I prompt.

“The source of all creation,” he replies, and I swear, Jaimin sighs in relief.

“Yes. You probably also know that it disappears

from the world except when there are situations of great need.” I decide not to go into details. Let’s not make this more complicated than it needs to be.

“And now’s one of those times? It has to be if the stone’s here, right?”

I nod. “Right.”

He beams.

“The stone revealed to us that necromancers have begun raising zombies, and—”

Coryn scoffs, the smile disappearing. “If you’re going to tell fairy stories, just don’t tell me anything. I don’t need to know. All I need is for the king to tell me to protect you, and I will, whatever you’re doing.”

Tia pinches the bridge of her nose, and I reach out to her. “It’s fine.”

“I don’t love putting our safety in the hands of someone who doesn’t use deductive reasoning to make decisions,” she snaps.

“Then put it in the stone’s hands. That’s what he is—another tool of prophecy, just like us.” I hate that concept so much, but

there’s no denying it. She nods curtly. “It’s not a fairy story,” I tell Coryn. “You can speak to the king about this—or Master Haftel. They’ll confirm what I’m saying. A long time ago, necromancers raised zombies and used them to wage war against the nations of the continent. It was long and bloody, and millions died. We won in the end, and in an attempt to prevent it from ever happening again”—these words are bitter, but I force them out—“most of the details were wiped from history. Our ancestors believed that if people thought zombies were only a nightmare, a

tale to scare children, nobody would ever again try to raise one.”

He frowns. “So how come you know this?”

“We’re taught a little more at the City of Knowledge. Part of the history classes at the academy include a very brief segment about the zombie wars and how terrible they were. Not enough information for anyone to know how to raise them—or how to stop them once they’re raised.”

The frown deepens. “Then how did someone raise some?”

I spread my hands.

“We don’t know. It’s not important right now—the stone told us that there’s a person, a champion, who can defeat the necromancers and the zombies. This is in the prophecies, so we have a very obscure instruction manual. Our mission is to find that

ABOUT THE BOOK

champion. The other side is trying to stop us, since they don’t want to be defeated.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Cautiously, I continue, “Some of our attackers the other night were zombies. They looked like ordinary men but wouldn’t die until I used magefire on them. Not even when we dismembered them.”

His eyes widen. “They wouldn’t die? Wait… zombies are when dead people are brought back to life, right?”

“No,” Jaimin interrupts sharply. “They are not brought back to life. It’s impossible to bring a dead person back to life, because their soul has departed. Zombies are merely reanimated corpses.”

Seeing Coryn’s confusion, he continues, “A necromancer finds a corpse—a dead body— and makes it move around like a living person—kill like

a living person can—but it’s not alive. It has no thoughts or feelings, doesn’t need to eat or drink or sleep or breathe.”

That, Coryn understands, and sick revulsion is clear in his voice when he says, “Like a human puppet?”

Jaimin nods. “It’s desecration of the worst kind.”

“I don’t know about that, but it’s wrong to treat dead people that way,” Coryn declares. “You gotta stop them.”

He’s not the hero they deserve, but he’s the hero they’ve got. No, seriously. Talon wants to know what he did to deserve this. What would make a sentient rock decide that he of all people should be the one to save the world from zombies? That’s right. Zombies. Because apparently a higher power decided that teaching magic to teenagers wasn’t enough of a challenge. With a ridiculously attractive healer (who may or may not hate him), his sister (who he miiiight have a forbidden telepathic link with), a sentient god-like rock (that can only communicate via yes/ no vibes), a disdainful dragon, and a rude matchmaking horse by his side, he just might be able to save the world. Or die trying.

Stop All The Clocks.

BY NOAH KUMIN

Arcade | June 2025

Roosevelt Island, a narrow strip of land just a mile off the shore of Manhattan, was leased for private development in 1969. Prior to that it had been a hub for insanity and government-sponsored torture. New York City’s first modern penitentiary once occupied the island’s southern end, and its premier lunatic asylum was built to complement it in the north. Neither of these institutions remain, except as entries in the records of a few historians and urbanists, who might still call to mind all the violence and degradation of the city’s past, its ingrained hysteria, its lawlessness, its frenzies, the squalor of its streets and the ruthlessness of its architects—in short, all that is meant to be banished from sight over the course of its glittering, sanitized future.

The penitentiary was opened in 1832. From the beginning, its wardens found themselves under continual threat of insurrection. An especially

vigorous riot took place in 1914, when imprisoned Industrial Workers of the World inspired their fellow inmates to smash the instruments of their prison labor. The anarchist Emma Goldman was a onetime resident of the prison, as were Mae West (sex crimes), and Billie Holiday, who did a few months for vagrancy and dissipation. The penitentiary was demolished in 1939. A two-billiondollar project is currently underway to construct a multidisciplinary, businessincubating “Innovation Institute” on the onetime jail site. The lunatic asylum was described by undercover journalist Nellie Bly in 1887 as a “human rat trap.” Beatings and chokings were not uncommon. Residents were stripped naked daily and doused with ice water, for hygienic purposes. Women outnumbered men two-toone in the institution, as a fair number of them had been committed unwillingly by their husbands; those

who arrived sane were frequently driven crazy by the forced doses of morphine and chloral. Soon after Bly’s exposé, the asylum was moved to an even more remote location. But a section of the original building, known as The Octagon, remains: it has been converted to upscale condominiums. It was here at The Octagon that Mona Veigh had come to live in January of 2016. She had arrived seeking quiet and privacy, and presentday Roosevelt Island provided precisely that. No one caused a ruckus on Roosevelt Island, no one wore flashy clothes, and no one made any

obtrusive inquiries. It was a place where good-natured families of all ethnicities and creeds jogged happily along the riverwalk, or rode the free Red Bus that wheezed its way every half hour around the island’s circumference. It was a lovely, calm, unmenacing neighborhood where nothing out of the ordinary happened. Mona had come to cherish her life here, in all its magnificent drabness. There were people from her past—in fact, just about all people from her past—whom she meant to avoid, and up until recently, she had been able to convince herself they had never existed. Yet over the past few weeks, due to a series of inexplicable incidents, Mona Veigh had developed the terrible sense that she was being followed.

On this particular autumn afternoon, a man and a woman in their

ABOUT THE BOOK

late twenties—that is, approximately Mona’s own age—had been walking about fifty paces behind her along the water’s edge. Of course there was nothing odd about this fact in and of itself. After all, there was no reason why a young couple shouldn’t be enjoying a stroll on the island, feeling the cool breeze on their cheeks, taking in the fine view of Manhattan’s east side. And yet everything about these two people felt all wrong.

Over the course of her eight jobless months on Roosevelt Island, Mona had become an expert on its weekday afternoon pedestrians. There were the broad-shouldered nannies, shuttling weary toddlers around in high-tech, impregnable strollers. There were the high school kids just out of class, flirtatiously insulting and kissing and

A Thrilling Debut that Explores the Profound Mysteries of Life in the Digital Age

Mona Veigh was feeling burnt out from the tech world—and life in general. Following the death of her unconventional colleague, Avram Parr, and the collapse of her AI company that left her a hefty cashout, Mona retreated to her home on Roosevelt Island, free to toss her phone into the East River and curl up with a good book, forever.

However, strange occurrences intrude on Mona’s permanent vacation and thrust her back into the world. Colleagues from her former company begin to track her down and let on that there may be more to Avram Parr’s death than meets the eye

slapping at one another. And there were the retirees—the stoic, multi-sweatered, beautiful retirees. But there were no millennials in neon running shoes and expensive hair- cuts and matching wool peacoats. Such people were simply not part of the landscape.

Yet at the same time, Mona had some cause to doubt the soundness of her own judgment.

My Bully, My Aunt & Her Final Gift .

BY HAROLD PHIFER

BookBaby | February 2025

Next, the secretary advised me to take a seat while she notified the headmaster of my arrival. During those dreadful moments I did everything I could to remain calm. Nervously, I kept patting my foot to the floor and heard each and every tap.

Suddenly, shouts of extreme havoc rung out just like the other times! “Oh God no!

Jesus, please help me Lawd! I got you, Sir, I got you,” were screams filling the airwaves. The door opened and a battered female raced right past me with her hands covering her face. She kept mumbling phrases that shouldn’t be repeated by innocent lips. I couldn’t believe those disgusting words coming out of her baby-sized mouth.

Then damn, another nightmare was possibly moments away. I needed an out and fast. Fearing for my life, I formulated my plan of action.

Right before Principal Shellshock steadies his paddle, I was going to blow out all the gas I reserved in my little butt. I was never a fan of the fart game, but I was scheming like a veteran.

That’s all I had, and it was my “A game.” My intentions were to rip a good hard one that opens my belt, ruffles my pants, and sends my new shoes flying across the room. Then all options would be left to the principal. He could chance tearing into me and losing a lung or take cover and let me go. Punishing me will become a hazard to his health.

For the moment, I felt really good about that notion. I didn’t have much else to cling to, but I was dangerously packing breakfast from Aunt Kathy. Yes, I was sure my stink bomb defense would win that day. According to past reports, I would be the first and only kid at Mitchell Memorial to get on the scoreboard against the headmaster. Make that, Hal “1” and Principal Shell Shock “0.”

“Well, Aunt Kathy

implored me to settle down. She kept issuing threat after threat with such statements, “Boy, do I need to beat the black off of you,” or “Gorilla will be your name when I’m finish!” Yes, I got the message but beating my butt wasn’t going to be enough. Heck, I had been waiting for three long, long years just to join Jerry. Anything short of a bullet wasn’t going to stop me.”

“Aunt Kathy wasted no time reading me the riot act. She accused me of overstepping my bounds and showing off at church. According to her calculations, “I needed to get my ass snapped back in shape”! Then she said,

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Don’t worry, I plan to cut you a “New Ass” when we get home!”

“Yes Ma’am,” I said. It was just another day in paradise! Yes, I knew I was cooked. I was finished.”

“Once the Reverend was out of sight, Aunt Kathy eyeballed me up and down with a frown more terrifying than ugly on an ape. My life still hung in the balance. As much as I tried, I couldn’t hold my emotions any longer. She started up again, “Boy, for a minute, I was really scared for your ass! But I’m gonna let you slide this time!”

“Yes ma’am,” I said. She went even deeper, “You may have slipped through the cracks, but if I catch you taking a shit out of turn, I’m beating your ass!”

“Yes ma’am,” I said once again.

In “My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift”, Hal revisits the complicated relationship he shared with his late Aunt Kathy, a woman who stood as the antithesis of positivity in his life. Despite her domineering and often cruel behavior, her passing left Hal with an unexpected opportunity for humor, healing, and reflection. As he plans her memorial—a gathering that no one seems eager to attend—Hal’s childhood memories resurface, pulling him back into a world shaped by his aunt’s unpredictable rules and twisted philosophies. Blending heartfelt truths with laugh-out-loud moments, Hal weaves a tale of resilience, self-discovery, and ultimately, redemption. This memoir offers a lighthearted yet honest look at how even the darkest relationships can leave behind gifts of wisdom and self-awareness.

Interview with Paulette Stout

BY CHRISTINA CONSOLINO

Author and podcaster Paulette Stout is one to watch! She writes “contemporary fiction with high-stakes substance and delicious spice,” and stories featuring “social issues often ignored.” She owns her own content marketing company, prioritizes self-care, and is just as comfortable lifting up other writers as she is wordsmithing. She’s the author of the Bold Journeys series, which she describes as “bingeable contemporary fiction that says the quiet things out loud.” The books, which can all be read as standalones, are engaging, authentic, and inspiring stories about independent women with the capacity to live on their own terms.

WHAT

WE GIVE AWAY, BOOK 4 OF YOUR BOLD JOURNEYS SERIES, WENT ON SALE EARLIER THIS YEAR. CONGRATS! HOW DIFFERENT WAS THE LAUNCH OF THIS BOOK COMPARED TO YOUR FIRST?

PS: It was worlds apart! The book landscape is far different than it was in 2021. I’ve built relationships, a following, and a base of experiences that make every release easier than the last. Plus, the more I write, the more confident I get in my storytelling. That makes me eager, and way more confident, that what I’m putting out will delight readers. What We Give Away has received a consistently phenomenal response from readers and has already won two book awards. I’m very proud of this book.

THE

NOVEL FEATURES LESLIE, A JOURNALIST WHO “DIVES INTO DIET CULTURE AND EATING DISORDERS.” HOW AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO FEATURE THIS IMPORTANT AND PERVASIVE TOPIC?

PS: Each of my books center on a social issue. Fiction is such a compelling way to start important social conversations. Weight and body image is something so many of us struggle with. We internalize so much toxic energy, feeling wrong in our skin. And I’m so proud that with What We Give Away, I was able to explore the destructive force that is diet culture, a concept many have never heard of before but are impacted by every day. Those in large bodies jump on the fruitless hamster wheel of weight loss. Those in smaller bodies live in fear of gaining an ounce. What We Give Away is motivating readers to rethink the energy they spend fretting over their bodies and rechannel that zeal into activities that bring them joy. This life-changing response has been incredibly rewarding.

DID YOU DISCOVER ANYTHING SURPRISING IN YOUR RESEARCH FOR THE STORY?

PS: I’d always viewed the harms of dieting from a larger-bodied perspective. But in researching the book, I learned about anorexia nervosa and realized that stigmatizing large people harms everyone. Anorexia is founded on a distorted body image and the fear of getting too heavy. However, many undiagnosed sufferers of anorexia live in large bodies. These people are told the answer to their problem is to lose weight, forcing them deeper into the very behaviors that are causing them so much harm. Anorexia is a mental disorder and can happen to people at any body size. That discovery was eyeopening learning.

THE BOOK ALSO FEATURES PUERTO RICAN RECIPES, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR FREE IF YOU SIGN UP FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER. HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHICH RECIPES TO SHARE? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHARED RECIPE AND WHY?

PS: When I sent out my book boxes, I included spices and my favorite recipe for pork chops. It’s ridiculously easy and near foolproof. Salt, pepper, garlic, and

oregano is my go-to flavor combination. I included foundational recipes of Puerto Rican cuisine that are both tasty and easy to prepare. Food is such a central focus of the book, and I’m so glad readers experienced what a positive celebration it can be.

SPEAKING OF FOOD—

MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN COOKING WAS GREAT, BUT I DIDN’T ENCOUNTER ANY OTHER FOOD CULTURE UNTIL COLLEGE—AND YOUR INSTAGRAM POST ASKING, “HOW DO YOU SOFRITO?” INTRIGUES ME. FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW, WHAT IS SOFRITO? WHAT DO YOU INCLUDE IN YOURS, AND WHAT DO YOU USE IT FOR? ANYTHING THAT DOESN’T BELONG IN SOFRITO?

PS: Sofrito is a seasoning base that forms the foundation of many Puerto Rican dishes. It includes garlic, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, green and red peppers, alongside a variety of specialized peppers and herbs you’ll only find in Hispanic areas. I freeze mine in ice cube trays and use it in rice and beans, mostly. But it also enhances other dishes like roasts and stews. You can buy it jarred from Goya in most grocery stores but making it from

scratch can’t be beat.

YOU HAVE A REPUTATION FOR WRITING SPICY BOOKS. WHAT ROLE DOES INTIMACY PLAY IN YOUR STORYTELLING?

PS: For many, on-page sex makes a book less legitimate or noteworthy. Other readers get uncomfortable, likely, because too many are taught from a young age that sex and pleasure are self-indulgent and wrong. But I think that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the role intimacy plays in our lives, and by extension in books. Intimacy is a powerful storytelling tool. On-page sex can open the door to a character’s deepest desires and inspire them to strive for more—in and out of the bedroom. Intimate scenes offer conflict, tension, and imbalanced power structures. They enable us to explore social mores, introduce backstory, deepen texture by using all five senses, and so much more. All that power is wrapped up in one scene. Sex is so essential for life that, for me, writing romantic relationships without intimacy would be like writing a symphony without sound.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

IN ADDITION TO WRITING, YOU CO-HOST THE BEST OF BOOK MARKETING WITH FELLOW AUTHOR

LAINEY

CAMERON. HOW’S THE PODCAST COMING ALONG? HAVE YOU FACED ANY CHALLENGES? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR?

PS: Thanks for asking! The show is gaining momentum as more authors find us and the amazing book marketing tips the show provides. We’re so proud of the impressive lineup of topics and guests, from working with bookstores, to book blurbs, author newsletters, and so much more. Looking ahead, we’ll be focusing on topics listeners have been asking about, like Facebook and Amazon ads, cover design, and even ethically using AI. We live stream every episode on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, so if people listen live, they can have their questions answered in real time. Show times vary, so follow @bookmarketingpodcast on social media so you know when we’re going live.

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR MANY, INCLUDING WRITERS, ARTISTS, AND OTHER CREATIVES. HOW HAVE YOU FOUND A PROPER BALANCE TO KEEP WRITING WHILE IN THE MIDST OF TURMOIL?

PS: It’s been a struggle for me, as

well. But I’ve found my way back by focusing on projects that bring me joy. For instance, I stepped away from my current WIP to write a second edition of my debut novel, Love, Only Better. Re-editing that book is like coming home to a familiar friend, and it’s the comforting creativity I needed. I’m still passionate about my next project, but it’s important to let our creativity guide us. If writing isn’t satisfying or has become a drain, we need to give ourselves grace and step away. Refill the tank in whatever way works for us: talking with other writers, reading books, walking in nature. I love going to art museums. Absorbing someone else’s creativity inspires my own. When we’re feeling stressed and detached, we

need to address that before expecting our creativity to flow unhindered. It’s always wise to listen to our bodies. They won’t usually steer us wrong.

AS ALWAYS, WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

PS: After I finish the second edition of my debut, I’ll return to my WIP, which explores the pressures women face to be part of a couple. I’m excited to return to this story—when the time is right. I’m also joining an anthology that aims to release later this year. With a demanding full-time job, my life is busy. But I’m always grateful for the opportunity to return to the page.

Food, lies and second-chance love make for a delicious dish. So why can’t Leslie take a bite? When NYC investigative journalist Leslie Molina-Allen leaves town to care for her beloved Aunt Dot, she never expects to be tossed into the orbit of her first—and only—love, Chef Risto. Or end up working at his restaurant. For as long as Leslie can remember, food has been the enemy. Something to be mastered, not enjoyed—or so her mother says. And Risto’s unapologetic appetite for life is everything Leslie has spent years trying to forget. With a booming restaurant and a skyrocketing reputation, Chef Risto has everything he’s ever wanted. Except Leslie. She lost interest in him long ago—but still manages to haunt his dreams every night. So when she turns up to fill in for Dot, days become unbearable too.

The Talking Drum: A Novel by

Lisa Braxton

A Book That Is Sensual, Fraught, And Above All, Human.” - The Boston Globe “

2021 IPPY Gold Medal - Urban Fiction

2020 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Award

2020 National Association of Black Journalists Outstanding Literary Award

Foreward INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist - General Fiction

BOOK SHELF SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Nellie's Island

BY TK SHEFFIELD

ILLUSTRATED BY STARRY GAZEY

A pony discovers her "filly esteem" amidst the towering Draft horses on Mackinac Island. It’s a tale for horse enthusiasts of all ages—and for those enchanted by the historic charm of Mackinac Island, voted the No. 1 Island in the Continental U.S. by Travel + Leisure magazine in its World’s Best Awards.

Contact the author for the Collectible Signed FIRST EDITION. www.tksheffieldwriter.com

The Execution, Life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell

BY GAVIN O'DONNELL

The Execution, Life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell explores the remarkable life of an Irishman condemned to death for killing informer James Carey. From surviving the Great Hunger to serving in the Confederate Army, O'Donnell’s life is revealed through letters and historical accounts. His journey takes him from prison camps to the fateful moment of his execution at Newgate Prison. A captivating blend of history and creative fiction, this recently honored 2023 'Top Notable' indie novel offers an intimate look at a man whose story history nearly forgot.

Persephone's Pool

BY MARIE MONTINE

Two investigators track ritualistic murders across planetary landscapes that involve stealing their victim’s chakra. After the murder of Doctor Eloise's partner, her world plunges into a dangerous web of belief, manipulation, and cosmic mystery. But Eloise also discovers she has a connection with the perpetrator…but how, and why? With shocking twists and a tense, immersive atmosphere, this metaphysical thriller lingers long after the last page.

‘Sci-fi and mystery readers shouldn't miss this one!' - Readers Favorite

Palace Green

BY CJ GRABHAM

Journey back to The Sixties Palace Green takes you to the beautiful, ancient city of Durham, UK, where stunning panoramas, a medieval cathedral, charming bridges, cobblestone streets, and a quiet, meandering river create the perfect backdrop. The university and its unpredictable students add a delightful mix of romance, humor, and drama. Journey back to the Sixties and let yourself be swept up in this charming, sometimes raucous comedy. With its irresistible wit and vibrant energy, Palace Green captures the spirit of a city full of life, laughter, and unforgettable moments, blending tradition with youthful rebellion.

A Portion of Malice

BY LLOYD JEFFRIES

A Trial of Fate

BY J.E. LARSON

An Ancient Evil Rises. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Emery Merrick is ready to end it all when a knock at the door interrupts his plans. Billionaire Thaddeus Drake hires Emery to write his biography, but Drake harbors a dangerous secret. He leads an ancient, secret society bent on fulfilling a prophecy and sacrificing the Earth to a bloodthirsty God. This gripping thriller follows Emery's explosive journey into the apocalypse, as he embarks on an epic quest to confront God as an equal. Deeply stirring, Emery is thrust into a world of darkness, deceit, and brutality.

A Woman in the Wild

BY TAD CRAWFORD

A Woman in the Wild is a powerful novel about a psychologist in crisis who retreats to a mountain institute seeking healing after failing to protect her daughter from abuse.

When she’s assigned to help a mysterious “wild” man, their journeys intertwine in unexpected ways. Through meditation, hiking, and deep self-reflection, she confronts guilt, resilience, and the limits of therapy in a gripping tale of trauma, transformation, and self-discovery.

Our world is dying.

Skylar Cathal is a twentytwo-year-old half-human, half-shifter with a curious mind and knack for bending the rules. Gilen Warrick, Skylar’s childhood friend and the next Alpha of the Solace pack, wants more than just her friendship– but fate has a will of its own. When Skylar is marked as the shifter champion, she must overcome her darkest fears to leave her home and those she loves behind. Daxton Aegaeon, High Fae Prince of Silver Meadows, has sworn to protect Skylar as his ward, but only she can protect her heart.

Like Sapphire Blue

BY MARISA BILLIONS

"Your eyes are amazing. I’ve never seen a blue like that."

Emma Landry is tough, independent, and determined to escape poverty. Raised by her father, "Bear," on the wrong side of a wealthy town, she’s fought to build a life of success— and love. But when a long-buried family secret surfaces, everything she’s worked for is threatened. Faced with betrayal and a destiny darker than she imagined, Emma must decide: will she rise above her past, or let it destroy everything she’s built? Like Sapphire Blue is a gripping tale of resilience, identity, and fate.

BOOK SHELF

The Culture of Burnout: Why Your Exhaustion is Not Your Fault

BY KRISTEN DONNELLY AND ERIN HINSON

The fate of humanity rests in the hands of a few.

Burnout is as American as apple pie, baseball, and the 4th of July.

Rooted in the overwork culture of the Puritans, burnout has shaped American life for centuries. Today, many of us are trapped in a relentless cycle of exhaustion, believing there’s no way out. But there is. Culture is shaped by the choices we make, and change is possible. This book reveals why burnout isn’t your fault and offers practical steps to break free. It’s not easy, but it’s doable— and it starts now.

Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers

BY JAMES AYLOTT

Missouri

Towers—

once St. Louis’s most glamorous address, now "Misery Towers"—is home to an unforgettable cast: a trapeze artist with a faltering love life, an aging stripper clinging to the past, an undertaker seeking vengeance, and a heartbroken man chasing love one hooker at a time. On a sweltering August night, their lives collide with explosive consequences. Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers is darkly funny, wildly tragic, and an unflinching look at a city on the edge.

The Tender Silver Stars

BY PAMELA STOCKWELL

In 1972, change is sweeping the world—but not fast enough for Triss and Everlove.

Triss dreams of becoming an attorney, but her influential grandfather won’t allow it. Defying him, she makes a reckless choice that threatens everything. Everlove, from a working-class family, has always followed the rules—until one fateful decision upends her life. When their paths cross, an unexpected friendship forms. Together, they must navigate shattered dreams and uncertain futures. Can they rebuild their lives, or will the past hold them back forever?

Shitamachi Scam

BY MICHAEL PRONKO

In Tokyo, respect for elders isn’t always a given—sometimes, it’s exploited.

When a retired woman and a student recluse die under suspicious circumstances, Detective Hiroshi uncovers a gang preying on the elderly, stealing pensions, life savings, and even homes. Teaming up with Detective Ishii and her women’s crime task force, Hiroshi dives into the shadowy underworld of shitamachi. With old-school cops and an ex-sumo wrestler at his back, he must untangle a web of deception before more lives are lost.

Blindspot

BY MAGGIE SMITH

A ruthless DA. A relentless stalker. A race against time.

Rachel Matthews is no stranger to pressure— whether in the courtroom or at home with her rebellious daughter. But when chilling threats arrive at her doorstep, she turns to an old classmateturned-PI for help. As she digs into past cases, a terrifying demand is made: pay up, or her daughter gets hurt.

The Ark and the Whale

BY JAMES FULMER

A desperate beachside meeting turns deadly, leaving Rachel fighting to save her family, career, and freedom before it’s too late.

Anna's Shadow

BY INGRID MCCARTHY

James Fulmer’s The Ark and the Whale blends literary fiction, magical realism, and philosophy. Through dreamlike vignettes, an introverted narrator—“Nobody”— embarks on an odyssey of redemption, confronting existential dread, identity, and the blurred lines between reality and the subconscious. Rich with poetic prose and layered symbolism, this thoughtprovoking tale challenges storytelling norms, inviting readers to immerse in surreal, introspective depths.

An Impossible Life

BY ONJA WASDEN AND RACHAEL SIDDOWAY

Sofia Rossi, a CanadianItalian orthopedic surgeon on leave from Doctors Without Borders, is staying with family in Verona and volunteering at Juliet's Club, answering letters from heartbroken lovers. When she responds to a letter from Luke Miller, a man in his late seventies, she writes, “Memories have huge staying power.” Unexpectedly, Luke arrives in Verona with his son, sparking an adventure that intertwines Sofia’s traumatic past with a search for a missing woman.

Anna's Shadow is a dramatic, uplifting tale of love, fate, and destiny, spanning continents and generations.

An award-winning memoir, An Impossible Life recounts one woman’s struggle through manic and depressive episodes, showing how she found lifesaving therapy and medication. At thirty-five, Sonja Wasden is involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital by her husband and father. Despite having a CEO husband, three children, and a picture-perfect life, she is caught in a downward spiral.

In this gripping narrative, Sonja shares her battles with mental illness, motherhood, and marriage.

ENTER YOUR BOOK!

SHELF UNBOUND

BEST INDIE BOOK

COMPETITION

Shelf Media hosts the annual Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition for best selfpublished or independently published book, receiving entries from May 1 to October 1 each year. In addition to prizes, the winner, finalists, and more than 100 notable books from the competition are featured in the December/January issue of Shelf Unbound.

Call For Entries .

Shelf Unbound book review magazine announces the Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Self-Published Book. Any self-published book in any genre is eligible for entry. Entry fee is $100 per book. The winning entry will be selected by the editors of Shelf Unbound magazine.

To submit an entry, Apply Online at www.shelfmediagroup. com/competitions.

THE TOP FIVE BOOKS, as determined by the editors of Shelf Media Group, will receive editorial coverage in the Winter issue of Shelf Unbound. The author of the book named as the Best Self-Published book will receive editorial coverage as well as a year’s worth of full-page ads in the magazine.

The deadline for entry is midnight on October 1, 2025.

The Big Summer Reads List

Uncover the top picks for a season full of adventure, romance, and unforgettable stories.

BY CORINNA KLOTH

The Bright Years

BY SARAH DAMOFF

One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga perfect for readers of Mary Beth Keane and Claire Lombardo.

Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette. But Lillian has a son she hasn’t told Ryan about, and Ryan has an alcohol addiction he hasn’t told Lillian about, so Georgette comes of age watching their marriage rise and fall.

Gifted & Talented

BY OLIVIE BLAKE

Where there’s a will, there’s a war.

Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and socalled father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne. Or at least, so they like to think. Meredith, textbook accomplished eldest daughter and the head of her own groundbreaking biotech company, has recently cured mental illness. You’re welcome! If only her father’s fortune wasn’t her last hope for keeping her journalist ex-boyfriend from exposing what she really is: a total fraud.

Audition

BY KATIE KITAMURA

One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. A mesmerizing Mobius strip of a novel that asks who we are to the people we love.

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an elegant and accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, and young—young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In Audition, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day—partner, parent, creator, muse—and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us best.

Fun for the Whole Family

BY JENNIFER E. SMITH

A breathtaking, joy-filled novel about the people we love, the secrets we keep, and the enduring power of family, from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James.

The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling, mercurial mother, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country.

Totally and Completely Fine

BY ELISSA SUSSMAN

From the bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask comes an inspiring romance novel about honoring the past, living in the present, and loving for the future.

In her small Montana hometown, Lauren Parker has assumed a few different roles: teenage hellraiser; sister of superstar Gabe Parker; and most recently, tragically widowed single mother. She’s never cared much about labels or what people thought about her, but dealing with her grief has slowly revealed that she’s become adrift in her own life.

The Seven O’Clock Club

BY AMELIA IRELAND

Four strangers are brought together to participate in an experimental treatment designed to heal broken hearts in this surprising and heartfelt debut novel from author Amelia Ireland.

In a perfectly ordinary building, four strangers who couldn’t be more different meet for the first time. Their skepticism of this new kind of grief therapy—and the unnervingly perceptive group leader—means they’re all wary, but as the weeks go by, they find themselves returning again and again, pulled to work toward healing, even if it means first facing the pain head-on.

I See You’ve Called in Dead

BY JOHN KENNEY

The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story. Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting” man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living.

Reverie

BY DREW TAYLOR

What if you could experience the love of a lifetime twice?

Esme Jenkins has a story to tell.After being left at the altar, she sets off for her honeymoon in Bora Bora alone, on a mission to find a certain spark to hoist her from the dregs of her insipid life. That spark blazes into her world in the form of a shirtless, giant of a man rescuing her from an attempted kidnapping. When the offender escapes, Esme’s savior vows to stay by her side until the creep is caught. As the days tick by, the pair fall into a whirlwind romance Esme never expected to experience.

But that’s just fiction.

Sky Daddy

BY KATE FOLK

Subversive and unexpectedly heartwarming, Sky Daddy hijacks the classic love story, exploring desire, fate, and the longing to be accepted for who we truly are.

Linda is doing her best to lead a life that would appear normal to the casual observer. Weekdays, she earns $20 an hour moderating comments for a video-sharing platform, then rides the bus home to the windowless garage she rents on the outskirts of San Francisco. But on the last Friday of each month, she indulges in her true passion: taking BART to SFO for a round-trip flight to a regional hub.

Happy Land

BY DOLEN PERKINS-VALDEZ

‘It’s time we name our kingdom!’ he shouted over the wind. ‘I say we call this place Happy Land. If this ain’t the land of happy people, then where is it? Why not create our heaven right here on earth?’

In the hills of Appalachia, there once existed a land ruled by a king and queen. Inspired by memories of African kingdoms, a community of formerly enslaved men and women grasped freedom on mountain land they owned. But freedom doesn’t always last forever . . .

The Ashfire King

BY CHELSEA ABDULLAH

A merchant and a prince trapped in the crumbling realm of jinn must figure out how to save one world to return to their own in The Ashfire King, the second book in the Sandsea Trilogy.

Neither here nor there, but long ago… After fleeing a patricidal prince, legendary merchant Loulie al-Nazari and banished prince Mazen bin Malik find themselves in the realm of jinn. But instead of sanctuary, they find a world on the cusp of collapse.

The Family Recipe

BY CAROLYN HUYNH

From the author of the Good Morning America Book Club Pick The Fortunes of Jaded Women, a stunning family dramedy about estranged siblings competing to inherit their father’s Vietnamese sandwich franchise and unravel family mysteries.

Duc Tran, the eccentric founder of the Vietnamese sandwich chain Duc’s Sandwiches, has decided to retire. No one has heard from his wife, Evelyn, in two decades. She abandoned the family without a trace, and clearly doesn’t want anything to do with Duc, the business, or their kids. But the money has to go to someone.

The Book of Alchemy

BY SULEIKA JAOUAD

From the time she was young, Suleika Jaouad has kept a journal. She’s used it to mark life’s biggest occasions and to weather its most ferocious storms. Journaling has buoyed her through illness, heartbreak, and the deepest uncertainty. And she is not alone: for so many people, keeping a journal is an essential tool for navigating both the personal peaks and valleys and the collective challenges of modern life. More than ever, we need a space for puzzling through. In The Book of Alchemy, Suleika explores the art of journaling and shares everything she’s learned about how this life-altering practice can help us tap into that mystical trait that exists in every human: creativity.

Boat Baby

BY VICKY NGUYEN

In a memoir where heroism meets humor, NBC News anchor and correspondent Vicky Nguyen tells the story of her family’s daring escape from communist Vietnam and her unlikely journey from refugee to reporter with laughter and fierce love. Starting in 1975, Vietnam’s “boat people”—desperate families seeking freedom—fled the Communist government and violence in their country any way they could, usually by boat across the South China Sea. Vicky Nguyen and her family were among them. Attacked at sea by pirates before reaching a refugee camp in Malaysia, Vicky’s family survived on rations and waited months until they were sponsored to America.

No More Tears

BY GARDINER HARRIS

An incendiary, deeply reported exposé of Johnson & Johnson, one of America’s oldest and most trusted pharmaceutical companies—from award-winning investigative journalist Gardiner Harris One day in 2004, Gardiner Harris, early for a flight, sat down at an airport bar and started talking to the woman on the bar stool beside him. She was a drug sales rep for Johnson & Johnson, and her horrific story about unethical sales practices and the devastating impact they’d had on her family fundamentally changed the nature of how Harris covered the company—and the entire pharmaceutical industry—for The New York Times.

Poets Square

BY COURTNEY GUSTAFSON

What could accidentally moving into a house with thirty feral cats teach you about going viral, surviving capitalism, and the importance of community? Kind of a lot, actually.

When Courtney Gustafson moved into a rental house in the Poets Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, she didn’t know that the property came with thirty feral cats. Focused only on her own survival—in a new relationship, during a pandemic, with poor mental health and a job that didn’t pay enough—Courtney was reluctant to spend any of her own time or money caring for the wayward animals.

The Fate of The Day

BY RICK ATKINSON

The first twenty-one months of the American Revolution-which began at Lexington and ended at Princeton--was the story of a ragged group of militiamen and soldiers fighting to forge a new nation. By the winter of 1777, the exhausted Continental Army could claim only that it had escaped annihilation by the world’s most formidable fighting force. Two years into the war, George III is as determined as ever to bring his rebellious colonies to heel. But the king’s task is now far more complicated: fighting a determined enemy on the other side of the Atlantic has become ruinously expensive, and spies tell him that the French and Spanish are threatening to join forces with the Americans.

Matriarch

BY TINA KNOWLES

A glorious chronicle of a life like none other—enlightening, entertaining, surprising, empowering—and a testament to the world-changing power of Black motherhood

“You are Celestine,” she said. She squatted to push the hair off my face and pull leaves off my pajama legs. “Like my sister and my grandmother.” And there under the pecan tree, as she did countless times, that day my mother told me stories of the mothers and daughters that went before me.

Slayers, Every One of Us

BY KRISTIN RUSSO

A memoir reflecting on heartbreak, perseverance, and life lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the hosts of the hit podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer. Kristin and Jenny’s marriage started with an ultimatum: to further their relationship, Kristin must watch Jenny’s favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With the terms set, they began a journey that has led them through seven seasons of the beloved genre show, a podcast rewatching the series with their newly minted listenership of “Scoobies,” unexpected success, and a divorce. Through it all, their love for Buffy and their commitment to their community held them together against the odds.

Home of the Happy

BY JORDAN LAHAYE FONTENOT

A riveting blend of true crime and memoir tracing the author’s investigation into the kidnapping and murder of her greatgrandfather in 1980s Louisiana and the reverberations on her family and community throughout the decades, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most mystical and overlooked landscapes—the Acadian prairie. On January 16, 1983, Aubrey LaHaye’s body was found floating in the Bayou Nezpique. His kidnapping ten days before sparked “the biggest manhunt in the history of Evangeline Parish.” But his descendants would hear the story as lore, in whispers of the dreadful day the FBI landed a helicopter in the family’s rice field and set out on horseback to search for the seventy-year-old banker.

Into The Ice

BY MARK SYNNOTT

Only a few hundred vessels have ever transited the Northwest Passage, stretching through Canada’s north from Maine to Alaska—and substantially fewer have completed the treacherous journey in a fiberglass-hulled boat like Polar Sun. But Mark Synnott was determined to add his name to the list, and in doing so, also investigate a 175-year-old mystery, that of what happened to the legendary captain Sir John Franklin and his crew aboard the legendary HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.

In this pulse-pounding travelogue, Mark Synnott paints a vivid portrait of the modern-day Arctic like you’ve never seen before.

The Last American Road Trip

BY SARAH KENDZIOR

It is one thing to study the fall of democracy, another to have it hit your homeland -- and yet another to raise children as it happens. The Last American Road Trip is one family’s journey to the most beautiful, fascinating, and bizarre places in the US during one of its most tumultuous eras. As Kendzior works as a journalist chronicling political turmoil, she becomes determined that her young children see America before it’s too late. So Kendzior, her husband, and the kids hit the road -- again and again. Starting from Missouri, the family drives across America in every direction as cataclysmic events – the rise of autocracy, political and technological chaos, and the pandemic – reshape American life.

The Rebel Romanov

BY HELEN RAPPAPORT

In 1795, Catherine the Great of Russia was in search of a bride for her grandson Constantine, who stood third in line to her throne. In an eerie echo of her own story, Catherine selected an innocent young German princess, Julie of Saxe-Coburg, aunt of the future Queen Victoria. Though Julie had everything a young bride could wish for, she was alone in a court dominated by an aging empress and riven with rivalries, plotting, and gossip not to mention her brute of a husband, who was tender one moment and violent the next. She longed to leave Russia and her disastrous marriage, but her family in Germany refused to allow her to do so.

Blood in the Water

BY CASEY SHERMAN

Troubled waters hide deadly secrets…

When Nathan Carman, a young man with a complicated past, is miraculously rescued from a lifeboat bobbing in the unforgiving North Atlantic, questions swirl about the fate of his mother, who is presumed to have drowned when their fishing boat sank. Nathan is in remarkably good shape for being lost at sea for a week, and his account of what exactly happened out there on the waves raises questions from family members and law enforcement.

The Floating World

BY AXIE OH

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon.

Boys with Sharp Teeth

BY JENNI HOWELL

We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys in this mind-bending YA debut about dark revenge, twisted desire, and the sinister secrets lurking behind the walls of an elite boarding school.

Seventeen-year-old Marin James has spent her entire life living in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin’s dead body is found in a creek on school property, Marin knows exactly who’s to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school’s social elite.

Voice of the Ocean

BY KELSEY IMPICCICHE

From popular content creator Kelsey Impicciche, Voice of the Ocean follows a daring young siren who defies her people to save a human prince, unearthing ancient magic and igniting a dangerous romance amidst treacherous waters.

As the youngest daughter of the Siren queen, Celeste’s life is tightly controlled. Desperate to prove her worth, she intends to join the Chorus - an elite group of siren warriors. With her final test on the horizon, Celeste must finally gain control over her temperamental Song. But when Celeste encounters a seemingly harmless ship, helmed by the intriguing Prince Raiden Sharp, her path veers towards forbidden waters.

Where Shadows Meet

BY PATRICE CALDWELL

The dark and thrillingly romantic debut vampire fantasy that questions what it truly means to sacrifice for love.

You have no idea what I’ve done for love. Just as you have no idea what you may one day do. Once long ago, a girl named Favre sacrificed her wings for love. Thana, the young goddess she so willingly gave them up for, sacrificed that same love for power. But everything has a cost. Favre never got over the loss of her wings. And Thana’s choices led to a life of eternal night, and later, their destruction. Favre has bided her time ever since, waiting for the chance to resurrect the girl she loves who turned her into the creature she hates.

The Summer I Ate The Rich

BY MAIKA MOULITE & MARITZA MOULITE

Just add lemon, garlic, and a dash of the one percent. This smart, biting novel explores what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain. Brielle Petitfour loves to cook. But with a chronically sick mother and bills to pay, becoming a chef isn’t exactly a realistic career path. When Brielle’s mom suddenly loses her job, Brielle steps in and uses her culinary skills to earn some extra money. The rich families who love her cooking praise her use of unique flavors and textures, which keep everyone guessing what’s in Brielle’s dishes. The secret ingredient? Human flesh.

Murder Between Friends

BY LIZ LAWSON

Two years ago, the murder of a neighbor tore three best friends apart--now the killer is going to walk free and the ex-friends are going to have to face the past--and each other--in another twisty thriller from the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Agathas

Grace, Henry, and Ally grew up together on the same block. They used to be best friends--until Grace’s testimony put Henry’s brother, Jake, away for killing their English teacher. Now, two years later, Ally and Henry hate Grace, and Grace is doubting what she thinks she saw that night.

Holy Terrors

BY MARGARET OWEN

All The Stars Align

BY GRETCHEN SCHREIBER

All the Stars Align is the magical love story that is Taylor Swift’s Enchanted meets Cyrano, from the author of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal.

All the women in Piper’s family know their true love at first sight, complete with butterflies, heart eyes, and a gut instinct. The kind of fated love that lasts forever. Piper grew up with her ancestors’ epic love stories repeated like fairy tales, and yearns for the day she’ll start her own. Already singled out in her family due to her physical disability, Piper collects a second strike against her when her parents announce their divorce, which convinces her family that she’s doomed.

Pride or Die

BY CL MONTBLANC

In this delightful dark comedy debut, when the members of an LGBTQ+ club find themselves accidentally framed for attempted murder, it’s up to them to clear their names before it’s too late.

It’s kind of hard to graduate high school when you’re the prime suspect in an attempted murder. Seventeen-year-old Eleanora Finkel just wants to finish her senior year and get the hell out of Texas. But when her club meeting inconveniently coincides with an attack on the school’s head cheerleader, she and her friends find themselves in the hot seat.

The Coven Tendency

BY ZOE HANA MIKUTA

Zoe Hana Mikuta delivers a bloody and unrelenting fantasy about young witches dangling on the edge of love and obsession, of magic and madness, of life and death (and death and death and death). . .

Just like her mother and her mother’s mother, 18-year-old Vanity Adams is destined to lead a lavish life under the patronship of the Museum, someday taking her place as its premiere necromantic Spectacle and the centerpiece of their weekly soirees thrown for the City’s elite.

If We Were A Movie

BY ZAKIYA N. JAMAL

Lights. Camera. Love? Rochelle “The Shell” Coleman is laser focused on only three things: becoming valedictorian, getting into Wharton, and, of course, taking down her annoyingly charismatic nemesis and only academic competition, Amira Rodriguez. However, despite her stellar grades, Rochelle’s college application is missing that extra special something: a job. When Rochelle gets an opportunity to work at Horizon Cinemas, the beloved Black-owned movie theater, she begrudgingly jumps at the chance to boost her chances of getting into her dream school. There’s only one problem: Amira works there . . . and is also her boss.

Dead Stream

BY MAR ROMASCO-MOORE

Rear Window meets The Ring in this sinister YA thriller, in which a teen girl witnesses the livestreamed murder of a popular online streamer by a paranormal entity . . . and could be its next victim. After surviving a car accident that claimed the life of her best friend, Teresa is now terrified to leave the safety of her bedroom. Since then, her only solace and window to the outside world has been the online community she found through streaming. But one night, the safe world Teresa created starts to break down. A shadowy figure appears in the background of her favorite’s streamer’s video, and his behavior mysteriously changes over the next few days before he dies in front of thousands of viewers.

Daughter of the Dead

BY K. JAMILA

A Witch Fighting for her Freedom, A Princess Vying for her Throne, A Queen Discovering World’s End

Centuries after the Massacre of the Witches, Nova Aarin has clawed her way out of the dirt. Through death and destruction, she has learned that above all, blood answers to her. After striking a deal—death for freedom—Nova chases all she has ever wanted: her autonomy. For someone who has brought nothing but death, will her life ever be her own?

The Lavender Blade

BY AUTHOR

What happens when a successful con becomes an unexpected reality? Colton and Lucian have a lot in common: both latetwenties, clever, have struggled with substance abuse, and find themselves penniless in Valencia. When Lucian discovers Colton’s fake exorcism con, he devises a scheme to turn that con into a business that can sustain them both. The work is successful, despite unsavory characters they meet along the from a woman who murdered her own staff member to a man who pretends to murder Lucian. But when a real, powerful demon possesses Lucian, will they have what it takes to vanquish it to save their relationship—and Lucian’s life?

Firerend

BY EMMA KENNEDY

Allara will do anything for her sick sister, but in a city like Oberon, gold is hard to come by and even harder to earn without selling your soul. With no marketable skills and high costs to keep up, Allara’s conscience might be the price she pays. Nymm fled her past to survive, leaving everything behind, but when her guild falls on tough times, she’ll have to rebuild their reputation or risk losing the only family she has left. The odds are stacked against her, but she’ll do anything to keep them together. Auren has been living for himself for so long, he’s forgotten what it means to have a purpose. With the chance of unimaginable wealth—and a shot at redemption—he jumps at the opportunity.

A Wraith Beneath the Tides

BY EMILIA JAE

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN MEETS ATLANTIS THE LOST EMPIRE.

Raised in secret by the sea’s most feared pirate, Esmyra Blackwood knows nothing of her past or the origins of her mysterious powers. In the mortal kingdom, Draevyn Rowe is the second-born son of the tyrant king, and the only known fire-wielder of their realm. Esmyra and Draevyn’s journeys collide when she kidnaps him to force a trade with the king for her captain’s life. But when her barter is refused, she is instead tasked with unearthing a kingdom lost a thousand years prior.

The Vampire Castle in the Sky

BY IRIS LAKE

A sentient castle. A broken promise. A love that stands the test of time.

Thea Valentia spent her entire life following the path others decided for her until an unexpected tragedy forced her to carve her own. After she abandons her life in the Faraway North, she embarks on a perilous journey in search of the whimsical and full-of-magic castle of her childhood memories and the little vampire prince she had once called a friend. Instead she finds a lethal man with an inescapable destiny and a haunted castle that is determined to bind them together.

Sea of Evil & Desire

BY J. STŘELOU

A LOVE BOUND BY FATE. A KINGDOM ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION.

Beneath the waves, an ancient feud between the Mer and Drowned has simmered for centuries, sparked by a forbidden love and a tragic curse . . .

Morgana Scott isn’t like anyone else—she senses people’s feelings. The unexpected death of her grandmother sends her to Ruadán’s Port, a windswept seaside town on Scotland’s Isle of Islay. Steeped in superstition and shadowed by eerie tales of Mer, Selkies, gods, and ghosts, the town holds a history as restless as the sea itself.

The King’s Man

BY ANYTA SUNDAY

Healing is his calling. Love is his curse. And this is just the beginning.

Cael knows the healing magic is for the privileged, and parlinea like him exist only to serve. But when his forbidden spellbooks vanish and his father arranges his marriage to settle a debt, he flees into the royal woods, where he stumbles upon dying soldiers and a poisoned noble. Using illegal medius magic, he saves the noble’s life, only to entangle himself in a dangerous game of politics. Now hunted for magic he shouldn’t possess, his only escape is to secretly compete in the mage examinations and prove himself a true vitalian.

Heart of Chaos

BY MADELEINE ELIOT

To master Chaos, she must first survive it.

Eisa’s life is one of pain and cruelty. Living in servitude, she grapples daily with an illness for which there is no cure and abuse at the hands of the man who has owned her since she was a child. When Arik, a silver-eyed second-in-command of the king’s dragon-bonded warriors, makes her a deal she can’t refuse, Eisa finds herself hurtling toward a destiny she never would have chosen. Desperate to free her loved ones, Eisa agrees to travel to the desolate wasteland in the south, to bond a dragon to her soul, and to become one of the legendary Drage.

Awaken Archangel

BY CJ PIPERATA

Gears & gladiators collide in this ever-so-human tale about the Heavenly Host, in a time when innocence reigned, and evil was still an unused variable.

Nobody knows who Michael is. Not even Michael. He’s endured horrors no indoctrinated, half-witted angel would ever believe. He’s survived on scraps, been humiliated— painted by candlelight while hiding in holes. But when a mysterious cloaked figure rescues him, he’s thrust into some perfect utopia he doesn’t fit into.

Spellbound

BY C. K. ANDERSSON

Spellbound is the sequel and the conclusion to The Offline Series, and it picks up where Shadow Dance left off.

The dark whispers become louder until they almost completely drown my thoughts and take over who I am. The words uttered from my tongue and the blood I spill are more and more the actions of the monstrous entity that guides my hand than my own. Losing Saga meant losing the only path I had to master the magic of the Light. She was the vessel, an uncontrolled font, fatal in nature, and yet untainted. She was the one I had been waiting for. The one I forcefully brought into Theadrath. The key to bring back my lost love.

A Web of Obsidian

BY LYDIA M. HAWKE

At 69 years old and with two martial arts black belts to her name, Sister Monica Barrett has never been one to back down from a fight. But the one that just landed on the ragged front lawn of the women’s shelter she runs may be more than she’s equipped to handle.

At first glance, the assailant in pursuit of a young woman seems like an all-too-familiar story. But this attacker has powers—he moves with uncanny speed, strikes with brutal accuracy, and isn’t after the woman at all. Instead, he wants what she has: a flat, black stone with a spider’s web embedded in it.

Queen of the Crimson Throne

BY KAITLYN SWANSON

Her fated future is waiting. But Lennox Adair doesn’t believe in fate. Lennox Adair is determined to leave the past behind. But there are things even she can’t outrun. Like her parents and brother’s deaths and her arranged marriage to Luka Rossi—the vampire who she let into her heart, only for him to have a hand in leaving it in more shards than when they met. While Lennox has been trying to forget Luka, he’s spent every day since she demanded him to leave Alethens trying to find a way out of their arranged marriage.

Polybius

BY COLLIN ARMSTRONG

Stranger Things meets The Walking Dead in this shivery novel based on a terrifying urban legend about a small seaside town descending into chaos when an unusual video game is unveiled at the local arcade.

Having recently moved to the gentrifying seaside town of Tasker Bay with her mother, the only thing on high schooler Andi’s mind is saving up enough money for her escape to Silicon Valley. Though it’s owned by the shadiest resident in town, she takes a job at the dingy arcade Home Video World.

Cold Eternity

BY S.A. BARNES

Cold Eternity is the newest action-packed space horror from S.A. Barnes perfect for fans of Severance, where desperation for eternal life leads to a fate worse than death...

Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago…

Where the Axe is Buried

BY RAY NAYLER

All systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end.

In the authoritarian Federation, there is a plot to assassinate and replace the President, a man who has downloaded his mind to a succession of new bodies to maintain his grip on power. Meanwhile, on the fringes of a Western Europe that has renounced human governance in favor of ostensibly more efficient, objective, and peaceful AI Prime Ministers, an experimental artificial mind is malfunctioning, threatening to set off a chain of events that may spell the end of the Western world.

My Documents

BY KEVIN NGUYEN

The paths of four family members diverge drastically when the U.S. government begins detaining Vietnamese Americans, in this sharp and touching novel about growing up at the intersection of ambition and assimilation.

Ursula, Alvin, Jen, and Duncan grew up as cousins in the sprawling Nguyen family, but the truth about their family is much more complicated. As young adults, they’re on the precipice of new ventures—Ursula as a budding journalist in Manhattan, Alvin as an engineering intern for Google, Jen as a naive freshman at NYU, and Duncan as a promising newcomer on his high school football team.

Terrestrial History

BY JOE MUNGO REED

A family saga following four generations on a time-bending journey from coastal Scotland to a colony on Mars.

Hannah is a fusion scientist working in a cottage off the coast of Scotland when she’s approached by a visitor from the future, a young man from a human settlement on Mars, traveling backward through time to intervene in the fate of a warming planet.

Roban lives in the Colony, a sterile outpost of civilization, where he longs for the wonders of a home planet he never knew.

Meet Me at Blue Hour

BY SARAH SUK

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Past Lives in this gripping, emotional story of two childhood friends navigating the fallout of one erasing their memory of the other, from acclaimed author Sarah Suk.

Seventeen-year-old Yena Bae is spending the summer in Busan, South Korea, working at her mom’s memory-erasing clinic. She feels lost and disconnected from people, something she’s felt ever since her best friend, Lucas, moved away four years ago without a word, leaving her in limbo.

When We Were Real

BY DARYL GREGORY

From multiple award-winning author Daryl Gregory comes a madcap adventure following two friends on a cross-country bus tour through the mind-boggling glitches in their simulated world as they grapple with love, family, secrets, and the very nature of reality in a simulation. JP and Dulin have been the best of friends for decades. When JP finds out his cancer has aggressively returned, Dulin decides it’s the perfect time for one last a week-long bus tour of North America’s Impossibles, the physics-defying glitches and geographic miracles that started cropping up seven years earlier—right after the Announcement that revealed our world to be merely a digital simulacrum.

The Edge of Yesterday

BY RITA WOODS

Greer Coffey is a principal dancer with a renowned Harlem company. Sebastian Coffey is an architect with a prestigious Midtown firm. The Coffey’s are the ultimate dream couple — until their world completely unravels. After Greer develops a career-ending neurologic disorder, she finds herself back in her hometown of Detroit. Angry, lonely, her marriage buckling under the strain, she takes to aimlessly wandering the city streets. One night, she stumbles through a vortex, a portal through time that transports her back into 1925 Detroit, where she meets a handsome, charming doctor.

Saga

BY BRIAN K. VAUGHKAN

In the epic twelfth volume of SAGA, Alana takes on a dangerous new role, her 12-year-old daughter Hazel forges an important friendship, and the galaxy’s balance of power begins to shift.

Romeo & Juliet meets Star Wars in this genre-blending, scifi/fantasy space opera about star crossed lovers from enemy worlds. An epic for mature readers, Saga follows new parents Marko and Alana as they risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. A multiple award winning, critically acclaimed masterpiece and one of the most iconic, bestselling comic book series of its time.

Notes from a Regicide

BY ISAAC FELLMAN

Notes from a Regicide is a heartbreaking story of trans selfdiscovery with a rich relatability and a science-fictional twist from award-winning author Isaac Fellman.

When your parents die, you find out who they really were. Griffon Keming’s second parents saved him from his abusive family. They taught him how to be trans, paid for his transition, and tried to love him as best they could. But Griffon’s new parents had troubles of their own – both were deeply scarred by the lives they lived before Griffon, the struggles they faced to become themselves, and the failed revolution that drove them from their homeland.

Awakened

BY A.E. OSWORTH

A coven of trans witches battles an evil AI in the magical coming-of-middle-age romp about love, loss, drag shows, and late capitalism. On a morning much like any other, 30-something queer Brooklynite Wilder makes the miraculous discovery: suddenly, as if by magic, they can understand every language in the world. Dazed and disconnected, Wilder is found and taken in by a small coven of trans witches who have all become Awakened with mystical powers of their own. Quibble, a handsome portal traveler, Artemis, the group’s caretaker and seer, and Mary Margaret, a smart-ass teen with telekinetic powers all work to make the cagey and suspicious Wilder feel comfortable...

A Palace Near the Wind

BY AI JIANG

Sometimes called Wind Walkers for their ability to command the wind, unlike their human rulers, the Feng people have bark faces, carved limbs, arms of braided branches, and hair of needle threads. Bound by duty and tradition, Liu Lufeng, the eldest princess of the Feng royalty, is the next bride to the human king. The negotiation of bridewealth is the only way to stop the expansion of the humans so that the Feng can keep their lands, people, and culture intact. As the eldest, Lufeng should be the next in line to lead the people of Feng, and in the past, that made her sisters disposable. Thankful that her youngest sister, Chuiliu, is too young for a sacrificial marriage, she steps in with plans to kill the king to finally stop the marriages.

Whispers Among Thorns

BY CASSANDRA ASTON

Living under the radar in New York City, Sav just wants to carve out a life in her new world. That hope is shattered when the leader of the anti-fae movement destroys her home in an attack on her people. Finding herself caught between protecting a deadly secret and saving the fae from the humans bent on slaughter, Sav must infiltrate the extremist’s inner circle, posing as a human, and seduce her sworn enemy’s son. Jack, the son of the infamous anti-fae-faction leader Dane Clyde, has always lived in his father’s shadow. When a woman is brought into AFF headquarters in chains, he finds himself drawn to her despite the danger. Caught between duty and desire, Jack must choose a side before one is chosen for him.

Make the Play

BY KAYLEE RYAN

NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team.

This is Knox Beckett’s story. More details to come.

A Vision of Lights

BY MARIA A. EDEN

Enzo Mangianelli was destined to kill his sister, Cori, but fate had different plans. After the prophecy, he lost his magic, his daughter, his restaurant, and his best friend. When given the opportunity to make things right, Enzo finds himself at the mercy of the same witches who once pursued him.

Prudence Alden lived her life bound to a promise. But what good is a promise when no one believes she deserves it? Pru is ready to inherit her father’s position and take on the role of high priestess when an opportunity to restore power to those who have lost their magic presents itself.

The Opposite of Romance

BY NADIA NEALE

A romance author. A dating experiment. An unexpected love.

Getting divorced and starting over with my two kids isn’t a story I thought I’d ever have to live in real life. But that’s exactly how I ended up here, moving into a brand-new house and trying to date again at thirty-six.

When my sister suggests I date men based on their “romance book tropes”, an experiment which turns out to be more than a bust, the last thing I expect to find is love…

Just One More Affair

BY CARLY PHILLIPS

Oops, she did it again…

A one-night stand with a billionaire. A surprise pregnancy. Can she trust his love? Or is it the baby tying them together?

Charlotte Kendall never expected history to repeat itself after a one-night stand at a wedding. Especially since a past encounter left her co-parenting twin daughters she adores. Except this time, her baby daddy is a man she can’t resist.

All We Need

BY RONNIE MATHEWS

Booth Sadler is at a fork in the road. The plan was to leave his hometown, spread his wings wide, and be the chef he’s always dreamed of being. That was the dream. Instead, loyalty has overridden passion, making it impossible to abandon his family’s restaurant. Hiding behind cunning wit, those closest to him would never suspect he’s regretting his choices. When a raven-haired beauty catches his eye and seems immune to his charm, the last thing he expects is her to be enemy number one. Or so he thinks.

Goldheart

BY TESS CARLETTA

A world plagued by sun sickness can be both terrible and beautiful.

Senna Kane was plucked from his orphanage and molded into the perfect Goldheart—the personal bodyguard to the prince. It’s a demanding job, made harder by the headstrong prince’s desire to solve the tension between the darkness-bathed Talsura and the sun-welcoming Redwind, but Senna has vowed to do his best.

GOLDHEART is a story about chosen family, choosing love, and the impossible feat of staying good in times of darkness.

Good Intentions

BY ANNABEL DEN DEKKER

Life is hard, especially for those with good intentions.

Eighteen years before Javi’s arrest, he is born in a small shed in Belqueña. Growing up on the streets, he faces every challenge life throws at him, convinced that people suck and the world’s in need of a drastic change. When Javi joins the Initiative, it finally feels like things are turning around, and a brighter future seems within reach. Together with his best friend and moral compass, Fynn Dareion, he leaves the city to fight for a better world.

But what happens when his moral compass turns against him?

Wrap Around

BY REBECCA RATHE

Deliciously dirty, delightfully neurotic, ratchet mess of a daydreamer. A forbidden MM sports romance- HOCKEY!

See Linktr.ee/RebeccaRathe for a full list of books, social media, and trigger warnings.

Whisked Away

BY M. COLETTE

In the coastal town of Dove Point, where sun-kissed beaches meet the whispers of the sea, Ellie returns home to piece together her broken heart. Torn between the bustling city life of New York and the peaceful simplicity of her hometown, she’s searching for clarity—a second chance at the life she left behind. Rowan, the dedicated owner of The Salty Dog brewery, has spent years burying himself in his work, avoiding the ache of losing the one person who mattered most. But when Ellie, his childhood best friend and the one who got away, comes back for the summer, Rowan realizes this might be his last chance to claim the love he’s always wanted.

Reply All

BY CAROLINE FRANK

Corporate emailing has never been this hot...Bridget Quinn owes a big thank you to whoever created the email “recall” function. Thanks to them, instead of ending her career, a wayward “reply all” lands her a secret confidant inside her fashion firm’s top client. The more she talks to Will, the more she finds herself falling head over heels. But when they go from an online friendship into an IRL hook up, she’s not sure she’s ready to risk the one person she has come to trust completely. Bridget prides herself on always seeing the silver lining. But the more she talks to Will, the more he helps her realize that sometimes her “silver-lining” is really settling.

Beneath the Sunshine

BY SMARDLINE S.

When Rylee Queen del Sol takes a dream job in Paris, she doesn’t expect her new boss to be the man she ghosted a year ago.

Guarded and untouchable, Rylee has built walls around her heart, convinced love wasn’t meant for her. But those walls crack the moment she walks into the office of her new French billionaire boss— Lucien Kingley. Lucien needs a wife to secure his CEO position before his 30th birthday. Desperate, he makes Rylee an offer she can’t refuse, even if it means risking the one thing she’s protected most—her heart.

Julie Chen is Dead

BY LIANN ZHANG

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.

The Staircase in the Woods

BY CHUCK WENDIG

A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods in this mesmerizing horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what. Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something a mysterious staircase to nowhere. One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears. Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy— and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. . . .

When the Wolf Comes Home

BY NAT CASSIDY

One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy’s father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives.

As they attempt to evade the boy’s increasingly desperate father, horrifying incidents of butchery follow them. At first, Jess thinks she understands what they’re up against, but she’s about to learn there’s more to these surreal and grisly events than she could’ve ever imagined. And that when the wolf finally comes home, none will be spared.

Their Monstrous Hearts

BY YIĞIT TURHAN

A haunting novel about the boundaries people will cross to keep their dreams alive. A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection. The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse.

Serial Killer Games

BY KATE POSEY

What would you do if you thought your coworker was getting away with murder—literally? Dolores dela Cruz has been dying to spot one in the wild, and he fits the mold: strangler gloves, calculated charm, dashing good looks that give a leg up in any field . . . including fields of unmarked graves. The new office temp is definitely a serial killer. Jake Ripper finds a welcome distraction in his combative and enigmatic new coworker. He hasn’t come across anyone as interesting as Dolores in a long time. But when mere curiosity evolves into a darkly romantic flirtation, Jake can’t help but wonder if, finally, he’s found someone who really sees him, skeletons in the closet and all. Until Dolores asks Jake’s help to dispose of a body . . .

This is Not a Game

BY KELLY MULLEN

A unique locked-room debut with a memorable intergenerational relationship and gaming angle, about a grandmother and granddaughter who are snowed in at a lavish party at a mansion where the host has been murdered, and the unlikely sleuthing pair must draw on a unique skillset to navigate a dangerous game together Widow Mimi lives on idyllic Mackinac Island where cars are not allowed and a Gibson with three onions at the witching hour is compulsory. Her granddaughter, Addie, is getting over the heartbreak of her fiancé, Brian, dumping her and cutting her out of the deal for the brilliantly successful video game, Murderscape, they invented together (with Addie doing most of the heavy lifting).

Eat The Ones You Love

BY SARAH MARIA GRIFFIN

A twisted, tangled story about workplace love-affairs, and plants with a taste for human flesh

During a grocery run to her local shopping center, Shell Pine sees a ‘HELP NEEDED’ sign in a flower shop window. She’s just left her fiancé, lost her job, and moved home to her parents’ house. She has to make a change and bring some good into her life, so she goes inside and takes a chance. Shell realizes right away that flowers are just the good thing she’s been looking for, as is Neve, the beautiful florist who wrote the sign asking for help. The thing is, Neve needs help more than Shell could possibly imagine.

A Proposal to Die For

BY MOLLY HARPER

A fast-paced, witty, and delightful new mystery about a marriage proposal planner whose biggest job yet is threatened by a dead body (or two).

Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and prosand-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.

One Death at a Time

BY ABBI WAXMAN

A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison in this dazzling new mystery novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. When Julia Mann, a bad-tempered ex-actress and professional thorn in the side of authority, runs into Natasha Mason at an AA meeting, it’s anything but a meet-cute. Julia just found a dead body in her swimming pool, and the cops say she did it (she already went to jail for murder once, so now they think she’s making a habit of it). Mason is eager to clear Julia’s name and help keep her sober, but all Julia wants is for Mason to leave her alone.

The Usual Desire to Kill

BY CAMILLA BARNES

An often hilarious, surprisingly moving portrait of a longmarried couple, seen through the eyes of their wickedly observant daughter—for fans of A Man Called Ove and The Royal Tenenbaums. Miranda’s parents live in a dilapidated house in rural France that they share with two llamas, eight ducks, five chickens, two cats, and a freezer full of food dating back to 1982. Miranda’s father is a retired professor of philosophy who never loses an argument. Her mother likes to bring conversation back to the War, although she was born after it ended. Married for fifty years, they are uncommonly set in their ways.

Bad Nature

BY ARIEL COURAGE

Armed with a terminal diagnosis, a grudge, and a rental car, Hester sets out to fulfill her lifelong dream of killing her father in this brilliantly subversive and bleakly funny novel.

When Hester is diagnosed with terminal cancer on her fortieth birthday, she knows immediately what she must do: abandon her possessions and drive to California to kill her estranged father. With no friends or family tying her to the life she’s built in New York City, she quits her wildly lucrative job in corporate law and starts driving west. She hasn’t made it far when she runs into John, an environmental activist in need of a ride to different superfund sites across the United States.

What Remains of Teague House

BY STACY JOHNS

Three siblings reckon with the darkness hidden within their family after multiple graves are discovered behind their childhood home.

When the Rawlins family matriarch unexpectedly dies, all three adult children rush home. What they find is a house bursting with grief, dark memories surfacing around each corner, and multiple bodies buried deep in the woods. The Rawlinses want to believe these discoveries point to a crime long past. But one of the graves behind Teague House is fresh, the earth disturbed just that week—and its inhabitant is a local woman they knew.

Chasing Moonflowers

BY PAULINE CHOW

In 1925 colonial Hong Kong, young herbalist Ling Shaw witnesses a murder committed by a bloodthirsty creature. When her uncle is wrongfully arrested for the crime, Ling is the only one who can find the real killer. Teaming up with her private academy best friend and a Red Society thug from the Kowloon Walled City, she uncovers dark family secrets, occult rituals, vampires, and a sinister plot tied to the Canton Labor Strikes. To protect her family and all of Kowloon, Ling must overcome ancient and eldritch forces.

Blending historical fantasy, gothic horror, and family drama, this story explores the What makes a real monster?

The Lavender Blade

BY AUTHOR

Firerend

BY EMMA KENNEDY

A Wraith Beneath the Tides

BY EMILIA JAE

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN MEETS ATLANTIS THE LOST EMPIRE.

The Amalfi Curse

BY SARAH PENNER

Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

The Book Club for Troublesome Women

MARIE BOSTWICK

Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives. By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new “planned community” in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all. The fact that “all” doesn’t feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustafson--the eccentric and artsy “new neighbor” from Manhattan--and read Betty Friedan’s just-released book, The Feminine Mystique.

The Eights

BY JOANNA MILLER

They knew they were changing history. They didn’t know they would change each other. Following the unlikely friendship of four of the first ever women to matriculate at Oxford University in the aftermath of the First World War, a captivating debut novel about sisterhood, self-determination and the many forms courage can take. Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its 1000year history, the world’s most famous university has admitted female students. Giddy with dreams of equality, education and emancipation, four young women move into neighbouring rooms. Beatrice, Dora, Marianne and Otto (collectively known as The Eights) have come here from all walks of life, and they are thrown into an unlikely, life-affirming friendship.

When the Tides Held the Moon

BY VENESSA VIDA KELLEY

In Coney Island, true love rises to the surface. With lush illustrations and buoyant prose, Venessa Vida Kelley forges an unforgettable New York fairytale.

Benigno “Benny” Caldera knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith in 1910s New York City can’t call himself an artist. But the ironwork tank he creates for famed Coney Island playground, Luna Park, astounds the eccentric sideshow proprietor who commissioned it. He invites Benny to join the show’s eclectic cast and share in their shocking secret: the tank will cage their newest exhibit, a live merman stolen from the salty banks of the East River.

Six Days in Bombay

BY ALKA JOSHI

From the New York Times bestselling author of THE HENNA ARTIST, this sweeping novel follows a young Anglo-Indian nurse who embarks on a journey from her home in Bombay, through Prague, Florence, Paris, and London, to uncover a mystery and prove her innocence after a famous painter dies in her care. When renouned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she’s expected to make a quick recovery, and Sona is excited to spend time with the worldly woman who shares her half-Indian identity, even if that’s where their similarities end. Sona is enraptured by Mira’s stories of her travels, and shocked by accounts of the many lovers she’s left scattered through Europe.

The Gods Time Forgot

BY KELSIE SHERIDAN GONZALEZ

Irish mythology collides with Gilded Age New York in this sweeping debut enemies-to-lovers historical romantasy, perfect for fans of Outlander and A Fate Inked in Blood.

Manhattan, 1870. Rua knows only two things: her name, and that she has no memories. So when the wealthy Harrington family mistakes Rua for their missing daughter, Emma, Rua goes along with the charade, hoping for answers about who she really is. As she tries to blend into a society she doesn’t remember, she’s drawn to a firmly off-limits the Lord of Donore, a newcomer to Manhattan society who is somehow familiar to Rua.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses

BY ELISE HOOPER

When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy’s uneventful life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses.

The Pretender

BY JO HARKIN

A sweeping historical novel in the vein of Hilary Mantel and Maggie O’Farrell set during the time of the Tudors’ ascent. The Pretender tells the story of Lambert Simnel, who was raised in obscurity as a peasant boy to protect his safety, believed to be the heir to the throne occupied by Richard III, and briefly crowned, at the age of ten, as King Edward the Sixth, one of the last of the Plantagenets.

In 1480, John Collan’s greatest anxiety is how to circumvent the village’s devil goat on the way to collect water.

The Crying Tree and the Magic Rock.

The Crying Tree and the Magic Rock is a mesmerizing journey into the mystical and unexplained.

Authentic, heartfelt, and truly extraordinary. John Russell stands as a distinctive voice in the realm of paranormal literature, crafting narratives that transcend the ordinary and delve into the mystic aspects of the psychic and paranormal realms.

With an illustrious career that merges real-world psychic experiences with rich storytelling, Russell's works are a treasure trove for enthusiasts of the uncanny and the supernatural.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JOHN RUSSELL

"John Russell stands as a distinctive voice in the realm of paranormal literature, crafting narratives that transcend the ordinary and delve into the mystic aspects of the psychic and paranormal realms. With an illustrious career that merges real-world psychic experiences with rich storytelling, Russell's works are a treasure trove for enthusiasts of the uncanny and the supernatural." — New York Weekly

John has been a professional psychic for over 50 years. Internationally known, he has provided psychic readings for clients in over 40 countries and has authored four multi-awardwinning books about his real-life experiences with the spiritual world.

Beautiful and Terrible Things.

Charley Byrne isn’t really living. At age 29, she hunkers down in her apartment above the bookstore she manages, afraid of a 7-year curse. Then quirky activist Xander Wallace lures her out of social exile with the prospect of friendship and romance. Charley joins Xander’s circle of friends diverse in their heritage, race, gender and sexual orientation. She thrives, even leaving her comfort zone to join protests in a city struggling with social justice ills.

But the new friendships bring back-to-back betrayals that threaten the bookstore—Charley’s haven—and propel her into a dangerous depression. Can her friends save the store? And Charley?

Beautiful and Terrible Things offers a compelling portrait of modern American life in a major city with its vibrant culture and rampant social issues. At once enlightening and entertaining, it reminds us that friendship has the power to validate, destroy, transform, and save lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.M. STEVENS

After many years as a business writer, S.M. Stevens found the time to pen her first novel when a pelvis broken in 3 places absolved her from housework and chauffeuring the kids around for several months. The result was her middlegrade novel Shannon's Odyssey, written for adventurous animal-lovers.

A year later, while in treatment for cancer, she wrote the first of the Bit Players series to fill the void of fiction for music and theatre-loving teens. The YA series now has three books, and appeals to all teens not just drama-loving ones.

Broken Pencils.

Jonah Tarver, a troubled Oakland teenager grappling with his parents' troubled marriage, his own mental disorder, and the weight of his best friend's death, embarks on a desperate quest to find meaning in life. On his eighteenth birthday, coinciding with his Senior prom, Jonah, along with his girlfriend Taniesha, his best friend Trevon, and a group of peers, spirals into a night of reckless indulgence in drugs and alcohol in the vibrant city of San Francisco. As tensions escalate and emotions run high, Jonah finds himself thrust into a gripping twelvehour journey through the dark underbelly of San Francisco's nightlife, forever altering his perception of the world. Will Jonah uncover the purpose he so desperately seeks, or will he discover that life, like broken pencils, may have no point?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.R. RICE

Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Oakland, California, there was a man named J.R Rice. He was a Black man with a passion for writing, teaching, and spoken word artistry. J.R had always been captivated by the power of words and their ability to inspire, motivate and transform lives. As a young man, he knew that he wanted to make a difference in the world through his writing and his ability to connect with people. After receiving his B.A in Creative Writing and an English Education teaching credential from California State University of Long Beach, J.R set out to pursue his dreams. He traveled abroad to Greece, where he had the honor of being mentored by the renowned author, George Crane. It was there that he honed his skills and developed his unique voice, which he would later use to inspire and empower countless others.

Abilene.

Three strong Southern women -- twelveyear-old Len, her mother Cora, and her Aunt Jean -- grapple with love and loss in this poignant tale set on a hardscrabble cattle ranch in a small Texas town. Len yearns to find the father who abandoned her, and after a chance encounter with a country music star who she suspects is him, she embarks on a life-altering journey to find the truth about her past. At the same time, Cora and Jean must deal with another shocking family betrayal that complicates everything. Told in turns by these three remarkable women, Abilene explores the boundaries of love and the transformative power of self-discovery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DARE DELANO

Dare DeLano writes literary fiction for adults and middle grade fiction. Her debut novel, Abilene, was released on November 1, 2023, by Mint Hill Books. Her work has been a finalist for the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition and is represented by Jennifer Thompson of Nordlyset Literary Agency.

Her middle grade novel, Odus and the Long Way Home (The Odyssey), won the San Diego Book Award and Gold Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. Dare holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University, with her work featured in the A Year in Ink Anthology and the San Diego Central Library’s Local Author Exhibition.

Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way.

James Henry Ferguson doesn't belong here. After a highly publicized fall from grace, James attempts to flee from the chaos in his life. He ends up in a community he had never heard of before, one that has been neglected and ignored by everyone in rural Ham, Mississippi. A place of abject poverty, the neighborhood is commonly referred to as "Around the Way."

Within a place forgotten by the rest of the world, politics can be a dangerous game. When a troubling discovery is made, the entire neighborhood is rocked to its core and James is forced to confront his own past in order to help the community have a future. He will have to find the strength to fight for the neighbors he once disregarded and avert a heart-breaking disaster. A self-identified failure is forced to uncover the wisdom of his past in order to recognize that money can't solve every problem. Full of never-ending twists and turns, no one can prepare themselves for the surprises in store. Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way is a story about failure, self-discovery, empowerment, and the possibility of redemption.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JEFFREY BLOUNT

Jeffrey Blount is an award-winning author of four novels, including The Emancipation of Evan Walls, which won the 2020 National Indie Excellence Award for African American fiction.

Alongside his literary achievements, he is an Emmywinning television director and a Virginia Communications Hall of Fame inductee. During his 34-year career at NBC News, he directed iconic programs like Meet The Press and Today, becoming its first African-American director. Blount’s documentary scripts are featured in institutions like the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.

NEW TO SHELF UNBOUND!

Shelf Media Group's digital young adult community designed to connect readers with YA authors and books.

Miles in Time.

BY LEE MATTHEW GOLDBERG

In Miles in Time, Lee Matthew Goldberg crafts a fastpaced, gripping adventure that blends mystery, time travel, and the quest for truth, all seen through the eyes of 14-year-old Miles Hardy. A self-proclaimed amateur detective in the sleepy town of Frontier, Iowa, Miles spends his days solving small cases, like missing pets, until the shocking death of his genius older brother, Simon, turns his world upside down.

As Miles delves deeper into Simon’s secret life, he uncovers a hidden time machine and a video from Simon revealing the ultimate mission: to stop a shadowy force from exploiting the machine and altering the future. Miles navigates the complexities of time travel, trying to solve the mystery while avoiding catastrophic changes to the timeline—most notably, by avoiding running into his past self. It’s a journey filled with suspense, heartbreak, and the thrill of discovery.

Goldberg's writing is dynamic, making Miles in Time an incredibly fun read. The twists and turns are unpredictable, and the suspense builds steadily as Miles uncovers more about his brother’s secret life and the ominous forces at play.

At its core, the story is also about family—Miles' strained relationship with his father, his idealization of his brilliant but distant brother, and the deep loss he feels after Simon’s death. This emotional depth makes the book stand out from other time-travel mysteries, giving readers more than just an adventure. Goldberg’s exploration of the bond between siblings is both poignant and realistic, with Miles’ grief and determination making him a relatable protagonist.

The setting, though simple and small-town, is brought to life with vivid descriptions that make Frontier, Iowa feel real and lived-in, juxtaposed against the mysterious and high-tech elements of Simon’s time machine. The underlying tension between the mundane world and the high-concept idea of time travel serves as the perfect backdrop for Miles' thrilling investigation.

If you love thrilling mysteries, complex characters, and a dash of sci-fi, Miles in Time is a must-read. Goldberg successfully captures the excitement of a time-travel adventure while weaving in emotional stakes that resonate with readers of all ages.

WHAT TO READ IN YA FICTION

Young adult fiction continues to become one of the most popular genres – mostly for adults. Join us each issue to find your next YA read.

MILES IN TIME

BY LEE MATTHEW GOLDBERG

MILES IN TIME .

Solve the mystery, save the future…

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RETURN OF PODSTER!

Shelf Media Group's digital magazine about podcasts and podcasters.

Between the Covers.

WITH DAVID NAIMON

About the Podcast

Between the Covers, a literary radio show and podcast hosted by David Naimon, is brought to you by Tin House. These long-form indepth conversations have been singled out by the Guardian, Book Riot, the Financial Times, and BuzzFeed as one of the most notable book podcasts for writers and readers around. “If you haven’t peeped this podcast yet,” says poet Morgan Parker, “it’s one of my favorite interviews and my mom says it’s my ‘best one.’” Between the Covers queries can be sent to: btc.queries@gmail.com

READ THE INTERVIEW ON THE NEXT PAGE.

BY CORINNA KLOTH

Podster is a column for podcast listeners and serves as a curator for the best of known and unknown podcasts.

BETWEEN THE COVERS WITH DAVID NAIMON

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

DN: I am a writer in Portland, Oregon. For 22 years I was a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist and herbalist and did the book podcast as a side project for the first decade of its existence. But for the past four years the show has been my full-time focus thanks to listener support.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH THE PODCAST?

DN: I was doing a health show at a local community radio station and after many years of hosting it I found it was lacking a certain dynamism. What I mean is, no matter how good a given book by a doctor or nutritionist or herbalist was, you roughly knew what their answer was going to be to your questions before you asked them. So, when the book show at the radio station needed people to fill-in, I thought I’d give it a try. Little did I know how much more I would enjoy having conversations about literature, where it wasn’t clear where a conversation might go and which often asked and explored meaningful questions about art-making and living. It probably didn’t hurt that the first person I interviewed was Anthony Doerr. This was long before he was a household name. He was still a writer’s writer back then. But despite my nerves, after every question he would respond with something like “what an incredible question, David!” I’m sure this was simply part of the generous and kind way he moves through the world, but I should thank him here for that. Who knows if I’d still be doing this 15 years later if that first conversation had been a disaster!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PODCAST?

DN: Between the Covers is a long-form literary podcast whose guests are writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, science fiction & fantasy. While the show doesn’t shy away from exploring the craft of writing, it more broadly aims to create a space where creative writing is a lens into what it means to be alive, into how we make meaning within our lives. The conversations on literature and art-making often intersect with history, philosophy, science, religion and more. So while there are many writers, art-makers, translators and aspiring ones listening to the show, there are also anthropologists, social scientists, and political organizers who regularly listen too.

A good example of this is the limited series that ran in 2022 called “Crafting with Ursula,” a twelve episode series where twelve different writers were invited to discuss their own work in relation to an aspect of Ursula K. Le Guin’s. These included an episode with Becky Chambers on creating aliens and alien cultures, Maria Dahvana Headley on feminist translation and retellings of the classics, Will Alexander about writing for children, and Adrienne Maree Brown about social justice and science fiction. The breadth of this series I think is also true about Between the Covers at large.

WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING AND MOST SATISFYING PART OF RUNNING A PODCAST?

DN: There are so many satisfying things. Over the course of my encounters with

writers over 15 years, and with the opportunity to follow my enduring questions and curiosities through who I invite on the show, both me and the show have transformed in ways I would’ve never anticipated. That process of discovery and self-discovery is deeply satisfying. I also particularly love the moment when a conversation is set free into the world and one can watch where it travels, and in whose hearts it lands. There is nothing more satisfying than learning that someone is using episodes in their classroom, or to discover that Between the Covers has influenced a poem or how a book was conceived. There is a unique joy when the conversations have escaped their container and become something else entirely. Last, but certainly not least, are the connections and community that have come into my life because of the show. I’m very grateful for all of it. With regards to challenges, it is really the time and labor—from scheduling to audio editing to promoting to all the preparation which goes into each conversation—all of which is never-ending. I’m not complaining, but I do need to be careful and vigilant about life-work balance.

WHAT’S ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE EPISODES?

DN: Among the many I adore, I should probably choose the one that changed my life. That would be the third conversation I had with Ursula K. Le Guin about her essay collection Words Are My Matter, which is the most listened to conversation in the show’s history. The first two times we talked were at the radio station but the third was in the

upstairs reading room of her house. By then, we had established a really nice rapport, and were now talking in her home, her famous cat Pard (famous because Ursula would blog on behalf of and in the voice of Pard, to everyone’s delight) coming in and out to see what was going on. After the interview concluded I said to her that I couldn’t think of another writer I could’ve done this with, a writer who has written so enduringly, over a half century in fact, in every genre—fiction, poetry & nonfiction—where we could have three deep conversations across time about each one. In response she said “we should make a book.” Little did I know that this would change the trajectory of my life.

Together we made the book Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing. And it was during the final copyedits of that book, just months before the book was to come out, that Le Guin passed away. Suddenly, it was one of her last books, and the first, I think, to come out in a world without her. I had always imagined we would celebrate it together in some wonderful way here in Portland, our shared home. But in her memory, the book took me to Seattle for the Locus awards, Dublin for the Hugo awards, and I was asked to think deeply and write about her for many publications over the subsequent year. It inspired the Crafting with Ursula series and even now, seven years later, I just finished an essay about Le Guin’s relationship to maps and mapping for an exhibition of her maps happening in London in the fall. It feels like I am still sailing on the winds that she set into motion for us.

PRIDE & PUBLISHING

Things New Writers Don’t Understand

by Chrissy Brown | C.A.A.B Publishing

Writing is an act of discovery, not only of the world around us but of the self within. Every writer embarks on a journey that feels familiar, but the terrain is constantly shifting. Writers often do not know what they'll find when they sit down to create. In the midst of crafting stories, essays, or poems, writers are caught in a paradox: we are experts and amateurs at the same time. There are many things writers new and old alike don’t know, and that uncertainty is what makes the process both thrilling and terrifying.

1. Writing Can Be Lonely

Writers often find themselves working alone. It can be a solitary and rather isolating experience. This can be helped with workshops, groups and reaching out to those in the community.

2. The True Depth of Their Characters

C.A.A.B PUBLISHING

CAAB Publishing Ltd is a traditional, small, indie company helping unknown authors have a voice and inspiring new writers to take that first step into the world of publishing.

Writers usually set out with a vague understanding of who their characters are, but the deeper they go into a story, the more those characters surprise them. It’s not uncommon for a character to reveal an aspect of their personality that the writer didn’t see coming. The character might take actions that change the carefully thought-out plot trajectory or voice opinions the writer finds surprising. Writers can plan out a character’s arc in meticulous detail, only to realize that the character has taken on a life of their own, one that doesn’t always align with the writers intentions. This is one of the beautiful contradictions of writing: the writer is the creator, but the character often takes control.

3. What the Story is Really About

Many writers begin with an idea, (some have a plan from A-Z but others are called pantsers – they fly by the seat of their pants and let the story develop as they write) a theme, or an image that serves as the seed for their story. But as the pages accumulate, the true heart of the narrative often emerges in ways that weren’t initially clear. It’s easy to think a story is about one thing, only to find that as the narrative develops it is actually about something much deeper or more complex.

4. That Writing Can Make You Feel Vulnerable

The first time a new writer asks someone to read their work can be harrowing. You feel like you have just stood naked in front of

them. Then when you send your work out into the world, it is like watching your first born child heading towards a flamethrower, you hope they will survive, you hope the reviews will be kind, but you know that both you and your work will probably get burnt.

5. The Perfect Sentence

In the writing community there’s an idea that the perfect sentence exists, one that will sum up a thought, a feeling, in a way that is both beautiful and precise. But the truth is that perfection is ever elusive. Each draft may bring a writer closer, but rarely do they find a sentence that fully satisfies every criterion. It is often best to just write and let the words flow, striving for perfection is an illusion that can trip you up and wipe away your creativity.

6. That Writing Takes a Long Time

Writers often think it will not take much time to get a book ready for publication, that they can write it quickly or that they can become famous once they knock out a few novels. Many writers do not realise the work that goes into

Many Rafts

by Jim and Jiab Wasserman

every page, the editing, the slow process and finally the search for a way to make your book marketable. To get it read, to get it noticed and then to get started on the next one.

7. The Struggles of Other Writers

Writers often look at other authors and think they’ve got it all figured out. Whether it’s the author with a new book on the bestseller list or the one effortlessly writing a flawless first draft, writers tend to compare themselves to others. What they don’t know is that every writer is struggling. Some have self-doubt, some feel like imposters, some may be struggling with writer's block, or the next book, some are bad at marketing themselves, some have anxiety or are trying desperately to be seen. The truth is, everyone has their own set of obstacles to face, you are not alone in your struggles and talking about it can really help.

So just remember that no one knows it all. You will learn everyday as you write and you should be open to learning as it is the only way to improve as a writer.

In this collection of amusing stories, youths from eight different modern East Asian cultures face challenges of confidence, independence, change, setbacks, and resolve. Whether adjusting to a new school or competing in a familiar sport, they find inspiration and assistance in East Asian philosophy, from classical Taoism and Buddhism to more modern thinkers such as Vietnam’s Thích Nhất Hạnh. Readers are also introduced to diverse cultural concepts, such as the Japanese search for harmony (giri), Cambodia’s national martial art of bokator, the worldwide wave of Korean pop culture (hallyu), and the Filipino community bond that is kapwa. The characters in these stories can become models of resilience for children from all cultures. Because in the end, it’s not about finding the one right raft to navigate turbulent waters. It’s about learning which raft is right for you at that crossing point.

Dragon Tale Books.

MENOMONIE, WI

FEATURED INDIE BOOKSTORE

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT BOUT YOURSELF AND GREENLIGHT BOOKSTORE.

DTB: I grew up outside of Milwaukee, then graduated with an accounting degree. I spent 10 years as an accountant gaining my business knowledge. Then I went back to school to get my Masters in Library Science and worked for 16 years in academic libraries. So I combined my business background and book skills, and bought the inventory and fixtures from Bookends on Main in 2022. I moved the store one shop over, renamed it Dragon Tale Books, and opened at the end of December 2022. It’s been a lot of learning over the last two and a half years!

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO OPEN A BOOKSTORE?

DTB: The owner of Bookends on Main wanted to fully retire, and people in Menomonie (Wisconsin) love their bookstore. I had been thinking about this for about five years and with support from my significant other, I took the plunge. I

want Dragon Tale Books to continue the decades-long tradition of an independent bookstore in Menomonie.

WHAT KIND OF READING TRENDS DO

YOU SEE WITH YOUR

CUSTOMERS?

DTB: Romantasy, dark and regular romance are very popular right now. My customers also like children’s books, historical fiction, and mysteries. Noting any specific trend is difficult because book buyers here have such varied tastes.

WHAT OTHER SERVICES AND/OR PRODUCTS DO YOU PROVIDE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?

DTB: We have speakers, author signings, art exhibits, and a meeting space for the community. If the store doesn’t have a book in stock, we will order it for people to pick up; we also order used books for customers. Besides new and used books, the store has greeting cards, puzzles, socks, journals, bookshelf games, toys, stuffed

animals and other small gift items. You also can find Dragon Tale Books on Libro.fm for audiobooks and Bookshop.org where you can buy books and ebooks and part of the proceeds comes back to support your local bookstore.

HOW DO YOU SEE DRAGON TALE BOOKS PROGRESSING AND EXPANDING IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

DTB: The one way Dragon Tale Books can expand is to put the store inventory online for purchase and pickup or shipping. That actually would allow us to “carry” far more books than are on our shelves. I am researching my different options to see if it is feasible.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD, GO FOR IT!

DTB: In many ways, we don’t just sell books but an experience. People miss the small, independent bookstores of old and come here for nostalgia or because they’ve seen a small bookstore on TV or in the movies and thought it was cool so want to try it for themselves. We also make it a fun experience – there’s a 40-foot long dragon tail hanging from our ceiling, we have a book about the “legend” of our store’s creation (and how that 40-foot dragon tale got there), and tons of visual jokes – many of them “hidden” – so that it’s a delightful discovery while you’re browsing. Just the other day we hung up a sign that says “Join the new Time Travel Club – Meet here at 4 pm last Thursday.”

Self-Published & Small Press Book Reviews BOOKS

Books In Review

Two Souls.

BY MAKSIM HARETSKI

PUBLISHER: GRUNWALD PUBLISHING

PAGES: 182

ISBN: 9781738314201

Adult

Maksim Haretski’s thought-provoking exploration of the impact of the Bolshevik Revolution and the surge of Belarusian nationalism of 1918, now translated for English readers, illuminates currents of lesser-known history for those in the West.

Haretski lived from 1893 until 1938, when he was executed by the Soviet secret police. He studies his characteristic themes of nationalist identity and human nature through the eyes of Warrant Officer Ignat Abdziralovich, discharged from the Russian Army due to illness. When a young nationalist challenges him, “What are you doing to revive our unfortunate homeland?” Abdziralovich feels himself split into two souls, unable to decide on his loyalties.

He observes the labor of his foster brother, Vasil; is attracted to the young, rich Alya, who passes him over for a prince; and later assists schoolteacher Ira in freeing a Belarusian teacher and student imprisoned by a Bolshevik

“extraordinary commission.” But even as he witnesses the violent clash of ideals between Karpavich, an outspoken socialist, and Captain Hareszka, who serves the old empire, Abdziralovich—who identifies as “a passive observer and quiet thinker”—cannot commit to a side.

The book expends little emphasis on dramatic action, and a melodramatic twist about Abdziralovich’s parentage has little impact on the plot. Instead, the book is a platform for the philosophical crises that pit elder against youth, peasant against bourgeoisie, conviction against survival. Haretski is strongest in detailing shifting human moods and feelings, evoking natural imagery that provides a poignant metaphor. The prevailing mood is somber, though the reflectiveness is interlaced with small moments of absurdity, wistfulness, and poetry.

Olya Ianovskaia’s translation is fluid and precise, balancing the style and imagery of Haretski’s introspective prose while making native expressions and cultural details accessible to foreign readers. In all, Two Souls, the first existential Belarusian novel, earns its status as a classic of Belarusian literature. 

Chased.

BY HENRIETTA D. ELMORE-SMITH

PUBLISHER: ARCHWAY PUBLISHING

PAGES: 386

ISBN: 9781665758550

Adult

Set against the backdrop of the San Francisco Bay Area, Henrietta D. Elmore-Smith’s novel follows the romantic highs and lows of a 30-something executive specialist whose ambition is as striking as her beauty.

Carmel Delarue is moving up in the corporate world. She’s landed a job at Brown, Sutton, and Dawson, a leading management systems consulting company. As an educated black woman navigating a male-dominated, racially homogenous industry, Carmel believes this opportunity will finally pave the way for career advancement.

But soon, Carmel faces a handsome distraction: her boss, Durrell Chase. Hoping to squash her growing attraction to him, she tries to focus on other prospects in her dating orbit, only to be pursued by men with emotional baggage. There’s Randall Reese, a real estate

attorney going through a messy divorce, and rising NFL star Craig, her former high school boyfriend. Like Durrell, Randall and Craig are drawn to Carmel’s innocence, integrity, drive, femininity, and looks. Both men have their appeal, but Carmel’s heart beats strongest—and loudest—for Durrell. Can she keep their relationship strictly professional, or will she ruin her carefully constructed facade?

Although classified as a novel, Elmore-Smith’s book is written entirely in the format of a play, with the character’s names to the left and their accompanying dialogue or inner monologue to the right. This ill-chosen storytelling device limits the narrative’s possible emotional scope and depth, leaving little room for nuance or complexity. Heavily relying on verbal interactions between characters prevents the story from fully diving into Carmel’s inner world, her psychological motivations, and her family dynamics.

Empowerment .

BY CHRISTINA LIM

PUBLISHER: PARTRIDGE

PAGES: 248

ISBN: 9781543774221

Adult

When a wealthy and gifted woman graduates from medical school, she opts not for the expected path at an elite hospital but for something more charitable.

Amy West announces at her graduation party that she will not be joining her father, “the greatest medical practitioner ever to arise from this district,” in his work at West Hospital, but has applied to work for the charity Red Aid. Her parents and fiancé refuse to accept her decision, and Amy leaves her home in the Corznol District, “probably the wealthiest in the continent.” But when her plans with Red Aid fall through, she finds an alternative in the town of Drisdale, a place so poor the government of Golvaria fears it will affect the image of “the continent as whole,” and, thus, hides the town’s problems.

In Drisdale, Amy finds a derelict town riddled with crime, poverty and drugs. The so-called hospital is run by a questionable character, the patients cared for by people

who aren’t trained nurses and who use an app drug-dispensing system that doesn’t work. The school, housing elementary, middle and high school grades in one building, is crowded with disrespectful students quick to resort to violence. But Amy also meets people who are kind and resourceful, and, though greatly overwhelmed, vows to make things better.

This is a classic good versus evil tale with the requisite corrupt government, their injustices to those who are marginalized and a bright and capable heroine. Amy’s entitled past results in a Pollyanna-ish viewpoint, but her intentions are good and her determination is admirable. She quickly rises to the task, often taking on those who would greatly intimidate others.

While the outcome is fairly predictable, the plot turns that lead there are interesting and realistic, inspiring readers to cheer for the little town and its cast of unfortunate characters.

Those who appreciate a well-written story of hope against all odds will enjoy this novel. 

Between Will and Abandonment .

BY ROBERT LETTERS

PUBLISHER: PAUCUS PUBLISHING

PAGES: 169

ISBN: 9798990891906

Adult

In this thought-provoking volume, an educator of independent, self-directed learning shares his yearslong spiritual journey, undertaken outside of traditional religious practice, drawing on a wide variety of texts.

Author Robert Letters was reared as a Roman Catholic and even spent a brief time in a Franciscan seminary, but found himself unsatisfied by institutional religion. He sought to craft his own spiritual practice, hoping to recover the blissful sense of contentment he used to call as a child “being delirious.” He immersed himself in the Bible, the Gnostic Gospels, Buddhism, the writings of monks and Einstein, the Tao Te Ching, and more. He collected his favorite passages in a notebook, using them regularly for meditation.

In this volume, he includes those quotations and his interpretations of them. For example, about Jean Pierre

de Caussade’s quote “Realize all you have to do to achieve the height of holiness is to do only what you are already doing…,” he explains: “Everything you can possibly hope for is available to you in the present moment… You learn by doing, over and over.”

Such quotations and thoughts follow his valuable practical advice on how to build a practice of reading, praying, sanctifying everyday activity, and discovering one’s own ethical principles and living by them. Through these activities, anyone can “read the Scripture of the Present Moment, the gospel of the astonishing Mystery of existence.”

Whether readers are lifelong churchgoers or agnostics, Letters’ devotion to selfimprovement, his humility and clear, lean writing will convince them to go deeper in the search for spiritual truth. While it would have broadened this book’s perspective to include quotations by women (e.g, Hildegarde of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, or Karen Armstrong), Letters encourages readers to search for what is most meaningful to them.

Letters’ own voice is as profound as any of the sages he quotes: “Salvation, enlightenment is nothing more than your own nature. It is already within you.”. 

Jack Tuesday Gambit .

BY F. NELSEN SMITH

PUBLISHER: BEAR HILL PUBLISHING

PAGES: 318

ISBN:9781989071434

Jack Tuesday: Gambit, by F. Nelson Smith, is a noir suspense novel featuring a flawed detective who becomes entangled in Cold War espionage.

Set in Alberta, Canada, in 1972, the story features Edmonton detective Jack Tuesday, who is negotiating a prickly relationship with his 15-year-old son, Max. Max recently escaped from the watchful gaze of the Stasi, the East German police, to claim asylum in Canada. Raised in East Germany by Jack’s former lover, Ursula, who worked in the eastern bloc’s nuclear program, Max is understandably prickly about police of any kind, including Jack.

Then an acquaintance dies shortly after telling Jack about “anomalies” in the law office where she works. His suspicion that her death was not accidental is confirmed when a partner in the firm goes undercover

to investigate on his own. Shortly before the partner’s death, he tells Jack he fears the firm is laundering money for Soviet agents. Now Jack wonders if he—or Max—might be next.

Gambit is well written, the action is fast and well-paced, and the tension between Max and Jack is real and palpable. For readers who haven’t read book one, details about Jack’s past are sketchy. Also, Smith leans a little too hard into Jack’s hunches and on coincidence as plot drivers; one clue is dropped in an unconvincing manner.

Nonetheless, the attorney’s concern with Soviet disinformation resonates strongly today. Having been in military intelligence in Germany before the Berlin Wall went up, he tells Jack, “It’s happening again…this time, it’s here. Bigger, more dangerous. The lies, the misinformation…[it’s] carefully crafted to take advantage of people’s fears, their discontent.”

Beg the Night .

BY EMILY BLACKWOOD

PUBLISHER: INDEPENDENT

PAGES: 352

ASIN: B0DVH4481H

Adult

A line from Sylvia Plath’s poem “Elm” serves as an epigraph in Emily Blackwood’s Beg the Night: “I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me.” The epigraph aptly sets the stage for the novel and prompts the reader to ask questions. What is the dark thing? Will the dark thing wake, and what will wake it? What will happen to the person in which the dark thing sleeps? And finally, how many of the book’s characters house a dark thing within them?

In this first installment of Blackwood’s new series, readers aren’t yet certain of the answer to that last question, but the number proves to be at least two: Athena and Sinner, the main characters of this dark romantasy. Set on the fictional continent of Ashora two years after the beginning of “the war,” the story begins with Athena, who is dealing with the accidental deaths of almost every family member.

Her family has spent the last few years hiding from the Ministry, a government entity that swoops in and kidnaps women and mystics—those with specific, magical powers. When Athena is captured, she’s sent to the dungeon, where she meets Sinner, his sister Margaret, and the other mystics the Ministry holds there. Athena, both angry and scared, is also confused. She claims not to be a mystic, so why, she asks, is she there? And what does the Ministry want with the mystics?

Those questions are answered as the story unfolds with fast-paced, short chapters, which keep the momentum going for the reader. Blackwood skillfully and purposefully reveals the truth so that both the characters and the readers slowly gain realizations about who Athena and Sinner are and what they mean to the story. Readers should heed the author note at the beginning regarding trigger warnings, though all heavy themes are written thoughtfully and with care. Some may expect more in terms of romance, but readers, especially those who enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, will appreciate the spark between Sinner and Athena. The rest of their slow-burn relationship will likely ignite in the follow-up books in the series. 

The Persistence of Thornes.

BY MICALEA SMELTZER

PUBLISHER: INDEPENDENT

PAGES: 510

ASIN: B0DW1F8F7P

A raw, tender exploration of love, family, and the courage to let others in. In The Persistence of Thornes, Micalea Smeltzer delivers a poignant and emotionally charged exploration of love, responsibility, and the complexities of family. At the heart of the narrative is Halle, a young woman thrust into the role of guardian for her two younger brothers after their parents’ failures. As she navigates the unexpected burdens of adulthood, Halle’s life is further complicated by a blossoming relationship with Caleb, her dashing neighbor, and the trauma that shadows her every decision.

Set against the backdrop of a quiet town and a tumultuous family history, the novel opens with a comedic and awkward introduction to Caleb, who becomes an unlikely savior for Halle as she juggles her new responsibilities. The initial charm of their interactions slowly deepens, morphing into a bond of mutual respect and care, underlined by Halle’s reluctance to let others help her. Smeltzer weaves Halle’s internal struggle between independence and vulnerability into the very fabric of the story, making her journey deeply relatable and grounded in reality. The relationship between Halle and Caleb is at the

core of this story, but it is far from the only plot thread. Smeltzer deftly handles themes of familial love, sacrifice, and healing, creating a narrative that is at once tender and raw. As Halle and Caleb’s connection intensifies, it reveals a tenderness and loyalty that blossoms within the confines of their unconventional circumstances. Caleb, while initially portrayed as the perfect neighbor, proves to be far more than that—a steady, understanding presence who slowly dismantles the walls Halle has built around her heart. The novel takes a gripping turn when Halle and Caleb’s quiet life is upended by family secrets and emotional truths, leading to an unexpected confrontation that forever changes the course of their lives. Smeltzer balances the sweet and the tragic with precision, capturing both the beauty of new beginnings and the inevitability of facing the past. One of the strongest elements of The Persistence of Thornes is the author’s ability to infuse humor and warmth into the narrative, even amidst the darker moments. Smeltzer’s portrayal of Halle’s brothers, Quinn and Casen, is a particular highlight—capturing the chaotic yet loving bond between siblings and their attempts to navigate the upheaval of their lives. The juxtaposition of light-hearted sibling banter with the heavy emotional undercurrents of the story creates a unique dynamic that resonates long after the pages have turned.

With The Persistence of Thornes, Micalea Smeltzer has crafted a novel that is not only a romance but a deeply human story about finding love and support in the most unlikely of places. As the characters face personal demons, family betrayal, and uncertain futures, the book ultimately serves as a reminder that love, in all its messy and beautiful forms, can help heal even the deepest of wounds. 

P.S. All the Difference.

BY C.D’ANGELO

PUBLISHER: C. D’ANGELO

PAGES: 116

ISBN-10: 1737262460

Adult

P.S. All the Difference is C. D’Angelo’s fourth book, but it features Rachel Granza, the memorable main character of D’Angelo’s debut, The Difference, and picks up twelve years later. Rachel—who has dealt with anxiety her entire life—has learned to cope over the years, moving from destructive to constructive methods that center both Rachel and those who surround her.

Now, Rachel is settled in with her loving husband, a successful psychotherapy practice, and strong family ties, but she begins to feel the fingers of the familiar anxiety she’s worked so hard to overcome. Years before, delving into her family’s ancestry proved to be a winner for Rachel in terms of conquering her anxiety, so she plunges back into the story of her Italian grandfather, a story she first unearthed in The Difference.

In this installment—a novella—Rachel tries to find out more about the Serafinos, the Italian family who adopted her grandfather when he first came to the United States from Italy. Like many quests, this one doesn’t come without its obstacles, but Rachel, as strong and stubborn as she ever is, perseveres, eventually finding out more about her grandfather’s childhood, the tailoring business run by his adopted family, and more.

D’Angelo always infuses her books with insightful characters, rich settings, and meaningful life lessons, and P.S. All the Difference is no exception. Rachel is real, relatable, and someone to root for, and Brian serves as a very fitting partner. It is good to see how much growth the couple has managed since readers first met them. Fans can also expect D’Angelo’s trademark focus on food, family dynamics, familial connections, and Italian culture. Heartwarming, engaging, and fast-paced, the story is a perfect read for the summer.

North Country.

BY SARAH BRANSON

PUBLISHER: SOONER STARTED PRESS PAGES: 260

ASIN: B0DSCS6FWM

Adult

Sarah Branson delivers a pulse-pounding, characterdriven adventure in North Country: A Kat Wallace Adventure, a speculative fiction novel that masterfully blends action, intrigue, and the raw power of female resilience. Set in 2372, in a world still clawing its way back from disaster, Branson introduces us to four women—each carrying secrets, each chasing something greater than survival.

Master Commander Kat Wallace, a battle-worn warrior searching for peace, leads this compelling cast alongside Carisa Morton, whose fragile body pushes her toward one last taste of adventure. Sergeant Flossie Porter hides behind a false identity, her loyalty tested at every turn, while Master Sergeant Diamond Miata is as sharp and dangerous as the world she seeks to control—until she finds herself vulnerable in ways she never expected.

Branson’s writing is as unflinching as her characters, propelling readers through a brutal, unforgiving landscape where power is both a weapon and a currency. The stakes are high, the tension relentless, and yet, beneath the action, there is an undeniable emotional depth—an exploration of redemption, identity, and the cost of ambition.

For readers who crave high-stakes speculative fiction with strong female protagonists and a gripping, cinematic feel, North Country delivers in every way. Branson proves once again that she’s a force to be reckoned with in the genre.

The Sleepers.

BY MATTHEW GASDA

PUBLISHER: ARCADE PAGES: 288

ISBN-10: 1648211259

Adult

Released in May, The Sleepers by Matthew Gasda is a literary fiction novel that offers an honest portrayal of the ups and downs of relationships. It explores how people search for meaning when they feel isolated and disconnected.

The story follows Dan, a professor who identifies as a Marxist and is having an affair with one of his students, Mariko, an actress. As the narrative unfolds, Akari, Mariko’s sister and a cinematographer, arrives from Los Angeles. Akari is grappling with her own romantic struggles with a woman, adding a new layer of tension to the already complicated dynamics.

What stands out in The Sleepers is Gasda’s ability to capture the dilemmas that millennials face. His characters feel like people you might know or see at a café on any given day. They are selfaware but still struggling with the confusion of their careers and love lives. This honesty about life’s messiness is what makes them so relatable.

As I progressed through the book, I found myself increasingly

drawn to Gasda’s way of writing real-sounding conversations. He has a knack for depicting city life and those quiet moments of uncertainty that often come with it. Since the entire book takes place over the course of one day, every interaction feels heightened, filled with purpose and urgency. What struck me most was how the book captures that feeling of being adrift in your thirties—no longer young, yet not fully grown-up either. The characters’ search for meaning in their relationships, careers, and daily lives will resonate with many readers. Gasda’s writing balances humor and heartache, creating a memorable and thoughtful narrative that lingers long after you’ve finished the book.

For all these reasons, I recommend The Sleepers to anyone who appreciates stories about the complexities of life, love, and finding your place in the world. 

Chasing Chords.

BY OXANA LAU

PUBLISHER: INDEPENDENT

PAGES: 294

ISBN-10: 979-8308043966

Adult

Chasing Chords, Oxana Lau’s debut novel, is Book 1 in the Skyline Acres series. In this small-town romance, readers are introduced to Dawn Taylor, a cowgirl, and Nash Rhodes, a country singer, both of whom are trying to keep their dreams alive. Dawn has inherited her parents’ ranch, as well as their debts, and is looking for legitimate ways to keep the cash flowing.

After all, she has a responsibility not only to herself but also to her siblings and everyone else who depends on Skyline Acres. Nash, meanwhile, has a tarnished image to polish. Otherwise, he’ll continue to be a public relations nightmare. When these two characters meet, sparks fly, and soon, Nash comes up with a way for them both to get what they want.

The question is, Will Dawn agree? The strong characters are an asset to the narrative. Dawn and Nash are self-aware and reflective, and they know what they want, and despite being hesitant to take it, they aren’t afraid of the hard work and dedication that comes with seeing dreams come to fruition.

They also value effective communication, and Lau does not fall prey to the often-used miscommunication trope at all, which is refreshing. Chasing Chords has a bit of heat and spice and is a slow-burn romance, so fair warning! The novel is short, making it almost seem more like a novella, and more individual character development would have enhanced the book. However, the pace is good, the conflict is realistic, and the storyline thoughtfully includes both Down Syndrome and autism representation. Overall, this solid debut will leave readers asking for the next book in the series. 

The Marriage Debt .

BY CHRISTINA CONSOLINO

PUBLISHER: INDEPENDENT

PAGES: 251

ISBN: B0F6TV6J6P

Adult

In The Marriage Debt, Christina Consolino masterfully explores the intricate landscape of midlife, intimacy, and self-reinvention, delving into the experiences of Nika Stewart, a woman caught between the complexities of family obligations, hormonal changes, and the unspoken strains of her marriage. Through a narrative that is as emotionally poignant as it is profoundly relatable, Consolino paints a vivid portrait of a woman in the throes of self-discovery, navigating the messy realities of love, loss, and personal growth.

The novel’s strength lies in its unflinching portrayal of Nika’s inner conflict. As she grapples with the physical and emotional effects of perimenopause, Nika faces a deepening sense of disconnect from herself and her husband, Ethan. Consolino does not shy away from the uncomfortable truths of intimacy—both its absence and its complexities. The portrayal of Nika’s hesitations around sex, her fraught relationship with her body, and the quiet emotional distance that builds over years of unspoken frustrations rings true for many readers. The depiction of marriage in a state of flux—neither fully broken nor completely intact—adds a layer of authenticity that speaks to the universal challenges of sustaining connection in long-term relationships.

The novel’s pacing is deliberate, moving through quiet, introspective moments that allow readers to feel the weight of Nika’s emotional burden. Consolino’s sharp eye for the subtle fractures in Nika’s relationships—whether with Ethan, her children, or her aging father—draws out the beauty in ordinary moments. The small but significant details, like Nika’s hesitations during a routine conversation or her quiet frustration with her husband’s unmet desires, build a quiet tension that keeps the reader engaged. What sets The Marriage Debt apart is its ability to balance the humor of Nika’s daily life with the depth of her emotional struggles. The author’s wit shines through in the light-hearted exchanges between characters, providing levity amid the otherwise heavy themes of identity and relational strain. Nika’s interactions with her friend Rainey, her children, and even the awkward social encounters at a wine bar offer glimpses of lightness that make Nika’s journey of self-reinvention all the more poignant.

Ultimately, The Marriage Debt is more than just a story about midlife crises or sexual dysfunction; it is a meditation on what it means to rebuild oneself in the midst of life’s inevitable changes. Consolino’s writing is candid and tender, never shying away from the hard truths of aging, love, and the passage of time. As Nika begins to confront her own desires, regrets, and fears, readers are invited into an intimate exploration of identity, intimacy, and the power of vulnerability.

With its mix of raw emotional depth, wit, and vulnerability, The Marriage Debt is a brilliant, heartening exploration of a woman’s journey through the complexities of midlife. It’s a book that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to reconcile their inner desires with the outer responsibilities of life. Consolino’s deft storytelling makes this novel a compelling and insightful read for anyone navigating the messy, beautiful process of reinvention.



Patchwork.

BY TOM COMITTA

PUBLISHER: COFFEEHOUSE PRESS

PAGES: 151

ISBN: 9781566897297

Adult

In Patchwork, Tom Comitta delivers an audacious, genredefying novella that shatters conventional narrative structures and plunges readers into a dizzying maze of literary exploration. At first glance, the plot—centered around a stolen snuff box—appears absurd, yet Comitta masterfully uses this seemingly trivial object as a metaphor for the larger quest for meaning in storytelling itself.

The book defies easy categorization, blending elements of noir, gothic horror, absurdism, and mystery, all while remaining deeply introspective. With an almost experimental approach to narrative, Comitta plays with genre conventions, turning them inside out and stitching them together into a surreal, multifaceted work. This literary découpage is not just a stylistic choice; it is central to the novel’s exploration of the question: To whom does a story belong?

The book’s fragmented structure reflects the inherent chaos of human experience, and in the process, Comitta invites the reader to reconsider the very act of reading. What does it mean to be a “reader,” or even an “author”? Through fractured timelines, unreliable narrators, and shifting perspectives, Patchwork underscores the fluidity of storytelling—stories can be broken apart, reassembled, and made whole again, just like the disparate pieces of a patchwork quilt.

While Patchwork is undeniably challenging, it is also exhilarating, offering readers both an intellectual puzzle and a darkly comic thrill ride. Each chapter, a new piece of the puzzle, adds layers of meaning and nuance, with Comitta’s sharp prose weaving moments of absurd humor with moments of dark poignancy. The result is a book that is at once a literary performance and a playful critique of the very mechanics of storytelling.

In Patchwork, the reader is not merely a passive observer; rather, they are complicit in the creation of meaning. Comitta’s playful subversion of genre conventions makes this book a mustread for literary adventurers seeking to navigate the blurred boundaries between reality, fiction, and everything in between. 

Call For Entries .

To submit an entry, Apply Online at www.shelfmediagroup. com/competitions.

The deadline for entry is midnight on October 1, 2025.

INTERVIEW

Interview with Lola Glass

Author of series Marked

Beneath the Moon

BY CHRISTINA CONSOLINO

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but the book covers of author Lola Glass are so eye-catching, it’s difficult not to. Her fans love more than just her covers, calling Glass their “favorite author” and rejoicing when they are recognized by Facebook with a Top Fan Badge. A very prolific author, Glass just completed the series, Marked Beneath the Moon, with the release of The Wolf Guard’s Mate on May 7. We talked a little about her writing process, the role of the alpha male in her work, and how she incorporates (or not) stereotypical storylines into her narratives.

MARKED BENEATH THE MOON IS YOUR LATEST SERIES, AND BOOK 3, THE WOLF GUARD’S MATE, RELEASED LAST MONTH. THIS IS THE LAST IN THE SERIES. DID YOU START OUT KNOWING HOW MANY BOOKS WOULD BE IN THE SERIES? HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO STOP AT THREE? CAN READERS EXPECT TO SEE ANY OF THE CHARACTERS AGAIN?

LG: I almost always go into a series knowing how many books it will have! This one features a set of triplet

brothers who run their wolf pack, so it seemed natural that each brother would have a book. I don’t have any current plans to return to this world or these characters, but there’s always a chance!

AT ONLY 126 PAGES, THE WOLF GUARD’S MATE IS CONSIDERED A NOVELLA. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE A NOVELLA? DOES YOUR APPROACH TO WRITING NOVELS VERSUS NOVELLAS DIFFER? DOES THE STORY TELL YOU HOW LONG IT NEEDS TO BE, OR DO YOU DECIDE?

LG: Sometimes when I sit down to write a book, I realize that a longer story just doesn’t fit the personalities of the characters. I refuse to draw out a couple’s issues when it doesn’t feel natural, even when it would make financial sense for me personally, so there was just no way I could turn it into a full-length novel while still being true to the couple and the story that needed to be told. All of my books are character-driven romances, so sometimes they just end up shorter than I would expect, and I’m okay with that! I approach writing a novel versus a novella the same and simply write the characters’ story in the way that feels

natural to me.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WORD “MATE” AND WHAT MEANINGS AND IMPLICATIONS IT HAS IN ROMANCE WRITING. MANY TIMES, THE WORD IMPLIES A FATED PAIRING OR BOND, AND AUTHORS NEED TO BE CAREFUL THERE, RIGHT? READERS STILL NEED TO FEEL THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO THE CHARACTERS AND THE CHARACTERS’ EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS TO EACH OTHER. HOW DO YOU FIND THE PROPER BALANCE?

LG: Yes, the word mate often implies that fate is involved. Some authors take this in an instant-love route, and that is absolutely valid, but I personally use it as a more magical version of marriage. In some of my worlds, there are fated mates, which are basically arranged marriages that the characters have no way out of. In other worlds, a mate is basically just a spouse they choose for themselves, with a magical bond that can come with benefits like a mental connection.

Because of the way I use mating

as a magical marriage, I develop relationships the same way I would if the characters were all human and there was no magic involved. Not all authors do this, as I said, but for a relationship to feel genuine while I’m writing it, I can’t just throw in feelings of love that are coming out of nowhere. Love takes time, after all, and a romance book isn’t much of a romance if there’s no love to develop.

MUCH OF YOUR WORK CENTERS AROUND THE POSSESSIVE ALPHA MALE. ROMANCE READERS FLOCK TO THAT SORT OF CHARACTER! WHAT ABOUT THE ALPHA MALE COMPELS YOU TO WRITE ABOUT HIM? WHAT SORT OF ALPHA TENDENCIES DO YOU GRAVITATE TOWARD INCLUDING? ANY THAT YOU WON’T CONSIDER WRITING ABOUT?

LG: I think the thing people love about possessive alpha males is that there’s no wondering. It feeds into the fantasy of not having any indecision or worries that you’re not enough for someone—because the alpha male makes it clear at all times that you are everything. �� Over-possessiveness is the

who has to be okay with the stories that I personally share.

STRONG WOMEN ARE ALSO PART OF YOUR NARRATIVES. WHERE DOES THE INSPIRATION FOR THESE CHARACTERS COME FROM? WHAT MESSAGES DO YOU HOPE TO SEND READERS BY FEATURING THESE WOMEN?

ABOUT THE BOOKS

LG: “Strong women” is a difficult concept in fantasy and paranormal romance! Usually, it implies that the women know how to fight and like to stab people, which can be fun. But to me, women are strong when they can embrace who they are. I don’t actually set out to write “strong” women. I write about women who are engineers, artists, waitresses, chefs, and everything in between, and they come off as strong because they’re confident in who they are and what they deserve.

The inspiration for my characters come from the women I see and meet in the world around me. I hope readers can realize that you don’t have to be a fighter to be strong—you’re strong when you love yourself for who and what you are and accept that it’s okay if that’s not some people’s cup of tea. There’s a quote I love that’s attributed to Dita Von Teese that says, “You

can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” So often women spend our whole lives trying to be everything that everyone else wants us to be, but when we can move past that and accept that we can’t possibly make everyone happy, our lives can change. I’ve seen that for myself, and it’s powerful.

WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE YOUR

WORK ARE

“EMOTIONAL,” “CHEEKY,” “SPICY,” “ENTERTAINING,” AND “COMFORTING.” HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THOSE WORDS? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE MANY FANS WHO ADORE YOU? AT THE END OF THE DAY, DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A LITERARY SUCCESS?

LG: I love those words! I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself a “literary success.” I doubt anyone else ever will either! I’m well-aware that I’m an indie author. My books have flaws. They’re usually not literary masterpieces that leave people dreaming about the world and writing fan-fiction. I write them fast, and I write them to be fun, because I personally am a binge reader who is always looking for a few hours of escape from life. That’s what fits

my personality and my writing style. So no, I’m not really a literary success, but my books do pretty well anyway, and I think that’s because I’m not trying to be something other than who I am.

I’m so grateful to have found fans who love my stories as much as I do. The books I write don’t appeal to everyone, and that’s okay! I’m glad to have carved out this little space on the internet where I can give people the smiles, escape, and comfort that they’re looking for. I’m sure many people would find my books ridiculous—I’ve written most recently about sexy sirens who become glittery when they’re immersed in chlorine and a violent wolf king who sends gift baskets in apology when he nearly ends someone he shouldn’t have—but they make people happy. And I personally find so much more joy in making people happy than I ever could in writing a book that’s known for being a literary masterpiece! I’m so glad there’s room in the world for both types of books and both types of authors.

ONE READER SAID,

“[GLASS] KNOWS JUST HOW TO CHANGE UP THE STEREOTYPICAL WEREWOLF PARANORMAL PLOT.” I WOULD

IMAGINE A DELICATE BALANCE EXISTS

WHEN WRITING SCI-FI OR PARANORMAL IN THAT YOU WANT TO STAY TRUE TO THE LORE WHILE MAKING YOUR STORY YOUR OWN. CAN YOU COMMENT ON THAT?

LG: Yes! This is something I’ve done from the beginning. To be completely honest, I am someone who gets bored easily. That’s why my books aren’t extremely long, and they’re usually wildly different from each other. When I sit down to write a book about any kind of magical creature, I’m sitting down and thinking to myself, “How can I make this more interesting or more fun?” I grew up reading every werewolf book that was available on Amazon—I was a teenager when self-publishing began—so I’ve always had a deep love for the genre.

Having read and loved so many other authors’ books, I wanted to make my books my own and give readers something unique and fun to read about in a genre they already love so much. There are only so many things you can do with werewolves, because ultimately they are still werewolves, but I always try to come up with a new take or a new spin on something that people might not have read before while still giving people the things they love about werewolf

don’t always succeed, but it’s so much fun to try!

YOU HAVE A SELFPROCLAIMED “ROMANCE OBSESSION.” WHERE DID THE OBSESSION COME FROM? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN OBSESSED WITH ROMANCE? WAS ROMANCE AUTHOR AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER?

ABOUT THE BOOKS

LG: My romance obsession started, like many other little girls, with princess movies and the princes who swept them off their feet. I always loved the love stories. And yes, while I do enjoy writing about strong, independent women, I really love the process of writing about them finding a strong guy and making things work without either of them having to shrink for each other.

I never actually read books that were *only* romance books as a kid. I read the Hunger Games, the Percy Jackson books, and like I said, every werewolf book known to man (except the steamy ones, because my mom wouldn’t let me!). And I loved all of those books fiercely, but I always wanted them to have more romance. I read the plots to find the bits of romance. People

say that a major reason authors start writing is because they can’t find the book they want on the shelf, and as a kid, that was true for me! There were obviously more romance books out there than I realized at the time, but I wasn’t allowed to read them, so the itch just grew stronger and stronger. And now, here I am! And my mom *mostly* approves.

WRITING IS SUCH A HUGE PART OF YOUR LIFE, AND YOUR PUBLICATION SCHEDULE SEEMS GRUELING. WHAT DOES A DAY IN YOUR WRITING LIFE LOOK LIKE?

LG: My publishing schedule is definitely intense, but I actually designed it and continuously redesign it that way for myself. I am not one of those steady authors who writes every single day. If those people are the tortoise, I’m the hare. If they’re a steady, light wind, I am a hurricane. I honestly wish I could be a tortoise or a breeze, but I simply am not. Some weeks I write an entire book. Some weeks, I don’t write at all. Every day looks different, and that makes life both fun, and messy.

I have the most fun with my work when I’m writing books quickly. Authors who publish at a slower and more steady

pace tend to spend more time on the marketing and social media aspects of their careers, neither of which I enjoy. My toxic author trait is that I’d rather write another book than talk about the one I already finished. I realized fairly soon into my career that I could embrace that trait if I stuck with a rapid-release schedule, so that’s what I’ve been doing for a long time. It works for me, and I have so much more fun than I would otherwise!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

LG: That’s a good question! Unfortunately, being a hurricane

means that the answer will change a few times before I land on the one I’ll stick with. Right now, I’m planning on writing a few true standalone books about varying kinds of magical beings. I’ve been writing a series of connected standalones, so each book ends with a happily ever after and features a different couple that we’ve met in the previous book, but I’ve been itching for a change, so this is what I’m going with. I can’t tell you exactly what my next book will be, but like always, I promise it’ll be a good time!

I accidentally screwed the Alpha’s brother—and not the one whose wolf is determined I’m his mate. It’s caused just as many problems as you would think. And now I have to pick a mate. Fast. Hunter won’t be free from his wolf’s obsession with me until I seal a mate bond with someone else. But that would require having feelings for someone else. It doesn’t help that I have a stalker threatening me, either. Despite the mess my life is, I have to choose a mate… but I’m already falling in love with the wolf prince I accidentally slept with. And when he starts spiraling into an obsession that’s even bigger and more possessive than his brother’s, there’s no way around the complete and utter chaos. At this point, I’m just hoping we all survive.

DISCOVERIES

BY HAROLD PHIFER

Summer Scares.

Explore Horror Literature this Summer with these Curated Recommendations from Indie Authors.

BY CORINNA KLOTH

Long, sweltering days give way to eerie, restless nights — the perfect backdrop for stories that crawl under your skin and linger in the shadows. This summer, step off the beaten path and into the unsettling worlds of indie horror authors who deliver scares you won’t see coming. From sinister secrets to unspeakable terrors, these handpicked reads promise to haunt your thoughts long after the final page with 20+ curated recommendations.

ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE WORLD

For the children of Burke’s Hollow Middle School, the end of the world came during first period. On a cold, rainy morning, the dead returned to life. Now, the children have lost their families and friends, they’ve been trapped inside the school for weeks, and there are only a handful of adults left to keep the peace. But when a child’s suicide spurs two teachers and a troubled parent to leave in search of supplies, the children find themselves alone, facing something even worse than the dead. After discovering that a teacher has kidnapped a fellow student, two boys, Ian and David, take control of the school in particularly bloody fashion. As the children struggle to survive on their own, tragedy and religious mania will threaten to tear everything apart.

REPRIEVE

On April 27, 1997, four contestants make it to the final cell of the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room in Lincoln, Nebraska, made famous for its monstrosities, booby-traps, and ghoulishly costumed actors. If the group can endure these horrors without shouting the safe word, “reprieve,” they’ll win a substantial cash prize—a startling feat accomplished only by one other group in the house’s long history. But before they can complete the challenge, a man breaks into the cell and kills one of the contestants.

Those who were present on that fateful night lend their points of view: Kendra Brown, a teenager who’s been uprooted from her childhood home after the sudden loss of her father; Leonard Grandton, a desperate and impressionable hotel manager caught in a series of toxic entanglements; and Jaidee Charoensuk, a gay international student who came to the United States in a besotted search for his former English teacher.

JAMES HAN MATTSON

James Han Mattson was born in Seoul, Korea and raised in North Dakota. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he has received grants from the Michener-Copernicus Society of America and Humanities North Dakota. He has been a featured storyteller on The Moth, and has taught at the University of Iowa, the University of Cape Town, the University of Maryland, the George Washington University, Murray State University, and the University of California –Berkeley.

CAITLIN STARLING

Caitlin Starling is the nationally bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence (2021), Last to Leave the Room (2023), and the Bram Stoker-nominated The Luminous Dead (2019). Her upcoming novels The Starving Saints and The Graceview Patient epitomize her love of genre-hopping horror; her bibliography spans besieged castles, alien caves, and haunted hospitals.

THE LUMINOUS DEAD

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.

Instead, she got Em.

Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .

DEVILS UNTO DUST

Keep together. Keep your eyes open. Keep your wits about you.

The desert is unkind in the best of times. And the decade since the Civil War has been anything but the best of times for Daisy Wilcox—call her Willie— and her family. This tense, heart-pounding alternate history about a young woman fighting to survive the unthinkable will keep fans of Westworld and The Walking Dead reading late into the night.

A horrifying sickness has spread across the West Texas desert. Infected people—shakes—attack the living, and the surviving towns are only as safe as their perimeter walls are strong. The state is all but quarantined from the rest of the country. Glory, Texas, is a near ghost town. Still, seventeen-year-old Willie has managed to keep her siblings safe, even after the sickness took their mother.

EMMA BERQUIST

Emma Berquist grew up in Austin, TX and currently lives in New Zealand. She likes horror movies and dogs and dislikes brushing her hair and writing bios.

LAMAR GILES

Lamar Giles has written for globally beloved brands like DC Comics, Star Wars, and National Geographic. He is a three-time Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award finalist, a recipient of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s Youth Literary Award, and a founding member of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books.

THE GETAWAY

Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. He’s got his family, his crew, and an incredible after-school job at the property’s main theme park. Life isn’t so great for the rest of the world, but when people come here to vacation, it’s to get away from all that.

As things outside get worse, trouble starts seeping into Karloff. First, Jay’s friend Connie and her family disappear in the middle of the night and no one will talk about it. Then the richest and most powerful families start arriving, only... they aren’t leaving. Unknown to the employees, the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis. The best of the best at the end of days. And in order to deliver the top-notch customer service the wealthy clientele paid for, the employees will be at their total beck and call.

FIND HIM WHERE YOU LEFT HIM DEAD

Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead. Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent cardmatching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they’re dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen’s grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules: They have one night to complete seven challenges or they’ll all be stuck in this world forever.

KRISTEN SIMMONS

Kristen Simmons is the critically acclaimed author of the ARTICLE 5 series, THE GLASS ARROW, METALTOWN, PACIFICA, and THE DECEIVERS. She has worked with survivors of abuse and trauma as a mental health therapist, taught Jazzercise in five states, and is forever in search of the next best cupcake.

DREW STARLING

A #1 Amazon best seller and active member of the Horror Writers Association, Drew Starling has received considerable praise for his novels and short stories. He is a husband and dog dad who loves strong female leads, martial arts, and long walks in the woods with canine companions.

SENTINEL

A monster. A missing boy. And nowhere to run.

Something is lurking in the woods just beyond Aaron and Ellen Dreyer’s new country home, and an evil that has been hiding in plain sight is about to emerge. A neighbor is brutally murdered, their 4-year old son goes missing in broad daylight, and the local town of Bensalem devolves into a cesspool of finger-pointing and chaos. With nowhere left to turn, Aaron and Ellen are forced to venture into the woods to find their son... and the truth. But in the process, they uncover a force larger and more sinister than they ever could have imagined.

CREVASSE

Five hundred feet above safety and 1,000 feet below it, can climbers Greg and Quinn survive a harrowing supernatural encounter long enough for help to arrive, or will they become two more mysterious disappearances on the high mountain peaks of Washington State?

“This story is a stark reminder of the razor-thin boundary between humanity and the abyss. With a voice that channels some elements found in Koji Suzuki’s work, Vermulm delivers a tale as time‐less as it is terrifying, a testament to his mastery in evoking both the fragility of human identity and the relentless, untamed forces of nature.”

CLAY VERMULM

Born on the frigid, windswept plains of Cut Bank, Montana, Clay has now set down proverbial stakes in the Pacific Northwest where he likes to climb rocks on the days it’s not raining. For the other ninety-eight percent of the year, he enjoys writing, reading, and playing board games with his partner Deanna as his cat criticizes his every life decision from her carpeted tree palace.

T.L. BODINE

T.L. Bodine writes dark fantasy and horror. She’s interested in uncanny, fantastic things, and the way real people with real problems interact with them. When not writing, she can usually be found watching horror movies, playing storyheavy video games, or experimenting in the kitchen.

THE GETAWAY

One year ago, Sean Miller—journalist and mountain climbing enthusiast—reached the summit of Mount Everest and was never seen again. Unable to move on without knowing the truth of what happened, his widow Carrie insists on an expedition to search for Sean’s body so it can be properly laid to rest. Tom, Sean’s best friend and former climbing partner, agrees to serve as expedition guide and promises to keep Carrie safe on the mountain, despite their complicated relationship history.

Guided by a travel journal left behind by her husband, Carrie ventures into the frozen, open-air graveyard of the world’s tallest peak. But as Sean’s diary and Carrie’s experiences reveal, climbing the mountain is more than a test of endurance; it’s a battle of wills with an ancient and hostile force protecting the mountain—and the dead do not rest easy at the summit.

THE HOSUE OF LONG SHADOWS

Kevin Taylor is an internet-famous handyman on a mission: Find a house and renovate it in thirty days. By flipping a derelict house in a month’s time and chronicling the entire thing on video for his online subscribers, he seeks to impress a handful of network TV producers and become a star.

The problems that plague this property will require more than elbow grease to fix, however. Shadows throughout the home are distorted, and an enigmatic trespasser keeps showing up in his footage. Worse still are the hideous voices that issue from otherwise empty rooms in the dead of night.

Amid mounting dangers, Kevin is forced to meet the house’s shadowed past head-on—a past, he begins to suspect, he wants nothing to do with. Armed only with the hearsay of locals and the frightening clues he’s uncovered within the home, he attempts to find out what led to the house’s abandonment while juggling his strenuous renovation projects.

AMBROSE IBSEN

Once upon a time, a young Ambrose Ibsen discovered a collection of ghost stories on his father’s bookshelf. He was never the same again. Apart from horror fiction, he enjoys good coffee, brewed strong.

RR HAYWOOD

RR Haywood is a Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Audible bestselling author with over 4 million books sold and nearly 40 Kindle Bestsellers. As one of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK, Haywood has captivated readers worldwide with his diverse storytelling.

THE UNDEAD: THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS

“My name is Howie. I was named after my father, Howard, but having two Howards was confusing, so I became Howie. I am a supermarket night manager. This is my account.”

When a deadly infection spreads across Europe, supermarket manager Howie’s ordinary life is thrown into chaos. As the world crumbles around him, he teams up with his autistic best mate, Dave, and a ragtag group of misfits to face an enemy unlike any other—the undead. But this isn’t just any infection. It evolves. It learns. And it’s getting smarter every day. Howie soon learns that nothing is quite what it seemsand neither is he.

DARK MATTER

It began with a bang. The Earth shook as it was bombarded by high-energy particles without warning, and after that moment nothing would ever be the same again. Violent chemical reactions in the atmosphere rained down acid, dark clouds blotted out the sun and gave the impression of a desolate wasteland – but this was only the beginning …

Something else had caught a ride on the interstellar storm. Something only postulated by meagre human science without any comprehension of its true nature. Dark matter was transported to the Earth –and it was not simply inorganic as expected. It was alive, and it was wreaking havoc with reality itself.

Astrophysicist Emily Young is left to deal with a world gone crazy. Gravity has increased, leading to all sorts of cataclysms; acid pours from the sky at regular intervals; and something … anything … must be done about the dark matter – lest this marks the end of life on Earth.

S.J. PATRICK

From a young age S.J. Patrick has been an avid reader, with loves spanning between fantasy, science fiction, and especially horror. As a published scientific author, he branched out into fiction in 2021 and had a blast doing so!

CHAD LUTZKE

Chad has written for Famous Monsters of Filmland, Rue Morgue, Cemetery Dance, and Scream magazine. He’s had dozens of short stories published, and some of his books include: OF FOSTER HOMES & FLIES, STIRRING THE SHEETS, THE PALE WHITE, SKULLFACE BOY, THE NEON OWL and OUT BEHIND THE BARN cowritten with John Boden.

OF FOSTER HOMES AND FILES

Denny is a 12-year-old neglected boy who’s been studying all year for the upcoming spelling bee. But when his alcoholic mother dies in her sleep, he suddenly faces foster care. To ensure he still competes in the school event, he hides his mother’s death for one week so he can have a chance at something he so desperately needs. Something to be proud of. Something his dad would have been proud of: A win.

A heartfelt and tragic coming-of-age tale in the setting of a hot New Orleans summer.

“Original, touching coming of age.”~Jack Ketchum, author of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

SOUR CANDY

At first glance, Phil Pendleton and his son Adam are just an ordinary father and son, no different from any other. They take walks in the park together, visit county fairs, museums, and zoos, and eat together overlooking the lake. Some might say the father is a little too accommodating given the lack of discipline when the child loses his temper in public. Some might say he spoils his son by allowing him to eat candy whenever he wants and set his own bedtimes. Some might say that such leniency is starting to take its toll on the father, given how his health has declined.

What no one knows is that Phil is a prisoner, and that up until a few weeks ago and a chance encounter at a grocery store, he had never seen the child before in his life. A new novella from the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of THE TURTLE BOY and KIN.

KEALAN PATRICK BURKE

Hailed by BOOKLIST as “one of the most clever and original talents in contemporary horror,” Kealan Patrick Burke was born and raised in Ireland and emigrated to the United States a few weeks before 9/11. Since then, he has written five novels, among them the popular southern gothic slasher KIN, and over two hundred short stories and novellas, including PEEKERS, SOUR CANDY and THE HOUSE ON ABIGAIL LANE, all of which have been optioned for film.

ALEX WOLFGANG

Alex Wolfgang is a horror writer from Oklahoma. His debut short story collection, Splinter and Other Stories, is available now. You can also find his work in Cosmic Horror Monthly, Nocturnal Transmissions Podcast, and the anthology Howls From Hell. When not reading and writing horror, you can find him hiking and camping, playing tennis, and watching movies.

SPLINTER

Splinter and Other Stories, the debut horror collection by Alex Wolfgang, follows the surreal struggles and fractured hopes of its ill-fated characters.

Two lovestruck travelers form a sinister bond. A man is given the power to liberate prisoners from their mysterious captors. A woman is plagued by visions of her childhood trauma. An alien entity discovers its true nature —to the detriment of a small community.

These ten short stories will horrify, devastate, and haunt you as they untangle their twisted realities.

ANOKA

Welcome to Anoka, Minnesota, a small city just outside of the Twin Cities dubbed “The Halloween Capital of the World” since 1937. Here before you lie several tales involving bone collectors, pagan witches, werewolves, skeletal bison, and cloned children. It is up to you to decipher between fact and fiction as the author has woven historical facts into his narratives. With his debut horror collection, Cheyenne & Arapaho author Shane Hawk explores themes of family, grief, loneliness, and identity through the lens of indigenous life.

MY GRANDMA’S BLURB:

“Please find another hobby. This is too horrible for words. How can you imagine someone enjoying this?”

SHANE HAWK

Shane Hawk (Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma) is a history teacher by day and a horror writer by night. His writing journey began Halloween 2020 with the self-publishing of Anoka, a collection of Indigenous Horror stories released during the pandemic. Since then, his short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, and he has carved out a space as both a writer and anthologist in the genre.

THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE

A whirlpool of darkness churns at the heart of a macabre ballet between two lonely young women in an internet chat room in the early 2000s—a darkness that threatens to forever transform them once they finally succumb to their most horrific desires.

A couple isolate themselves on a remote island in an attempt to recover from their teenage son’s death, when a mysterious young man knocks on their door during a storm…

And a man confronts his neighbour when he discovers a strange object in his back yard, only to be drawn into an ever-more dangerous game.

From Bram Stoker Award finalist Eric LaRocca, this is devastating, beautifully written horror from one of the genre’s most cutting-edge voices.

What have you done today to deserve your eyes?

ERIC LAROCCA

Eric LaRocca (he/they) is a 3x Bram Stoker Award® finalist and Splatterpunk Award winner. Named by Esquire as one of the “Writers Shaping Horror’s Next Golden Age” and praised by Locus as “one of strongest and most unique voices in contemporary horror fiction,” LaRocca’s notable works include Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Everything the Darkness Eats, The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories, and This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances.

GARRETT LYNCH

In a world where countless stories strive to terrify, Garrett Lynch stands apart as a true maestro of the eerie, consistently delivering narratives that leave readers breathless and terrified. Often hailed as the “Twilight Zone of Print,” Lynch has woven together elements of horror, science fiction, and existential gloom, birthing a genre he dubs HORRORWAVE.

LONG WALKS IN THE DARK

15 tales to shock, disgust, & horrify you lurk between the pages of “LONG WALKS IN THE DARK” - a collection of short stories from HORRORWAVE author Garret Lynch. Werewolves, cyborgs, zombies, cults, mutants, cockroaches, sex dolls, bizarre coming-of-age tales and more, “LONG WALKS IN THE DARK” is a heaping plate of corrupt horror for the hungry reader.

STUFFED: Maria’s first time doesn’t go as expected. ORDOG: The Devil has his games. MINDY & THE END OF THE WORLD: Mindy and her cockroach family come up against a weapon none of them were prepared for. DID YOU HEAR ABOUT RANDY?: Rumors are flying as Cordelia’s day at High School gets worse and worse - and its all Randy’s fault. THE CANVAS: Learning to find beauty in brutality. CHAINS: Living too long alone brings new kinds of visitors. FAMILY DAY: It wasn’t quite how they’d planned. TUESDAYS: The worst day of the week. Especially if you struggle with Lycanthropy.

DEATHFORM

After a routine job goes sideways, interplanetary smuggler Jack Kind and his crew are forced into a deal with a dangerous politician transporting cargo from a military installation to a drop-off near the sun. It stinks like a setup, and may be connected to rumors of an alien craft discovered in the Kuiper belt. When the double-cross is revealed, and the cargo opened, the crew find themselves defenseless against a threat unlike any mankind has faced before. And they soon realize they aren’t just fighting for their own lives, but for all life in the solar system.

So dim the lights, lock the doors, and let these indie nightmares lure you into their shadowy embrace. Whether you read them beneath a sunbleached sky or in the hush of midnight, these stories will cling to you like a half-remembered dream . . . or a warning you can’t quite shake.

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What's On Our Shelf

Nobody loves books more than us. We're a team of readers with broad interests and strong feelings about the books on our shelves.

DISCIPLINE by Debra

Spark

How does art mirror and shape our lives? Can it transcend the boundaries of time, wealth, and circumstance? Debra Spark-whose previous work the Washington Post described as “richly imaginative” and “real world magic”-explores these themes in her new novel Discipline. With a trio of important paintings missing, the book weaves together three narratives that span almost a century. From an inhumane boarding school in Maine in the late 1970s to a contemporary Boston art appraiser struggling with raising a teen to the long-lost love letters between a painter and his wife, Discipline is a propulsive literary mystery about family strife and devotion, ambition and authorship, and the abiding and mysterious power of art.

STEADY

DIET OF NOTHING by Cynthia

Cruz

In this debut novel, Cynthia Cruz administers an IV drip of capitalist entropy that keeps us rapt: Steady Diet of Nothing compels readers to consume it in one headlong sitting. Charting the dissolution of an adolescent runaway community, the book follows a teenage girl, Candy, after her arrival at the Blue House — an abandoned home inhabited by other children seeking shelter from the world. Here, she falls in love with Toby, a boy from elsewhere whose companionship interrupts the perpetual alienation of the status quo. “He didn’t explain, but I knew,” Candy says. “I knew as soon as he’d started talking, that we’d come from the same place.”

Beyond their den’s walls, the market reigns, and the societal structure of infinite calculation and infinite exchange has rendered contemporary life meaningless.

MULBERRY STREET STORIES

Mary McLaughlin Slechta

In this electric novel, Mary Slechta brings magical realism and U.S. history to bear on the community of Mulberry Street— an AfricanAmerican neighborhood with a disputed past. Is this enclave the result of white flight, a tenuous foothold for Southern transplants, or a sliver of the world that spun off during creation, once ruled by a god named Mr. Washington? Variously featuring the area’s residents, Mulberry Street Stories uphold the perseverance of hope despite intergenerational trauma and demonstrate the interconnection of human lives throughout time. Slechta’s characters have seen it all, from the persistent mechanisms of systemic racism—forced migration, redlining, gentrification, and more— to the fantastical—children at danger of falling off a flat world; a vampire posing as Henry Box Brown; and a husband tasked with building a supernatural maze to trap the “somethin,” the faceless oppression that has long plagued his family and now threatens his wife.

THE PATIENT BODY by

Sebastian Matthews

The Patient Body: A Personal Narrative in Pieces chronicles one man’s journey as he attempts to lead a balanced life as father, husband, friend, and literary citizen during traumatic times. Written as a mosaic of “flash” encounters, meditations, memories, and travel pieces, The Patient Body explores the ways the past resides inside the present and the present points to an uncertain future. An abecedary lies at the center of the book; composed for a former self, the twenty-six “micro” sections create a dialogue that plays out across the divide created by a devastating car accident that changed everything.

THE RE IN REFUGE by

Adrianne Kalfopoulou

The re in refuge is a collection of linked essays that investigate ideas of refuge, broadly defined, from the intimacies of romance to the promises of the nation-state. Written over the span of a decade, the collection shapes experiences and events that interrogate their larger political and social contexts. The emerging European refugee crisis, yet to become headline news, frames the opening essays, with stories of those lost in their passage across the Mediterranean. In 2014, Italy and the United Kingdom end funding for naval rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, and the influx of refugees into Greece reconfigures some of Athens’ neighborhoods. A once-abandoned school building becomes a squat where Kalfopoulou and other volunteers engage with refugee communities that include families from Afghanistan, Syria, and Kurdistan. As Kalfopoulou notes in “The Parts Don’t Add Up,” a visual essay, “embedded in the word refugee is refuge,” suggesting that the vectors of shelter have as much to do with what one carries of culture and place as they are about a tangible home.

MY HEAVENLY FAVORITE by Lucas

Rijneveld

A confession, a lament, a mad gush of grief and obsession, My Heavenly Favorite is the remarkable and chilling successor to Lucas Rijneveld’s international sensation, The Discomfort of Evening. It tells the story of a veterinarian who visits a farm in the Dutch countryside where he becomes enraptured by his “Favorite”—the farmer’s daughter. She hovers on the precipice of adolescence, and longs to have a boy’s body. The veterinarian seems to be a tantalizing possible path out from the constrictions of her conservative rural life. Narrated after the veterinarian has been punished for his crimes, Rijneveld’s audacious, profane novel is powered by the paradoxical beauty of its prose, which holds the reader fast to the page. Rijneveld refracts the contours of the Lolita story with a kind of perverse glee, taking the reader into otherwise unimaginable spaces. An unflinching depiction of abjection and a pointed excavation of taboos and social norms, My Heavenly Favorite “confirms Rijneveld’s singular, deeply discomforting talent” (Financial Times UK).

DYSPHORIA MUNDI by

Paul B. Preciado

In Dysphoria Mundi, Paul B. Preciado, best known for his 2013 cult classic Testo Junkie, has written a mutant text assembled from essays, philosophy, poetry, and autofiction that captures a moment of profound change and possibility. Rooted in the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and taking account of the societal convulsions that have ensued, Preciado tries to make sense of our times from within the swirl of a revolutionary present moment.

The central thesis of this monumental work is that dysphoria, to be understood properly, should not be seen as a mental illness but rather as the condition that defines our times. Dysphoria is an abyss that separates a patriarchal, colonial, and capitalist order hurtling toward its end from a new way of being that, until now, has been seen as unproductive and abnormal but is in fact the way out of our current predicament.

Like Love is a momentous, raucous collection of essays drawn from twenty years of Maggie Nelson’s brilliant work. These profiles, reviews, remembrances, tributes, and critical essays, as well as several conversations with friends and idols, bring to life Nelson’s passion for dialogue and dissent. The range of subjects is wide—from Prince to Carolee Schneemann to Matthew Barney to Lhasa de Sela to Kara Walker—but certain themes recur: intergenerational exchange; love and friendship; feminist and queer issues, especially as they shift over time; subversion, transgression, and perversity; the roles of the critic and of language in relation to visual and performance arts; forces that feed or impede certain bodies and creators; and the fruits and follies of a life spent devoted to making.

RUN

THE

SONG

by Ben Ratliff

Out the front door, across the street, down the hill, and into Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. This is how Ben Ratliff’s runs started most days of the week for about a decade. Sometimes listening to music, not always. Then, at the beginning of the pandemic, he began taking notes about what he listened to. He wondered if a body in motion, his body, was helping him to listen better to the motion in music.

He runs through the woods, along the Hudson River, and into the lowlands of the Bronx. He encounters newly erected fences for an intended FEMA field hospital, and demonstrations against racial violence. His runs, and the notes that result from them, vary in length just as the songs he listens to do: seventies soul, jazz, hardcore punk, string quartets, Éliane Radigue’s slowchange electronics, Carnatic singing, DJ sets, piano music of all kinds, Sade, Fred Astaire, and Ice Spice.

LIKE LOVE by Maggie Nelson

CIRCLING TOWARD

NIGHTFALL by Dennis Must

In the lyrical novel Circling Toward Nightfall Jeremiah Coombs, its narrator, may be the only man on earth who has two fathers. After being told by Billy Coombs, his father, that he had no mother, Jeremiah’s paternal grandmother discloses that her name was Bernadette who died in childbirth even though Jeremiah vividly recalls her in his early life. A neighbor, “Ichabod” Ernest Tyner, begins to play an increasing role in his life. Ichabod reveals that Bernadette was a Sisters of Conscience nun who gave birth to the boy on the banks of the Ohio River and then drowned herself. When how he was conceived is revealed, a patricidal urge propels Jeremiah to seek vengeance. It is at this juncture that the novel’s truth shows itself. With characters that flow in and out of it, the novel is an enigma.

CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO

by Tom Lutz

A Spanish woman trying to retire as an assassin, a French Foreign Legion deserter from Madagascar, a mysterious (perhaps CIA) woman from America, a billionaire military contractor, and a man wandering the seas alone on a sailing ship bump into each other in the Indian Ocean, and not all of them survive.

Mónica has had enough of her life as contract killer when she meets lonely wanderer Frank Baltimore in a stupidly expensive resort in Madagascar. A few hundred miles away, Alain has had more than enough of his solitary post on a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and so when the mysterious Skye offers him a job, he says yes—he doesn’t know if she is CIA, Wagner, Darkwater, or a gangster, but he wants in.

BIND ME TIGHTER STILL by Lara

Ehrlich

The youngest of three siren sisters, Ceto is weary of an existence driven by hunger, no better than a fish. She trades her tail for life on land, marries the first man she meets, and bears a daughter, only to discover that domesticity is just as mundane as sirenhood. In search of something more, she flees with her daughter Naia to the ocean, where she establishes a mermaid burlesque and recreates herself, performing as a siren in a tank built into the limestone cliffs overlooking the sea. She trains more sirens, expanding Sirenland from a roadside attraction to a national sensation she rules without opposition—until Naia, at 15, begins to push back against the world Ceto has created and the role she performs in her mother’s shows. A death at Sirenland threatens Ceto’s authority and leads Naia to question whether this women-ruled kingdom is truly as empowering as her mother would have her believe. Bind Me Tighter Still explores power and hunger, sacrifice and motherhood, and celebrates the fierceness of female strength in a male-dominated world.

THE BELLS by

Cai Emmons

As The Bells opens, thirtythree-year-old Niall O’Malley has failed a five-year mission to live as a monk and is attempting to redefine himself as a high school teacher in New Jersey. The transition has been bumpy. He loves teaching history to inner city teens, but he hits a roadblock when a belligerent student, Colton, possibly a white-supremacist, behaves in ways that threaten Niall. As troubles mount at school, Niall’s girlfriend Lluvia pressures him into make a deeper commitment to their relationship. She wants them to move in together with Lluvia’s pre-teen daughter and elderly mother. Haunted by his failure as a Cistercian monk and his troubles with one man in particular, the abusive Brother Thomas, Niall abandons Lluvia and heads back to his old monastery in Massachusetts for a final showdown with Thomas, now dying of ALS. Redemption for Niall is elusive as he strives to mend his faith.

Lemons

This collection of spells begins by following the tracks of a mythical creature composed of language and blood across an unblemished field of silence. We can never catch this creature, who perhaps is made real by our pursuit of it. There are glimpses— shadows—made into poems in a poor attempt to construct the whole from the parts. This book is a brush dipped in flowers— corpses—schoolyards—the smell of ocean and tears attempting to paint over without erasing the world we’ve constructed as it is.

The Book of Spells is a collection of poems that believes the world around us is shaped and reshaped by language and that changing our language is a revolutionary act of political and social magic that can replace long-standing destructive agreements with the benignity of loving clarity.

When a healer begins murdering hospital patients, Professor Adrien Desfourneaux discovers that the threat is far closer to him than he could have imagined. Still recovering from a recent institutionalization and unable to trust his own mind or magic, Adrien is drawn into the witch hunt as suspicion falls upon those closest to him. The city’s inquisitors and witchfinders are losing control, the magicians are growing more and more resentful, and the scars from Adrien’s last brush with disaster refuse to fade.

To put an end to the innocent deaths, to keep his dearest friends, and to prove himself worthy of a potential new romance, Adrien is forced to confront his own blind spots before he’s fatally ensnared by the angel of death’s machinations.

BOOK OF SPELLS by Gary

ANGEL EYE by Madeleine Nakamura

OPTICAL

PRACTICAL by

Shubha Sunder

Told as a series of conversations, Optional Practical Training follows Pavitra, a young Indian woman who came to the US for college from Bangalore, India, and graduates in 2006 with a degree in physics. Her student visa grants her an extra twelve months in the country for work experience—a period known as Optional Practical Training—so she takes a position as a math and physics teacher at a private high school near Cambridge, Massachusetts.

What Pavitra really wants, though, is the time and space to finish a novel—to diverge from what’s expected of her within her family of white-collar professionals and to build a life as a writer. Navigating her year of OPT—looking for a room to rent, starting her job— she finds that each person she encounters expects something from her too. As her landlord, colleagues, students, parents of her students, friends of her family, and neighbors talk to and at her, they shape her understanding of race, immigration, privilege, and herself.

ORIGIN STORIES

Corinna Vallianatos

The stories in Origin Stories take as their subject the sources of love, marriage, motherhood, friendship, artistic ambition, restiveness, and shame. Their narrators perceive more than is explicable, want more than they have, and contend with the bounty and frugality of their relationships. In “This Isn’t the Actual Sea,” a woman considers that her friend’s failure and sudden success have given her the material she needs to write something of her own, if she’s willing to risk the friendship to do so. “The Artist’s Wife” describes, in a painting stowed in a bowling alley broom closet, the chasm between seeing and being seen. “Dogwood” is a piece of lyric reportage on beauty, family, and survival whose sections range from the narrator’s childhood to her son’s new adulthood. And “Origin Story” acts as an accounting of the many different states where a woman and her husband have lived, and what it is they’ve been searching for.

THE

DISSENTERS by Yousseff Rakha

Amna, Nimo, Mouna—these are all names for a single Egyptian woman whose life has mirrored that of her country. After her death in 2015, her son, Nour, ascends to the attic of their house where he glimpses her in a series of ever more immersive visions: Amna as a young woman forced into an arranged marriage in the 1950s, a coquettish student of French known to her confidants as Nimo, a self-made divorcee and a lover, a “pious mama” donning her hijab, and, finally, a feminist activist during the Arab Spring. Charged and renewed by these visions of a woman he has always known as Mouna, Nour begins a series of fevered letters to his sister—who has been estranged from Mouna and from Egypt for many years—in an attempt to reconcile what both siblings know about this mercurial woman, their country, and the possibility for true revolution after so much has failed.

VERSAILLES by

Kathryn Davis

Versailles tells the story of an expansive spirit locked in a pretty body and an impossible moment in history. As the novel begins, fourteen-year-old Marie Antoinette is traveling from Austria to France to meet her fiancé. He will become the sixteenth Louis to rule France, and Antoinette will be his queen— though neither shows a strong inclination toward power, politics, or the roles they have been summoned to play. Antoinette finds herself hemmed in by towering hairdos, the xenophobic suspicion of her subjects, the misogyny of her detractors, and the labyrinthine twists and turns of the palace she calls home.

At once witty, entertaining, and astonishingly wise, this widely acclaimed novel is an enchanting meditation on girlhood, womanhood, architecture, and— above all—time and the soul’s true journey within it. Shaken free of the dust of history and calcified myth, Antoinette is “very much alive here, and she’s magnificent”

FINAL

by Mary V. Slinkard

With her reputation on the line, one woman must make the ultimate gamble to save her career, her client, and a young boy’s life.

Jacqueline Stone is an accomplished criminal defense attorney whose tenacity to uncover the truth has earned her the reputation as the one lawyer who can win unwinnable cases. But when a mysterious car accident kills both her son and husband, leaving her the sole survivor, she is exiled from her prestigious firm. Battling personal demons, Jacqueline finds herself at a crossroads, ready to give up law altogether, until accused murderer Ryan Mitchell seeks her counsel and she sees an opportunity for redemption.

MURDER IN THE BAPTISTRY by

Rick Nichols

A former cop turned minister is forced to bring back his old skills when his church is rocked by a murder within its hallowed walls.

Asa Carter was once one of Chicago’s best homicide detectives. But he left that world behind to go into the ministry. When he’s offered a pastorate position in his wife’s hometown of Glen Pines—a small, quaint, and quiet town that is a far cry from Chicago—he accepts, hoping the slower pace will bring him muchneeded rest.

Asa’s first day as Pastor of Grace Gospel Church is shattered, however, when the body of a young woman is found floating face down in the church baptistry. The small police force is inexperienced and unequipped to handle the investigation. The Chief wants Asa’s help, but the mayor doesn’t. It’s clear there are secrets in this town—perhaps secrets worth killing for. It’s up to Asa to bring back the skills he thought long forgotten and find the person who would kill on holy ground.

HER

GAMBLE

ONE BEACH, TWO BABES, AND THE SQUID

by Buck Buchanan

Get ready for a wild ride where danger and hilarity intertwine, and where the line between friend and foe blurs under the scorching Florida sun. As the band sets the tropical soundtrack, investment advisor Tom McCall aims to bring some cool to the sizzling scene. But is he who he claims to be?

Enter Florida Freddi and Missy Mudd, the dynamic duo of real estate known as the Bikini Real Estate team. Their latest sale to Jules Armand takes an unexpected turn when suspicions arise—is Armand truly who he says he is, or is he the notorious Russian scam artist Boris Nabokov? Tom, alias for former cop turned private investigator Rick Dante, is on the case, unraveling a web of deceit that intertwines with Freddi’s secret life as Sabrina, agent for exotic dancers. But their investigations lead to a darker truth—a female trafficking ring operated by ruthless Russians.

SIDEWALK DANCE

Fletcher Michael

From the author of Glass Bottle Season comes a gritty new coming-of-age novel that examines what happens when one man’s desperate journey to become a New York Writer leaves him more “tortured” than “artist.”

Sidewalk Dance is a portrait of the artist as a deluded selfsaboteur. Haunted by his brother’s tragic death in the War in Afghanistan and unable to process this trauma, Fisher shuns his elitist pedigree by abruptly quitting Yale Law School, changing his name to Fish, and moving to New York City. Once there, he sets about reinventing himself as a doomed playwright. Unfortunately for Fish, he is more of an idealist than a talent; a dreamer more than a doer. His delusions of grandeur quickly lead him into an abyss of self-doubt, addiction, identity crisis, and isolation.

RED ULTIMATUM

by Ed Fuller & Gary Grossman

A former U.S. President’ s plane is brought down in the Atlantic. Revolutionary forces attack Cairo. The U.S. Secretary of State is kidnapped in Panama. A North Korean ballistic missile submarine tracks toward America’ s West Coast. A sleeper cell spy awakens in the halls of Congress. A woman assassin takes aim on the Washington Mall. Behind it all is Russian President Nicolai Gorshkov who has mastered the ability to walk between the raindrops and not get wet. Until… China determines that Gorshkov’ s policies are endangering its global initiatives… until Beijing issues Gorshkov a defiant ultimatum… until Dan Reilly, hotel executive/ CIA freelancer, and friend of the Secretary of State, reads the moves on the international political chessboard and picks up the pieces. The non-stop action plays out on Air, Land, and Sea. Yet, with so many geo-political threads being tugged simultaneously, will the Russian leader succeed getting another step closer to rebuilding the old Soviet Empire in his image?

WHISPERED WORD by

Alec Klein

Those words are whispered to Joe, but from who? He only hears the voice. Joe is an outof-work investigative reporter drowning in drink, prescription drugs, and a disgrace not of his own making. In the bleakness, he stumbles across the case of Maggie, an inmate who has always maintained her innocence, even after being convicted of child neglect.

Spurred on by the inexplicable voice, Joe sets out to uncover the truth of Maggie’s mysterious case. Joe corresponds with Maggie from prison along the way, and they develop a connection as he journeys from his antiseptic apartment in New York, to a quiet corner of Oklahoma, to a dusty Texas border town, finally finding himself in the hardscrabble countryside of Mexico. Ultimately, Joe must contend with a looming threat, seeking to guard a long-held secret in Whispered Word, a work of fiction based on a true story.

THE SEA GIVES UP THE DEAD by

Molly Olguin

The Sea Gives Up the Dead is a collection of stories sprinkled into the soil of fairy tale, left to take root and grow wild there. A lovesick nanny slays a dragon. The devil tries to save her mother. A girl drowns and becomes a saint. Three kids plot to blow up their dad, a grieving mother sails the sea to find her son’s grave, a scientist brings a voice to life, and a mermaid falls into the power of a witch. Here, historical fiction, horror, and fantasy tangle together in a queer garden of love, grief, and longing.

THE BURNING HEART OF THE WORLD by Nancy

Kricorian

In vivid, poetic prose, Nancy Kricorian’s The Burning Heart of the World tells the story of a Beirut Armenian family before, during, and after the Lebanese Civil War. Returning to the fabular tone of Zabelle, her popular first novel, Kricorian conjures up the lost worlds and intergenerational traumas that haunt a family in permanent exile. Leavened with humor and imbued with the timelessness of a folktale, The Burning Heart of the World is a sweeping saga that takes readers on an epic journey from the mountains of Cilicia to contemporary New York City.

CITY OF SMOKE AND SEA

by Malia Marquez

Queenie Rivers was raised by her grandparents in coastal Los Angeles. As she approaches thirty, her erratic lifestyle is forced back on course by a car accident and her grandmother’s intervention. But her recovery is interrupted by a break-in and Gran’s death. Gran’s last act was to set Queenie up with a job at an upscale seaside bistro with a shady reputation—the owner of which, it turns out, was once a close friend. As Queenie digs into Gran’s past for answers about the break-in, the murder, and the unnerving circumstances surrounding the restaurant and her new boss, she discovers that her grandmother, a Romani Holocaust survivor, kept many secrets, some of them otherworldly—secrets that become hers to unravel when she becomes a suspect in Gran’s murder case.

DREAMS LIKE THUNDER by

Diane Simmons

Dreams Like Thunder takes place on a small Eastern Oregon farm between Baker and Hells Canyon. The story is set over a couple of days in 1959, but part of the family seems less in touch with the 20th century than with the myth of their own pioneer past. The myth varies according to who is doing the telling. It is up to Alberta, who is ten years old and heir to both the farm and the myth, to discover some truth behind the stories—a truth that will help her know who she is and what her own future might be.

WHAT SHE WANTS

by Kim Dower

Following the commercial and literary success of her bestselling poetry collection, I Wore This Dress Today for You, Mom: Poems on Motherhood,Kim Dower delivers What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria—turning her keen eye, vibrant imagination, trademark insight, and humor to the intensity of obsessive love. These steamy and provocative poems, combining humor and heartache, run through the four phases of Limerence, the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person: Infatuation, Crystallization, Deterioration, and Ecstatic Release. From the opening poem, “She’ll do anything for food,” to the sexy title poem, “What She Wants,” the painfully funny, “His Other Girlfriend,” to the longing in “Visiting Baudelaire,” and the sad, sweet final poem, “Fish’s Lament,” Kim Dower captures the essence of what it means to be stuck on someone—even on a squirrel! Her eclectic, growing readership will savor these poems that can be read in one sitting, like a story with an arc, or separately, each one recalling the moment of falling in or out of love, the moment our hearts skipped a beat.

CONCERNING THE ANGELS

Rafael Alberti, translated by John Murillo

In his first full-length translation, celebrated poet John Murillo (Winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award and the Four Quartets Prize) brings Rafael Alberti’s Concerning the Angels (Sobre los ángeles) to an English-reading audience. Murillo’s foreword introduces Sobre los ángeles as “a monument—albeit a severely neglected monument—of early twentieth-century literature.” Despite having “penned a masterwork of social and psychic malaise as deserving as any of its place in the global canon,” Alberti has disappeared into relative obscurity among readers of English language poetry, and Murillo’s crucial intervention allows the Spanish poet’s voice to once again echo prophetically from this book’s opening poem, “Paradise Lost”: “throughout the centuries, / through the nothingness of the world, / I, without sleep, search for you.”

THERES NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU HERE

Allegra Solomon

A luminous debut of timely, vibrant stories, There’s Nothing Left for You Here by Allegra Solomon is the winner of the 2023 Kimbilio National Fiction Prize, an honor that celebrates excellence in contemporary fiction from writers of the African diaspora. Ranging in subject but joined by their keen attention to the lives of contemporary young women of color, these stories feature an eclectic cast of characters who are as fascinatingly complex as they are deeply relatable. In these pages, a heartbroken young woman named Salem starts over with her estranged best friend from college (Maida) and moves to LA, where she meets and becomes entangled with Theo, Maida’s mysterious wealthy benefactor; teens Nikita and Alexandria bind together to navigate the adolescent politics of high school and female friendship as the only two Black girls at their school.

RADICAL EMPATHY by Robin

Romm

In this new collection of short stories that Ben Fountain declares “all marvels,” Robin Romm (author of The Mercy Papers) revels in the mess behind the slick veneer of modern life. A financially-strapped college student sells her sought after “Ivy League eggs” to a movie star, then wrestles with her feelings as the child grows up in the public eye. A long-married wife in the midst of a bungled kitchen remodel imagines the excitement of her neighbor’s unstable erotic life. Isolated by quarantine, a young widow contends with a talking daffodil that panders to her in therapy-speak. Disquieting, original and strangely reassuring, these ten new stories make quick work of the easy truths and thoughtless salvos that keep us from seeing the wildness of our irreducible lives.

Reading is a journey. Summer is the perfect time to take one."

— OPRAH WINFREY

SHELF UNBOUND WHAT TO READ NEXT IN INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING