PW Select October 2012

October 2012
A quarterly guide to whats new in self-publishing Full reviews of 43 titles Listings for 194 new books
Plus:
A femme fatale uses Kickstarter Four self-styled successes, including Amanda Hocking and Nikki McClure Making your own audiobook
FUND-RAISING
Self-Publishing for Dangerous Women

By Calvin Reid
Kim Krizan is an Academy Awardnominated screenwriter (with Richard Linklater, for Before Sunset), a popular graphic novel writer (Zombie Tales: 2061), and an actress who has appeared in three Linklater films: Dazed and Confused, Slacker, and Waking Life. In addition to all the Hollywood glitter, Krizans got literary/academic chops as well: shes an Anas Nin expert with a masters degree in literature (her thesis examined the psychology of creativity).
espite hard-won success in Hollywood as both an actress and a writer, Krizan has decided not only to self-publish her first book, Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatale, a seriously researched, delightfully tongue-in-cheek history of dangerous women, through the ages, but shes also decided to use Kickstarter, the popular crowdfunding site, to raise $10,000the campaign starts October 1to fund the books publication. Whats going on here? Im kicking Hollywood to the curb with my stiletto heels, she tells PW, laughing at the question and alternating between her two active (and entertaining) personas, the seductive femme fataleyes, thats her on the books coverand the wisecracking cultural critic, during a phone interview. I was lucky to be a Hollywood writer and to get two films made, she says. Im very proud of them. But I want to work on my own, and books are my first true love. Im always writing, but writing for Hollywood is difficult. You write a screenplay, give it to someone, and wait and wait. Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatale is a look at dangerous women, be they mythological or literary characters, or real historical figures, beginning with Eve in the garden of
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Eden, the original femme fatale. She got all the blame for bringing us down by sinning, so shes first, Krizan says, emphasizing that a femme fatale lives her life on her own terms. As she notes in the introduction to Original Sins, throughout history, hot chicks have scared the pants off men, and she analyzes the femme fatales history, habits, and attempts by men to control her. Krizan celebrates a long legacy of evil seductresses, from the biblical Jezebel and Salome through winsome-butdeadly historical figures like Cleopatra (she had no problem with wanting to rule the world) and fictional fatales like Lady Macbeth and Scarlet OHara on to such classic bad girl movie stars as Theda Bara, Anna Mae Wong, Rita Heyworth, Lana Turner, and Sharon Stone. Its a serious book that looks at womens relationship to power and the journey theyve taken to get it, says Krizan, who emphasized that the book is also written with a sense of fun. It looks at what the femme fatale thinks, what she drinks, what she drives, as well as practical issues, like what do you wear when youre about to kill your husband? Its a tongue-in-cheek history, and I had so much fun writing it. Femme fatales are always on the run, she jokes, [so] I talk about travel on trains and planes; I even went to a car museum
FUND-RAISING
to see what kind of cars the femme fatale would driveof course she would also hitch a ride if she needed to. Chapters include The Raw Materials: How to Look Dangerous, ManEating Made Simple: The Femme Fatales Purpose Driven Life, and Warpaint: Cosmetics as Weapons of Mass Seduction, along with a list of Hollywood movies that have made the femme fatale a film culture icon.
The book is beautifully designed by Michael Kellner Book Design and richly illustrated with a roguettes gallery of maneaters. But with Krizans background and reputation, why go through all the work required to self-publish? The author admits she hasnt approached a conventional publisher: I wanted to do something different, and I wanted to write something and get it out into the world in a flash. Kickstarter gives a lot of power to the people, and I think I can get my work directly to readers. Now, if a publisher comes around, I would love it. She adds, Let the audience decide yea or nay if the book should be published. I like that, its like the punk ethos, not waiting for permission, just like the femme fatale. And since
USING KICKSTARTER
Krizan is a filmmaker as well, getting to produce the Kickstarter videoKickstarter encourages creators to produce a short video that explains what their project is aboutwas also irresistible. Krizan stars as, what else, a classic noir femme fatale, a blonde bombshell in blood-red lipstick, dressed to kill in black, opaque shades, and heels, in a short video she shot in L.A.s Chinatown that parodies the femme fatale concept. I watched every film noir there is to write this book, so I thought it would be fun to play with the tone of film noir and play the jaded character, she says. Shes got a goal, shes running from something, and shes got stuff to confess. Her Kickstarter promotional prizesthe premiums offered to donors based on how much money they pledge to a project include a Basic Vamp Level for $10 (you get a .pdf of the book); Straight Up Siren Level for $25 (print book mailed to your home); and Original Sinner Level for $100 (a signed and numbered copy of the print book, with your name on the thank you page) among others. For $2,000 or more, the Trouble Girl Tour Level, you get the signed and numbered book, and Krizan will also take the donor on a personal tour of femme fatale hot spots and locales around L.A. that are discussed in the book. I wanted to be creative and to offer surprise gifts, she says, so for big pledges, donors can meet me at L.A.s Union Stationtrain stations are the scene of so many noir filmsand we can walk around and listen to me talk about life and love and riding on a train with a beautiful stranger. Indeed, Krizan can be as romantic about Kickstarter and selfpublishing as she is about the cultural power of the dangerous women she writes about. The point of art is to connect, and to have that direct connection to readers that self-publishing offers feels so good, she says. Its empowering to the audience. They get to decide whether they want to read your book. Its elemental, and theres no middleman to interrupt it.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M
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TA K I N G T H E N E X T ST E P
Self-Styled Successes
Four self-published childrens authors have received warm welcomes from mainstream houses
B S L
Its always hearteningfor writers hoping to get published, editors on the lookout for new talent, and anyone appreciative of a happy endingto hear tales of self-published writers landing contracts with well-known publishers. Spotlighted here are a quartet of childrens authors, each of whose success stories has its distinctive twistand happy ending.
AMANDA HOCKING
Skilled Self-Publisher Changes Tack
As a youngster, Minnesota native Amanda Hocking immersed herself in writing short stories, and finished her first novel at the age of 17. She says she sent tons and tons of letters to literary agents over the next several years, but had no success lining one up. Since she was determined to be a published author by the time she was 26, at the beginning of 2010when she was 25she decided to take action. I hadnt thought that selfpublishing was a viable option, Hocking says. But Id heard about authors doing well publishing online, so I decided to give it a try. In March 2010, Hocking self-published My Blood Approves, the first in a vampire series, as an e-book. Although she notes that she didnt have a huge response at first and was selling maybe 30 books a day, she received positive reader feedback. After she released additional books, sales soon picked up. By early 2011, Hocking was averaging 9,000 book sales a day, and by that March had sold more than a million copies of her nine self-published e-books. Once sales took off, Hocking was feeling overwhelmed and bogged down by the details of publishing and wanted to devote more time to writing. She decided it was time to find a publisher.
OCOTBER 1, 2012
Her agent, Steven Axelrod of the Axelrod Agency (shed acquired him after she began self-publishing), held an auction for rights to her new paranormal series, Watersong. St. Martins Griffin clinched the rights to the four-book series for a reported $2.1 million and, in a separate deal, acquired rights to Hockings previously self-published Trylle trilogy. The publisher released trade paperback editions of the latter between January and April of this year. The novels spent a combined 23 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and currently have more than half a million copies in print. It was the Trylle trilogy that initially caught the eye of St. Martins editor Rose Hilliard. I noticed that her books had received a lot of good reviews on Amazon, so I ordered the trilogy to find out what the fuss was about. I also noticed that her books were self-published, which interested me. The editor wasnt disappointed. I was immediately drawn in by Amandas storytelling style, she recalls. Her characters just leap off the page. After other staffers agreed that Hocking would make a great addition to the companys YA list, Hilliard contacted Axelrod to figure out how we could work with her, and was thrilled when he eventually told her about the upcoming auction for Watersong. St. Martins Griffin released Wake, the inaugural Watersong title, in August with a 100,000-copy first printing. Lullaby will be published in December, with Tidal and Elegy to follow in April and August 2013. Amanda was one of the first selfpublished authors to really strike it big, says Hilliard of Hockings success. She is smart and levelheaded, and is a very powerful inspiration to others who are pounding the pavement hoping to make a career out of writing.
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DALLAS CLAYTON
Dreaming Big Pays Off
In 2008, Los Angeleno Dallas Clayton wrote and illustrated a 64-page picture book to deliver a crucial message to his then five-year-old son: never give up on your dreams. Encouraged by friends who thought An Awesome Book! was just that, Clayton sent it off to publishers, but wasnt thrilled with their responses. I kept hearing, I love this book, but... and It even made me cry, but...., he recalls. I heard there were too many pages, they couldnt make a return off a full-color book for a first-time author all the things you dont want to hear. Clayton was also put off by what he perceived as the sluggish pace of the industry. Sometimes it took three months for editors to get back to me, he says. I wanted things to move more quickly. I thought that turning my idea into a kids book and having it on the shelf a few weeks later seemed reasonable. I guess I didnt have a clue! So the author (a self-described stickler about paper quality and book design) took matters into his own hands, found a printer he liked, and ordered a print run of 1,000 copies. At the same time, he made the book available online and created a 30-second promotional video to post on his Web site. I had initially intended to give the book away to friends for the holidays, but the first printing sold out in a week and I didnt have any left to give away, says Clayton, who notes that social media and online word-of-mouth was largely responsible for the success of An Awesome Book!, of which he sold more than 50,000 copies in a year and a half. He also spread news of the book through appearances at schools, colleges, and bookstores, and was approached by AmazonEncore, which in 2010 published Claytons second book, An Awesome Book of Thanks! as its first-ever childrens picture book. Claytons good fortune continued at the 2011 London Book Fair, where a U.K. colleague of HarperCollins Childrens Books executives Susan Katz and Kate Jackson showed them the video for An Awesome Book! They immediately conveyed their enthusiasm to v-p and publishing director Emily Brenner, who in turn contacted Claytons agent, Richard Abate of 3 Arts Entertainment. When Abate brought Clayton to HarperCollinss Manhattan offices, staffers interest was further piqued. Wed gathered about 10 of ussales, marketing, and editorial teamsto meet him, recalls Brenner. The second he walked in, he hugged each one of us, and we all said, This is our guy. Not only does he get the rhyming right in his books, which is one of the hard-
est things to do, but he fills a page with an amazing amount to look at, so that you stand back and say, Wow! HarperCollins signed Clayton for a three-book deal and issued An Awesome Book! last April. An Awesome Book of Love! will be released in January 2013 with an announced first printing of 100,000 copies. Clayton also has an illustrated poetry collection, Make Magic! Do Good! due from Candlewick in November, and has recently sold a book to Penguin. The author describes himself as psyched to have the opportunity to work with these publishers whose books I grew up reading. When my first book took off, he says, I was interviewed by people who seemed to be saying, You showed them. But I was never the guy who set out to say Screw you by self-publishing. I always wanted to work with these people who publish very cool books, and now Im really happy to be doing that.
NIKKI MCCLURE
New Life for a First Book
Now an accomplished cut-paper artist whose self-published calendars and greeting cards have amassed a sizable fan base, Nikki McClure made her first paper cut after returning from a walk one fall day in 1996, in her hometown of Olympia, Wash. As she passed a tree loaded with apples, she put several in her jacket. Once home, inspiration hit. Id known that I wanted to make a book, but I had no idea how, she says. So I said, Why dont I make a book about these apples? But how do I make that book? My boyfriend at the time suggested I try cutting art out of paper, which Id never done before. So I drew a picture of an apple falling from a tree, and then cut out the image using an X-Acto knife. That cut-paper picture became the first illustration in Apple, a wordless picture book. One image led to the next, and when I had enough pictures for a book, I ran off to Kinkos and copied them, McClure recalls. I bound them by hand, tied them with a ribbon, and sold them through local bookstores. I didnt think I needed an agent, publisher, or publicist. I simply made a book and that was it. Now, 16 years after its original appearance, Apple has a spiffy reincarnation as a paper-over-board picture book with an embossed cover. It was released in August byquite fittingly the Abrams Appleseed imprint, which the publisher launched last spring. McClure has added minimal texta single word per spreadto the new edition. McClure came to Abrams via the houses adult group, which in 2007 published her Collect Raindrops: The Seasons Gathered, a gift book about the change of seasons. We had also noticed her beautiful calendars, which have a kind of cult following in the
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Northwest and had made their way east into select gift shops, says Susan Van Metre, senior v-p and publisher of Abrams Books for Young Readers. We were looking for an illustrator for All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, and Nikki seemed to be the perfect one. I got in touch with Nikkis agent, Steve Malk [of Writers House], about that. As it turned out, Cynthia was already a fan of Nikkis work. That book was released in 2009, and Abrams subsequently published two picture books written and illustrated by McClure, Mama, Is It Summer Yet? (2010) and To Market, to Market (2011). The author has also published several picture books with Seattle-based Sasquatch Books. Van Metre is especially pleased to be releasing Apple under Abrams Appleseed, which she credits publishing director Cecily Kaiser for helping to launch. It definitely seems like fate that we had come up with the name for our new imprint for preschoolers about the same time we decided to republish Apple, says Van Metre. It came together perfectly. We knew that the simplicity and boldness of Nikkis art made it a perfect book for small children, but the breadth of its appeal exceeds our original expectations. McClure, who has another picture book, How to Be a Cat, due from Abrams Appleseed next April, is overjoyed to see the return of Apple. I always wanted this to be a real book that could be read to a child sitting on someones lap, but I didnt have the meansif I found a quarter on the sidewalk in 1996 it was a good dayor comprehension about how to do that. Seeing this book as a real hardcover is so sweet to me. Its like I had a baby grow up and now I get to have my little baby back again. And even cuter this time around. says. I didnt want anyone to tell me that I couldnt put those steamy parts in the book, so I published it myself as an e-book in October 2011. It became so popular that by December I realized I had to get it out in paperback. The Vincent Brothers followed, in both e-book and paperback editions. Then she continued the Sea Breeze series, which had launched with Breathe: the e-books, Because of Low and While It Lasts, both became USA Today bestsellers. While It Lasts, with 87,000 copies in print, has become Gliness bestselling title to date. This year, she also self-published paranormal e-books Predestined and Ceaseless, and plans to republish Breathe herself, as well as Existence, a paranormal e-book also published by Wild Child, when rights to each revert to her. Glines, who says she spent about three months trying to find a mainstream publisher for Breathe before it was picked up by Wild Child, maintains that her main goal was not to be published traditionallybut to sell books. Clearly, she has a knack for that: she has sold a combined 380,000 copies of her selfpublished e-books, which she estimates translates into profits of $800,000. Self-publishing has been a fun experience, she says. Ive met some awesome people doing it and have been able to make a lot of money. But shes pleased to have signed her contract with Simon Pulse, a deal brokered by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich. The author says Dystel had contacted her this past June after noticing the Vincent books sales success and subsequently reading the novels. My biggest concern about going with a traditional publisher is losing the control I have self-publishing, she says. But the team at Simon Pulse is amazing, and lets me make decisions. Im very happy with them. The feeling is mutual. Jennifer Klonsky, editorial director of Simon Pulse, explains that her colleagues at S&S U.K. had given her the heads-up about The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers, which had been submitted to that office. We read them immediatelyyou cant stop once you start, she says. And we know that this kind of sensual romance is unbelievably popular now, so we went full steam ahead with the acquisition. We were inspired by the success Abbi has had on her ownshes a brilliant marketer and self-promoter. We want to build on her approach in a very collaborative way. Like other editors who weighed in on tapping the ranks of self-publishers to find new talent, Klonsky views them as a rich resource. This is a group of very smart people who are not to be ignored, she says. I think as our landscape continues to change, this is one of the ways we can stay relevant. Its another terrific avenue for us to exploreand explore seriously.
Exploring a New Direction

On September 14, Simon & Schuster announced that its Simon Pulse imprint has acquired the rights to two contemporary YA romance novels that were previously self-published by Alabama author Abbi Glines: The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers. Glines has had a great ride with the books, having sold a combined 150,000 digital copies since October 2011, and Simon Pulse obviously expects to build the momentum: its paperback editions of the novelsdue in October and December, respectivelyeach has an announced first printing of 250,000 copies. The publisher will issue simultaneous hardcover print runs, and has already released e-book editions of the novels this past August. In 2010, Glines published her first novel, Breathe, with Wild Child, a small California publisher that specializes in e-books, but with The Vincent Boys, she decided to switch tactics. This novel has a steamy side, and pushes the line typically found in YA, she
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ABBI GLINES
keith glines
AUDIO TIPS
If You Build it, Will They Listen?

Self-publishing of audiobooks is on the rise, thanks to digital distribution and cheaper recording technologies.
By Ryan Joe
The improbable idea was this: Jack Reacher in sex therapy. The notion that the towering and tacit ex-MP, the creation of crime writer Lee Child, would submit to such an exhibition is at best completely out of character.
Working Well with Others

Audiobooks are quite a production, says Ben Matchar, CEO of Spoken Word, a company that, like Open Book Audio, helps authors create and distribute their own audiobooks. I see a lot of authors who think that they can insert themselves into that process successfully, and end up overstepping their bounds. Matchar recalls terminating the contract of one author who kept wanting to redo the audio performance and insisted on speaking with the narrator over the telephone, often for hours at a time. We budged an inch and they asked for more, Matchar recalls. And at a certain point, the narrator didnt want to put up with it. Currently, Matchar tries to isolate the author from the voice and production talent; when there is interaction, Matchar chaperones. Authors who have written fiction also often have preconceived notions of how their characters should sound, so they may be surprised to hear different actors interpretations of their work, Audibles Thornton says. Communication is key to alleviate this. Authors should discuss all details of a project prior to production this includes specifics like a characters accent as well as the tone and pace of the narration. Johnny Heller, a professional voice talent who has won two of the five Audies hes been nominated for, agrees with Thornton. You need to write some things down so no one is surprising the other, he says. And this includes contributions that go beyond performance. Does the author want to bring in an editor for fully produced WAV files? Do they want my help promoting the book? They need to say that and not assume the actor will do it for free, Heller says.
ut during the summer of 2011, novelist M.J. Rose wrote a short story in which Reacher sought counsel from Roses recurring protagonist, Dr. Morgan Snow. Lee said if I could figure out a way to get Jack Reacher into sex therapy, I could do it, Rose recalls. She wrote two additional short stories of hardened men in sex therapySteve Berrys Cotton Malone and Barry Eislers John Rainto round out the self-published collection, In Session. But the audiobook version of In Session is where the project got truly audacious. Rose used a service called the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), a networking service created by Audible, that connects the rights holders of booksusually but not always the authorwith producers, voice talent, and studios who could help the rights holder create and distribute an audiobook independent of the major publishing houses. Through ACX, Rose and her producing partners assembled the same actors who had previously created the voices of Morgan Stone, Jack Reacher, Cotton Malone, and John Rain, to contribute to a multicast performance. [Self-publishing] opens up the avenue of things you can do, Rose says. If a publisher went to another publisher to use those characters, it would take years. The lawyers would come in and theyd have to decide who would get paid. I started writing in June and [the audiobook] went live in October.
While four of Roses novels have audio versions through the traditional publisher, Brilliance Audio, audio self-publishingthe popularity of which is increasing due to digital distribution and cheaper recording technologiesaffords Rose the ability to publish her backlist; audio versions of four of her earlier novels are available through ACX. Its a trend that Matthew Thornton, senior editor at Audible.com, sees increasing. Recently, New York Times bestselling author Tucker Max used ACX to distribute two of his audiobooks, he says. But known authors such as Max and Rose have advantages many do not. In Roses case, she has a large fan following and a powerful agencyWriters Houseto alleviate some of the common headaches in production and marketing that less popular writers experience. They were willing to look at the contract and the [audio] files, she says of her agency. If youre repped, that helps with the business angles. Not everyone interested in self-publishing an audiobookwhich requires the right holder to bear the production and occasionally the distribution costs has this backing. Sixty percent of the writers who go through Open Book Audio are entirely self-published, estimates Matt Armstrong, the companys co-founder and CEO. And authors unfamiliar with the audiobook creation process often misunderstand its complexity.
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AUDIO TIPS
dont read for first-time listeners. McClymont says authors need to remember their performance is for people who havent read the text and are consuming it for the first time audibly. Narrating is a game of endurance. On average, two hours of reading begets one finished hourthus a 10-hour book requires 20 hours of recording. That doesnt include prepping the book or retakes, Heller says. Thats just doing the job. Ultimately when it comes to performance and production, the best decision is often hiring professional talent, says Sherrie Wilkolaski, founder of publishing consultancy Authors Boutique. For those insistent on reading their own audiobook, Heller recommends this: Hire a producer to record the author reading a section of the text, then audition two actors to read as well. Let the author listen to all three people and decide who really did a better job, Heller says. audiobooks to other digital distribution outlets like Overdrive and Audiobooks. com, prioritize Audible because of the companys reach. Because the percentage taken by Audible is so high, pricing has to be strategic and is based on length, which listeners often correlate with quality. Open Books Parker recalls one author asking to charge $40 for a three-hour long audio book. I had to talk him down and say, Listen, you wont sell the book at all at that price, Parker says. Eventually, the author settled for a price between $8 and $10, the going rate for a book of that length.
Open Book often rejects submissions due to quality issuesgenerally around sound and narration. Often with audiobooks, the sound is too low, or different sections are recorded at different volumes. Recordings are often rife with background noise: dogs barking or air conditioners growling, and infused with pops, lip smacks, and heavy breathing because the authorinexperienced and doubling as a narratoris too close to the mic. This is partially a technical issue. We get a lot of samples of folks that have taken a USB headset and microphone and plugged it into the computer to record, says Andrew Parker, Open Books cofounder and president. Thornton acknowledges that some authors have gotten away with using inexpensive mics, ranging from $75 to $100 compared to the $2,000 setups used by professionals, but in general, he says, You need a great [recording] room to deliver a great product.
Adjusting the Sound
Performance issues abound as well. Often, authors that narrate their own books simply lack the talents and abilities of a professional actor. They make inflection mistakes, or theyre very monotone. They may stumble over words or pronounce things strangely, Armstrong says. Novice narrators often take certain words such as integral for granted, Heller adds. Misspoken in conversation, these words go unnoticed. But in an audiobook, they stand out. To Hellers dismay, he often hears people insist they can do his job. Im confident if I were a neurosurgeon I wouldnt hear that, he says. I think everybody that wants to do this should take some acting classes. This includes learning technical fundamentals like phrasing, says Lee Anne McClymont, a radio show producer and host, and the founder of Radiocentrix, which provides radio talent, production, and marketing services. Authors familiar with their own work
Well-spoken
Creating audiobooks requires so many moving parts that authors need to be selective deciding where they want to devote their energy. There were a lot of little pieces I didnt want to be involved in, Rose says, discussing her self-publishing process through ACX. Simply getting an audiobook into a position where it might be noticed by listeners is difficult. Libraries and hard media notwithstanding, when it comes to digital distribution, Audible is still king. iTunes is also a significant distribution channel, though its catalogue is supplied by Audible. In other words, audiobooks not available on Audible arent represented on iTunes either. In Matchars experience, Audible doesnt even bother with contracts for individual books. Spoken Word needed five books before Audible offered a nonexclusive contractone that entitled the distributor to an 80% cut (an exclusive contract gave Audible a 30% cut). Companies like Spoken Word and Open Book, which send their authors self-published
Distribution Dynamics
Ultimately, just because an audiobook is available on Audible doesnt mean listeners will be interested, or even be aware of it. Nobody will buy a book theyve never heard of, Rose says. So the real issue is: How are they going to find it? How will you do the marketing? And there has to be some realistic expectations. This entails knowing the target audience and getting them excited about the title. Wilkolaski recommends audio sneak peeks, releasing an hour of free audio, for instance, so commuters with 30-minute travel times can listen to the first half on the way to work, the second half during the return journey, and pay to download the remainder back at home. You need that discovery piece, Wilkolaski says, adding that authors should reach out to customers across all communication channelsfrom a Web site download to podcasts to social media notices to linking the purchase page in an email signature. Despite its importance, the final task of marketing the audiobook is often overlooked by authors, Rose says. Its hard to accept the fact that after youve done the hard work of writing the book and recording it, you still have to think up ways of getting it out there.
Listeners Gathering round
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SELF-PUBLISHED LISTINGS
DIY Titles: More and More E-books

The 194 titles submitted for our Eighth quarterly PW Select
With our eighth PW Select we complete two years of quarterly presentations of self-published titles and reviews. As of next year, PW Select will appear bimonthly, that is, six times a year, beginning in February.
ART
Back Words: One Painters Voice in the Conversation. Peter Malone. CreateSpace, $11.95 paper (152p), ISBN 978-1-4781-8221-4; $8.75 e-book ASIN B008O6JYNQ Amazon A narrative of artistic development and a critique of the university as educator of artists offers a new assessment of contemporary art. Drawing with the Spirograph Multicolor Pen: 51 Original 10-Color Design Instructions for the Spirograph Toy of the 1960s Howard Richman. Sound Feelings Publishing, $9.95 paper (28p), ISBN 978-1882060-92-4 www.soundfeelings.com The combination of this new instruction booklet and a Spirograph Multicolor Pen will breathe new life into a cherished toy of the past.
B008KO2LBO www.shortontimebooks.com This captivating biography reveals the details of sports legend Cindy McCoys inspirational life story. Beamish Boy: A Memoir. Albert Flynn DeSilver. The Owl Press, $8.99 e-book (262p), ISBN 978-1-45244611-0 Smashwords; B&N A beautifully written memoir... poignant and inspirational, comical and terrifying! says Kirkus Review. Casting Norma Jeane: A Starlet Is Transformed into Marilyn Monroe. James Glaeg. The Woodbine Press, $12.95 paper (246p), ISBN 978-0-615-61206-5; $6.99 e-book ASIN B008RPQAFO Amazon A restless starlet described as pretty but plain steps into a role that will make her the most photographed woman of the 20th century. Full Circle: A Journey in Search of Roots. David A. Hecker, Ph.D. Crab Walk Press, $14 paper (253p), ISBN 978-1-4664-23978; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62111-035-4 Amazon After the author finds his lost greatgrandparents, he writes poems, a histori-
cal novel, and this memoir about the many family secrets found during the journey. A Child Lost in Flight: Moving On After Tragedy on Flight 229. Mohan K. $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-162314-538-5 Amazon A first-person account of a father coming to grips with the sudden death of his child on an international flight. Up the Park. Richard D. Kutz. Inkwater Press, $17.95 paper (338p), ISBN 978-1-59299-792-3; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-59299-793-0 inkwaterbooks.com/upthepark Join a group of kids who mature while working out life together, through team sports and a strong camaraderie, to become fine young adults. My Top 40 at 40: Making the First Half Count: A Modern Mans Story Collection. Kari Loya. XK Productions, $24.95 hardcover (252p), ISBN 978-0-9847637-0-2 www.MyTop40at40.com To celebrate turning 40, the author shares 40 favorite stories spanning six continents and two decades that will inspire readers to live fun, meaningful lives. Dodging Machetes: How I Survived Forbidden Love, Bad Behavior, and the Peace Corps in Fiji. Will Lutwick. Peace Corps Writers, $15.95
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Hell on Wheels: The Incredible Story of Rookie Roller Derby Queen Cindy McCoy. Karen Mueller Bryson. Short on Time Books, $8.99 paper (124p), ISBN 9781-4776-9075-8; $2.99 e-book ASIN:
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paper (266p), ISBN 978-1935925-11-8; $7.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-935925-12-5 Amazon Romeo and Juliet meets Eat, Pray, Love in this seriocomic memoir, in which a Peace Corps volunteer and a local Indian girl become starcrossed lovers in Fiji. Boocoo Dinky Dow: My Short, Crazy Vietnam War. Grady C. Myers and Julie Titone. CreateSpace, $13.99 paper (168p), ISBN 9781-4679-5568-3; $6.99 e-book www.shortcrazyvietnam.com Grady Myers was an artistic but aimless teen in 1968, when, desperate for troops, the U.S. Army overlooked his extreme nearsightedness and transformed him into Hoss, an M-60 machine gunner. His illustrated memoir is by turns funny and sobering. A Sea Story: The Untold Story of the U.S. Navy Response to 9/11. Joseph Pignataro. CreateSpace, $8.70 paper (216p), ISBN 978-1-4752-4131-0 ; $4.99 e-book ASIN B007W9F4A8 Amazon A Navy boarding team struggles to survive on a Iranian tanker smuggling weapons to the Taliban on 9/11; based on true events. Antonia De Rocsini, Queen of the Pirates Rinaldo Rinaldini. Krys Roxien Books, $20.95 paper (410p), ISBN 978-0-61547722-0 www.AntoniaDeRocsini.com A 17th-century biography of one of the least-known female pirates, trans. from the French by Krys Roxien. Cancer Country: A Survivors Memoir. Chet Skibinski. Inkwater Press, $12.95 paper (202p), ISBN 978-1-59299-806-7; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-59299-807-4 Amazon; B&N; inkwaterpress.com Discovering you have cancer is like being thrust into a foreign country that was next door all the time. 13 Years in America. Melanie Steele. CreateSpace, $10.95 paper (288p), ISBN 978-1-4752-1566-3; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007M4C780 Amazon An inspiring memoir of an immigrant from Canada traces one womans fearless pursuit of happiness and fulfillment in modern-day America; both personal story and sharp social critique. Broken Innocence: A True Story of Soul Redemption. Gregory Allan Voss. Inkwater Press, $15.95 paper (268p), ISBN 978-1-59299-767-1; $4.99 e-book ASIN B0085XH22I Amazon The story of one mans journey from the shattered innocence of an abusive childhood to hard-won redemption in later life. Great Black War Fighters: Profiles in Service. Ben L. Walton. Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co., $29.97 hardcover (256p), ISBN 978-1-61897-108-1 sbpra.com/BenLWalton With a foreword by LTG (Ret.) Robert G. Gard Jr., Ph.D., this is a chronicle of 29 African-American admirals and generals who reached the pinnacle of a military career with one to four stars, since President Truman abolished segregation in the nations armed forces. care of your health. Find deep satisfaction within as you discover your best, true self. Living Beyond the Pain: Insights for Your Journey of Transformation. Gordon Selley, D.C. Selley Enterprises, $14.99 paper (164p), ISBN 978-09855268-0-1 www.livingbeyondthepain.com The author shares his comeback from permanent neck injuries to fulfilling life to help readers pull themselves up from whatever circumstances have them stuck in the darker places of life. Love Promised: A Future Life Revealed. Kent Smith. Universal Life Strings, $19.95 paper (318p), ISBN 978-0-9851654-2-0; $3.33 e-book ASIN B007W4M8TS Amazon Smith relates how death is a part of life through her own love story, fashioning a guide to recovery from grief for those who have lost family or friends, revealing the messages she has received from loved ones after their death, and connects quantum theory to her experiences. A Passage to Eternity: A Mystical Account of a Near-Death Experience and Poetic Journey into the Afterlife. Azmina Suleman. Inkwater Press, $18.95 paper (228p), ISBN 978-1-59299-801-2 inkwaterbooks.com, Amazon A rare account by a Shia Ismaili Muslim of a near-death experience candidly explores the Canadian journalists experience. What is important is... its moral value; its power to inspire faith, and care for others, says John King of the University of Calgary.
BODY, MIND & SPIRIT

Its All About Me... or Is It? Christopher Barron. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (164p), ISBN 978-1-4775-2566-1 www.createspace.com/3887601 A first-person narrative delves deeply into the the meaning of being human and reflects on the moments of our days that should not be ignored or neglected. Be Your Best Without the Stress: Its Not About the Medal. Katrina Radke, M.F.T. Motivational Press Inc., $24.95 paper (262p), ISBN 978-1935723-61-5 www.katrinaradke.com Embrace your inner Olympian, maximize your potential, manage obstacles, take
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

You Can Get the TruthYou Can Fix the World: A Step by Step Guide. Joe Fedison. You Can Get the Truth, $19.95 paper (312p), ISBN 978-0-9858258-0-5 www.YouCanGetTheTruth.com A how-to guide shows exactly what
needs to be done to get at the root of problems and outlines specific strategies for fixing them; includes examples, instructions, guidelines, and templates. The Business of Wanting More: Why Some Executives Move from Success to Fulfillment and Others Dont. Brian Gast. Barnegat Press Co., $24.95 hardcover (184p), ISBN 978-0-98494190-2; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-98494191-9 www.TheBusinessofWantingMore.com The former CEO tells his personal story of why success was his undoing and teaches the four elements of fulfillment along with a roadmap to being both fulfilled and successful. Smart Customers, Stupid Companies: Why Only Intelligent Companies Will Thrive, and How to Be One of Them. Michael Hinshaw, and Bruce Kasanoff. Business Strategy Press, $24.95 paper (200p), ISBN 978-0-9851339-1-7; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9851339-2-4 Amazon Massive disruption is coming to every industry. The authors offer a five-step plan for companies to profit from disruption rather than falling victim. ValuesNot Just for the Office Wall Plaque: How Personal and Company Values Intersect. Irial OFarrell. CreateSpace, $18.97 paper (208p), ISBN 978-1-4610-5836-6; $12.29 e-book ASIN B007PK9FTU www.irialofarrell.com A management consultant provides a nuts and bolts explanation of what personal and company values are and how their successful intersection can benefit a businesss bottom line. Customer 3D: A New Dimension for Customers. Bill Self. CustomerEDU, $21.95 paper (234p), ISBN 978-0-9853908-0-8; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9853908-1-5 Amazon; (800) 380-2308 Exceptional companies are remaking themselves to become more customer-centered with the Customer 3D strategy. On Top of Everything: Manage Your Projects and Life with Ease. Laurence H. Seton. Projecteze Inc., $37.95 paper (187p), ISBN 978-0-9810629-0-7; $37.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9810629-1-4 www.OnTopOfEverything.com Describes how to stay organized and achieve work-life balance with technology you already own, using Projecteze, a simple and effective task management system. Non-Contender for Mother of the Year. AK Turner. Fever Streak Press, $12 paper (190p), ISBN 978-0-9855839-0-3; $3.99 e-book ASIN B008FIBV20 Amazon A girl who scorns the idea of family majors in Russian, minors in vodka, and one day finds herself with child... and in-laws.
FICTION
The Crawford Affair. Michael R. Adams. Solemn Chanting Press, $2.99 e-book (322p) Amazon.com Horatio Crawford plans and executes lavish memorial events, but his family is entangled in the affairs of love, gossip, and town politics. Making Believers: Connect to the Light Within. Linda Amato. Hay House/Balboa Press,
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

Max Overacts, Vol. One: Hold On to Your Stubs. Caanan Grall. Occasional Comics, $19.95 paper (164p), ISBN 978-0-9879042-0-1 occasionalcomics.com/store Max is the next great serious thespian and every day is an opportunity to showcase Complete Bookwhether anyone else likes his talents, Manufacturing.Your Book Printer - with over 10,000 Your Single Destination forAuthors and Publishers. Complete it or not. Book Manufacturing.
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$17.95 paper (223p), ISBN 978-1-4525-3543-2 www.balboapress.com Abuse needs to end in relationships by the simple transformation of discovering that God is within all. Gracie and Amanda live as a mother and daughter filled with their demons on a daily basis, yet in death Gracie leaves Amanda a gift that enables her to transform her life. Americas Fool: Las Vegas and the End of the World. Jay Amberg. Amika Press, $17.95 paper (400p), ISBN 978-0-9708416-7-4 www.amikapress.com TV reporter Andy Wright must prevent fanatics from murdering thousands of people in Las Vegas with a powerful poison and destroying our democratic system of government. A Song Apart. Jeffrey H. Baer. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (352p), ISBN 978-1-4564-9292-2 www.createspace.com/3534466 A rising pop star and her biggest fan fall in love and fight society for respect, then discover they only need each other. Honeymoon with Harry. Bart Baker. Big Muddy Books, $8.63 paper (301p), ISBN 978-1-4752-5655-0 Amazon; B&N A shocking tragedy thrusts two enemies on an emotional odyssey as they travel together to spread the ashes of the woman they both loved. Announced as a New Line Cinema film. The Other Pilot. Ed Baldwin. Brasfield Books, $14.95 paper (350p), ISBN 978-0-615-67322-6 Amazon A political action thriller with a military aviation background. Its Not Easy to Unfuck Things Up. Earl Barret. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (274p), ISBN 978-1-4751-2152-0 818-990-8009 A tragic WWII novel of a West Coast teenager whose first love is about to be interned for the duration of the war. Staying Alive in Lampasas County. Glenn A. Blake. E-Booktime, $12.95 paper (189p), ISBN 978-1-60862-349-5; $5.95 e-book ASIN B006ZCUE76 E-Booktime.com; Amazon; B&N Based on an actual feud and violent shootout between two families on the Texas frontier in the mid-19th century, this novel features a young man trying to live right in a cruel and lawless land. Women from Venus. Ed Brodow. Lulu, $15.95 paper (196p), ISBN 978-1-300-00712-8; $6.99 e-book ASIN B008LUM5JA Amazon A collection of four short novels by the author of Fixer and Negotiation Boot Camp. Zemsta. Victoria Brown. Woodchuck Publishers, $14.95 (272p), ISBN 978-0-9854391-1-8; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9854391-2-5 Amazon This gripping tale of corruption, greed, murder, and betrayal tells the story of three boyhood friends during Prohibition and explores the meaning of friendship, family, love, and loyalty. My Way Home. Cynthia Lee Cartier. Story Creek Books, $12.95 paper (368p), ISBN 978-09850224-2-6; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-09850224-0-2 Amazon Cammys lost as she faces the end of her 25-year marriage, but an abandoned lodge on an island gives her new dreams. Apparition. Michaelbrent Collings. CreateSpace, $15.97 paper (424p), ISBN 978-1-47816776-1; $2.99 e-bookASIN B008GFLVQI Amazon A loving father is attacked by a supernatural presence that wants to possess him, and kill his children. Lay Saints. Adam Connell. Adam Connell, $4.99 e-book (434p), ISBN 978-0-9854855-0-4 Amazon Enter the underbelly of Manhattan, where warring crews of telepaths read or alter the thoughts of the hacks around them, for a fee. Window Above the Porch. Kevin Costanzi. Amazon Digital Services, 99 e-book (211p), ISBN 978-1-46753289-1 Amazon A fictional portrayal of warfare in Iraq that examines what motivates men to fight far from home in the midst of morally complicated and threatening conditions. Doom Spore: A Summer Movie in a Novel. John T. Cullen. Clocktower Books, $16 paper (264p), ISBN 978-1-4775-2994-2; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-7433-1149-6 Amazon Terrifying jungle horror turns San Diego citizens into fungal zombies. Lt. Linsey Simon and hard-hitting reporter Jack Simon desperately fight back to save the world. Orbital Sniper: A Jack Gray Thriller. John T. Cullen. Clocktower Books, $19.95 paper (500p), ISBN 978-1-4774-2526-8; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-7433-1403-9 Amazon Jack Gray, a 21st-century cross between James Bond and the Saint, combats Dr. Night, whose orbital sniper rifle threatens terrorist mass murder. The Spys Daughter. John T. Cullen. Clocktower Books, $22 paper (454p), ISBN 978-1-4752-9838-3; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-7433-1228-8 Amazon A wealthy woman, searching for her roots and her vanished WWII spy father, uncovers his love story in a panoramic adventure reminiscent of Doctor Zhivago.
Don Quixote. Gerald J. Davis. Insignia Publishing, $14.99 paper (361p), ISBN 978-1-47740119-4; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-47622439-8 Amazon The author of eight novels offers a translation of the story that a Nobel Prize Committee survey of a hundred of the worlds best writers named the greatest book of all time. The Militant Genome. Braxton DeGarmo. BookBaby, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62309-226-9 www.braxtondegarmo.com Combines state-of-the-art medical genomics and an Ozarks white supremacy group for a thriller with a life-threatening conspiracy of murder, kidnapping, and rising racial tensions. No Alternative. William Dickerson. Kettle of Letters Press, $12.99 paper (329p), ISBN 9780-9851886-1-0; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007RZZX76 Amazon An explosive coming-of-age drama blasts open the grunge-era world of suburban American teenagers in the early 90s. dayclean. e.r. dinsmoor. CreateSpace, $12.95 paper (448p), ISBN 978-1-4775-0519-9 Amazon; B&N Fleeing a brutal foster home, a Gullah teen crosses the paths of two powerful feuding Southern families. Troubled yet memorable characters uncover a murderous conspiracy to destroy him and protect his life. What Smiled at Him. Colin Dodds. Royal Pulp, $12 paper (280p), ISBN 978-1-4774-0331-0 Amazon Two childhood friends find every clue they need to solve a grisly double murder, but, for their own reasons, choose not to. Slow Curve on the Coquihalla: A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery. R.E. Donald. Proud Horse Publishing, $13.95 paper (348p), ISBN 978-09881118-0-6; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-14657-6920-6 proudhorsepublishing.com A compelling whodunit, this first in a series of character-driven mystery novels features Hunter Rayne, a former RCMP homicide detective turned long-haul truck driver, whos enlisted to find the murderer of a fellow trucker. Skyscraper Secrets. Jennifer Dozier. CreateSpace, $12.95 paper (180p), ISBN 978-0-7433-1379-7, 978-0-7433-1378-0; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007MCO3IY Amazon; B&N Muriel and Sarah engage in a passionate, sentimental summer romance during the bleak, terrifying 1950s. They will marry and move on, but never forget. Searching for Lincolns Ghost. Barbara J. Dzikowski. Wiara Books, $13.95 paper (172p), ISBN 978-0-9840305-0-7; $8.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9840305-1-4 Amazon; B&N Andi Powell, 11, lost both her parents in a car accident and lives with her grandmother, whos obsessed with death. In this coming-of-age tale set during the tumultuous 1960s, Andi hopes to find the truth from Lincolns ghost, said to haunt her elementary school. The Drought. Patricia Fulton. CreateSpace, $14.50 paper (400p), ISBN 978-14680-7480-2 Amazon; B&N Killer heat and a priceless baseball signed by Carlton Fisk thrust Jared Riley into a dark world where an ancient evil is waiting. God Bless the Dead. Evan Geller. Evan Geller, $7.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-67420-9 Amazon A biophysicist grad student and an enigmatic Irish emigr develop a mindreading technology that will profoundly change society, but threatens to uncover the dangerous past of the biophysicists wife. X-It. Jane George. Paper Grove Publishing, $9.99 paper (210p), ISBN 978-0-98513071-8 Amazon; B&N Love is a drug.To win aloof artist and bicycle messenger X-It, young J.J. Buckingham tries to become queen of the club scene in 1980 Manhattan. Her plan backfires with horrendous consequences. The Last Minstrel Show: A Detective Story. Peter Goldman. CreateSpace, $12.50 paper (324p), ISBN 978-1-4700-0837-6 Amazon Someone is killing members of a touring black basketball-plus-minstrel-show troupe, and a burned-out PI named Max Christian is on the case in postracial America. 9/11 to Global Jihad: The Grand Plan. Don Gould. GrumpyFox Books, $16.95 paper (500p), ISBN 978-0-9857381-0-5; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9857381-1-2 www.dongould.us A masterfully complex story of Islamic terrorism begins with an unnerving, catastrophic global assault called 9/12, which leads to a new Islamic initiative called the Grand Plan. The Snow Angel: A Novel. Michael Graham. Schaffner Press Inc., $12.95 paper (256p), ISBN 978-1-93618235-0 www.ipgbook.com Based on a true story, this is the tale of a multiracial kidnapping that threatens the stability of a struggling urban community, as three cops work the case before the town explodes. Packages from America. Carol Wilson Grandin. Rockland Press
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Rhode Island, $15 paper (196p), ISBN 978-1-46990425-2 Amazon The Neumanns, an East German family, are trapped by communism. Their handto-mouth existence from the end of WWII is revealed in letters to an American family who send packages of food and clothing. Brambleman. Jonathan Grant. Thornbriar Press, $18.95 (468p), ISBN 978-0-9834921-2-2 Charlie Sherman has no idea what madness awaits when a stranger persuades him to finish a dead mans book about a crime thats gone unpunished. No Cure for the Past: A Vin Hardin Novel. Rick Halpern. CreateSpace, $9.95 paper (244p), ISBN 978-1-4774-7178-4 Amazon When PI Vin Hardins mentor is senselessly murdered, Vin doesnt anticipate that finding the killer will require delving into his own troubled past. The Lake and the Glacier. Markku Hietala. BookBaby, $7.99 e-book (267p), ISBN 978-1-62095-540-6 Amazon The stories of a terminally ill mans promise to an Indian boy and a newlywed couple escaping the monotony of their lives come together with a lake and a glacier among the clouds high in the Himalayas. Naked Brain. Michael Allen Hunt. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (346p), ISBN 978-1-4700-1359-2 Amazon In this apocalyptic thriller, one man must sacrifice everything and destroy the U.S. Defense Departments OPLAR Spacecraft before it becomes operational and causes the extinction of all humankind. Oversoul: Stories and Essays. Mitchell S. Jackson. The Collections House, $4.99 e-book (92p) ISBN 978-0-9853409-1-9 Amazon A collection of short fiction and essays explores fictional and nonfictional characters struggling with such vices as drugs and avarice while dealing with the fallout of strained family ties and ill-conceived notions of love. Sharing a Man. R.W. Jaeger. Gold & Water, $12.95 paper (144p), ISBN 978-0-9827042-2-6 www.ingrambook.com, Amazon Two women meet at a grave site and discover they were both lovers of the dead man. Yield, Book 1 of the Armageddia Series. Bryan K. Johnson. Bedside Books, $24.95 paper (436p), ISBN 978-1-58982-681-6; $9.95 e-book ASIN B008WNXM3Y www.armageddia.com As people are caught between the lives they know and the anarchy that follows a devastating attack against the U.S., those that remain are confronted with the worst in humanity... and themselves. Another Broken Wing, Flap Flap: Swimming Alone in the Deep End of the Gene Pool. James Sumner Kendrick. Easy Street Stories, $14.49 paper (325p), ISBN 978-0615-66768-3 Amazon A barrage of seemingly random coincidences in Stormy Days life connect his mothers disappearance 30 years before with todays absurd conspiracy to defraud the lottery. Catching on Fire. Sue Knott. Foot Drop Publishing, $12.99 paper (302p), ISBN 978-1-4774-5049-9; $3.99 e-book ASIN B007VTEC4S Amazon Visions of a dystopian future drive Rachel to find answers in mysterious symbols. On her quest she discovers that answers and love are elusive. Eyes Behind Belligerence. K.P. Kollenborn. CreateSpace, $18 paper (460p), ISBN 978-1-4701-6816-2; 99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4524-7114-3 www.kpkollenborn.com Two Japanese-American families survive racism, the harsh elements of the desert, gang violence, and boredom while interned inside detention camps during WWII in the U.S. Wright for America. Robin Lamont. Grayling Press, $14.95 paper (252p), ISBN 978-0-9858485-0-7; $6.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9858485-1-4 www.robin-lamont.com A struggling actress enlists a troupe of fellow unemployed actors to teach a venomous ultra-conservative radio host just how powerful words can be. Urban Legend: Murder at the House of Blue Lights. Garry D. Ledbetter. CreateSpace, $9.99 paper (226p), ISBN 978-1-4751-3373-8 Amazon; B&N This novel delves into the Indiana urban legend of The House of Blue Lights, a place with 150 cats, a pet cemetery, tunnels, and blue lights that cast an eerie glow on the countryside. Kill Town, USA. Joseph Love. Squanch Books, $8 paper (98p), ISBN 978-1-4699-2330-7; $3 e-book ASIN B007FVST8C Amazon Jack Heart is out of work and on the run from zombies in a quarantined Appalachian town. The Sun at Midnight, or As the Planet Warms. Nick Mann. CreateSpace, $12.49 (512p), ISBN 978-1-4538-5683-3 Amazon Three unconventional young people from Washington, D.C., become celebrities in early 1960s Hollywood, but their lives arent wonderful. Melody goes mad. Her kid brother Damon copyrights sex. Their pal Colleen embraces death.
Awake in the Mad World. Damon Ferrell Marbut. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (343p), ISBN 978-0-9855452-0-8; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9855452-2-2 Amazonhttp://www.ottawacitizen.com/ health/Trudeau+seek+Liberal+leadership +report/7301176/story.html An energetic coming-of-age novel about college graduates seeking to find their place as creative thinkers in a world apparently indifferent to their passions. One Passion. Teresa Matvejs. Dorrance Publishing, $24 paper (318p), ISBN 978-1-4349-1126-1 dorrance.stores.yahoo.net Follow circus performer Rose Vitkovskis and her colorful cohorts as they laugh, cry, and entertain their way through small towns in the Australian outback. Through the Door. Jodi McIsaac. Inkwood Publishing, $12.99 paper (296p), ISBN 978-0-9880472-1-1; $5.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9880472-0-4 Amazon Celtic mythology and the modern world collide in the tale of a child with an ancient power and those who want to control her. Crossing the Bridge of Sighs. Susan Ashley Michael. Twin Oaks Press, $8.99 (200p), ISBN 978-09844354-7-0; $8.99 e-book ISBN 978-162095-068-5 Amazon; B&N Claire, a brokenhearted travel writer, travels to Venice where she finds herself in a romantic comedy of errors, magnified by advice from the shades of Byron, Tintaretto, and other literary and artistic spirits. Plenty of romance, recipes, and pithy proverbs. Silk Road: Seals of Destiny, Book One. T.J. Michaels. Bent West Books, $11.99 paper (270p), ISBN 978-0-9857874-1-7; $7.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9857874-0-0 Amazon The first Descendant in millennia with the power to use an ancient artifact is being huntedby the good, the bad, and the worst. Meribah. Arthur Mokin. CreateSpace, $15 paper (280p), ISBN 978-1-4637-7391-5 Amazon; B&N A love story set in ancient Egypt is told against the narrative of the Bibles Book of Exodus. The Accident Stager. Susan Moss. Re:Source Publications, $14.95 paper (260p), ISBN 978-0-9642329-4-5; $6.99 e-book Gaude Velasquez is a master of the highway accident insurance scam. But his next mark, an older woman and artist named Joy, fights Velasquez and her insurance company to prove who was at fault in the accident. Forging of a Knight. Hugo Valentin Negron. Lulu, $16.99 paper (380p), ISBN 978-1-105-50634-5; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-105-85152-0 Amazon: lulu.com; B&N A young warrior named Qualtan joins forces with a half-orcne thief named Glaive as they battle through undead hordes, evil druids, shape-shifting Maugs, hungry trolls, and more as Qualtan journeys to become a knight. Awayday. M.P. Nicholaou. Publish Green, $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-938297-44-1 Amazon Two disparate groups clash on the London to Brighton train, but when two Muslim suicide bombers threaten to blow up the train, the two groups must work together to save the train and its passengers. Baden-Powells Beads, Book One: Beads Series. Paul D. Parsons. Tate Publishing, $21.99 paper (292p), ISBN 978-1-61862-090-3; $8.99 e-book ASIN B008EA28WQ Amazon; www.tatepublishing.com; B&N A thriller based on the true story of Zulu beads recovered in South Africa in 1888 and the doctor who was given one by a dying patient. To Wander the Labyrinth. Brian Peters. AASP Press, $16 paper (238p), ISBN 978-0-9838572-0-4; $9.99 e-book ASIN B0085OOI38 www.bcpeters.net Protagonist Clay is an interrogator in a totalitarian U.S. that would make Kafka and Dostoyevski proud. One of his victims, Maya, could be the source of his redemption. Jimmy Lagowski Saves the World. Pat Pujolas. Independent Talent Group, $12 paper (198p), ISBN 978-0-98400930-5; $7.99 e-book B007ATF6WQ Amazon A murder trial unravels through strange, overlapping narratives involving the defendant, jury members, and the title character. Grandpa Ben and His Pirates: A Novel of the American Revolution. John W. Ravage. CreateSpace, $18.95 paper (533p), ISBN 978-1-4679-1043-9 (360) 683-5216 Ben Franklin moves to Paris to find support for the American Revolution and gain release of more than 3,000 colonial POWs in English jails. Into the Woods: A Novel. Jacob Reece. Amazon Digital Services, $3.99 e-book (177p) ISBN 978-1-62050337-9 Amazon Ten-year-old Billy Raymond is a practiced liar, but he really is threatened by the neighborhood bully. Will his parents believe him before its too late? Grasshopper Speaks. Katrina Register. Armando Diaz, $9.95 paper (192p), ISBN 978-0-9851734-0-1 Amazon; B&N One woman dares to acknowledge how insecurity, self-hate, distrust, and bitterness affect her as she fumbles her way through life, searching for what she has never truly felt: love. Made in China. Mark Reutlinger. Abbott Press, $23.95
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paper (371p), ISBN 978-14582-0314-4; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4582-0315-1 Amazon; B&N A gripping tale of love, murder, and a race to revive Americas abandoned industries when everything made in China suddenly disappears from the nations marketplace. Fire Angels: A Southern Novel. Joseph Richardson. CreateSpace, $15.95 (387p), ISBN 978-1-4421-2902-3 Amazon; B&N The Coopers live on a small central Florida farm. Over the years of 1915 through 1925, their lives are affected by WWI, murders, lies, deceit, fueled by ethnic and racial tensions. Klavern: A Sherry Russell Mystery James K. Rone. Arno Press, $14.99 paper (422p), ISBN 978-0-615-66168-1; 99 book ASIN B008F8Y27Q Amazon During a 1967 Ku Klux Klan uprising, ex-Nashville PI Sherry Russell investigates a heinous racial hate crime in rural Alabama, counting among its victims the brother of Sherrys African-American housekeeper. No Nice Girls: A Sixties Noir Thriller James K. Rone. CreateSpace, $13.50 paper (339p), ISBN 978-1-4775-0830-5 Amazon In 1965 Nashville PI Sherry Russell is hired to stop a scandal targeting the sexpot queen of country & western, but finds herself in sin-city Biloxi, Miss., playground of the Mafia, down mean streets where no nice girls walk. The Epiphanist. William Rosencrans. William Rosencrans, $8.62 paper (360p), ISBN 978-0-61564996-2; $2.99 e-book ASIN B0082MWDM6 Amazon Vladimir lives on an island nation of genetic rejects. When war destroys his home he must fight his way through jungle and political intrigue to freedom. The Last Falcon: Book 1 of the Cael Stone. Colleen Ruttan. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (327p), ISBN 978-0-9881343-0-0; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9881343-1-7 Amazon; Smashwords A young woman sets out to find justice for the murder of her father and finds herself caught up in a deadly struggle for power. The Return of Elliott Eastman: The Occupy Wall Street Manifesto. Ignatius Ryan. Telemachus Press, $7.99 paper (310p), ISBN 978-1-937698-35-5; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-937698-36-2 Amazon Eastman, former congressman and billionaire, has six months to live. With the help of some former men-at-arms and his long lost love he goes back to Washington with an audacious proposal, one that will change the future of America forever. Pinching Lobsters. Dax Santi. Dax Santi, $10 paper (214p), ISBN 978-0-98490921-6; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9849092-0-9 Amazon; B&N; iBookstore A failed marriage proposal sends a man off the deep end where he forms an unlikely bondwith a lobster. Metagalaxy: Conclusions. Russell Scott. Xlibris, $29.99 hardcover (294p), ISBN 978-1-4691-3339-3; $3.59 e-book ISBN 978-1-4691-3340-9 Amazon; B&N Can SamSon convince others and himself that he is still the Metagalaxys defender? Or will SamSons own power lead to the Metagalaxys destruction? Conspiracy to Assassinate Jesus Christ: A Novel of Historical Fiction and Religious Suspense. Chris Seepe. Synchronopedia Corp., $14.99 paper (223p), ISBN 978-0-9878193-0-7; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9878193-1-4 www.theotherplottokilljesus.com Opposing forces, coerced by the most powerful person in the Roman Empire, maneuver Jesus as a pawn in a conspiracy to overthrow Tiberius, Romes emperor. Memoria. Elizabeth Segrave. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (274p), ISBN 978-1-4679-6329-9 Amazon Two murders and two missing Carnival masks fuel this A romantic sci-fi mystery that takes grad students Violet and Tom to Venice, London, Scotland, and beyond. Dead Weight. Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book ISBN 978-1-4659-8001-4 Smashwords A newly divorced scuba diver finds more than she bargained for on a diving adventure in the South Seas. Growing Chocolate. Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book, ISBN 978-1-46582925-2 www.smashwords.com/ books/view/13 A chocolate tree becomes the source of miracles for a grieving mother and a troubled teen. Willful Ignorance. Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4657-3991-9 www.smashwords.com/books/view/125 Dr. Ryan Parker uses a medical convention to escape the strictures of his life, from the hellish end of his marriage to a pending malpractice suit, with the bonus opportunity to pursue a pretty patient away from the complications and restrictions of Los Angeles. One Pink Line. Dina Silver. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (260p), ISBN 978-1-4637-7253-6; $3.99 e-book Amazon Spanning generations, One Pink Line
charts the story of Sydney and Grace, whose lives are decades apart, but dramatically shaped by the same event. A for Argonaut. Michael J. Stedman. Clipper Trade Books, $14.99 paper (374p), ISBN 978-09856477-0-4; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-09856477-1-1 Amazon A Special Ops commander teams up with the Queen of Diamonds to hunt down African terrorists before they bring the U.S. to its knees. Sea of Crises. Marty Steere. Penfield Publications, $15.95 paper (314p), ISBN 978-0-9854014-0-5; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9854014-1-2 Amazon What really happened to the crew of Apollo 18 in the Sea of Crises? Sons of mission commander Bob Cartwright risk their lives to find out. About Luv. Angel Stell. Heavenly Image Press, $13.95 paper (280p), ISBN 978-0-9834853-0-8 Amazon The story of three friends in their 20s who are each involved in complicated relationships that lead them to question their desire to find true love. Mind Over Murder: A Jake Roberts Novel. Cary Allen Stone. Fine Line Books, $7.99 paper (238p), ISBN 978-1-4774-6188-4; 99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4774-6188-4 Amazon Incarcerated serial killer Lori Powers assists her ex-lover, Det. Jake Roberts, in the apprehension of the wealthy serial killer Jared Hamilton. The Trinity Signs. Scott M. Sullivan. Sullivan Publishing, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-67187-1 Amazon Tobias, the last Guardian, must light the way to the fabled Trinity Signs and protect the unknowing world around him before all is lost. The Newts. Matt Valenti. Tri-Cornered Hat Books, $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-937572-71-6 Amazon Just in time for the presidential election, The Newts is a satire of American politics and religion that leaves no high-profile target unscathed. The Dogs of Pilothead Sound: Book One of the Days of Pilothead Sound (DOPS). C. S. Walkingheart. CreateSpace, $21.99 paper (568p), ISBN 978-1-4782-0521-0; $8.99 e-book ASIN B006WWGUX6 Amazon On opposite sides of the world, a lighthouse keeper, an actor, and an exiled Incan noble see their destinies mesh in a poignant saga. The Bull. Matthew Weber. Pint Bottle Press, $8.99 paper (190p), ISBN 978-0-9854590-0-0; $5.99 e-book ASINB0081KBFXC Amazon Frank Standish, tired of new taxes and regulations choking his livelihood, decides to do something about it. The Blue Poppy. Robert W. Welkos. CreateSpace, $18.99 paper (400p), ISBN 978-14701-5383-0 Amazon A treasure trove of Tibetan religious artifacts, known only as the Blue Poppy, has disappeared. Only one man may know its whereaboutsformer FBI agent Robert Frazier, convicted of espionage and imprisoned at a high-security federal penitentiary. City of Spirits. Eric Wilder. Gondwana Press, $16.95 paper (298p), ISBN 978-0-9791165-5-1 www.gondwanapress.com Its Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and French Quarter sleuth Wyatt Thomas is dealing with a new client and a very old curse. Hens and Chickens: A Story About Love. Jennifer Wixson. White Wave, $14.95 paper (272p), ISBN 978-0-9636689-8-1; $7.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9636689-7-4 Amazon Two women, downsized by corporate America, move to Maine to raise chickens and sell organic eggsand discover more than they bargained for, including romance. The Last Arakad. Guillaume Wolf. CreateSpace, $8.63 paper (260p), ISBN 978-1-4701-6902-2; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007ZI6AVS Amazon A story of about life, loss, and magic, The Last Arakad is a thrill ride that talks about letting go of fears and claiming your own power. First Born. Neil Edward Wolfson. CreateSpace, $9.99 paper (198p), ISBN 978-1-4679-6169-1 Amazon First Born is the story of a former Special Forces officer intent on solving the murder of his wife and child. Thorn of Bxar. Robert Wuench. Reelfoot Publishing, $12.95 paper (166p), ISBN 978-0-61564285-7; $4.95 e-book Amazon; B&N A taut tale of battles, personal conflict, and the human side of legendary people who helped shape the United States in the 18th century. Fall. Geoffrey Young. Top Shelf Books, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-43022-5 Amazon Fall is the darkly comic story of Paul, a young man recounting how he ended up a fugitive writing his life story on a Manhattan fire escape.
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Race to Glory: Olympics from the First Century. Barbara Youree. CreateSpace, $13.99 paper (327p), ISBN 978-1-4701-1019-2 Amazon To win an Olympic crown Timos must overcome the curse of young Nero, his nemesis, while Kyniska must gain her independence from her tyrannical father. The God Antenna. Niko Zinovii. Zinovii Art Studio, $13.95 paper (258p), ISBN 978-0-9852230-0-7; $6.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9852230-1-4 Amazon; B&N A story of unusual extraterrestrial visitation and post-human worlds, love, betrayal, and artificial intelligence in an ancient alien civilization. Intense Restraint. Anonymous. CreateSpace, $6.99 paper (176p), ISBN 978-1-4775-1445-0; $2.99 e-book ASIN B00865T4JE Amazon Steven endures a horrifying ordeal as he simultaneously plans his escape and attempts to help his abductor find his way back to normalcy. In Greece, George Cotzias is a hero to Parkinsons patients. This is a portrait of Cotzias and his remarkable research team. Randal the Flannel Camel. Ann Goshia Diedrich. AuthorHouse, $17.99 paper (24p), ISBN 978-1-46858822-4; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-46858823-1 Amazon; B&N A young camel gets lost, is found, and shops for something special to wear. Fangs and Stilettos. Anthony DiFiore. InGroup Press, $14.95 paper (256p), ISBN 978-1-935725-07-7 Amazon Fashions greatest secretwho is the driving force behind the globally burgeoning industry?is revealed in this globetrotting mystery. Caller Number Nine. Debbie Duncan. Debbie Duncan, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-47740-4 www.debbieduncan.com Thirteen-year-old Laura wins a trip for two to Hawaii with L.A.s coolest deejay in 1967, when times are changing and girls are discovering their power. The Societys Traitor: The Discoveries of Arthur Grey, Book 1. V. K. Finnish. Panama Hat Publishing, $12.99 paper (326p), ISBN 978-09852202-1-1 Amazon; B&T; Ingram The adventure of 11-year-old Arthur Grey intertwines legend, history, and modern Peru as he attempts to reveal a traitor and discovers more than he bargained for. Blaze of Glory. M. Garzon. Petal Press, $13.95 paper (344p), ISBN 978-0-9880013-0-5; $5.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9880013-1-2 Tea, at 17, confronts the end of her promising career as a horse-jumper after an accident. After a series of bad choices, her older adopted cousin, Jaden, steps in to help, and Teas love for horses soon becomes a love for Jaden. A USA Today recommended read.
JUVENILE FICTION
Patalosh: The Time Travelers. Z Altug and Tracy Gensler. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (326p), ISBN 978-1-46352133-2; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-46352133-2 www.patalosh.com A 10-year-old boy from a distant planet living on Earth frantically searches for his missing parents with the help of seven unique friends, battling many deadly obstacles and one terrifying enemy along the way. My Merlin Awakening: Book 2, My Merlin Series. Priya Ardis. Ink Lion Books, $14.99 paper (340p), ISBN 978-0-9848339-3-1 B&N A young Merlin has woken and must control a high school girl to wield Excalibur to stop a natural disasterbut then falls in love. A Moment in Time. Jennifer Butenas. The Perfect Moment, $17.99 hardcover (40p), ISBN 978-09840039-0-7 (603) 493-8400 A story in rhythm and rhyme about a family of four and their moment in time a balmy summer on Cape Cod. Sweet Savage Blood. Carolina Courtland. Carolina Courtland, $13.15 paper (366p), ISBN 978-1-47501263-7 Amazon A teen vampire romance about undying love that sweeps across time from the 19th to the 21st century. VOLUSPAA Magical World. Sam D and Ray East. Pramita, $8.99 paper (214p), ISBN 978-0-9856816-0-9; 99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9856816-1-6 B&N A YA novel that is a crossover between urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a mythological and dystopian twist.
HISTORY
Kings Dream: Barack Obama Becomes President of the United States of America. Sherry Hutson and Lynn Lyons. Sherry Hutson, $29.95 paper (318p), ISBN 9781-105-83821-7 Amazon; B&N; Lulu Kings Dream is the story of the 2008 Democratic primary and general election, told by over 500 writers from nearly 200 sources. The Great Cotzias: Discoverer of the Treatment for Parkinsons Disease. Dr. Bernard M. Patten. Peak Achievement Publishing, $4.44 e-book ASIN B008QG810Q Amazon
The Mumbo Jumbo Circus. Jane George. Red Willow, $12.95 paper (336p), ISBN 978-1-936539-08-6 Amazon; B&N A 15-year-old girl must save a rag-tag, magical circus that is home to a group of throwaway teens. Jadhu Ram and the Thirsty Forest. Kirk B. Gradin. Banyan Studios, $17.95 hardcover (36p), ISBN 978-1-105-04735-0 Amazon When drought strikes, a young Indian sage forsakes his blissful forest life in order to rescue the village folk and a forest of creatures. The Hellandback Kids: Be Careful What You Wish For. L . L . H e l l a n d . C r eateSpace, $14.99 paper (302p), ISBN 978-14538-5218-7 Amazon A fable about how the search for what we want may never be complete without first living out our dreams. Book: Baby Unplugged. Dr. John Hutton. Blue Manatee Press, $7.99 hardcover (14p), ISBN 978-1936669-06-6 A celebration of booksturning pages, discovering letters, words, friends, places, and imaginationfrom the award-winning Baby Unplugged series, dedicated to oldschool childhood. The Casting. Joyce Shor Johnson. Pugalicious Press, $16.99 hardcover (208p), ISBN 978-09838240-1-5 Amazon; B&N; Igram At Samhain, Robyn chooses red-hot crucibles of molten bronze and roaring fires over midwifery. Will she survive her training and see her dreams come true? The Yawning Rabbit River Chronicle. J.L. Kimmel and David Ceccarelli. Springtree Press, $17.99 hardcover (296p), ISBN 978-0-9785007-1-9 Amazon; B&N; B&T An illustrated and complex tale of unconditional love, courage, perseverance, and forgiveness. The Not-So-Grim Folk Tales. A. A. King. AuthorHouse, $19.95 paper (313p), ISBN 978-1-4678-4557-1; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4678-4554-0 Amazon; B&N New tales woven out of stories by authors from the Grimm brothers to J.K. Rowling and everybody in betweenincluding Star Wars. Paris-Chien: Adventures of an Ex-pat Dog. Jackie Clark Mancuso. La Librairie Parisienne, $17.95 hardcover (40p), ISBN 9780-615-54542-4 When Hudson, an adventurous terrier, moves to Paris and tries to make friends, he discovers that Parisian dogs only speak French. Now what? Spectacle. Angie McCullagh. CreateSpace, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-98503300-2 Amazon Six-foot-plus Emily and best-friend-gonewild Trix discover their friendship cant withstand the search for love, acceptance, and absent parents. Ethereal (Celestra Series Book 1). Addison Moore. Addison Moore, 99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9834782-0-1 Amazon Skyla Messenger finds out the hard way that angels arent always there to help sometimes they want you dead. Mystery of the Egyptian Scroll: Secret Agent Zet Book One. Scott Peters. CreateSpace, $6.99 paper (114p), ISBN 978-1-4783-0570-5; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9859852-0-2 Amazon In ancient Egypt, 12-year-old Zet must capture a thief to earn a muchneeded reward. The Klampie Mystery. Luis Rodriguez. Mascot Books, $14.95 hardcover (32p), ISBN 978-1-62086-0311; $8.95 e-book Samantha gets a stuffed koala before going to Australia. On the plane ride home, the koala turns out to be quite a mysterious plush animal. Aliens in Disgise: Rise of the Heroes. M.M. Scott. AMPM Press, $9.99 paper (154p), ISBN 978-1-937970-01-7 Amazon An anti-bullying handbook disguised as a sci-fi story. Xor: The Shape of Darkness. Moshe Sipper. Amazon. $7.99 paper (296p), ISBN 978-1-4750-7868-8; 99 e-book ASIN B007HKOS90 Amazon On his 12th birthday, Lewis Nash discovers hes a Shaper from Xor. Moreover, it seems Xor is doomed and Lewis is its only hope. Heart of a Hero. Billi Tiner. CreateSpace, $7.99 paper (182p), ISBN 978-1-4701-1014-7; $2.99 e-book Amazon Lady, an Irish setter puppy, lives on a farm in Ohio in the 1940s, but her life takes a dangerous turninto a world war. Murder from Beyond the Grave. Yvonne Yourkowski. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (200p), ISBN 978-0-9880932-0-1; $6.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9880932-1-8 Amazon Officer Kaila Porter stares at the mutilated body of her mentor. Fresh from the Police Academy, she has something to prove and is determined to find justice. Oscars Adventures in the Woods Pam Stone. Outskirts Press, $14.95 paper (16p), ISBN 978-1-4327-6382-4; $7 e-book Amazon; B&N
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A true story of a little girl, Shelbythe authors daughterand her pet turtle, Oscar. The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain. Oldman Brook. Troubadour Publishing, $10.25 paper (440p), ISBN 978-1-84876761-4; Matador, $1.52 e-book ISBN 9781-78088-768-5 Amazon Can two boys from the past, and one wizard in the future, save Everlast from an otherworldly monster? Ages 10up. A Biplane and Her Boy. Mary Coleman-Woolslayer. 2010 Tigermoth Publications, $24.95 hardcover (45p), ISBN 978-0-9844785-0-7 Tigermothpublications.com A poignant story of a 1943 Stearman biplane that dreams of being reunited with the boy who owned and flew her better than anyone in the world. Ages 612. Ben, His Helmet, and the Too Tight Hair. Nelle Frances. Janelle Wall, $20 paper (12p), ISBN 978-0-9751168-1-4 Amazon; www.aspergerchild.com Ben found an alien helmet down near the back fence. It wasnt very long before he discovered it was a magic helmet. Written by the mother of a child with Aspergers, this series aims to help children adapt to their Aspergers or autism diagnosis. Mrs. Coras Clothespins. Anthony Melancon. AuthorHouse, $12 paper (10p), ISBN 978-1-4670-3943-7 AuthorHouse Mrs. Cora uses clothespins for more than hanging clothes and gives them life in her own way. Neighbors clothespins want to live with her. 9849005-2-7 Amazon Curto highlights inequities in our justice system and provides time fixes to correct it and help rebuild confidence in the system. Illustrated with contemporary photographs and ephemera, Once Upon a Playground offers a visual tour of vintage playgrounds and celebrates their place in American culture. Living in the Mouth of the Wolf: Based on a True Story. Salvatore DiVita. Thunderbird Press, $19.95 paper (352p), ISBN 978-09742406-2-6 www.livinginthemouthofthewolf.com Raised in the youth movement of Fascist Italy, Antonio is forced to question and take up arms against an ideology to which he once swore allegiance. Californias Next Century. Marcus Ruiz Evans. CreateSpace, $10 paper (202p), ISBN 978-1-4751-8602-4 Amazon Will California eventually become an independent nation? Evans proposes that America grant California independence so that it can become a new global negotiations hub. Heavens Child. Caroline Flohr. Book Publishers Network, $15.95 paper (140p), ISBN 978-1-93745436-4; $9.99 e-book www.heavenschild.com A heartwarming story about prayer, compassion, hope, courage, love.. Never Give In to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom. Marti MacGibbon. Stay Strong Publishing, $15.95 paper (376p), ISBN 978-09860067-0-8 (800) 266-5564 A memoir that chronicles a drug-fueled descent into the underworld. Savannah Shadows: Tales from the Midnight Zombie Tour. Tobias McGriff. Blue Orb, $20 hardcover
MEDICAL
The Proof Is in the Poodle: One Veterinarians Exploration into Healing. Donna Kelleher. Two Harbors Press, $16.95 paper (195p), ISBN 978-1-937928-06-3; $9.99 e-book Ingram This memoir by a doctor of veterinary medicine explores why and how we heal animals through the wisdom of an herbalist mentor.
NATURE
Life Is Good: Conservation in an Age of Mass Extinction. Jeremy Leon Hance. Mongabay.com, $10.95 paper (218p), ISBN 978-1-4680-1250-7 Amazon An environmental journalist explores the many ways conservationists are striving, with limited funds and little time, to save Earths vanishing species and wild places.
NON-CLASSIFIABLE
Lust=Death, Kiddies! Clayton Kinnelon Greiman. CreateSpace, $6.50 paper (139p), ISBN 978-1-47820497-8 Amazon A Christian and vegetarian, Greiman warns about the risks and dangers of a homosexual lifestyle. Illustrations by Ozzy Longoria.
LAW
The Time for Justice: How the Excesses of Time Have Broken our Civil Justice System. Anthony V. Curto. Onward Publishing, $14.95 hardcover (187p), ISBN 978-09849005-1-0; $9.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-
NONFICTION
Once Upon a Playground: A Celebration of Classic American Playgrounds, 19201975. Brenda Biondo. Blurb, $47.95 paper (158p), ISBN N.A. www.blurb.com
(205p), ISBN 978-0-9792523-0-3 savannahshadows.com An uncensored look at life and afterlife in Savannah, Ga., Americas most haunted city, according to the author. Go for It! 100 Ways to Feel Young, Vibrant, Interested and Interesting After 50. Mary McHugh. CreateSpace, $18 paper (122p), ISBN 978-1-4752-1829-9; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62110-867-2 Amazon How to be good to yourself, rev up your marriage, and experience life anew. Escape: My Lifelong War Against Cults. Paul Morantz and Hal Lancaster. Figueroa Press, $29.95 paper (310p), ISBN 978-018-213220-1 Amazon Morantz devoted his legal career to fighting brainwashing and nearly every major cult movement. It nearly cost him his life. Cherries from Chauvets Orchard: A Memoir of Provence. Ruth Phillips. Red Ochre Press, $16.95 paper (242p), ISBN 978-2-9534500-1-9 shiftinglight.com/book/cherries.html An English painter moves to Provence and discovers how hard it can be for one man to face a blank canvaseven in relative paradise. Beach Wars: 10,000 Years on a Barrier Beach. William Sargent. Strawberry Hill Press, $15.95 paper (150p), ISBN 978-1-47528263-4 www.strawberryhillpress.com/home/ On March 19, 2012, the Cape Cod National Seashore demolished five barrier beach homes threatened by sea level rise. It was only the latest skirmish in the ongoing battle over the use of the area. Beach Wars chronicles the pirates, Indians, rumrunners, and farmers who have made use of this beach. Prescriptions from Paradise: Introduction to Biocompatible Medicine. Carlos M. Viana. Healing Spirit Press, $25 paper (238p), ISBN 978-0-9789920-4-0 Amazon A holistic medicine reference guide for optimum wellness that draws on Dr. Vianas decades of clinical experience. Majoring in Motherhood. Barbra Roylance Williams. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (192p), ISBN 978-1-46814898-5 www.majoringinmotherhood.com The diary of a young girl who is faced with teenage pregnancy while battling domestic violence.
RELIGION
Holy: The Bible Companion. Anthony Jon Beavers. Kinetic Press, $9.95 paper (100p), ISBN 978-0-578-10427-0; $7.95 e-book ASIN B007SPPKLE Amazon Holy brings timeless wisdoms, passed through generations, into focus. Four treatises provide a firm foundation in thinking to achieve better health, wealth, love and leadership. The Science of the Quran: Proving Gods Existence Through Established Modern Science. Ahmad Hassan. Lido Horizons Publishing, $26.67 paper (240p), ISBN 978-0-61549984-0 Amazon The Science of the Quran attempts to prove Gods existence by presenting modern-day scientific insights provided by select verses of the Quran. The Master of Evolution: An Illustrated Voyage of Truth and Light. Gregory Hatton. Universal Wisdom Publications, $34.95 hardcover (256p), ISBN 978-09880275-2-7 Amazon An astronaut travels to the moon and encounters an Angel who reveals cosmic secrets about Christ and the divine purpose of humankind. Customer Service and the Imitation of Christ. Ron J ohn s on . C r e ateSpace, $9.99 paper (134p), ISBN 9781-4681-6205-9; $7.99 e-book ISBN 9781468162055 Amazon An unemployed proW W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M
PHILOSOPHY
Secrets of the Primaverse: Why God Cannot Exist & Nothing Can Exist Without Him. Joel H. Posner. Metafisica, $22 hardcover (140p), ISBN 9781-936940-24-0; $9.99 e-book ASIN B008OKNPC8 Amazon Secrets of the Primaverse strives to dismantle the orthodoxies that polarize atheists and people of faith.
POETRY
Clinging to the Promise. Mary Beth Cordle. Change of Heart Publishing, $12.99 paper (492p), ISBN 9781-4679-7481-3 Amazon The devotionals in this collection offer an alternative to the narrative devotional while seeking to convey understanding to those looking for more spiritual material.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
China: Hungry for Resources and Know-How. Wil Souza. Dorrance Publishing, $11 paper (58p), ISBN 978-1-4349-1622-8; $6 e-book ISBN 978-1-4349-1571-9 Amazon An explanation of Chinas global reach to secure global resources as well as high-tech know-how from developing and developed countries.
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fessor accepts a job in a customer service call center and learns why its so hard to get good service. Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Amazing New Insights from Quran. Sayeedur Rahman. CreateSpace, $18 paper (286p), ISBN 978-1-4750-5256-5; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-81-88497-27-0 Amazon Working in the religio-scientific realm, Extraterrestrial Intelligence seeks to advance beyond where science has brought the investigation of alien life. Beware the Purple People Eaters delivers inspired thinking about leadership through an entertaining blend of humor, nostalgia, and research. The Ten Most Important Things Ever Said. Dan D. Schinzel. AuthorHouse, $16.95 paper (201p), ISBN 978-1-4772-2799-2 978-1-4772-2797-8 Amazon, B&N Schinzel brings together quotes from a variety of sources, each followed by fictional conversations and historical stories that elaborate on the intentions of the author. Defending Happiness: And Other Acts of Bravery. Amy Shea. Danzatore Publishing, $14.95 paper (130p), ISBN 978-0-9831247-0-2 Amazon The collection of stories that demonstrates how one woman faced breast cancer, online dating, and motherhood. Keyboard Results: Piano and Fundamentals for Everyone, Vol. 1. Jay Snyder. Golden Retriever Media, $29.95 paper (204p), ISBN 978-0-57808110-6 Amazon A self-help guide with a gentle pace for those starting from scratch or resuming piano. ing Fun in Water. Karen Board. Stone Fence Publishing, $11.95 paper (32p), ISBN 978-0-98278478-5 The Open Door Bookstore Cartoon characters Olivia and Jack discover how similar children and dolphins are while having fun playing water games and telling jokes.
TRAVEL
Surfing the Middle East: Deviant Journalism from the Lost Generation. Jesse Aizenstat. Casbah Publishing, $26.95 hardcover (240p), ISBN 978-0-98370091-3; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-98370090-6 A first-person account of what it is like to surf around the closed, war-torn IsraeliLebanese border. Wellfleet: An Insiders Guide to Cape Cods Trendiest Town. Alexandra Grabbe. Alexandra Grabbe, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9858094-0-9 www.alexandragrabbe.com/store Wellfleet, Mass., celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2013. Grabbe, an innkeeper, explains what to see and do there and why this Cape Cod town means so much to so many people. The Everyday Space Traveler: Discover Insights of Space Travelers. Jason Klassi. Space Traveler Publishing, $24.95 hardcover (220p), ISBN 978-09817674-0-6 Amazon; B&N A book that brings space travel down to Earth and presents the profound insights that have been gleaned by space travelers.
SELF-HELP
Stop Acting Your Age: Start Living Your Life. David James Demko. CreateSpace, $9.95 paper (156p), ISBN 978-1-4538-0246-5 Amazon An expert on aging offers advice on how to remain youthful. Living Successfully with Chronic Pain. Ruth Stella MacLean. CreateSpace, $10.89 paper (103p), ISBN 978-0-9878295-0-4; $5.39 e-book ASIN B007CH1JXQ Amazon; B&N A nurse with 20 years experience in living with chronic pain offers strategies for living every day in the presence of pain, allowing the individual to move from denial, fear, and hopelessness to a place of acceptance. 12 Ways to Put Money in Your Pocket Every Month: The Skinny Book That Makes Your Wallet Fat. Jennifer S. Matthews. Pickett Fennell Group, $15 paper (106p), ISBN 978-09833864-8-3 www.MoneySmartBook.com Guides readers by adjusting current spending to create cash, converting expenses into income opportunities. Beware the Purple People Eaters: A Personal Look at Leadership. Anthony Paustian, Ph.D. BookPress Publishing, $19.95 hardcover (160p), ISBN 978-0-9855133-0-6 www.adpaustian.com
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Juan Makes Lemonade. Raymond G. Ramos (Giovanni Rosario). Raymond G. Ramos, $19.95 paper (174p), ISBN 978-0-98551140-1 Amazon; B&N Juan learns to survive on the streets and energize the jaguar in his soul.
TRUE CRIME
The Bookies Daughter: A Memoir of Growing Up in a Crazy, Crime-Ridden Family. Heather Abraham. Sagis Books, $15.99 paper (316p), ISBN 978-0-9838635-1-9 www.BookiesDaughter.com The raw, provocative, and comedic reflections of a young girl caught up in her parents seedy world of violence, crime, and addiction.
SPORTS & RECREATION

Splish! Splash! Dolphins and Kids Hav-
AUTHOR PROFILE
Help Along the Way

After self-publishing her first book, Robin Lamont learned to pay for marketing expertise
By Adam Boretz
The biggest challenge in self-publishing is marketing. Anyone can create a book and get it up on Amazon. Getting it to sell, as anyone in the book industry knows, is another story.
hat is perhaps the most important lesson Robin Lamont learned after selfpublishing her debut novel, the mystery If Thy Right Hand, in 2011. I believed in the book enough to get it out there on my own, Lamont says, noting that the book received good reviews and good reader feedback, and won a couple of awards. But looking back, Lamont admits she was nave about sales and marketing. You need major marketing efforts to let readers know [about your book]. So when it came time to self-publish her second novel, Wright for Americaa lighthearted caper about one womans quest to take down a right-wing radio personality (reviewed on p. 65)Lamont made some important changes: she hired a publicist and made getting the book reviewed a priority. Having a publicist in the book world is a big help, Lamont says. She has contacts with media and bloggers, and having a press release come from a publicist rather than from an author has to carry more weight. But hiring a publicist and focusing more on marketing werent the only changes Lamont made with Wright for America. Indeed, her second self-publishing story is very different from her first. For If Thy Right Hand, Lamontwho didnt have an agentworked with Dog Ear Publishing, which (like many selfpublishers) offers a variety of editorial,
design, and marketing services. In some ways its easy because they do most of the heavy lifting in terms of formatting the book and getting it through sales channels, Lamont says. I already had an editor and cover designer, but the self-publishing company did the rest with the exception of marketing. When Wright for America was finished, Lamont worked with an agent, but when they werent able to sell it, the author decided against sending it to smaller houses. Instead, she self-published again. And this time around, she did everything independently, starting with creating her own imprint. I wanted to get the book out in the middle of the election, Lamont says, noting the books political undertones. And secondly, even with a major publisher, authors still have to do their own promotion, and even more so with small presses that dont have big advertising budgets. But even for a writer with self-publishing experience, creating an imprint and getting her book out there posed some serious challenges. Theres definitely a steeper learning curve involved, she says of the process. [You] need a designer to format the book, both in paperback and e-book, interior and cover. You have to go through the steps that any publisher would to obtain and register ISBN numbers, get LCCN numbers, and open accounts with a printer for different sales channels. Its been more complicated and Ive made mistakes along the way.
But even going it alone, Lamont had helpsomething she says is vital for anyone self-publishing a book. She worked with an editor to improve her manuscript, signed on with a book design company, AuthorSupport.com, and hired a New York City publicist, Meryl Zegarek. None of this is cheap, Lamont says. Nor should it be. I believe that you can write all alone, but to put out a good book requires a lot of help. She estimates design costs for Wright for America were about $1,000, but notes that publicity is running about 10 times that, not including ordering all the books necessary to send out, postage, and then the costs for paid reviews. So far, we have been pleased with the results in terms of getting exposure, she adds. Whether that translates into sales, well have to see. Still, Lamont says she would self-publish againbarring a more lucrative contract from a traditional publisherand urges people considering self-publishing to focus on the quality of the writing above all else. Make sure your product is good, she says. Crucial to remember is that all of us in the self-publishing world are creating the reputation of this industry right now. If you put out a bookjust because you canand its not good, it reflects on all the other self-published materials out there. By the same token, if your book is good... the world will view self-published books more positively.
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Reviews
Fiction
ACowboyChristmas: An American Tale
Tom Van Dyke. Page Branch Publishing, $18.95 paper (134p) ISBN 978-0-615-31837-0
to avenging his troops by tracking down their killers. Sadistic villains and a hero seeking redemptionthese are all too familiar to engage readers without a charismatic lead, innovative action sequences, or mesmerizing prose.
About Luv
Angel Stell. Heavenly Image, $13.95 paper (280p) ISBN 978-0-9834853-0-8
In Van Dykes solid but slightly bland western, the year is 1908 and a man named WB repeats a Christmas tradition, sharing with his wife how he became acowboyin 1873. After stowing away on a ship from Europe, WB reached America and headed west with little more than a horse and a gun to seek his fortune. He soon met and fell for Ginnya fact that raises questions about the books narrative device: every year WB tells Ginny the same story, much of which she witnessed for herself? And while Van Dyke ably captures the time and spirit of a bygone era, his prose is less than memorable. WBs familiar coming-of-age storyencountering Native Americans, developing a name for himself as a wranglerwont be confusedwith classic westerns, but fans of the genre will likely be entertained.
A for Argonaut
Michael J. Stedman. Clipper Trade, $14.99paper (374p) ISBN 978-0-9856477-0-4
Following a grisly prologue that hints at a very gritty thriller, Steadmans novel rolls out most of the usual tropes, albeit with an action hero who has an unusual pedigree. Lt. Mack Maran is a black American Jew raised in irrepressible, twofisted but decidedly fair Irish-Catholic Southie. Maran was in charge of Operation Taxi Home, a military plan to rescue hostages being held in Cabinda, Angola. But the mission went south: Marans men were slaughtered, and he barely survived a serious head injury. After being scapegoated by the Army for the failure, the ex-soldier devotes himself
Stells well-structured debut features a fresh voice wasted on underdeveloped characters and a plot driven by emotional immaturity. In alternating chapters, readers are introduced to the lives of three 20-something, African-American friends: Joeziah, Jynise, and Paiyge. Mustangdriving security guard Joeziah falls for Nevaeh Charles, but when Joeziah learns shes an escort,he quickly ends the relationship. Jynise is obsessed with cheating fianc Lansc to the point where a lunch spent stalking him results in the loss of her job. Despite Lanscs lies, Jynise seesaws between lovelorn pining and manic suspicionsa state in which readers will quickly lose interest. Raised by her older sister, Paiyge cant understand why her absent mother hates her. When her cartoonishly resentful sister refuses to provide answers, Paiyge decides to search for the father shes never known, discovering a painful family secret that leads to reconciliation with her mother. Stells portrayal of friendship, family, and Christian themes may resonate with some readers, but only if they can ignore the melodrama.
While in Nevada to film a series of stories titled The Fight to Save Vegas, hes trapped in a canyon during a hailstorm. Entering a cave to shield himself from the elements, he stumbles upon some metal canisters, then knocked out. Before long, the reader is introduced to a religious fanatic opposed to American liberals and the Alien Usurper who runs the government. The ensuing sequencesbrushes with death, narrow escapes aided by heavy-handed contrivancesare all too familiar to engage readers or distinguish Ambergs thriller from the pack.
Bloomingulch
JL Walters. JL Walters, $28.32 hardcover (108p) ISBN 978-0-9848987-1-8
Americas Fool: Las Vegas & the End of the World

Jay Amberg. Amika Press, $17.95 paper (400p) ISBN 978-0-9708416-7-4
Dont be misled by this thrillers dedication to all Americans, particularly Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert. Theres nothing in Ambergs latest reminiscent of those political satirists. Instead, the author presents a tired formulaan innocent caught up in a terrorist plotwithout injecting it with anything fresh. TV journalist Andrew Wright has a regular, award-winning segment called The Wright Stuff on Good Morning America.
In Walterss vivid but unalluring exploration of rebellion and wasted youth, disenchanted teens search for an alternative to the monotonous late 20th-century world of church, school, Saturday. Church, school, Sunday. The kids escape downtown and spend their days and nights stealing and screwing and partying with booze and drugs aplenty. Adult lifeoffers little better in this world of anomie: a clever alternation of scenes pits the teens against apparently squeakyclean grownups whose clichd lives are simply empty or tragic. And while Bloomingulch is presented as a college town where life is about protracted transition, it seems otherwise nondescript: a neutral platform where drugged-out, sexed-upyoung people contend with the Establishment. Additionally, the rebellious teens are not sharply delineated or defined. The sole ambition of Lucas Waltham and his friendsa cast of characters as disaffected as any of Bret Easton Ellissis to coast along with the prevailing tide. Although the readiness of the teens to use correct adult language as a means of self-preservation provides an ironic contrast to their deportment with peers, Walter makes no pretensions to social comment, complexity, or character-
reviews
ization. Instead, he leaves us with a society populated by misfits who engage our sympathies not at all.While the authors bleak view of the emptiness pervading society will appeal to readers attuned to the dregs of society, others may want to skip a trip to Bloomingulch.
most willfully shallow (and not in a charming way), and readers will find it almost impossible to keep track of the characters goals. Additionally, the books conclusion is abrupt and unclear, leaving readers to wonder if the author is planning a sequel.
Dead Weight
Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book (192p) ISBN 978-1-4659-8001-4
Hens and Chickens

Jennifer Wixson. White Wave, $14.95 paper (272p) ISBN 978-0-9636689-8-1
When Tommi finally decides to leave alcoholic husband Doug and make some serious changes in her life, she takes up scuba diving. This becomes an outlet for her frustrations and an opportunity to meet new people. But it also leads to an unexpected opportunity. Scuba instructors Jason and Rick are interested in hunting sunken treasure and persuade their class to join them in an expedition to Fiji. The class finds the wreckwhich contains enough treasure to make them all wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. But the treasure leads to greed and eventually death. Sherlocks novel begins as the story of a woman recovering from a divorce, but becomes a well-paced action thrillerand the change is one readers will enjoy. And while the characters could be better developed and the treasure hunt is a bit implausible, Tommis transformation and adventures are compelling.
Fangs and Stilettos

Anthony DiFiore. inGroup Press, $14.95 paper (256p) ISBN 978-1-935725-07-7
While people blame the fashion world for all sorts of ills, they usually dont suspect that it is, in fact, run by supernatural creatures. But in this novel from DiFiore, otherworldly creaturesranging from sorcerers to werewolves and vampiresare bound to fashion by an ancient curse. The woman ostensibly responsible for enforcing that curse, Candice Brown, is determined to break it at any cost and devises a plan to publicly assassinate a designer at fashion week, hoping the subsequent investigation will force the supernaturals out of hiding. The protagonists of this illogical novel are al-
Rebecca is a middle-aged marketing professional who is downsized during the recession. Her friend and colleague, Lila, quits in solidarity, and the duo decide to move to Maine and raise chickens. They restore an old farmhouse and are instantly seduced by the congenial and open community of Sovereign. Lila becomes involved with local carpenter Mike, but must wrestle with her own demons to find the faith and strength to love him. Meanwhile, Rebecca thrives in the community and marries the man who sold her and Lila the farm. Wixsons novel is intended to kick off a trilogy set in Sovereign, but readers will likely not be lining up for the next two installments. The narrative contains preachy rambling passages and jumps through time, detracting from the pace and cohesion of the book. The characters are not fully developed, the setting is clichd, and the story short on dramatic tension.
can marry, however, a drunk driver kills Tami. Both Todd and Harry journey to a Caribbean island to spread the ashes of the woman they loved in vastly different waysleading to unexpected hijinks and new depths of grief. Baker excels at creating memorable scenes, including one in a hospital morgue where Todd pummels the drunk drivers corpse and an adult encounter between Todd and a married woman in an island resorts linen closet. But the author also relies on melodrama, clich, and hyperbole, and Todd spends page after page wallowing in self-pity.
Jimmy Lagowski Saves the

World
Pat Pujolas. Independent Talent Group, $12 paper (198p) ISBN 978-0-9840093-0-5
Honeymoon with Harry

Bart Baker. CreateSpace, $11.99 paper (306p) ISBN 978-1-4752-5655-0
Some books make better movies. Take this debut novel by screenwriter Baker its already been picked up by New Line Cinema/Warner Brotherswhich no doubt will translate better to the big screen. Todd Cartwright, the wisecracking and churlish narrator whose womanizing and hard drinking have made him a legend in his own mind, falls hard for Tami Everett, a classy woman different from Todd in nearly every way. And her widower father, Harry, knows it and begins thinking up ways to scare Todd off. But Todd stands his ground. Before the couple
Jimmy Lagowski, a young man with a bad burn scar and a rich fantasy life, is the centerpiece of a complex set of interwoven short stories that deal with loss, love, family, and tragedy. Separately, the stories examine intimate moments, such as a fathers struggle with sobriety and his wifes possible affair; a girl considering taking the morning-after pill; a shooting at a coffee shop; and a tragic accident that claims the life of a child. Taken together, they paint a larger narrative of justice that readers will find extremely appealing. Pujolass writing is strong, and he has a gift for subtly letting readers into a characters private moments. Its initially difficult to see how the stories are related, but readers will quickly embrace the tale and celebrate Jimmys attempts to articulate justice as one of the qualities that can elevate humanity. Once readers see the way the narrative pieces fit together, theyll be glad that they stuck around until the end.
LaySaints
Adam Connell. Adam Connell, $4.99 e-book (434p) ISBN 978-0-9854855-0-4
Uneven pacing and occasionally clunky prose undermine Connells entertaining thriller about mercenary telepaths who read or alter other peoples thoughts if the price is right. If thats not a particularly original concept, the books opening is intriguing, as a prolix narratorrestricted to his cell 23 hours every daychats up
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his new cellmate. The pairs lives have intersected before, but the new prisoners mind has been wiped clean and he remembers none of it. The backstory kicks off in Manhattan as a psychic named Calder frequents hospitals to share the thoughts of coma victims with their nearest and dearest. But when Calder joins a crew that uses its psychic talents for criminal purposes, he gets caught up in a dark underworld and soon finds himself in over his head. Fans of the genre will find a lot to like hereparticularly snappy dialogue and solid world-building.
Max Overacts, Vol. One: Hold On to Your Stubs

Caanan Grall. Occasional Comics, $19.95 paper (164p) ISBN 978-0-9879042-0-1
With this collection of his Eisnernominated Web comics, Grall proves himself to be a superb sequential artist, but a middling writer. The early strips in Gralls compendium owe significant debt to Bill Wattersons Calvin and Hobbes. Certain sequences align almost perfectly with Wattersons worke.g., when Max writes his autobiography with the help of a ventriloquist dummy. These similarities are frustrating because Grall is a terrific comic artist in his own right. His artwork is clean, his visual storytelling is always clear, and the characters he illustrates are wonderfully emotive. The comic works best when Grall frees himself from the shackles of Wattersons influence. But while some strips are sweetly humorous and original, others are just not funny. Often Grall settles on the easiest joke, relying on the wits of characters that are often not witty. When Max spends nine panels negotiating with his ventriloquist dummy, then bemoans to his mother that the puppet isnt talking, Maxs mother responds: I know a psychiatrist wholl talk to you. Its a long setup for a weak payoff.
age debutwhich features healthy doses of alternative rock, angst, and family dysfunctionfollows teen siblings Thomas and Bridget as they struggle to find themselves and their way in the world. Emotionally troubled Thomas has his sights set on musical fame, while Bridgetwho is also musically inclinedreleases her anxiety via graphic gangsta rap performances at open mike nights. Readers who lived through the 1990s will easily relate to Thomass obsession with the grunge rock scene and Bridgets attempts to pacify her inner turmoil with a regimen of antidepressants. Both protagonists are vividly drawn, as are the books peripheral characters, such as the teens parents, who are damaged and struggling as well. While Dickersons prose frequently devolves into ruminative exposition that, while intermittently informative and entertaining, causes narrative momentum to stagnate, the novelwith its clear-eyed glimpse into the lives of a troubled familysatisfies.
Orbital Sniper: A Jack Gray Thriller

John T. Cullen. Clocktower Books, $19.95paper (500p) ISBN 978-1-4774-2526-8
An over-the-top plot, lackluster prose, and underdeveloped characters hamper this ostensible kickoff to a new thriller series from Cullen. Scientist Louis Cartouche has just invented Orbital Sniper Technology, an improbable weapon that can assassinate specific targets from outer space. Cartouche designed this space gun to make the world forever safe from megalomaniacs whose few frothy apothecary grains of testosterone regularly caused great storms or wars that tore the fabric of history. His fears about OST falling into the wrong hands are soon realized when hes kidnapped. The mission to save himand all of humanityfrom the threat of Dr. Night falls to Jack Gray, who reads more like a caricature than a character: a darkhaired, wiry man of 37 with a California tan, an Ivy league professorship, and wealth of skills to back him up as a contract field agent.
One Pink Line

Dina Silver. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (260p) ISBN 978-1-4637-7253-6
SeaofCrises
Marty Steere. Penfield Publications, $2.99 ebook (314p) ISBN 978-0-9854014-1-2
No Alternative
William Dickerson. Kettle of Letters, $12.99 paper (329p) ISBN 978-0-9851886-1-0
During her senior year of college, Sydney spends a drunken night with some friends, but ends up cheating on longtime, long-distance boyfriend Ethan and getting pregnant. Silvers novel traces Sydney and Ethans relationship via flashbacks and tells the story of how Sydneys daughter, Grace, learns that the man who helped raise her is not her biological father. Unfortunately, the books split narrative structure fails to save this conventional story that wants for significant dramatic tension. The characters lack depth, and the twist at the end of the book will come as no surprise.
Set in 1994, Dickersons coming-of64 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
In this exciting contemporary thriller, Nate Cartwright, an attorney-turned-consultant, gets a disturbing call from his brother, Peter, at two in the morning. Cryptically, Peter tells Nate hes at LAX and they are after him. When the brothers meet up, Cartwright learns that Peters fears of being followed stem from his investigation into the tragic ending of NASAs last manned mission to the moon, Apollo 18. Their father had been one of the astronauts making the journey, and, while walking across the lunar formation known as theSeaofCrises, he saw something that prompted him to say, That shouldnt be here. That ominous remark was his last transmission, and shortly thereafter his spacecraft plummet-
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ed to Earth, splashing down with three charred corpses inside. Decades later, Peters probe into what really happened has stirred powerful forcesand now he and his family are at risk. Steeres assured prose is compelling, and the books intriguingplot will keep readers turning pages until the very end.
Standing on the Corner of Lost and Found

Jan Marin Tramontano. CreateSpace, $15 paper (296p) ISBN 978-1-4635-2025-0
In the early 1970s, young Lisa Sterns life focused on protests, social movements, and her boyfriend Mac. However, a car accident takes his life and tears hers apart. Lisa travels to Provincetown with vaguely suicidal intentions, but ends up back in her childhood home of Albany, N.Y. There, she resolves to open a womens center and enlists the help of her friend Marika. While building the center, she meets architect David, who has recently and abruptly separated from his wife. Lisa and David are attracted to each other, but she has misgivings about the relationship. This novel boasts a strong sense of place and time. However, it suffers from poor pacing, which prevents the plot from unfolding in a compelling manner. Lisa remains frozen in indecision far too long. But readers will appreciate the well-drawn characters and the authors realistic portrayal of the period.
appointing; though the two men are brothers-in-arms and appear to be friends, their primary relationship is as master and slave. Washington treats Billy as well as a slave can be treated, and eventually frees him in his will. Its a gesture treated by the author as a triumph, as if it revealed Washingtons progressive strength of character. The novel is also a failure from a narrative standpoint. Lamensdorf glosses over what should be dramatic highpoints: Ya don need to know bout all the fightin an sufferin we done ovuh the next year, Billy explains to readers (in slave dialect that is both offensive and without literary merit). Unfortunately, Billy is wrong. Readers do need to know about those things. Instead, Lamensdorf focuses on piddling conflicts, e.g., an attempted seduction of Washington. These subplots are soap opera distractions that fail to compensate for the novels overall lack of drama.
The Last Falcon:

Book 1 of the Cael Stone
Colleen Ruttan. CreateSpace, $2.99 ebook(327p) ISBN 978-0-9881343-1-7
TheDrought
Patricia Fulton. CreateSpace, $14.50 paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-4680-7480-2
The Ballad of Billy Lee: The Story of George Washingtons Favorite Slave
Len Lamensdorf. Seascape Press, $19.95 paper (302p) ISBN 978-0-9669741-2-6
Historian Joseph J. Elliss introduction to Lamensdorfs historical novelwhich recounts the life of George Washington through the eyes of his slave Billy Lee states that the author compiled the book from scattered pieces of evidence, then put his own imagination to work in recovering the story they tell. Sadly, the result reads like a history textbook with dialogue. Though the novel centers around the relationship between Billy Lee and Washingtonfrom Washingtons purchase of Billy to the founding fathers deathLamensdorf reveals little about the complexity of this union. This is dis-
Inthesmall Texas community of Junction, a boy named Barry Tanner steals an irreplaceable piece of sports memorabilia: a baseball from the 1975 World Series between Boston and Cincinnati. His friend Luke Casteelunaware oftheballs value tosses it into a drainage pipe, only to chase after the baseball when he learns its worth. But Luke never re-emerges from the drainage pipe. The strange tragedies affectingthetown dont end there: two hunters targeting javelina findthetables turned whenthewild pigs atypically turn violent and claim one of their lives.The evil stalking Junction may be linked to a voodoo campaign of terror in Reserve, La., which is plagued bythesame devastatingdroughtas Junction. Fultons prose often scintillates (Thedroughtentered quietly, wreaking havoc withthespindly fingers of a miser, its magnitude measured in negatives like lack, want and deficiency), butthegore is often needlessly explicit and the characters underdeveloped.
This kickoff to a traditional fantasy seriesstarring feisty and independent teen heroine Erynn is both well paced and engaging. The book starts in medias res, with Erynn hiding in a cave after the dragon Krystalix attacked a group of men from her kingdom returning from a horsebuying expedition, and the raid on the recently purchased animals leaves her father dead. But Erynn got a clear look at the person who struck the fatal blow, a fairhaired man with the limp and the jagged scars, and vows to avenge the murder. When she discovers the true identity of the fair-haired man, Erynn uncovers a conspiracy that may complicate her quest. Ruttan blends the medieval and supernatural effortlessly, ably setting up a sequel to this fun fantasy novel.
Wright for America

Robin Lamont. Grayling Press, $14.95 paper (260p) ISBN 978-0-9858485-0-7
Snappy dialogue and a madcap pace propel this lighthearted caper past moments of implausibility and occasional polemical digressions. Underemployed actress Maren Garrity, who augments her income by working undercover for a private investigation firm specializing in shutting down couture counterfeiters, concocts a scheme to take down rightwing radio personality Pryor Wright, whose blowhard pontifications were quoted by the attacker of her homosexual twin brother. Utilizing friends from her day jobas well as fellow cast members from an off-off-Broadway musical version of Antigoneshe goes undercover as an intern at Wrights show, while also attracting the attention of an earnest, albeit inept, FBI agent, who thinks she might be a terrorist. Complications and
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collisions abound, as Maren and her theatrical friends frantically ad-lib Tea Party dogma at meetings, dinners, and cocktail parties, while dodging the Feds. Lamont, who has performed on Broadway and worked as an assistant district attorney, clearly knows the territory, and her fastpaced, highly enjoyable novel is all the better for it.
Nonfiction
Antonia de Rocsini:
Queen of the Pirates
Rinaldo Rinaldini, trans. from the French by Krys Roxien. Krys Roxien Books, $25 paper (400p) ISBN 978-0-615-47722-0
The swashbuckling life story of a notorious royal heiress turned pirate queen, Antonia de Rocsini, has been skillfully translated by Roxien. De Rocsinis adventures in the 17th century, beginning days before her 22nd birthday, tumble out in a succession of pistol fights, flamboyant bravado, treasonous coups, buccaneer swordfights, and masterful double-crossing of a colorful cast of dukes, knights, and counts. Frequent asides entertainingly analyze de Rocsinis behavioral motivations, and, midway through the book, biographer Rinaldini appears as a seaman on de Rocsinis crew of bandits. A young, witty, fearless swordswoman and seaworthy sovereign, de Rocsini is depicted as a fearless defender of her ship and a steadfast friend and compassionate ally to her companions and random admirers. As lively and steeped in nautical melodrama as a work of historical fiction, Roxiens translation of de Rocsinis exploits bursts off the page with nonstop tidal waves of excitement and seafaring treachery.
ries of addiction, while also reflecting on turning points that lead him to form a new identity. Skirting a fine line between acceptance and blame, he describes the eccentric characters implicated in his downward spiral (e.g., his gin-swilling, cigarette-smoking mother, whose pretentions were matched by her fondness for profanity; a devil of a German governess reminiscent of a Roald Dahl villain; a renegade high school teacher who supplied students with alcohol and cocaine), as well as the heroes who helped save him: a wise prostitute in Nairobi, photo-historian Arlan Silverman, American Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield, and Indian spiritual leader Nisargadatta Maharaj. DeSilvers seesawing journey from drug and alcohol addiction to recoveryall filled with epiphanies and backsliding, clarity and bewildermentwill keep readers committed to his story until, at last, he learns to beam without self-destructing and finds peace and stability in a loving relationship and meditation.
broadvision. His impassioned writing will engage both the layman and the expert, and his meticulously drafted blueprint merits the attention of anyone concerned about the future.
Customer 3D: A New Dimension for Customers

Bill Self. CustomerEDU, $21.95 paper (234p) ISBN 978-0-9853908-0-8
The Blueprint:
Averting Global Collapse

Daniel Rirdan. Corinno Press, $29.95 hardcover (494p) ISBN 978-0-9849620-0-6
Beamish Boy
Albert Flynn DeSilver. The Owl Press, $20 paper (262p) ISBN 978-0-9669430-9-2
After six years of sobriety, poet DeSilver admits he was still one sip of beer away from hell. After 10 years of sobriety, he writes that he wanted to kill the drunk, stupid and confused boy he had been at age 19. The emotional force of DeSilvers memoir lies in the authors ability to record raw and painful memo-
Within 15 years we must remake our world. That is the message of global strategist Rirdan in this informative but grim account of the main stressors ravaging the Earths ecosystem andthe technological marvels that may facilitate remedies. The author calls for a shift to lower-impact technologies and reduced consumption, supporting his argument with copiously documented facts in areas ranging from global warming to land degradation and destruction of ocean resources.Yet for all the grave challenges facing the planet, Rirdan indicates that change may be possible, noting possible developments in housing, agriculture, transportation, and energy.More controversial are his proposed solutions: population control, a new economic system, and a move toward world government. However implausible some of these proposals may be, nobody canfail to be challenged by Rirdens
Todays successful businessmust be customer-centric, Self argues in this challenging, ifponderous, primer. Just as three-dimensional photography changed the way we see images,three-dimensional customer service can transform the staid order-filling vendor into an organization dedicated to customer success and expanded consumer-business relationships.Developing an appropriate company culture is crucial to this effort, and Self acknowledges that new thinking, not superficial techniques, is key; he asserts that the rewards are great: focusing on making life easier for customers will result in loyalty and expanded opportunities. Self buttresses his theme with examples of companies that have thrived using this model, in large part owing to their willingness to challenge the status quo. Given that customer success is a nebulous and fluid concept, the solution is to build a relationship that demonstrates you are capable of changing with them.The engaged customer will become your advocate and ultimately your partner. Selfs enthusiasm for his proposals is evident, but his constant reiteration of the contrasts between the traditional 1D and innovative 3D models, and restatements of the virtues of the 3D approach, are tedious. A stripped-down manual might better convey the message that pulling customers in to create a closeness is the key to the future of commerce.
Escape: My Lifelong War Against Cults

Paul Morantz, with Hal Lancaster. Figueroa Press, $29.95 paper (312p) ISBN 978-0-18213220-1
Cults are really a study of society in
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microcosm. In this recounting of his career, Morantz, a legal expert on cults, persuasively shatters the vision of cultists aslosers on the fringes of society: the most fanatical converts also are the most intelligent. His overview of cults ranging from the politically fanatic (e.g., the Symbionese Liberation Army) to the seemingly innocuous (e.g., the Unification Church) emphasizes the use of brainwashing to achieve a coercive, yet voluntary, redefinition of reality. Presenting a welter of convincing material, he demonstrates the ravages that manipulative leaders can inflict on nave initiates. Though many of the groups he describes may seem like museum pieces today, Morantzsuggests that our unsettled political and economic climate may provide the atmosphere for a revival of cult activity. If he offers no certain solutions, he forthrightly acknowledges the complex struggle betweengroupdynamics and free speech. He also presents cogent, if conflicted,thoughts upon the possible role of the Internet both as a recruiting tool for cults and as a means of resisting their appeal. Although light on the analytic side, Morantzs exploration of cults will appeal to the student of modern American history and to those concerned about the potentialunraveling of society.
favor of playing musical instruments, ballroom dancing, board games, and other activities that offer both enjoyment and challenges.Patten does not shy from controversy, denouncing such widespread healthy choices as vitamin supplements, recommending instead that we consume fruits and vegetables, especially whole foods. Patten affirms, Organic foods are better for people, while admitting that his personal belief is not yet fully supported by scientific data. Readers on any end of the ideological health spectrum will find merit in Pattens open-minded approach and in the useful information, advice, and guidance he offers.
How to Have a Match Made in Heaven: A Transformational Approach to Dating, Relating, and Marriage
Ariel and Shya Kane. ASK, $15.95 paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-888043-02-0
Health and Wealth: Small Changes Reap Big Benefits

Bernard Michael Patten. Peak Achievement Publishing, $3.33 e-book (118p) ISBN 978-09852613-2-0
No one cares as much about your health as you do, and Patten provides a straightforward, commonsense primer on how to maintain it. You are responsible for your health, he says, and persuasively argues that tending to it is fairly simple. Moreover, in a world where health misinformation and disinformation abound, Patten provides basic guidelines while, refreshingly, largely avoiding didactic assertions. He affirms the overall health benefits of marriage, the importance of education, the value of exercise, a wide social network, and intangibles. The negatives include stress and excess alcohol. Patten gives equal emphasis to maintaining ones mental well-being and passionately advocates bypassing theallure of television in
The Kanes are marriage experts. Theyve spent almost 30 years teaching people how to unlearn behavior patterns that damage themselves and their relationships. The couple focuses on how to get people to view their own behaviors with calm detachment and uncritical observation, leading them to a more compassionate view of themselves and their partners. The Kanes also stress how early relationships with parents influence future dating and note that both partners are fully responsible for the success of a relationshipas opposed to each partner being half responsible. These concepts will not be new ideas to readers, but they are presented in a clear, understandable, and even humorous form. And while most relationship-oriented self-help books cover similar ground, this one distinguishes itself from the pack. By focusing on actual peoples stories, the Kanes illustrate how their advice works in action. The book includes links to audio-video sections that can be found online for readers curious to see the people whose stories are being told.
essays by environmental reporter Hance challenges readers to look beyond the current tactics of wildlife and habitat conservation: protecting small pieces of land and restoring individual species to them, breeding endangered species, and collecting money for the saving of animals that are large, charismatic, and cute. Instead, Hance documents how changes caused by human intervention affect whole ecosystems and could influence not only the survival of endangered species but the survival of humanity itself. Some essays highlight a specific probleme.g., jellyfish bloom in overfished marine habitats; the failure of trickle-down conservation; the loss of massive movements of migratory animals as roads and development divide their routes while others are more personal, sharing the authors love of camera traps, his frustration with the language of entertainment ecotourism, and his thoughts on the beauty of viewing leatherback turtles firsthand. Overall, the collection manages to raise environmental alarms without falling into hopeless predictions of doom. And Hance urges a knowledge- and science-based approach to conservation, while also exhorting readers to allow themselves to feel a sense of awe when interacting with other creatures.
Not Only Women Bleed: Vignettes from the Heart of a Rock Musician
Dick Wagner. Desert Dreams, $29.95 hardcover (281p) ISBN 978-0-9856843-0-3
Life Is Good: Conservation in

an Age of Mass Extinction
Jeremy Leon Hance. CreateSpace, $10.95 paper (214p) ISBN 978-1-4680-1250-7
This bold, well-researched collection of
Songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wagner throws together anecdotes both interesting and dull in this disorganized hodgepodge that offers little insight into his character, although all those wondering whether he ever had sex on an Amtrak train will have their curiosity sated. The intentional decision not to impose order on chaos (he states that the vignette approach means you can either start at the beginningor basically open the book and start reading from any page you choose) was misguided; even those
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choosing a page at random will find the arbitrary juxtaposition of material off-putting. And while fans of the music memoir will get their requisite dose of sex, drugs, and rock n roll, they will also likely be offended, e.g., when Wagner recalls how he was inspired by a gynecologist who sexually abused his patients to create a comedy routine.
ence, he urges readers to consider filling the gap with personally satisfying hours rather than more deadlines.
Oversoul:
Stories and Essays

Mitchell S. Jackson.The Collections House, $4.99 e-book (92p) ISBN 978-0-9853409-0-2
On Top of Everything: Manage Your Projects & Life with Ease

Laurence Seton. Projecteze, $37.95 paper (188p) ISBN 978-0-9810629-0-7
Canadian engineer and certified project management professional Seton spent a decade refining Projecteze, his Microsoft Word table-formatbased system of time and priority management, to meet certain basic criteria (e.g., ease of use, affordability, mobile-device compatibility, etc.). More straightforward than many titles on the market aimed at taming the torrent of information bombarding people each day, Setons book is refreshingly simple and user friendly. By properly utilizing tables in MS Word, Seton shows readers (in jargon-free tutorials) how to record widely diverse materialurgent issues, meetings and agendas, contacts, backburner items, and long-range goalsin one place where it can be viewed at a glance; organize to-do lists by updating and deleting tasks during the day; keep track of delegated projects and responsibilities; and create tables for school and home use. Along with many examples of highly detailed tablesfrom planning a million-dollar facilities expansion to preparing for a camping trip and overseeing his daughters two-year process of getting ready for collegeand clear, nuts-andbolts technical guidance (setting up, embedding, customizing, and sorting tables), Seton tackles the big issue of busyness and how the chaos of too much information, poorly digested and presented, affects relationships and life satisfaction. If practiced consistently, he contends, Projecteze will free time for other activities, and using persuasive examples from his own experi-
With vivid dialogue and finely drawn characters, Jacksons stories and essays slam readers intoa gritty world where choosing an identity provides a type of control.In Head Down, Palm Up, the narrator, who reflects that without a name, I aint certified,ironically calls himself Champ. But he then shakes down his mother, a streetwalker, and the startling conclusion confirms his acceptance ofhis uncles world of pimping. The title story, Oversoul,raises and dashesprospects of moral redemption:an unnamedjailed man starting parole is inspired by a visiting speaker and embarks on a hopeless job hunt. But disillusionsets in when the speaker derides his message of encouragement. The author enters the realm of social satire in Presidents, where the transition from one administration to another parallels the efforts of a would-be suicide to find stability in life. Jacksons focus throughout is located firmly in the urban AfricanAmerican experience, but his themes are universal and he finds significance in the telling of ones story. As he affirms in Portrait of a Lifeguard, our stories are paramount not only to our prosperity but to our chance of survival.The reader cannot fail to find that sincerity reflected in this standout collection.
of existence, being, and essence. The author carefully examines reality, God, and truth as philosophical and physical categories, searching for their shortcomings and their values. In the end, he posits that God is, though God doesnt exist; that God is immanent and not transcendent. Each chapter opens with sophomoric dialogue about the authors subject matter but, oddly, Posner offers no explanation for the dialogues.Posner loses all readers but the most specialized ones with long, opaque sentences that do little to help answer the questions he raises.
Stop Acting Your Age, Start Living Your Life

David James Demko. CreateSpace, $9.95 paper (156p) ISBN 978-1-4538-0246-5
Secrets of the Primaverse: Why God Cannot Exist and Nothing Can Exist Without Him
Joel H. Posner. Metafisica, $22 hardcover (140p) ISBN 978-1-936940-24-0
In this frenetically paced antiaging guide, Demko touches on any and every topic he deems germane to his subject, resulting in a scattered and packed-to-thegills effort. The books first half is devoted to 26 inspiring stories of Zoomers (Boomers with Zip), featuring stories of individuals who take up running at a late age or discover their inner entrepreneur later in life. Unfortunately, most of these read like advertisements for the authors Zoomer-related services (Zoomer magazine, AgeVenture news service, Zoomer Media Max, etc.). In the books second half, Demko gives short shrift to most of the topics he discusses, either referring readers to other sources for additional information or providing hackneyed or obvious facts. In his section on diet, one of the authors tips is to drink six to eight glasses of water per day. Even more surprising is his simplistic handling of Alzheimers disease in a section titled What Is and What Is Not Alzheimers. Readers looking for additional sources of information could get more from a quick Google search than from the lists Demko provides.
Can we renew our acquaintance with God in such a way that neither casts Him in our likeness nor casts Him out altogether? In turgid, unclear, and dense prose, Posner attempts to answer this and other questions as he investigates the intricacies
Surfing the Middle East: Deviant Journalism from the Lost Generation
Jesse Aizenstat. Casbah, $26.95 hardcover (240p) ISBN 978-0-9837009-1-3
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Surfing enthusiast Aizenstats memoir of his successful attempt to surf from Israel to Lebanon is a fascinating if uneven look at what happens when a postcollege stunta mission to surf the last place anyone expected: the Middle Eastbecomes reality. Since the IsraeliLebanese border is closed, Aizenstats plan is to surf off Haifa in northern Israel, travel south through Jerusalem and across the West Bank to an inland airport in Jordan, and then fly over Syria to Beirut. He is able to pull it off by using multiple passports and relying on a coterie of old friends and new acquaintances, many more interesting than the journey itself. These include California-crazed surfers in both Israel and Lebanon, some young journalists who take Aizenstat to a Palestinian protest in the occupied territories that opens the authors eyes to suffering, and some students from the Lebanese American University who take the author to one of the last remaining synagogues in Lebanon. Unfortunately, Aizenstats writing style is similar to the gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompsonhe even uses Thompsonesque expletives like sweet Jesus! and phrases like King Hell Bastardwhich too often detracts from his story and his observations.
that a tea taken internally could affect all the mucous membranes of the body was completely foreign to me, Kelleher writes. She shows how breaking away from traditional veterinary clinics to start her own career using alternative medicine as a primary therapy was influenced by her days with Iris. One of the most moving moments in the book concerns Kellehers search to cure a golden retriever named Jasper. Her finely detailed account of how she administered the regimen of herbs that could move energy, relieve heat and stimulate his sluggish immune systemincluding a liverstrengthening formulathat leads to Jaspers recovery presents a strong argument for the value that holistic treatments have for traditional veterinary practices.
at any point during her pregnancy. The book is lighthearted and riddled with comedic episodes that young mothers in particular will relate to and enjoy. Although the narrative is occasionally scattered as it jumps between stories, it remains a quick and thoroughly entertaining read.
Childrens Books
Picture Books
A Moment in Time
Jennifer Butenas, illus. by Charlotte Cheng. The Perfect Moment, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-09840039-0-7
This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store

AK Turner. Fever Streak Press, $12 paper (200p) ISBN 978-0-9855839-0-3
The Proof Is in the Poodle: One Veterinarians Exploration into Healing

Donna Kelleher. Two Harbors, $16.95 paper (214p) ISBN 978-1-937928-06-3
Almost a decade after her first and widely acclaimed memoir (The Last Chance Dog: And Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing), veterinarian Kelleher has returned with an engaging and fascinating companion volume about her continued investigation into and application of holistic medicine for animals. The book smoothly shifts between descriptions of various patients and the medical problems they presented Kelleher, and recollections of her life and training. Most memorable is the story of Iris, a crazy coot of an old lady from the authors hometown, who is revealed to be an expert on plant and herbal remedies for animals when she treats Kellehers dog Sampson in Kellehers youth. The idea
This sincere, laugh-out-loud confessional from Turner candidly revealsand revels inthe flaws and dysfunctions of the author and her family. The controlling, compulsively cleaning, wine guzzling narrator with neurotic tendencies explains that anyone who enters a potentially lifelong romantic relationship has made a terrible mistake akin to jumping onto subway tracks to retrieve a fallen pen. That doesnt apply to her, however, when she meets Mike and realizes that she had gleefully jumped onto the subway tracks, because I wanted that pen. The two agree to skip children, but eventually have two loving daughters who fill their lives with even more hilarious moments. From family problems, breastfeeding, her experiments with pot in Mexico, and lessons learned in Russia while major[ing] in vodka, Turner is not afraid to voice her private thoughts and never takes herself too seriously. She details her pregnancy and child-rearing techniques in a refreshingly honest way, claiming that she should have been awarded a medal for managing to be kind
At the start of this slight story, ostensibly about taking the time to appreciate the present, two boys and their parents sit in rockers on their front porch. One by one, each enjoys a low-key moment. Thirsty, the younger boy goes indoors: He leaped and he hooted./ He marched high and bold,/ Lookin for a can of/ Soda freezin cold! Back in his rocker, he has a sugary-boogery,/ Thirst-quenchin/ Moment in time. Next, the older brother shows off his dance moves, having a shockin and a rockin,/ Silly-minilie/ Moment in time. For his moment, the boys father takes a nap, and the mother lastly snaps a photo of her husband and sons. Butenas strains to make her rhymes work, sometimes with nonsensical results; while the father naps, His brow was smooth/ As he listened to the breeze./ He was sooooo relaxed,/ That he couldnt even sneeze. Chengs buoyant cartoons are the more successful part of this collaboration, conveying a strong sense of familial closeness and boosting the slim plot with endpaper photographs of the familys other memorable moments together. Ages 36.
Paris-Chien: Adventures of an Ex-pat Dog

Jackie Clark Mancuso. La Librairie Parisienne, $17.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-615-54542-4
Hudson, a plucky terrier, cant wait to meet some French dogs while spending a
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year in Paris with his owner, a writer. Though Hudson sees many other dogs running errands with their owners, everyone is so busy going places that he isnt able to make friends. When he finally finds a dog park, another obstacle arises: the dogs only speak French (Oh great, Hudson thinks. I thought all dogs spoke Dog). Hudson slowly absorbs the French language (thanks to lessons fromwho else?a French poodle), and debut author Mancuso includes a sprinkling of French words throughout, which are defined in a glossary. The story feels designed largely to showcase Mancusos playful, rough-hewn gouache paintings of Paris and its human and canine denizens (Hudson appears in roughly half of the images). Still, she gives Hudson a bold, amusing narrative voice tinged with self-righteousness (Are you kidding me? he grumbles, seeing a nodogs sign at one park), and he ends the story on a droll note, announcing that hes becoming a real ParisianI mean Paris-chien. Ages 36.
and people alike (Betty Lous checkerboard and striped paint job pops against the bright blue sky), underscoring the storys focus on the intimate relationship between pilot and plane. Ages 612.
Fiction
The Societys Traitor
V.K. Finnish, illus. by Tim Oshida. Panama Hat, $22.99 (298p) ISBN 978-0-9852202-0-4; $12.99 trade paper (326p) ISBN 978-09852202-1-1
A Biplane and Her Boy

Mary Coleman-Woolslayer, illus. by Kevin Stark. Tigermoth, $24.95 (48p) ISBN 978-09844785-0-7
Steeped in nostalgia, this story pays homage both to a vintage Stearman biplane and the joy of flying. ColemanWoolslayers narrative introduces an anthropomorphized old biplane named Betty Lou, whose glory days are behind her. Relegated to a silent and lonely hangar in Texas, Betty Lou reminisces about flying and wonders if shell ever soar above the clouds again in full flight. Her imagination sends her into the air, where she performs aerobatic feats (Betty Lou loved the sound of her brace wires screaming in the wind). Despite the title, the boymore aptly a young mandoesnt appear until halfway through the story: recalling the pilots who graced her cockpit, Betty Lou remembers one in particular, a boy who livedand lovedto fly. Though he sells the biplane for a newer plane, he never forgets Betty Lou, and he searches her out to buy her back. Starks graceful art offers realistic portrayals of planes
Launching the Discoveries of Arthur Grey series, this debut effort is a sprawling fantasy with vague connections to the legend of King Arthurs pursuit of the Holy Grail. The prologue introduces a boy in ancient times who volunteers to help thwart an evil kings acquisition of a precious cauldron. For reasons not adequately explained, the boy repeatedly appears in the dreams of Arthur, the novels 11-year-old contemporary protagonist, who is determined to find the treasure allegedly hidden in the Victorian manor where he lives with his grandmother. Instead, Arthur is hurled into a convoluted search for the fabled City of Gold after his long-lost father returns to transport him, via a portal, to a magical society in the Peruvian jungle. Its members are dedicated to finding things people dont believe in any more and are the protectors of a spectrum of fantastical creatures. Various subplots hinder the flow of the story, and some plot strands are left dangling, but Finnishs characterizations are strong, and Arthurs banter with his peers is often amusing. Ages 612.
magical pendant), which is the essence of a philosophical insight about the nature of reality, humanity, and our place in this world. While Maya follows the path of light as an Arakad apprentice and (through a process readers may find laborious) eventually achieves status of masterThomas is recruited by a leader of an evil rival clan, who has developed an elixir that could precipitate the destruction of humanity. There are flashes of drama and suspense as the two sides clash, but dense writing and excessive sound effects, vibrations, and visions that characters encounter slacken the storys pace. At three junctures, readers are directed to Web sites, where theyll find marginal additional information about the plot and characters. Ages 12 up.
Blaze of Glory
M. Garzon. Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, $14.99 trade paper (344p) ISBN 978-1-60264810-4
The Last Arakad

Guillaume Wolf. CreateSpace, $11.99 trade paper (260p) ISBN 978-1-4701-6902-2
In Wolfs (reDESIGN: reCREATE) rambling series launch, two California teens become embroiled in an ancient battle between good and evil. While Maya and Thomass mother undergoes cancer treatment in Switzerland, a friend of their late father invites them to stay in his Paris apartment. The enigmatic man gradually reveals his role as a healer in the Arakad tradition (symbolized by a
Garzon flirts with controversy in this coming-of-age romance while delivering an entertaining, if unbalanced, mixture of drama and equine action. Seventeenyear-old Tea is a whiz with horses, skilled at training and show-jumping them. Teas dream is to compete in the upcoming Royal Winter Fair, but her terrifyingly strict stepfather robs her of that opportunity, and her beloved horse, Blaze, is killed in a tragic accident. When Teas adopted older cousin Jaden introduces her to polo, Tea discovers a new skill and a new passion. She also begins a quiet romance with Jaden, one thats complicated by their familial bonds, fear of societal disapproval, and the six-year age gap between them. Their undeniable chemistry and physical attraction win out over any reservations, though, and after numerous speed bumps, they dream of taking things to the next level. The two aspects of Garzons storyquasi-illicit romance and horsesnever quite blend seamlessly (Tea and Jadens relationship ends up overshadowing the equestrian themes), making this feel like two strong stories awkwardly combined into a single package. Ages 14up.

PW Select October 2012

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October 2012

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