Speaking of Writers
By Steve Richards
Cover art photo provided by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash: unsplash.com/@thepootphotographer
Speaking of Writers Jul 28, 2019
Kevin Baker- The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City
Baseball is “the New York game” because New York is where the diamond was first laid out, where the bunt and the curveball were invented, and where the home run was hit. It’s where the game’s first stars were born, and where everyone came to play or watch the game. With nuance and depth, historian Kevin Baker brings this all vividly back to life: the still-controversial, indelible moments—Did the Babe call his shot? Was Merkle out? Did they fix the 1919 World Series? Here are all the legendary players, managers, and owners, in all their vivid, complicated humanity, on and off the field.
In Baker’s hands the city and the game emerge from the murk of nineteenth-century American life—driven by visionaries and fixers, heroes and gangsters. He details how New York and its favorite sport came to mirror one another, expanding, bumbling through catastrophe and corruption, and rising out of these trials stronger than ever.
From the first innings played in vacant lots and tavern yards in the 1820s; to the canny innovations that created the very first sports league; to the superb Hispanic and Black players who invented their own version of the game when white baseball sought to exclude them. And all amidst New York’s own, incredible evolution from a raw, riotous town to a new world city. The New York Game is a riveting, rollicking, brilliant ode to America’s beloved pastime and to its indomitable city of origin.
About the author
Kevin Baker (born 1958) is an American novelist, historian, and journalist. He was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in New Jersey and Rockport, Massachusetts.
He has been a professional writer since the age of 13, working originally for the Gloucester Daily Times, Gloucester, Mass., as a stringer covering covering school-boy sports. He had to learn to type to keep the job. He graduated from Columbia University, where he majored in political science, in 1980.
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Ray Rhodes-It's Hard Enough, Let Me Help You : Basic Financial Literacy
This book is for those who truly want more out of life. Living paycheck to paycheck gets old, does it not? A budget truly is imperative to adhere to. But, it is not the only step in becoming financially literate. You do not have to be living paycheck to paycheck to get anything out of this book, nor struggling financially. There is always room for improvement, and always time that should be set aside to ensure your retention of financial proficiency.
The “small” tweaks you make day to day, paycheck to paycheck can, and will produce beautiful dividends in the long run. This book isn’t going to get me rich. But, I know.
Sgt. Randy Ray Rhodes J.R, a United States Marine located at Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Known to many as the Marine that completed not only one year worth of the commandant’s reading list, but seven. Totaling 152 book reports within a span of three years. No one had ever seen at least one year completed. Sgt Rhodes used the knowledge and his love for reading, and his family. To fuel his passion for financial literacy to help all those around him. Especially sitting down with many Marines and sailors to ensure that they don’t have to struggle financially. Some are not taught financial literacy. But now, He wants to help you. He is a man of Christian faith, a father, and a Marine. But, you may be thinking “is he a “Rhodes”...Scholar”?
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Camille Aubray-The Girl From The Grand Hotel
ABOUT THE BOOK Summer, 1939. The glittering Côte d’Azur is having a particularly brilliant season, as the world’s wealthiest vacationers collide with Hollywood’s illustrious movie stars for the first-ever film festival onthe French Riviera. Into this hothouse playground comes an American named Annabel Faucon. Having left a dead-end job and a broken heart back in New York, she’s escaped to a summer stint at the fabulous Grand Hotel, where her uncle is the manager. But when a major movie studio brings its flock of stars to stay at the hotel, Annabel is handpicked to “keep an eye on” two of the mysterious arrivals: a screenwriter who’s been “in his cups” and a renegade actor who keeps luring the studio’s female star into his independent productions. The arrival of Nazi guests only intensifies the situation. Suddenly everyone is watching everybody else during this feverish last summer before the outbreak of World War II. Faced with international spies who will stop at nothing to get what they want, Annabel finds herself embroiled in murder, intrigue, and a race against the clock to disrupt a secret Nazi communications system. Inspired by true events and the histories of three great hotels on the Côte d’Azur—with appearances by such real-life luminaries as Marlene Dietrich, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Cagney, and Mae West—The Girl from the Grand Hotel is a brilliant page-turner that is not to be missed. CAMILLE AUBRAY is the IndieBound bestselling author of Cooking for Picasso and The Godmothers. Her novels made the “best books” lists of People, Newsweek, BuzzFeed, Parade, the Boston Globe, Cosmopolitan, Fodor’s Travel, Veranda, the Indie Next List for Reading Groups, and Amazon’s Celebrity Picks. Aubray was an Edward F. Albee Foundation Fellowship winner, a writer in residence at the Karolyi Foundation in the South of France, and a finalist at the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference, and she has written television drama and documentary. To hear about her novels, recipes, and the locales that inspired her, visit her website at www.CamilleAubray.com
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Mike Lawson-Kingpin
Edgar and Barry Award finalist Mike Lawson resumes his beloved Joe DeMarco series with a pulse-pounding thriller starring the Washington DC “troubleshooter” as he tries to pin down a Boston billionaire soaring at the top of the world in KINGPIN (Atlantic Monthly Press). As evidenced by his ever growing Boston empire, Carson Newman doesn’t usually get his hands dirty. Joe DeMarco, on the other hand, is paid to do that, and by the former Speaker of the House, John Mahoney. Brian Lewis, an intense workaholic interning for Mahoney, has been found dead in his apartment, purportedly from a drug overdose. But Brian never showed signs of drug use prior to his death, and he coincidentally seemed to be on the cusp of releasing a report identifying a group of politicians who had taken bribes to help dismantle a recent bill. Brian’s mother is convinced that her son was murdered because of what he’d learned. While DeMarco reaches a similar conclusion, all evidence only points to the sheer impossibility of a murder ever having happened: a locked door to a thirdfloor apartment with locked windows and no fire escape ladder, and no defensive wounds on Brian’s body. In a city full of shadowy agreements and duplicitous deals, DeMarco will soon learn that to get to the bottom of Brian’s death, he’ll have to look at people perched at the very top of the world. MIKE LAWSON is a former senior civilian executive for the US Navy. He is the Edgar Award nominated author of more than fifteen novels starring Joe DeMarco and three novels with his protagonist Kay Hamilton.
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Boo Trundle-The Daughter Ship
Boo Trundle is a writer, artist, and performer whose work has appeared across various platforms and publications, including The Brooklyn Rail, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and NPR’s The Moth. She has released three albums of original music with Big Deal Records. She lives in New Jersey. The Daughter Ship is her first novel.
Katherine, an attentive mother to her teenagers, comfortably married to her strapping provider of a husband, longs to overcome her dark thoughts and intermittent fears of sexual intimacy.
This brisk, mesmerizing version of her life is told in alternating short chapters by Truitt, Star, and Smooshed Bug—her inner children, each with their particular strategy for coping with Katherine’s past at the hands of a hopeless mother and a terrifying, seductive father. Several of her female ancestors, Confederate widows and their daughters, who’ve imposed a legacy of racism and damage on her bloodline, also join the telling.
The assembled ghosts and contenders for Katherine’s ear are gathered in a rusting WWII submarine off the coast of Virginia Beach where the truth of her life is, quite literally, submerged. Will they surface with it? Will they protect her from it, or deliver it to her?
This unforgettable chorus of charming selves, battling over Katherine’s wellbeing, is unified by their hope for her future, as they collaborate to shape a personal narrative like no other we’ve experienced in fiction.
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Scott Howard-Cooper -Kingdom on Fire
In the tradition of Blood in the Garden and Three Ring Circus, Kingdom on Fire presents a bold narrative history of the iconic UCLA Bruins championship teams led by legendary coach John Wooden. This incredible true story about the messy, never-easy pursuit of perfection led by Wooden is not your typical sports book: Kingdom on Fire is the story of a team and a time, placing an unprecedented seven title winning streak against a fractured America of the 1960s and 70s. Los Angeles native and longtime sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, Scott Howard Cooper draws on more than 100 interviews and access to many of the principal figures--Bill Walton, Wooden’s family, and Jerry West among other key sources—to deliver a rich narrative that reveals the turmoil at the heart of this storied college basketball program.
Scott Howard-Cooper has covered professional and college sports since the 1980s for some of the most prominent outlets in the country, including the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and more. His work has earned multiple national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Professional Basketball Writers Association for projects, game coverage, features, and columns. He graduated from USC with a degree in political science and lives in northern California.
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Lisa Gardner- Still See You Everywhere
In STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE, Frankie Elkin is suddenly contacted by Kaylee Pierson, “the Beautiful Butcher,” a notorious serial killer who viciously murdered eighteen men. Pierson – on death row in Texas with only 21 days left to live – has received a tip on the whereabouts of her beloved younger sister Leilani, who was kidnapped more than a decade earlier and may be in the clutches of Pierson’s wealthy ex-boyfriend. Fearing for her sister’s life, Pierson desperately needs Frankie’s help. Despite her reservations, Frankie is compelled to search for a missing person who might still be alive -- before her only sister meets her death.
Welcome to Pomaikai. Nothing here is as simple as it first appears. With no time to lose, Frankie finds herself traveling undercover to an ecolodge development project on an isolated island south of Hawaii that boasts gorgeous ocean views, deserted beaches, and incomparable endemic wildlife but has no cell signal, no reliable internet, unpredictable extreme weather, and where emergency help is at least three days away. On arrival, Frankie encounters eleven fellow contract workers and gets the immediate sense that most of them are lying to her. But why? And how much will it cost her to discover the truth? Off the grid and entirely on her own, Frankie must quickly sort out friend and foe. But Frankie’s superpower is her adaptability, and she is soon following increasingly dangerous leads as she edges closer to the truth. Heart-pounding, twisty, and atmospheric, STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE shows that even paradise can come with its own dangerous edge.
Lisa Gardner is a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist with over 30 million copies of her books in print worldwide and published in over 30 languages. A self-described research junkie, Lisa has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels. Her novel, The Neighbor, won Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers, and she has also been honored for her work with animal rescue and at-risk children. An avid hiker, gardener and cribbage player, Lisa lives with her family in New England. STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE is her 28th book. For more information about Lisa, please visit her website www.lisagardner.com or follow her on facebook.com/LisaGardnerBks, Instagram @LisaGardnerBks or X @LisaGardnerBks
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Brent Snyder- The Wyvern's Apprentice
When a young girl suddenly finds herself thrust into the spotlight, she must decide what she will do. Will she leave her peaceful village? Will she give up the life she knows for one that she wants even more, even if it means leaving her family and friends?
Tyr'Ynyn has become the newest healer and must set out to train for her new life. She's leaving behind her best friends and her family to embark on a new career that found her by coincidence. Along the way, she picks up friends in the most unlikely of places and meets her new mentor, a young wyvern, who is also setting out on his first mission to train his first apprentice. Together they learn from each other, and their bond grows strong, but will it be enough to defeat the one who seeks to destroy them?
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Elias Karo-Blood and Stone
Percival Drake is the prince of Edelheim and the heir to the throne, and with his father’s ever-worsening illness, it seems he’ll take that throne soon. Until, for the first time in 150 years, Edelheim is invited to attend a council of nobles in the neighboring kingdom of Aethel. And then, disaster strikes, the Temple of Last Rest where the council is being held is destroyed, and Percival is caught in the middle of it all. Now disowned by his family, armed with a blade cursed by ancient magic, and on the run, he must navigate an unfamiliar world while coming to terms with his sins, his identity, and the dark legacy of House Drake. Elias Karo is a 19 year old writer from Bozeman, Montana. He has been writing since 2013, and in his free time enjoys playing fantasy RPG video games and TTRPGs like Dungeons and Dragons 5e and Call of Cthulluh 7e. Blood and Stone is his first published novel.
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Scott Carson-Lost Man's Lane
For a sixteen-year-old, a summer internship working for a private investigator seems like a dream come true—particularly since the PI is investigating the most shocking crime to hit Bloomington, Indiana, in decades. A local woman has vanished, and the last time anyone saw her, she was in the backseat of a police car driven by a man impersonating an officer. Marshall Miller’s internship puts him at the center of the action, a position he relishes until a terrifying moment that turns public praise for his sharp observations and uncanny memory into accusations of lying and imperiling the case. His detective mentor withdraws, friends and family worry and whisper, and Marshall alone understands that the darkness visiting his town this summer goes far beyond a single crime. Now his task is to explain it—and himself. Lost Man's Lane is a coming-of-age tale of terror that proves why its author has been hailed as “a master” by Stephen King and one who consistently offers “eerie, gripping storytelling” by Dean Koontz.
Scott Carson is the pen name of Michael Koryta, a New York Times bestselling author whose work has been translated into more than twenty languages, adapted into major motion pictures, and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A former private investigator and reporter, his writing has been praised by Stephen King, Michael Connelly, and Dean Koontz, among many others. Raised in Bloomington, Indiana, he now lives in Indiana and Maine.
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Steve Lazarus- Call Me Sonny
Shortly after a corrupt attorney pays a visit to an inmate serving a life sentence in a federal supermax prison, people from the inmate’s past start to die. Bryce Chandler, a retired FBI agent eking out a living as a private investigator in the Florida Keys, ties the string of killings to a shadowy murder-for-hire organization operating on the dark web. As Bryce digs into the murders, he discovers the final name on the hit list is his own.
Meanwhile, a simple divorce case turns out to be much more than meets the eye, as Bryce’s investigation of the defendant leads him down a path of international drug smuggling, money laundering, and violent henchmen bent on keeping him silent. The two storylines run parallel to one another until they eventually converge in a final bloody outcome.
About the author
Steve Lazarus is a first-time author, retired FBI Special Agent, and United States Air Force veteran. He served twenty-two years in the FBI, spending the first half of his career investigating drug trafficking organizations and violent street gangs. Later, he became a full-time bomb technician, an assignment which led him to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan as part of the Global War on Terror. After retiring from the Bureau, he spent several years as a national security contractor in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Steve lives on the South Carolina coast with his wife Susan and their amazing wonder dog, Aspen.
Steve’s debut novel was inspired by one of his real-life cases. After arresting a subject who threatened to unleash a bioterror attack on the Atlanta subway system, Steve and his partner found themselves of the receiving end of a death threat from the soon-to-be convicted felon. And though that subject would spend the next 25 years in prison, Steve couldn’t help but wonder….what if he could make good on his threat, even from behind bars? The most logical solution would be if he hired a hit man, and….voila!!!! A novel was born. Written over the course of a year in Abu Dhabi, the Florida Keys, and Texas hill country, “Call Me Sonny” was a labor of love incorporating the personalities, anecdotes, and experiences of Steve’s multi-faceted FBI career, and if things work out as planned, it will be the first in a series of Bryce Chandler crime thrillers.
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Log and Stick by Ritvik Gautam
This story is about Log and Stick. They’re two characters, called Log and Stick, and they live in San Jose, CA. Log is a wood log and Stick is a wood stick. They have been together since their childhood, with an enemy called Evil Leaf. Leaf’s name was originally “Good Leaf”, but people around him called him “Evil Leaf” because of the acts he would do. Then, years later, all three of them had graduated from college. Then Evil Leaf started to cook up a plan… to steal Dubai’s Ruby! Not so soon later, Log and Stick found out about this, and started to go after him. First in San Jose, then in Dubai.
Ritvik Gautam was born on May 13, 2012 in New Delhi, India. When Ritvik was 7 in California, he was surrounded by technology. He used to draw lots of stuff, like cars. Then one day he was drawing and then he said to himself, “Why don’t I make a book with my drawings?” Then he was researching which types of books contained ONLY drawings. That’s when he came across comics. He fell in love with them immediately. Then he made a small book “Cat Man 2”, but it wasn’t successful. He didn’t cry over spilled milk though, he wrote and published another book called “Log and Stick” when he was 8 years old, inspired by the comic book franchise “Dog Man”. Then he made a small book called “The Missing Key”. Since Log and Stick was only half of the actual first story, he’s working on the second part right now called “Log and Stick: Part 2”.
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Lisa Unger-The New Couple in 5B
About The New Couple in 5B
Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.
At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.
With echoes of “Rosemary’s Baby” and Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B is a chilling warning that even the place you think of as home may be built on dark secrets and lies
About Lisa Unger
LISA UNGER is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including Confessions on the 7:45 and Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. An award-winning and acclaimed writer with millions of readers worldwide, Lisa is widely regarded as a master of suspense. Her books are published in thirty-three languages and have been voted "Best of the Year" or top picks by the Today show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, Amazon, IndieBound and many others. In 2019, her novel Under My Skin and her short story "The Sleep Tight Motel" were both nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award. Her nonfiction work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR and Travel + Leisure. Lisa lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.
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Peggy Bland- Beauty Is a Beast
I wrote this book to help other pretty and beautiful women to wake to being lied to, abused, and manipulated by men to get them to marry them. Your life is your journey; no one else's and you should pay attention to your inner feelings. You do not have to live up to other's expectations or approval. You are you and there is not another one like you. Make your special place and make it the way you want it to be. When you hear criticism, do you think that it is true, or that you are doing something different from others' ideas?
Coming from a very dysfunctional family, I did not have guidance and no one teaching me the right kind of life--the life I wanted. When I did start to get on my own and find my way off at college, my domineering mother had me come home and change colleges. I was too young and immature to realize why I was doing this. It was not for me, it was for her. That was the beginning of being manipulated and lied to into getting married way too young (nineteen) and to the wrong man. One mistake seems to cause you to make another to try and right a wrong.
There comes a time to slow down and take stock of you and your life and where you are going. Be honest about your family, friends, and what you are living for. Is it what you want, or what they want from you? Are you making them happy, or yourself happy? When you are not pleasing a lot of self-centered, selfish friends and family, they make you feel bad, insufficient, and unworthy of their attention. Think if you really need their attention. Be very particular who you let in your life--your life and future depend on it.
I was always excellent and smart at whatever I did, except to take care of myself and live my life to my satisfaction, not to the satisfaction of others. Had I zeroed in on my wants, likes, talents, and future, my life would have been different. As it was, I have lived a full and exciting life, but full of disappointments toward me and my children, or what could have been if I had sailed the right course. I wrote this to steer anyone and everyone who will read this and take a sober look at their life and where they are going with it.
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Battle Cry: Decent Into War by Yamikani Kafungu
Theo a 12 year old boy born to the greatest military mind in French history Matheo LA Laurent was traumatized by the death of his father during an investigation in Spain he contemplated suicide before being stopped by his adopted older brother Jules later he found a book in his father's belongings that contained his contingency plans if all went wrong after reading it he found out he had an uncle who knew everything his father knew so he traveled to find his uncle so he could get revenge for his father.
Yami(Yamikani Kafungu), a 14-year-old kid from Kitwe, Zambia living in the United States for years now I like writing, anime, history, F1 and European football and one of the reasons I wrote this book is because I was bored out of my mind.
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J.J. McAvoy- Hathor and The Prince
Hathor Du Bell has always fought to break free from the shadow left by her revered older sister, Aphrodite. It has been two years since Hathor’s debut, and while Aphrodite has married a duke and become a duchess, Hathor has been left with the ton’s most mediocre, boring suitors. With the London season coming to a close, Hathor’s anxieties reach a peak. Will she be the only Du Bell unable to find her perfect match? J. J. McAvoy has written numerous independently published novels that have been translated into six languages and are bestsellers in Turkey, Israel, and France. Her historical romance series featuring the Du Bells includes Aphrodite and the Duke, Verity and the Forbidden Suitor, and Hathor and the Prince. McAvoy is active and delightful on social media.
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Barbara J Meredith-Daisy and Friends What Happened to Yesterday
YESTERDAY we could go to our classrooms in school and our parents went to work every day. TODAY some of our parents stay home from work and we are home schooled."
Once again, meet Daisy the cat and her three canine friends, H-Dee, Smokie, and Rocky, as together they face a worldwide pandemic.
The story tackles the Covid-19 pandemic and how everyone's life changed in just one year.
Daisy and Friends What Happened to Yesterday: A Covid-19 Story begins with the definition of the words pandemic and essential workers. The story then explains the changes in our daily lives before and during the pandemic.
"Pandemic: When many people in a country or even all over the world have the same illness."
"Covid-19: A flu-like illness that passes from one person to another person when they have this illness by sneezing and coughing without covering their nose and mouth. Another way people contract Covid-19 is touching something that the affected person has touched. Some people do not know that they are sick with the Covid-19 until a few days after when they show symptoms of the illness. This is the reason why everyone needs to wear their masks in public, sanitize and wash their hands frequently, and stay six feet away from people they do not live with."
Inspiration for the author's books comes from her working over 20 years as a pre-school teacher observing children at work and play.
About the author
Barbara J Meredith retired from Kids Express Learning Center & Daycare, LLC in 2013. She was co-owner, director, and head teacher for 14 years. The animals in the Daisy and Friends Books are my pets. The inspiration for the books came from over 20 years as a pre-school teacher observing children's behaviors.
The following are the book titles of Daisy and Friends Books series:
Daisy and Friends How To Stay Healthy
Daisy and Friends Rocky's New Friend
Daisy and Friends Outside Our Window
Daisy and Friends Waiting for the School Bus
Daisy and Friends What Happen to Yesterday A Covid 19 Story
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C.J. Box - Three-Inch Teeth
#1 New York Times award-winning author C.J. Box (an expert on all things Wyoming and the West) and his next Joe Pickett novel (#24 in the series). In this latest, the Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging beasts—one animal, one human. The topic of grizzly bears is always a curiosity to people traveling to Wyoming and the surrounding areas and in the past, but it hasn’t been a real threat to people in the area. However, the population of grizzly bears in the Mountain West has skyrocketed in the Mountain West well beyond their traditional stomping grounds. Every year, there has been an increasing number of fatal and near-fatal encounters with humans. Although some attacks can be attributed to provocation, several recent incidents have been random and terrifying.
In THREE-INCH TEETH, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging beasts—one animal, one human. A rogue grizzly bear has gone on a rampage—killing civilians including the potential fiancée of Joe’s daughter. At the same time, Dallas Cates, who Joe helped lock up years ago, is released from prison. He wants revenge on the people who sent him away including Joe himself. After seeing news reports of grizzly attacks in Twelve Sleep County, Cates has an idea: He can take out his enemies in such a way that no one will suspect him. As Joe is asked to join the state Predator Attack Team to try to find and destroy the bear the bear can’t be trapped or found. As the attacks continue and escalate, will Joe be able to figure out which ones are real and which ones are staged before he’s the target?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: C. J. Box is the author of twenty-four Joe Pickett novels, eight stand-alone novels, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and two Spur Awards. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He has been executive producer on shows based on his books, including ABC TV’s Big Sky and Joe Pickett on Paramount+.
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Nick Petrie-The Price You Pay
The work of acclaimed and award-winning author Nick Petrie continues to gain esteem. In his 2016 debut, The Drifter, Petrie introduced Peter Ash, a war veteran struggling with PTSD who finds himself in dangerous situations and facing challenges that only a man with his unique skill set can solve. In THE PRICE YOU PAY Peter Ash, a war veteran struggling with PTSD is placed in his most personal predicament yet. He must follow his friend Lewis into a criminal underworld when secrets from the past threaten everything they hold dear.
Peter Ash’s friend Lewis has helped him out of jam more times than he can count and has saved his life more than once. So, he doesn’t hesitate when Lewis asks a favor. Lewis has left his criminal past behind, but a troubling message from a former associate spurs him back into action. He and Peter make a trip to check in, but their visit immediately takes a dark turn when they arrive to find a smoldering cabin and realize that someone has stolen notebooks full of incriminating details of Lewis’s long-ago crimes…Lewis and Peter set off find the notebooks with the help of Peter’s girlfriend June Cassidy but find themselves up against professional criminals in Chicago. The two men may have to tap into the dark sides that they have worked to keep hidden in order to save themselves and their families.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nick Petrie is the author of seven novels in the Peter Ash series, most recently The Runaway. His debut, The Drifter, won both the ITW Thriller award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel, and was a finalist for the Edgar and the Hammett Awards. A husband and father, he lives in the Milwaukee area.
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Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein-AMERICAN WINGS
Sherri L. Smith, author of the critically acclaimed story Flygirl, and Elizabeth Wein, author of the award-winning book Code Name Verity, join forces in AMERICAN WINGS (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) to shed light on an important and lesser-known chapter in Black aviation history and Black contributions to aviation during the Golden Age of Flight.
In the years between World War I and World War II, aviation fever was everywhere, including among Black Americans. But what hope did a Black person have of learning to fly in a country constricted by prejudice and Jim Crow laws, where some previous Black aviators like Bessie Coleman had to move to France to earn their wings?
AMERICAN WINGS follows a group of determined Black Americans: Cornelius Coffey and Johnny Robinson, skilled auto mechanics; Janet Harmon Bragg, a nurse; and Willa Brown, a teacher and social worker. Together, they created a flying club and built their own airfield on Chicago’s South Side. As the U.S. hurtled toward World War II, they established a school to train new pilots, teaching both Black and white students together and proving, in a time when the U.S. military was still segregated, that successful integration was possible.
Complete with black-and-white photographs throughout, AMERICAN WINGS brings to light a hidden history of pioneering Black men and women who, with grit and resilience, battled powerful odds for an equal share of the sky.
ABOUT THE ELIZABETH WEIN: Elizabeth Wein (LEFT) is a recreational pilot and the owner of about a thousand maps. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Code Name Verity, as well as the novels Rose Under Fire; Black Dove, White Raven; The Pearl Thief; and The Enigma Game; as well as the nonfiction book A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II. Visit her online at elizabethwein.com.
ABOUT THE SHERRI L SMITH: Sherri L. Smith (RIGHT) is the author of several novels for young adults, including the critically acclaimed The Blossom and the Firefly, Flygirl, Orleans, and Pasadena, as well as the middle-grade novel The Toymaker’s Apprentice. Visit her online at sherrilsmith.com
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Kimberleigh Patterson-Random Poems 4 Random Times
This book is designed to help readers feel connected to a deeper source of light, knowledge, and peace. It gives readers a chance to feel, think, and ponder the trials of everyday life and it gives guidance on how to manage them a little better without feeling hopeless or alone.
Kimberleigh was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She participated in the EBR Magnet program throughout her academic career. Lee High School is where she found my passion for poetry and the Army National Guard. In her college years she chose to attend Louisiana State University. There she majored in Sociology with a minor in Spanish. Prior to being accepted into LSU and post to her army training; She served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Guayaquil, Ecuador. On her mission is where she gained cultural enthusiasm and the desire to be more culturally diverse. Her journey has taken her many places. Ultimately, it shaped her into the well-rounded woman that she is today— and for that she is thankful.
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Paal Piir- Sprinkle: Celebrate, Meditate, and Understand Our Drinkle
Sprinkle is a poem of poems, just like how a sprinkle is full of unique sprinkles. Here are new discoveries about what is Existence and Spirit and Awareness, preciously and slowly made understandable without resorting to belief or guessing. This does not make religion and science obsolete because they have unique purposes and provide many cool tools. Sprinkle helps clarify how and why their tools and toys work. Philosophers and others have long postulated that our real practical underlying truths are utterly simple. Oh yes! We are always close to knowing these new discoveries but strange as it seems have been unable to look directly and fully. Sprinkle warmly and playfully presents this knowledge full, direct and making sense while on a tour of our serious and goofy world. We are certainly responsible for ourselves but we don’t have to feel bad about our ignorance. We can learn and become happier.
How did I come to Know? At four, I stopped asking others ‘why’ because their answers seemed meant to shut me up moreso than to lovingly educate. Instead, seeking any truths, I asked myself something silly and intuitive, ‘Why why?’ Immediately and shockingly I transcended. I did not have an answer but it felt promising. Pleasant enough was being in freeflow Know, my first meditation ecstasy! Then at 22, while studying Native American philosophy, I just had to go on a journey. Just had to! But I could not leave and I had stopped doing drugs years earlier. So I did it unsufferingly from my easy chair, closed my eyes, and meditated on what could be my spirit guide. I asked and let it go and went into freeflow Know and soon met White Otter. According to the books, this translated as playful wisdom. I laughed because I had no clue what it meant. But I found out in a lifetime of intense study and play in all philosophies and sciences and lots of looking. Fifty years later, I have wonderful playful wisdom to share with you. You do not need a background in philosophy or anything else, just honest willingness to look. This is just like your original adventure of coming to Know as a fresh Love One. I have made it easy and exciting to experience, and oh so fun!
For more info on the book click HERE
Jack Kelly- God Save Benedict Arnold
From military heroism to infamy, Benedict Arnold’s name is one that has become synonymous with treasonous behavior since the beginnings of America. GOD SAVE BENEDICT ARNOLD: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man by Jack Kelly (St. Martin’s Press) is an exploration of the triumphs, flaws, and motivations of a figure who left an indelible mark on American history. In the book, Kelly does not exonerate Benedict Arnold for treason, but he demonstrates how Arnold was essential to victory before becoming a traitor. He offers a reevaluation of Arnold’s career, shows his string of heroic achievements, and also speculates on what may have prompted Arnold’s betrayal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JACK KELLY is an award-winning author and historian. His books include Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America’s Independence, which received the DAR History Medal. He is also the author of Valcour, The Edge of Anarchy, Heaven’s Ditch, and Gunpowder. He has published five novels, and is a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow in Nonfiction Literature. Kelly has appeared on TheHistory Channel, National Public Radio, and C-Span. He lives in New York's Hudson Valley. www.jackkellybooks.com
For more info on the book click HERE
Barbara J. Meredith-Daisy and Friends What Happened to Yesterday: A Covid-19 Story
"YESTERDAY we could go to our classrooms in school and our parents went to work every day. TODAY some of our parents stay home from work and we are home schooled."
Once again, meet Daisy the cat and her three canine friends, H-Dee, Smokie, and Rocky, as together they face a worldwide pandemic.
The story tackles the Covid-19 pandemic and how everyone's life changed in just one year.
Daisy and Friends What Happened to Yesterday: A Covid-19 Story begins with the definition of the words pandemic and essential workers. The story then explains the changes in our daily lives before and during the pandemic.
"Pandemic: When many people in a country or even all over the world have the same illness."
"Covid-19: A flu-like illness that passes from one person to another person when they have this illness by sneezing and coughing without covering their nose and mouth. Another way people contract Covid-19 is touching something that the affected person has touched. Some people do not know that they are sick with the Covid-19 until a few days after when they show symptoms of the illness. This is the reason why everyone needs to wear their masks in public, sanitize and wash their hands frequently, and stay six feet away from people they do not live with."
Inspiration for the author's books comes from her working over 20 years as a pre-school teacher observing children at work and play.
About the author
Barbara J Meredith retired from Kids Express Learning Center & Daycare, LLC in 2013. She was co-owner, director, and head teacher for 14 years. The animals in the Daisy and Friends Books are my pets. The inspiration for the books came from over 20 years as a pre-school teacher observing children's behaviors.
The following are the book titles of Daisy and Friends Books series:
Daisy and Friends How To Stay Healthy
Daisy and Friends Rocky's New Friend
Daisy and Friends Outside Our Window
Daisy and Friends Waiting for the School Bus
Daisy and Friends What Happen to Yesterday A Covid 19 Story
For more info on the book click HERE
Brad Taylor-Dead Man's Hand
New York Times bestselling author and former special forces officer Brad Taylor is back with a propulsive and topical edge-of-your-seat thriller featuring Pike Logan as he goes head-to-head with Putin’s henchmen. To finally end the war between their nations, a rogue Ukranian band of partisans known as the Wolves teams up with members of Russia’s military intelligence to assassinate Vladimir Putin. But Putin is aware of the traitors in his midst and assigns the loyal commander of the Russian national guard to root them out. It’s a mission Victor Petrov is expected to undertake after he prevents Sweden from joining NATO—by assassinating a deputy minister of foreign affairs. After receiving intelligence about the threat in Sweden, the U.S. sends Pike Logan to identify Victor’s target—only for him to get caught in the crossfire between Putin’s agents and the Wolves. When the smoke clears, Pike makes no effort to stop the Wolves on their ultimate mission, believing it just, until he discovers that their operation has unimaginable consequences. For Putin is preparing a devastating endgame: activating the Dead Man’s Hand nuclear response that will launch Russia’s missiles in the event of his death.
Author Bio
Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a twenty-one-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with Delta Force. Taylor retired in 2010 after serving more than two decades and participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has written seventeen New York Times bestsellers and is a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife and two daughters.
For more info on the book click HERE
Jessie Asya Kanzer -Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky
Award-winning author Jessie Kanzer's UNLOCKING YOUR INNER ZELENSKY: Lessons We Can All Learn from an Unexpected Leader , draws on Volodymyr Zelensky's words and actions to show how to improve how we lead, and how we live. Early praise and more info are below, and a list of possible interview/discussion questions is attached.
Jessie Kanzer, a half-Ukrainian child of the USSR who had a small part in Zelensky’s first major film, sees Zelensky as "a spiritual leader for our times." As a native Russian speaker (like Zelensky himself), she picks up on the deep philosophical ramifications behind his words. Rich and yet easy-to-read, the life lessons in UNLOCKING YOUR INNER ZELENSKY are accessible and wise, and are more about starting where you are than about war.
Each chapter begins with a key piece of wisdom drawn from Zelensky's words, along with advice for implementing it in our own life. Readers will see how Zelensky handled his much-criticized background as a comedian when he came into elective office. Topics include:
- Speak Truth to Everything
- Unstick Yourself
- Decide with Courage
- Use Your Energy Wisely
Tips include spreading graciousness, and acknowledging that it's not "all about you" to erase differences in backgrounds.
Kanzer is a self-described "spiritual nerd" who followed Zelensky long before he stood before a blue and yellow backdrop on the national stage. She writes, "What is so incredible about our man Volodymyr is that his belief in himself stems not from seeing himself as special, but from seeing himself as ordinary and from knowing there is great power in this ordinariness."
About the Author JESSIE ASYA KANZER is the award-winning author of Don’t Just Sit There, DO NOTHING and Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky. She was born in the Soviet Union and left at age eight. A former reporter and actress, she once found herself on the set of a Zelensky film and has been following his story ever since. Kanzer’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, and many other publications. She's been interviewed on podcasts and TV programs across the country. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and two cats in Dobbs Ferry, NY.
For more on the book click HERE
Deborah Goodrich Royce- Reef Road
The hugely successful psychological thriller and page turner in REEF ROAD by Deborah Goodrich Royce is out in paperback (with some additional content). Deborah is Also the author of Ruby Falls and Finding Mrs. Ford, Goodrich Royce is a former film and television actress, best remembered by soap opera fans for her role of Silver Kane, sister of the legendary Erica Kane on All My Children.
Reef Road explores a decades old unsolved murder of a young girl. Inspired by a real-life crime that affected her family, the novel begins with an unspeakable murder in 1948 Pittsburgh and culminates with a man’s severed hand washed up on the shore of Palm Beach in 2020.
For more info on the book click HERE
David T. Beito-The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously proclaimed freedom of speech as the first of his “four freedoms,” but his behavior, including confining over 120,000 American citizens in concentration camps, often belied such flowery prose.
In the new book The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance, Independent Institute Sr. Fellow David T. Beito exposes FDR’s dictatorial endeavors of spying on U.S. citizens, incarcerating minorities, censoring critics and the press, and essentially annihilating the Bill of Rights.
Author Biography: David T. Beito is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama. He received his Ph.D. in history at the University of Wisconsin, and he is the recipient of the Ellis Hawley Prize. Beito is also the author of T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, and Civil Rights Pioneer (with Linda Royster Beito). He is the former President of the Alabama Scholars Association and Chair of the Alabama State Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
For more info on the book click HERE
Greg McDonald and Marshall Terrill -ELVIS AND THE COLONEL An Insider’s Look at the Most Legendary Partnership in Show Business
Elvis and the Colonel: An Insider’s Look at the Most Legendary Partnership in Show Business by Greg McDonald and Marshall Terrill is a fresh biography of entertainment manager Colonel Tom Parker, a largely misunderstood figure in the life of Elvis Presley. McDonald, who worked under Parker for years, presents a contrarian and corrective point of view on a trailblazing man. The heart of the book is the long, strong, warm, and complex relationship between two iconic men.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Greg McDonald is an entertainment
producer who got his start in show business with Colonel Tom Parker, who knew him when he was a teenager. He managed Ricky Nelson for seventeen years, ran
Sonny Bono’s mayoral and congressional campaigns, and was president of Transcontinental Records (Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and O’Town). He’s also produced several feature films, television series (Making the Band) and
large-scale concerts. McDonald manages Colonel Tom Parker’s show business assets, including his name, likeness and image. He resides in the Palm Springs area with his wife Sherry.
Marshall Terrill is a veteran film, sports and music writer and the author of more than 30 books. They include best-selling biographies of Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Billy Graham, and Pete Maravich. His book, Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon,
is in development to be made into a feature film. He also executive produced the 2017 feature film documentary, Steve McQueen: American Icon and
the 2022 documentary Johnny Cash: The Redemption of
an American Icon. He resides in Tempe, Arizona, with his wife Zoe.
For more info on the book click HERE
Dr. Steven Lesk-Footprints of Schizophrenia :The Evolutionary Roots of Mental Illness
What causes schizophrenia? Is it a genetic glitch or are environmental factors at play? A combination of the two? Whatever the reason, what medication and course of action will give the patient the best chance at a normal life?
Steven Lesk, MD, has been a practicing, board certified psychiatrist for almost four decades, treating thousands of adult patients while researching, writing articles, and mentoring students. He served as Chairman of the Department of Inpatient Psychiatric Services at the Brooklyn VA Hospital and was assistant professor at the hospital’s affiliated medical school. He lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota.
For more info on the book click HERE
David Head and Timothy Hemmis- A Republic of Scoundrels
The Founding Fathers are often revered as American saints. A Republic of Scoundrels (Pegasus Books), edited by David Head and Timothy Hemmis, chronicles the Founders who were schemers and opportunists, vying for their own interests ahead of the nation’s. We now have a clear-eyed understanding of Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton; even so, they are often considered American saints, revered for their wisdom and self-sacrificing service to the nation. However, within the Founding generation lurked many unscrupulous figures—men who violated the era’s expectation of public virtue and advanced their own interests at the expense of others. About the Editors:
A history professor at the University of Central Florida, David Head (editor) is the author of A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution. His books have been supported by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a Gilder Lehrman Fellowship at the New-York Historical Society, and a Lord Baltimore Fellowship. Head’s academic work has been honored with the John Gardner Maritime Research Award; the Marion Brewington Prize for Chesapeake Maritime History; and the Hardin Craig Award for Excellence. David lives in Orlando, Florida.
Timothy Hemmis (editor) is an assistant professor of history at Texas A&M UniversityCentral Texas. He graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi. Timothy's teaching focuses on Early American History and American Military History. He serves as the Regional Coordinator for the Southwest for the Society for Military History and is the History Book Review editor for The Presidential Studies Quarterly. Hemmis has written opinion pieces for the Washington Post and has delivered speeches at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC, the War and Society Working Group at Texas A&M University College Station, and the US Army III Corps Senior Command at Fort Hood.
For more info on the book click HERE
Michailah Belle-Vision of Inspiration
A Vision Of Inspiration is a book about Love, Abuse, Mental Health, and Faith. Going through life hating yourself and wanting to die, because you could never be enough, or perfect for humans that claim they love you. The same humans that claim they love you are the same ones that betray you the most.
Honesty, Loyalty, and Real Love are extremely hard to find these days. This book will prove the obstacles and tribulations I've had to go through to find it. This book is controversial and will have you think outside of the box. You will be set free! Our minds keep us enslaved to Humanity and I am a messenger sent to lead and help you out of Bondage!
A Mother, A Philanthropist, Mentor, Owner of Loud house Incorporation and Non Profit Organization, and an Extraordinaire. A woman that has been beaten in all prospects in life from every angle, that has found true Love, regained herself and self Love. All my life I've been beaten and almost murdered on multiple occasions. When a woman speaks from her heart and mind she's too often considered garbage and she's treated less than a pesky bug. I broke the generational chains and curses that were put upon my family bloodline. I am very strong willed and independent and I never give up! For more info on the book click HERE
H. W. Brands- Founding Partisans -Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics
From bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H.W. Brands, a revelatory history of the shocking emergence of vicious political division at the birth of the United States.
Author Bio: H. W. BRANDS holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written more than a dozen biographies and histories, including The General vs. the President, a New York Times bestseller, and Our First Civil War, his most recent book. Two of his biographies, The First American and Traitor to His Class, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.
For more info on the book click HERE
Tom Clavin-The Last Outlaws The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang
In The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang , New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin tells, for the first time, the full story of the infamous Coffeyville bank heist, perpetrated in 1892 by the Dalton Gang. Clavin, known and admired for his immersive narrative style, traces the lives of the Daltons and their accomplices to illuminate, in riveting detail, another fascinating and violent moment in early American history.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TOM CLAVIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has worked as a newspaper editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and a reporter for The New York Times. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage
Foundation, and National Newspaper Association. His books include the bestselling Frontier Lawmen trilogy—Wild Bill, Dodge City, and Tombstone—and Blood and Treasure with Bob Drury. He lives in Sag Harbor, NY.
For more info on Tom and the book click HERE
William Alexander- Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World: A History
The tomato gets no respect. Never has. Lost in the dustbin of history for centuries, accused of being vile and poisonous, subjected to being picked hard-green and gassed, even used as a projectile, the poor tomato has become the avatar for our disaffection with industrial foods — while becoming the most popular vegetable in America (and, in fact, the world). Each summer, tomato festivals crop up across the country; the Heinz ketchup bottle, instantly recognizable, has earned a spot in the Smithsonian; and now the tomato is redefining the very nature of farming, moving from fields into climate-controlled mega-greenhouses the size of New England villages.
About the author
William Alexander is the author of the national bestseller, "The $64 Tomato," as well as "52 Loaves: A Half-Baked Adventure," his hilarious and moving account of a year spent striving to bake the perfect loaf of bread; "Flirting With French," about his often riotous attempt to fulfill a life-dream of learning French, and most recently, "Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World," a whirlwind tour of the history of the humble tomato.
The New York Times Style Magazine says about Alexander, "His timing and his delivery are flawless," while Counterpunch has called him "one of the funniest writers in America." He has appeared on NPR's Morning (and Weekend) Edition, at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC, and was a 2006 Quill Book Awards finalist. Alexander has also contributed over a dozen essays to the New York Times opinion pages, where he has opined on such issues as the Christmas tree threatening his living room, Martha Stewart, and the difficulties of being organic.
Before turning to writing full-time, Bill spent 37 years as a director of information technology at a psychiatric research institution, persisting in the belief that he is a researcher, not a researchee.
For more info on the book click HERE
James Lee Burke- Flags on The Bayou
From New York Times-bestselling author James Lee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms and a brilliant cast of characters – enslaved and free women, plantation gentry, and battle-weary Confederate and Union soldiers – are caught in the maelstrom.
About the author
James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author, two-time winner of the Edgar Award, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction. He’s authored thirty-seven novels and two short story collections. He lives in Missoula, Montana.
For more info on the book click HERE
Katlyn Marie Carter - Democracy in Darkness
Does democracy die in darkness, as the saying suggests? This book reveals that modern democracy was born in secrecy, despite the widespread conviction that transparency was its very essence. In the years preceding the American and French revolutions, state secrecy came to be seen as despotic—an instrument of monarchy. But as revolutionaries sought to fashion representative government, they faced a dilemma. In a context where gaining public trust seemed to demand transparency, was secrecy ever legitimate? Whether in Philadelphia or Paris, establishing popular sovereignty required navigating between an ideological imperative to eradicate secrets from the state and a practical need to limit transparency in government. Unveiling modern democracy’s surprisingly shadowy origins, Carter reshapes our understanding of how government by and for the people emerged during the Age of Revolutions.
KATLYN MARIE CARTER is assistant professor of history at the University of Notre Dame. She lives in South Bend, IN.
For more info on the book click HERE
Lynne Golodner- Woman of Valor
Lynne Golodner writes emotional novels with compelling Jewish characters who are determined to fill their lives with passion, purpose and love. Her first novel, Woman of Valor, joins a body of work that includes two poetry collections and six nonfiction books, including Hide and Seek: Jewish Women and Hair Covering and The Flavors of Faith: Holy Breads. Lynne is a writing coach, marketing entrepreneur and host of the Make Meaning Podcast, and her creative nonfiction has been published around the world. With a BA from University of Michigan and an MFA from Goddard College, Lynne is the mother of four and lives in Huntington Woods, Michigan, with her husband, Dan.
For more info on the book click HERE
https://lynnegolodner.com https://www.instagram.com/lynnegolodner/ https://twitter.com/YourPeople https://www.facebook.com/lynnegolodner/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnegolodner
Jerome Peterson- The Haunting of Andrew Sharpai
Searching for love leads Andrew Sharpai down a path of rejection and haunting memories. When he encounters LaRae DuFont, however, Vegas' famous show dancer, it is love at first sight. She tells him a story in which Mary Magdalene thought Jesus was a gardener teaching Andrew that everything is not as it seems. A tragic twist of fate alters the plans of the lovers. Grievous questions lead Andrew down a drunken path to an Idaho town, where he is far from the Vegas crowd.
In Pocatello, he meets the infamous witch, Iris Winkle, her daughter, Lily, and their magical raven, Elijah Corbeau. Their mysterious and unconventional ways bewitch Andrew into entering their eccentric lifestyle, which mingles with the "other" world.
Iris' ex-husband, a cruel Satanist witch, has cast a wicked spell on Iris and Lily. Andrew finds himself trapped within it. The three victims battle with the hauntings as they see the spirit of things unfold before them. But will this be enough to save them from the evil spell?
About the Author
Jerome Peterson was born in Rockford, Illinois. While listening to music in high school, he began writing poetry. From there, he added songwriting, short stories, articles, and novels. Jerome also likes to sketch. He is the author of Leaving Family Behind, Thumb Flagging, and The Mind is Sorry The Body Suffers. Jerome has been married for forty-three years. He has two daughters, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Jerome lives with his wife, Carolyn, and their dog, Freddie, in Sparks, Nevada.
You can purchase the book HERE
Jonathan Farris-Shadows In The Sunset - Three Novellas
“Shadows in the Sunset” consists of three novellas, the first being the story that gives the book its title, a story of a Summer lost and never forgotten. It follows a group of youths adventuring through the terrain of Big Sur. Moments are made and the truth of everything is felt through each person’s expression.
The second novella is “Underland (The Lost Children),” which follows the simple story of James and Summer, two “fools” just visiting the country fair.
Lastly, “A House with No Progression,” which is about an artist named Ray and his girlfriend, Annabel Lee. They live together in isolation and have formed their own world within those walls. We begin to see signs of malice and realize that distinguishing reality from fiction is a difficult process for the artist.
Jonathan Ray Hernandez Farris is an American artist of Colombian and Mexican descent. The passion for storytelling came from his mother, who always told him stories, and introduced him to a variety of films at a young age. The three novellas were written up and down the west coast, ranging from the forests of Oregon, to the beaches of Big Sur, and to his home in the San Fernando Valley. The influence for each story came from real life experiences, as well as the abstract thoughts that followed each one. Though fiction, the reality of each story breathes deeper truths concerning art, youthful pursuits, and freedoms in life. You can purchase the book HERE
Laurence Leamer -HITCHCOCK’S BLONDES
In HITCHCOCK’S BLONDES, bestselling biographer Laurence Leamer offers an intimate journey into the lives of eight legendary actresses whose stories helped chart the course of the troubled, talented director’s career—from his early days in the British film industry, to his triumphant American debut, to his Hollywood heyday and beyond. Through the stories of June Howard-Tripp, Madeleine Carroll, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Janet Leigh, Kim Novak, Eva Marie Saint, and Tippi Hedren—who starred in fourteen of Hitchcock’s most notable films and who bore the brunt of his fondness and sometimes fixation—we can finally start to see the enigmatic man himself. After all, “his” blondes (as he thought of them) knew the truths of his art, his obsessions and desires, as well as anyone. As with his previous book, Capote’s Women, Leamer's empathetic retelling acknowledges their complex stories and allows their biographies to take priority.
Alfred Hitchcock was fixated—not just on the dark, twisty stories that became his hallmark, but also by the blond actresses who starred in many of his iconic movies. The director of “North by Northwest,” “Rear Window,” and other classic films didn’t much care if they wore wigs, got their hair coloring out of a bottle, or were the rarest human specimen—a natural blonde—as long as they shone with a golden veneer on camera. The lengths he went to in order to showcase (and often manipulate) these women would become the stuff of movie legend. But the women themselves have rarely been at the center of the story, until now. Biographies have been written about Alfred Hitchcock, but never has there been an account of his life and work told through the lens of the actresses who helped launch his career.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laurence Leamer is a leading biographer of the rich and powerful, including Capote’s Women, Madness Under the Royal Palms and The Kennedy Women, among many other books. Leamer’s last book, 2021’s CAPOTE’S WOMEN was an acclaimed national bestseller and will serve as the source material for the second season of Feud, Ryan Murphy’s F/X anthology series. It has a jaw-dropping cast of stars attached including Naomi Watts, Molly Ringwald, Diane Lane, Demi Moore, and Chloe Sevigny, with Gus Van Sant directing. He lives in Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach, Florida.
For more info on the book click HERE
Dr. Leggie L. Boone- Dear Dream Maker
When I rest my eyes and fall into that place of disconnection from my surroundings, I slide over into a land of creative, colorful narrations. My dreams are often so eventful that I wake up exhausted. The events in this book are real in my dreaming mind. This volume includes dreams and notes from 1997 through 2006. I have been journaling my dreams for decades and decided there must be a reason, therefore I am sharing. These episodes of varying lengths are neither fiction nor nonfiction, fantasy nor reality, just dreams. Sometimes they are funny and at times, they reflect the job I am working or events that have actually happened in my real life. I have also included some diary notes that fit between some of the dreams that may offer context. I have rarely tried to interpret my dreams, mainly because I am hesitant to connect with the power or prophecy or clairvoyance. There is space for interpretation and space for response to prompts about different dream scenarios and triggers. I encourage everyone to read, imagine, and travel to familiar or strange places in my mind and your own.
Dr. Leggie [Leh ‘jee] Boone is a Forensic Analyst, Author, and Educator. Leggie primarily works as an analyst, examining evidence for fingerprints, shoe prints, and tire tracks for comparison and identification. She has spent over 30 years in the forensic science field as a Crime Scene Investigator, Volunteer Autopsy Technician, Educator, and Analyst. Dr. Boone’s main fields of interest are vicarious traumatization, organizational support and civilian relations, implicit bias in crime scene attendance, personal impact of law enforcement suicide, and active dreaming. Having an array of tragedies in her mental slide show of crime scenes, Leggie adopted her methods of decompression to include writing songs and crime scene poetry, singing, and journaling graphically detailed dreams.
Dr. Boone has collaborated on the publishing of the forensic textbook and virtual component, So You Want to Be a CSI, with two other former CSIs, Kendall Hunt Publishing, and Victory XR. She has also coauthored and published Fox Tails: Short, Short Stories Written While Puppysitting, she has multiple poems and song lyrics published in books and magazines. Someday, My Prints Will Come is the most recent publication she has produced, functioning as a learning tool and activity book focused on the study of fingerprints.
Dr. Boone has taught as an adjunct professor with Keiser University in Florida, in the Crime Scene Technology program and as contributing faculty with Walden University, in the Forensic Psychology programs. She has also been an invited speaker in many international conferences, including the Global Science Guild, Worldwide Association of Women Forensic Experts, and the Caribbean Association of Forensic Sciences, and she is a Senior Adjunct Faculty member for the Sherlock Institute of Forensic Sciences, India.
Through it all, she still dreams vividly, in the midst of producing volumes for interpretation, enlightenment or entertainment. Dr. Boone is inspired by the constant support of her mother and daughter, both named Leggie, and she is driven by her faith to be an author, a leader, and an agent of social change.
You can purchase the book HERE
William Covey- Desolation Part One
Visited by the spirit world, a Hopi woman, an Aborigine man, and a Rabbi are told the earth will soon undergo worldwide desolation. They are divinely united to reveal the message to all humans that live upon Mother Earth. It all begins with a thermonuclear war between India and China over greed, which starts the cataclysmic events that alter the entire planet. They were told that man's carelessness with his scientific technology will cause a cascade of events that will literally change the face of Mother Earth. Will Sarah, Yirawala, and Rabbi Raboy be able to warn all the humans in time to prepare themselves for these cataclysmic events? This book is part one of the Desolation trilogy. Mother Earth purifies herself and completes her rebirth in books two and three.
Cliff Sloan-THE COURT AT WAR FDR, His Justices, and the World They Made
The inside story of how one president forever altered the most powerful legal institution in the country, with consequences that endure today.
By the summer of 1941, in the ninth year of his presidency, Franklin Roosevelt had molded his Court. He had appointed seven of the nine justices—the most by any president except George Washington—and handpicked the chief justice.
But the wartime Roosevelt Court had two faces. One was bold and progressive, the other supine and abject, cowed by the charisma of the revered president.
The Court at War explores this pivotal period. It provides a cast of unforgettable characters in the justices—from the mercurial, Vienna-born intellectual Felix Frankfurter to the Alabama populist Hugo Black; from the western prodigy William O. Douglas, FDR’s initial pick to be his running mate in 1944, to Roosevelt’s former attorney general and Nuremberg prosecutor Robert Jackson.
The justices’ shameless capitulation and unwillingness to cross their beloved president highlight the dangers of an unseemly closeness between Supreme Court justices and their political patrons. But the FDR Court’s finest moments also provided a robust defense of individual rights, rights the current Court has put in jeopardy. Sloan’s intimate portrait is a vivid, instructive tale for modern times. Cliff Sloan is a professor of constitutional law and criminal justice at Georgetown University Law Center. He has argued before the Supreme Court seven times. He has served in all three branches of the federal Government, including as Special Envoy for Guantanamo Closure, and is the author of The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court. His commentary on the Supreme Court and legal issues has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Slate, and other publications, and on television and radio networks.
For more info on the book click HERE
David Baldacci- The Edge
“The Master Storyteller” David Baldacci is back with the second book in his 6:20 Man series: The Edge.
The 6:20 Man series is praised: "Corporate conspiracies, corruption, and murder—all come together in one of thriller fans’ most anticipated books of the summer . . . Baldacci’s experience in this genre truly shines as he builds complex layers of riveting twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat!"―Reader's Digest
"A complex, high-powered thriller that will keep the reader guessing . . . This is a winner from a pro."—Kirkus
David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.
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John Hartzell- You Can't Go Back
You have to do it everyday and I know it will be hard, some days it may feel even impossible. But you have to believe in your self and I promise you'll never experience setbacks from the Hands of believing in yourself Just get it done.
John Robert Hartzell was born in Pasco County Florida, and spent most of his childhood growing up in northeast Ohio.
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Daniel Dain- A History of Boston
Boston is today one of the world’s greatest cities, first in higher education, hospitals, life science companies, and sports teams. It was the home of the Great Puritan Migration, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the first civil rights movement, the abolition movement, and the women’s rights movement. But the city that gave us the first use of ether as anesthesia, the telephone, technicolor film, and the mutual fund—the city where Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott founded their world-changing partnership—was also the hub of the anti-immigration movement, the divisive busing era, and decades of self-inflicted decay.
Boston has the most important history of any American city. Yet its history has never been given a comprehensive treatment until now. In A History of Boston, Dan Dain takes us from the arrival of First Peoples up to the election of Boston’s first woman and person of color as mayor. Along the way he explores the policies and practices that took Boston from its highest heights to its lowest lows and back again, and examines the central role that density, diversity, and good urban design play in the success of cities like Boston.
Daniel Dain was born in Boston and grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. A graduate of Vassar College and University of Michigan Law School, he’s spent his professional career as a lawyer in Boston, working with commercial property owners and developers on issues related to their use and development of real estate. Dan writes and lectures widely on land use law and urban planning and is the founder and president of the law firm Dain Torpy, where he chairs the firm’s real estate litigation practice. He is the manager of an equity fund that invests in independent local restaurants, a co-founder and treasurer of the Needham Land Trust, and is a board member of the business advocacy groups NAIOP of Massachusetts and A Better City, as well as the Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture. Dan also chairs the arts company White Snake Projects and the Massachusetts Real Estate Bar Association’s Litigation Section. He lives in Needham, Massachusetts with his wife and two kids.
Jennifer Bedsole- Face To The Wind
It’s 1923 in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where a risky romance between a mistreated young woman and a boxer owned by the mob motivates self-discovery, loyalty toward passions, and a life-threatening struggle for freedom.
A mundane life is far from Angelina’s only suffrage. Pitying the monster that once loved her as a daughter is just as much a captivity as his fist to her face. Fear locks her door; daring to dream is her key.
For fisherman Vincent, unsought ties with the world of organized crime have him boxing in a speakeasy notorious for its gambling on the fights. To maintain the security and success of his father’s longtime fishing business and the well-being of everyone close to him, Vincent must remain enslaved to a ruthless and powerful mob leader.
Face to the Wind is a tender romance, a “jazz-age” journey that unfolds through the eyes of two young lovers with a timeless determination to be together.
Prior to settling in Slocomb, Alabama, Jennifer Pauline Bedsole spent most of her life where she grew up in New England, wishing the comfort of summer was longer-lasting and the cold of winter less bitter. Her love for the South was recognized and undeniable in 1997 when she spent a year at the University of Tampa where she majored in creative writing. A change of fate put Jennifer’s collegiate journey on hold and led her back up to Massachusetts where she continued her education at Northern Essex Community College, never abandoning her passion for writing. Her romance with the South was far from over and in 2018, following her husband’s retirement from the military, Jennifer’s dream to return close to the Gulf Coast was fulfilled. With her husband and five children, on 49 acres of flourishing farmland, she finds peace and inspiration in the warmth of southern life.
Currently an English major at Troy University, Jennifer is dedicated to her family, farm life, and dreams of finally obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in English. Finding success in writing and editing has been a lifelong goal that she is determined to bring to fruition. Her passion for writing is fueled by her desire to inspire and encourage others to experience phenomenal and infinite depths of emotion.
Several of Jennifer’s poems were published in Troy University’s literary journal, the Rubicon, in 2021 and 2022. Other collections in which her poetry has been published include Montage of Life, The Colors of Life, and VoicesNet Anthology. The completion of her first novel Face to the Wind is one of her most significant creative accomplishments, and she is motivated to continue writing fiction. This historical romance novel, featuring dual protagonists, captures the essence of the “roaring twenties” amidst the cobbled roads of Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
The most thrilling and fulfilling part of writing fiction, Jennifer believes, is creating a world that seems so real that it is hard to put the pen down and say goodnight to the characters. She endeavors to bring her stories to life by rousing the senses and introducing characters that become impossible to forget.
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Michael MaCambridge-The Big Time- How The 1970's Transformed Sports in America
A captivating chronicle of the pivotal decade in American sports, when the games invaded prime time, and sports moved from the margins to the mainstream of American culture. Every decade brings change, but as Michael MacCambridge chronicles in THE BIG TIME, no decade in American sports history featured such convulsive cultural shifts as the 1970s. So many things happened during the decade—the move of sports into prime-time television, the beginning of athletes’ gaining a sense of autonomy for their own careers, integration becoming—at least within sports—more of the rule than the exception, and the social revolution that brought females more decisively into sports, as athletes, coaches, executives, and spectators. More than politicians, musicians or actors, the decade in America was defined by its most exemplary athletes. The sweeping changes in the decade could be seen in the collective experience of Billie Jean King and Muhammad Ali, Henry Aaron and Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joe Greene, Jack Nicklaus and Chris Evert, among others, who redefined the role of athletes and athletics in American culture. The Seventies witnessed the emergence of spectator sports as an ever-expanding mainstream phenomenon, as well as dramatic changes in the way athletes were paid, portrayed, and packaged. In tracing the epic narrative of how American sports was transformed in the Seventies, a larger story emerges: of how America itself changed, and how spectator sports moved decisively on a trajectory toward what it has become today, the last truly “big tent” in American culture.
About The Author:
Michael MacCambridge is an author, journalist and TV commentator, whose books have included the acclaimed America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation and Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work. For eight years a columnist and critic at the Austin American-Statesman, MacCambridge was later a contributor to A New Literary History of America, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and GQ. The father of two children, Miles and Ella, he lives in Austin.
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Matthew J Davenport-THE LONGEST MINUTE: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906
More than 117 years ago, the largest city in the Western U.S. shook, crumbled, burned, and was completely devastated in an incomprehensible show of force by nature. With almost the entire city still asleep, the next 48 seconds sent shockwaves through the city, buckling streets, shattering water mains, collapsing buildings on slumbering residents, and crushing hundreds to death while trapping many alive. Relying on archival sources and hundreds of previously unpublished letters and photographs, Matthew J. Davenport weaves a harrowing tale of the fateful day in his new book, THE LONGEST MINUTE: The Great San Francisco Earth Quake and Fire .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matthew J. Davenport’s first book, First Over There, a finalist for the 2015 Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History, was acclaimed as “a brilliant work for every library” by Library Journal and was heralded by Pulitzer Prize winning historian James McPherson as “military history at its best.” He has been a contributing writer for The Wall Street Journal book review and Salon.com, and is a member of the Authors Guild. A native of Missouri and a former prosecutor, he practices law in North Carolina, where he lives with his wife and two sons.
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