January 2016

Your Guide to
Self-Publishing

Your Guide to Writers

Conferences & Book Fairs

Industry Trends and

Predictions for 2016

Marketing Models
for Indie Success

Reviews Roundup
65 New Titles Listed

The Year
in Preview

A Look Ahead at
Self-Publishing in 2016
Among the years hot topics are declining e-book sales, Amazon, and
barriers facing indie authors
By Jennifer McCartney

n 2015, self-publishing saw a

number of high-profile success
s t o r i e s . J a m i e M c G u i r e s
Beautiful Redemption became the
first novel by an indie author
to find shelf space at Walmart, and
Andy Weirs The Martian, originally
self-published, was released as a major
motion picture starring Matt Damon.
Paul Kingsnorths The Wake received
major traditional media coverage and
was reviewed in the New York Times
(albeit after it was longlisted for the Man
Booker Prize in 2014 and picked up by
Graywolf Press), and such writers as Vi
Keeland, Penelope Ward, Deborah
Bladon, and Tijan saw their indie books
reach the New York Times digital bestseller list. Crowdfunding also continued
to be a popular platform, with dozens of
publishing projects successfully funded
on Kickstarter, covering everything from
teaching programming to kids to a Lil
Bub picture book.
All this came during a general slowdown in e-book sales overall, with a 10%
drop in digital sales in 2015, according
to the Association of American
Publishers. Penguin Random
House exited the selfpublishing business altogether
with the sale of its troubled
Author Solutions to a private
equity firm, and subscription
service Oyster announced that it
was closing up shop in early
2016. Despite these shake-ups,
many established self-publishing
trends in terms of pricing and

her deal with Atria had ended. I still

plan to traditionally publish, but with
books that I feel are best suited for that
route, McGuire says. Not every book
does well on the shelf, she adds. Walmart
stocked Beautiful Redemption in its physical locations in 2015, although the
From Indie to
details of the arrangement are bound by
a nondisclosure agreement. I think its
Traditional and Back
just smart as a businessperson to keep all
Fluidity between traditional and selfdoors open, she says.
publishing continued last year as a
Longtime bestselling romance author
growing number of hybrid authors
Lindsay McKenna left Harlequin for selfexplored their options in both areas.
publishing in 2014 and then
A steady stream of authors
signed with Kensington in
took publishing deals only to
2015and has a number of
return to self-publishing,
indie titles in addition to her
while traditional authors, such
Kensington titles slated for
as bestselling comic book
2016. Some authors rejected
author Warren Ellis (Cunning
the traditional deal outright.
Plans: Talks by Warren Ellis),
New York Times bestselling
continued to explore selfindie authors Keeland and
publishing as a supplement to
Ward went looking for a traditheir other work. This makes
Jamie McGuire
tional deal for their coauthored
sense financially: a survey by
novel, Cocky Bastardbut the offers they
Digital Book World found that hybrid
received werent in the realm of what
authors earn the most money, with a
they felt they could make publishing it
median income between $7,500 and
themselves. The novel went on to hit the
$9,999 a year, followed by traditionally
New York Times bestseller list in 2015.
published authors ($3,000
Many [publishers] are beginning to be
$4,999), and indie authors
($500$999). The assumpunderstanding of the wish to be hybrid,
and the business sense behind it,
tion that authors only use
McGuire says of the continuing shift
self-publishing until they
toward the hybrid model.
can secure a traditional deal
bears out less and less.
Continuing Trends
The bestselling author
into 2016
McGuire returned to selfpublishing in 2015 for
Though last year brought a lot of firsts
Beautiful Redemption after
to the self-publishing industry, the

the popularity of genre fiction continued

unchanged from previous years. We
talked to some industry experts who discussed what they saw in 2015 and what
their predictions are for the industry in
the year ahead.

42 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

SELFPUBLISHING IN 2016

overall formula for success remained relatively constant. Preorders continued to

be a key feature driving sales at
Smashwords, for example. According to
founder Mark Coker, though just 10% of
authors took advantage of the sites preorder function, those titles accounted for
two-thirds of its top 200 bestsellers.
Microtargeted subgenres continued to
find readers, although romance remained
the most popular genre overall, and
e-book prices held steady at an average of
$2.99, with many authors offering the
first book in their series free to build a
readership.
Amazons Kindle Singles program has
capitalized on offering authors the
ability to publish shorter texts.
The program added 200 new
titles by both well-known and
new authors in 2015, bringing the
total offerings up to more
than 1,000 at the start of
2016, according to editor
David Blum. Generally,
people are reading more and more on
their phones, which works particularly
well for Kindle singles, because theyre
short and easy to read, he says. This
trend is supported by data from Wattpad,
where 90% of the platforms activity is
from users on their mobile phones.
The trend in earlier years toward disrupting existing publishing models
with new startups like the nowestablished Wattpad or the social
reading community Goodreads, since
acquired by Amazon, seems to have
slowed in 2015. Some of those publishing models are stumbling as we enter
2016the once-promising all-you-canread subscription services maintain a
small percentage of the market, with
just 5% of consumers signing up
according to Nielsen. Sixty percent of
that market share goes to Amazons
Kindle Unlimited, with services like
Scribd and Oyster (the latter planning
to close its doors in January) making up
the rest. In an analog twist, subscription
services such as Book Riot and OwlCrate,
which offer monthly print books and

other swag, sprouted last year

as readers opted for the subscription box
model. Though most of these are limited
to books by traditionally published
authors, in March hybrid author Colleen
Hoover launched Bookworm Box, which
caters to indie authors and has more than
2,000 subscribers and a wait list for
membership.

Remaining Challenges
for Indie Authors

There are two main challenges that have

yet to be overcome when it comes to
self-publishing versus traditional
publishing. The first is print distribution and lack of shelf space in
bricks-and-mortar stores. While
indie authors continued to
hit the bestseller lists in
2015, their presence in
physical shops was negligible. Coker, the Smashwords founder,
predicts that this will change With
indie authors consistently hitting the
national bestseller lists, he says, booksellers would be wise to carry those
titles. Though total digital sales have
reached the millions, many readers,
even younger readers, still prefer print.
In a study conducted by Publishing
Technology, 79% of millennials said
they read a print book in the last year
nearly double the amount who chose to
read an e-book on any deviceand 28%
have discovered new books at retail
stores. Indie authors want to capitalize
on this market share.
Though many bookstores have small
indie sections or may want to carry more
indie titles, it is not always such an
easy thing to do. The terms set by selfpublishing platforms such as Amazons
CreateSpace are famously incompatible
with the way booksellers operatethat
is, with a discount of 40%55% and the
ability to return books. Stocking an
independent title means taking on a
degree of risk that most booksellers

arent willing to accept,

so these unfavorable
terms have long been a barrier to
getting indie books on shelves. In addition, there remains the problem of discoverability. Most booksellers order
their titles through Edelweissan
online catalogue that doesnt list selfpublished books. If the books cant be
found in the cataloguewhere every
traditional publisher from Abrams to
Simon & Schuster list their titlesthen
they may as well be invisible to bricksand-mortar booksellers, IndieReaders
Amy Edelman says. To overcome this
issue, IndieReader teamed up with
Edelweiss in 2014 to create IndieReader
In-Storea paid service that provides a
listing of the authors book as well as a
digital review copy.
IngramSpark offers similar access.
IngramSpark makes it easy for selfpublished authors to make their books
available to our retail and library partners, says Robin Cutler, senior manager
of independent publishing at Ingram.
Authors still want to have contact
directly with readers, so the dream of
seeing their book in stores and libraries
is as viable as ever, Cutler says. These
services are a step toward leveling the
playing field when it comes to indie
versus traditional authors.

But logistical issues such as terms and

catalogues may no longer be relevant
moving into 2016, as Amazon expands
into bricks-and-mortar stores, possibly
bypassing the traditional publisherdistributor-bookseller model. In
November, Amazon opened its first
bookstore in Seattle, advertising it as a
physical extension of its Web presence,
which could be good news for indie
authors. The store carries titles from
other publishers, so it isnt clear what
percentage of the titles, if any, will come
from the CreateSpace program, but it
seems likely that New York Times indie
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

43

bestsellers would find shelf space at the

store. It will be a while before we know
whether Amazons expansion into the physical
retail sector breaks down the shelf-space barrier for indies on
any meaningful level.
The second barrier still stymieing authors in 2015 was the
lack of traditional media coverage for indie titles. Though indie
authors sell copies in the millions and enjoy a robust social
media following, recognition and validation from the traditional literary community is rare. To secure
reviews for an indie
book, authors had just
a few options last year:
paid review services (offered by outlets such as Kirkus,
IndieReader, BlueInk Review, and Self-Publishing Review); customer reviews (solicited by sending review copies to beta
readers or via Goodreads or social media giveaways); or a blog
tour, where bloggers run an excerpt, review, or q&anone of
which usually leads to coverage in the traditional media.

Hitting the
Road in 2016
Our annual rundown of book fairs and
writers conferences for indie authors
By Jennifer McCartney
Writers conferences, book fairs, and festivals are
an important tool for indie authors looking to market their work to a wider audience. Attending these
events allows authors to network with agents,
publishers, and other authors, as well as to meet
fans and learn more about the industry in general.
Weve rounded up a selective list of relevant conferences, book fairs, and festivals happening
around the world in 2016. Events with a focus on
self-publishing have been marked with an asterisk.

JA N UA RY
Amazons bricks-and-mortor book store.

Coverage is reserved for reportage of self-to-traditional publishing deals rather than reviews. Edelman agrees that the lack
of review space in traditional media outlets is a problem. Selfpublished authors still face a huge lack of respect, both from
readers and consumer media, she says. She suggests that if
self-published authors were to pool their resources and advertise their books in traditional media, the reviews would soon
follow. Money talks, she says.
Edelman hopes that 2016 is the year that a consumer publication has the vision and muscle to reframe the narrative surrounding self-published booksby presenting them with the
same care shown to indie movies and music. By featuring the
best fiction, art, photography, graphic novels, and handmade
titles in the self-publishing world, publications could help
skeptical readers appreciate indie books. But until a high-profile
consumer-facing magazine (she suggests New York magazine as
a potential fit) or an influential public figure steps forward to
champion indie books, Edelman predicts that self-published

books, for most people, will still mean lesser than.

44 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

Wizard World Comic Con, New Orleans; Jan. 810

wizardworld.com
*ALA Midwinter Meeting, Boston; Jan. 812
alamidwinter.org
New Delhi World Book Fair, New Delhi, India; Jan. 917
newdelhiworldbookfair.gov.in
International Cairo Book Fair, Cairo, Egypt; Jan. 27Feb. 10
cairobookfair.org
Angoulme International Comics Festival, Angoulme, France;
Jan. 2831
bdangouleme.com

F E B RUA RY
San Miguel Writers Conference, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico;
Feb. 1014
sanmiguelwritersconference.org
*San Francisco Writers Conference, San Francisco; Feb. 1114
sfwriters.org
Feria Internacional del Libro La Habana, Havana, Cuba; Feb.
1121
feriadellibro.cubaliteraria.cu

C O N F E R E N C E S, F E ST I VA L S, B O O K FA I R S
Taipei International Book Exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan; Feb. 1621
chinaexhibition.com/official_site/21-516-taipei_book_fair_
foundation_%28TBFF%29.html

Quebec International Book Fair, Quebec City,

Canada; Apr. 13-17
silq.ca

Brussels Book Fair, Brussels, Belgium; Feb. 1822

flb.be

*IndieReCon, Online; Apr. 15

indierecon.org

Wizard World Portland Comic Con, Portland, Ore.; Feb. 1921

wizardworld.com/portland.html

*UWMadisons 27th Annual Writers Institute, Madison, Wis.;

Apr. 1517
uwwritersinstitute.wisc.edu

Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania; Feb. 2528

vilniausknygumuge.lt
*SleuthFest, Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Feb. 2528
sleuthfest.com
*Digital Author and Indie Publishing Conference, Van Nuys,
Calif.; Feb. 2628
wcwriters.com/da

MARCH

Bogota International Book Fair, Bogota, Colombia; Apr. 19May 2

feriadellibro.com
International Book Festival Budapest, Budapest, Hungary; Apr.
2124
bookfestival.hu
Buenos Aires Book Fair, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Apr. 21May 9
el-libro.org.ar

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Dubai, U.A.E.; Mar. 112

emirateslitfest.com

*Redwood Writers 2016 Conference, Santa Rosa, Calif.; Apr. 23

redwoodwriters.org/pen-to-published-2016/

*Digital Book World Conference + Expo, New York City, Mar. 79

conference.digitalbookworld.com

Geneva Book and Press Fair, Geneva, Switzerland; Apr. 27May 1

salondulivre.ch/en

*South by Southwest, Austin; Mar. 1120

sxsw.com

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.; Apr. 27May 3
adbookfair.com

Paris Book Fair (Salon du Livre), Paris, France; Mar. 1720

salondulivreparis.com
Leipzig Book Fair, Leipzig, Germany; Mar. 1720
leipziger-buchmesse.de
Alexandria International Book Fair, Alexandria, Egypt; Mar. 24
Apr. 5
bibalex.org/en/page/alexandrina%20international%20book%20
fair%20(2016)
*Norwescon, SeaTac, Wash.; Mar. 2427
norwescon.org
WonderCon, Los Angeles; Mar. 2527
comic-con.org/wca
Bangkok International Book Fair, Bangkok, Thailand; Mar. 29
Apr. 10
pubat.or.th/index/topic/8eaa241d4d9dd05b61f9093d67393b6d

M AY
*Nonfiction Writers Conference, Online; May 46
nonfictionwritersconference.com
Tehran International Book Fair, Tehran, Iran; May 515
tibf.ir/en
*The Self-Publishing Conference, Leicester, England; May 7
selfpublishingconference.org.uk
Idaho Writers Guild Pitchfest, Boise; May 7
idahowritersguild.com/rendezvous
*BookExpo America (BEA), Chicago; May 1113
bookexpoamerica.com
Turin International Book Fair, Turin, Italy; May 1216
salonelibro.it/en
Book World, Prague, Czech Republic; May 1215
bookworld.cz

*Association of Writers and Writing Programs, Los Angeles; Mar.

30Apr. 2
awpwriter.org/awp_conference

*BookCon, Chicago; May 14

thebookcon.com

*PubSense Summit, Charleston, S.C.; TBD

pubsensesummit.com

Warsaw Book Fair, Warsaw, Poland; May 1922

targi-ksiazki.waw.pl

Bologna Childrens Book Fair, Bologna, Italy; Apr. 47

bookfair.bolognafiere.it

St. Petersburg International Book Fair, St. Petersburg, Russia;

May 2629
spbbooksalon.ru

*London Book Fair, London, England; Apr. 1214

londonbookfair.co.uk

Thessaloniki Book Fair, Thessaloniki, Greece; TBD

thessalonikibookfair.com

APRIL

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

45

C O N F E R E N C E S, F E ST I VA L S, B O O K FA I R S
JUNE
sbwriters.com

*The Santa Barbara Writers Conference, Santa

Barbara, Calif.; June 510

Seoul International Book Fair, Seoul, South Korea; June 1519

sibf.or.kr
Wizard World Comic Con Sacramento, Sacramento; June 1719
wizardworld.com/sacramento.html
*ALA Annual Conference, Orlando; June 2328
alaannual.org
*The Writers League of Texas 2016 Agents & Editors
Conference, Austin; June 2426
writersleague.org/38/conference

J U LY

*RomCon, Denver; Sept. 30Oct. 1

romcon.com/romcon-2016
*Chicago Writers Conference, Chicago; TBD
chicagowritersconference.org

OCTOBER
*New York Comic Con, New York City; Oct. 69
newyorkcomiccon.com
Alternative Press Expo, San Jose, Calif.; Oct. 89
alternativepressexpo.com
Vancouver Writers Fest, Vancouver, Canada; Oct. 1823
writersfest.bc.ca
*Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany; Oct. 1923
book-fair.com/en

*ThrillerFest X, New York City; July 59

thrillerfest.com

Gourmand International World Cookbook Fair), Frankfurt,

Germany; Oct. 1923
cookbookfair.com

Hong Kong Book Fair, Hong Kong; July 2026

hkbookfair.hktdc.com

Helsinki Book Fair, Helsinki, Finland; Oct. 2730

messukeskus.com/sites3/kirjamessut/en

*Comic-Con International, San Diego, Calif.; July 2124

comic-con.org/cci

International Belgrade Book Fair, Belgrade, Serbia; TBD

beogradskisajamknjiga.com

AUGUST
Travel Writers & Photographers Conference, Corte Madera, Calif.;
Aug. 1114
bookpassage.com/travel-writers-photographers-conference
*Writers Digest Conference, New York City; Aug. 1214
writersdigestconference.com
Writers at Woody Point, Woody Point, Canada; Aug. 1621
writersatwoodypoint.com

Liber International Book Fair, Barcelona, Spain; TBD

fep-fee.eu/liber-international-book-fair
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Fall
Conference, Somerset, N.J.; TBD
newatlanticbooks.site-ym.com/?page=fallconference
WordFest, Calgary, Canada; TBD
wordfest.com

NOVEMBER

Beijing International Book Fair, Beijing, China; Aug. 2428

bibf.net/en

Sharjah International Book Fair, Sharjah, U.A.E.; Nov. 212

sharjahbookfair.com

*Unicorn Writers Conference, Purchase, N.Y.; TBD

unicornwritersconference.com

Basel Book Fair , Basel, Switzerland; Nov.1013

buchbasel.ch

SEPTEMBER
Dragon Con, Atlanta; Sept. 25
dragoncon.org
Open Book Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Sept. 711
openbookfestival.co.za
*Kentucky Women Writers Conference, Lexington; Sept. 1617
womenwriters.as.uky.edu
Gteborg Book Fair, Gothenburg, Sweden; Sept. 2225
bokmassan.se/en
Tokyo International Book Fair, Tokyo, Japan; Sept. 2325
bookfair.jp/en
*Word on the Street, Toronto, Canada; Sept. 25
thewordonthestreet.ca/toronto
46 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

Istanbul Book Fair, Istanbul, Turkey; Nov. 1220

istanbulbookfair.com
Guadalajara International Book Fair, Guadalajara, Mexico; Nov.
26Dec. 4
fil.com.mx
International Fair of Intellectual Literature
Moscow, Russia; Nov. 30Dec. 4
moscowbookfair.ru
Dublin Book Festival, Dublin; TBD
dublinbookfestival.com
Montreal Book Fair, Montreal, Canada; TBD
salondulivredemontreal.com
* Indicates events with a focus on self-publishing

7MARKETING

Five Marketing Models

for Self-Publishing Success
Finding a publicity plan that works for you

heres no shortage of marketing and publicity

services that promise to help self-published
authors secure media attention and book reviews
and increase sales. For the unschooled, however,
its hard to know whom to hire, how much to
invest, and what type of marketing and publicity will make a
difference.
Furthermore, companies that offer self-publishing services
knowing that theres more demand than ever for such help
will offer package plans that, in the end, may have little or no
effect on sales. (Im thinking primarily of broad advertising in
mass market outlets, paid reviews, and social media campaigns
that are never seen by the target readership.)
Authors who try to buy attention or publicity would often do
better to focus on the bigger picture of building marketing
momentum effectively and meaningfully over a span of months
even years. In my experience, there are five strategic models that
lead to effective marketing and publicity campaigns for books.
1. Reach Out Directly to an Established Audience
This is the easiest (no-brainer) model: authors who already have
a direct line to readers can execute an engagement strategy to
ensure that they make the right number of impressions, at the
right time, to maximize sales. People already well-known in
their fieldsor who have a backlist history and, therefore, readershipand people who have name recognition (celebrities!)
are well-situated to succeed.
Thats why author-marketing guides often emphasize how to
establish or increase direct reach to readersvia email news
letters, social media, and advertising. Such efforts can fail unless
the author has a body of work to draw upon and act as a lure. For
this reason, first-time authors have the most difficulty improving
their reach. This seems to belabor the obvious point, but because
it is the most prevalent strategy out there, I see a lot of frustrated
authors trying to find their readers with a single book (or no
book!), without success. That brings us to the next model.
2. Always Be Producing
The more books you have out there, the easier the marketing
game is. Thats because you have more options for giving things
away for free, putting other things on discount, and bundling
books togetheror making them part of a multiauthor bundle.
This principle applies to any creative pursuit. The more work
you put out, the more people will discover you. For example,
bestselling novelist Bella Andre has said that her sales really
started to skyrocket after she released the fifth book in her series.

By Jane Friedman

Youll find the same story repeated across many authors careers;
overnight successes are rare. However, some authors lack the
patience to see their work build a readership over time, or they
have only one book in them. This is of course problematic from
a marketing perspective.
3. Produce Across Multiple Mediums or Channels
Authors skilled in multimedia have an advantage over those
who release only e-books or print books. Reader discovery
increases when you can produce audiobooks, illustrated editions, podcasts, serialization (even if just at Wattpad), YouTube
videos, and so on. However, such efforts require a level of professional execution to be taken seriously and to have a positive
effect. With his multimedia project Into the Nanten, author Jay
Swanson is an example of someone doing it right.
4. Know the Right People or Start Meeting Authors with Pull
If you dont have direct reach to readers, the next best thing is
knowing someone who does. Having connections with influencers who are willing to mention or recommend your work to
the appropriate readers is powerful. This isnt necessarily about
securing blurbs (although those are nice, too), but more about a
personal introduction from a known nameas well as about
offering influencers a reason to feature you. (Sometimes authors
have no idea who the influencers are in their categories or genres;
tools such as Followerwonk and BuzzSumo can help you find out.)
If youre not lucky enough to count such influencers among
your friends, ask yourself if there are other authors or organizations you could collaborate with. For example, Facebook groups
can help connect authors working in the same in genres.
5. Right Concept at the Right Time for a Specific Market
Last year, Publishers Weekly featured Victorine E. Lieske, a successful self-published author who argued that her success isnt
related to specific marketing tasksresonating with specific
readers is about publishing the right book at the right time at
the right price.
Before pub day, every author must consider his or her marketing model. What approach builds on the assets you already
have, or complements your strengths and is feasible for the
readers you currently reach? Think about the big picture before
you spend a lot of time, money, and energy on marketing tactics
or onetime efforts that will not contribute to a sustained, longterm strategy.

Jane Friedman teaches digital media and publishing at the University

of Virginia and is the former publisher of Writers Digest.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

47

New Titles
From Self-Publishers
Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 65 selfpublished titles below, with descriptions provided by their authors. Some of these
writers are waiting to be discovered; others have a track record and a following and
are doing it on their own. If you are a self-published author interested in listing titles
in this section, please visit publishersweekly.com/pw-select for more information.
FICTION
A Danger to God Himself
John Draper. CreateSpace. $4.99 e-book,
ASIN B017GCC9MQ
Amazon
This book has sex,
comedy, dramaand the
god of the universe striking
people dead. A young
Mormon missionary learns that love calls
for sacrifice.
Evolution of a Revolution
Conallan Power. CreateSpace. $19 paper
(500p), ISBN 978-1-5142-9463-5
Amazon, BN.com
Raised in the Mississippi
backwoods, Andre Braden
learns early on that the
world can be cruel and
unfair. This causes Andre to
begin a journey for enlightenment.
Fraught with Hazard
Paul Altrocchi and Julia Cooley
Altrocchi. iUniverse. $27.95 hardcover
(259p), ISBN 978-1-4917-6681-1;
$17.95 paper (268p),
ISBN 978-1-4917-6679-8
Amazon
Defeated at sea, shipwrecked in Ireland, 1588
Spanish Armada personnel
faced English bullets, starvation, and daily relentless

perils. A true saga based on an eyewitness

account.
Jake & Clara: Scandal, Politics,
Hollywood and Murder
David R. Stokes. Critical Mass Press.
$18.99 paper (349p), ISBN 9780-9969892-0-6
Ingram
An ambitious rich oilman
who is a friend of the new
president is murdered by
his mistress.
The Lame Duck
Bernard Leo Remakus. CreateSpace.
$19.95 paper (386p), ISBN 978-1-51916384-4; $2.99 e-book,
ASIN B017PXXXEE
Amazon
The chance meeting of a
hapless country doctor and a
beautiful female malpractice attorney sets the stage for the perfect
crimeand a love story.
Once upon an Apple Martini
Kendal Taylor. CreateSpace.
$7.99 paper (288p),
ISBN 978-1-5170-9557-4
Amazon
Calyssa needs to keep her
job.

48 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

On Robin Lane
Brenda Dodson. iUniverse. $19.95 paper
(346p), ISBN 978-1-4759-9640-1;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4759-9641-8
Amazon
A story of one womans
struggle to find love despite
her fathers rejection, a contrived marriage, and her
brothers abuse. Loretta
must fight to overcome them as her past
and present collide.
Requiem Shark
W.E. Burnette. Outskirts Press. $27.95
hardcover (306p),
ISBN 978-1-4787-4822-9
Amazon
When an old surfer is
killed by a big bull shark off
the Florida coast, an odd
collection of footloose misfits is drawn to
the beach where he died.
Rude Boy USA
Victoria Bolton. CreateSpace. $9.99
paper (282p), ISBN 9781-5187-5433-3
Amazon
Mafia with a fresh look
but the same ambitionsin
a story of a multicultural
group of mobsters.

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS

Soldier Hill
Phil Rossi. Solar Bear. $2.99 e-book,
ASIN B017W908VC
Amazon
High school boys honor
the sacrifice of an unknown
soldier from the Vietnam
War.
Urban Mermaid
Howard Parsons. Moonlight Garden
Publications. $17.95 paper (437p),
ISBN 978-1-938281-72-3
Amazon
A loveless mermaid pulls
a prank on an unsuspecting
human and discovers that
she sits next to him at her
new job on land. After falling in love,
they need to reconcile their two worlds.

MYSTERY/THRILLER
The Coalition
Samuel Marquis. Mount Sopris
Publishing. $14.99 paper (443p),
ISBN 978-1-943593-08-8
Amazon
When an assassin kills
the U.S. president-elect in
Denver, unconventional FBI
special agent Kenneth
Patton goes on the hunt
and his motives are personal as well as
professional.
Cold-Blooded
Lisa Regan. Prodorutti Books. $3.99
e-book, ASIN B017I2QP88
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Kobo
Private investigator
Jocelyn Rush takes on the
cold case of a murdered
teenager and comes face-toface with a cold-blooded killer whose
ruthlessness knows no bounds.
Death of the Queen of
Hearts
Roman A. Clay. Archway.
$15.99 paper (214p),
ISBN 978-1-4808-2313-6
Archwaypublishing.com,

Amazon, BN.com
A young European prince must
uncover the truth about his mothers
death in an automobile collision.
Diamond Curse
Burt Hurlock. Hurlock Publishing.
$12.99 paper (272p), ISBN 978-0692-54921-6
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Smashwords
A small-town police
detective investigates a
murder thinly disguised as a
hunting accident. The victims infidelities and ill-gotten gains mean suspects
abound.
Severed Threads
(Threads Series, Book 1)
Kaylin McFarren. CreateSpace. $12.95
paper (323p), ISBN 978-1-4751-8652-9
Kaylinmcfarren.com,
Amazon, BN.com
To save her brother from a
murderous gangster, Rachel
Lyons must join forces with
her ex-lover and dive into
treacherous waters to recover a cursed
relic from a Chinese merchant ship.
Show Time
Phil Harvey. Lost Coast Press. $15.95
paper (256p), ISBN 978-1-935448-11-2;
$9.99 e-book,
ASIN B007S0017C
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Gumroad
Starvation, freezing
temps, producers, or fellow
competitors: Which is most deadly?
Reality TV just got real.

SF/FANTASY/HORROR
Evil Across Time
Roy Askham. Xlibris. $24.19 paper
(190p), ISBN 978-1-50350731-9; $4.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5035-0730-2
Amazon
Edwinas sleep is far more
exciting than her mundane
day-to-day existence because she is able to

leave her body and travel

back in time to medieval
England.
Something of an Ordinary Life
John Bryant. CreateSpace. $5.99 paper
(116p), ISBN 978-1-5055-2456-7;
$1.99 e-book, ASIN B017MARQI4
Amazon
Wally Wilson is having a
rough go of it. His boss
hates him and will probably
get a big promotion. Elves
get all the breaks.
Spell Breaker (The Chronicles of
Eledon #1)
Joni Parker. Village Green Press. $2.99
e-book, ASIN B012DEK8J8
Amazon, BN.com, Kobo,
Smashwords
Lady Alexin (Alex) breaks
the spell around Seaward
Isle, allowing the inhabitants to escape to Eledon, the
world of the Elves and a place of danger
for her.

ROMANCE/EROTICA
Below the Beltway
Taylor Marsh. MM Press. $9.99 e-book,
ASIN B01812BVBA
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, IngramSpark
Elite life coach Alex
Gantry leaves Hollywood
for Washington, D.C.
Escaping a suffocating relationship, she meets the somewhat
younger, somewhat married environmentalist T.J. Gale.
Cinderella (Not Quite the Fairy Tale #1)
May Sage. CreateSpace. $8.99 paper
(217p), ISBN 978-1-5174-9877-5; free
e-book, ASIN B013H08PFQ
Amazon
Step into an adult version
of the old tale, in which
Cinderella cant wait to sue
her stepmother and has no
intention of going anywhere
near the king.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

49

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS

Homewrecker
Incorporated
S. Simone Chavous. S. Simone Chavous.
$3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-9895701-7-6
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Kobo,
Smashwords
After taking on a highprofile client, a professional home
wrecker must choose between her career
and following her heart.
Intensive Therapy
Jeffrey Deitz. Greenleaf Book Group.
$16.99 paper (352p),
ISBN 978-1-62634-186-9;
$7.99 e-book, ISBN 978-162634-187-6
Amazon, BN.com
Jonas Speller, M.D., and
Victoria Schone engage in a lifesaving
therapy that changes both doctor and
patient forever.
Moonlighting Bride (Happily Ever
After #1)
Deborah Kulish. CreateSpace. $12.99
paper (266p), ISBN 978-1-5023-7676-8;
$2.99 e-book, ASIN B017TBC8A2
Amazon, BN.com
When rich meets middle
class, love ensues. But will it
be enough to keep newly
married Jan Nichols from
creatively financing her
high-maintenance lifestyleeven if it
costs her life?
Nicos Guide to Foreplay
Beatricia Sagar. UANDWE Press. $15.95
paper (308p), ISBN 978-0-9967910-0-7
Amazon, IngramSpark
A drama and excursion
into the lives of two men
who are a study in contrasts
in their approach to money,
women, sex, and love.
Together a Part
Deborah Arnold. Deborah Arnold. 99
e-book, ASIN B00U0K30T8
Amazon

When a hardworking
computer geek agrees to a
weekend cruise to help her
movie star friend get the
role of his lifetime, nothing
turns out as expected, but it
may turn out exactly right.

NONFICTION
300 Amusing Musings: Plus Funny
Family Banter, Hilarious Preschool
Conversations, Open Ended Yahoo
Headlines, and Whimsical Poetry
Kimmy Preuss. Outskirts
Press. $13.95 paper (82p),
ISBN 978-1-4787-6021-4
Outskirtspress.com,
Amazon, BN.com
A heaping helping of
juvenile anecdotes, whimsical poetry, and
a dash of Preusss observations.
Branded for Missions
Mary Johnson. AuthorHouse. $13.50
paper (216p),
ISBN 978-1-4208-2898-6
Amazon
This book delves deep
into being committed and
having compassion for the
lost, and having the mind of Christ and a
loving heart for people of all walks of life.
Chosen: Chronicles of an
Alien Abductee
Byron Lacy. CreateSpace.
$18.50 paper (442p),
ISBN 978-1-5186-0634-2
Amazon, BN.com
Lacy recounts his experiences as an
alien abductee for 60 years and how that
has impacted his life.
A Complete Guide to Ventriloquism:
Principles, Practice and Performance
Naveen Sridhar. CreateSpace. $24.95
paper (248p), ISBN 978-1-4636-8437-2
Amazon
This book shows the
right way to become a ventriloquist. It covers all
aspects of the art. Through
the examples and exercises,

50 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

the reader can learn the skills to

perfection.
Developing Lean Leaders at All
Levels: A Practical Guide
Jeffrey K. Liker with George Strachilis.
Lean Leadership Institute. $39.95 hardcover (284p), ISBN 978-0-9914932-0-3;
$29.95 paper (282p),
ISBN 978-0-9914932-3-4
Amazon
Liker urges readers to
become Lean Leaders. This
book provides the critical
tools needed to turn the theory into practice and spread this learning throughout
an organization.
The Emergence of One American
Nation: The Revolution, the Founders
and the Constitution
Donald J. Fraser. Fraser & Associates.
$16.95 paper (449p),
ISBN 978-0-9970805-0-6
Amazon, BN.com
This book explores the
difficulties that the
founding generation confronted in molding the United States into
one nation, with the Constitution as the
key act in that process.
Fall in Love with Your Life, One Week
at a Time
Emily Madill. Emily Madill Coaching.
$24.99 hardcover (256p), ISBN 978-09881273-3-3; $4.99 e-book,
ASIN B017V91Y7U
Amazon
This book provides a
weekly practice that will
support you in loving yourself and your lifeas it is.
From Prophecy into History:
Proof of Gods Hand on the Bible
Travis Swart. Carpenters Son Publishing.
$13.99 paper (240p),
ISBN 978-1-942587-18-7
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, IngramSpark
Swart says Gods hand on
the Bible is revealed

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS

through repeated fulfillment of prophecy
in the pages of secular history.
A Girls Guide to the Criminal Mind:
The Survival Handbook
Alison Summers. Kellow Press. $6.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-311-03782-4
Amazon, Smashwords
Advice from leading
criminal profilers, sex
crimes detectives, and
self-defense experts about
how women can recognize, avoid, and escape predatorsthe
human kind.
Healing Process After Divorce
William K. Bach Jr. AuthorHouse.
$15.75 paper (128p),
ISBN 978-1-4208-3090-3
Amazon
Bach discusses healing
from the tragic effects of
divorce or separation from a
loved one. He urges readers to learn to
forgive and rekindle the ability to love
again.
Into the Carpathians: A Journey
Through the Heart and History of
Central and Eastern Europe; Part 1:
The Eastern Mountains
Alan E. Sparks. Koehler Books. $23.95
paper (380p), ISBN 978-1-63393-153-4
Amazon, BN.com
Discover what this legendary land of Gothic castles, eerie accents, and the
depredations of vampires
and werewolves is really
like: a world of enchantment, history,
mystery, and more.
Managing Bubbie
Russel Lazega. CreateSpace. $12.99 paper
(244p), ISBN 978-1-4991-2629-7
Abebooks, Amazon, BN.com, Hudson
Booksellers
A defiant young mothers
incredible escape from the
Nazis and the confounded
family that must try to
manage her 40 years later.

Managing Emotions for Financial

Freedom: The Invisible Forces
Driving Your Money Habits
Mavis Ureke. CreateSpace. $13.67
e-book, ASIN B019NEUYDQ
Amazon
Ureke combines personal
experience and an in-depth
understanding of human
emotions to give the reader
the necessary information
to create financial freedom.
Maximize Your Medicare:
Understanding Medicare, Protecting
Your Health, and Minimizing Costs
(2016 Edition)
Jae W. Oh. GH2 Publishing Group.
$14.99 paper (194p),
ISBN 978-0-9967987-0-9
Maximizeyourmedicare.
com, Amazon, Apple
iBooks, OverDrive
New and updated with
the most recent changes to Medicare.
There are 55 million Medicare enrollees,
and 10,000 people turn 65 daily; this
book presents a strategy for how people
should think about the choices they face.
Memoirs of the Bright Side of the
Moon
Ginger Gilmour. AngelScript
International. $65 hardcover (640p),
ISBN 978-0-9933023-0-5
Angelscript.com
An intimate and detailed
journey starting in 1971,
the day Ginger met her
Prince CharmingDavid
Gilmour, the guitarist of Pink Floyd. She
recounts the experiences that changed her
life forever.
My Fathers Son: A Memoir
John Davis. Outskirts Press. $9.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-4787-6419-9
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com
Davis says, My earliest
memory is of a gun. This
is his memoir of fear, abuse,
survival, and identity.

People + Me
Joseph B. Frederick. Xlibris.
$23.99 paper (526p), ISBN 978-1-50355800-7; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5035-5801-4
Amazon
Frederick shares his early
life and the many side roads
he never would have
believed possible. The stories or vignettes
are easy to read in just a few paragraphs.
The Price of Freedom
Nabelah Al-Neghaimshi. AuthorHouse.
$18.24 paper (194p), ISBN 978-1-50494462-5; $4.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5049-4463-2
Amazon
This book will guide you
in examining your relationships and reaching your
true self. You will be on your way toward
restoring your freedom and enjoying the
life you deserve.
The Seen and the Unseen:
Abortion and the Supreme Court
Taylor Carmichael. Con Law Books.
$13.10 paper (366p),
ISBN 978-0-692-27281-7
Amazon
A pro-life review of 40
years of abortion jurisprudence, including chapters
on Roe, Simopoulos, Catholic League, Casey,
Carhart, and the murder trial of Dr.
Kermit Gosnell.
The Sky Detective: A Memoir
Azadeh Tabazadeh. iUniverse. $19.95
paper (246p), ISBN 978-1-4917-6060-4
Amazon, BN.com, iUniverse
A daily account of how the
author fled Iran in the midst
of the Islamic revolution and
a raging war with Iraq to
become an award-winning
NASA scientist and a Stanford University
professor.
Stem Cell Battles: Proposition 71 and
Beyond; How Ordinary People Can
Fight Back Against the Crushing
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

51

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS

Burden of Chronic
Disease
Don C. Reed. World Scientific. $24.99
paper (432p),
ISBN 978-981461827-4
Amazon
The author and his paralyzed son embark on
21-year quest for a cure.

cancer and their families.

An insiders look that keeps
one centered and provides
tips on how to manage life
and illness. A love story.

CHILDRENS/YA

Sustainable Fitness: A Practical Guide

to Health, Healing, and Wellness
Z Altug. CreateSpace.
$22.95 paper (622p),
ISBN 978-1-49759823-2
Amazon
Organized into six
parts, this book covers health and wellness, healing and recovery.

The Adventures of the Poodle Posse:

A Very Merry, Mixed-Up Christmas
Chrysa Smith, illus. by Pat Achilles.
The Well Bred Book.
$7.95 paper (44p), ISBN
978-0-692-48293-3
Wellbredbook.net,
Amazon
Christmas gets a surprise at the North Pole
and at the Flout househome to a
growing number of mini-poos and their
loving owner.

The Western Book of Death

Adriana Balthazar.
Dorrance Publishing. $30
paper (148p), ISBN 9781-4809-2756-8
DorranceBookstore.com
This spiritual and comfortingly practical guidebook provides a
valuable new perspective. Death is not
the endit is only one part of a long and
continuing journey.

Alec Meets Sheikadee

Joan E. Derrick. Balboa Press. $23.99
paper (24p), ISBN 978-1-4525-2794-9
Balboa Press
A book that teaches
children how
thoughts and feelings
influence the energy
field within and
around them, determining what they
attract into their lives.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY

Counteract (Resistance Series #1)

Tracy Lawson. Lawson Publishing.
$15.95 paper (224p), ISBN 978-09966108-0-3; 99 e-book,
ASIN B013ZBPH7Q
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram,
Smashwords
Teens Tommy and
Careen have never known
life without the Civilian
Restrictions. When
disaster strikes, they uncover a web of
lies and deceitwho are the real
terrorists?

Akashic Alphabet
Trenace Rose, illus. by Serguei Iourov.
Dementi Milestone Publishing. $38.95
hardcover (72p), ISBN 978-0-9898812-5-8
AkashicAlphabet.com, Amazon, BN.com
This research-based,
fine-art gift book is a
lift for the searching
soul. Inspiring narratives and 27 master
paintings are offered as
a catalyst for human evolution.
Cocoon of Cancer:
An Invitation to Love Deeply
Abbe Rolnick. Sedro Publishing. $10.95
paper (118p), ISBN 978-0-9845119-3-8
Baker & Taylor, Ingram
A realistic, hopeful book for those with

Amazon, BN.com
The Goblin Squad, a team of 10-yearolds, is tasked with patrolling the town of
Reflection Falls and chasing away
annoying little goblins who love to steal
vegetables.

The Goblin Squad

Jeremy Hayes. Northlord
Publishing. $9.99 paper
(148p),
ISBN 978-0-9918642-8-7

52 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

The King of Average

Gary Schwartz, illus. by
Nicole Armitage. Updrift.
$15.95 paper (266p), ISBN
978-1-5137-0331-2
Amazon, BN.com
When he decides to
become the most average kid who ever
lived, James is transported to another
world, where he has a chance to become
the King of Average.
Pointy Panta Goes
AWOL
Ekeoma Ajah, illus. by Bill
Ivins. Dorrance
Publishing. $23 hardcover
(30p), ISBN 9781-4809-1057-7
Dorrancebookstore.com
When Pointy Panta ignores her responsibilities, she might have ruined a very
special day for her classmates. Can they
work together in time to save the day?
Resist (Resistance Series #2)
Tracy Lawson. Lawson
Publishing. $15.95 paper
(248p), ISBN 978-09966108-2-7
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram,
Smashwords
Tommy and Careen join the Resistance
after they discover the true purpose of the
Office of Civilian Safety and Defenses
antidote against a chemical weapons
attack.
Sapphire: A Tale of the Cold War
Thomas Graham Jr. AuthorHouse.
$19.95paper(388p),ISBN978-14969-2785-9; $3.99
e-book, ISBN 978-14969-2848-1
Amazon
This tale set during per-

haps the most dangerous period of the Cold War follows a young
woman in the years 1954 to 1961 as she navigates a maelstrom of
danger, deceit, and crisis.
The Sleepy Bear Club
Jennifer Grantham. Lulu. $19.99 hardcover (26p),
ISBN 978-1-304-94629-4
Lulu.com
In this book readers will find stories of a dreamworld inspired by adventures of the day. They will
experience the joy of freedom and imagination as they drift into a
playful slumber.
The Tinker & the Fold:
Part 1, Problem with Solaris 3
Evan and Scott Gordon. Laguna Lantern
Publishing. $11.99 paper (244p), ISBN 978-09963574-3-2; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B00Y8S6AY0
Amazon, BN.com
Jetts scientific tinkering goes dangerously
wrong and attracts the attention of the Fold. Now
he must find his way back to Earth to save it from the dreaded
Neutralization Protocol.
When You Get a Letter from Grandma
Dianna Antonacci. AuthorHouse. $17.99 paper (22p),
ISBN 978-1-4969-0554-3; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4969-0555-0
Amazon
Grandmas love to keep in touch with their
grandchildren, and sending letters is still a great
way to do so. But sometimes young children can
take a simple idea to a new level.
Who Jesus Is
Tonette Carter. AuthorHouse. $19.99 paper (28p),
ISBN 978-1-5049-1946-3
Amazon
Is Jesus a myth, or is he the son of God? Did
man evolve from a purported theory by evolutionists who present no evidence? Or was man created
by God?
Will I Ever Find a Best Friend?
K. Fetters, illus. by Charles Jaskiewicz. AuthorHouse. $19.99
paper (36p),
ISBN 978-1-5049-1752-0; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5049-1753-7
Amazon
This tale follows the main character as
she deals with various friendship issues.
Will she ever find the best friend shes
looking for?

Reviews Roundup
In the past month, we reviewed 22 self-published titles submitted via BookLife,
Publishers Weeklys website dedicated to indie authors. Among the highlights is
L. Penelopes Song of Blood and Stone, the first book in the Earthsinger Chronicles
series, which received a starred review.

Fiction

Run Fight

Brightest Day:
A Juneteenth Historical Romance Anthology

Song of Blood and Stone:

Alyssa Cole, Kianna Alexander, Lena Hart, and Piper Huguley. Seditious
Sisters, $4.99 e-book (302p) ASIN B00UQH7TGU

L. Penelope. Heartspell, $14.95 trade paper (258p) ISBN 978-09909228-0-3

The Cardinals Sin

Sons of Fate: Origins

Gillian Zane. Parajunkee, $12.99 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-09961761-3-2

Earthsinger Chronicles, Book 1

Robert Lane. Mason Alley, $14.95 trade paper (332p) ISBN 978-0-69235651-7

Jean-Paul Deshong. BlackberryJuice, $25 e-book (100p) ISBN 978-163068-649-9

A Dark Mind: Visions; When Fantasy Becomes Reality

Zombie Moose of West Bath, Maine

K.C. Eckels. Createspace, $14.99 trade paper (260p) ISBN 978-1514190-15-9

Dawn of Wonder

Marsha Hinton. New Meadows, $11.43 trade paper (276p) ISBN 978-09882036-2-4

Jonathan Renshaw. CreateSpace, $2.99 e-book (622p) ASIN

B00VV63K22

Poetry

Driving in Circles

Watcher in Black and Other Poems

Rita DOrazio. Wasteland, $17.95 trade paper (386p) ISBN 978-168111-041-7

Stanley Boucher. Fool Court Press, $14.95 trade paper (138p)

ISBN 978-0-9834893-2-0

The Judas Dilemma

Nonfiction

Robert Heath. Oban, $13.95 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-99646980-7

New York Scramble

Bert Silva. Oak Tree, $17.95 trade paper (311p) ISBN 978-1-61009165-7

Nicaea Trilogy
Warren Lamb. Whitegate, $12.99 trade paper (264p) ISBN 978-15086-6933-3

Paladins Odyssey
Bruce Fottler. CreateSpace, $11.99 e-book (277p) ISBN 978-1-50282903-0

Receiver of Many
Rachel Alexander. Rachel Alexander, $5.99 e-book (496p) ISBN 978-09966447-1-6

Rising Tide: Sirens, Book 1

T.L. Zalecki. CreateSpace, $14.99 trade paper (406p) ISBN 978-15168-5914-6

Rogue Knight
Regan Walker. CreateSpace, $3.99 e-book (274p) ASIN B014ZCMWZ4
54 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

Beneath His Wings

Jenny Pruitt, with Anne Severance. Believers, $13.95 trade paper (244p)
ISBN 978-0-578-16564-6

Childrens & YA
Ascendant
Rebecca Taylor. Ophelia House, $3.99 e-book (452p)
ASIN B00VFDC0QS

Jon-Lorond Saves the Day

Hanna Rasco, illus. by Luke Flowers. Brave Books, $9.99 paper (28p)
ISBN 978-0-692-35223-6

Peas Let Her Be a Princess

Diane E. Keyes, illus. by Hannah Mericle. Puddle, $19.95 hardcover
(34p) ISBN 978-0-9962098-0-9

Seven Weeks to Forever

Jennifer Farwell. Booktrope, $2.99 e-book (189p) ISBN 978-1-62015660-5

Reviews
Fiction
The Brightest Day: A Juneteenth
Historical Romance Anthology
Alyssa Cole, Kianna Alexander, Lena Hart, and
Piper Huguley. Seditious Sisters, $4.99 ebook (302p) ASIN B00UQH7TGU

This collection of four novellas spans a

century of Juneteenth celebrations, each
marking the anniversary of the day the
last American slaves were told of their
freedom. Each story tells a different tale of
freedom and discrimination, including a
journey west in 1866 (Harts Amazing
Grace) and a teacher becoming pregnant
in a small 1910 Georgia town (Huguleys
A Sweet Way to Freedom). The highlight of the collection is Coles thoughtful
Let It Shine, in which good girl Sofie
defies her strict father and gets involved
with civil rights
activism in 1961
Virginia, alongside
a Jewish childhood
friend. The variety
of perspectives is
refreshing, but the
shorter format
doesnt allow for
enough exploration
of some very deep
themes, such as freeborn AfricanAmericans discriminating against former
slaves in Alexanders Drifting to You or
the interaction of freed slaves with their
former slavers in Amazing Grace.

The Cardinals Sin

Robert Lane. Mason Alley, $14.95 trade paper
(332p) ISBN 978-0-692-35651-7

A dramatic opening kicks off Lanes

complex third Jake Travis thriller (after
2015s Cooler Than Blood). Travis, a
member of American special ops whos on
vacation in Europe, receives orders to kill
Alexander Paretsky, an international
assassin with a penchant for disguises,
whos been targeting loved ones of both
current and former special ops members.

Paretsky, whos pretending to be a cardinal, is in London, where the operative

stalks him to Kensington Gardens and
shoots him. The
wounded Paretsky
manages to ask
Travis to forgive
him his sin
before Travis finishes him off.
Given the blood
on his victims
hands, Travis is
untroubled by the
hituntil his superiors inform him that
the man he killed is not Paretsky but
Cardinal Giovanni Antinori, who was
popular with the poor, insisted that the
Catholic Church confront its history of
abuse, and devoted himself to humanitarian relief for Africa. Guilt-ridden,
Travis tries to figure out how he got the
wrong guy. The answer will surprise some
readers.

A Dark Mind: Visions;

When Fantasy Becomes Reality
K.C. Eckels. CreateSpace, $14.99 trade paper
(260p) ISBN 978-1-514190-15-9

What if you were unable to keep your

mind from wandering down dark paths
that showed you visions of yourself committing horrific crimes? Thats the captivating premise of Eckelss moody
thriller, set in the quiet Midwestern
town of Chesterton. Dustin Furlong, a
local insurance salesman, has a loving
wife, two adoring children, and the
respect of his community, but no one
would ever suspect or believe
the torture which
resides in his
heart and mind.
Without
warning, Dustin
is plagued with
violent images of
himself as a
savage murderer.

His torment reaches new depths when he

has images of slaughtering two teenage
girls, and he reads the very next morning
that someone had actually done so.
While the towns suspicions focus on the
drifter who recently was taken in by the
local priest, Dustin is convinced that he
has blood on his hands. Steamy sex scenes
help propel the action to the fairly clued
resolution.

Dawn of Wonder
Jonathan Renshaw. CreateSpace, $2.99 ebook (622p) ASIN B00VV63K22

Renshaws enjoyable debut, set in a

low-tech fantasy world, ably combines
some standard fantasy tropes with more
unusual plot elements. Aedan is a precocious lad barely out of boyhood, but he
has a knack for strategy thats far beyond
his years, and his abusive father taught
him the skills of a forester. None of this
enables Aedan to
save his friend,
Kalry, when
Lekran slavers
raid the isolated
farmstead where
both of them live.
When others
living nearby
accuse Aedan of
abetting the slavers, he and his family leave home and
make a lengthy journey past the abandoned fortress of Kulthm to the southern
city of Castath. His father abandons the
family, so Aedan enters the marshals
academy, hoping to learn enough to
avenge himself on the Lekrans. Friends,
attractive girls, and bullies all appear in
due course, as do adventures into the academys forbidden areas. Then Aedan is
summoned by Prince Burkhart to take
part in an expedition back to Kulthm.
Renshaw mixes a school tale with dungeon crawls and political intrigue, then
adds unexplained events and the welldepicted struggles of an abuse victim; surprisingly, all these threads are woven
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together at the end. He
leaves plenty of mysteries to
be solved in future volumes
while including a good deal of action,
intrigue, and growth for his protagonist.

Driving in Circles
Rita DOrazio. Wasteland, $17.95 trade paper
(386p) ISBN 978-1-68111-041-7

Fans of soap operas centered on one

extended family are most likely to enjoy
this melodrama, which uses the celebration of a 40th wedding anniversary to
explore the characters challenges and
relationships. Henry Jones, a prosecutor,
is treating his wife, Cynthia, and their
three grown daughtersJat, Skye, and
Joyceto a Caribbean cruise. Henry is
anxious about the safety of his loved ones,
fearing retribution from criminals he put
behind bars who were later released.
Having everyone in the confines of a
luxury ship eases his mind a bit, until
someone attempts to break into Jats
cabin. Most of the book centers on Jats
growing relationship with a toogood-to-be-true
new love, the
wealthy and hunky
Daniel Denny.
Meanwhile, Joyce
struggles with a
painful personal
secret, and Skyes
marriage is in jeopardy. The characters backstories are conveyed effectively in flashbacks, but certain
developments will strike some readers as
contrived.

The Judas Dilemma

Robert Heath. Oban, $13.95 trade paper
(384p) ISBN 978-0-996469-80-7

Heath draws effectively on his experience as both a prosecutor and a defense

attorney to present an interesting ethical
dilemma for the heroine of his debut.
Rian Coulter, who has found her calling
as a public defender in Pensacola, Fla.,
has been struggling to remain engaged
in her job amid budget cuts that have
forced her to cover routine cases. That
situation changes when a serial killer
begins sexually assaulting and strangling
women in the area. His MO, which

includes hog-tying his victims, matches

a series of eight previous killings in
Birmingham,
Ala., committed
more than seven
years earlier, at a
time when Rian
worked in private
practice in that
city. Rian suspects that one of
her clients is the
killer, but should
she violate client confidentiality in the
hope of preventing more murders? As
the attorney gradually puts the pieces of
the mystery together, Heath heightens
the suspense with sections from the
killers perspective.

New York Scramble

Bert Silva. Oak Tree, $17.95 trade paper
(311p) ISBN 978-1-61009-165-7

Set in 1957 in New York City, Silvas

diverting crime novel opens with a bang
with the shooting of Mafia boss Frank
Caprizzi in a Manhattan hotel.
Meanwhile, Joe Marlin, a cartoonist
down on his luck, has recently moved to
New York with his significant other,
Gilda, an aspiring actress, in the hope of
making a fresh start after being fired from
an animation studio in California. But
Joe soon finds
himself in trouble
when he agrees to
do an errand for
Tony Rickman, a
producer Gilda
met in Germany.
Rickman asked
him to pick up a
package from a
psychiatrist,
Brian Haney, but when Joe arrives at
Haneys Upper West Side apartment, the
doctor insists on being paid $1,000.
After Joe calls Haney about the money,
Rickman arrives on the scene, and a fight
breaks out that leaves Haney dead. Joes
agreement to keep quiet about what
really happened complicates his life, but
fortunately Caprizzi gets involved with
him in a surprising way. Silva keeps the
action moving briskly.

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Nicaea Trilogy
Warren Lamb. Whitegate, $12.99 trade paper
(264p) ISBN 978-1-5086-6933-3

Novelist Lamb (Faithful Journey) imagines a fictional codex authored by Gospel

writer Luke that is sought and lost for
centuries, from its creation in ancient
Rome until the early 20th century. Lamb
has concocted an intriguing premise, but
his skills are not
up to the task of
bringing what
could be a story of
persistent faith,
bravery, and
intrigue to convincing life. A
three-part novella
structure set
during Roman
imperial times, followed by a
Victorian-era epilogue, present different
epochs and sets of characters whose
actions center on the precious codex.
Unfortunately all the characters are onedimensional and the passage of time is
dead narrative space (But two years later
James was one of many victims of an
earthquake in the eastern
Mediterranean). Lamb appears to know
history, but not fiction, making the classic
error of telling rather than showing.
Those interested in the formation of the
Christian canon may find some historical
tidbits here and there, but no engaging
story.

Paladins Odyssey
Bruce Fottler. CreateSpace, $11.99 e-book
(277p) ISBN 978-1-5028-2903-0

Fottler departs nicely from the usual

survival fiction formula by presenting a
hero who isnt already trained in prepping
and survival, but who organizes the nittygritty details of continued existence,
taking small steps
in the shadows.
Eventually he
would be called
Maj. Joseph
Paladin, cofounder
of the New
American
Confederation.
But first he was
Walter Johnson,

REVIEWS
who was an ordinary middle-class civilian
when the world was laid low by a pandemic-born apocalypse. This novel is cast
as Walts memoir, written in his old age to
explain how someone with no military
experience or survival skills eventually
became a key player in Americas restoration by using logistics rather than guns,
acting behind the scenes, enduring terrible circumstances, and making hard
decisions. In the process of restoring
modern amenities, Walt stumbles across
the story of a hidden treasure trove that is
just what the survivors need to rebuild.
But getting to itif it existswill
require a dangerous journey from his relatively safe but slowly decaying life. The
conclusion feels anticlimactic, but the
understated suspense otherwise works
very well. This is an intriguing new slant
on apocalyptic fiction, and fans who are
tempted to snub it because it breaks away
from genre expectations should set aside
their concerns; theyre likely to enjoy it
far more than they expect.

Receiver of Many
Rachel Alexander. Rachel Alexander, $5.99 ebook (496p) ISBN 978-0-9966447-1-6

Alexanders crowdfunded debut, an

eroticized retelling of the Hades and
Persephone myth, shows her knowledge
of Greek
mythology, but
she fails to put the
power of the
legend to good
use. This wordy
500-page novel
only tells the first
half of the story
(Destroyer of Light
follows in 2016).
More importantly, Alexander relies too
heavily on creating conflict through
people failing to communicate. After
Hades kidnaps Persephone, his feelings
are so intense that he avoids her, and she
feels neglected. Then he refuses to reveal
that he arranged the kidnapping because
Persephones mother, Demeter, planned to
turn her into a tree to keep them apart. In
turn, Persephone refuses to proclaim her
love. Even when they become a true
couple, the author manufactures another
conflict: Hades broods that she will out-

grow him while she worries he will resent

her. The overwrought dialogue feels like
parody (Your gods... where are they now,
priestess?), and the plot plods along.

Rising Tide: Sirens, Book 1

T.L. Zalecki. CreateSpace, $14.99 trade paper
(406p) ISBN 978-1-5168-5914-6

Debut novelist Zalecki takes The Da

Vinci Code to sea in this near-future thriller
with historical roots. A mysterious Indian
Ocean island guards two treasures: a rare
marine algae crucial to fighting antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, and a
lost race of aquatic people. Newly hired
marine biologist Lorelei Phoenix juggles
her job responsibilitiesincluding handling a possessive boss and his executive
partnerwith
her passion for
conservation.
Seeking a cure for
her dying father,
she ends up in the
middle of a clash
between the
secretive islanders
and the worldwide religious
corporation PanDivinity, which wants to
plunder the islanders genetic information. Zalecki maintains a fair amount of
suspense while allowing secrets to unfold
somewhat awkwardly via frequent flashbacks. Lorelei and her circle are rationalists who face evidence of an ecological
disaster and yet do not surrender to
despair, making them obvious heroes to
readers of an environmentalist bent.

Rogue Knight
Regan Walker. CreateSpace, $3.99 e-book
(274p) ASIN B014ZCMWZ4

William the Conqueror earned his

name, and the true and devastating force
of his powerful army leaps from the pages
of Walkers second Medieval Warriors
romance (after The Red Wolfs Prize).
Emma of York, a well-off widow, nurtures
orphaned children and maidens raped by
Norman soldiers. Shes surprised when Sir
Geoffroi de Tournai, one of King
Williams soldiers, repeatedly protects her
and her family even as his army threatens
to burn their home, salt their land, and
steal their food, a threat hanging over the

entire city. After Sir Geoffroi

realizes hes drawn to beautiful Emma, he refuses to
sever their connection, believing that for
the Normans to truly become part of
English society, they will have to marry
into the community. But Emmas father, a
Danish noble and
formerly an
important leader
in York, leads a
rebellion that
could threaten
them both.
Walkers detailed
historical research
enhances the time
and place of this
story without losing sight of what is
essential to a romance: chemistry between
the leads and hope for the future.

Run Fight
Gillian Zane. Parajunkee, $12.99 trade paper
(288p) ISBN 978-0-9961761-3-2

Zane combines the clunky first two

books of her postapocalyptic, erotic survivalist romance trilogy into a single
volume, inexplicably omitting the third.
In Run, prepper Alexis connects with
ex-soldier Blake while escaping zombieinfested New Orleans. Impressed with
each other, they steal a boat, meet up with
Blakes colleagues at a private security
firm to head to an island compound that
the company owns, and become lovers. In
Fight, the routines of life on S-Island
leave room for sophomoric relationship
angst. Alexis takes up with Blakes best
friend, Zack, after Blake leaves to rescue
his ex-wife, Clara, from Houston. Blakes
return creates an
awkward love triangle, and Clara
seems determined
to get Blake back
or destroy Alexis
trying. Though
Zane loads her
stories with
explicit sex and
detailed gore,
none of it packs a punch. The youth of her
characters manifests in navet but not
intensity; sexual marathons seem
strangely relaxed given the zombies at the
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door, and high-risk supply
runs feel like spattery grocery shopping. The postKatrina New Orleans setting offers little
more than geography, and cliffhangers at
the end of each installment create a lack of
closure rather than anticipation.

Song of Blood and Stone:

Earthsinger Chronicles, Book 1

L. Penelope. Heartspell, $14.95 trade paper

(258p) ISBN 978-0-9909228-0-3

Penelope delivers an engrossing story

with delightful characters in this fantastic
opening to a promising series. Jasminda
ul-Sarifor inherited many things from her
father, including her magical powers as an
Earthsinger and the features that mark her
as a woman of Lagrimaran descent.
Unfortunately, she lives in xenophobic
Elsira. Shes
reviled by her
neighbors and has
every reason to
hate Jack, an
Elsiran spy
fleeing pursuit
from vicious
Lagrimaran soldiers; instead, she
takes pity on him.
He bears the news that the magical barrier
that separates Elsira and Lagrimara is
about to fail, and he must return to his
superiors to warn of an impending war
that could destroy Elsira and plunge the
world into the despot control of the cruel
True-Father. As Jasminda and Jack work
together to protect their home, attraction
turns their pragmatic alliance into a
romantic union that wont be denied,
despite the obligations of Jacks social and
political position and the persistent prejudice against Jasmindas mixed heritage.
The tale is infused with optimism but
never cloying, and it culminates in a wellearned and satisfying ending, leaving
readers impatient for the next installment
of the series.

Sons of Fate: Origins

Jean-Paul Deshong. BlackberryJuice, $25 ebook (100p) ISBN 978-1-63068-649-9

When samurai master Daiki Jinjaku is

shipwrecked near the coast of Africa in the
17th century, he takes on an apprentice

from the local tribe, training him not only

in the art of war, but also the mental, and
often philosophical, side of being a warrior. Jinjaku takes on this task as much
from his sadness over his permanent separation from his son
as for the talent he
recognizes in his
student. The story
unfolds with a
great deal of visual
energy, offering
beautiful, flowing
renderings of
battle scenes, samurai lessons, and
heady discussions, and the impeccable
color work adds multiple moody dimensions. Unfortunately, the story is often
bogged down by wordiness. The flow is
further disrupted by Jinjakus very melodramatic phrasing, and some cuts to what
Jinjakus son is up to that dont connect
with the main story. Deshong (Mermaids/
Sirens) has a good story and the artistic
skills to render it, but some writing aid
might have helped.

Zombie Moose of West Bath,

Maine
Marsha Hinton. New Meadows, $11.43 trade
paper (276p) ISBN 978-0-9882036-2-4

Hinton (Souvenirs) fills this strange tale

with quirky Maine residents who react
unpredictably to the presence of a braineating moose in their midst. At the storys
outset, the animal is an ordinary young
bull, but after encountering a swarm of
black flies and then consuming some
rotten leftovers disposed of in the
woods, the mooses
appetite changes.
His first victim is
animal control
officer Scott
Anderson, after
which the moose
selects tourists for
his attacks. Failed
biologist Gaige LaRoche is certain that
there is some logical explanation and tries
his best to find a cure. Others do not take
such a level-headed approach. Lottie Day
was a witness to Scotts death and is certain that the moose was sent by Satan.

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Idalene Richie, the governors ambitious

chief of staff, sees the crisis as a way to
simultaneously crush her old foe, Gaige,
and further her own career. While many of
the characters behave bizarrely, that
doesnt really make the book funny, and
the mooses attacks arent particularly
frightening, leaving this as nothing more
than an odd souvenir from Maine.

Poetry
Watcher in Black and Other
Poems
Stanley Boucher. Fool Court Press, $14.95
trade paper (138p) ISBN 978-0-9834893-2-0

Bringing together selections from

decades of his writing, this collection provides a glimpse into the mind and spirit of
Boucher (19272013), a psychiatric social
worker, an avid mountain climber, and the
father of punk rock legend Jello Biafra.
Many of the poems are modern takes on
pastoral themes, as in the poem Progress
and Poverty, in which a huge flow of
mesa gets Shut into privacy,/ A valuable
tract for valued seclusion, guarded by
the sheriffs ire/
Hung on miles of
barbed wire.
Even when not
directly engaging
with alpine
imagery, an elevated, masculine
voice tends to
guide these oftenrhyming poems.
Perhaps the most affecting are those
relating to Bouchers Korean War service.
He describes the unsettling anticipation of
going to war as a kind of collective bloodlust that becomes conflated with sexual
desire: Seated here, rifles and knees stabbing upwards,/ We are clumps and trees/
Rooted and confined in useless thrusts. A
tenderness emerges in elegiac pieces such
as JanuaryThree Years Later, about a
climb he took with his late father: All we
really share, each separate human face,/
Each locked in its own interminable, all
too terminable race:/ Is this feel of snow to
an ungloved questing hand. Despite
points of unevenness, Boucher displays a
sympathetic, bittersweet voice.

REVIEWS

Nonfiction
Beneath His Wings
Jenny Pruitt with Anne Severance. Believers,
$13.95 trade paper (244p) ISBN 978-0-57816564-6

Pruitt, a natural saleswoman from a

young age, found success in business but
lost her spiritual way as she climbed to the
top of the Atlanta real estate market. In
this memoir of determination and
redemption, Pruitt tells her story of perseverance over the emotional difficulties of a
broken childhood that threatened to
stymie and paralyze her from becoming
the successful woman she believes God
intended her to be. Readers will discover
how Pruitts faith sustained her in the
darkest moments of suffering, giving her
the strength to make it through marital
troubles and career changes. The text is
punctuated by her original paintings of
various angels with accompanying quotes
from scripture.
This memoir is a
well-rounded
resource for those
who are looking
for a success story
about rising from
difficult circumstances. The heartfelt anecdotes and
advice are valuable, but much of Pruitts writing simply
highlights moments in her busy life, and
the transitions from chapter to chapter
can be clunky.

Childrens & YA
Peas Let Her Be a Princess
Diane E. Keyes, illus. by Hannah Mericle.
Puddle, $19.95 hardcover (34p) ISBN 978-09962098-0-9

In a witty twist on The Princess and

the Pea, first-time author Keyes introduces a foppish prince who plans to use
Ye Olde Princess Test to determine
whether the object of his affection is princess material. The test, naturally, involves
placing a pea beneath her mattress: if she
wakes from lumpy bedding,/ its time to
plan a royal wedding! After a mouse

steals the pea, and the princes knight

companion pulls his sword, the rodent
nervously suggests that the prince needs
to use larger
objects.
Working in
shades of olive
and amber, newcomer Mericle
makes the most
of the physical
comedy that follows as the
prince places a hunk of cheese, a melon, a
multi-tiered cake, and several animals
under the mattress. The aggrieved princess finally wakes up, scoffs at the princes
proposal, and leaves in search of comfier
sleeping arrangements. Keyess rhymes
carry the story swiftly forward while
upending sexist fairy tale conventions
readers will finish the book knowing that
lurking around peoples beds isnt a great
idea and suspecting that this prince wont
be tying the knot anytime soon. Ages
38.

Jon-Lorond Saves the Day

Hanna Rasco, illus. by Luke Flowers. Brave
Books, $9.99 paper (28p) ISBN 978-0-69235223-6

Jon-Lorond is not your ordinary little

boyin his mind, hes a pirate-fighting
superhero, as evidenced by his red cape,
headband, and boots. But Jon-Loronds
attempts to take down a crew of rowdy
pirates, led by a snarling captain Red
Beard, result in one mishap after another.
Flowerss (No Way... Way! Are You My
Dinner) dynamic digital cartoons introduce the
lurking,
marauding
pirates into
everyday settings, though
the action
sequences arent
always easy to
trackJon
accidentally hurts his sister at the library,
though its not entirely clear how, and
Flowers avoids showing the extent of the
havoc the boy wreaks at the grocery store.
Jon-Loronds antics land him in hot water
with his mother, but he redeems himself

when a hideous, ferocious

spider scares his sister at
home, and he wrestles it to
the ground before escorting it outside.
Though newcomer Rasco has a tendency
to overwrite in places (Jon beamed with
pride. Another day saved. Another day of
evil held at bay), both she and Flowers
provide an entertaining window into the
enormous imagination of their overzealous hero. Ages 48.

Ascendant
Rebecca Taylor. Ophelia House, $3.99 e-book
(452p) ASIN B00VFDC0QS

After her alcoholic father is assigned to

rehab, 16-year-old Charlotte Stevens goes
to live with her enigmatic uncle in
England, where she reconnects with
people she hasnt seen in almost a decade.
There, while staying in her mothers old
room, she discovers a strange stone box
and her mothers
old journals,
drawing her into a
mystery involving
a family shes
barely known,
which may answer
the question of
why her mother
vanished years
ago. As Charlotte
attempts to get to the heart of the
matterwhich involves a conspiracy
stretching back centuries, connected to
dark magic and a ruthless group of powerful individualsshe navigates a perilous love triangle, a Gothic mystery, and
various revelations. Taylors (The Exquisite
and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinoza)
premise is solid, setting up all of the
ingredients for her Ascendant trilogy (the
second book, Midheaven, is also available).
Progress is slow, however, as the story
meanders, and while multiple layers of
misdirection keep the plot from getting
stale, the stakes are underwhelming and
nebulous. Ages 12up.

Seven Weeks to Forever

Jennifer Farwell. Booktrope, $2.99 e-book
(189p) ISBN 978-1-62015-660-5

When one only has seven weeks left to

liveand quite a bit to accomplish in
that timecertain things, like love, tend
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to take on new meaning. In
Farwells (Rock Stars Girl)
supernatural romance,
Cassidy Jordan is whats known as a
second-timer, sent back to Earth from
the Life-After to complete one final task
that will allow her to move on. Theres
one small problem: her advisor, Noah,
never tells her what the assignment is, and
only gives her the
name Riley Davis.
Once Cassidy
finds Riley, she has
only a short time
to figure out her
taskand how
not to fall in love
with him. What
follows is an intimate exploration
of making difficult choices when none of
the options is good. Candid first-person
narration helps draw readers into
Cassidys mind, inviting them along on
her journey of discoveryboth of herself
and of what it means to be in love. Lovely
imagery and mostly realistic situations are
just enough to overcome the repetitious
nature of Cassidys mental landscape and
the slightly convoluted energy-based
setup of Farwells imagined afterlife. Ages
12up.

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