PW Select December 2012

Plus:
Discoverability is key,
and social media is the way
Wattpad revolutionizing
online storytelling

Te buzz in Miami

A conversation with
YA novelist Walter Renfrey
A bimonthly guide
to whats new in
self-publishing
Full reviews of 41
titles
Listings for 215
new books
December 2012
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Publishers Weekly Radio
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Trends in Spring Fiction Titles
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readers a reason to take a chance on them.
KDP Select is good for authors, says
Anna Hess, the author of 17 e-books on
homesteading, including the 12-part
Weekend Homesteader series. Using
that program, Im able to get on Ama-
zons Top 100 Free list from time to time
when I do book giveaways, and that
really broadens my audience and brings
new readers to the books that arent free.
Hess and her coauthor husband had first
sold their books through their Web site,
www.waldeneffect.org, but after moving
fewer than 300 copies, decided to try dis-
tributing through KDP. They soon saw
results and self-published several more
books the same way. The brisk sales
caught the eye of Skyhorse Publishing,
which is now publishing the Weekend
Homesteader set, broken into monthly
installments priced at 99 cents each.
Selling books for 99 cents encourages
many readers to take a chance on an
unknown author, spreading my name
further, says Hess. Shes now selling
about 4,000 e-books a month.
Social book recommendation site
Goodreads also encourages authors to
WWW. P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY. C O M 1
On Readers Radar
Social media expands discoverability
options for self-published authors
B A P
Self-published authors may not have the publicity and distri-
bution apparatus of a major publishing house, but as social
media has evolved they are finding more ways than ever to
garner new readers. A range of new services from book-cen-
tric companies like Goodreads and Amazon, developments
from Facebook and Twitter, and a handful of apps are making
it easier for authors to be discovered by new readers and to
grow their audience.
(top) Book giveaways, like those through Goodreads,
can help get the attention of new readers; (below)
Goodreads graph illustrates the sales of Colleen
Hoovers novel Slammed after a giveaway.
T
he book mar ket has
become i ncreasi ngl y
competitive in recent
years350, 000 new
print titles were pub-
lished in 2011, up about 61% from a
decade before, according to research firm
Bowker. This makes it difficult for any
author, especially a self-published one
without a publicity team, to stand out
from the crowd. But by using social
media tools, self-published authors are
finding they can go it alone and still dis-
cover a passionate audience.
Its such a great time to be thinking
about publishing and leveling the play-
ing field between established authors and
new authorsall those same tools are
available to anyone who wants to par-
ticipate in offering their content, says
Libby Johnson McKee, general manager
of independent publishing for Amazon.
Few companies have worked as aggres-
sively as Amazon to help self-published
authors promote and sell their books.
The retailers CreateSpace was the largest
self-publishing company in 2011, releas-
ing 57,602 titles (the next largest,
AuthorSolutions and its various imprints,
came out with 41,605 titles).
In addition to CreateSpace, Amazon
has been boosting its investment in Kin-
dle Direct Publishing (KDP), its e-book
publishing arm, to help self-published
authors improve their discoverability. At
the end of November, the com-
pany announced that it would
be adding an additional $1.5
million into its KDP Select
fund. The program allows
authors to offer their books, or
their entire catalogues, for free
for a limited period, with the
agreement that for 90 days thereafter
they will sell their e-books exclusively
on Kindle.
Freebie Frenzy
Books distributed through the Select
program are also available in the Kindle
Owners Lending Library, where Ama-
zon Prime members with Kindles can
borrow any book for free for one month.
These kinds of giveaways can be valuable
to authors seeking ways to generate
interest in their works and give new
O N D I S C O V E R A B I L I T Y
P U B L I S H E R S WE E K LY D E C E MB E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 2 2
give away free copies of
their books through its
Author Program, in order
to help generate a larger audience.
It can just be 10 to 20 copies, but
your goal is to get people reviewing the
book and adding it to their shelves, says
Patrick Brown, community manager at
Goodreads.
Giving a handful of books to readers
interested in the same genre makes it
likely they will add it to their To Read
shelf, increasing the likelihood they will
review it as well, thus giving it more
exposure to Goodreads community of 12
million members. Brown points to the
success story of Colleen Hoovers
Slammed. She self-published the novel in
January 2012 to little fanfare and gener-
ated scant publicity. But in late February
and early March, she began promoting
the book through giveaways, gaining a
few reviews.
This, combined with Hoovers direct
outreach to bloggers in her genre, led to
a number of blog reviews in March. She
spread the word about these reviews and
kept her Goodreads fans updated on new
announcements, character interviews,
and teasers, and by late April, Goodreads
Recommendation Engine had picked up
the book. By August it was a New York
Times e-book bestseller and was bought
by Simon & Schuster, thanks in part to
those initial giveaways that first gave
readers a reason to take a chance on
Hoovers work.New authors have to
compete against established authors, and
the only way to do that most of the time
is, You can try my stuff for free, says
Scott Sigler, who had success as a self-
published science fiction author and pod-
cast pioneer, offering entire audiobooks
to listeners at no cost. He now publishes
under his own Dark Overlord Media
publishing imprint. It adds to the dis-
coverability, and it takes away that fear
of loss.
Sigler sees the offering of freebies as
the opening to a potentially years-long
relationship with new fans. He points to
Cory Doctorow and David Wellington as
examples of other authors who help
expand their audiences by offering free
content.
If you like it, great; if you dont, you
were going to buy Stephen King anyway
so go ahead and do that, Sigler says.
Getting Programmatic
But while these types of promotions can
generate a burst in readership, discover-
ability is about more than price. David
Vyorst, cofounder of Relay Station Social
Media, which works with authors to help
enhance their self-marketing and social
media efforts, urges authors to take what
he calls a programmatic approach to
reaching new readers. [With] a lot of the
authors we talk to, weve found that we
have to back up and explain social media
101, he says. For authors, the objective
is to sell more books, but also to raise
their profile among an audience.
Authors should begin with a clear
understanding of whom they want to
reach, according to Vyorst. He recom-
mends listening in on what people are
talking about in the markets where the
authors books might appeal.
Monitor blogs, know who the players
are, build a Twitter list, befriend people
on Facebook, connect with people on
LinkedIn, to get a sense of who these
people are and what theyre doing, says
Vyorst.
Vyorst has partnered with Diane Man-
cher, owner of One Potata Productions
and cofounder of the Self-Publishing
Expo, to offer a suite of social media
products specifically designed for authors
looking to expand their discoverability.
The suite will be released in spring of
next year. It will teach authors how to
build their Twitter and Facebook lists
and expand their social media influence.
Sometimes knowing where to look for
potential readers may be obvious, but at
other times it requires a little more art
than science. While the author of a gar-
dening book might reach out to other
gardeners, a literary fiction writer has to
get more creative in deciding whom to
target, comparing the books themes to
similarly themed fiction rather than to
genre or subject matter. Dan Blank,
f o u n d e r o f
We Gr owMe di a
.com, a company
dedicated to help-
ing publishers and
authors build their
audi ences, sug-
gests that authors
even look at which
phrases are under-
l i ned most f re-
quently in Kindle.
Wh a t y o u
notice when you
look at that is the messages that really
connect with an audience, he says.
For authors, making themselves and
the subject matter of their books easy to
find is important as well. Joining the
main social media platforms and ensur-
ing that keywords and tags are used, even
including the names of authors with
similar sensibilities, for blog posts, as
well as Instagram and Pinterest postings,
will help boost an authors chances of
being stumbled upon by a Googling
reader.
Amazon has been enhancing its own
metadata search tools so that when a
reader searches a title, category, or key-
word, the search engine looks inside the
book, as well as at its title and author
name. This includes, of course, the
Search Inside option, which Amazon
recently enhanced to make it a discover-
able part of its search results.
Its like SEO on steroids, says
McKee.
While authors want to think about
their audiences in broad demographic or
psychographic terms, Blank suggests
categorizing them into specific groups,
locations, and Web sites, where those
readers can be found and connected with
directly.
He gives the example of an exercise he
did at the Self-Publishing Book Expo in
midtown Manhattan, where he was get-
ting vague answers to the question of
Who is your audience? Blank asked the
authors in attendance to instead imagine
that he would give them $10,000 if, in
one hour, each author could find five
Dan Blank, founder
of WeGrowMedia
strangers who wanted to read the authors
book.
You start thinking practicallyIm
on 47th Street, do I run uptown or down-
town because of the stores that are there?
What lobbies would I stand in? What
section of a bookstore would I stand in?
asks Blank. The same can be done with
locatability online. Adrienne Graham,
the author of six self-published books
about women and business, and the CEO
of consultancy Empower Me! Corp., fol-
lowed this approach. She has promoted
her most recent book, No! You Cant Pick
My Brain, by setting up speaking
engagements and webinars with wom-
ens networking groups like Atlanta
Women Entrepreneurs and 85 Broads
and developing relationships with other
business writers covering similar topics.
The biggest blessing from that was
that it was other people talking about my
book instead of me going in and promot-
ing it myselfI had social proof, says
Graham.
Tracking Progress
Keeping new readers engaged and reach-
ing new ones requires an active approach
to social media, with frequent updates
and new content.
Its a way of lifeposting updates on
Facebook, Tweeting things. If youre
going to be part of the online commu-
nity, you cant just throw a few things out
there, says Sigler.
Its consistently par-
ticipating in those
spaces, over a long
period of time, thats
going to wind up
producing results.
He adds that this is
not as daunting as it
might sound to self-
publishing authors,
wh o h a v e o t h e r
t hi ngs t o wo r r y
about, such as writ-
ing more books. Using settings on social
media sites and services like Tweetdeck
and Hootsuite, authors can reach multi-
ple platforms and multiple accounts with
tweets, status updates, and posts.
As far as the content itself, Vyorst sug-
gests a rough ratio of 25% useful infor-
mation and interesting articles; 25%
reposts, reshares, and retweets; 25%
replies and comments; 10% questions;
and 15% shameless self-promotion.
As an author posts new content and
continues these outreach efforts, he or she
should also be tracking what is working
and what is nottaking into account the
content, the platform, and even the time
a blog is posted or an e-mail sent. For a
more broad social media dashboard and
analytics offerings, Vyorst recommends
Social Mention, Google Analytics, or
Sprout Social.
This type of performance tracking has
become more essential for authors who
are actually spending money on self-
directed ad campaigns. Facebook Pages
allows authors to send out ad messages to
very specific geographic and demo-
graphic groups using various promotion
programs, of ten at modest costs.
Goodreads offers something similar.
The self-serve ads you can buy for as
little as $20, says Brown. You can see
how they do, then tweak and adjust your
targeting. I recommend doing a give-
away connected to the ad and directing
people to the giveaway.
Authors can also consider the social
payment program Pay with a Tweet,
which gives visitors free copies of e-books
when they send out tweets or write Face-
book posts mentioning the books.
Staying Personal
But while social media has proven to be
a great way for authors to reach new,
receptive audiences, it is also becoming
so popular that a writer has to take extra
steps to ensure that he or she doesnt
blend into the growing crowd. Blank
believes an author would be better off
finding three people and having an
extensive e-mail correspondence or even
an in-person lunch with them, rather
than adding 200 new fans on Goodreads
or Facebook.
With social media, its easy to feel
like youre doing something, but the
question is, Are you
doing the right thing?
says Blank. Its about
building real relationshipsits about
who you align with.
New tools and social media enhance-
ments are appearing on the market every
few weeks, but the main discoverability
goal for authors hasnt changed in
decades: to create an emotional connec-
tion with readers.
These people who are interested in
your book and have questions, really
answer them authentically and straight-
forwardlyyoure not hawking it on the
street corner, youre having a dinner con-
versation with them, says McKee,
pointing out that authors who have
adopted this practice have had the most
success with Amazons many customer-
driven community areas.
Graham emphasizes that she has been
most successful in her discoverability
efforts when she first works to connect
with potential readers on the topics that
matter to them, then mentions her books
almost as an afterthought. While at a
business meeting, these topics may be
leadership development and time man-
agement, whereas on Twitter and her
blog, the topics can be more personal.
You want to be personal and share a
piece of you; my followers know when
my son graduated high school, and about
the birth of my nephew, and even my
crazy dog, she says.
Hess agrees that it is important not to
just ask for something during interac-
tions with potential buyers.
Our blog works so well to sell our
products because were really only asking
folks to check out new books or to write
reviews about 1% of the time or less, she
says. People feel like that were giving
them a lot with our daily educational
posts and by providing a window into
our lives, so they often tell their friends
about my books with no nudging on my
part. Thats what you wantto build up
a fan base who sells your books for you.
Alex Palmer is a freelance journalist who lives
in Brooklyn.
Patrick Brown,
Goodreads commu-
nity manager
screens were minuscule. Cellphone capa-
bilities were simply not good enough.
One day, Lau received an instant mes-
sage from former employee Yuen, Tira
Wirelesss first hire: Hey, Alan, Im
working on a prototype. Can you check
it out and give me some feedback? So,
Lau says, I clicked on that link
that he sent me, and my heart was
pounding like a hammer. Coinci-
dentally, he was also working on a
mobile Java reading application
but with an option to upload con-
tent as well. A couple of days later,
Lau flew to Vancouver to meet with
Yuen. And Wattpad was born.
Around that time, in 2006,
Google announced that it would
purchase YouTube for $1.65 bil-
lion. Lau says, We thought we
could get traffic as quickly as YouTube
could. We were so wrong! After a year,
we had virtually no traffic. We had 100
users, and I knew where some of them
lived; thats how bad it was. However,
Lau and Yuen kept going. And over the
years, they learned more and more about
the problems writers, readers, and pub-
lishers encounterand how Wattpad
might offer solutions.
Gold Stars for Writers
Atwood, a Wattpad member since June,
is a vocal ambassador for the site. She is
co-writing The Happy Zombie Sunrise
Home with author Naomi Alderman on
the site, as well as judging Wattpads
poetry contest, charmingly named after
herthe Attys. To what end? She sup-
ports this democratization of written
content. She wrote of Wattpad in the
Guardian, No one need know how old
you are, what your social background is,
or where you live. Your readers can be
anywhere. For writers in Manila and
Minneapolis, Wattpad is an incubator, a
tion reigns, and
romance, paranormal, and fan fiction
capture the most reads. The site skews
young: almost two out of three new reg-
istered users are under the age of 25.
Though 40% of users are in the U.S., it
has an international reach, with visitors
in India, the Philippines, Vietnam, and
more. Users spend a total of over two bil-
lion minutes on the site per month;
Were seeing engagement numbers
which rival Pinterest, Lau wrote in a
blog post. Investors took notice of Watt-
pad, and Union Square Ventures and oth-
ers have invested a total of $17.3 million.
Lau co-created the Web site six years
ago, before the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo
hit the market and popularized e-books.
At the time, Lau was the cofounder and
chief technology officer at the mobile
gaming company Tira Wireless. But he
wanted to start a new venture. I love to
read, he says. I wanted to work on
something I could use. He wanted to
deliver a means of reading on the go
using mobile technology. However,
phones then were not smart, and their
Wattpad Revolutionizes Online Storytelling
Even Margaret Atwood is an enthusiastic user of self-publishing site
We want to spread the written word to billions of people.
Thats our mission, says Allen Lau. Hes a serial entrepre-
neur and the cofounder of Wattpad, the Toronto-based free
online community for writers.
Allen Lau, cofounder
of Wattpad
C
reated with Ivan
Yuen in 2006, the
site is a network of
user-generated con-
tenta YouTube for
stories rather than videos. For aspir-
ing and experienced authors, its a
platform to publish their work,
receive feedback, and connect with
fellow writers and readers. Its most estab-
lished writer by far is Margaret Atwood.
For readers, Wattpad offers its nine mil-
lion user-generated stories for free, acces-
sible on ones computer or mobile device.
And for the publishing world, Wattpad
serves as a scouting ground, where liter-
ary agents discovered debut authors Abi-
gail Gibbs and Brittany Geragotelis.
Both received six-figure deals, from
HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster,
respectively, for the YA e-books that they
serialized on Wattpad. The Web site is
changing how writers, readers, and pub-
lishers all across the globe create, interact,
and discover stories.
Lau seems an unlikely revolutionary in
the world of publishing: hes not a writer
or an editor. But he wanted to create a
new online ecosystem to connect writers
and readers, rather than just replicating
the print publishing business for the
Web. As such, the landscape of this brave
new world differs greatly from that of
traditional publishing. Wattpad attracts
a new member every two-and-a-half sec-
onds and 10 million unique visitors
every month. About nine in 10 users are
primarily readers, not writers. Genre fic-
O N L I N E S T O R Y T I ME
safe space for hobbyists
and career writers alike.
Lau says that for a lot of
new writers, their num-
ber one motivation is
actually having someone
appreciate their writ-
ingreading their sto-
ries, giving them positive
feedback. As with Face-
book, there is no dislike
button on Wattpad. Users
either like a story or really
like it: they can vote
(which gives it a gold
star), add it to their libraries, add it to
their reading lists, and become fans of the
author (another gold star). Suggested
edits go in the comments section. And,
differing once again from YouTube,
Wattpads comments almost always offer
praisesometimes in all caps. Alder-
man, an Orange Award for New Writers
winner, says, The responses [to the
novel] have been quite funny, ranging
from people who just want to say how
much they love the story and are looking
forward to the next episodes, to people
who say to Margaret, You write really
well! You could be famous!
Seventeen-year-old Katie Gowen from
Hawaii has posted eight stories so far,
most of which were inspired by the boy
band One Direction. Whats amazing is
Ill post a chapter, and an hour later Ill
have, like, 80 comments. I like being
able to know that there are people who
are reading what I write. And frequent
contributor Tara Sampson from North
Carolina says, When I wrote back in
high school, we didnt have computers. I
pretty much kept to myself. And now
that Ive got the encouragement of all
these people, it makes me want to write
more. She has posted 23 separate works,
which range from five pages to 117
pages. Her book Second Chance Romance
won a Wattyan audience-favorite
awardand stacked up over 1.5 million
reads. Over 35,000 fans follow her work.
While some new and experienced
authors join Wattpad for
t he e nc our a ge me nt ,
crowdsourced feedback,
and wealth of readers, still
others want to leverage
the platform to build an
audience and land pub-
lishing deals. Texas-based
Al e xa ndr a Cor i nt h,
author of The Stories We
Tell, says, My next story
is probably going to go on
a more traditional route.
Not because I dont like
Wattpad. I think its awe-
some. The big thing for
me is, I want to make a living [as a
writer]. So doing it for free only works
for so long. U.K.-based Tasha Preston
says, I had planned on self-publishing
[my Wattpad book] The Cellar, but Ive
been approached by a couple of agents.
The Cellar is the strongest book Ive writ-
ten. It has the biggest following, with
4.8 million reads, and it won one of
Wattpads annual awards last year. I
never expected such a huge response to
it. Im currently rewriting, editing, and
polishing it and hope that it will catch
the eye of a publisher.
Rather than act as a publishing gate-
keeper or curator, the site is a cheerleader
that roots for all of its writers, regardless
of age, gender, and class. The community
believes that anyone, anywhere can be
the next Margaret Atwoodeven Mar-
garet Atwood.
Unlimited
Stories for
Readers
Lau says, In the very, very early days, Im
talking three or four years ago, we started
off with romance stories. Thats the #1
genre where we were getting traction.
Indeed, romance book fans consume
these stories with a passion. According to
the 2012 Romance Book Consumer sur-
vey, about one in five romance book buy-
ers purchase such a novel once a month
or more. And now that the books exist
online for free, 52% of those readers have
downloaded free romance e-books, while
11% now read free e-books exclusively.
What does this mean for Wattpad? Put
simply, the site offers avid romance read-
ers a quicker, cheaper way to consume
storiesand while theyre reading, they
get hooked on Wattpad.
In particular, Twilight-inspired vam-
pire characters exploded on the romance
scene. Lau says, We created a new genre
called vampire. And then the werewolf
[fans], they started complaining, Thats
not fair! Team Edward clocks in at
163,000 stories. The werewolf category
offers 174,000 e-tales. And if you think
Twi-hard fandom is silly, consider that
one blockbuster series started out as
Twilight fan fictionthe Fifty Shades
trilogy.
Fan fiction is Wattpads fastest-grow-
ing genre. From Harry Potter Instant Mes-
saging to Hunger Games: The Musical, the
category boasts over one million entries.
Loyal fan-fic reader and writer Gowen
says, I started out reading Harry Potter
fan fiction, but it doesnt really matter
what kind of fan fiction [it is]. If the plot
line is good and its not too clichd, Ill
definitely read it. Loving something
be it a novel, a movie, or One Direc-
tionmeans sharing it, and these paeans
to pop culture attract fans worldwide.
Keep in mind, the quality of these sto-
ries varies. Because Wattpads writers
include teens, nonnative English speak-
ers, and users texting their prose via
mobile phones, grammar and spelling
often fall by the wayside. The frequent
Wattpad Revolutionizes Online Storytelling
Even Margaret Atwood is an enthusiastic user of self-publishing site
B G B
Margaret Atwood
Naomi Alderman
G
E
O
R
G
E

W
H
I
T
E
S
I
D
E
use of clichs led one mem-
ber to post, A lot of stories
on here begin with I woke
up and looked in the mirror at my beauti-
ful blonde hair and perfect body. How-
ever, in this online landscape of reading
fanatics, free, easily accessible content,
not wordsmanship, is what matters.
What has helped Wattpad succeed
with readers in the U.S. and beyond is
the mobile platform. If you look back at
the history of the company, we were
starting with mobile reading in mind,
says Lau. Over the years, we did not for-
get that. We put a lot of effort into
mobile, and it shows in the traffic.
Three out of four users access the site on
mobile devices. Preston says, I prefer
the app. Its the easiest electronic reading
experience ever. Lau notes that for a
worldwide audience that includes users
in developing countries, reading on
mobile devices just makes sense. For a
lot of people, they actually dont have
their own PCs, he says. The mobile
device is a users personal device. It con-
nects them.
Lau is making sure that, as smartphone
adoption and mobile reading grow, so
will Wattpads audience. He predicts
that, although smartphones are pre-
dominantly a North American or Euro-
pean phenomenon, representing only a
third of the worldwide mobile market,
soon they will be affordable enough for
mass consumption across the globe. And,
he says, Wattpad is preparing to capture
that new segment of international online
readers: We are putting a lot more focus
on mobile. We want to make sure the
mobile reading and writing experience is
top-notch.
A Scouting Ground for
Publishers
If Wattpad is a YouTube for writers, then
Abigail Gibbs and Brittany Geragotelis
are its Justin Bieber and PSY.
U.K.-based Gibbs began writing on
Wattpad at the age of 15 under the
pseudonym Canse12. Lau says, She
started writing vampire stories in her
spare time after school. She uploaded
chapter by chapter and
generated a lot of traction
on Wattpad. One story,
called Dinner with a Vam-
pire. Did I Mention Im
Vegetarian?, garnered 17
mi l l i on reads. And as
Gibbs got close to finish-
ing the novel, an agent dis-
covered her and signed her.
She completed the novel
and landed a two-book, six-
figure deal with Harper-
Collins at the age of 18.
Lau says, Wattpad, Abi-
gail, and HarperCollins
we worked together in Sep-
tember for her launch. She became a
media darling in September. She was one
of the youngest writers ever to get pub-
lished in the U.K. Gibbss novel was
retitled The Dark Heroine and came out
in the U.K. in October, and it hits U.S.
bookshelves in March. Now a student at
Oxford University, Gibbs is working on
a sequel.
Prior to joining Wattpad, New York-
based Geragotelis was the managing edi-
tor of American Cheerleader and had been
trying for eight years to get one of her six
YA manuscripts published. In
January 2011, she began to
write a new story for Wattpad,
a YA paranormal romance
called Lifes a Witch.
Geragotelis says that it
took a while for the book to
catch on, but soon the com-
ments started pouring in. Lau
says, Her story became a hit
on Wattpad. It generated
millions and millions of
reads. Geragotelis says that
she loved interacting with
readers online. There are some people
who I have befriended through Wattpad
who were just really amazing supporters
of mine. Theyre not just faceless fans.
The book had been read about six million
times when she finished uploading it in
May 2011. A few months later, she says,
readers started asking, Where can I buy
this?
Geragotelis self-pub-
lished her e-book through
Amazon/CreateSpace,
but due to her large fol-
lowing and press cover-
age in PW and elsewhere,
she landed a literary
agent. The book went to
auction, and she signed
with Simon & Schuster in
a three-book, six-figure
deal. The series begins
with a prequel called
What the Spell, available
in three e-book install-
ments now and in hard-
cover in January.
Though Wattpad helped make dreams
come true for new writers Gibbs and
Geragotelis, Lau says that he doesnt
want to disrupt publishing; he wants to
transform reading and writing. By
removing the conventional barriers
between authors and audiences around
the world, the platform creates not just a
user-generated library but a self-sustain-
ing global community. Its turning the
solitary, exclusive process of authorship
into a more social and democratic experi-
ence. He says, We are spreading the
written word in both the developed
countries like the U.S. and Canada and
also developing countries. Lau is not a
writer, but hes creating a promising new
narrative for anyone whos a fan of the
written word.
Grace Bello is a lifestyle and culture reporter
living in New York.
Brittany Geragotelis, author of
What the Spell
Miami Advice
At the Miami Book Fair, a panel of self-
publishing experts talks best practices
By Andrew Richard Albanese
The Miami Books Fair is one of the nations marquee literary
events, a bustling weeklong consumer fair held every November
for the past 29 years, featuring hundreds of authors and events,
as well as exhibits from publishers and booksellers.
S
o it was notable that this
years pre-fair coverage in
the Miami Herald included a
lengthy article by author
and journalist Carlos Harri-
son that heralded the latest industry
trend: an explosion in self-publishing.
The publishing world is being
upended and reinvented, Harrison
observed in the piece, part of a move-
ment using the power of e-books and the
Internet to lead publishing into a new
frontier, and through the biggest
upheaval of the industry since Guten-
bergs press.
The rise of self-publishing was also
evident among fairgoers, who packed
into a November 17 panel discussion on
self-publishing, hosted by the Copyright
Clearance Center and moderated by
CCCs Christopher Kenneally. The panel
featured some of the top players in the
self-publishing business: Smashwordss
founder and CEO Mark Coker; author
and marketing consultant M.J. Rose;
Jenny Pedroza, who originally discov-
ered and published E.L James and Fifty
Shades of Grey; and Matt Cavnar, v-p of
business development at Vook.
While some in the traditional publish-
ing industry remain skeptical of self-
publishing, if the 2012 Miami Book Fair
is any indication, self-publishing has
already gained wide acceptance among
both readers and would-be authors. At
the Saturday panel, the question at hand
was not whether to self-publish or
whether self-publishing was viable, but
how to self-publishand how to do it
well.
Im told that 400,000 self-published
titles will appear in the U.S this year,
observed Kenneally, as he got the after-
noon talk started, noting that in just a
few short years, self-publishing has gone
from a small and often derided sector of
the publishing business to a full-blown
revolution that is now making it pos-
sible for people to express themselves in
ways that were not allowed or were not
available in the past.
The panel began with two examples
born from the self-publishing revolu-
tion. First up, Jenny Pedroza told
attendees how she and her partner dis-
covered and published one the greatest
commercial successes in historyE.L.
James and the Fifty Shades trilogy,
through the Writers Coffee Shop library,
an online community of more than
80,000 members who write stories, post
them, and comment on each others
work. James, Pedroza said, took nearly a
year of encouragement and no small
amount of convincing before she agreed
to publish her books through the Writ-
ers Coffee Shop. She really didnt want
to do it, said Pedroza. In hindsight, she
should have done it sooner.
Pedroza recalled a very intense, edit-
ing process for Jamesadapting the
Fifty Shades narrative into more of a
book form from what was essentially an
online serial, where every installment
had to end in a sort of cliffhanger. But
once published, and after months of
building an online following, sales were
amazing right off the bat. Indeed, so
good that Pedroza said she and her part-
ner had no choice but to cut a deal with
a major publisher, Random House.
Every author should be so lucky. But
Pedrozas takeaway: in the online world,
there is now ample opportunity to con-
nect with fellow readers and writers
alike. Online, Pedroza noted, E.L. James
had already developed a devoted follow-
ing. And when her book was published,
she had benefited from their feedback
and their support, which proved to be the
cornerstone of her historic success.
Cavnar followed with a timely exam-
ple of organizations taking advantage of
the self-publishing boom: conservative
pundit David Frums instant e-book on
the 2012 election, Why Romney Lost.
Vook, Cavnar said, provides turnkey
e-book publishing for a range of self-
published authors as well as organiza-
tions and media companiesincluding
Newsweek/Daily Beast, for which Frum
B E S T P R A C T I C E S
Self-publishing was a hot topic, and the subject of
a well-attended panel, at the Miami Book Fair.
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writes. Cavnar said News-
week contacted Vook in the
days before the election,
saying that Frum was so convinced Rom-
ney would lose, he had already written
the book on why he lostwith every-
thing but the final ending.
We got the manuscript before the
election, copyedited it, turned it around,
did all the creative services, and the book
was done, finished, approved by every-
body and approved by all the stores, and
we were watching the returns come in,
waiting to hit publish.
How does the Newsweek experience
relate to self-publishers? You should no
longer say that you want to be a self-
published author, Cavnar said, what
you need to be is a self-published pub-
lisher. To tie it all up in a bow: look at
what Newsweek did. Dont look at the
process as you having a masterpiece you
just want to get out there. You have to
get a good cover, good branding, and you
have to get your marketplaces right. Yes,
the means of distribution is now in your
hands. But you have to think like a busi-
ness. I am Newsweekthats your motto.
Enabled by the E-book
For Mark Coker, founder, CEO, and
chief author advocate of Smashwords,
the only real surprise is how quickly self-
publishing has evolved, which he owes to
the rapid advance of e-books.
I expected e-books would grow fast,
Coker said, but they have grown faster
than almost anyone pre-
dicted, and it has been a
boon to self-publishers.
Coker t ol d a t al e
familiar to many in the
audiencethe story of
how he and his wife went
through the whole tradi-
tional publishing pro-
cess: writing a novel,
getting an agent, and
generating significant
interest from houses, all
of whi ch eventual l y
passed. Thats when I
came up with the idea for
Smashwords, Coker says, because pub-
lishers shouldnt be standing in the way.
Smashwords, which offers a range of
self-publishing options, has ramped up
quickly. In 2012, Smashwords published
roughly 100,000 e-books, and while
Coker readily acknowledged that few of
these books will ever go on to great com-
mercial success, that isnt the point. The
point, he noted, is that with the advent
of the e-book, any author can have a shot
at finding an audience. The reason self-
published authors didnt stand a snow-
balls chance in hell in the past is that
they couldnt get the bricks and mortar
distribution. Up until just a few years
ago, you had no choice but to work with
a large publisher because they controlled
the printing presses, they controlled the
distribution, and they controlled the
knowledge of professional publishing.
These are the three things we are looking
to unlock and make available to every-
one.
Coker said he was not only was confi-
dent that self-publishing would continue
to grow, but would eventually come to
dominate the publishing world. Authors
now have the opportunity to publish
low-cost e-books at prices as low as free,
or 99 cents, or $2.99, and they can reach
the bestseller lists, Coker said. And
this is all happening just nowa year
ago this was hardly happening at all. In
two or three years, I think almost all
bestselling books are going to be self-
published books.
Bestselling author and
marketing expert M.J.
Rose was more measured.
Im the voice of doom,
she told the audience, to
laughter. While technol-
ogy has unlocked distri-
but i on, di s cover y
remains the major road-
block to success for self-
published authors. We
used to discover books in
bookstores; we had lots of
newspaper reviews; TV
shows had novelists on.
Now, at least half of the
places where fiction was traditionally
discovered by readers are completely
gone, Rose said. The process of discov-
ering books is getting more and more
difficult, and when that happens, the big
names take up a lions share of the sales
because everybody buys what they are
seeing.
Commercial fiction is becoming
increasingly a hits-driven businessbut
self-publishing, she cautioned is no
magic bullet. There can be too much of
a good thing, Rose said, bemoaning a
digital world where readers can now
download so much free material that
they will never get a chance to read most
of itand if you never get around to
reading that free e-book you down-
loaded, you will certainly never be able
to tell anyone about it.
Having 100,000 people downloading
your book, she said, doesnt mean
100,000 people are reading it.
Doing It Right
Let me first say, the voice of doom is
right, Cavnar quickly observed, as the
panelists turned to the practical aspects
of good self-publishing. If youre going
to just write your book and put it out
there and expect it to perform, it will not
perform. You will have zero sales.
So what are the basics of success in self-
publishing? Not surprisingly, self-pub-
lished success looks a lot like traditional
publishing success. For example: cover
design, Cavnar beganyou must design
a cover that looks professional and will
stand out. And, design your cover for
digital screens and mobile devicessim-
ple, large readable type, rather than intri-
cate images.
You need to hire an editor! Rose
quickly interjecteda point with which
the panel all quickly agreed. Self-pub-
lishing can offer great distribution, Rose
noted, but the content is 100% your
responsibility. And you cannot do this
yourself, she stressed.
On the marketing side, make sure you
have a Web page, a place where you can
send any and all traffic you generate. Spe-
cifically, make sure you can capture
Smashwordss Mark Coker engaged
authors after the panel.
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e-mail addresses. Cavnar
recommended the ser-
vice unbounce.com as a
cheap, effective way to
c a pt ur e t he e - ma i l
addresses of your readers.
Next, self-publishers
need to put a link in
their e-books that will
allow people to sign up
for a newsletter, and
then, you have to actu-
ally send a newsletter.
He cited Stephen Elli-
etts overly personal
e-mails from the Rum-
pus.net as a good example, and recom-
mended mailchimp.com to fulfill news-
letter delivery.
The newsletter came as perhaps the
biggest surprise to audience members.
Its about outreach, Rose explained.
Rather than depending on people to
come to your site, it is critical to reach
out and market to your readersand you
will not get e-mail addresses and cus-
tomer contacts from Amazon or any
social network siteyou, the author, the
panel stressed, must own the relationship
with your reader.
Use social networks, like Facebook and
Twitterbut do not rely on them. Again,
the panel stressed the need to forge direct
relationships. Whatever you get for free
from a social network, Rose explained, is
something they can take away from you
laterso do not build your business on
them. For years, I built up a MySpace
presence, Rose said, only to have
MySpace now mean as much to the world
as chocolate-covered ants.
Kenneally then raised a key question:
to printor not to print?
Coker was emphatic in his response: I
think print is dead for self-published
authors, with the exception of subject
matter specialists doing nonfiction who
do a lot of public speaking and consult-
ing and can sell the book in the back of
the room. Coker said Smashwords
authors sell about 100 e-books for every
print book they selland, e-books are
increasingly what readers want: $2.99 or
less in many cases, with
immediate access, as
opposed to $16.99 for a
print book that has to be
shipped.
Finally: price.
Coker told the audi-
ence hes looked at the
data from Smashwords,
and, no surprise, a free
e-book will get down-
loaded more than 100
times more any priced
book. As one would also
expect, lower prices equal
more sales. The question
for authors, Coker said, is at what price
will earn you the most money.
Coker said Smashwords data suggests
that the best price for an e-book is
between $2.99 and $5.99. We found
that between a $2.99 price and a $10
price, youre going to earn about the
same amount of money, Coker said. So,
if that is the case, which price do you
choose? The lower price, because youll
sell six times more copies. Remember,
when you sell a book, you get two impor-
tant benefits. First, obviously, you get
money in your pocket. But you also get
a reader, and you can gain a fan. And a
fan can be forever.
Coker then pointed to the royalty
issue, a big part of the price question.
Generally, as a self-publisher, youll
make anywhere from a 60% to a 100%
royalty on a self-published title he said,
which offers self-published authors a
competitive advantage over traditional
publishers. Self-publishers have an
opportunity to outsell, outcompete, out-
distribute, and outmarket the larger
publishers, Coker explained. You have
the opportunity to sell low-cost e-books,
while the major publishers cant put all
of their prices down to 99 cents or $2.99.
Their business models arent set up to
compete there. At Smashwords we dis-
tribute to Apple, B&N, Sony, Kobo, all
the same retailersexcept for Amazon.
And were seeing our authors hitting the
bestseller lists and outselling some big-
name authors. Thats because were doing
books at $2. 99 and
$3.99, and large publish-
ers are doing them at
$12.99.
On the question of free e-books, none
of the panelists were keen on the idea of
giving away your work. Rose suggested
that, psychologically, there was a get
what you pay for thing at work, and that
people are in fact more likely to actually
read something theyve paid for. Cavnar
suggested using free e-books only as a
limited promotion and only if it enables
you to capture e-mails. If you are going
to do free, you have to get something for
it.
The Questions
At the end of the session, audience ques-
tions mostly reflected an acceptance of
self-publishing. Which is the best ser-
vice to use? How does one find a good
editor? What about copyright registra-
tion and protection? None of the authors
seemed deluded by visions of literary
grandeurbut some expressed frustra-
tion at the inability to even be consid-
ered by a traditional publisher or agent,
few of whom accept unsolicited manu-
scripts, much less read them. Acknowl-
edging that difficulty, Rose called self-
publishing the new slush pile, noting
that self-publishing offers authors a
chance to prove their talent, drive, and
hustle.
Then came the question long expected.
Everyone is writing a book, an audi-
ence member suggested, but most of
them shouldnt be published. What
about the role of traditional publishers in
curating literature? The question
recalled the days of vanity presses, noted
Kenneally, when opportunistic firms
preyed on authors, charging them big
money for garage-loads of badly pro-
duced books. But that, Kenneally noted,
is not the self-publishing of todays digi-
tal world. As for whether we still need
publishers to be gatekeepers, Coker
respectfully disagreed. I think every
writer has a right to be published, he
said, a right to have a chance to be read.
I think readers are the new curators.
Author M.J. Rose implored authors to
hire an editor!
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ARCHITECTURE
Adolf Loos: A Private Portrait.
Claire Beck Loos. DoppelHouse Press,
$24.95 hardcover (200p), ISBN 978-0-
9832540-0-3
www.doppelhousepress.com
Lively vignettes portray the personality
and philosophy of early modern architect
and cultural critic Adolf Loos. An intimate
biography by Looss third wife, photog-
rapher Claire Beck Loos, this is the first
English translation of the 1936 German
original. Photo supplement.
BIOGRAPHY &
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Wander: Memoir of a Quebec Back-
woods Girlhood.
Rose-Aimee. Epigraph Books, $11.99
paper (100p), ISBN 978-0-9830517-4-9;
$7.99 e-book ASIN B004O6MQVW
Amazon
The true story of a
five-year-old girl left in
charge of her two baby
sisters in a snowbound
cabin in the Quebec
woods, Rose-Aimees
memoir is a tale of sur-
vival and spirit.
Just One Foot; How Amputation
Cured My Disability.
Judy Johnson Berna. CreateSpace, $14.99
paper (212p), ISBN 978-1-4776-4006-7
S E L F P U B L I S H E D L I S T I N G S
This is the last of our quarterly supplements. Beginning in February, PW Select will
be published six times a year, reflecting the continued boom in self-publishing.
The 215 titles in this supplement are the most weve had to date. More to come!
A Record Number of Titles,
Led by Juvenile Fiction
Tnc a1j 1i1ics sunri11cn ron oun NiN1n punn1cniv PW Scicc1
Amazon
An elective amputee trades in her
deformed foot for a prosthetic foot that
finally gives her the life shes always
dreamed of.
Tell Them Im Not Home.
Peter G. Bryne. Lulu.com, $19.99 paper
(418p), ISBN 978-1-257-86350-1
Amazon, bn.com
Set in a blue-collar, big-city neighbor-
hood in the decade 19451955, a lightly
fictionalized memoir lies somewhere
between Studs Lonigan and Jean Shepherd.
Self Booked, True Tales of the Spinns:
Empty Bottles, Germs Burns and
Bootneck Dreams.
Todd J. Colberg. Colpub, $17 paper
(194p), ISBN 978-1-105-82776-1
Lulu.com
The author is a member of the Spinns,
a garage punk band from North Carolina.
He chronicles the bands reckless adven-
tures at the dawning days of the Internet,
as they forge on through a series of drunken
disasters before finding a salvation, of sorts.
An Uncommon Friendship: A Memoir
of Love, Mental Illness, and Friend-
ship.
Monique Colver. Colver Press, $12.99
paper (220p), ISBN 978-0-615-63847-8;
$9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-64749-4
Amazon
More than a tale of mental illness and its
accompanying devastation, this is a story
of friendship and what we do for those we
love.
Ex-Rich Girl Tells All: My Truth
Behind Closed Doors
Kami Corban. $7. 99 e-book ISBN
9781624880230
Amazon
In her high-velocity memoir, Corban
lays bare the high life and dark times of a
girl who for a brief time had every possible
advantage.
Tales of a Lion.
Ellen Cumbess. Out-
skirts Press, $27.95
hardcover (414p),
ISBN 978-1-4327-
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Amazon, bn.com
The memoir of a native New Yorker
struggling to overcome anger and resent-
ment stemming from childhood events.
Snakes in My Dreams: A Mental
Health Therapists Odyssey from
Hardship to Healer.
Michael Deninger. Unrivaled Books,
$21.95 paper (312p), ISBN 978-1-6136-
0109-9; $12.07 e-book ISBN 978-1-
61360-110-5
deninger.com
In this deeply personal story of abuse,
forgotten memories, perseverance, and tri-
umph, Mike Deninger chronicles his trans-
formation from shy, victimized child to a
champion of those suffering from trauma
and PTSD.
Up Cappanale Way.
Jack Drought. Black Bridge Press, $17.76
paper (294p), ISBN 978-0-578-07474-0
Amazon
A unique memoir of rural Ireland back
in the 1950s.
A View from My
Window: Real Sto-
ries for Real Women.
Sylvia Forrest. Cre-
ateSpace, $11.99 paper
(254p), ISBN 978-1-
4751-5468-9
Amazon
Heartwarming and honest, this often
humorous collection of true stories chron-
icles the life and times of real women as
they deal with relationships, parenting,
and personal growth.
Becoming a Superhero: Based on a
True Story.
Oliver Galang. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(282p), ISBN 978-1-4792-3118-8; $4.99
e-book ASIN B00962W4CA
Amazon
Oliver was a nerd. He was always picked
on. One day, he decided to become a super-
hero. This memoir traces his adventures of
becoming a superhero.
Sihpromatum: I Grew My Boobs in
China.
Savannah Grace. Sihpromatum Publishing
House, $19.99 paper (362p), ISBN 978-1-
4792366-5-7; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9881231-1-3
Amazon
Fourteen-year-old
Savannah Grace sees her
life thrown into disarray
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starting in China and
Mongolia.
A Road Less Traveled: A Fathers
Odyssey Through Autism.
Eric Griffith. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(196p), ISBN 978-1-4800-2190-7
Amazon
This story gives a heartfelt view of rais-
ing a child with autism from a fathers
perspective, and a familys effort to help
one child.
Gunshots in Another Room: The For-
gotten Life of Dan J. Marlowe.
Charles Kelly. Charles Kelly, $19.95 paper
(284p), ISBN 978-0-9858911-0-7; $4.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-9858911-2-1
Amazon, bn.com, Kobo
This biography of amnesiac hard-boiled
writer Dan J. Marlowe (19141986) inter-
weaves his story with that of two bank rob-
bers. 16 photos.
Leaving Long Island and Other
Departures.
Fern Kupfer. Culicidae Press, $16.95 paper
(256p), ISBN 978-1-105-53587-1; $9
e-book ASIN B008LKZ3OE
Amazon
The author has lost a child, seen the
explosive end of a long marriage, and dis-
covered a genetic inheritance endemic to
Ashkenazi Jews.
North of Hollywood.
Rick Lenz. Chromodroid Press, $23.95
hardcover (294p), ISBN 978-0-9848442-
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www.indiebound.org
An actors intimate,
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s o me t i me s t o u c h-
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account of making a liv-
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Hollywood legends.
The Avocado Tree: An Immigrants
Journey.
Roxanne Catherine Mapp. Xlibris Pub-
lishing, $41.99 paper (68p), ISBN 978-1-
46914-100-8
Amazon
This inspirational book of poetry, art,
and photography depicts the journey of
an artist from Trinidad and
Tobago to the United States.
On the Street Where I Lived: The
Autobiography of a Child.
Roberta Weiner Markbreit. AuthorHouse,
$19.95 paper (249p), ISBN 978-1-59299-
854-8; $ e-book ISBN
inkwaterpress.com
This book describes a time when being a
child offered pleasures like hopscotch and
hide and seek, yet WWII presented a fear-
some backdrop.
Never Give In to Fear: Laughing All
the Way Up from Rock Bottom.
Marti MacGibbon. Stay Strong Publish-
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9860067-0-8
Amazon
A da r kl y f unny
memoir describes a
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I Had Jelly on My Nose and a Hole in
My Breeches: The Memoir of a Boy on
His Dangerous Journey.
Robert McNally. CreateSpace, $15.95
paper (368p), ISBN 978-1-4751-0241-3;
$3.99 e-book AISN B009KS8FNM
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This is the memoir of a boy growing up
during the Great Depression and WWII,
highlighted by youthful romances and
wild adventures.
My Journey to Heaven and Back.
Rebecca D. Myers. Writestyle Publish-
ing, $13.95 paper (122p), ISBN 978-0-
9854155-0-1; $6.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9854155-1-8
Amazon
A woman describes being close to heaven
in a near-death experience yet being pulled
back to life by her husbands love.
B.G. Bhagee: Memories of a Colonial
Childhood.
Philippa Perry. CreateSpace, $17.99 paper
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9219-0; $6.99 e-book ASIN:
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Bhagee is a fiery Guyanese stew. Philippa
recounts growing up in colonial British
Guianafrom womens battles to neigh-
bors who never wore clothes to relatives
who walked with their shoes in their hands.
Confessions: A Memoir.
Jodie Rhodes. Jodie Rhodes Literary
Agency, $15 paper (341p), ISBN 978-
0-9838797-0-1; $9.90 e-book ASIN
B005OFGQV8
Amazon, bn.com
The hidden childhood and growing up
of a writer who became the literary agent
who got rejected writers published.
Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A
Daughters Memoir.
Martha Stettinius. Dundee-Lakemont
Press, $17.95 paper (353p), ISBN 978-0-
9849326-0-3 ; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9849326-3-4
www.insidedementia.com
The unflinching and hopeful story of
one womans journey into family caregiv-
ing, a vivid overview of the challenges of
Alzheimers care, and the inspiring portrait
of how a daughter learned to see demen-
tia not as a long good-bye but as a long
hello. Honorable Mention in the Life Sto-
ries category of the Writers Digest Self-
Published Book Awards.
Not Only Women Bleed: Vignettes
from the Heart of a Rock Musician.
Dick Wagner. Desert Dreams Books &
Music, $29.95 hardcover (281p), ISBN
978-0-9856843-0-3; $9.99 e-book ISBN
978-0-9846586-3-3
tel: 602-920-8115
Wagner is a song-
writer, guitarist, and
producer/arranger
whos worked with
Alice Cooper, Aero-
smi th, Lou Reed,
Peter Gabriel, Air
Supply, and more.
He delivers tales of
sex, drugs, and rock and roll with edgy,
ironic, self-deprecating wit, culminating
in near-fatal health adversity and moving
come-back.
BUSINESS &
ECONOMICS
Puttin Cologne on the Rickshaw: A
Guide to Dysfunctional Management
and the Evil Workplace Environments
They Create.
William Bouffard. William Bouffard,
$29.95 paper (394p), ISBN 978-0-
9847999-0-9; $14.99 e-book ISBN 978-
0-9847999-1-6
Amazon
Bo u f f a r d h a s
worked for big cor-
porations and small
startups. He outlines
the bad behavior
found in companies
and how to over-
come it.
The Startup Owners Manual: A Step-
by-Step Guide for Building a Great
Company.
Steve Blank & Bob Dorf. K&S Ranch,
$39.95 hardcover (608p), ISBN 978-0-
9849993-0-9
Amazon
This step-by-step guide walks founders
through a proven customer development
process for getting startups right the first
time.
Corporate Recruiter Tells All: Tips,
Secrets, and Strategies to Landing
Your Dream Job!
Ryan Fisher. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper
(131p), ISBN 978-1-4699-3318-4; $9.99
e-book ASIN B009BF243Q
Amazon
A former corporate recruiter tells all
he has learned to help you land the job of
your dreams with the financial returns you
deserve.
21st-Century Yoga: Culture, Politics,
and Practice.
Edited by Carol Horton and Roseanne Har-
vey. Kleio Books, $15 paper (220p), ISBN
978-0-615-61760-2; $9.99 e-book ASIN
B009IYB8LE
www.21centuryyoga.com
This path-breaking collection of essays
examines North American yoga and its
relationship to issues including commer-
cial culture, body image, social action,
addiction recovery, and enlightenment
2.0.
The Entrepreneurs Secret to Creating
Wealth: How the Smartest Business
Owners Build Their Fortunes.
Chris Hurn. Advantage Media Group,
$19.95 paper (277p), ISBN 978-1-59932-
315-2
Amazon
T h e C E O a n d
cofounder of Mercantile
Capital Corporation,
which specializes in
small business commer-
cial real estate projects,
outlines in detail and
with authority the importance of real estate
for developing wealth in any business.
Money and Teens: Savvy Money Skills.
Wesley Karchut and Darby Karchut. Cop-
per Square Studios, $14.95 paper (190p),
ISBN 978-0-9741145-3-8; $6.95 e-book
ISBN 978-0-9741145-2-1
Amazon
A practical, no-nonsense guide empow-
ering teens to manage their money for a
better future. Before parents hand over a
credit card, they should first hand over this
book.
Restoring the American Dream One
Portfolio at a Time.
Bob Kolar. Ampersand, $29.95 hard-
cover (312p), ISBN 978-1-4507-9594-4;
$19.95 e-book ISBN 978-1-4507-9599-9
Amazon, bn.com, Ingram
This book concisely reveals the secrets
of investing, showing how a solid portfolio
can be implemented readily by any inves-
tor.
Brand Is a Four Letter Word: Posi-
tioning and the Real Art of Marketing.
Austin McGhie. Advantage Media Group,
$22.46 hardcover (281p), ISBN 978-1-
59932-327-5
Amazon
Brand is the most abused and misused
word in the marketing lexicon. Brand is a
noun and should never be used as a verb.
Brand is the prize, is positioning. This is a
book about positioning, the actual work to
be done, the art at the heart of marketing,
that achieves the prize of brand.
Steve Jobs and the World of Mobile
Insights for the Future.
Patrick Meyer. Ignite, $14.95 hardcover
(168p), ISBN 978-0-9860123-0-3; $6.95
e-book ISBN 978-0-578-10685-4
Amazon, bn.com
The tep beyond the Isaacson bio uses
Steve Jobs as a vehicle to deliver mobile
innovation insights for the future, in a next
generation book experience (tap the cover
and it comes to life). Book profits help stu-
dents follow in Jobss footsteps.
Leaders First: Six Bold Steps to Sus-
tain Breakthroughs in Construction.
Gene Morton. Accelerated Solutions,
$32.95 hardcover (404p), ISBN 978-0-
9840008-0-7
genemorton.com
With information gleaned from advising
leaders through mergers and reorganiza-
tions, Leaders First shows six bold growth-
enhancing, capacity-building, and market-
leading steps to steer company success.
Thoughts from a Grumpy Innovator.
Costas Papaikonomou.
Bound, $18.99 paper
(135p), ISBN 978-90-
818800-0-8; $9. 99
e-book ISBN 978-90-
818800-1-5
www.grumpyinnova-
tor.com
Polemics, witty one-liners, and cartoons
from a global consultant on mass market-
ing innovation.
The Savvy Landlord: A Common
Sense Approach to Investing.
Steven VanCauwnbergh, with Walter B.
Jenkins. Teflon Publishing, $22.95 paper
(320p), ISBN 978-0-9859805-0-4
www.thesavvylandlordbook.com
If youre wondering what to do with your
life or need motivation to build wealth,
this inspiring, true story about one mans
journey from being homeless to owning a
multimillion dollar real estate portfolio is a
powerful guide to creating freedom.
Light of the Andes: In Search of Sha-
manic Wisdom in Peru.
J.E. Williams. Irie Books with AyniGlobal,
$15.95 paper (200p), ISBN 978-1-61720-
374-9
Amazon
Takes the reader deep into the labyrinth
of the highest mountains of the Andes and
into the secret heartland of the gods them-
selves to learn the beautiful, inexorable
value system that goes back to the Incas.
COOKING
The Passionate Vegetable: Health
Inspired Recipies to Revitalize Your
Life for Vegetarians or Meat Lovers!
Suzanne Landry. Health Inspired Publish-
ing, $29.95 paper (306p), ISBN 978-0-
9851908-0-4
healthinspiredpublishing.com
Delicious recipes for healthful eating for
everyone, vegetarians and meat lovers. This
book may change the way you cook, eat,
and think about food.
FAMILY &
RELATIONSHIPS
Heal My Broken Heart: How One
Mother Found Comfort and Healing
After the Loss of Her Child.
Monica Hofer. Healing Soul Press, $19.99
paper (197p), ISBN 978-0-9878303-1-9
www.healingsoulpress.com
A mothers poignant account of recovery
from devastating loss that reaches deep into
her aching heart and soul after the loss of
her young child.
Misdemeanor and Paternity.
Lester Joseph. Outskirts Press, $14.95
paper (136p), ISBN 978-1-4327-9579-5;
$5.99 e-book ASIN B0091ZGOCS
Amazon
Based on a true story, this book traces the
struggles of a man fighting
false charges of assault and
trying to maintain rights to his new child
despite the mothers resistance.
Ketchup Is a Vegetable: And Other
Lies Moms Tell Themselves.
Robin OBryant. Greenforge Books , $15
paper (264p), ISBN 978-0-9847165-2-4;
$5.99 e-book ASIN B0065B0ONQ
Amazon
From a Southern blogger on motherhood
comes a collection of
essays with the humor
of Bombeck (accord-
ing to Celia Rivenbark)
that will make you nod
your head with recogni-
tion while reminding
you to schedule a hys-
terectomy (according to Jenny Lawson,
the Bloggess).
The GraspRite Method: The Quick
and Easy Guide to Helping Your
Child Develop the Essential Fine and
Gross Motor Skills Every Elementary
Schooler Needs.
Lisa Shooman. Golden Bird Publishing,
$34.95 hardcover (62p), ISBN 978-0-
9856298-0-9; $14.95 e-book ISBN 978-
0-9856298-1-6
Amazon, bn.com, www.grasprite.com
The GraspRite Method is an A to Z
manual of exercises and activities for chil-
dren with various
l evel s of devel -
opmental delays;
recommended by
pediatricians for
children between
developmental ages
three to seven years.
Living on Three Spoons.
Susan A. Torres. CreateSpace, $17.99 paper
(500p), ISBN 978-1-4783-6024-7; $9.99
e-book ASIN B0099SDP10
Amazon
A Hispanic single parent from Brook-
lyn recounts how she was raised by abusive
drug addicts, yet leaves behind a contami-
nated past to reach a life teaching high
school English and marriage
with a combined family of
eight children.
FICTION
Atticus for the Undead.
John Abramowitz. On the Bird Publish-
ing, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9883616-
0-7
Amazon
A genre-bending thriller about what
happens when zombies get due process
rights.
The Benchwarmers of Countyseat.
Acwel Adam. AMNY, $14.95 paper, ISBN
978-0-9726776-0-8
Amazon
The Benchwarmers of County seat is a
classic thriller/mystery of an idyllic exis-
tence gone bad. With a cast of unfor-
gettable characters whose stories and
fates are inextricably linked, it weaves
a tale of hyper-violence and the end of
innocence.
The Corin Chronicles, Vol. 1: The
Light and the Dark.
Marvin Amazon. Corinthians Publish-
ing, $24 hardcover (354p), ISBN 978-0-
9572985-0-7; $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-
9572985-1-4
Amazon
A story of a gal-
axy-changing war
and its aftermath is
told through the per-
spectives of the loyal
men and women on
the front lines.
XP: Wanted! Young Skinny Wiry Fel-
lows, Orphans Preferred.
Alison M. Bailey. Runaway Horse Press,
$27.95 (284p), ISBN 978-0-9852228-7-1
www.runawayhorsepress.com
The irresistible coming-of-age love story
of a doomed rider for the Pony Express is a
reverential meditation on the culture of the
American Indian and its demise.
The Jungle Express.
Michael Bleriot. MacGregor Books, $19.95
paper (536p), ISBN 978-0-9833751-3-5;
$5.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9833751-2-8
www.michaelbleriot.com
Fun, action-packed stories are drawn
from the real-life adventures of a coun-
terdrug pilot in South America; from the
author of Memories of an Emerald World.
Olive Park.
C.J. Booth. C.J. Booth, $14.95 paper
(348p), ISBN 978-0-9838329-0-4; $2.99
e-book ASIN B005D7VM8O
Amazon. bn.com, Smashwords
A 15-year-old cold
case is the first job
tackled by the Ongo-
i ng I nves t i gat i on
Division, and they
discover the case is far
from cold. Olive Park
was awarded the Best
Mystery 2012 by the
Global E-Book Awards and Readers Favor-
ite Book Awards named it one of the top
five mysteries of 2012.
Price of Justice.
Alan Brenham. Bookbaby, $10.99 (286p),
ISBN 978-1-4791-5634-4; $5.99 e-book
ISBN 978-1-62309-894-0
Amazon
When straight-arrow detective Jason
Scarsdale unwittingly befriends a woman
secretly bent on murderous revenge, hes
drawn into a web of malice that teaches
him the value of breaking the rules.
The Banker Spy.
William G. Byrnes.
Publish Green, $2.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-
938296-34-5
Amazon
A c o n t e mp o -
rary thriller brings
together former lov-
ers, one an investment banker, the other a
CIA agent, who become entangled in a web
of international intrigue that could start a
nuclear war.
Goliath and the Killer Zombie.
Ian Cant. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper
(302p), ISBN 978-1-4791-2925-6; $3.99
e-book ASIN B008EDXX5E
Amazon
Set in 2466, this metafictional tales
investigator must solve a bizarre murder
while the prime suspect weaves increas-
ingly unbelievable stories of time travel
and cloning.
Days of Affliction.
Brian Carland. Quiver Books, 99 e-book
ISBN 978-0-9631107-2-5
Amazon
This story of the 1968 Tet offensive is
told by both American and Vietnamese
participants. A GI is captured, but a pros-
titute and Vietcong soldier plan his rescue.
Sanctuary in Steel: A Zombie Thriller.
Bryan Cassiday. CreateSpace, $22.95 paper
(344p), ISBN 978-1-4791-0617-2
Amazon
Survivors of the zombie apocalypse seek
sanctuary in Alcatraz prison, which is
lorded over by a leader who believes in due
process for zombies.
48 and Counting: A Story of Money,
Love and Bicycling.
Jonathan Clements. CreateSpace, $9.99
paper (165p), ISBN 978-1-4783-9213-2;
$3.99 e-book ASIN B00946TWMI
Amazon, bn.com
Unemployed, his marriage in tatters and
unsure what to do next, Max Whitfield
throws himself into training for a 40-mile
bicycle race.
The Assassin Dominic Monroe.
Davin Colten. iUniverse, $20.95 paper
(351p), ISBN 978-1-4759-1545-7; $3.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-4759-1547-1
Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon, bn.com
A spy and an innocent find themselves
on the run from the worlds most deadly
assassin in this espionage thriller.
Mary and the Invisible Scaffolding.
David Michael Conner. Amazon, $3.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-615-72088-3
Amazon
Eight-year-old Marys life changes dra-
matically when her mother drags her out
of bed for a road trip to New Orleans and
layers of mystery and reality unfold.
Mr. Nachrons List.
Mike Corbett. Centrifugal Publish-
ing, $11.95 paper (200p), ISBN 978-0-
9830679-2-4; $5.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9830679-3-1
Amazon, bn.com, and other sites
Ron Maddock commits himself to a
romantic high-stakes scavenger hunt that
carries him through the boundaries of time
and reality.
Becoming Shamus.
Elizabeth Curtisse.
DC P u b l i s h i n g
House, $16.99 paper
(355p), ISBN 978-0-
9855940-0-8; $3.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-
9855940-9-1
Amazon
A dog relates his tale of joining a family
and learning about duty, loyalty, and love,
and jealousy that turns into admiration as
the family faces the difficulties of daily life.
Genetically Privileged.
A.W. Daniels. iUniverse, $14.99 paper
(200p), ISBN 978-1-4759-4207-1; $3.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-4759-4209-5
iUniverse.com, Amazon
A couple hoping to start a family with
fertility treatments unknowingly become
part of the Bethlehem Project, which
seeks to create super humans through gene
manipulation; the first in a series explores
the ramifications genetic enhancement
could have on family and society.
The Conspiracies of Dreams.
Sandra Biber Didner. Inkwater Press,
$12.95 paper (210p), ISBN 978-1-59299-
784-8; $5.99 e-book
ASIN B008D686EK
Amazon, inkwater-
books.com
A f o r b i d d e n
romance between an
Egyptian spy and an
Israeli woman during
the 1956 Suez War is
derailed by Britains MI6 double agents.
Vida Nocturna: Some Monsters Are
Real.
Mark D. Diehl. CreateSpace, $9.95 paper
(232p), ISBN 978-1-4635-5406-4; 99
e-book ASIN B005067WJQ
Amazon
Sara fantasizes that her pale, slender, and
nocturnal new boyfriend is a vampire. By
the time she realizes hes a cocaine addict,
shes been bitten, too.
The Morning After John Lennon Was
Shot.
Larry Durstin. Current Publishing, $16.95
paper (254p), ISBN 978-0-615-55321-4;
$2.99 e-book ASIN B00AIABTB6
Amazon, Baker & Taylor
Reagan has just been elected and Len-
non has just been killed. With the nations
politics turning right and 60s dreams hit-
ting a dead end, 30-year-old Ray Powell
seeks romantic salvation in a profoundly
confused time.
Plunket in Wonderland: A Hollywood
Tale.
Alan M. Ehrlich. Sunning Turtle Press,
$19.95 paper (385p), ISBN 978-0-
9839049-0-8; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9839049-1-5
www.AlanMEhrlich.com
An overworked, underemployed reader
for a grade B movie studio is unjustly fired,
and as his swan song he submits an unchar-
acteristically glowing report for a screen-
play that doesnt exist.
Pieces of You.
J.F. Elferdink. CreateSpace, $9 paper
(220p), ISBN 978-0-615-66449-1; $5
e-book AIN B008ZP0XR2
Amazon
A comatose man is led on journeys into
the past and possible futures by a spirit
guide. He must choose whether to stay
with the woman he loves or cross over in
order to improve her world.
Behind the Spiritual Lines: Curse of
the Gifted Child.
R.J. Ellis. CreateSpace, $13.50 paper
(264p), ISBN 978-1-4701-
4015-1; 99 e-book ASIN
B007GQ0ITO
Amazon
A man awakens in a mental hospital
with no memory of getting there. As one
doctor helps him recover both his mysteri-
ous past and supernatural gifts, he is thrust
into cosmic battles between angelic and
demonic forces.
A Cape May Diamond.
Larry Enright. Cre-
a t e Spa c e , $16. 95
paper (354p), ISBN
978-1-4792-1000-8;
$2.99 e-book ISBN
978-0-9839403-3-3
Amazon
the decaying resort
town of Cape May,
N.J., in 1975 is the setting where the nar-
rator meets Tom, a convicted, then par-
doned, draft dodger. This is their story.
Spitzer Hafen.
Randall Franklin. Mikvelk Publishing,
$17.95 paper (481p), ISBN 978-1-4662-
1214-5; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9831549-3-8
bn.com
A slick apostate seeks to subvert Christi-
anity in New England as two missionaries
resist through broadcasts from a remote
island. Assassins on both sides raise the
question: when killers protect lies, who
defends the truth?
A Part to Play.
Jennifer L. Fry. Rogue Phoenix Press,
$17.95 paper (261p), ISBN 978-1-
936403-90-5; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9845078-88-9
shop.roguephoenix-
press.ieasysite.com
Shattered by the
death of her older sis-
ter, Lucy, 15, is sent
to boarding school
where she meets a
mysterious musician
who teaches her to
rediscover herself.
Baquba.
Tom Gabbay. $7.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-
615-69869-4
Amazon
Two veterans of the
Iraq war, struggling to adjust to life back
home, set out to halt a former comrades
violent descent into madness.
Secrets and Strangers.
James Gilbert. James Gilbert, $7.95 paper
(130p), ISBN 978-0-615-66932-8
Amazon
This collections 11 stories are set in
Prague, along the Mediterranean, in
Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and are
narrated by a young boy, a married man,
a woman, a gay man; they explore ironic
situations and ordinary encounters from
different perspectives.
None but the Brave: A Novel of the
Surgeons of World War II.
Anthony A. Goodman. Deer Creek Publi-
cations Group, $18.95 paper (472p), ISBN
978-1-4635-0798-5; $9.99 e-book ASIN
B007ZFRE6G
Amazon
This gripping account of the lives of
wartime doctors and nurses on the front
lines of WWII, from D-Day to the libera-
tion of concentration camps, is based on the
real-life diaries of a WWII surgeon. The
author is a surgeon who served in the U.S.
Army Medical Corps during the Vietnam
War.
Come from Nowhere.
Ellen Greenfield. 3Ring Press, $12.99
paper (308p), ISBN 978-0-9793527-6-8;
$3.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9793527-7-5
comefromnowhere.com
During the 1977 blackout in New York
City, seven female characters struggle to
find their ways home both literally and
metaphorically.
No Good Deed.
Penelope Grenoble. ABQ Press, $15.95
paper (274p), ISBN 978-0-9838712-9-3
abqpress.com
A missing boy and a dead body lead
Brody Cooper of the Malibu Times to a
story of deadly environmental politics in
the Santa Monica Mountains.
The Torn Wing: Book Two of the
Faerie Ring Series.
Kiki Hamilton. Fair Wind Books, $12.99
paper (318p), ISBN 978-1-4701-3143-2;
$7.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9881999-0-3
bn.com
As the orphan pick-
pocket who stole the
queens ri ng, Ti ki
finds her greatest fear
becoming all too real:
the fey have returned
to London seeking
revenge.
Life on Nubis.
Robert Harken. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(285p), ISBN 978-1-4792-1179-1; $4.99
e-book I
www.robertharken.com
Displaced humans emigrate from Earth
to resuscitate their lives on a new world.
They underestimate the risks and the
tenacity of a future they fled.
A Place in Life.
Robert C. Hartstein. Ink Write Press,
$15.95 paper (160p), ISBN 978-0-
9853566-1-3
Amazon, bn.com
This story captures the life of a boy dur-
ing the turmoil of the 1960s, and a love
that keeps two people together against all
odds.
Doves and Thunder Gods.
Patricia Hester. Patricia A. Wiggins,
$15.99 paper (382p), ISBN 978-0-
9845616-5-0; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9845616-4-3
Amazon
Th r e e mi l i t a r y
nurses and one college
professor live through
the Vietnam War with
different perspectives.
As a dying pilot tells
one of the nurses, Laggards come home
from war with stories to tell; true heroes
are rendered speechless.
Living with Your Past Selves.
Bill Hiatt. CreateSpace, $7.50 paper
(264p), ISBN 978-1-4792-9569-2; $0.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-6157-0285-8
Amazon
Taliesin Weaver remembers hundreds
of his former lives and can work magic as
well. Someone wants to kill him, and he
must find out who and why to save not only
himself but everyone he loves.
Shadow Dragon.
Lance Horton. iUniverse, $23.95 paper
(424p), ISBN 978-1-4620-0765-3; $3.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-4620-0767-7
www.shadowdragon.info
An FBI victim specialist, sent to Mon-
tana to investigate a series of brutal mur-
ders, discovers someoneor something
is on the loose on Shadow Mountain.
Hot Chocolate.
Dawn Greenfield Ireland. Artistic Ori-
gins, $9.99 paper (477p), ISBN 978-0-
9701137-9-5; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9701137-4-0
Amazon
The first in a series features the three
middle-aged, eccentric Alcott sisters, heir-
esses to the Alcott Chocolate fortune, in
Houston, in a wickedly funny cozy mystery
with an astrology theme.
Of Martyrs and Marigolds.
Aquila Ismail. CreateSpace, $12 paper
(304p), ISBN 978-1-4636-9482-1;
$2.99 e-book ASIN
B007MAZPCE
Amazon
A young Pakistani
woman i s trapped
by the paroxysm of
revenge unl eashed
agai nst her Urdu-
speaking people as
Bengali-speaking East Pakistan becomes
Bangladesh in 19711972, in a love story
with a geopolitical dimension.
There Are Reasons Noah Packed No
Clothes.
Robert Jacoby. Cloud Books, $12.95 paper
(342p), ISBN 978-0-9839697-0-9; $6.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-9839697-1-6
Amazon
A teenage suicide survivor wakes up in
an inpatient unit and learns how to fight
for his life.
What Remained of Katrina: A Novel
of New Orleans.
Kelly Jameson. CreateSpace, $9.99 paper
(250p), ISBN 978-1-4751-1191-0; $0.99
e-book ASIN B0058ZW5EG
Amazon, bn.com
Katrina Miller abandoned her art years
ago, but when her fourth husband tries
to kill her during Hurricane Katrina,
she comes back to haunt him and creates
murals all over the Ninth Ward; Honor-
able Mention Fiction, 2009 Leapfrog Press.
The Vessel.
Rita Kempley. Birth-
r i ght Publ i s hi ng,
$11.99 (312p), ISBN
978-0-9859010-2-8;
$2.99 e-book ISBN
978-0-9859010-0-4
Amazon
In this dystopian futuristic thriller
exploring the ethics of life extension, a
dying mans daughter must find his clone
to save his life. Its an entitlement only the
rich can afford.
Adele, the Rabbis Mother: Book One.
Anna King. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(356p), ISBN 978-1-4782-0028-4; $4.99
e-book ASIN B008TUDBE0
Amazon
Adele Rothstein has buried three hus-
bands and is living the good life of a sev-
enty-five-year-old femme fatale in New
York City when God comes calling. Never
mind that she doesnt actually believe in
Godshes got to solve this mystery.
Chocolate Chocolate Moons.
Jackie Kingon. Create Space, $$8,99 paper
(219p), ISBN 978-1-4775-6180-5; $2.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-62110-610-4
Amazon
Plus-size Molly Marbles wins a scholar-
ship to a university on the Moon, where
her weight drops from 287 pounds to 47.6.
After graduation, she works as a security
guard at the Culinary Institute of Mars,
where people start dying after eating the
popular candy Chocolate Moons.
Deaths Icy Hand: A Warbonnet Mys-
tery.
Robert Kresge. ABQ Press, $15.95 paper
(293p), ISBN 978-0-983712-6-2; $2.99
e-book ISBN 978-983712-6-2
www.abqpress.com
Mysterious deaths follow Russian Grand
Duke Alexiss goodwill visit to America in
1872, as sleuths Monday Malone and spe-
cial deputy Kate Shaw try to solve the mur-
ders on his snowbound train, and Buffalo
Bill Cody and George Armstrong Custer
are engaged as guides.
The Summer of the Rosenkavalier.
Carole Kulikowski. CreateSpace, $8.78
paper (222p), ISBN 978-1-4701-5984-9;
99 e-book ASIN B008JFTRDE
Amazon
The famous American opera singer
Anna Trent is nearing 50 and facing aging,
health problems, a philandering husband,
and a younger lover, as she performs at
European opera festivals throughout the
summer and learns life lessons from the
roles she plays.
A Concubine for the Family: A Family
Saga in China.
Amy S. Kwei. Tats Publishing, $15.99
paper (387p), ISBN 978-0-9815499-1-0;
$9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9815499-2-7
Amazon
I n 1937 Chi na,
conf l i ct s bet ween
the Communists and
Nationalists and the
threat of Japanese
invasion are overshad-
owed by the Huang
familys lack of a male
heir. Purple Jade gives
her husband a concubine to solve that prob-
lem, and her Chinese concept of virtue con-
trasts with the Western femi-
nism of an American teacher
at the Christian school. This is YA novelist
Kweis first book for adults.
Melforger.
Da vi d Lundgr e n.
Createspace, $11.89
paper (318p), ISBN
978-0-615-71960-3;
$6.89 e-book ASIN
B009YYRSBW
Amazon
Raf and his family live high in the Aeril
Forest, but their lives and the annual Fes-
tival are threatened when their tree-top
world starts dying and there are rumors of
an invasion from the north. Raf discovers
he has a magical, musical gift, but he must
travel far into the desert to learn how to
save his world.
Kiss of the Butterfly.
James Lyon. Amazon Digital Services,
$3. 99 e-book ( 335p) ISBN 978-0-
9853409-1-9
Amazon
In 1476, Srebenica, in Bosnia, was the
site of a massacre instigated by Prince
Vlad III; 500+ years later, another mas-
sacre occurs in the same town. A fast-paced
adventure into a modern heart of Balkan
darkness leads to the terrifying discovery of
long-forgotten evil, in a vivid... engaging
vampire novel, said Kirkus Reviews.
Death Aint but a Word: A Supernatu-
ral Hot Mess.
Zander Marks. Yard-
walker Press, $9.99
(318p), ISBN 978-
0-9885485-1-0; 99
e-book ISBN 978-0-
9885485-0-3
wilkj.com
When a crackhead
meets the ghost of his
childhood friend, he is plunged into a life-
or-death adventure and finds his calling.
Passion and Principle.
Patricia McLaine. CreateSpace, $21.95
paper (510p), ISBN 978-0-9837855-9-0;
$8.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9837855-8-3
Amazon
This is the story of
a passionate Irish mys-
tic who immigrates
to America to become
both a slaveholder and a
member of the Under-
ground Railroad.
Falling for Johnny.
Alison McLennan. Twisted Roots Pub-
lishing, $9.99 paper (212p), ISBN 978-
0-9853947-0-7; $4.99 e-book ASIN
B0092SNKTO
Amazon, bn.com
Friendship between a teenage girl and a
mafia boss becomes twisted when she finds
out his identity. Johnny was inspired by the
Irish mafia boss, James Whitey Bulger.
Shenandoah: A Novel of Redemption.
Robert Miskimon. Xlibris, $19.99 paper
(210p), ISBN 978-1-4771-2872-5; $3.99
e-book ASIN B008GRE46KA
Amazon
Randolph MacAlpine seeks a completely
new direction for his life, but his choices
are determined by genetics as much as by
willpower in this saga of Virginia families
in the first half of the 20th century.
My Last Summer with You: No Fan-
fare for a Withered Rose.
Fidelis O. Mkparu. Dog Ear Publish-
ing, $15.99 paper (164p), ISBN 978-
1-4575-1258-2; $9.99 e-book ASIN
B009GKRC4M
Amazon, bn.com
When a young Afri-
can student travels to
the U.S. for college
in the mid-1970s,
he faces the strains
of cross-cultural rela-
tionships and learns
who his true friends
are.
Ephemeral (The Countenance).
Addison Moore. Addison Moore Publish-
ing, $13.99 (410p), ISBN N.A.; $3.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-9834782-6-3
Amazon
The last thing Laken Stewart remem-
bers is the oncoming car. Two months dis-
solve without her knowledge, and she finds
herself in unfamiliar surroundings among
strangers and with a new name and iden-
tity. Is she alive or dead?
Poetic Justice.
Elliott Murphy. Elliott Murphy Books,
$14.99 paper (246p), ISBN 978-0-615-
66909-0; $9.99 e-book AIN B008L5E4IU
Amazon
An American Hamlet who adores Walt
Whitmans poetry seeks deadly revenge in
a western novel as vast and stylistic as a
classic Sergio Leone movie.
Cured.
Donna Huston Murray. Smashwords,
$13.95 paper (262p), ISBN 978-0-
9856880-4-2; $8.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-
3018472-1-1
Amazon, bn.com, Smashwords
Financial resourceshijacked. Friend-
shipsexpired. Homeevicted. Credibil-
ityshot. Lauren Beck has beaten cancer,
but can she escape a murder charge and
apprehend the real killer?
A Lion in America 1.
Robert Mwangi. CreateSpace, $12 paper
(180p), ISBN 978-1-4750-6488-9; $9.99
e-book ASIN B007ZI2BJ8
Bn.com, Amazon
James, from an African village, wins a
scholarship to study in America. But when
his girlfriend back home disappears, James
risks his life and his American dream to
find her in the jungle.
Dancer and Spy: Alphabet Anatomy.
Michael Myers. Heatherdale Press, $12.99
paper (380p), ISBN
978-0-615-72103-3;
$2.99 e-book ASIN
B009RAOM76
Amazon
Russian special-
ist Sergei Shannin is
trained to kill, but a
fearless young woman
stands between him and his next targeta
Russian crime lord.
Revenge of the Mad Scientist: Airship
Adventure Chronicles.
Lara Nance. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(265p), ISBN 978-1-4791-1579-2; $2.99
e-book ASIN B008XJ8LJ2
Amazon
Lady Arabella Trunkett faces airship
pirates, mad scientists, slave traders, and
secret assassins as she seeks to rescue her
kidnapped father in this steampunk adven-
ture.
The Tangled Web: Florida Sunset
Murder.
Mary Margaret Nilan. NILAN, $4.95
e-book ISBN 978-0-9848014-1-1
bn.com
Desperate to save
Baby Sister, amateur
sl euth and actress
Megan Parke employs
theatrical tactics to
reveal the truth in this
tale of fraud, murder,
and a rushed jury ver-
dict among characters rich and famous.
Gale Warnings (Twilight of the Demi-
gods).
Chris OGrady. Amazon Digital Services,
$2.99 e-book (194p) ASIN B007XVAIMY
Amazon
Ever wonder how a book gets published,
becomes a bestseller, maybe even a movie?
Here are some of the people who make it
happen. But brace yourselfsometimes it
aint real pretty.
Silent Lies.
Mel Parish. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper
(316p), ISBN 978-1-4701-2538-7; $4.99
e-book ASIN B0065KBZDU
Amazon
Accountant Cal Millers attempt to
protect his reputation by withholding
information from police investigating the
whereabouts of his assistant in smalltown
Leyton backfires. In the developing scan-
dal, Cals business, marriage, and freedom
are at stake.
One Night in Bridgeport.
Mark Paxson. King Midget Press, $9.99
paper (309p), ISBN 978-1-4611-7149-2;
$4.99 e-book
Amazon, Smashwords
A tale of lust and vengeance, and of one
mans attempt to salvage his life after being
accused of a rape he did not commit.
The Johnny Casino Casebook 1: Past
Imperfect.
G.B. Pool. Spygame Press, $14.95 paper
(348p), ISBN 978-0-
97494464-7; $4.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-
97494465-4
Amazon, bn.com
Johnny Casino is
a retired PI with a
past. He just hopes it
doesnt catch up with
him.
Network of Killers.
D.B. Reynolds. CreateSpace, $9.98 paper
(312p), ISBN 978-1-4637-8060-9; 99
e-book ASIN B006YZUC4Y
d-b-reynolds.com
A criminal dynasty engages in corrup-
tion, betrayal, and murder to expand its
vast criminal enterprise.
Against the Ruins.
Linda Lightsey Rice.
i Uni verse, $27. 95
hardcover ( 260p) ,
ISBN 978-1-4759-
1739-0; $4.99 e-book
ISBN 978-1-4759-
1738-3
Amazon
A gripping drama of madness and preju-
dice set in the 1950s South relates how a
woman and her daughter struggle to sur-
vive their war hero husband and fathers
psychosis and attempted suicide.
Amidst Traffic.
Michel Sauret. One Way Street Production,
$14 paper (338p), ISBN 978-0-9883784-
0-7; $0.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9883784-
1-4
Amazon
This collection of short fiction, includ-
ing some stories that have appeared in liter-
ary journals and publications internation-
ally, are suspenseful and emotional, crafted
with compassion and seeking answers to
the conflicts of daily life.
Perigee Moon.
Lynn Schneider. CreateSpace, $15.99 paper
(342p), ISBN 978-1475098075; $2.99
e-book ASIN B0083LLUQQ
Amazon
Luke has allowed a woman to control
him for most of his life, until the night
of the Perigee Moon, when he decides he
must make choices of his own.
Hell City.
Allen Shadow. Blue City Media, 99
e-book ISBN 978-0-9859688-0-9
Amazon
Counterterrorism task-force commander
Jack Oldham finds love and a lost America
as he tracks a new generation of American-
born jihadists, in this darkly comic novel.
Cooper Moon: The Calling, Vol. 1.
Cheryl Shireman. Still Waters Publishing,
$9.99 paper (356p), ISBN 978-1-4781-
5365-8; 99 e-book ASIN B008MP38DG
Amazon
Cooper Moon, a
handsome woman-
izer, finds God and
and decides to build
a church. But with
no knowledge of the
Bible, no money, a
reputation as a slacker,
scheming women, and a jealous husband,
he has a lot to overcome.
In Arms and Idleness.
Emmett E. Slake. Publish Green, $6.99
e-book (290p) ISBN 978-1-938008-47-4
inarmsandidleness.com
Two American soldiers, part of the occu-
pation force in Japan following WWII, are
caught up in the early days of the Korean
War; each follows his own path, for good
and for ill.
Saving Gracie.
Jill Teitelman. Freestyle
9858887-0-1
saving-gracie.com
A witty, sharp novel that explores the
way age, illness, and parenting drive even
the strongest characters toward growth and
redemption, says Kirkus Reviews.
Marginal Mormons.
Johnny Townsend. BookLocker.com,
$15.95 paper (246p), ISBN 978-1-62141-
737-8; $2.99 e-book
booklocker.com
Mormon gays, drug addicts, political
protestors, schizophrenics, con artists, and
more.
A Cowboy Christmas: An American
Tale.
Thomas Van Dyke.
Page Branch Publish-
ing, $18. 95 paper
(134p), ISBN 978-0-
615-31837-0
Baker & Taylor, acow-
boychristmas.com
With empty pock-
ets, a spark for life, and a wild sense of free-
dom, WB, not yet 16 in 1873, follows his
heart to search for adventure and fortune
and discovers the romance. Elmore Leonard
says, Its good and it moves!
She That Remains.
Anne Irgens Vandermolen. LJ Parrish
9857425-0-8; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9857425-2-2
Amazon
A secretive neurosurgon saves a young
womans life by sacrificing another in a
thriller about the ethics of medical inter-
vention.
Murder Ballad.
Elizabeth K. Wadsworth. CreateSpace,
$14.95 paper (383p), ISBN 978-1-
4775-1711-6; $3. 99 e-book ASIN
B008PVUIQM
Amazon
In post-WWII New York, a secretary
and her PI boss trade wise-
cracks while attempting to
solve a series of baffling murders.
Malice: A Pete Thorsen Mystery.
Robert Wangard. Ampersand, $17.95
paper (306p), ISBN 978-1-4507-9593-7;
$9.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4507-9597-5
Attorney Pete Thorsen learns of a brutal
murder in his quiet lake community. Hes
intrigued, but not involved, until a suspect
asks for his help when shes called in for
questioning. Then some thugs start stalk-
ing his family. The third in a series.
Law.
Ed Willis. Law, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-
1-4764-8782-3
Amazon
Max volunteers for a surgery that isolates
him, yet hes able to mobilize a movement
through poetry, while John breaks down
into multiple personalities after losing his
wife. Meanwhile, the mysterious Institute
steers the fates of both men in a tale remi-
niscent of Kafka, Cline, and Burroughs.
The Ishango Bone.
Paul Hastings Wilson. CreateSpace,
$15.99 paper (210p), ISBN 978-1-4700-
5982-8
Amazon
A brilliant, bewitching, and enigmatic
woman from obscure and humble begin-
nings in North Africa pays a price for dar-
ing to solve the greatest mystery of the
mathematical world.
Blues by the Numbers... and Other
Numbers: Selected Fiction and Poetry.
Paul Hastings Wilson. CreateSpace/Blue
Atlas Press, $17.95 paper (440p), ISBN
978-1-4564-6949-8
Amazon, bn.com
Questions of justice and morality follow-
ing a bloody revolution in North Africa,
a murder mystery in New Yorks literary
scene, and a southern Louisiana jazz band
confronted with brutal racial violence are
among the stories in this collection.
Roost.
Jasmine Winterson. Camerado Books,
$13.99 paper (319p), ISBN 978-0-
9882208-2-9; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9882208-1-2
Amazon
Four corporate refugees settle in Colo-
rado where they help local farmers sell their
produce. When an Olympic biker arrives
and plans to start a bicycle course, the four
friends find they must still battle corporate
corruption even in the countryside.
They Call Me... Montey Greene.
A.R. Yoba Yoba. GSE Book Works, $14
paper (414p), ISBN 978-0-9854408-1-7;
$9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9854408-0-0
Amazon, bn.com, Kobo
If youre putting four bullets in a man,
you may want to make sure hes dead. Espe-
cially if youre calling that man Montey
Greene.
Attorney-Client Privilege.
Pamela Samuels Young. Goldman House
Publishing, $16.99 paper (388p), ISBN
978-0-9815627-9-7; $4.99 e-book ISBN
978-0-9857341-1-4
Amazon, bn.com, CreateSpace
When a hotshot L.A. lawyer takes on a
corporation with a long history of discrimi-
nating against women, her quest for justice
is hindered by a brutal murder, missing
documents, and an unscrupulous opposing
counsel.
Poisoned Soil.
Tim Young. Harmony Publishing, $12.50
paper (326p), ISBN 978-1-4792-2021-2;
$2.99 e-book ASIN B009EAV6VY
Amazon
When an acclaimed chef serves an illicit
delicacy, an ancient disease resurfaces and
unleashes a trail of black death.
Chiral Mad: Anthology of Psychologi-
cal Horror.
Edited by Michael Bailey; contributors
include Jack Ketchum, Gary A. Braun-
beck, Gene ONeill, Gary McMahon,
Gord Rollo, Jeff Strand, Erik T.Johnson,
et al . Written Backwards, $15 paper
(370p), ISBN 978-1-4791-5243-8
www.nettirw.com, Amazon
This anthology of psychological horror
includes 28 short stories by established
authors and newcomers from around the
world.
Eugenies Story (Swallowcliffe Hall).
Jennie Walters. Amazon Digital Services,
$2.99 e-book (148p), ISBN978-1-301-
56826-0
Amazon
Another title in the Swallowcliffe Hall
series: its 1890, Eugenie was the prettiest
debutante of the season; three years later,
shes still unmarried. She follows her heart
from Swallowcliffe Hall to London, Ire-
land, Paris, and Giverny until she finds
love in an unexpected place. For Downton
Abbey fans.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Your Guide Through Her Breast Can-
cer Journey.
Katherine Formosa Bown. Urban Traffic
Publishing, $6.99 paper (80p), ISBN 978-
0-9573838-0-7; $1.99 e-book ISBN 978-
0-9573838-1-4
Amazon
This book is aimed at readers who have
someone they love and care for just diagnosed
with breast cancer. For those who feel help-
less, scared, and not sure what to do next.
Health Insurance: Navigating Traps &
Gaps.
Ma u r a L o u g h l i n
Carley, MPH, CIC.
Ampersand, $19.95
paper (208p), ISBN
978-1-4507-9591-3;
$9.99 e-book ASIN
B007D84YP4
Amazon, bn. com,
Ingram
In this volatile time, healthcare cover-
age has become too complex and expensive.
This book will help readers avoid costly
traps and gaps.
The Troubled Health Dollar: How It
Affects the Care We Receive.
Steve Fredman, M.D. Virtualbookworm.
com Publishing, $14.99 (251p), ISBN
978-1-60264-935-4; $3.99 e-book ISBN
978-1-60264-936-1
Amazon; bn.com,
A medical doctor answers many ques-
tions about how health care has changed
during the past half-century, from eco-
nomic issues to medical questions about
Alzheimers, diabetes, joint replacement,
and many others.
The Hidden Story of Cancer: Find Out
Why Cancer Has Physicians on the
Run and How a Simple Plan Based on
New Science Can Prevent It.
Brian Peskin and Amid Habib, M.D.
Pinnacle Press, $39.95 hardcover (732p),
ISBN 978-0-9882780-0-4; $24.95 e-book
www.pinnacle-press.com
The prime and singular cause of cancer is
not genetic; the authors show readers how
to stop cancer before it starts.
JUVENILE FICTION
Black Jaguar, Green Jade: A Maya
Adventure.
Sylvia L. Andrews. SylvanArts Press,
$11.23 paper (300p), ISBN 978-1-
4637-5554-6; $2.99 e-book ASIN
B005Y0S440
www.sylvanartspress.com, Amazon
A YA cliffhanger set in the jungles of
Belize. The heroine realizes her dream, but
must also confront drug dealers, kidnap-
pers, and her feelings for Balam, a young
Maya. She solves an ancient mystery with
the help of her friends.
Whoever Heard of a Fird.
Othello Bach. Choice Books, $15.50 paper
(60p), ISBN 978-1-4793-3318-9
Amazon
Firdpart fish, part birdsearches
for a herd of fird, in this picture book. He
wants to know if hes firding right. But
no one has heard of a fird.
Goodnight Miami.
Patricia Baloyra, illus. by Sarah Knotz.
Ampersand, $17.95 hardcover (32p), ISBN
978-1-4507-9592-0
Magical Miami is a singular city, with so
many special places and things. This pic-
ture book is written for children, yet loved
by all ages.
The Adventures of Tempest & Serena.
Marty Mokler Banks. CreateSpace, $6.99
paper (136p), ISBN 978-1-4752-0434-6;
$2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62345-469-2
Amazon, bn.com
Twin sisters battle bullies, loneliness,
and disaster as one goes on a wild adven-
ture to find summer forever while the other
stays home and guards her sisters seat on
the school bus. Ages 7up.
The Moon Omnibus.
Jeanette Battista. Jeanette Battista, $22.99
paper (670p), ISBN 978-1-4783-4110-9;
$4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4760-0969-8
Amazon
Combines the first three novels of the
YA shifter Moon series into one volume:
Leopard Moon, Jackal Moon, and Hyena Moon.
Embracing the Elephant.
Lori Hart Beninger. On Track Publishing,
$29.95 hardcover (372p), ISBN 978-0-
9856897-1-1; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9856897-2-8
Amazon, bn.com
This hiistorical fiction adventure set
during the California Gold Rush is a com-
ing-of-age tale of an 11-year-old girl sail-
ing from Boston to San Franciso to reunite
with her widowed father. Ages 812.
The Door in the Sky
Sandy Klein Bernstein. Dog Ear Publish-
ing, $12.95 (268p), ISBN 978-1-4575-
1111-0; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4575-
1474-6
Amazon, bn.com, iTunes
Eleven-year-old Ricky and his teen-
age sister bicker their way through an
enchanted kingdom, befriend a teen alche-
mist, and make enemies of a villainous
shadow and sorceress. Ages 9up.
Henry! Youre Hungry AGAIN?
Mary Evanson Bleckwehl, illus. by Brian
Barber. Beavers Pond Press, $16.95 hard-
cover (32p), ISBN 978-1-59298-545-6
1-800-901-3480, BeaversPondBooks.com
Henry prefers junk food over healthy
stuff and finds out someone else does, too!
Will everyone slide into the
junk food pit or be rescued?
Castle Falcon.
Tom Alan Brosz. Tom Brosz, $24.99 hard-
cover (477p), ISBN 978-0-9858276-0-1;
$2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9858276-3-2
castlefalcon.com
A YA fantasy adventure about two
modern young people living in a vast and
ancient stone fortress that conceals a gate-
way to a dark and demon-filled hell.
BrookLyns Journey.
Coffey Brown. CreateSpace, $10 paper
(258p), ISBN 978-1-4776-3419-6; $2.99
e-book ASIN B008AMKQPO
Amazon
BrookLyn, a high school senior in Pine
Bush, N.Y., set on escaping her abusive
family, finds her plans may shift when her
friend Gabriella wants more than friend-
ship.
Goodnight Acadiana.
Lesley Costner Crawford. Ampersand,
$16.95 hardcover (24p), ISBN 978-1-
4507-9590-6
Acadiana comprises 22 parishes in
southwest Louisiana. This picture-book
tribute to a bountiful ecosystem and fond
traditions conveys an appreciation of its
singular heritage. Ages 36.
Alala: Zurka, Zutus, and a Star Pow-
ered Sword.
Phelan Dancer. Amazon Digital Services,
$2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-938472-00-8
Amazon
Alala, a Y-type human, is adopted by
Xander, a television-addicted father, who
moves her to Earth. Shes happy, until she
learns the secrets behind mythology.
Basajaun.
Rosemary Van Deuren. Wooden Smith
Books, $12 paper (374p), ISBN 978-0-
9858521-0-8
www.rosemaryvandeuren.com
An adventure fantasy about a 12-year-
old girls mission to rescue a warren of mag-
ical rabbits from a mysterious and sinister
force. Ages 12up.
Dark Summer: Book I, Witchling Tril-
ogy.
Lizzy Ford. Guerrilla Wordfare, $10.99
paper (250p), ISBN 978-1-62378-027-2;
$3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62378-060-9
Amazon
A girl with a magi-
cal secret and a boy
with no future. When
they meet, they are
faced with a choice:
their love or their
souls.
The Journey of Hannah Woods.
Helene Forst. Xlibris, $29.99 hardcover
(295p), ISBN 978-1-4771-1645-6
Amazon; bn.com; Xlibris
Fourteen-year-old Hannah becomes
addicted to the prescription drugs she
takes to control her anxiety, brought on by
family secrets. Her hippie grandparents,
an understanding therapist, and a new best
friend help her discover her amazing self.
Root Bound: Emma & the Elementals,
Vol. 1.
Tanya Karen Gough. Baba Yaga Press,
$19. 99 paper (251p), ISBN 978-0-
9878506-0-7; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9878506-1-4
Amazon
Emma and her fathers new home has
some strange neighbors and shes bullied
at her new school. Then she falls through
the air vent in her bedroom into the valley
of Hades, where she may be able to restore
magic to the human world.
The Most Curious Girl in Her Class:
The Adventures of Hecky and
Shmecky.
Herman Huber, illus. by Esteban Erlich.
Mishpucha Books, $9.99 paper (32p),
ISBN 978-0-9883544-0-1; $4.99 e-book
ISBN 978-0-9883544-1-8
MishpuchaBooks.com, Amazon, bn.com
What happens in FrogBog Forest doesnt
always stay in FrogBog Forest. Follow the
most curious girl in the whole second
grade as she and her little brother find
fun, adventure, and big trouble among the
unusual creatures there.
Three Green Rats: An Eco Tale.
Linda Mason Hunter & Suzanne Summers-
gill. HunterInk@PinnStudio, $18 paper
(112p), ISBN 978-0-9881393-0-5
www.threegreenrats.com
Oli, Wilbur, and Tom are recycling eco
rats who try to save Tintown from losing
its last patch of trees to a big-box store.
Ages 612.
Haunting Thelma Thimblewhistle:
The Chronicles of Dead Anna.
Solomon J. Inkwell. Oakberry & Ink-
well, $12.95 paper (264p), ISBN 978-
1-4699-7612-9; $2.99 e-book ASIN
B0093RC0RM
www. sol omoni nk-
well.com
Yo ung The l ma
Thimblewhistle must
save the lives of the
not-quite-dead and
prevent the return of
the worlds greatest
evilthe boogeyman.
Spanky: A Soldiers Son.
S.L. LaNeve. Amazon Digital Services,
$3.16 e-book ISBN 978-0-9839865-0-8
Amazon, bn.com
After Dad is deployed to Afghanistan,
middle schooler Spanky must make him
proud by facing his fears and learning the
true meaning of friendship and heroism.
Millie & Honey: The Incredible,
Instantaneous, Interplanetary Adven-
ture, Vol. II: Appleopolis.
J.D. Means, illus. by Romar Lipana. Dog
Ear Publishing, $12.95 paper (112p),
ISBN 978-1-45751394-7
Amazon
Millie, her dog Honey, and Honeys lit-
ter of Salazar, Jasmine, Burt, and Blinky,
visit the planet Appleopolis in their travel-
ing machine. Ages 612.
The Lands of Forever.
Ruth Anne Meredith, illus. by Dian M.
Bagent. Mirror Publishing, $15.99 paper
(428p), ISBN 978-1-61225-088-5
Amazon, bn.com
Serena is an ordinary girl in an ordi-
nary world until she finds an old diary
written by her ancestor, who disap-
peared in a mysterious storm at sea.
Ships are still disappearing in the same
location, and Serena joins a discovery
team, which finds a magical world.
Ages 15up.
How Katie Got a Voice: (and a Cool
New Nickname).
Patricia L. Mervine, illus. by Ian Acker.
Trafford, $21 paper (40p), ISBN 978-1-
4269-6649-1
www.speakingofspeech.com/SOS.html
How can the fourth-grade students in
Cherry Street School be friends with Katie,
a girl who cant walk or talk? The author,
a speech/language pathologist with 20
years experience, celebrates differences
and inclusion.
Tin Can.
Colin Noble. 4th Floor Press, $24.95 paper
(503p), ISBN 978-1-897530-35-1; $2.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-897530-28-3
Amazon
Space colonists from Earth are marooned
and unable to return home, but one of the
children, conceived in space, develops new
neural pathways in his abnormal brain.
With the help of his family, friends, and
computers, he visualizes new ways of trav-
eling through space.
The Sound and the Echoes.
Dew Pellucid, illus. by Andy Simmons.
Echoland Publications, $18.78 paper
(582p), ISBN 978-1-4783-0518-7; $2.99
e-book ISBN 978-0-9850920-2-3
Amazon
There is an alternate world in which
every Sound has a counterpart Echo, and
when a Sound dies, its Echo must as well.
Twelve-year-old Will is a Sound being
hunted by Echoes, and he must solve the
riddle of The Lake of Eternal Ice to save
both Sounds and Echoes.
Capers.
Penny Piva. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(290p), ISBN 978-1-4781-2580-8; $4.99
e-book AIN B007B7ZKKU
Amazon
Friends arent all 17-year-old Hazel dis-
covers during a summer Italy. While solv-
ing robberies that jeopardize her aunts
work and secrets, Hazel realizes happiness
requires honesty with everyone, including
herself. Ages 14up.
Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves.
James Matlack Raney. James Matlack
Raney, $11.99 paper (283p), ISBN 978-
0-9858359-0-3; $8.99 e-book ISBN 978-
0-9858359-1-0
www.jimmorganbooks.com
Jim Morgan must outwit the King of
Thieves and his army of pickpockets in a
race for pirate treasure. Ages 812.
Five Nights to the Crimson Moon.
Walter Renfrey. Walter Renfrey, $15.99
paper (304p), ISBN 978-0-646-58641-0;
$8.97 e-book ISBN 978-0-646-58547-5
Amazon
In the high-tech land of Gol, 13-year-old
Corbin confronts his worst nightmare as he
attempts to rescue his mother and save his
world. And he has only five nights to do
it. Ages 12up.
Red Rose and Blue Butterfly.
Sara Sirotzky, illus. by Andra Weber.
Ampersand, $17.95 (32p), ISBN 978-1-
4507-9594-4
Red Rose and Blue Butterfly are very
best friends. One day Blue Butterfly
announces he wants to see the world. But
Red Rose cannot fly.
Midnight at the Taj Mahal: Vol. I, the
Out-of-School Adventures.
Br ynn Ol e nbe rg Suga r ma n. Cr e -
ateSpace, $7.99 paper (202p), ISBN
978-1-4775-2006-2; $2.99 e-book ASIN
B008RSQGPA
Two children spending a year in India are
given an ancient diary that belonged to the
builder of the Taj Mahal. With a new friend,
they travel back in time, and in their first
adventure, they must save the shah and his
princess daughter from their prison tower.
Saving Mars.
Cidney Swanson. Williams Press, $12.99
paper (379p), ISBN 978-0-9835621-6-0;
$4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9835621-9-1
Amazon
Jessamyn Jaarda,
17 and banned from
piloting, must prove
she and her autistic
brother should be
the raiders chosen
to save Mars Colony
from starvation.
Secret of the Songshell: Book One of
the Spectraland Saga.
Brian Tashima. Prism Valley Press, $9.99
paper (318p), ISBN 978-0-615-64815-6;
$4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-66891-8
www.thespectralandsaga.com
To become a rock star, a teenage gui-
tarist with Aspergers syndrome travels
to another world where his brain waves,
combined with the sound waves of music,
can produce magical effects.
Phoebe the Foodie.
Carly Ubersox, illus. by Dawn M. Rewey.
CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (24p), ISBN
978-1-4699-7957-1
www.phoebethefoodie.com
Clever rhyme and vibrant illustrations
show Phoebe trying out new and health-
fulefoods in a rainbow of colors.
Elixir Quest: Dragons Curse, Vol. 1.
Sean Walton. IAS Publishing, $8.17 paper
(254p), ISBN 978-1-4752-6424-1; $2.99
e-book ASIN B007XYA1BO
Amazon, bn.com
Sir Joseph of Tredin, an 11th-century
dragon-slaying English knight, must
become a dragon to save his dying human
king. Ages 12up.
Pariah: Dragons Curse, Vol. 2.
(316p), ISBN 978-1-4752-6512-5; $2.99
e-book ASIN B007YA5MT8
Amazon, bn.com
Both human and dragon worlds banish
Joseph while he succumbs to the Empty
Curse, where a nameless
dragon becomes an animal of
endless ire. Ages 12up.
The Forbidden: Dragons Curse, Vol. 3.
Sean Walton. IAS Publishing, $10.08
paper (348p), ISBN 978-1-4791-8454-5
Amazon, bn.com
Joseph, once an honored knight and now
king of the dragons, must unify the two
races of dragons before their split erupts
into civil war again. Ages 12up.
The Hatcher: Split Between Worlds,
Vol. 1.
(170p), ISBN 978-1-4663-3922-4; $2.99
e-book ASIN B005NWHAGW
Amazon, bn.com
Strange Uncle Adok asks Sam to hatch
a dragon, keep it away from a schoolyard
bully, and deal with an interfering rogue
adult dragon.
Dragons Coup: Split Between Worlds,
Vol. 2.
(136p), ISBN 978-1-4637-1281-5; $2.99
e-book ASIN B005NTJZPO
Amazon, bn.com
A government takeover on the dragon
world entangles Sam Westecher in an effort
to bring the dragons back to Earth.
The Dragon Punisher: Split Between
Worlds, Vol. 3.
(266p), ISBN 978-1-4637-1284-6; $2.99
e-book ASIN B005NTPR2Y
Amazon, bn.com
Old Man, a dragon name Sam inher-
ited during the coup, awakens, alerting
the Dragon Elders, and Sam must find an
escaped dragon hatchling.
Dragon Stature: Split Between
Worlds, Vol. 4.
(344p), ISBN 978-1-4637-1289-1; $2.99
e-book ASIN B005SSKX60
Amazon, bn.com
Strafen the Punisher coaxes Sam to
seek out and punish rogue dragons, but
the Dragon Elders have con-
cluded that Sam must die.
Wilderness Edge: A Time to
Mend,Vol. 1.
(174p), ISBN 978-1-4636-6782-5; $2.99
e-book ASIN B005CIH4M2
Amazon, bn.com
Jake, a talentless boy, must solve and
prevent murders, combat a dragon and an
extradimensional monster, and uncover his
gifts in the prehistoric past.
Lost in the Eaves: A Time to Men, Vol. 2.
(264p), ISBN 978-1-4636-8250-7; $2.99
e-book ASIN B005JFMAZE
Amazon, bn.com
Unable to train Jakes new talent, Hill-
side sends him to find an exiled youth, but
time-fragmenter Dr. Albenni wants to die
by killing Jake.
Generals Vie: A Time to Mend, Vol. 3.
Sean Walton. IAS Publishing, $2.99
e-book (198p) ISBN 978-1-4801-7198-5;
Amazon, bn.com
Jakes powers are nearly uncontrollable.
As town leaders seek power through him,
a general commands him to time-weave
a war.
JUVENILE
NONFICTION
Alphabet Anatomy: Meet the Capital
Letters.
Linda A. Jones, illus. by Branson Jones and
Toby Mikle. Friesen Press, $10.92 paper
(32p), ISBN 978-1-4602-0047-6; $4.99
e-book ISBN 978-1-4602-0048-3
Amazon
Discover the letters lives behind the
scenes with rhyming verses and illustra-
tions that teach sound, recognition, and
how to write the letters.
Rhymz for the NurSoulry: A Collec-
tion of Nursery Rhymes Inspired by
the Lives of Africans in America.
R. Jay Turner. The NurSoulry Company,
$29.99 hardcover (60p), ISBN 978-0-615-
59253-4
Amazon
Nursery rhymes focus on the African-
American experience, helping children
experience history out loud. Includes CD.
NATURE
Cycle.
Jay Amberg. Amika Press, $14.95 paper
(190p), ISBN 978-1-937484-00-2
www.amikapress.com
Centuries-old redwoods, the monarch
but t e r f l y a nd i t s
thousands-mile-long
migration, an Arc-
tic mother wolf with
cubs, and one of the
gr eat es t s eagoi ng
mammals give voice
to the worlds envi-
ronmental crisis in
a fresh way; 20% of the proceeds will be
donated to the Nature Conservancy.
Art of Winter: A Photographic Essay.
Julie M. Covert. Whitehead Press, $38
hardcover (96p), ISBN 978-0-9853690-
0-2
www.JulieMCovert.com, Amazon, B&N
A photographic celebration of the beauty
that winter creates with ice and snow, with
166 full-color photos.
Marias Duck Tales: Wildlife Stories
from My Garden.
Maria Daddino. Llumina Press, $14.95
paper (108p), ISBN 978-1-933626-54-3;
$4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4658-0221-7
www.mariadaddino.com
The author created a certified natural
wildlife habitat and relates stories of
the untamed creatures who call her gar-
den home. [W]ith a touch of humor
and poignancy, Duck Tales is a strong
pick for wildlife-themed memoir col-
l ecti ons, wri tes the Mi dwe s t Book
Review.
The Legacy of Annie Rose.
Carolyn E. Swagerle. AuthorHouse, $17.99
paper (91p), ISBN 978-1-4490-1467-4
authorhouse.com
The author, a recovered arachnophobe, is
plunged into the world of spiders when her
new pet tarantula unexpectedly lays eggs;
200 color photos.
NONFICTION
The Rose Hotel.
Rahimeh Andalibian. Nightingale Press,
$14.99 paper (410p), ISBN 978-0-615-
67223-6; $ e-book ISBN
Amazon
An intimate account of a family, their
rebirth after tragedy, and their hard-won
redemption in the context of the 1979 Iran
revolution.
The Christians Guide to Harry Potter.
Leslie Barnhart. Ingram, $20 (360p), ISBN
978-1-4775-7508-6
Amazon
This guide attempts to reconcile Harry
Potter fandom and Christianity, uncover-
ing Christian history, traditions, and bibli-
cal passages throughout the series.
Its All About Me... or Is It?.
Christopher Barron. CreateSpace, $15.99
paper (164p), ISBN 978-1-4775-2566-1
Amazon
An uplifting rumination on the inner
questions and longing we all experience.
The Naked Truth About Publishers
Clearing House.
Darrell Lester. Pennywyse Press, $15.95
paper (214p), ISBN 978-1-935437-42-0;
$9.97 e-book ISBN 1935437429
www.pchbook.com
In this unauthorized tell-all book, a
former executive at Publishers Clearing
House who worked there for more than 30
years reveals the secrets and truths of one of
the most famous companies in the world.
Childless by Marriage.
Sue Fagalde Lick. Blue Hydrangea Produc-
tions, $15.95 paper (299p), ISBN 978-0-
9833894-6-0; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-
9833894-5-3
www.suelick.com/Childless.html
What happens when your spouse is
unable or unwilling to have children with
you? You become childless by marriage. Its
time to tell that story.
Alpha to Omega: Journey to the End
of Time.
Matthew A. Petti.
Two Se ns e Pub-
l i cati ons, $29. 99
(318p), ISBN 978-0-
9856855-2-2
matthewpetti.com/
book
Pe t t i e xpl or e s
human origins and our journey through
history, discovering the metaphysics of
truth in a new perspective that will chal-
lenge our beliefs about God, ancient mys-
teries and the Book of Revelations proph-
ecy.
Your Mark on the World. Devin D.
Thorpe. CreateSpace, $11.95 paper (215p),
ISBN 978-1-4782-3969-7; $9.99 e-book
ISBN 978-1-4763-5514-6
yourmarkontheworld.com
Thorpe offers inspiring stories of service
interwoven with practical financial advice
that empower the reader to give more time
and money to a cause without giving up
family and career.
PHILOSOPHY
The Answer Is Never Magic.
Robert S. Porter. Robert S. Porter, $2.99
e-book (132p), ISBN
978-1-4760-5998-3
Amazon, Smas h-
words
The a ut ho r, a
medical doctor and
photographer, con-
ducts both sides of a
Socratic dialogue on
faith and religion between a skeptic and
a believer.
POETRY
Between Eden and the Open Road.
Philip Gaber. Philip Gaber, $9.99 paper
(184p), ISBN 978-0-615-58586-4; $2.99
e-book ASIN B008EE83SK
Amazon
This collection of flash fiction and poetry
explores love, death, regret, spirituality,
and drinking through close eavesdropping
on hard-edged women, and some men, too.
The Golden Age.
Arthur F. Templ e.
i Uni ve r s e , $9. 95
paper (37p), ISBN
978-1-4697-8977-4;
$3.99 e-book ISBN
B007ZC8UVM
Amazon, bn.com
Ranging over such topics as sacred
geometry, philosophy, reality creation, and
how not to live in the past, these concepts
are presented in prose poetry.
PSYCHOLOGY
Talking Back to Dr. Phil: Alternatives
to Mainstream Psychology.
David Bedrick. Belly Song Press, $17.95
paper (232p), ISBN 978-0-9852667-0-7
IPG
Teacher, counselor, attorney, and organi-
zational consultant Bedrick provides alter-
native approaches to mainstream psychol-
ogy, using television personality Dr. Phil
as a paradigm for all that is wrong with
conventional methods.
Defying Mental Illness: Finding
Recovery with Community Resources
and Family Support, 2013 Edition.
Paul Komarek and Andrea Schroer. Church
Basement Press, $19.99 paper (246p),
ISBN 978-1-4793-6946-1; $9.99 e-book
ISBN 9781452440668
amzn.com/1479369462
A plain-language guide that demysti-
fies mental health disorders and treatment,
and helps people achieve recovery using
strengths that endure despite the presence
of symptoms.
RELIGION
Becoming the Son: An Autobiography
of Jesus.
C.D. Baker. CreateSpace, $13.70 paper
(386p), ISBN 978-1-4774-9114-0; $3.33
e-book ASIN B0096S9SCI
Amazon
A first-person encounter with the Jesus
who could have been is carefully researched
and challenges tradition without disre-
specting the biblical accounts.
The Day of the Lord! A
Prophetic Compendium.
Charles M. Holland. Outskirts Press,
$29.95 paper (924p), ISBN 978-1-
4327-8689-2; $9. 98 e-book ASIN
B008ZD99HO
Amazon, bn.com
The Day of the Lord! A Prophetic Compen-
dium is written in diary format, a memoir
and personal interview with Almighty God
Himself spanning 34 years.
The Hours of Aphrodite: Celebrations.
F.T. Kettering. CreateSpace, $12 paper
(192p), ISBN 978-1-4637-4899-9
Amazon; bn.com
This illustrated prayer book is like a tra-
ditional Book of Hours, but all the illumi-
nations are musical and all the prayers
involve sex.
Unbridled Grace: A True Story About
the Power of Choice.
Dr. Michael J. Norman. Dog Ear Pub-
lishing, $14.95 paper (164p), ISBN 978-
1-4575-0096-1; $9.99 e-book ASIN
B006GRNLJS
www.UnbridledGrace.com
A nave doctor is
caught up in a fraud-
ulent medical ring
and cruelly used by
government officials.
But his faith and his
choice for God brings
him redemption in
this powerful testi-
mony.
We Are the Nations: Critical Blocks
Missed in Bible Understanding.
Agentile. The Nations Press, $19.95 paper
(234p), ISBN 978-0-615-64624-4
www.thenationspress.org
Christians in the first century did not
understand that the destruction of Jerusa-
lem in 70 C.E. was all about Christs return
and prophesy.
Birds of the Torah.
Rabbi Pinchus Presworsky. Israel Book
Shop, $25 paper (159p), ISBN 978-0-
9797367-0-4
This book opens the door
to an exact understanding of
the birds of the Torah never before thor-
oughly presented.
Animals of the Torah.
Rabbi Pinchus Presworsky. Sys Marketing,
$35 paper (312p), ISBN 978-0-9797367-
1-1
This book opens the door to an exact
understanding of the animals, fish, and
insects of the Torah, including the kosher
and nonkosher.
SCIENCE
The Mad, Mad, Mad World of Clima-
tism: Mankind and Climate Change
Mania.
Steve Goreham.
New Lenox Books,
$ 2 2 . 0 5 p a p e r
(312p), ISBN 978-
0-9824996-2-7;
$20 e-book ISBN
978-0-9824996-
1-0
www.climatism.net
An amusing and colorful, yet science-
based, look at mankinds obsession with
global warming. Climate change is natural,
and cars are innocent.
SELFHELP
Why Do I Do That? Psychological
Defense Mechanisms and the Hidden
Ways They Shape Our Lives.
Joseph Burgo. New Rise Press, $14.95
paper (242p), ISBN 978-0-9884431-2-9;
$8.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9884431-0-5
www.afterpsychotherapy.com
A guided course in self-exploration
adapts the strategies of psychodynamic
psychotherapy and focuses on the role of
defense mechanisms in warding off pain.
Thriving Through Tough Times: Eight
Cross-Cultural Strategies for Navigat-
ing Lifes Ordeals.
Deidre Combs. CreateSpace, $15.95 paper
(190p), ISBN 978-1-4662-0299-3
Amazon
Using her expertise in cross-cultural
conflict resolution, Combs shares different
cultures ways of coping with universal dif-
ficulties. Kirkus Reviews called it A useful
guide with groundbreaking ideas, expert
advice, and a compassionate tone.
My Cat Wont Bark! (A Relationship
Epiphany).
Kevin Darn. CreateSpace, $12.95 paper
(224p), ISBN 978-1-4681-0472-1; $4.95
e-book ASIN B008AS8AZQ
Amazon
The dating advice examiner for exam-
iner.com offers a guide for using a self-
empowerment approach toward dating
and marital relationships by encouraging
direct communication while selecting a
mate and removing unrealistic expectata-
tions.
A Lasting Legacy: A Practical Guide to
Secure Your Future, Family, Finances,
and Faith in Uncertain Times.
Doug Hagedorn. , $27.99 paper (488p),
ISBN 978-1-62230-593-3; $9.99 e-book
ASIN B009HWID3I
www.futurefoundationbuilders.com
More than a financial guide, this is a
practical handbook for how to live pur-
posefully, build a secure future and a
thriving family, and live an authentic
faith.
Make It Happen in Ten Minutes a
Day: The Simple, Revolutionary
Method for Getting Things Done.
Lorne Holden. CreateSpace, $7.95 paper
(108p), ISBN 978-1-4792-1247-7; $4.99
e-book ASIN B008VUMI1A
www.makeithappenintenminutesaday.com
This brief offers a blueprint for action
that is simple, manageable, and fun: break
down your goals into manageable bits
just 10 minutesand you will achieve
what you want.
No More Dating Pigs: You Are What
You Date.
Norah Marler. Marler Publishing, $16.95
hardcover (139p), ISBN 978-0-9844603-
0-4; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9844603-
2-8
A self-help dating guide for single
women of every age highlights the dating
donts, foolish patterns, and red-flag warn-
ings that result in bad relationships and
heartbreak.
OMG My Kids Are Talking About the
Awesome Benefits of S.I.N.: Which
They Learned From This Book!
Dave Roseman. Publish Green, $6.99
e-book (69p), ISBN 978-1-938296-30-7
www.successinnegotiating.com
The author used these negotiating tech-
niques successfully in his many years at the
CIA, and hes been requested by heads of
government and other leaders around the
world.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Stop Acting Your Age: Start Living
Your Life.
David J. Demko. AgeVenture Press, $9.95
paper (156p), ISBN 978-1-4538-0246-5;
$2.99 e-book
Amazon
A gerontologist urges baby boomers
to become Zoomers through nutrition,
mental as well as physical exercise, build-
ing a social network, and more.
TRAVEL
Travels with a Road Dog: Hitchhiking
Along the Roads of the Americas.
R. K. CreateSpace, $19.95 paper (374p),
ISBN 978-1-4783-4846-7
Amazon
In the mid 1990s, when she was 20,
R.K. gave away her belongings so she
could travel on the whim of a thumb. For
four years, she traveled throughout North
America, from Vancouver to Key West,
Fla., along the way picking up a shepherd-
lab mix as a companion.
Vagabond Dreams: Road Wisdom
from Central America.
Ryan Murdock. Polyphemus, $10.95
paper (348p), ISBN 978-0-9573702-0-3;
$10.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9573702-1-0
Amazon
At 28, Murdock traveled from Panama
north, to set himself loose from a conven-
tional life. Despite his initial fears, he met
many new friends and made significant
insights into himself.
DIY from Down Under
A conversation with Walter Renfrey
Australian author Walter Renfrey self-pub-
lished his first YA novel, Five Nights to the
Crimson Moon, through CreateSpace in
November. In a starred review in this edi-
tion of PW Select (page 36), our reviewer
called the book a spellbinding fantasy
adventure. We chatted with Renfreyvia
e-mailabout his decision to go the DIY
route, the process he went through, and the
state of self-publishing.
Your book was a semifinalist in the
ABNA contest and received a very
positive review in PW Select. How did
participating in the ABNA contest
benefit you? And do you see contests
and such programs as PW Select as
key opportunities for self-published
authors?
ABNA helped boost my confidence. It
encouraged me to write another draft of
my book, which I passionately believed
in. It was the spur I needed. PW Select is
an incredible opportunity for self-pub-
lished authors to get themselves known,
especially if theyre outside the States, as
I am.
Why did you decide to self-publish?
And did living and working in Aus-
tralia influence that decision at all?
I had almost given up on getting my book
published. Then my wife, Heather, went
to a seminar and came back excited about
self-publishing. I only decided to self-
publish a couple of months ago, so its
been a steep learning curve. With the
Internet, being in Australia wasnt a
drawback, because the worlds informa-
tion is at your fingertips. That is a big
factor in self-publishing. After all, youre
only limited by your imagination. So self-
publishing has been a good option for me.
Prior to self-publication, did you try
selling your books to publishing
houses?
Yes. However, even when I had made the
ABNA semifinals, no Australian publish-
ers or agents were interested. After that,
I wrote another draft of the manuscript.
It wasnt sent out because I had decided
on self-publishing. I had an agent for the
film script the book is based on. Three
U.S. studios were interested in that script
but ultimately passed.
Once you decided to self-publish,
what was the process like?
Being an advertising art director made it
easy to design, illustrate, and set up the
book, using [Adobe] InDesign and Illus-
trator. So every page of Five Nights to the
Crimson Moon is my creation, not just the
writing. I did use a manuscript editor,
who helped a lot, and a number of school
children read the final manuscript. Their
feedback was so encouraging, and a recur-
ring, exciting comment was, Whens the
next one coming out? For my self-pub-
lishing, Ive only used Amazon and Cre-
ateSpace (a great professional outfit), and
neither cost anything, except for the
print-on-demand for my personal orders.
What has the reaction been to your
book now that you have self-pub-
lished? And what have you done to
publicize the book? How has social
media played a role?
Of course my wife and friends were over
the moon. To finally hold a real book in
your hand is a buzz. The reactions from
bookshops range from well take it on
consignment to self-published? We
dont stock that sort of book. Im now
looking at social media, which has been a
bit of a mystery to me. My wife promoted
the book through her Facebook connec-
tions, and, yes, I know that publicity and
promotions hould have started months
ago, but a newbie can only live and learn.
Looking back on your own experi-
ence, what are the pros and cons of
self-publishing?
Im very grateful for the Internet. Get-
ting my book into a printed and e-book
form was relatively easy. Putting the
book into Amazon was a dream com-
pared to the other options Id tried. My
biggest difficulty was not having had any
experience with how the book industry
worked. I found it challenging to work
with the Internet, set prices, and find out
how bookshops and distributors worked.
What advice would you give to peo-
ple considering self-publishing?
Learn the business side of books. Writing
is fine, but you also have to take on every
other role of the book industry. You can
hire a book designer, editor, and proof-
reader, but you have to wear the hats of a
publisher, distributor, PR, promoter, etc.
The more I learn, the more Im in awe of
these professionals in the book industry.
There has traditionally been a stigma
attached to self-publishing. Do you
ever regret the decision?
There are no regrets, but some fellow
authors and bookshops tend to look at
you oddly and think that if its self-pub-
lished, its not a real book. Theres still
the lurking view that if no publisher
wants you, then you cant be any good. I
see signs of that changing.
A U T H O R P R O F I L E
BA B
A Place in Life
Robert C. Hartstein. Ink Write Press, $15.95
paper (260p) ISBN 978-0-9853566-1-3
Hartsteins first novel is a rambling,
semiautobiographical tale of a man try-
ing so hard to survive that he loses sight
of whats truly important in life. As the
story opens, its 1952 and six-year-old
Joey is living in a New York City tene-
ment. Almost immediately, he loses both
parentshis mother to a runaway car,
his father in the Korean Warand is
shipped off to California to live with an
abusive aunt and uncle. After enduring
his teen years, Joey, now Joe, enlists in
the Marine Corps
and is shipped off to
Vietnam, coming
back with a Bronze
Star, a Purple Heart,
and PTSD. Upon his
return, Joe recon-
nects with a high
school friend and
they marry. The couple has two sons
but instead of devoting his life to his
family, Joe throws himself into work and
nearly loses everyone dear to him. Can
Joe finally let go of old resentments, or
will they keep him hostage for the rest
of his life? Hartstein has a gift for creat-
ing fully realized, sympathetic characters,
but his plot meanders and the novel
particularly the endingsuffers for it.
Between Eden and the Open Road
Philip Gaber. Philip Gaber, $9.99 paper
(184p) ISBN 978-0-615-58586-4
This collection of flash fiction and po-
etry roams streets and neighborhoods,
bars and bedrooms, presenting a varied
cast of characters. From a svelte blonde
from Louisville, Ky., who confessed to
having a/ pool-hall education to a man
whos the Monday morning of human
beings, every character on these pages is
drawn in exactingand quirkydetails.
Throughout, the
author provides an
intimate look at
his characters, all
the while keeping
them distant and
mysterious. These
are people ob-
served, and to hear
them speak is to
eavesdrop on the fantastical mixed with
the everyday. Conversations fill the pag-
es. While most of the pieces, such as
the old morality was still hanging
around, rejoice in hard-edged women
like Hannah Morgenstern, who seduced
the wind/with her hair and/ colored her-
self a blue funk, men do make their
way into these poems, too. Readers with
a beat sensibility and a desire to wander
the crowded roads and alleyways of peo-
ples minds will find much to enjoy
here.
Come from Nowhere
Ellen Greenfield. 3Ring Press, $12.99 paper
(308p) ISBN 978-0-9793527-6-8
Greenfields novel opens with seven fe-
male characters sharing a subway plat-
form on the morning of July 13, 1977
the day of a historic New York City
blackout. Greenfields characters, each on
her own mission, represent the citys di-
versity and parallel story lines: theres re-
cent immigrant Althea and her daughter
Celia; Judith, a Hasidic Jew bucking tra-
dition by studying medicine at a secular
college; Johanna, a homeless woman with
schizophrenic delusions; recent college
graduate Pia, hunting for a job that will
allow her to become the artist she was
meant to be; Danielle, a chef suffering
from the gradual loss of her vision; and a
mother rat protect-
ing her offspring in
the dangerous tun-
nels of the subway.
Despite their differ-
ences, each character
is headstrong, inde-
pendent, and look-
ing for a piece of the
city to call her own.
The novels secondary characters are less
fully realized and function primarily as
devices through which the women express
feelings or share information with readers:
a classmate of Judith questions her ex-
tremist religion and asks, What do you
get out of living the way you do? While
the dialogue and writing are heavy-hand-
ed at times, Greenfields novel is a richly
imagined look at women from different
walks of life and the possibilities, threats,
and surprises offered up by life in New
York City.
Cured
Donna Huston Murray. Smashwords, $13.95
paper (262p) ISBN 978-0-9856880-4-2
Lauren Beck beat cancer, but shes still
clawing back to the land of the living.
Shes lost contact with her friends; her fa-
ther has moved
across the country;
and the woman she
loves like a mother
just died. To make
things even worse,
shes been accused of
murder and some-
one is messing with
herruining her
credit history, canceling her phone ser-
vice, and emptying her bank account.
While Huston Murrays mystery is es-
sentially a series of flashbacks chained
together, readers will be surprised when
the villain is revealed. Strong and feisty,
Lauren also displays a tender side that is
sweetly sentimental. Her fight to re-
claim her life is filled with suspense, and
the novel is a gripping page-turner.
Goliath and the Killer Zombie
Ian Cant. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (302p)
ISBN 978-1-4791-2925-6
Part locked-room mystery, part meta-
fictional narrative, this engaging futuris-
tic adventure isnt quite sure what it
wants to be. On the surface, its about an
unnamed narrator, a 25th-century inves-
tigator for the Bureau Veritas, who, near-
ing the end of a relatively quiet career, is
assigned a bizarre case involving a mur-
der-suicide. The book is also the tale of
Fiction
Reviews
Goliath, one of the
prime suspects,
who dwells far
from civilization
and spins yarns
about time travel
and cloning. As the
two threads inter-
twine, the narra-
tive takes on an in-
creasingly self-aware, unreliable air, cul-
minating in an appropriately convoluted
fashion. Cants style is leisurely, even
tongue-in-cheek, with a prim sensibility,
e.g., The climate is hot except in the
places where it is cold. The plot is
stretched and twisted considerably via
numerous digressions and expository pas-
sages. Nonetheless, the mystery at the
heart of the novel and the books underly-
ing sense of wonder will appeal to fans of
the genre.
Kiss of the Butterfly
James Lyon. Amazon Digital Services, $3.99
e-book (335p) ISBN 978-0-9887419-0-4
Lyons vampire thriller boasts an inter-
esting premisethat vampires are real
and relevant to the 1990s war in the
Balkans. A prefatory note explains the
historical basis for the book: there were
18th-century vampire-hunting units in
the Austrian army and an official vampire
hunter employed by Empress Maria
Theresa of the Holy Roman Empire.
Those details afford Lyon the chance to
present a truly original take on the blood-
sucking undead. The backbone of the
novel is set in the 1990s, as American
grad student Steven Roberts travels to
what would soon become the former
Yugoslavia to do research and discovers
that vampires might be more than just
folklore. Obstacles thrown in his path
such as a rare book that disappears from a
library after he requests itonly further
convince him that
hes on the right
track. Despite effec-
tive prose and a
great hook, the
book suffers from
conceptual inconsis-
tencies, e.g. the bi-
ology of vampires
presented by the au-
thor doesnt entirely make sensethey
have no flesh and use blood to inflate
their skin, but somehow are able to walk
and even have sexand this will take
some readers out of the story.
Law
Ed Willis. Amazon Digital Services, $2.99 e-
book (201p) ISBN 978-1-4764-8782-3
This odd, sometimes absurd, always
surprising effort from Willis is likely to
confuse mostif not allreaders. The
difficult-to-follow plot begins with Max,
who is considering a medical procedure
that involves cutting open his skull while
hes under local anesthesia. John has sex
with a womantheir coupling is de-
scribed as a perpetual motion device
made of meatthat ends with a bed
covered in blood. When John is next en-
countered, his friend Dick is telling him
that asexual reproduction will soon be re-
ality for humanswith dire consequenc-
es for the male of the species. Readers
will find themselves asking, Whats go-
ing on here? Many will be unable to an-
swer that question by the books end.
And without fully developed characters
with which to identify, most readers
wont stick around to sort out this bizarre
narrative.
Malice: A Pete Thorsen Mystery
Robert Wangard. Ampersand, $17.95 paper
(312p) ISBN 978-1-
4507-9593-7
The third install-
ment in Wangards
Pete Thorsen series
proves to be a solid
contemporary mys-
tery. This time
around, attorney
Thorsen gets drawn
into yet another murder mystery when he
accompanies a reporter friend to a crime
scene. Someone used a golf club to blud-
geon Les Brimley to death before staking
the corpse to the ground at a golf course
near Lake Michigan. Brimley, a real estate
developer, was an unpopular figure in the
communityso theres no shortage of
suspects, including widow Susan Brimley,
who turns to Thorsen for help when shes
summoned for questioning by the author-
ities. Though some scenes stretch creduli-
ty, readers will appreciate the
authors workmanlike prose
and a plot thats interesting
enough to keep
them turning the
pages.
Murder Ballad
Elizabeth K.
Wadsworth.
CreateSpace, $14.95
paper (381p) ISBN 978-
1-4775-1711-6
Allison Malloy may just be a secretary,
but she sees everything that goes on at
Straight and Russell, Private
Investigations. She knows about every
case the detectives are working on and
helps with some aspects of the investiga-
tions. Yet when one of their clients, the
dazzling, wealthy, and seductive Mavis
Knight disappears, and then Knights
maid turns up dead, Malloy has to step
up and help her boss Danny Russell crack
the case. The perspective shifts between
Danny and Malloy, giving readers an un-
usual view of the investigation. The duo
have different styles and ways of ap-
proaching a problem, and they have a fun
rapport with each other, trading puns
and jokes while working. However, the
pulpy novel has problems with pacing:
the setup is too slow and the investiga-
tion plays out too quickly. Additionally,
the author could have done more with a
potentially interesting setting: New York
City circa 1947.
Poetic Justice
Elliott Murphy. Elliot Murphy Books, $14.99
paper (246p) ISBN 978-0-615-66909-0
Just a boy when his father, John
OKeefe, is murdered by two treacherous
men in the Indian Territory of Oklahoma,
Petit Jean vows revenge. But when his
mother starts drinking herself into a stu-
por, he is sent to New York to live with
his uncle George, who
runs a bordello.
Growing up with his
uncle, Petit Jean be-
comes an expert
marksman, meets
Walt Whitman, and
eventually transforms
himself into a gun for
r e v i e w s
hire known as John Little
before returning to
Oklahoma to find vengeance.
Murphys western has literary themes
Whitman is a recurring character and
moral touchstone for Jean, who reads po-
etry, However, the story is painted in
overly broad strokes. Readers fond of the
genre will find the book poorly re-
searched, the plot scattered, the pacing
slow, and the character arcs underdevel-
oped.
Roost
Jasmine Winterson. Camerado, $13.99 paper
(319p) ISBN 978-0-9882208-2-9
Wintersons latest explores the wilds of
Colorado as four city dwellers leave the
corrupt corporate world behind.
Katherine, Jackie,
Ry, and Cobie form
the Grand Valley
Farm Connection, a
farm co-op, to help
support farmers
selling goods local-
ly. With the assis-
tance of resident
Anna Garcia,
GVFC gets off to a slow but steady start.
But when Olympic biking champion
Derek Draben moves to the area to set up
a mountain biking course, the corporate
transplants realize that the corruption
they thought they left behind in the city
may be in their very midst. While
Wintersons novel is swiftly paced and
engaging thanks to the intriguing mys-
tery at its core, the characters lack devel-
opment that would make them more viv-
id. Nevertheless, this is enjoyable fiction
that offers a fascinating view into life in
rural Colorado.
Shadow Dragon
Lance Horton. iUniverse, $23.95 paper
(424p) ISBN 978-1-4620-0765-3
Horton easily conjures up creeps in this
modern-day horror novel that will be of
particular interest to fans of Douglas
Preston and Lincoln Childs popular
Pendergast series. Kyle Andrews works as
a victim specialist for the FBI in Seattle,
serving as a liaison to bereaved families
and providing grief counseling. Andrews
gets a chance to prove himself worthy of
becoming an actual
special agent when
hes dispatched to
Montana to assist
with the investiga-
tion of multiple
murders. Before
long, evidence
emerges that the
killer is a whatrather than a who.
Despite some clichd elements, Horton
maintains suspense, even as he cuts from
the mayhem in the mountains to the mys-
terious activity of a government-sanc-
tioned assassin. The novels ending may
disappoint some readers, but the authors
imagination and effective prose serve him
well throughout.
The Ishango Bone
Paul Hastings Wilson. CreateSpace, $15.99
paper (210p) ISBN 978-1-4700-5982-8
Wilsons latest chronicles the journey
of Amiele, orphaned as a child and sold
into child slaveryin North Africa.
Because of her unusual brilliance, Amiele
is able to escape her enslavement via en-
rollment as a university student in
Marrakech and later transfer to
Cambridge, where she matriculates as the
first female student at Trinity College.
Amieles exceptional mathematical mind
enables her to study
abroad at Princeton,
but when she dis-
proves a well-
knownmath hy-
pothesis, she pro-
vokes jealousy
among other aca-
demics and suspicion
by government
agencies. This well-rendered characters
ability to persevere and excel despite ad-
versity forms the basis of Wilsons mov-
ing novel. The intellectual nature of the
authors exploration of math and physics
may not appeal to some readers, but
Wilson very capably weaves the academic
nature of Amieles work with the drama
of her personal life.
The Sacred Imposter
J.R. Lankford. Great Reads Books, $16.95 pa-
per (238p) ISBN 978-0-9718694-5-5
Lankfords third thriller in her Jesus
Thief series finds
former housekeeper
Maggie Johnson
mourning the death
of her son, Jess
who was cloned
from DNA taken
from the Shroud of
Turinas she pre-
pares to marry Sam
Duffy, the man she loves, and the man
who raped her while he was suffering
from postcoma amnesia. Meanwhile, her
rival for Sams love, Coral Anders, is
drawn into the schemes of the dangerous
Luis Moctezuma. And when rumors
about another sacred clone surface,
Moctezumas plans soon include kidnap-
ping. This novel is a heady blend of di-
verse cultures, religions, and human pas-
sions. Despite some awkward dialogue,
the story is engaging, and the characters
well drawn.
XP
Alison M. Bailey. Runaway Horse Press,
$27.95 hardcover (284p) ISBN 978-0-9852228-7-1
Though its early chapters promise a
sweeping epic about 19th-century
American settlers, Native Americans, and
the struggles of a young man straddling
both worlds, Baileys novel quickly settles
into the comfortable rhythms of historical
melodrama. James Donovan, known to
the Paiute Indians as Laughing Grass, is
a brave young Pony Express rider who has
a way with horsesand, as it turns out, a
way with his bosss wife, Rachel. Bailey
excels at summoning the American fron-
tier in all its scale, danger, and majesty,
emphasizing the sheer space of the coun-
tryside. Unfortunately, the authors plot-
ting is sparse and disconnected, secondary
characters disappear for long stretches,
and time passes in fits and spurts. By the
end, Bailey has told a story of the
American West, but readers will likely
wonder what exactly that story was sup-
posed to be.
Zemsta
Victoria Brown. Woodchuck, $14.95 paper
(272p) ISBN 978-0-9854391-1-8
Prohibition-era Akron, Ohio, with its
brutal factory conditions, corrupt wealth,
and harsh class relations, offers the back-
r e v i e w s
drop for this novel
about immigrants
attempting to
maintain the bonds
of childhood
friendship as life
pull them apart.
Albert Nickels
Jablonskis family
is thrown into cha-
os when his father, Albo, is framed for a
murder at the country club where he
works. Then Kurt BeckerNickelss pal
who lives with his mother and aunt at the
boardinghouse they rungets a once-in-
a-lifetime opportunity: Russell Cantrell,
the rich businessman for whom Kurt cad-
dies, offers to pay for his college educa-
tion. Over the years, Kurt and Nickels
drift apart. Kurt becomes Cantrells pro-
tg, while Nickelsnow a reporter
and his policeman friend Charlie OBrien
continue to look for the evidence to clear
Albo Jablonski. Although Brown has as-
sembled all the right ingredients for a
gritty historical novel, he fails to deliver.
The books characters are underdevel-
opedthe villains simplistically evil; the
heroes straightforward, hardworking, and
virtuousand the narrative is without
enough tension to engage readers.
Nonfiction
A Road Less Traveled: A Fathers
Odyssey Through Autism
Eric Griffith.CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(196p) ISBN978-1-4800-2190-7
Griffith details his familys experience
with an autistic child in this memoir, but
lackluster prose overwhelms the impact of
the vivid story he tells.His son, Zach,
was diagnosed as autistic two months be-
fore his third birthday,and Griffithde-
scribes the frustrating process of seeking
funds for appropri-
ate education and
counseling servic-
es.The emotional
stress of this re-
sponsibility, cou-
pled withinsensi-
tive reactions from
strangers and rela-
tives to Zachs be-
havior, culminate in confrontations, de-
pression, and suicidal thoughts for
Griffith. The examples given of Zachs
behavior in public provide abundant evi-
dence to those unfamiliar with autism of
the familys determination in caring for
Zach. Griffiths forthrightness about his
reactions to these public scenes may en-
hance the importance of his experiences
for other parents, his intended audience,
but he is also given to facile generaliza-
tions. However, the authors ability to
move beyond his initial denial of Zachs
autism diagnosis to a place of acceptance
suggests that his journey on the road less
traveled has indeed been one of prog-
ress.This prospect will please readers and,
perhaps, help bolster the resolve of people
caring for autistic children.
B.G. Bhagee: Memories of a
Colonial Childhood
Philippa Perry. CreateSpace, $17.99 paper
(243p) ISBN 978-1-4611-9219-0
Perry grew up in British Guyana, the
second daughter in a middle-class family
of six. Despite its socioeconomic stand-
ing, her family struggled with poverty
and survived in part on the generosity of
wealthier relatives.
Perry weaves to-
gether vignettes of
her neighbors and
family, painting a
rich portrait of a
country on the cusp
of change. While
she touches on as-
pects of Guyanas
independence, mostly she examines her
own escape from poverty through educa-
tion. Additionally, she contrasts her expe-
riences with those of the country as it
gained independence, giving readers a de-
tailed portrait of a tumultuous time.
Perrys prose boasts rich imagery and
compelling rhythm. However, the indi-
vidual storieswhich work well as dis-
crete talesfeel disconnected, and readers
will have trouble understanding how they
connect to form an overarching taleif
an overarching tale was even intended.
Readers will lose track of the characters
and their connections to each other, but
they will also appreciate the poignancy
and drama of individual moments.
Brand Is a Four Letter
Word: Positioning
and the Real Art of
Marketing
Austin McGhie.
Advantage Media
Group, $22.46 hard-
cover (281p) ISBN 978-
1-59932-327-5
If Sloan Wilsons
classic The Man in
the Gray Flannel Suit
personifies the top-
down business culture of the 1950s, indi-
viduality rules today. And businesses
must embrace this evolution, McGhie
suggests in this perceptive exploration of
evolving marketing doctrine. With
theInternet impelling unprecedented
cultural change, cookie-cutter conformity
ensures mediocrity; the most differentiat-
ed, strongest products come from odd-
ball entrepreneurs. Contrary to conven-
tional thinking, McGhie argues that a
brand is not imposed on the market but
is awarded by the market; it is a conse-
quence, not an action. This shift in per-
ception manifeststhe need for a dialectic
between producer and customer, with
sincerity at the core. McGhie draws on
his extensive marketing background to
show how brands engage customers in
company culture and persuade them to
participate in the corporate sense of mis-
sion. Whether the reader accepts or con-
demns McGhies contention that the
model of one-way persuasion is obsolete,
the heightenedsignificance of customer
word-of-mouth reaction, or its electronic
counterpart, seems unassailable.The cus-
tomer, not the marketer, controls the
brand in the brave new world of viral
marketing.And McGhies argument that
traditional marketing theories, though
still adapting to new media, are not nec-
essarily obsolete should intrigue both in-
dustry professionals and marketing neo-
phytes.
Confessions: A Memoir
Jodie Rhodes. Jodie Rhodes, $15 paper
(341p) ISBN 978-0-9838797-0-1
This self-congratulatory, meandering
memoir will leave readers wondering
about the authors reasons for writing it.
Rhodes first chronicles her troubled
r e v i e w s
childhood and dysfunctional
family, and then moves on to
document her jobs in adver-
tisingwhile
working in the
field, she was suc-
cessful and seduced
a host of men.
Rhodes concludes
her story with how
she turned herself
into a literary
agentdespite
lacking any relevant experience. While
the author may think readers will admire
her chutzpah, they are instead left
scratching their heads. The memoir ends
abruptly; there is little reflection, and al-
most no self-awareness. Instead, readers
are presented with a litany of lovers and
anger over parental and romantic disap-
pointments, and left with no real under-
standing of the author or her life.
Corporate Recruiter Tells All:
Tips, Secrets, and Strategies to
Landing Your Dream Job!
Ryan Fisher. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper
(131p) ISBN 978-1-4699-3318-4
With job-hunting manuals as abun-
dant as rejection letters these days,tips
from a corporate recruiter might seem
valuable.Unfortunately, Fisher provides
a tantalizing title, but delivers little be-
yond the obvious. Fishers twelve-plus
years as a professional recruiter have
yielded an important insight: the key
concern of employers is to avoid costly
and embarrassing hiring mistakes.Since
self-protective recruiters and companies
look first for reasons not to consider ap-
plicants,what matters most is being seen
as least likely to fail. If thismakes the
least objectionable applicant the stron-
gest,Fisher says in effect: thats tough;
this is how employers really think.His
initial prescription
is trust through
branding, which
includes references,
associates, schools,
and previous em-
ployers.Left unex-
plained is how a
candidate from a
community college
can bolster his brand to compete with a
Harvard Law grad. Fisher focuses primar-
ily on Silicon Valley and techies, leaving
questionable how broadly applicable his
ideas are. Overall, Fisher offers up a few
nuggets of worthwhile advice, but his
book fails to stand out in a crowded mar-
ket.
Defying Mental Illness
Paul Komarek and Andrea Schroer. Church
Basement Press, $19.99 paper (246p) ISBN
978-1-4793-6946-1
For the uninitiated, mental illness can
be confusing, vexing, and even terrifying.
Komarek and Schroer present educational
and resource material for people suffering
from psychiatric
maladies and those
supporting them.
In basic terms and
scope, the authors
seek to demystify
mental illness.
Chapters on recog-
nizing symptoms
and managing dis-
orders, as well as treatments for both
adults and children are enhanced with
case histories and quotes from people
who lucidly recount experiences with
such maladies as bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia. Readers would be wise to
recognize that Komarek and Schroer are
not clinical professionals, but teachers
with compassionate and enthusiastic in-
tentions. And while their approach to
and perspectives on mental illness are
well-meaning, readers who find them-
selves (or a family member) in the throes
of a psychiatric condition would be wise
to seek the advice of professionals before
diagnosing or treating their own symp-
toms. This book is mainly a useful prim-
er for those looking to understand mental
illness.
Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A
Daughters Memoir
Martha Stettinius. Dundee-Lakemont Press,
$17.95 paper (353p) ISBN 978-0-9849326-0-3
Dementia is a condition that affects
millions of senior citizensand the
number of people afflicted is increasing
annually. In this compelling memoir,
Stettinius shares the struggles she faces
when her mother,
Judy, is diagnosed
with dementia.
Stettinius chroni-
cles Judys story,
from the near-in-
visible early signs
of the affliction to
the struggles over
elder care, assisted
living, rehabilitation, and finally a nurs-
ing home. Readers will sympathize with
the authors plightand that of her
motheras Stettinius learns more about
dementia and how little support exists
for people suffering from the condition or
people caring for an afflicted family
member. Stettinius ably illustrates the
challenges she faces and shares wisdom
and advice shes learned along the way.
While the story has no real conclusion
Stettiniuss mother continues to deterio-
ratethe book offers a wealth of resourc-
es for readers dealing with dementia.
Leaving Long Island... and Other
Departures
Fern Kupfer. Culicidae Press, $16.95 paper
(256p) ISBN 978-1-105-
53587-1
Kupfer (Before and
After Zachariah) il-
lustrates the trials
encountered during
the second half of
her life: surviving
both the loss of a
child and the end of
her marriage, and making the difficult
choice of whether to pre-emptively oper-
ate after testing positive for a genetic dis-
orderthe BRCA gene for hereditary
breast and ovarian cancer. The curse of
the BRCA gene endemic to Ashkenazi
Jews leaves several options: surveillance,
chemoprevention, or preventative sur-
gery, namely the removal of her healthy
ovaries and fallopian tubes as well as a
prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. The
author weaves her history into the story,
painting family portraits and writing in a
compassionate tone that often reads like a
journal. Readers will find themselves
rooting for Kupferand there is plenty
of hope to keep her going; she remarries
and has the full support of her family and
r e v i e w s
close friends. This sincere memoir will
resonate particularly with women under-
going similar procedures and health con-
cerns.
Light of the Andes: In Search of
Shamanic Wisdom in Peru
J.E. Williams. Irie Books, $15.95 paper
(200p) ISBN 978-1-61720-374-9
Williams (The Andean Codex: Adventures
and Initiations Among the Peruvian
Shamans) comes up short in his attempt to
convey the complex cosmology and an-
cient spiritual teachings of the Qero
an ethnic group native to Peru. Instead of
clearly summarizing those teacshings and
explaining their relevance to the modern
world, the author
descends into flow-
ery mystical lan-
guage, e.g. Ayni is
the touchstone of
the Qero world-
view who hold it as
the code of life, an
innate imprint dis-
coverable in nature
and ever present in the universe where it
forms the content of every thingthe
matrix of all being. Williamss own spir-
itual quest comes across as platitudi-
nousTo reach the next level... I must
release myself to something larger than
one lifetime, something more mystical
than the literalness of a mountainde-
spite the authorssincere belief that the
shamans have something to offer the
modern world.
Make It Happen in 10 Minutes a
Day: The Simple, Revolutionary
Method for Getting Things Done
Lorne Holden. CreateSpace, $7.95 paper
(108p) ISBN 978-1-4792-1247-7
Holden claims it took her just 10 min-
utes a day to write this clichd self-help
book, a statement few readers will ques-
tion based on the banality of its advice.
The author discovered her method when
she decided to devote 10 minutes each
day to planting the flower garden she had
long wanted. She soon realized that
breaking longer tasks down into small, fi-
nite blocks of time could work for pretty
much anything. Followers of Holdens
philosophy are to start by using the first
10 minutes to plan, making sure to use
positive statements. For readers ill-
equipped to keep track of their minimal
daily commitment, Holden recommends
the use of a timer. Equally unsophisticat-
ed is the Make It Happen mantra,
shared several times in the book: Make it
easy. Take it easy. Keep it easy. Its hard
to imagine that many readers, even those
who take more than 10 minutes to pro-
cess each short chapter, will find the au-
thors suggestions particularly useful, es-
pecially in dealing with truly difficult
and urgent tasks.
My Cat Wont Bark (A
Relationship Epiphany)
Kevin Darn. CreateSpace, $12.95 paper
(224p) ISBN 978-1-4681-0472-1
Darna veteran of many long-term
relationships and dating advice examin-
er for examiner.comdistills the wisdom
he has gained over the years into this
handy and entertaining collection of ad-
vice, tips, and maxims. His central thesis
is that most relationships break up be-
cause people
choose the wrong
partner. At the
beginning of
many relation-
ships, people fail
to be deliberate
about what they
want from a part-
ner, and later find
themselves frustrated. Darn reminds
readers about the importance of being
honest and asserts that communication
isnt a goal if it doesnt lead to change.
While a great deal of Darns advice can
be distilled to trite maxims, he raises use-
ful points that challenge conventional self-
help texts, particularly in sections address-
ing when one should consider leaving a
partner (as soon as one realizes ones needs
wont be met) and the importance of end-
ing and beginning relationships well.
Restoring the American Dream
One Portfolio at a Time
Bob Kolar. Ampersand, $29.95 hardcover
(312p) ISBN 978-1-4507-9596-8
Kolar eschewspandering to market
manias and financial frenzies,insteadem-
phasizing common sense guidelines for
investors of all ages to build
wealth. These focus on abal-
anced portfolio of mutual
funds and Treasuries.
His adherence to the
traditional ap-
proach includes
staying invested for
the long haul, ac-
knowledging the im-
portance of divi-
dends,keeping costs
firmly down, and
limiting purchases of individual stocks to
quality companies.While this may be
sound advice, attempts to appeal to the
everyman via distracting invocations of
celebrities add scant value to his
ideas.Kolars insistence that the tradi-
tional verities of investing still offer the
safest harbor for the beleaguered investor
may hold true, but he scarcely acknowl-
edges the blow to confidence from the
scandals and financialtumult of recent
years.Nor does he seem to sense that
theescalation of the governments impact
on the economy might disrupt the histor-
ical patterns of investor gains.Still, this
guide certainly has useful information
and tips for investors, and readers must
judge whether Kolars reassuring voice
drowns out the skeptics.
Talking Back to Dr. Phil:
Alternatives to Mainstream
Psychology
David Bedrick. Belly Song, $17.95 paper
(232p) ISBN 978-0-9852667-0-7
Teacher, counselor, attorney, and orga-
nizational consultant Bedrick provides al-
ternative approaches to mainstream psy-
chology, using television personality Dr.
Phil as a paradigm for all that is wrong
with conventional methods. Bedrick ad-
vocates instead for a love-based psychol-
ogy, which views people, including
their disturbing
feelings and behav-
iors, as a reflection
of natures diversi-
ty. This approach
garners methods
from many disci-
plines including
process-oriented
psychology, quan-
r e v i e w s
tum physics, and Zen
Buddhism. Bedrick expli-
cates major topics in psy-
chology including dieting, addiction, re-
lationships, and gender roles. For each
topic Bedrick uses an episode of Dr. Phil
as an example and then demonstrates how
his own methods would better resolve the
situation. While Bedrick makes some sa-
lient points about the pitfalls of taking
advice from the likes of Dr. Phil, his own
anecdotes can be less convincing. The
book is also rigidly structured around epi-
sodes of Dr. Philwhich proves initially
a good gimmick, but eventually grows
tiresome. Surely alternatives to the likes
of Dr. Phil are needed, and some aspects
of Bedricks love-based psychology are in-
deed appealing.
The Passionate Vegetable:
Health Inspired Recipes
to Revitalize Your Life for
Vegetarians or Meat Lovers!
Suzanne Landry. Health Inspired Publishing,
$29.95 paper (306p) ISBN 978-0-9851908-0-4
Our mothers always told us to eat our
vegetables, and Landrys appealing cook-
book makes this advice very easy to fol-
low. In three opening chapters, this health
educator and gourmet organic chef covers
a variety of
topics, from
the impor-
tance of pro-
tein and the
healthiest wa-
ter for cook-
ing and drink-
ing to the vi-
tal role of en-
zymes in indi-
gestion and survival dining for vegetari-
ans. Landry is a cheerleader for good
health, and this starts with what you eat.
She reminds us that Americans are some
of the most overfed but undernourished
people in the world, and her cookbook,
which recommends using organic fruits
and vegetables, substituting other pro-
teins for meat, and cutting out dairy, of-
fers enticing and mouth-watering recipes
designed to satisfy and nourish. Recipes
range from breakfasts and salads to soups
and desserts, include little Bites of
Insight that offer either homey wisdom
about a dish or further suggestions for
preparing the dish. Landry includes a
glossary of tips, techniques, and shortcuts
to make readers better cooks.
Accompanied by beautiful illustrations,
Landrys recipes encourage good eating
with fresh ingredients and simple and
straightforward preparation.
The Rose Hotel
Rahimeh Andalibian. Nightingale Press,
$14.99 paper (410p) ISBN 978-0-615-67223-6
Clinical psychologist Andalibians
true-life novel is a dramatic chronicling
of her family escapades during the 1979
Iranian revolution. Born the day her stern
and religious father opened the Rose
Hotel, Andalibian enjoys the fruits of her
familys wealth. Joined by her four broth-
ers, Hadi, Zain, Iman, and the eldest,
Abdollah, their
idyllic life together
is meandering yet
meaningful. But
when rapists begin
terrorizing the vil-
lage, her father is
charged with cap-
turing the crimi-
nals, whom he must
hold on his hotel grounds. Then Abdollah
is accused of a crime and disappears.
Though Andalibians father uproots the
family to Tehran and then London, the
whereabouts of Abdollah remain a mys-
tery, and the family must move forward.
Andalibians multilayered tale flows easily
and is beautifully steeped in culture and
Iranian history. The author has created an
ornately imagined tapestry of her personal
historyfilling in the blanks with the
kind of creative license reserved for au-
thors who have been there and lived
through it.
Vagabond Dreams: Road
Wisdom from Central America
Ryan Murdock. Polyphemus, $10.95 paper
(348p) ISBN 978-0-9573702-0-3
Murdocks first book, a memorable
travel memoir, introduces him as a power-
ful new voice in creative nonfiction. In
2000, at age 28, the unmarried Canadian,
fearful of living a conventional life, sets
off alone for Panama, the southernmost
country of Central America, planning to
work his way north in an uneasy effort to
step off the fringes of my personal map.
From the initial terror and loneliness that
grip him in Panama to his personal trans-
formation during a magical, carefree week
with new friends on Nicaraguas Corn
Island, the author poignantly captures
what it feels like
to let go of cultur-
ally bred inhibi-
tions and precon-
ceptions.
Murdocks color-
ful depictions of
the characters he
meets along the
way add charm.
Zack Peoples, a
friendly, unruffled Chicagoan, becomes
Murdocks likable traveling companion,
as does Jake Romano, a socially awkward-
ly hanger-on. Romance beckons with
Ivannia Gonzalez, the beautiful 19-year-
old daughter of the Costa Rican family
that takes in Murdock and a pair of like-
minded Slovenian women. Although the
author slips into occasional melodrama,
his emotional ruminations on travel,
friendship, and living trump the excesses
of his prose and provide open-minded
readers a new perspective on their own
journeys.
Why Do I Do That?: Psychological
Defense Mechanisms and the
Hidden Ways They Shape Our
Lives
Joseph Burgo. New Rise Press, $14.95 paper
(229p) ISBN 978-0-9884431-2-9
As a severely depressed college fresh-
man, Burgo began 13 years of psycho-
therapy with an esteemed doctor he cred-
its with helping him to develop distinct
views of human nature and what drives
uswhich enabled him to later become
a successful psychologist. This thought-
provoking book ex-
plores the psycho-
logical defense
mechanisms he be-
lieves all people
harbor. These
traitsmostly
painful and restric-
tive thoughts and
emotionsare
r e v i e w s
largely unconscious behaviors and poten-
tially threaten personal safety and happi-
ness. The authors tone is congenial and
didactic without becoming tedious.
Perhaps most importantly, Burgo reiter-
ates that human emotions and their asso-
ciated defenses (e.g., denial, passive-ag-
gressiveness, displacement, ambivalence)
are nothing to be frightened or ashamed
of but rather part of everyday life.
Change is possible, and those open to it
will challenge the ways [they] react and
defend. Through individual case studies,
Burgo identifies and cohesively presents
ways in which negative behaviors can be
thwarted through direct confrontation
with triggers. Exercises at the end of
chapters apply techniques for recognizing
and defusing oppressive defenses in read-
ers own lives and bring the book down
to a personal level, creating a valuable re-
source for readers. Burgos approach to
understanding and controlling expres-
sions of detrimental emotions is profes-
sional as well as empathetic
Your Mark on the World
Devin D. Thorpe. CreateSpace, $11.95 paper
(215p) ISBN 978-1-4782-3969-7
Former CFO, banker, and businessman
Thorpe urges readers to act on humani-
tarian urges by pairing their money and
time while working
for a single organi-
zation about which
they feel passionate.
The book alternates
between chapters of
sound financial ad-
vice and unfocused
inspirational stories
that fail to illustrate
Thorpes ostensible goal: teaching people
how to free a bit of income and time to
volunteer without affecting career, life-
style, or family. Beyond the basics of
budgeting and saving, Thorpe covers
specific issues surrounding earning,
spending, and donating money. Its
clear the author is sincere in wanting to
use his extensive financial expertise to
help better the world, but much of his
advicedirected toward middle-class
Americansfeels vaguely condescend-
ing.
Childrens
Books
Picture Books
Goodnight Acadiana
Lesley Crawford Costner, illus. by Camille
Barnes. Ampersand (www.Goodnight
Acadiana.com), $16.95 (24p) ISBN 978-1-
4507-9590-6
Selected to represent Louisiana at the
2012 National Book Festival, this picture
book pays tribute to Acadiana, a section
of southern
Louisiana
steeped in Cajun
history and cul-
ture. The narra-
tive employs the
well-worn de-
vice of bidding
goodnight to various objects, which in-
clude Acadianas waterways, wildlife, ar-
chitectural landmarks, museums, and
most predominantlyfood. A glossary
provides capsule information on the spe-
cific locations cited in the text, as well as
translations of the French and Cajun
French terms that give the verse local fla-
vor. Costners rhymes and rhythms are
largely on track, though they occasionally
falter: Goodnight Childrens Museum.
Goodnight Planetarium./ Goodnight les
enfants. Tomorrow youll learn, play and
run. Barnes offers a mix of playful imag-
esposed next to spice jars, a crawfish
waves at readers; children sprint through
a museumand gauzy vistas featuring
lovely sunsets. This pleasing combination
of graphics helps underscore Acadianas
vitality and natural beauty. The collabora-
tors provide an upbeat and effusive paean
to a rich area of their home state. Ages
36.
Fiction
Embracing the Elephant
Lori Hart Beninger. On Track Publishing (www.
OnTrackPublishing.com), $29.95 (384p) ISBN
978-0-9856897-1-1; $16.95 paper ISBN 978-0-
9856897-0-4
This circuitous novel opens in 1848, as
11-year-old Guine boards an
East Coast ship bound for San
Francisco to join her wid-
owed father. Its an
arduous journey for
Guine and may
prove slow going for
readers: Beninger
delves into minutiae
of life at sea and
Guines drawn-out
interactions with
passengers and crew.
The pace quickens during an action-filled
stop in Rio de Janeiro and the ships
treacherous rounding of Cape Horn, but
the core adventure begins more than one-
third of the way through the novel, when
Guine is reunited with her father in
California. The Gold Rush has begun, and
he reluctantly agrees to let her accompany
him to the Sierra Nevada, where he has
staked a claim. Beninger provides a per-
suasive account of the rigors of living in a
mining town fraught with greed, illness,
racial tension, and violence (theres a rape,
a hanging, and a throat slitting). Guines
deepening relationship with her father, as
well as flashbacks to her more placid life
in Boston, provide tender underpinnings
for this historically evocative story. Ages
812.
Jim Morgan and the King of
Thieves
James Matlack Raney. James Matlack Raney
(www.jimmorganbooks.com), $11.99 paper
(282p) ISBN 978-0-9858359-0-3
The spoiled son of an English lord gets
his comeuppance and achieves his true
potential in this fast-paced coming-of-
age adventure from newcomer Raney.
When James Morgans long-absent fa-
ther, a famous naval captain, is murdered
by a cabal of villains, 11-year-old James
goes on the run. He eventually ends up
in London, where
he runs afoul of the
King of Thieves,
who steals his fa-
thers last gift: a
wooden box that
contains the key to
a great and myste-
rious treasure.
Adopted by the
r e v i e w s
feisty Ratt Brothers gang,
Jim must learn to be a thief
to retrieve the box and
avenge his father. Pirates, talking birds,
double-crosses, and a magical twist also
factor into this blend of Dickens and
Stevenson. While Raney paints an almost
idealistic picture of life on the streets,
with adults mostly portrayed as untrust-
worthy scoundrels or bumbling fools, the
story is full of energy and a sense of won-
der. Even an overly moralistic ending
doesnt detract too much from the swash-
buckling, death-defying air that the au-
thor establishes. Ages 812.
Basajaun
Rosemary Van Deuren. Wooden Smith Books
(www.rosemaryvandeuren.com), $12 paper
(380p) ISBN 978-0-9858521-0-8
In this entertaining pastoral fantasy,
Van Deuren invokes Redwall, Watership
Down, and Beatrix Potter as she spins a
magical tale of defiance and desperation
in the English countryside of 1906.
When Pastor Harding comes to a small
town to deal with the local rabbit popu-
lation, only
12-year-old Cora
and her milkman
father are wary of
the man and sym-
pathetic to the rab-
bits. Soon after,
Cora is given a
magical amulet
that allows her to
communicate with
the animals. Making friends with the
rabbit Basajuan, she becomes instrumen-
tal in the creatures struggle for survival.
As Cora confronts Pastor Harding, she
faces magic, mystery, and tragedy, and
must decide whether she stands with hu-
manity or the rabbits. Although the mes-
sage gets a little heavy-handed at times,
theres a charm and underlying sweetness
to the story that balance out disturbing
imagery of the slaughter of rabbits and
adults terrorizing children. The story
takes some unexpected turns involving
the use of transformational magic and
wish fulfillment, leading to a slightly
muddled, but nonetheless satisfying end-
ing. Ages 12up.
Elixir Quest
Sean Walton. CreateSpace, $8.17 paper
(254p) ISBN 978-1-4752-6424-1
In this spirited fantasy, first in Waltons
Dragons Curse series, sentient dragons and
humans coexist, but none too easily. Since
he was old enough to swing a sword,
Joseph of Tredin has, along with his coterie
of knights, patrolled the borderland be-
tween dragon- and human-occupied terri-
tories, dispatching the occasional upstart
dragon that dares to violate the shaky truce
between the species. When Josephs king
takes deathly ill,
the metallic drag-
ons (the good ones)
propose an alliance
that will allow
Joseph to enter the
lands of the chro-
matic dragons (the
bad ones) to retrieve
an elixir that will
restore the king. Once in the dragon lands,
Josephs entourage is picked off one by one
andto his horrorhe is magically trans-
formed into a dragon as part of a plot to
foster a hybrid bloodline that will give rise
to a dynasty of dragon kings. Walton care-
fully layers unforeseen complications into
his well-crafted plot to make Josephs tri-
umph all the more heroic and his destiny
all the more deserved. Although the dia-
logue contains some anachronismschar-
acters are as prone to say oops as nay
they wont deter readers from enjoying this
entertaining story. Ages 12up.
Five Nights to the Crimson
Moon
Walter Renfrey. Walter Renfrey, $15.99 paper
(304p) ISBN 978-0-646-58641-0
Renfreys spellbinding fantasy adven-
ture, set in the high-tech land of Gol, fol-
lows 13-year-old Corbin, a bullying vic-
tim spooked by
his dreams, as he
uses his telekinet-
ic ability to res-
cue his mother af-
ter she is trapped
in the Dream-
stone, a crystal
with the power
to control
nightmares.
Meanwhile, traitorous former Gol Guard
Ripho seizes the Dreamstone, kidnaps the
children of Gol, recruits a ruthless army,
and escapes to his fortress, Howling
Mountain, to consolidate power and de-
stroy the Dreamstone when the crimson
moon next appears. With time ticking
away, Corbinwho receives a little help
along the waysets out to save his moth-
er, the Dreamstone, and the world. The
plot builds with fast-paced twistselec-
tro snowstorms, mind-talking, daring re-
cuesas the sensible hero takes control of
his destiny. Chief among the books many
strengths are its well-developed charac-
ters, who will feel familiar to readers.
Ages 12up.
Capers
Penny Piva. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper
(290p) ISBN 978-1-4781-2580-8
Piva fuses romance, family, food, trav-
el, and a touch of mystery in this charm-
ing, character-driven story narrated by
17-year-old Hazel. Shes been anticipat-
ing a fun summer at her familys beach
house, since (in
one of the novels
few contrived
turns) the girl
Hazel has a crush
on is moving in
next door.
Instead, Hazel is
recruited to
spend the vaca-
tion in Italy with
her Aunt Vix, so she can work on her
next book and I can experience life.
Hazel does exactly that as she makes
friends in the Italian town where Vix
rents a house, most notably the alluring
and effervescent Isabella. The two share a
mutual attraction and a passion for cook-
ing, both of which intensify as Hazel re-
solves her conflicted feelings about love.
A suave Italian boy and an outspoken
American girl round out the likable cast,
joining Hazel and Isabellas quest to
catch the thieves responsible for a string
of robberies. This mystery angle adds
some intrigue, though the solution holds
little surprise. Hazels credible and often
funny narration keeps Pivas novel mov-
ing at a bracing clip. Ages 14up.
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