JAN UARY 2019

Your guide to self-publishing

Reducing Marketing Anxiety and Confusion •
Book Cover Redesign • First Lines from BookLife Authors •
Indie Scouting Report • 80 New Titles Listed

Finding the
Meaning of
Life
For inspiration,
BookLife Prize–winner
Michael F. Stewart
looks to his daughters
BY DANIEL LEFFERTS

M
ichael F. Stewart, the winner of the
2018 BookLife Prize for his YA novel
Ray vs. the Meaning of Life, is drawn
to narratives that move between platforms.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the intersec-
tion of tech and story,” he says.
Stewart’s past projects include a storytell-
ing app called NARR8R, which allowed users
to create multimedia “ad hoc social networks”
rooted in specific locations or periods of
time. He also worked with Scholastic Canada
on a story-based social media platform
called Bully for You that aimed to teach kids
about cyberbullying. And he’s been com-
missioned to write the second volume of
W e i r d w o o d M a n o r, a n i n t e r a c t i v e
 ® BOOKLIFE PRIZE
multimedia app whose
first volume was a runner-
up for Apple’s app of the
year in Canada, where
Stewart lives, in 2015.
By comparison, Ray vs.
the Meaning of Life, which
is just a plain old book,
may seem like a low-tech
effort. But, in fact, the
novel was inspired in part
by social media.
The story, which BookLife Prize judge Rebecca
Sky called “darkly hilarious,” centers on a young
man named Ray, who, in order to inherit his
grandmother’s million-dollar trailer park, must
figure out the meaning of life. On social media, of
course, attempts to articulate the meaning of life
abound.
“We’re all on Facebook, and we all get these
inspirational quotes and memes and that kind of
thing,” Stewart says. “Generally speaking, I ignore
them. But I started to look at them a bit more. I
realized: You know what? A lot of them are pretty
useful. There’s a lot of wisdom in what are some-
times eye-rolling quotes. What was missing was
context.”
Stewart found this to be true of books by gurus,
as well, such as those by Robin Sharma, a Canadian
self-help author. “I noticed how people really took
to inspiration wrapped in the envelope of story,”
Stewart says. But, in the case of gurus, the life
advice always took precedence over the story. “I
thought they could probably do a better job on that
front,” he says.
Stewar t also took inspiration from his four
daughters, two of whom are in their teens. “At the
time they were asking questions like, ‘How do I
figure out what I want do with my life?’ ” he says.
“For me, novel writing has really become me help-
ing answer questions from my kids.”
Stewart’s daughters are also his first readers—and
critics: “If it doesn’t pass their test, it’s not going
to pass anyone else’s.”
Ray vs. the Meaning of Life, which stars a cast
of oddball characters, including a motivational
speaker in the mold of Sharma, seems to have met
their criteria. Stewart’s elder two daughters say
it’s their favorite of his books—the one that most
resonates with them. “They’ve asked the same
48 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
You want an
editor who’s
smarter than you are.
questions Ray has, and they’re working on the
same journey,” Stewart says.
For now, Ray exists only as a traditional novel,
but Stewart is cooking up ideas about how to bring
it to other platforms. He thinks the guru character,
Dalen Anders, deserves a spin-off. “I have toyed
with bringing him to life: giving him a blog, a
Facebook—having him become a motivational speaker
in his own right,” Stewart says. He’s even started
writing a book titled Be Your Own Pond, which
would be “written” by Anders.
But Stewart also acknowledges that books in
their purest form have their advantages. “The
easiest and least expensive way into storytelling
in general is through writing books,” he says. “It
can cost nothing, effectively, to get your stories
out there, aside from your time.”
Still, Stewart attributes the success of Ray in
part to the fact that he worked with an editor,
Catherine Adams. He advises all indie authors to
do the same. “You want an editor who’s smarter
than you are,” he says. Adams, he adds, “is part
of this award, too.”
Winning the BookLife Prize has given Stewart a
sense of validation. “It really helps to have confi-
dence in writing,” he says.
Ray, Stewart notes, represents something of a
departure for him—a kind of book that he began
working toward with a previous YA novel, 2017’s
Counting Wolves. He calls these titles “happy-cry
books.” “I’m looking to elicit a reaction at the end
where you’re so proud of the hero it makes you
tear up,” he says. “I’m challenging myself to take
that a step further in my next book.”
Winning the BookLife Prize, Stewart adds, has
encouraged him “to go deeper, and push harder.”■
Daniel Lefferts is a writer living in New York.
 ® COVER ART

Cover Redesign
This month, Michelle Argyle at Melissa Williams Design
reimagines the cover of Log Off: How to Stay Connected
After Disconnecting by indie author Blake Snow.
To submit a book for a free cover redesign, email us at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

Original Cover

I loved the Using bright

digital-looking yellow for the
title of the title not only
original cover helps the book
and decided to stand out
keep that but also helps
digital feel in inject warmth
the subtitle. and optimism
into an other-
wise cold cover.

The first cover

is all about
staying
connected to All-white
others, yet it covers run the
feels cold and risk of getting
distant. I fixed lost on white
this problem by screens, so I
including the decided to go
human element with a dark blue
of a hand background
pressing a that really
power button. stands out.

50 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
 ® BOOK MARKETING
Reducing
Marketing Anxiety
And Confusion
Before considering new marketing
tactics and platforms, authors should
focus on understanding their goals
and assessing their resources
BY JANE FRIEDMAN
I
’ll never forget a conversation I had years ago
with a colleague who runs online courses for
authors. He emphasized the necessity of teach-
ing tactics: tangible, actionable steps that students
can take toward their goals. If he focused too much
on big-picture strategy or abstract theory, he said,
he lost attention and course satisfaction.
He was right. Few things are more powerful in
teaching than sharing a step-by-step process that
leads to observable results. For better or worse,
however, I often err on the side of strategy—which
means that students always ask me how to apply
said strategy. They want to know what specific
steps to take. All of us, especially today, welcome
such instruction in an increasingly changing pub-
lishing environment.
Before I explore this tension further, let me first
offer an example of the difference between strat-
egy and tactics. If you’re an author who wants to
sell more books, you may want to learn how to
advertise through Amazon Marketing Services or
Facebook, how to be active and engaged on social
media, or how to podcast. Learning best practices
in these areas would provide valuable tactics, but
doing so sidesteps larger, strategic questions that
affect your success. For instance, what are your
strengths as an author and what would you be able
to execute well and repeatedly? Where can you
gain early or easy traction with the resources
available to you? What part of the market is best
to focus on? Where are your best opportunities for
growth and visibility?
52 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
Jane Friedman
Some tactics may seem essential—because every-
one is using them and thus they are required to
play the game. But always question and assess. Is
Amazon advertising going to be effective for the
book you’re trying to sell (factoring in your book’s
pricing, packaging, and positioning)? Is social
media a suitable tool for your genre/category, given
the amount of time that you have to wait to see
results? Do you know enough about your target
readers to understand how they discover books to
read?
For example, I’m repeatedly told that I should
get into podcasting because it’s big and growing.
But should I adopt that tactic when it would require
me to stop accepting paid work or stop other
activities that are effective and even growing?
Possibly—but only an evaluation of my strategy
would lead to an informed answer.
Strategy questions can be difficult to answer,
and most of us like to avoid grappling with them.
They also require awareness—an understanding of
yourself and the market. And, while you may think
you know your goals, when pushed and questioned,
I find many writers aren’t clear on what they want.
So consider the following:
What outcomes are you looking for in the short
term and long term? Consider how the short-term
outcomes play into the long-term outcomes. For
example, getting a book traditionally published is
usually a short-term goal that can have little in
common with earning a living.
 BOOK MARKETING
Are your outcomes specific? And do you know
when you’ve attained them? The more specific
your desired outcome, the better. “I want to sell
lots of books” isn’t as useful as “I want to sell
1,000 copies through Amazon during the first year
of sales.”
What are all the possible methods you can use to
reach this outcome? List all the methods you know
of, no matter how unlikely you are to use them.
Then tr y to find methods that you might not
know about yet. Consider which methods you are
well prepared to execute and succeed at—and
this is where you may need to experiment to know
for sure.
For instance, many authors are advised to use social
media as part of their book launches, but they
establish accounts only for the purpose of book
marketing. Such authors lack the years of experi-
ence and community building that are typically
required to see sales results. If social media is a
BOOKWORKS_HALF_H_0715_Layout 1 7/24/15 10:12 AM Page 1
critical factor for reaching readers in your genre/
Calling all Indie Authors
What can BookWorks do for you:
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®
category but you lack a social media foundation,
then a more sensible tactic is to target influencers
or VIPs who already have reach.
In a great scene from Lost in Translation, Bill
Murray’s character says, “The more you know who
you are and what you want, the less you let things
upset you.” If I could customize that for today’s
authors, I’d say, “The more you know who you are
as an author and what readership you seek, the
less confused you’ll be about marketing.” And the
less you’ll be influenced by the crowd.
It’s easy to feel anxious about your progress when
you see your peers engaging in new forms of pub-
lishing or marketing and you feel pressured to join.
But the more you’re focused on your own long-term
outcomes and how to wisely use your time and
resources, the better prepared you’ll be to consider
or experiment with new tactics, adopting or dis-
carding them as you see fit.  ■
Jane Friedman teaches digital media and pub-
lishing at the University of Virginia and is the
former publisher of Writer’s Digest.
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 ® BOOKS TO WATCH

Scouting Report
In this month’s roundup of the best-reviewed BookLife
titles, we highlight works of science fiction, romance, and
fantasy, as well as a comic thriller and some historical fiction.

★ A Printer’s While Gods Sleep

Choice L.D. COLTER
W.L. PATENAUDE
Synopsis: Colter peppers the
Synopsis: Patenaude’s vivid first book of her
masterly debut novel Perilous Gods series with
tells a gripping story of formidable deities, intimi-
the near future. dating monsters, and
PW’s Takeaway: vibrant variations of myths
Patenaude’s take on the inspired by classical Greek
possibilities of technology tales.
is inventive and in line PW’s Takeaway: Fans of
with contemporary science, and his work truly Greek myths and celestial fantasy will eagerly
shines as a nuanced, character-driven drama. await more adventures in this polished world.
Comparable Title: Mary Doria Russell’s The Comparable Titles: Jordanna Max Brodsky’s
Sparrow Olympus Bound trilogy
Sample Line: “As word spread, the work of Sample Line: “With his opponent watching from
rebuilding the city slowed, and bets were made the other side of the table, Ty rattled the cup
that the rumors were true—that there really and tossed the five small goat pasterns across
had been a murder in the orbits.” the green felt.”
Read the Review: Read the Review:
publishersweekly.com/9781642280074 publishersweekly.com/ASINB07GGPZFT5

Mad Bay State Terminal 19

Librarian Skye L.R. OLSON
MICHAEL JANICE S.C. PETRIE Synopsis: The last
GUILLEBEAU Synopsis: Petrie’s thing terminally ill
Synopsis: novel is based on Hope Reynolds
Guillebeau blends the real story of a wants is to start a
humor and mys- ship found float- relationship—but
tery perfectly in this comic ing empty, its crew lost to the then she meets wealthy and
thriller. sea. attractive Christian Lund.
PW’s Takeaway: Guillebeau keeps PW’s Takeaway: Readers will find PW’s Takeaway: Readers will enjoy
things light with frequent laugh- themselves caught up in the this tender romance with plenty
out-loud lines. stormy excitement and mystery. of international flavor.
Comparable Titles: Jo Dereske’s Comparable Title: Valerie Martin’s Comparable Title: Jojo Moyes’s
Miss Zukas Mysteries The Ghost of the Mary Celeste Me Before You
Read the Review: publishers- Read the Review: publishers- Read the Review: publishers-
weekly.com/9780997205527 weekly.com/9780970551047 weekly.com/ASINB07BBNT5N8

54 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
FIRST LINES ®

First Lines
Angel’s Lust
CHRISTINA HOAG
“He’d been branded like a steer.”

Our monthly look at some of the best

first lines from BookLife authors Debriefing the Dead
KERRY BLAISDELL
“I smelled death on the two men who
This month we’ve got the smell of death, exploding walked into my office that day. I should
stars, and more. To submit a first line, have listened to my nose.”
email booklifeeditor@booklife.com.
Dead to Them
Sky-Bound Misfit SMITA BHATTACHARYA
JANE POWELL “I decided to stop living today.”
“My life began in a pub.”

The Shape of the Atmosphere The Fire in the Rock

JESSICA DAINTY CHARLES HENDERSON NORMAN
“The day before my dad and sister died, “I am old now, old beyond counting.”
my father woke me in the middle of the
night to watch the stars explode.”

B O O K L I F E .C O M 55
 ® WRITING ADVICE

Ask confusion about affect and effect

is perhaps the most common
As adverbs, both can mean “at a
greater distance” or “to a greater

the
error in the English language. extent,” but farther tends to be
So, here’s the difference. used to refer to distance—for
Most of the time affect is used example: “My house is farther

Editer as a verb, and effect is used as

A veteran editor answers
your writing questions
BY BETTY KELLY SARGENT
Dear Editor:
a noun. Affect, used as a verb,
means “to have influence on”:
“The teacher’s praise affected
Adelaide’s confidence.” Affect
as a noun is used in psychology
to mean emotion, but most of us
don’t ever have an occasion to
use it that way.
Effect, when used as a noun,
from the playground than yours.”
Further tends to be used to mean
“to a greater degree”: “Let’s
look into the problem further.”
There you have it. I hope the
effect of this description will
serve to further your under-
standing of the differences
between these pesky little words.

C ould you please explain the

difference between affect
and effect and farther and
further? I always get these
confused and could really use
some help. —Jordy W.
means result.“John’s speech had
a powerful effect on the audi-
ence.” But sometimes effect is
used as a verb. Then it means Betty Kelly Sargent is the
“to bring about or cause some- founder and CEO of BookWorks.
thing to happen”: “We all need to
do everything we can to effect If you have a question for the

A uthor and grammarian Roy

H. Copperud says that the
change.”
Now for farther and further.
editor, please email Betty Sargent
at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.
 PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS ®

New Titles from

Self-Publishers
Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 80
self-published titles below. Each appears with a list of retailers that are selling
the book and a description provided by its author. Some of these writers are
waiting to be discovered; others have track records and followings and are doing
it on their own. If you are a self-published author interested in listing titles in this
section, please visit publishersweekly.com/pw-select for more information.

Fiction criminal underworld, author Aggers paper (306p), ISBN 978-

All Love Prohibited reveals how revenge and envy come in 1-947983-79-3
Anders Eklof. Toplink Publishing. $15.99 all shapes and sizes. Amazon, BN.com, Kobo
paper (388p), ISBN 978- Olivia Novak loves
1-949804-66-9 Chris Lynheart: Daughter of Forayer family dirt, and her
Amazon, BN.com Dalton Reutlinger. AuthorHouse. $20.99 deceased mother’s
A young, idealistic, paper (284p), ISBN 978- novel begs for more
and naive foreigner 1-5462-3502-6; $3.99 investigation. But
falls in forbidden love e-book, ISBN 978-1- cracking open the dirtball requires her
with an exquisitely 5462-3501-9 two sisters and a pair of wise-guy ther-
beautiful black woman Amazon apy dogs.
in the tense Alabama of 1961. Jessica Holland dis-
covers the origins of “Is That Your Aunt in
Always Gardenia her bloodline. An the Attic?” Another
Betsy Hanson. Bryant ancient relic comes into her possession Edna and Edith
House Books. $25.99 that means either certain doom or Adventure
hardcover (231p), ISBN immense power. Barbara Fletcher and
978-0-9998093-1-0 Cheryl Gauthier.
Amazon The Gift of the Seer AuthorHouse. $20.99
Set in contemporary K.B. Laugheed. KB paper (262p), ISBN 978-
Seattle, this story fol- Laugheed. $18 paper 1-5246-2310-4; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-
lows 56-year-old Gardenia Pitkin as she (372p), ISBN 978-1- 1-5246-2309-8
adjusts to life as a widow. 7328862-0-9 Amazon
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram As they navigate through their adven-
The Cartel The conclusion of the tures, sister detectives Edna and Edith
Dennis Charles Aggers. story of Indian captive continue to find themselves in precari-
Xlibris. $23.99 paper Katie O’Toole, who pretends to be the ous and hilarious situations while strug-
(434p), ISBN 978-1- spirit keeper of a dead seer to preserve gling to avoid being assassinated for
4931-0399-7; $3.99 his people from annihilation. the bounty on their heads.
e-book, ISBN 978-1-
4931-0400-0 Indigo Legacy: Julie and Monica:
Amazon Book 3 of the Dushane Sisters Trilogy Hope Behind the Tears
In this action-packed portrayal of the Courtney Pierce. Windtree Press. $15.95 David Allen Smith. WestBow Press. $20.95

B O O K L I F E .C O M 57
 PAID LISTINGS

® PW SELECT LISTINGS
paper (52p), Publishing. $19 paper The Light Horse Ghost: World War I
ISBN 978-1- (272p), ISBN 978-1- Julie Janson. Nibago.
973604-85-3; 4809-9144-6 $2.99 e-book, ISBN
$3.99 e-book, Amazon 978-0-9876426-1-5
ISBN 978-1- A couple is drawn into Amazon
973604-86-0 a sinister organization The story of Iris, a
Amazon planning to excavate 16-year-old girl who
Two women Edgar Allan Poe’s struggles with the
face a similar crisis: the loss of a baby. grave for the potion of eternal life. A return of her soldier
When Julie and Monica meet, they find work of social criticism and modern-day father after World War I.
hope behind the tears. devilry.
The Wideawake Hat: Book 1 of the
Light of the Desert Shattered Triangle Applecross Saga
Lucette Walters. William Messenger. Black Amanda Giorgis. Amanda
AuthorHouse. $26.49 Rose Writing. $17.95 Spearing. $4.49 e-book,
paper (590p), ISBN 978- paper (290p), ISBN 978- ISBN 978-0-473-
1-4259-7748-1; $3.99 1-61296-370-9 45635-1
e-book, ISBN 978-1- Amazon, BN.com Amazon, Kobo
4918-4256-0 Three friends take dif- Three sets of foot-
Amazon ferent paths to adult- prints were found
A young woman’s remarkable journey of hood. In spite of the distances that when James Mackenzie was arrested for
survival, courage, and the ultimate act of emerge between them, they are thrust sheep stealing. Who made those foot-
humanity. together by the tragedy of death. Each is prints? And what happened to James?
affected in a different way.
Looper Poetry
Michael The Stranger: A Story of Romance and Distractions of the Heart
Conlon. Intrigue Allisha Marie.
Gatekeeper Eleanor Lee Gustaw. AuthorHouse. $17.95
Press. $6.99 Toplink Publishing. paper (112p), ISBN 978-
e-book, $15.99 paper (396p), 1-5462-4966-5; $10.95
ISBN 978-1- ISBN 978-1-949502- e-book, ISBN 978-1-
64237-370-7 25-1 5462-4965-8
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Google Play Amazon, BN.com Amazon
This nostalgic coming-of-age novel will A near-death tragedy This poetry collection
take readers back to the time of mix- takes a handsome stranger on a long reflects on distractions our hearts desire
tapes and the wonders of growing up in search for his lost love. His quest even- and deflect, including self-worth, gratifi-
the ’80s. tually brings him to a lovely publisher cation, and heartache from loving some-
and back to her old way of life. one too much or not enough, or the
The Outlandish and trauma we’ve experienced from others.
the Ego Temptation Rag
O. Ryan Hussain. Xlibris. Elizabeth Hutchison The Man You Didn’t
$19.99 paper (292p), Bernard. Belle Epoque Marry
ISBN 978-1-5245- Publishing. $14.95 paper Clifford Wayne Williams
8153-4; 99¢ e-book, (409p), ISBN 978-0- II. Archway Publishing.
ASIN B07965BCBL 9984406-4-4 $8.99 paper (66p), ISBN
Amazon Amazon, BN.com, Books- 978-1-4808-7290-5
A comedic tale that follows a secret a-Million Amazon, BN.com
society, a rigged presidential election, Love, betrayal, and ambition in ragtime- In a debut collection
and two dudes trying to save the day era New York. Characters from early of poetry, Williams reflects on relatable
while running from demon gnomes. vaudeville and African-American theater topics that explore his journey through
populate this fictionalized historical life.
The Sacred Fury saga.
Barton and Elizabeth Cockey. Dorrance

58 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
 PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS ®

Walking on a Moonbeam: And Other
Views from the Creek Bank
Bill McDonald. Xlibris.
$15.99 paper (80p),
ISBN 978-1-5434-
3093-6; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5434-
3094-3
Amazon, BN.com,
Books-a-Million
McDonald’s first book is a collection of
poems written during his career as an
engineer-scientist in the U.S. space and
national defense programs.
Mystery/Thriller
The Bad Samaritan
Lyon Bell. Brown Dog Books. $16.33 paper
(225p), ISBN 978-1-78545-347-2; $5.05
e-book, ASIN
B07LB6HHW4
Amazon
The notorious art rob-
bery at the Isabella
Stewart Gardner
Museum in 1990 is
linked to a kidnapping
at Massachusetts General Hospital—
and a subsequent murder. But how?
symbols and how they can help him stop A troubled teen leaves Texas, becoming
a killer’s murderous reign of terror. a violent serial killer. He crosses paths
with Wally, Syd, and Dan. Soon Wally
The Center Cannot becomes his next target. Who will be left
Hold standing?
Aaron Stander. Writers &
Editors. $17.95 paper The Forgotten Child
(247p), ISBN 978-0- Melissa Erin Jackson. Ringtail Press. $15.99
9975701-3-7 paper (426p), ISBN 978-
Amazon, BN.com 1-73241-342-9; $7.99
In the depths of winter e-book, ISBN 978-1-
in Cedar County, Mich., the iniquities of 73241-340-5
some particularly unsavory ancestors Amazon, Apple iBooks,
are being visited on the current genera- BN.com, Kobo
tion. A reluctant medium is
pulled into a decades-
Death by the Devil’s old cold case when she’s contacted by
Hand: A Dan Williams the spirit of a boy who has been trapped
and Syd Novel on the property of a dead serial killer
Michael L. Patton. since 1973.
CreateSpace. $4.99
e-book, ASIN Game Piece
B07KVN6WCX Alan Brenham. Black Opal Books. 99¢
Amazon e-book, ASIN B07HLCBG6J

A Balance of Evil
P.G. Barnett.
BookLocker. $17.05
paper (302p), ISBN 978-
1-63492-953-0; $3.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-
63492-956-1
Amazon, BN.com
A novel of evil’s ability to exist unseen
among the living while promoting man-
kind’s race to self-destruction.

Blood Power
R.A. Davidson. RAD Publishing. $17.99 hard-
cover (292p), ISBN 978-0-9987972-0-5;
$7.99 e-book, ISBN
978-0-9987972-2-9 For information on
Amazon, BN.com
Jack Stephens follows publishing or film rights,
a trail of intrigue, please contact
racing against time
to learn the secrets
grimdarkwain@gmail.com
of ancient religious

B O O K L I F E .C O M 59
 PAID LISTINGS

® PW SELECT LISTINGS
Amazon The Power of the Three paign to save the world from those
Detective Barry P.G. Barnett. BookLocker. $35.95 hardcover entrusted with the world’s protection.
Marshall hunts for a (264p), ISBN 978-1-
killer, unaware the 64438-403-9; $20.95 Harlem Angel: Book 1 of the Circle
killer dated his wife paper, ISBN 978-1- Brenda M. Hardwick.
years ago. Seeing 64438-402-2 AuthorHouse. $13.99
Marshall with her Amazon, BN.com paper (226p), ISBN 978-
pushes the killer Some answers are 1-5462-2429-7; $3.99
over the edge. nothing more than e-book, ISBN 978-1-
doorways to more 5462-2495-2
In God We Trust questions, and sometimes answers to Amazon
Adam P. Gross and Seth K. Gross. East those questions might just kill you and A young lady learns
Channel Press. $14.95 paper (462p), ISBN the people you love. that she is gifted and that her gifts are
978-0-9984622-0-2; needed. Will she meet the challenge, or
$3.99 e-book, ASIN Return of the Brethren will she die along with those she needs
B07MD1TB99 P.G. Barnett. BookLocker. $20.95 paper to protect?
Amazon (490p), ISBN 978-1-
John Farragut, a termi- 63492-716-1; $3.99 Kargaroth:
nally ill former CIA e-book, ISBN 978-1- A Tale of the Great Onion Knighthood
operative, is lured out 63492-719-2 Mark B. Frost and
of retirement to Amazon, BN.com Andrew Bunny. Icerabbit
destroy the Supernote Press, a pipeline The brethren have Publishing. $34.99 hard-
for international terrorism. been with us for eter- cover (672p), ISBN 978-
nities, using their 1-73282-520-8
The Mist Rises over Notchey Creek: power to slip between slices of time and Amazon
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Elizabeth Feranchak. Amazon Kindle Direct ture of millions. influenced by modern
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to Gdainys to find 692-12011-8; $4.99 Restoration
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60 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
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Amazon quietly stalk their family. Kevinmilligangallery.com

This book asks us to consider what it This book has 120 color plates of the
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J.J. Maxwell. Reviresco. coast. The
Romance/Erotica $4.49 e-book, ISBN painted picto-
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IreAnne Chambers. Purple Storm Publishing. Ingram, Kobo a Target of the Political, and Often
$2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0-9964146-0-9 Based on new details, Corrupt, World of Youth Sports
Amazon, BN.com, Kobo this book lays out a fresh, meticulously Maya Castro. Maya
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Nonfiction (305p), ISBN 978-0- soccer experience.
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Tragedy Author Withers Rachel G. Carrington. iUniverse. $18.95
Diana Gillmor. AuthorHouse. $20.99 paper thought of traveling paper (240p), ISBN 978-1-4917-6567-8;
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Essays in the Foundations of
Mathematics, 2nd ed.
Russell Connor. Dorrance
Publishing. $20 hard-
cover (48p), ISBN 978-1-
4809-2617-2
Amazon
A collection of easy-
to-read mathematical
essays. In this expan-
sion on the first edition, the author
claims to demonstrate Fermat’s Last
Theorem and rejects Wiles’s and
Kummer’s proofs.
FADS Marketing: Food, Alcohol,
Drugs, Sex, and the New Marketing
World Order
Tony Harris. THINC B2B.
$6.99 e-book,
ASIN B07K6DX7D8
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Humans are easily
manipulated, and
marketers know it.
That’s why the FADS that drive us wild
say we’re fat, we’re no fun, we need to
relax, and we’ll probably die alone.
Fool Me Twice: Confessions of a
Perpetual Internet Dating Neophyte
Jules Hannaford. Hasmark Publishing. $18
paper (224p), ISBN 978-1-989161-32-6
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Author Hannaford
began internet dating
and unwittingly invited
a new kind of trouble
into her life. This is one
woman’s journey to
find love, but she took
a risk that almost cost her life.
The Gift of Sobriety
Rose B. ReadersMagnet. $8.74 paper (122p),
ISBN 978-1-948864-
52-7
Amazon
This account is
intended to be mean-
ingful to anyone who
may have deep spiri-
tual longing. The
62 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
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author gradually moves from feeling Amazon
totally broken to a life of renewal and The true story of five-
hope. year-old Laura Small’s
attack by a mountain
God Threw Me Back: A Child Survives lion in a California
War in Sudan park. Traumatic inju-
Gatluk G. Digiew. ries, painful recovery,
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paper (108p), ISBN 978- legal battles push family and faith to
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e-book, ISBN 978-1-
5462-4244-4 A Path to Life’s Fullness: A New
Amazon Perspective on the Teachings of
This memoir charts Digiew’s story as a Jesus
little boy when civil war erupts in South Manuel J. Costa.
Sudan. Gatluk is a voice for the battered CreateSpace. $16.95
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K: How a Jewelry Thief Turned Chemist Amazon
Turned into an Author This book aims to
J. Kharene Porter. rescue Jesus from
Graphiti and Ostrakka. dogma. His true teachings are rooted
$20 hardcover (176p), in reality and therefore can be tested
ISBN 978-1-73245- experientially. They have power to
401-9 transform us now.
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Deep into her waning Protected by Muslims During
30s, the author was World War II
quickly running out of time to course- A. Robert Neurath.
correct. This story chronicles her journey Neurath
as she confronts her life with patience, Publishing.
sweat, and humor. $49.95 hardcover
(289p), ISBN 978-
Lifecycle Gates in a Christian’s Life: 0-692-15061-0
Nehemiah 3—Gates in a Christian’s Life Amazon, BN.com,
Elizabeth M. Washington. Ingram
Toplink Publishing. The employ-
$11.99 paper (126p), ment of European professionals by
ISBN 978-1-949804- Turkey after the rise of Hitler and the
92-8 saving of Jews by Turkish diplomats
Amazon, BN.com and Albanian Muslims are described.
After you get the expe- This contrasts with present-day disdain
rience of each gate, for immigrants.
from the Sheep Gate to the Final Gate,
you may be able to help another Reconstructing the Shield of Achilles
Christian or even the un-Christian. Kathleen Vail. Story
Merchant Books. $29.99
Out of the Lion’s Den: paper (190p), ISBN 978-
A Little Girl’s Mountain Lion Attack, 0-9991621-8-7; $2.99
a Mother’s Search for Answers e-book, ASIN
Susan Mattern. CreateSpace. $12.99 paper B07HPDKNRB
(322p), ISBN 978-1-5331-1745-8; $7.99 Amazon, BN.com
e-book, ASIN B01LDTR6KI Presenting images of
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the life-size shield she created, Vail fol- Saturday’s Child Amazon
lows the raging Achilles through the Deborah Burns. She Writes Press. $16.95 This guide to help readers deal with old
Trojan War and launches a search for paper (256p), ISBN 978- age is especially important for a society
Achilles’s immortal shield after his epic 1-63152-547-6 that is obsessed with youth.
death. Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, IndieBound You Can Be the Guru! The Hitchhikers
Restoration: Every daughter has a Guide to Becoming Your Own Teacher
Heal Your Soul, Heal Your Life story, some more in Life
Beau Adams. Crossover complicated than Samwell Newman.
Communications. $9.99 others. Author Burns Samwell Newman.
paper (110p), ISBN 978- grew up in the shadow of her beautiful, $3.99 e-book, ASIN
1-73293-330-9; $2.99 unconventional mother, whose love B07KW9HT2H
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Beauadams.org, Station Blackout: This guide teaches
Amazon Inside the Fukushima how readers can become their own
This book can show you how God can Nuclear Disaster and Recovery guru (teacher) in life.
heal your soul and heal your life in such Charles A. Casto. Radius
a miraculous way you may find yourself Book Group. $24.95 Children’s/YA
to be better than ever before. hardcover (226p), ISBN Africa Meets India
978-1-63576-402-4 Anita Sax, illus. by Aija Jasuna. Anita Sax
Sailing Through the Storms of Amazon, Ingram Books. $17.95 hardcover (24p), ISBN 978-
Seizures: Living with Epilepsy, Author Casto shares 1-60131-073-6
Recovering from Brain Surgery, and his firsthand expert Amazon
Being a Caregiver account of the When Africa and
Jon Sadler. Xlibris. earthquake and tsunami response at India meet for
$15.99 paper (238p), Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. the first time,
ISBN 978-1-984531- something differ-
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ISBN 978-1-984531- China’s New Show Trials, and the appearances
11-7 Global Expansion of Chinese Media puzzles the two elephants. A wise
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Sadler gives hope to others dealing Safeguard Defenders. know the reason.
with seizure disorders by sharing his $10.99 paper (192p),
experience and providing the per- ISBN 978-0-9993706- Alfred the Monarch Butterfly
spective of the child, student, father, 2-9; $10.99 e-book, Jerlene Crawford Hales. Xlibris. $24.99
and caregiver who are living with ASIN B07KDGDWBR paper (58p), ISBN 978-1-984517-66-1;
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An exploration of the Amazon
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Is America Doomed? broadcaster, CCTV, and how it works about the
Stephen Ray Williams. Toplink Publishing. with police in producing forced TV con- experiences of
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ISBN 978-1-948779- victims. different cul-
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Amazon The Ultimate Road guages is told
This book compares Map to Aging through the
the life of Samson Gracefully adventures of the southern monarch
with America. Sati Achath and Rishi butterflies as they migrate to northern
Samson was God’s Kumar Jain. Mexico.
chosen man at his time, but he relied CreateSpace. $9
more on self or man’s way instead of paper (226p), ISBN The Busy Toddler’s A to Z
God’s way. 978-1-72320-843-0 Susie and Vincent Pi. Archway Publishing.

B O O K L I F E .C O M 63
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$16.90 hardcover The Great Wall Bernard Sees ASIN B07FHVVW1Z
(32p), ISBN 978- Connie Du. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. Amazon
1-4808-5453-6; $12.99 paper (52p), A hopeful story that reminds us of the
$6.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72334- miracle of love and family, the agony of
ISBN 978-1- 963-8 loss, and the possibility of second
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Amazon, BN.com By journeying to visit
This book will the Great Wall with
help toddlers Bernard, a little boy,
master their A-to-Zs, as well as intro- readers will have a
duce them to various professions. glimpse of the fascinating Chinese his-
tory and culture.
A Chance to Be Normal
Koywan Keyes. iUniverse. $13.99 paper I Am Manifesto
(246p), ISBN 978-1-5320-4357-4; $3.99 S.B. Hilarion. BookBaby. $22.99 hardcover The Magical Balloons
e-book, ISBN 978-1- (40p), ISBN 978-0-9998284-0-3 Anita Sax, illus. by Aija Jasuna. Anita Sax
5320-4356-7 Amazon Books. $16.95 hardcover (24p), ISBN 978-
Amazon A book of 366 1-60131-028-6
This fiction book for mantras or Amazon
kids deals with bully- affirmations This book takes the reader on a jour-
ing, showing how one to raise and ney through the rainbow and teaches
boy called on his encourage children to appreciate the magic to be
friends to help him the self- found when sun and rain meet.
change the negative attention he was esteem and
getting at school. self-belief of children, told through the The Sex Decision
eyes of young siblings Hao and Sabine Ellen Piano.
Dorje the Yak Lee. CreateSpace. $9.95
Caryn Hartman, illus. paper (239p), ISBN
by Lexi Vay. Pema Katie and Kenny Tour the Railroad: 978-1-5077-6386-5
Publishing. $12.95 Is Saying Thank You Enough Amazon
paper (52p), ISBN Keith N. Corman. A teen journalist
978-1-73272-781-6 Dorrance Publishing. investigates teen
Amazon $24 hardcover (34p), pregnancies
A tale of triumph ISBN 978-1-4809- while struggling with demands for sex
over adversity. Written in both English 2653-0 from her popular boyfriend.
and Tibetan, it is a visual story of Tibet Amazon
and its culture for children. This book intro- That Summer We Stole Our
duces children to Permanent Records
The Giant Shoe the role railroads Kersti Niebruegge. Kersti Niebruegge.
M.J. Stevens. Xlibris. $31.99 paper (46p), play in our lives $13.99 paper (171p), ISBN 978-0-
ISBN 978-1-984540-61-4; $3.99 e-book, and their importance, and stresses 9908710-9-5;
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Hazel, a girl liv- the Stairs: There’s Neighborhood
ing in the New No Running When friends steal their
England area, It’s Your Turn school permanent
discovers a Amy J. Markstahler. records, discover
new world and Amy J. Markstahler. a legendary map, and embark on a
goes on a $15 paper (429p), treasure hunt to save their elementary
magical adventure, meeting new ISBN 978-1-72022- school from closing during 1993. ■
friends. 614-7; $2.99 e-book,

64 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
REVIEWS
Fiction
Ascending:
The Vardeshi Saga, Book 1
Meg Pechenick. Ink Sigil, $11.99 trade paper
(490p) ISBN 978-1-73231-230-2
First contact with aliens means learning
how to say you’re sorry in this very personal
journal of a voyage to another world. Grad
student Avery Alcott is the first human to
be taught the language of the alien Vardeshi,
who visited Earth briefly 25 years earlier.
Upon returning, the Vardeshi ask for a rep-
resentative to travel to their home world,
and Avery’s fluency makes her the perfect
candidate. After hurried training, she wins
a post aboard a Vardeshi ship and must begin
learning Vardeshi culture by immersion
while making a case for alliance with Earth.
Courteous and reserved, the Vardeshi are not
quick to respond to her overtures, and some
are openly hostile. Though Avery starts to
make friends, sabotage threatens her hard-
won acceptance and even her life. Debut
novelist Pechenick takes a slow, deliberate
path to unfolding the secrets of her charac-
ters and her universe, which allows for close
observations but threatens to stall the nar-
rative. Readers who appreciate deep cultural
worldbuilding akin to C.J. Cherryh’s
Foreigner books will stick with a maturing
Avery despite all her journey’s detours.
Asshole Attorney:
Musings, Memories, and
Missteps in a 40 Year Career
Douglas J. Wood. Plum Bay, $26.99 (240p)
ISBN 978-0-9988617-2-2
Wood (Please Be Ad-Vised: A Legal
Reference Guide for the Advertising Executive)
delivers an entertaining account of his
adventures in media and entertainment law,
where, he writes, he had to be tough but
fair: “Maybe to some I was acting like an
asshole attorney, but it felt right.” After
graduating from NYU law school in 1977,
Wood landed a job with a firm that special-
ized in groundbreaking entertainment cases
such as the Monty Python’s Flying Circus
lawsuit in 1975 against the ABC network
after the show’s producers argued that the
American network “butchered their work”
by putting “commercial breaks at all the
wrong moments.” In representing Earl
Wilson Jr. and defending his satirical ver-
sion of the popular song “Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy (of Company B)” in his play Let
My People Come, Wood writes that the case
“is considered by many to be the pivotal case
establishing the principles of a valid parody
defense.” Other anecdotes include his
involvement in introducing the Belvedere
vodka company to the U.S. market in 1998,
which begins as a simple legal affair and
turns into an international adventure, with
Wood surviving a helicopter crash in
Poland. The narrative moves at a good pace,
and Wood is a straightforward, candid
writer (“those who are unhappy about
something I wrote, I offer no apology. Feel
free to write about me. I have a thick skin”).
Wood’s memoir is a refreshing look at an
unusual legal career.
Bay State Skye
Janice S.C. Petrie. Seatales Publishing,
$14.99 trade paper (298p) ISBN 978-0-
9705510-4-7
Petrie’s entertaining novel is based on the
real story of the Bay State Skye, a ship found
floating empty, its crew lost to the sea, near
Gloucester, Mass. In August 1990, Brothers
Jimmy and Murph Sweeney are headed to
port aboard their lobster boat when they
come across the Bay State Skye, awkwardly
circling outside the Gloucester breakwater.
When they pull alongside, they find that its
owner and crew are nowhere to be found,
presumed lost at sea. The Sweeneys also note
that the boat had been dragging inside state
limits, which is illegal, and has gathered
hundreds of pounds more than the legal
limit of 100 pounds of lobster. The illegal
fishing has also damaged the equipment of
lobsterman Johnny Higgins, who could be
financially devastated by the loss, but it
helps to unite his community in a fund-
raiser for him. The fish and lobster catch
from the Bay State Skye is brought to market,
but when bouts of bad luck and unfortunate
events follow various transactions, including
sales losses due to shipping accidents, the
fisherman begin to believe the catch is
cursed. Petrie’s novel includes fascinating
details about both the fishing industry and
market; readers will find themselves caught
up in the stormy excitement and the tanta-
lizing touch of mystery.
®
Beautiful Invention:
A Novel of Hedy Lamarr
Margaret Porter. Gallica, $14.95 trade paper
(378p) ISBN 978-0-9907420-3-6
Hedy Lamarr is feted as much for her
intellect as for her beauty in this captivating
novel set in the 1930s. As a young Austrian
actress, Hedy (born Hedwig Kiesler) makes
a scandalous, avant-garde film in 1933
called Ecstasy that is star-making, but
shadows her personally and professionally.
Soon after, she marries a jealous, domi-
neering supplier of military weapons to
dictators, including Hitler. After several
attempts to leave her marriage for a movie
career in the United States, Hedy finally
obtains an MGM contract from Louis
Mayer. Mayer molds Hedy into a glamorous
movie icon, but she becomes frustrated with
roles that do not show her dramatic range,
and with her image as aloof. Hedy collected
six husbands and many lovers, and raised
three children, yet the narrative’s focus on
her patented invention of a radio-controlled
torpedo provides a window into a complex,
highly intelligent woman. The pacing of
the story is spot-on: Hedy’s personal and
career trajectories are excellently balanced
by the secondary characters, as well as a
thread about her mother being trapped in
Austria and, later, London as it was being
bombed. Porter’s insightful account of a
gifted yet often misunderstood inventor
and movie star makes for a winning novel.
Celtic Knot
Ann Shortell. Friesen, $26.95 (336p)
ISBN 978-1-5255-2090-7
Shortell constructs her gripping histor-
ical novel on the bones of an actual incident:
the murder of Thomas D’Arcy McGee, a
staunch supporter of Canadian nationhood
and the subsequent hanging of Irish immi-
grant Patrick James Whelan, who professed
his innocence of the crime to the end. Set
mainly in Ottawa in 1868, the story is told
with brio by 15-year-old Clara Swift, who
describes herself as an “Irish girl, British
subject and a Canadian all 21 months we’ve
had a country.” When Clara, McGee’s ser-
vant, hears a gunshot outside the door of
their boarding house, she opens the door to
find McGee dead. Suspicion immediately
falls on members of the Fenian brotherhood,
who considered the outspoken McGee to be
B O O K L I F E .C O M 64a
 ® REVIEWS
a traitor to their cause. The authorities,
keen to find the culprit, hastily settle on
Whelan. Clara, however, is not convinced
of his guilt. Shortell vividly conveys the
atmosphere that surrounded the murder
and examines the profound impact that
McGee’s death had on the development of
the fledgling nation. This is a lively and
fascinating story, well told.
Epitaph
Karla Brandenburg. Karla Brandenburg,
$3.99 e-book (245p) ASIN B01NCEF91X
Brandenburg (The Architect) kicks off a
new paranormal romance series with an
exciting murder mystery set in the fictional,
sleepy town of Edgarville, Ill. Kevin
McCormick is a reporter for the local news-
paper who wants to write more investiga-
tive pieces but is constantly assigned to
write fluff. His current Halloween assign-
ment, about cemeteries, leads him to Amy
Benson, the daughter of a monument shop
owner. Shy and enigmatic Amy writes the
epitaphs that are the hallmarks of the fam-
ily’s business, but few people know that
Amy’s skill stems from her ability to hear
the dead. Amy shares her secret with Kevin
after she hears the voice of his sister, who
says that her death was not accidental as it
appeared. Things heat up between Kevin
and Amy as they look into the case and start
to fall for each other. Brandenburg seam-
lessly blends romance with a thrilling ghost
story. The sex scenes are generally well
done, with one exception that involves a
sleeping person who hadn’t consented.
Otherwise, this is a strong series start.
The Legendary Duke:
Put Up Your Dukes, Book 2
Margaret Locke. Locked on Love, $15.99
trade paper (395p) ISBN 978-1-946553-05-8
Locke follows her nearly flawless series
opener with a too-clever-by-half fusion of
Regency romance and Arthurian legend,
specifically the story of Gawain and the
Green Knight. After growing up in Italy,
Gavin Knight returns to England to claim
his inheritance as Duke of Cortleon. He’s a
formidable fighter and determined to per-
sonally avenge the murder of his father.
Marriage is the last thing on his mind. In a
diverting contrivance, his plan for revenge
begins to waver when he lays eyes on Lady
64b B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
Elinor “Nelle” Greene. It’s a venial depar-
ture from the legend, but it works. Due to
her family’s diminished circumstances,
headstrong, independent Nelle must marry
for money. Feeling like a sacrificial lamb,
she agrees to wed a much older man. Then
she meets Gavin, and both must choose
between duty and love. Forgiving the 21st-
century dialogue may be a challenge for
purists, but the story is genuine romance.
MAD Librarian
Michael Guillebeau. Madison, $20 trade pa-
per (404p) ISBN 978-0-9972-0552-7
Guillebeau (Josh Whatever) blends humor
and mystery perfectly in this comic thriller
set in the small city of Maddington, Ala.
Head librarian Serenity Hammer has dedi-
cated herself to keeping the Maddington
Public Library “a calm oasis of normalcy.”
But her idealism proves not to be enough
when a change in the city’s administration
leaves the library perilously low on funds
and at risk of closing its doors. At the 11th
hour, Serenity happens upon an obscure city
account with a balance sufficient to meet
her current needs—and more. Convinced
of the righteousness of her cause, Serenity,
aided by her assistant, Amanda Doom,
accesses the account and starts transferring
money to the library. After she manages to
pay for repairs to the air conditioning and
to their internet service provider, Serenity
dreams bigger. She plots to transform the
library into an innovative center that would
house a community space as well as books.
The tension rises after Serenity receives
threatening notes from gangsters, and a
murder occurs on the library’s premises.
Guillebeau keeps things light with fre-
quent laugh-out-loud lines.
Predators
Michaelbrent Collings. Michaelbrent Collings,
$4.99 e-book (351p) ASIN B07GZZZ9MT
Collings’s vivid and gripping style can’t
overcome the many flaws of this horror-
thriller, which relies heavily on tired stereo-
types. After winning a trip to Africa, Evie
Childs and her abusive husband, Bill, join
a wide cast of fellow tourists that include a
Hollywood starlet and her scandal-ridden
director husband, a sick little girl traveling
with her grandmother and father, and a
semifamous YouTube streamer. Happy
Africa Safari Tours takes them on what is
supposed to be a getaway that quickly turns
into a nightmare when the safari caravan is
derailed first by a pair of gunmen and then
by a pack of ravenous hyenas that stalk the
ever-dwindling group across the wilder-
ness. Collings is a capable writer, and his
pacing is captivating, but the story suffers
from its portrayal of Africans as savage and
the depiction of women as vixens or victims
(including an excessive focus on female
genital mutilation among the Maasai).
Readers may still be pulled along to the
end, in which white people inevitably save
the day, but they’re unlikely to return for a
reread.
★ A Printer’s Choice
W.L. Patenaude. Izzard Ink, $27.95 hardcover
(334p) ISBN 978-1-64228-007-4
Theologian Patenaude’s masterful debut
novel tells a gripping story of the near
future. In 2088, life in outer space is now a
reality thanks to advanced 3-D printing
technology. A seemingly orderly world is
shattered by the news of outer space’s first
homicide. The victim is a Catholic priest,
leading to much speculation about both the
priest’s reasons for going up to atheistic
outer space and the suspected murderer’s
motives. With political stability threat-
ened, the Vatican, still powerful on a war-
torn, environmentally damaged Earth,
sends a parish priest and former Marine,
Father John McClellan, to investigate.
McClellan’s experience with 3-D printers
may be the key to solving the mystery. This
is a superb morality tale in which the power
of free will and the implications of making
good choices are carefully woven together.
Patenaude’s take on the possibilities of tech-
nology is inventive and in line with contem-
porary science, and his work truly shines as
a nuanced, character-driven drama. This
work is a must-read for those who enjoy
thought-provoking, challenging specula-
tive fiction.
The Song Peddler of the Pont Neuf
Laura Lebow. Settecento, $17.95 trade paper
(410p) ISBN 978-1-7324-9720-7
Lebow (The Figaro Murders) vividly
evokes the turbulent atmosphere of Paris on
the eve of the French Revolution in this
well-researched series launch featuring con-
REVIEWS
fidential inquirer Paul Gastebois. Most of
Paul’s work consists of keeping tabs on for-
eign diplomats for the police, a task that
keeps him loitering in the shadows and
tailing his subjects through every
arrondissement of the city. One evening,
he’s approached by a new client, who asks
him to locate a missing friend, Gaspard
Bricon, an elderly song peddler. Just before
Bricon disappeared, the old man confided
“that he had seen a ghost—a ghost from the
past.” In his search for Bricon, Paul encoun-
ters fully rounded characters from all levels
of society, each of whom provides fasci-
nating insights into the social climate of the
time. The action builds to a surprising and
satisfying solution. Lebow clearly loves
Paris, and in Paul she has created a bold,
intelligent protagonist. History buffs and
lovers of well-plotted mysteries will be
pleased.
Terminal 19
L.R. Olson. L.R. Olson, $4.99 e-book (295p)
ASIN B07BBNT5N8
Half-truths and omissions abound in this
poignant new adult romance. Nineteen-
year-old Hope Reynolds, who has a terminal
illness, arrives in Denmark from Florida,
planning to celebrate what may be her last
birthday by crossing a few important items
off her bucket list. Having left behind her
well-meaning family for some much-
needed alone time, the last thing Hope
wants is to start a relationship. Then she
meets wealthy Christian Lund, a disarm-
ingly charming Scandinavian hottie. With
dogged persistence, he slowly chips away at
her resolve to keep their burgeoning rela-
tionship in the casual fling zone. Olson
infuses her narrative with plenty of humor
and chutzpah, and her main characters have
just the right balance of need and vulnera-
bility to make the sexual tension between
them utterly irresistible. The story is fast-
paced and fueled by beautiful emotion, and
a late twist adds much-needed brightness
to Hope’s otherwise bleak future. Readers
will enjoy this tender romance with plenty
of international flavor.
Wendall’s Lullaby
Kip Koelsch. Kip Koelsch, $15.99 trade paper
(600p) ISBN 978-1-522021-10-0
In Koelsch’s imaginative, plausible sus-
pense novel, scientists around the world are
baffled when hundreds of dolphins beach
themselves in Texas, Virginia, and
Mozambique, numbers far greater than ever
previously observed. Angela Clarke, the
national director of Marine Mammal Health
and Stranding, a division of the Department
of Commerce, flies to Galveston to investi-
gate the Unusual Mortality Event there.
Angela is unaware that the mass deaths are
not a shock to her boss, Rear Adm. Lawrence
Collins, an undersecretary of Commerce
who’s involved with the covert government
cabal known as the Few. Collins’s group has
deployed CONCH, an advanced sonar
system to enhance America’s homeland
security against terrorist attack from under-
water. While the admiral knows that the
dolphin strandings are connected to
CONCH, the truth is kept from Angela,
who races to gather and analyze data from
all three UME sites so that she can learn
enough to forestall a fourth. Fans of the film
The Day of the Dolphin will enjoy this
unusual and intelligent thriller.
Where the Fulcrum Lies
Matt Lakes. Lanier Press, $14.95 trade paper
(429p) ISBN 978-1-61005-756-1
Lakes’s novel effectively probes the con-
tours of a Russian nuclear physicist’s mind
during 1961, at the apex of the Cold War.
Daniil Kuryakin, a veteran and introspec-
tive patriot, is instrumental in designing
and testing “Big Ivan,” the largest nuclear
bomb ever detonated. It changes Daniil’s
life, but his world is rocked again when he
learns his wife has died. As Daniil struggles
to recover his equilibrium, Zoya Sergeyevna
enters his life; she’s a friend of the wife of
Daniil’s best friend and wartime comrade,
Igor, who struggles with alcoholism. While
Daniil attempts to understand his swirling
feelings for the alluring Zoya, he is also
compelled to discover the truth behind the
strange circumstances of his wife’s death.
All the while his work as a nuclear physicist
continues, as do shadowy KGB machina-
tions. Lakes is equally adept writing about
love or physics, and sometimes his prose
captures both simultaneously: “Given
enough time and exposure to an unre-
strained influence that surpasses their crit-
ical mass, things will exhibit the ability to
turn into their opposites.” This is an accom-
®
plished blend of the historical and the
personal.
While Gods Sleep
L.D. Colter. Tam Lin, $3.99 e-book (267p)
ASIN B07GGPZFT5
Colter (A Borrowed Hell) peppers the
vivid first book of her Perilous Gods series
with formidable deities, intimidating mon-
sters, and vibrant variations of myths
inspired by classical Greek tales. In 1958
Athens, hapless hero Eutychios “Ty” Kleisos
accepts an offer he can’t refuse from his
diminutive loan shark, Kairos. To pay off
his gambling debt, Ty, a locksmith, agrees
to enter the mercurial underworld city of
Erebus and steal a key belonging to the
demigoddess Naia, the daughter of Eros.
Naia explains that the gods are under a
spell, amnesiac and slumbering in a hidden
tomb that her key opens. As Naia battles
the ruthless conjoined twin queens, the
Graeae, who want to control the gods and
usurp their power, Ty realizes he is linked
to Erebus, as he has seen the tomb in visions
during his two near-death experiences as a
child. Shunning clichés, Colter crafts a sus-
penseful plot that dashes along to the
rousing ending, weaving in gryphons and
harpies, magical tattoos, transformations,
and betrayal. Fans of Greek myths and
celestial fantasy will root for Ty and eagerly
await more adventures in this polished
world.
The Witches of White Willow
Angela Addams. Weird Sister, $3.99 e-book
(266p) ISBN 978-1-77527-745-3
This cliché-driven series launch is set in
a magical hospital near Salem, Mass., where
a race of witches, magically hidden from
humans, train to combat magical ailments.
Hazel Knight is one of those witches,
known as the Promised One. According to
her mother, she is destined to sacrifice her-
self to feed the magic of the other healer
witches. Those plans begin to go awry when
Hazel discovers that the human she’s been
sneaking out to see isn’t human at all, but a
fellow witch named Duke Hart, who has
just been assigned to complete her training.
Duke sees her mother’s plans as selfishness
rather than destiny, and he sets out to con-
vince Hazel to choose love over what she’s
been taught to see as her duty. The relation-
B O O K L I F E .C O M 64c
 ® REVIEWS
ship, though strained by events in the plot,
is already established when the book begins,
and the lack of development on the page
makes it feel somewhat stale as the plot
winds to a close. Undemanding fans of para-
normal tales will find this story a passable
way to spend a few hours.
The Yellowstone Group
Robert Culliton. Robert Culliton, $12.99 trade
paper (290p) ISBN 978-1-977079-84-8
The urgency of surviving a rapidly
cooling Earth takes a back seat to the nar-
rator’s laissez-faire coming-of-age in
Culliton’s chilly debut. In the near future,
reflective material is injected into the atmo-
sphere to hinder global warming, but the
result is a frost. Seeking direction and self-
worth, recent college graduate and engineer
Sam Roberts moves from New York to
Wyoming to join the Yellowstone Group
think tank to design solutions for adapting
to the cold. Led by erratic venture capitalist
Hermann, the group consists of geneticist
Meaghan, veterinarian Caroline, geo-
thermal engineer Dave, and Sam, who is
building a prototype bicycle that can travel
over snow. Consistently doubting his value
among the other scientists, Sam observes
nature, learns to ski, attends a Mongolian
funeral rite, remembers childhood trauma,
and frets over genetic manipulation. The
meager science-fiction premise is subordi-
nate to the vignettes, observations, and
philosophical musing. Despite cumber-
some language, the story succeeds in deliv-
ering its message of developing a sense of
purpose as one cares for the environment.
Nonfiction
And Every Word Is True
Gary McAvoy. Literati, $24.95 (300p)
ISBN 978-0-9908376-0-2
McAvoy, a dealer of collectible manu-
scripts and other memorabilia, delivers an
often captivating addendum to the Clutter
family murder case, immortalized in
Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. When Ron
Nye, the grown son of police investigator
Harold Nye, finds a box of his late father’s
papers, he contacts McAvoy about selling
the material. Beyond his interest in the cor-
respondence between Capote and Nye,
64d B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
McAvoy’s curiosity spikes after the Kansas
attorney general demands the papers,
claiming them to be the property of the
Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Challenges
to the veracity of In Cold Blood are in no way
new, but McAvoy offers fresh details
relating to Capote’s embellishments and
omissions, such as leaving out details con-
cerning Bonnie and Herbert Clutter’s mar-
riage and family reputation. McAvoy also
explores the possibility that the killers,
Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith,
were hired, as suggested in handwritten
documents by Hickock. Intriguingly, he
also addresses the potential influence of law
enforcement on Capote’s work: “a case could
be made, then, that In Cold Blood was as
much a product of the KBI’s guiding hand
as it was Capote’s flowing pen.” McAvoy’s
disclosures are provocative, if not earth-
shaking; most notably, McAvoy echoes
Capote’s potent prose style and deep
humanizing of his subjects, while broad-
ening the conversation about truth, inten-
tion, and narrative representation.
Plantains and the 7 Plagues,
a Memoir: Half-Dominican,
Half-Cuban and Full Life
Paz Ellis. CreateSpace, $8.99 trade paper
(180p) ISBN 978-1-5454-1078-3
Ellis crafts a love letter to her family in
this flawed but charming memoir. Her
story begins in 1966, with her Dominican
mother’s reluctance to get involved with a
divorced Cuban man who already had a
four-year-old child. He didn’t give up and
they eventually married, with Ellis and her
younger sister born within a few years.
Ellis’s stories of being raised in and around
New Jersey and New York City are candid
and sometimes humorous, including such
events as her mother slapping her kinder-
garten teacher (whom Ellis had dubbed “the
wicked witch”) and her grandmother’s
increasingly bizarre behavior, as with an
attempt to shoplift by hiding items under-
neath her trench coat (but since she was
naked beneath the coat, they all fell out).
Ellis interweaves the personal material with
Cuban and Dominican political history,
expanding the scope of an otherwise epi-
sodic memoir. The writing is often unpol-
ished and the beginning is confusing, with
info dumps and skips in time and location.
Bafflingly, the ending upends the overall
upbeat feel and fixates on the author’s bitter
dislike of her father-in-law and her melan-
choly over the loss of her mother. Other
than the off-putting ending, this memoir
of a biracial, first-generation American is
pleasant and full of an infectious zest for life.
Seeking Oz:
My Twelve-Year Journey in a Cult
Makena McChesney. Balboa, $18.99 trade
paper (252p) ISBN 978-1-9822-0619-2
Following her flight from a cult,
McChesney, now 71, recounts the torment
of her captivity in this tense but uneven
memoir. She writes of growing up in a strict
family and attending a “fear-based, shame-
based” Pentecostal church in an unnamed
rural community in the U.S., where she was
reluctant to question authority. As a direc-
tionless 31-year-old in 1978 with two
young children and an abusive alcoholic
husband, she was drawn to a welcoming,
fundamentalist group she refers to as the
Fellowship. She left her husband and, with
her two sons, moved to a Fellowship colony.
The cult, under a charismatic leader she
calls Bud, controlled every facet of her life:
she was expected to teach classes to the
members’ children, to clean and take care
of rental houses of new members, and to
take in and educate new members. It took
years until she finally understood that cults
are made up of “those who desired to control
and those who allowed it,” and she realized
that she needed to, and could, control her
own life. She left the cult with her teenage
children in 1990, choosing no longer “to
give away her power to be loved.” The nar-
rative can feel muddled at times, as she
hesitates describing the cult members and
the cult itself in detail. Ultimately, how-
ever, McChesney’s story is as uplifting as it
is encouraging.
Tummy Revolution 21:
Gut Health Made Simple
Sara Chadwick. Tummy Revolution, $9.99
e-book (234p) ISBN 978-1-5272-2972-3
Chadwick (along with her Tummy
Revolution blog team of dietician Debra
Thomas and yoga instructor Kerry Morgan)
offers a solid though familiar collection of
recipes intended to promote a healthy gut.
Chadwick uses a three-step approach: elimi-
REVIEWS
nation (avoiding all foods proven to cause
bloating, gas, cramps, and diarrhea), chal-
lenge (gradually reintroducing the elimi-
nated foods to determine ones without side
affects), and personalization (devising a
customized diet based on the findings). She
suggests tips for making certain meals
ahead of time and freezing for later use, such
as muffins, Swedish meatballs, and tomato
soup. Though most of the dishes are unre-
markable (toast with cinnamon, sugar and
bananas; basic bruschetta; roasted chicken;
Greek pasta salad), there are occasional
bright spots like salmon tacos with citrus
salsa, and riffs on jam jar salads (to take to
work) such as one with roasted pumpkin
and feta. None of the recipes contain nutri-
tional information, though they do offer
estimates on level of difficulty and prep
time. The dishes come together quickly and
are well within the abilities of even the most
novice of cooks. This is a fine choice for
those wanting to improve their eating
habits, but those wanting more gut-health
information would do better to look
elsewhere.
Children’s/YA
Principal Mikey
Derek Taylor Kent, illus. by Paul Louis Smith.
Whimsical World, $15.99 (158p) ISBN 978-0-
9995554-2-2
A 10-year-old is placed in charge of his
school in this wish-fulfillment tale. Mikey
McKenzie is a known problem solver: he
investigates situations such as Operation
Squirrel Circus with aplomb. After he and
his friend discover the source of a flu out-
break at Prairie View School by using the
scientific method (Operation Virus
Eradication), the school’s principal puts
Mikey in charge while she takes a two-week
vacation. What could go wrong? Mikey
implements his ideas to improve the school
(Operation Kids-in-Charge), complete
with go-karts, Slip ’n Slides, and every kid’s
Holy Grail: a homework ban. But after his
sister breaks the rules more than once,
Mikey discovers that there’s more at stake
than whether he can serve pizza for lunch
every day. Kent (El Perro con Sombrero) gives
Mikey the right balance of naivety and
altruism, though the story gets carried away
®
at times, even for a book with an unlikely
premise (no repercussions following stu-
dent injuries, for example). Still, Smith’s
cartoon-style illustrations showcase a wide
variety of Mikey’s successes and failures, and
Kent skillfully introduces an inventive role
model for budding problem solvers. Ages
7–11.
Winter Melon Story
Naomi Lau. Wildberry Ink, $20 (30p) ISBN 978-
0-9905915-5-9
In a quiet story about patience, Sammy,
a child with a chin-length bob and a gentle
smile, visits her grandmother (“Poh Poh”)
in Minnesota. It’s summer, and Sammy
loves helping Poh Poh to garden and cook.
When her friend Davey comes over to play,
it’s an opportunity to learn about growing
things: a small, cucumberlike vegetable
grows from a leafy vine. It’s a “winter
melon. In Chinese, it’s called dong-gua,”
Sammy explains. In China, where Poh Poh
lived, she would grow them in the summer
and enjoy them in a wintertime stew. After
waiting all season for it to grow, the chil-
dren decide to pick it one day early. When
the melon accidentally rolls down the stairs
and breaks open, Poh Poh has a surprise in
store—one that leads the three to cook
together. Lau’s spare illustrations render the
characters simply and mark the passage of
time with the visit of a small bird, two rab-
bits, and falling autumn leaves around the
winter melon. A sweet multicultural story
that suggests that the best things in life are
worth a wait. Ages 3–7.
B O O K L I F E .C O M 64e
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