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CRIME
FICTION
July 2016

Your Guide to
Self-Publishing
Why Crime Authors
Are Going Indie
10 Trends Shaping
Publishing
Reviews Roundup
74 New Titles Listed

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INDIE CRIME FICTION

The Thrill of Going Solo

By Nicole Audrey Spector

uthors of thrillers and

mysteries who have
endured the woes of traditional publishing may
find that the indie route
is the best way to go. Like romancea
genre that famously sees some of its selfpublished authors make millionscrime
fiction lends itself well to self-publishing,
in part because authors can pump out a
ton of books in a relatively short time
while building and engaging with an
active audience online. Its a lot of work,
but well worth it for those crime authors
whose careers have taken off as a result.
Mark Dawson, the British bestselling
author of the John Milton, Beatrix Rose,
and Soho Noir series, was a struggling
writer before he discovered self-publishing and created a killer marketing
strategy around it. Now he brings in six
figures per year and offers courses for
authors on how to use Facebook ads and
other digital tools to build readership
and turn a pretty profit.

Crime novelists are trading traditional

publishing deals for indie freedom
Dawson arrived at the conclusion that
the traditional publishing model is fundamentally flawed, if not completely
broken. Disappointed, he abandoned
the idea of being an author for several
years. His interest resumed with the
emergence of a new, fascinating device:
the Kindle.
I stopped writing until the Kindle
came around and in 2011 or 2012 selfpublished [two books], Dawson says. It
started slowly because I didnt really
know what I was doing, but I could see
that I was getting readers and then more
readers, and then reviews, and I started
writing faster and faster.
By 2014, things went stratospheric,
Dawson says, and he was able to quit his
job and devote himself full-time to
writing. He now self-publishes an
average of five books per year. The more
the better, but Id say two books a year is
what you need to establish yourself, and
youll greatly increase your odds if you
write in a series, he notes.

Becoming an
Authorpreneur

Mark Dawson

In 2002 Pan Macmillan published

Dawsons first two novels, The Art of
Falling Apart and Subpoena Colada. The
process of working with Pans staff was
great, Dawson says, but, once the books
were out there, little was done to build
momentum and attract new readers. I
did a load of promotion myself, he notes,
adding, That wasnt what I had in mind
when I gave them 90% of the royalties.

As with authors in any genre, crime novelists who self-publish successfully need
an aggressive marketing plan. They must
devote a great deal of their time to their
craft, as they might when working with
a traditional publisher, as well as to
building and maintaining engagement
with readers. Facebook advertising, an
email subscription list, free download
offers, and a keen attentiveness to whats
working in the bigger world of digital
marketing have all been integral to
Dawsons success. I listen to a lot of
digital marketing experts whove been
doing this for longer, he says.
Peter Bartram, the author of the
Crampton of the Chronicle crime series
and many other books, says that as an indie

30 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

author, hes had to become an authorpreneur. The key is to master the technology
and know how to use it to reach readers in
very targeted ways, says Bartram, who
originally signed on with W.H. Allen
back in the 80swhen publishers still
took you to lunch in good restaurants with
fine food and wines. Of course, he adds,
that model could never last.
Studying the business models of
Dawson and fellow bestselling self-published crime author Nick Stephenson,
Bartram focuses heavily on building a
readership and building a digital database of tuned-in readers. Marketers talk
about winning market share by owning
the customer, Bartram says. You have
to know who your fans are, [and] the best
way to do that is by building a database
of readers who like your books. Keep in
touch with them by offering them regular freebies such as free short stories and
relevant articles, competitions, and so
on. Its all about giving readers something they enjoy.
Sally Spedding, author of eight crime
novels via traditional publishers, went
indie with her ninth book, Cut to the Bone,
after her publisher decided to produce
e-books only, and shortly after that, put
an end to publishing fiction. Spedding
has quickly learned that succeeding as a
self-published author means maintaining
a vibrant digital and social presence. She
keeps up with her website, produces a
blog, and networks on Facebook and
Twitter.
Also necessary, Spedding finds, is getting out there to book fairs [and other]
events where you can exhibit your books,
and, if you enjoy it as I do, running workshops and giving talks.
Michael Parker, who was traditionally
published in the 80s and now self-publishes, says the process has helped him to
realize just how vital promotion, mar-

INDIE CRIME FICTION

keting, and building an email list are to
an authors success. In a sense, he can now
do exactly for his books what he felt his
traditional publisher wasnt doing. I
learned that my publisher was not into
promotion for me, Parker says. They
only included my titles in their quarterly
brochure when they were due for publication, [and] most of my hardback titles
went into the libraries.

I remember checking the numbers

after one weekend of [offering the book
for free], and I had something like
50,000 downloads, Dawson says.

The Quick Turnaround

What many crime authorsparticularly

those who churn out serieslove about
self-publishing is the ability to deliver
books without having to go through all
the hoops of traditional publishing.
Vincent Zandri says the quick turnaround from the typewriter to the press,
so to speak, is what first attracted him to
self-publishing. Under the traditional
model, you submit the manuscript to the
agent and they take weeks if not months
going over it, Zandri says. They submit
it to the big publisher, and said publisher
spends a year developing it, or just plain
sitting on it. By the time its published,
the mojo is gone.

Vincent Zandri

Zandri also says the pay is better as a

self-published author. Here I was
moving tens of thousands of e-books, and
suddenly Im making this great living
with real money, rather than struggling
from advance to advance, which is
Monopoly money, he says.
As enjoyable as the quick turnaround
can be, some authors may find it problematic because they cant simply drop
one book without having the next in the
works. Dawson says the failure to have a
follow-up book ready was his biggest
mistake when he began self-publishing.

Sara Rosett

Thats 50,000 readers who may read and

buy the next bookbut the problem
was, I didnt have a next book for them,
and I wasnt switched on with a mailing
list yet, so there was no way apart from
their checking Amazon for me to communicate with them.

Writing and Connecting

Every Day

In order to have new books always in the

queue and keep voracious readers satisfied, indie crime authors have to get in
the habit of writing every day. It may
sound like a dream come true, particularly if it means trading in a day job one
cant stand, but often it isnt easy.
Part of what makes daily writing difficult for self-published authors is that
they simultaneously have to be marketing, or at least connecting with their
fan base. Cozy mystery author Sara
Rosett, who started self-publishing in
2012, has found that its a balancing act.
As an indie author you need to be able
to switch roles from the creative artist
when youre writing to the marketing
salesperson when youre promoting, she
says. Those are two very different skills,
and you need to actually enjoy both
aspects of the business.
Chris Simms, a crime author who
went indie when his former editor at
Orion retired and his new editor didnt
share his vision, says writing is only
half the struggle of a self-published
authors work. The other 50% is promoting and advertising, he says, and

it can be just a time-consuming as the

writing.

Getting Readers Involved

Marketing shouldnt only be promoting

and advertising; it should also get readers
involved in the creative process. Dawson
has built up a team of several hundred
readers who receive advance copies of his
books, and he encourages them to provide feedback.
The advance team will occasionally
pick up things that slipped through the
cracks and correct facts Ive got wrong,
Dawson says. My character is an exassassin and he fires a gun a lot. I live in
England and Ive never fired a gun before.
[In early books] I put safeties on guns
that dont have safeties. As an author
selling most of his books to an American
audience, you get facts wrong about
guns, youre going to get crucifiedand
I did. But these days Ive got soldiers on
the advance team, special forces guys,
FBI and CIA agents, and theyll tell me
things are wrong.

Simon Wood

Engaging readers also enables them

to play a special role in the creation of
the book, which can enhance authors
appeal. Ive included my readers in my
creative process, [and] Ive included my
readers names in the books, says
crime author Simon Wood. Ive road
tested story ideas, cover designs, titles
with them, [and] theyve helped with
me research based on their qualifications. Having these people with me
when it comes to book launch time is

invaluable.
Nicole Audrey Spector is a writer living with
a man and a dog.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

31

INDIE PUBLISHING

A Look Ahead
By Mark Coker

he future of publishing is fraught with opportunity and peril. Here are 10 trends shaping your
future as a writer and/or publisher.

The rise of e-books: Ten years ago, e-books

accounted for less than 1% of the trade book market. Today,
e-books account for about 25% of dollar sales and 40%50% of
units. Although the rate of growth has slowed for e-books, the
affordability and accessibility of digital will continue to erode
print readership.

Publishing and distribution democratized: Ten years ago,

agents and publishers were the bouncers at the pearly gates of
authordom. Publishers controlled the printing press and the
access to retail distribution. Today, thanks to free e-book publishing platforms, writers enjoy democratized access to e-book
retailers and readers.
E-books going global: Much of the opportunity for authors in
the years ahead will come from international markets. Billions
of potential readers now carry e-reading devices in the form of
smartphones. Every e-book is potentially a couple of clicks away
from being discovered and purchased.
The rise of indie authorship: Indie authorship has become a
global cultural movement. Writers are drawn to e-book selfpublishing for the total creative control, faster access to global
markets, and pricing and promotion flexibility. Writers retain
all rights while earning 60%80% of the list price as their
e-book royalty. Traditionally published e-book authors earn only
12%17%.
Indie authors are taking market share: Every week, indie
e-books top retailer bestseller lists, and hit the USA Today and
New York Times lists. Indies will continue gaining digital market
share as they pioneer tomorrows best practices for pricing, production, and promotion.
The stigma of self-publishing is disappearing: Ten years
ago, self-publishing was viewed as the last resort for writers.
Today, self-publishing is becoming the first choice for many
writers. Writers are learning to outsell and outcompete the
larger publishers with e-books. Each time an indie author hits
a bestseller list, it inspires fellow writers to recognize that they,
too, can self-publish with pride, professionalism, and success.
The glut of high-quality, low-cost e-books will worsen: Ten
years ago, the economics of print publishing and retailing limited the supply of books. With shelf space at a premium, retailers
returned unsold inventory to make room for the next books.
32 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

Ten trends shaping the

future of publishing

This forced many new books out of print within a matter of

months. With e-books, however, retailers have unlimited virtual
shelf space. This is a double-edged sword for writers. It means
that your e-book will forever be discoverable. But it also means
that more books will chase fewer readers. Its simple economics
that when supply exceeds demand, price competition ensues as
desperate producers cut prices to reach readers.
Amazon is devaluing books with Kindle Unlimited:
Amazon is exploiting the glut of books to drive massive devaluation with its Kindle Unlimited e-book subscription service.
Kindle Unlimited provides readers with access to more than one
million e-books for $9.99 per month, or about the cost of a
single traditionally published e-book. Nearly all the books in
Kindle Unlimited are supplied by the inventory of KDP Select,
which in turn is powered by self-published authors who make
their books exclusive to Amazon. Kindle Unlimited devalues
what the customer thinks a book should cost and reduces author
earnings. Authors earn only half a cent per page read. Producers
ultimately shoulder the burden of ever-lower prices. Authors
must either lower their production costs or accept less for each
sale. Unlike manufacturers of commodity products, authors
cant outsource their writing to China. In the future, writers
willing to write for less will reach the most readers at Amazon.
Kindle Unlimited is undermining single-copy sales: Kindle
Unlimited is eroding the market for single-copy e-book sales.
Amazons product pages for KDP Select titles encourage readers
to read the book for free as part of their Kindle Unlimited or Prime
subscription. An author who would otherwise earn $2.80 for a
single-copy sale of his or her $3.99 200-page book will now earn
about $1 or less with Kindle Unlimited. It also means that Amazon
is training its most voracious customers to consume books for what
feels like free, rather than purchasing single copies. Even singlecopy purchases of 99 e-books will begin to feel expensive.
Indie authors are writing the next chapter of their industrys
story: The power center of the publishing industry is shifting
from publishers to writers. Writers will determine the fate of
publishers and retailers by deciding when, where, and how they
publish. If indie authors continue to enroll books in ever-greater
numbers into KDP Select, competing retailersstarved of
inventorywill go out of business, further solidifying Amazons
stranglehold on the market. In a cruel twist of irony, indie
authors are slowly forfeiting their long-term independence by
enrolling books in KDP Select.

Mark Coker is the founder of Smashwords.

New Titles
from Self-Publishers
Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 74 selfpublished titles below, with descriptions provided by their authors. Some of these
writers are waiting to be discovered; others have a track record and a following and are
doing it on their own. If you are a self-published author interested in listing titles in
this section, please visit publishersweekly.com/pw-select for more information.
FICTION
The Acllas Legacy
Bonnie Adams-Little. Yawns Books &
More. $16.99 paper (380p),
ISBN 978-1-943529-36-0
Amazon, BN.com
A mystery involving
Incan acllas ends with
insights into a young astrophysicists life, ancient astronomy, and
the myth surrounding Machu Picchu.
Antonia Barclay and
Her Scottish Claymore:
A Rebellious Romantic Comedy
Jane Carter Barrett. River Grove Books.
$16.95 paper (334p),
ISBN 978-1-63299-038-9
Amazon, BN.com
In 1586, Antonia Barclay
embarks on a quest to find
her real mother, Mary,
Queen of Scots. Fun, adventure, romance,
and treachery follow her along the way.
The Beech Tree
Don Phelan. CreateSpace. $14.99 paper
(332p), ISBN 978-1-5194-2388-7
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Kobo
On the first dune from the
shore, the beech tree held
secrets of love, life, and
redemption.
Blue Moon Over Fenway
Alden C. Glass. Bluefish River Press.
$15.95 paper (272p), ISBN 978-09714701-9-4

Amazon, Authorcloudware.com, BN.com, Ingram

The year is 2018: the
occurrence of two blue
moons, Cubs and Sox in the
World Series, tragic events
at Fenway, a mysterious scorekeeper, the
deal for a Yankee superstar, and more.
A Crowded Heart
Andrea McKenzie Raine. Inkwater Press.
$3.99 e-book, ASIN B017MRUS6O
Inkwaterbooks.com,
Amazon, BN.com, Powells
Willis Hancocks enlists
in World War II, hoping to
break out of his small-town
existence. After the war, he
is left to battle his demons and reconcile
his life choices.
Deviating Minds
Chinedum Igwe. RoseDog Books. $12
paper (92p), ISBN 978-1-4809-6125-8
Rosedogbookstore.com
A coming-of-age story set
in Nigeria during the civil
unrest of the 1990s.
Munachiso is in love with
three very different women.
Will he choose the right one?
Eirwens Dream:
Inside Snow Whites Sleeping Mind
Kristen Reed. Kristen Reed. $2.99
e-book, ASIN B01G2H6KCG
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Nook, Kobo,
Scribd
Princess Eirwen awakens in the fantas-

tical realm of Edwig after

eating a poisoned apple.
There she must defeat an
evil queen whose power
comes from bathing in the
blood of virgins.
The Girl Who Could Read Hearts
Sherry Maysonave. Balboa Press. $20.99
paper (326p), ISBN 978-1-5043-5111-9;
$9.99 e-book, ASIN B01EV8J8SQ
Balboapress.com, Amazon,
Apple iBooks, BN.com
This novel explores intuition, angels, the afterlife,
and social issues.
Protagonist Kate struggles
deeply with her rare seventh sense.
The Governors Daughter:
The Scribes of Brahmadhan
Sambath Meas. CreateSpace. $12.99
paper (160p), ISBN 9781-5193-6101-1
Amazon
Anjali Chinak sets out to
catch the attacker of Esm
Laurent, the governors
daughter, only to be brutalized herself.
Will she survive?
Keep-er: Sydney Keane
Series; The Beginning
Laryl Dixon. LCD Literary.
$15.99 paper (332p),
ISBN 978-0-9966983-0-6
Amazon, BN.com
Sydneys life seemed placed in a storybook setting in East Texas. But bad
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

33

NEW SELFPUBLISHED TITLES

choices are soon leaving Sydney vulnerable to the terrible things that can happen
in this world.
The Paris Effect
K.S.R. Burns. Velvet Morning Press.
$11.99 paper (264p), ISBN 978-0-69271085-2; $4.99 e-book,
ASIN B01GGOCKJC
Amazon
Nothings what it seems
in this debut novel about a
food-obsessed young woman
who sneaks away to Paris without telling
anyonenot even her husband.
Patching Time
Kathleen Curtin. Kathleen Curtin. $7.20
e-book, ASIN B01GWSEDR4
Amazon
This novel is set in contemporary rural Ireland,
where money lending,
drugs, blackmail, and
murder are the backdrop to
a story about retribution, love, and
forgiveness.
Stitches
Kathy Weyer. Wild Rose Press. $16.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-62830-587-6
Wildrosepublishing.com,
Amazon, BN.com
A widow must recreate
her life at 56 and discovers
her old life was a bit of a
sham.
Storykeeper
Daniel A. Smith. CreateSpace. $14.96
paper (352p), ISBN 978-1-4662-1297-8;
$3.99 e-book, ASIN B007HCHLEW
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Kobo
Hernando de Soto and 350 conquistadors entered the Mississippi
River valley in 1541. A century later, Manaha fights to
keep the story of her decimated and abandoned
homeland alive.
Swearing Allegiance
Jana Petken. CreateSpace. $16.99 paper

(462p), ISBN 978-1-53082269-0; $3.50 e-book,

ASIN B01DMKSYTS
Amazon
A historical family saga
about love, war, and
betrayal, set during the First World War.
Tattle Tales: Essays and Stories Along
the Way
Abbe Rolnick. Sedro Publishing. $13.95
paper (170p), ISBN 978-0-9845119-5-2
Amazon, Ingram
The stories in this collection range from the basement of a girl learning about
the Holocaust via a
repairman, to a literal and
psychological deep dive in the Caribbean,
to the humble truths of a dung beetle in
Africa.
Thank You for the Shoes: The Story of
an Extraordinary Ordinary Man
Raffaela Marie Rizzo. Giro di Mondo.
$16.95 paper (358p),
ISBN 978-0-9966687-1-2
Amazon, BN.com
A fatherless southern
Italian boy embarks on a
solo journey to America in
1909 to seek the grave of his father, a man
he never knew.

MYSTERY/THRILLER
The Black Opera
Raymond Embrack. Raymond Embrack.
$1.99 e-book, ASIN B005MZB8P4
Amazon
An epic thriller spanning
a secret history of FBI/CIA
black operations from 1963
to 2017, when a nuclear
crisis is created by the man
behind both Kennedy assassinations.
Broken Eagle
James T. Crouse. Caromount
Island Publishing. $17.99
paper (262p),
ISBN 978-0-9974712-0-5
Amazon, Ingram,
Smashwords

34 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

A thriller about Jake Baird, whose

quiet law practice is blown apart when an
ex-military officer gives him classified
documents about the fatally flawed Sea
Eagle aircraft.
Chinese Puzzle: A No Sin Mystery
T.M. Raymond. CreateSpace. $14.25
paper (402p), ISBN 978-1-5055-8443-1
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Smashwords
An action-filled, extensively researched murder
mystery set in Shanghai
during the sultry August of
1928. The first book in the No Sin mystery series.
Circle of Betrayal
Jacqueline Simon Gunn. CreateSpace.
$14.95 paper (352p),
ISBN 978-1-5187-8821-5
Amazon, BN.com
When Kadees love for
Noah turns obsession, what
could possibly go wrong?
Besides his murder.
Cold Hollow:
Cold Hollow Mysteries, Book 1
Emilie J. Howard. Emilie J. Howard.
$2.99 e-book, ASIN B00X2KNJZS
Amazon
Cold Hollowa quaint
town where insanity reigns
and a madman sits on an
imaginary throne. Who will
survive living in the town?
Constant Guests
Patricia Nedelea. Patricia Nedelea. 99
e-book, ASIN B01G0VYTYK
Amazon
A Parisian party girl
uncovers four lost-andfound stories related to a
tarot deck from 1389. This
book is a hybrid novel,
swinging across Europe between history,
mystery, and fantasy.
Enclosure: A Trappist Tale
Jerry Buzyniski. Xlibris. $23.99 paper

NEW SELFPUBLISHED TITLES

(676p), ISBN 978-1-4653-7212-3
Amazon, BN.com, Xlibris
A glimpse into the confines of a monastery through
the eyes of Brother Andrew.
After a near-fatal immolation, he is able to scratch out
his two-word message: Kill me.
The Errant Child
Ozzie Logozzo. Medialinx. $12.99 paper
(288p), ISBN 978-0-9948605-0-7
Theerrantchild.ca
A husband is obsessed
with his wifes psychological
unfaithfulness. Their confrontations boil as conspiracy, crime, and corruption intervene to worsen their irrepressible wrangles.
Family Business:
An Outer Banks Crime Mystery
Colin Beckett. CreateSpace. $13.99 paper
(448p), ISBN 978-1-5304-7018-1;
$6.99 e-book, ASIN B01FG52K42
Amazon
A highly intelligent and
deadly killer has found his
way to the Outer Banks, and
Sheriff Marty Tate will stop
at nothing to catch him.
Kentucky Weed
Jim Miller. Moonshine Cove Publishing.
$13.95 paper (266p),
ISBN 978-1-937327-72-9
Jimmillerbooks.com,
Amazon, BN.com
Ex-Marine Joshua Stiles
comes seeking his roots only
to find his mothers and fathers families
locked in a bloody feud over marijuana.
Last Call Lounge
Stuart Spears. Stuart Spears.
$2.99 e-book, ASIN
B011ANCPLM
Amazon
A coke dealer in his bar.
A hurricane bearing down on the Gulf
Coast. And the love of his life just walked
back in. Its gonna be a hell of a weekend.

Naked Ambition
Rick Pullen. Blair House. $14.99 paper
(374p) ISBN 978-0-692-63435-6
Amazon, Ingram
A reporter investigates a
Republican presidential
candidate opposed by his
own party. Nothing is quite
as it seems. When the
reporter thinks hes solved the riddle, he
realizes he hasnt.
Reanna Reloaded
Edward Vogler. Outskirts Press. $14.95
paper (231p), ISBN 978-1-4787-7696-3
Outskirtspress.com, Amazon, BN.com
In 1950, CIA agent Jim Wilson has
five days to rescue German scientist
Derrick Schneider before the Russians
transport him to Moscow. Wilson and his
partner find themselves in a
cat-and-mouse game with
the Soviet agent protecting
Schneider. But an unexpected player enters this
high-stakes mission:
Wilsons wife, Reanna. With her Russian
background and martial arts expertise,
she is a force to be reckoned with, and she
will protect her husband at any cost.
A Secret to the Grave
(Detective Parker Bell, Vol. 1)
Jane Blythe. Bear Spots Publications.
$11.95 paper (260p), ISBN 978-09924180-1-4; $3.99 e-book,
ASIN B00M6ACSPM
Amazon, BN.com,
Fishpond.com
Secrets can kill you. Tessa
Micah is determined to keep
hers even though a lunatic is
stalking her. Detective Parker Bell is just as
determined to find out what shes hiding.
A Silver Medallion
James R. Callan. Pennant Publishing.
$14.95 paper (366p), ISBN 978-0-69267922-7; $3.99 e-book, ASIN
B01DJB7U8G
Amazon
Crystal Moores conscience forces her
into Mexico to rescue two young hos-

tages. Only then can she free

their mother from modernday slavery in Texas. Now
Crystal must fight to stay
alive.
Starfall
John Hegenberger. Black Opal Books.
$12.99 paper (294p),
ISBN 978-1-62694-419-0
Amazon, BN.com
In March 1959, a hardluck private eye searches
Hollywood to learn who
killed the eighth candidate for Americas
first man in space.
Three Decades of Lily
Diane C. Smyth. Xlibris. $19.99 paper
(181p), ISBN 978-1-4500-9119-0
Amazon, BN.com, Google
Play, Xlibris
Time is of the essence to
prove danger lurks in the
shadows as five women
struggle with secrets, lust,
and deceit that threaten to tear their alliance apart forever.
The Trial of
Grover Henry Hendershot
Evan Richards. CreateSpace. $15 paper
(280p), ISBN 978-1-5196-7503-3
Amazon, Baker & Taylor,
BN.com, Ingram
After becoming supernatural, Grover seeks other
humans with the warmth
while suffering the hatred of
those who dont understand him. A trial
reveals even more about his identity.

SF/FANTASY/HORROR
Calling Tower:
Calling Tower Saga, Book 1
Josh Leone. XYcom Publishing. $14.95
paper (332p),
ISBN 978-0-9725024-1-2
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram
A far-future saga of heroes
and villains. Sci-fi action
with a touch of the fantastic.

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

35

NEW SELFPUBLISHED TITLES

Farhayven: Vengeance
S.K. Ng. Epic Lore Publishing. $6.90
e-book, ISBN 978-967-13884-0-2
Kobo
Follow Ray and Spirit in
their quest of vengeance
against demons and deadly
assassins. Along the way, Ray
gets drawn into the Fallsian
Military. Will they succeed in their quest?
The Game of VORs
Andrew Orange. Ridero. $7.48 e-book,
ISBN 978-5-4474-8531-3
Amazon
This book is a sharp social
fiction novel disguised as a
science fiction parody.
Hyperpowers
Bascomb James, ed. Third Flatiron
Publishing. $8.99 paper (172p),
ISBN 978-0-69271407-2
Amazon
This collection from
Third Flatiron Anthologies
contains 16 short speculative
fiction stories that explore
space opera and military fiction themes.

Running to Stand Still

J. Theron. J. Theron. 99 e-book,
ASIN B01E0OBQC2
Amazon
This book explores true
love and the sacrifices we
make to be with the one we
are destined to love.
See You Then
Susan Coventry. Coventry Industries.
$13.99 paper (346p),
ISBN 978-0-692-64822-3
Amazon
A sweet and steamy
romance blossoms between a
40-year-old widow and her
23-year-old neighbor.
Walking Sam
Deanna Lynn Sletten.
Deanna Lynn Sletten. $3.99
e-book, ASIN B01BLVIWQU
Amazon
Two people have to let go
of the past in order to see whats right in
front of them.

The Mighty (The Druids Guise, Book 1)

Michael J. Sanford. Michael J Sanford.
99 e-book, ASIN B01BH86IJK
Amazon
The Regency wants
Rozen dead. Athena wants
to escape. And Wyatt cant
stop bouncing between the
two different worlds. Can he
save them both?

Words We Never Speak

Scarlet Darkwood. Dark Books Press.
$11.95 paper (284p), ISBN 978-1-53356558-7; $3.99 e-book,
ASIN B01GH7SJ4S
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com
Kits life is moving along
without a hitch. Soon everything unravels one thread at a time. She
must choose between two men. Desperate
for answers, she calls on the spirit world.

ROMANCE/EROTICA

INSPIRATIONAL

The Other Side of Someday

T.K. Leigh. Tracy Kellam/Carpe Per
Diem. $2.99 e-book,
ASIN B01GKU3D1G
Amazon
Hes a producer with the
perfect life. Shes a North
Carolina transplant starting
over. Can he convince her that men and
women can just be friends? Or is he destined to lose the bet?

A Country Boy on the Camino

Tommy Ray. BookBaby. $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4835-7384-7
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor,
BN.com, Kobo
Ray reveals his journey of
preparing, partaking of, and
reflection on walking the
Camino de Santiago in
2012.

36 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

NONFICTION
Auto Empire
Eric and Richard Choi. Eric Choi. $24.99
paper (306p), ISBN 978-1-5333-3468-8;
$9.99 e-book, ASIN
B01FZMPIL8
Amazon
This book follows the dramatic moments in global
automobile corporations
mergers and acquisitions, analyzing what
they mean for the car industry and
looking forward to what the businesses of
the future may hold.
Battles and Battleships:
A Narrative History of Naval Warfare
from 1866 to 1905
Paul Janson, illus. by Rick
Schroeppel. JM Publishing.
$14.99 paper (310p),
ISBN 978-0-9907424-2-5
Amazon
A narrative history from the first ironclads to the dreadnought battleship,
18661905. This book chronicles events
and personalities still relevant today.
Chasing Shadows
Daryl May. Documeant Publishing.
$14.97 paper (226p), ISBN 978-1937801-66-3
Amazon
Former deputy sheriff
May tells his story with
humor, suspense, and
drama. After being a
lawman, he launched a successful career
in stand-up comedy.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Jason Correia. BookBaby. $18.95 paper
(246p), ISBN 978-1-4835-6670-2;
$9.95 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4835-6637-5
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor,
BN.com, Kobo
Take an in-depth look at
our American pastime and
explore legal issues, winning
tips, and everything there is
to know about the fantasy
sports industry.

NEW SELFPUBLISHED TITLES

David, Did You Know?
David Edward Keesey. Dorrance
Publishing. $16 paper (214p),
ISBN 978-1-4809-2033-0
Dorrancebookstore.com
A reflection on a life committed to God. Keesey has
devoted his life to
teachingand living
Gods Word to all. An intimate spiritual
journey.
Dining Out in Paris:
What You Need to Know Before You
Get to the City of Light (Rev. Ed.)
Tom Reeves. Discover Paris!. $14.95
paper (110p), ISBN 978-0-9815292-1-9
Amazon
Dining customs in France
are not the same as in the
U.S. Reeves gives travelers
crucial information on how
to avoid social blunders and
enjoy a meal in a Parisian restaurant.
Every Bodys Guide to
Everyday Pain
Ya-Ling J. Liou, D.C., illus.
by Sandy Johnson. Return
to Health Press. $23.95
paper (316p), ISBN 978-09913094-0-5; $15.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-9913094-1-2
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram
For day-to-day life plagued with pains
that seemingly come out of nowhere,
easily discover here why pain develops,
how to make it stop, and keep it from
recurring.
Footprints in the Dew:
Damon Chub Anderson
and the Unsolved
Mullendore Murder
Dale R. Lewis. Buffalo Dale.
$21.70 hardcover (310p),
ISBN 978-0-692-50353-9
Originalbuffalodale.com
This story is about the most famous
unsolved murder in the Southwest and
the life of the man who held the key to
that murder.

From the Errors of Others:

How to Avoid Embarrassing
Mistakes in Writing and Speaking
Rebecca M. Lyles. Archway Publishing.
$42.95 hardcover (394p), ISBN 978-14808-2847-6; $23.99 paper (394p),
ISBN 978-1-4808-2846-9
Archwaypublishing.com,
Amazon, BN.com
A seasoned editor and
business manager invites
you to laugh and learn from
the mistakes other people make in
writing and speaking.
I Am Not a Barbie:
A Guide to Healthy Relationships
Filled with Great Advice!
Cathy Rafferty. CR Publishing. $13.95
paper (204p), ISBN 978-1-5055-0625-9
Amazon, BN.com
This book aims to help
women find their power and
grow, heal, or in some cases,
start relationships that
enhance their lives.
Keys of Faith:
Fifty-Two Meditations for Living
Erwin K. Thomas. Erwin K.
Thomas. $16 paper (202p),
ISBN 978-1-5236-5242-6
Amazon
This book contains biblical verses and quotes that
support the grandeur of God, with meditations for all peoples and cultures.
Learning to Like Yellow:
Lessons from My Mother
K.E. Wass. iUniverse. $16.95 paper
(192p) ISBN 978-1-4917-2211-4
Amazon, BN.com,
iUniverse.com
No human being is a
blank slate. We all have a
story, a shared history. Lolo
is the matriarch of a family
struggling to exist while protecting a
damning family secret.
Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your
Everyday Parenting Challenges

Patty Wipfler and Tosha Schore. Hand in

Hand Publishing. $25 paper (309p),
ISBN 978-0-9974593-0-2
Handinhandparenting.com,
Amazon, Baker & Taylor,
Ingram
This book offers a practical understanding of childrens emotions. It provides
tools for easing challenging interactions
and shows parents how to build meaningful relationships.
Memories from a War: A Stolen Youth
Aloysius Pappert. Wamfam Press. $18
paper (210p), ISBN 978-1-5328-6144-4
Amazon
An emotionally charged
account of a young German
coming of age under the
harsh dictatorship of the
Nazi party in World War II.
Memories from After the War:
The Blood of the Prisoners
Aloysius Pappert. Wamfam Press. $18
paper (209p), ISBN 978-1-5330-9134-5
Amazon
An account of the authors
ordeals in Russias prisoner
of war camps in the aftermath of World War II
about surviving pain, starvation, and the cruelty of his captors.
The Power of Courage: An Uplifting
Saga of Moving Beyond Abuse
Charol Messenger. Messenger Publishing.
$19.95 paper (400p), ISBN 978-1-51875016-8; $9.99 e-book,
ASIN B00YDXI2OG
Amazon
A spirituality woman
relentlessly defies a manipulative and menacing alcoholic narcissist. Hes in her houseand
he will not leave.
Somebody Elses Business
Charlton James. Charlton Books. $32.95
paper (400p), ISBN 978-0-578-14819-9;
$10 e-book, ASIN B01EKQZ3FQ
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com,
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

37

NEW SELFPUBLISHED TITLES

Outskirtspress.com
Misplaced assumptions
lead to the devastation of
one marriage and the
destruction of several relationships. Drama and
intrigue set the stage, revealing infidelity
and betrayal.
Surviving Mental Illness: My Story
Linda Naomi Katz. Outskirts Press.
$13.95 paper (125p),
ISBN 978-1-4327-8399-0
Outskirtspress.com,
Amazon, BN.com
Written from the perspective of someone whose life
has been challenged by mental illness,
this book offers help, hope, and inspiration to others struggling with psychological disorders.
Underneath the Makeup Series:
Nurture the Powerful You! 365 Daily
Inspirations
Cherise A. Williams. Chb Media. $19.99
paper (504p), ISBN 978-1-5136-0994-2
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram
This is a devotional blueprint to a more powerful
you. The 365 daily inspirations cut to the heart of how
we live today and nurture
faith and courage.
Vagabonding with Kids:
How One Couple Embraced an
Unconventional Life to Work Remotely
and Show Their Kids the World
A.K. Turner. Brown Books Publishing
Group. $16.95 paper (232p),
ISBN 978-1-61254-914-9
Amazon, BN.com, Google
Play
Humorous stories from
the authors experiences
around the world on life as a
part-time digital nomad, parenting
abroad, and long-term extended travel.
Witness to Greatness:
The Consequential Presidency of
Barack Obama in Perspective

Obi Nwasokwa. Xlibris. $26.99 hardcover (528p), ISBN 978-1-5144-5271-4

Amazon, BN.com, Google
Play
This is the story of the
presidency of Barack
Obama, the first nonwhite
elected leader of a white
nation. It is a tale of his triumphs
despite spirited opposition by political
foes.

Kin Seeker (Dragon Calling, Book 1)

N.R. Eccles-Smith. Starsea Press. $10.99
paper (220p), ISBN 978-0-9922742-1-4;
$2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-09922742-0-7
Amazon, BN.com,
Readings, Smashwords
A young dragon begins
the quest to find the others
of his kind, whose mysterious vanishing threatens the balance of
peace in the world.

CHILDRENS/YA
Charlies Chalk Stick
Rene Wendinger, illus. by Sharon Grey.
Legendary Publications. $12 hardcover
(38p), ISBN 978-0-9913603-3-8
Amazon, Theorphantrain.com
A story about a historic figure born out of
Americas Great
Depressiona hobo.
By means of his chalk
stick, Charlie teaches
the children a new languagethe hobo
language.
Fairalon
T.J. Roberts. Fairalon Books. $2.99
e-book, ISBN 978-0-9970071-2-1
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Smashwords
This fantasy novel
explores themes of trust,
friendship, and self-reliance within a real and
magical world. For middle grade and
young adult readers; 30 full-color
illustrations.
The History of Lions
Linda Pavlos, illus. by Linda Pavlos and
Lyndy Jones. CreateSpace.
$14 paper (200p), ISBN
978-1-5236-9320-7
Amazon
This book explores the
evolution of the modernday lion and the lions family life. It
stimulates creativity through coloring
and activities such as freestyle
drawing.

38 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

A Letter to My Daughter
Nina Simone Gaines. Nina Simone
Gaines. $5.50 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4954-6878-0
Amazon, BN.com
A short book that will
inspire readers to be the very
best versions of themselves.
Making It Home
Suzanne Roche, illus. by Alessandro
Vene. Oak Lei Press. $11.99 paper
(193p), ISBN 978-0-9961484-6-7
Amazon, BN.com
A new stepsister, a mysterious book, and a relic take
two brothers back in time to
the mass immigration to
America in the 1900s.
Photos, projects, and games bring the
story to life.
Skin
Brenda Corey Dunne. Fortunate Frog
Fiction. $14.99 paper (262p),
ISBN 978-0-9881562-2-7
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Chapters/Indigo
When Ocean OMalley
moves from the big city to
beachside Prince Edward
Island, she discovers the true meaning of
her name. And that shes missing somethingher skin.

Reviews Roundup
In the past month, weve reviewed more than 20 self-published titles submitted
via BookLife, Publishers Weeklys website dedicated to indie authors, including
two that received starred reviews: Jack: The True History of the Whitechapel
Murders and Baggywrinkles: A Lubbers Guide to Life at Sea.

Fiction

Nonfiction

Betsy Town

Debunking the Bump: A Mathematician Mom

Explodes Myths About Pregnancy

Michael J. Malone. Well Lit Books, $11.99 trade paper (314p) ISBN 9780-9856328-6-1

Blood Bond: A Vampire Menage Romance

Alicia Rayn. Amazon Digital Services, $2.99 e-book (376p)
ASIN B010Y6TAZA

The Calum
Xio Axelrod. Xio Axelrod, $2.99 e-book (114p) ISBN 978-1-4835-4467-0

Death & Taxes

Richard V. Rupp. Archway, $17.99 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-48081964-1

Death of a Diva: From Berlin to Broadway

Brigitte Goldstein. Pierredor, $14.99 trade paper (278p) ISBN 978-0-69224666-5

Faithless Elector
James McCrone. CreateSpace, $8.99 trade paper (216p) ISBN 978-1530117-05-5

Jump

Daphne Adler. Daphne Adler, $14.99 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-15053-9312-5

Jack: The True History of the Whitechapel Murders

Simon Daryl Wood. Marywood, $19.95 trade paper (580p) ISBN 9780692582-43-5

Dysfunction Interrupted:
How to Quickly Overcome Depression, Anxiety and
Anger Starting Now
Audrey Sherman. Concord Publishing, $19.99 trade paper (320p)
ISBN 978-0986153402

Full Circle:
A Memoir of Leaning in Too Far and the Journey Back
Erin Callan Montella. Triple M, $14.99 trade paper (224p) ISBN 978-09973821-1-2

Not Taught:
What It Takes to Be Successful in the 21st Century
That Nobodys Teaching You

Michel Sauret. One Way Street, $12.95 trade paper (340p) ISBN 978-15228-1734-5

Jim Keenan. A Sales Guy, $14.99 trade paper (184p) ISBN 978-0-69252076-5

The Hotel Westend

Orchid Care: For the Beginner

Ashley Lynch-Harris. Barrington House, $22.99 hardcover (206p)

ISBN 978-0-9965210-0-0

Barb Schmidt. Barb Schmidt, $18.95 trade paper (84p) ISBN 978-0-69262711-2

In a Right State

90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Square Feet

(...or More)

Ben Ellis. Ben Ellis, $10.99 trade paper (316p) ISBN 978-1-84914-563-3

A Love to Last
Kelsey Browning. KickSass Creations, $4.99 e-book (348p)
ASIN B0163PV8E2

Silver Awakening

Felice Cohen. Dividends Press, $10 trade paper (142p) ISBN 978-1-50065785-7

Childrens & YA

Jessica Prado. Jessica Prado, $16.99 trade paper (328p)

ASIN B015600UMG

Baggywrinkles:

To Trust a Rogue

Lucy Bellwood. Toonhound Studios, $19.99 paper (132p) ISBN 978-09882202-9-4

Christie Caldwell. Christie Caldwel, $3.99 e-book (288p)

ASIN B01AB1EQL6

A Lubbers Guide to Life at Sea

Downburst

Untouchable Lover

Katie Robison. Quil, $3.99 e-book (290p) ISBN 978-0-9850465-0-7

Rosalie Redd. Rosalie Redd, $3.99 e-book (401p) ISBN 978-1-944419-00-4

Upside Down in a Laura Ingalls Town

World-Mart

Leslie Tall Manning. Leslie Tall Manning, $14 paper (366p) ISBN 978-09961306-5-3

Leigh M. Lane. Cerebral, $12.99 trade paper (297p) ISBN 978-1-5187-4443-3

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

39

Reviews
Fiction
Betsy Town
Michael J. Malone. Well Lit Books, $11.99
trade paper (314p) ISBN 978-0-9856328-6-1

In the last of the Tompkins Trilogy,

David Campion, an obsessive-compulsive
New York City librarian with a Derek
Jeter fixation, wants to marry his newsreporter fiance, but he feels compelled
first to resolve the circumstances of his
family history. When David was an infant,
his motherwhile holding David in her
armswas struck and killed by a train in
Davids hometown of Elizabeth, N.J. In a
scattered narrative voice, David recounts
his visits to Elizabeth, which he keeps
secret from his
fiance the way
another man
might an infidelity. As his
behavior
becomes
increasingly
bizarrehe
acts on the compulsion to reach
for a police officers gun and ends up in jailDavid
emerges as less a man struggling with his
past and more one suffering from mental
illness. Malones storytelling has the same
quality of listless meandering as his protagonist. Yet Davids fixation with his
roots, seedy Betsy Town, and the tragedy
that spared his life, lend poignancy to a
novel of flailing through crisis and
emerging out the other side.

Blood Bond:
A Vampire Menage Romance
Alicia Rayn. Amazon Digital Services, $2.99 ebook (376p) ASIN B010Y6TAZA

Rayn (Black-Winged Tuesday) layers a

sexy surface over some deep emotional
questions in this time-travel vampire
romance. When 21st-century Vegas
singer Roxana Collins is transported back

to Regency-era London by vampire

Darren Highmore, she pretty quickly
decides that it sucksliterally. Roxana
has to learn to
negotiate the
social mores
and economic
realities of the
time as well as
her powerful
attraction to
Darren. Their
delicious chemistry takes off
when they discover the natural alliance between
Roxanas self-injury fetish and Darrens
need to feed on human blood. But even as
Roxana learns to share her darker sexual
nature with Darren, she falls for the innocent Phillip Branham, the aristocratic and
indebted piano player who reluctantly
accompanies Roxanas scandalous nightly
performances in a London gentlemans
club. Roxana is caught between two
unsatisfying options: returning to a
hollow life in her own time, or remaining
in a society where she can have love and
passion but no freedom. This tension suffuses her touching and cautious sexual
exploration with Phillip and her ecstatic
experiences with Darren. The story is
funny where appropriate, intense where
necessary, and full of heart throughout.

The Calum
Xio Axelrod. Xio Axelrod, $2.99 e-book (114p)
ISBN 978-1-4835-4467-0

Axelrods novella is a short, fast-paced

contemporary romance with a witty heroine and a lot of heart. Lovie just wants to
spend her Christmas vacation on a beach
somewhere, but when her best friend, Jo,
wins their annual coin toss, the pair fly off
to Scotland on a quest to find Jo a lover
like Calum MacKenzie, the star of a series
of romance novels. When Jo snares a very
Calum-like charmer named Hamish in an
Inverness pub, Lovie is thrown together
with his best friend, adorable bad-ass

39a P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

Duff, whose tough image, doting grandmother, and soulful photography capture
her heart. The four of them retreat to
Hamishs estate for a steamy weekend, but
when the women find out that Duff was
helping Hamish conceal a major secret,
the fragile trust between them is broken,
maybe forever.
Readers may be
unimpressed by
this overused
plot device, but
the rest of the
book handily
avoids clich.
Axelrod notes
Duffs appreciation of biracial
Lovies brown
skin and red hair while steering well clear
of fetishization, and the contrasting slang
of the Scots (Tea awright?) and
Americans (Tea would be awesome) is
charming. \

Death & Taxes

Richard V. Rupp. Archway, $17.99 trade paper
(384p) ISBN 978-1-4808-1964-1

A daring murder at the Fresno, Calif.,

IRS Service Center kicks off Rupps novel
of suspense, which inaugurates a series
featuring debonair Dick Hartmann of the
FBIs San Francisco Violent Crime Squad.
Despite the killers efforts to stage a suicide, the death of Edison Shaw, an IRS
auditor, is quickly deemed a homicide,
and Dick and his team, which hes dubbed
the Animals, are dispatched to the scene
to investigate.
They include
the newest
Animal, rookie
agent Coleen
Ryan, who
makes a powerful impression
on her new boss
from the outset
(She has great
pins that go all

REVIEWS
the way up to her ass and is well endowed
upstairs. I dont need this distraction at
work, he thought). The Animals try to
establish the murderers motive by identifying the suspicious activities that Shaw
was looking into at the time of his death.
Their work leads them to a vicious street
gang, the Bulldogs, and a fraud that raises
red flags at the highest levels of government. Rupp keeps the twists coming.

Death of a Diva:
From Berlin to Broadway
Brigitte Goldstein. Pierredor, $14.99 trade
paper (278p) ISBN 978-0-692-24666-5

The murder of a prominent Broadway

actress and international movie star in
1941 New York City drives Goldsteins
suspenseful whodunit. Austrian immigrant Stella Berger, acclaimed for her portrayal of Desdemona, was, ironically,
strangled in
her dressing
room during a
run of Othello.
Suspicion falls
on the empathetic narrator,
Misia Safran, a
premed college
student who
considered
Stella a mentor
and a hero for her outspoken opposition to
the Nazi regime. On the fatal afternoon,
Misa let a street musician who played the
violin opposite the theaters entrance into
the building shortly before Stella was
murdered. With no solid evidence against
Misia, the police release her, but keep her
under surveillance. Aided by her boyfriend, law student Curtis Wolff, the
future doctor does her best to learn the
truth about Stellas death. Flashbacks
from the perspective of violinist Viktor
Erdos, who knew Stella in Europe,
enhance the mystery plot en route to a satisfying surprise resolution.

Faithless Elector
James McCrone. CreateSpace, $8.99 trade
paper (216p) ISBN 978-1-530117-05-5

A narrow win in the 2016 presidential

election makes Democrat Diane
Redmond the first female presidentelectbut thats just the start for

McCrones fast-moving topical thriller.

From the moment that the networks call
the race for her, a shadowy group of supporters of her opponent, Republican
James Christopher, plot to deny her the
office. First,
Redmonds enemies attempt to
get the Justice
Department to
investigate
voter fraud in
Illinois, which
went to her.
Meanwhile,
fatal accidents
claim the lives
of seven Democratic electors. That suspicious pattern is detected by Seattle political science grad student Matthew
Yamashita, who has been overseeing a
survey of all 538 electors. But his conspiracy theory is viewed with skepticism
by his mentor, professor Duncan Calder,
until another death leads Matthew to seek
the help of an old friend, FBI agent
Imogen Trager, who has been looking into
the alleged irregularities in Illinois.
Surprising twists that make the most of
the oddity of the electoral college add up
to a highly suspenseful read.

Jump
Michel Sauret. One Way Street, $12.95 trade
paper (340p) ISBN 978-1-5228-1734-5

Saurets raw and bold coming-of-spiritual-age story closely examines the ups
and downs of several different varieties of
worship
through the
eyes of a young
man on the cusp
of adulthood.
Christopher
Dove was raised
in a fundamentalist Christian
family in central
Pennsylvania,
an upbringing
that not only informed his daily life, but
also the larger decisions for college about
what vocation to pursue when he left
home. His questions about God started
during his childhoodbut he could never
give them voice, due to his domineering

father. Once he escapes his

fathers home, he begins his
faith journey, though its not
without difficulties and heartache. Each
time he thinks he may have found God, he
only finds more questions. This stark and
at times painful tale of questions with no
easy answers doesnt shy away from confronting difficult topics such as sexual
assault, human trafficking, and racism.
The often graphic depictions of the events
in Christophers life manage to maintain a
sense of beauty beneath the overwhelming
darkness.

The Hotel Westend

Ashley Lynch-Harris. Barrington House,
$22.99 hardcover (206p) ISBN 978-0-99652100-0

In Lynch-Harriss first novel, a

charming homage to the classic mystery,
a secretive host summons a number of
people to the Hotel Westend in the town
of Westend Bay in an unspecified U.S.
state. An outlier among the
guests is Elsie
Maitland,
whose meandering voyage
in search of
adventure
results in her
unexpected
stay at the
hotel. The
other guests, a
pompous millionaire and his newlywed
bride, and a grim Mrs. Iradene Hartwell
and her younger sister, Marian, are connected by a murder that occurred at the
site of the hotel 20 years previous; all
were considered suspects at the time.
After a maid is poisoned and a reverend
also called to the hotel is murdered, it
seems the past is replaying itself and a
sergeant sequesters the guests. Elsie
excitedly consults with her famed mystery writer sister via letters and begins
to conduct her own investigation.
Lynch-Harris playfully indulges genre
tropes, raising readers suspicions
equally among multiple characters as
Elsie plays sleuth and finds romance
with a journalist who has his own connection to the crimes.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 39b

REVIEWS
In a Right State
Ben Ellis. Ben Ellis, $10.99
trade paper (316p) ISBN 978-184914-563-3

Elliss debut romp through an

unnerving dystopia uses common fears
about big corporations to paint an eerie
but plausible future. Duncan, recently
widowed, is a small-time gardener with a
big secret: he
has been producing nongeneticallymodified
produce for
years, which is
unacceptable to
the all-powerful
Pharmara
Corporation.
Amy, a corporate cog gone
rogue in the Pharmara machine, must
track him down. Both are under watch by
Pharmara Security, who are bent on
removing them at any cost. Ellis writes
with a keen eye for detail, and his prose
wittily exposes the threats of this new
world where nothing is private. His characters are ripe with personality; interspersed with the humor is a fast-paced,
character-driven plot. Although it treads
some familiar ground, Elliss work is a
fresh response to the growing concern
about big corporations, privacy, and the
ever-watchful eye of the government.

A Love to Last
Kelsey Browning. KickSass Creations, $4.99
e-book (348p) ASIN B0163PV8E2

Prophecy, Tex., is a dying town. Whit

Maddox, the prophecy bootmaker, can no
longer make the boots that the towns reputation is built on, and the next destined
prophecy bootmaker is drifter
Delaney Shields.
When Delaney
comes back to
town for the first
time in a decade,
her ex-boyfriend,
Whits son Cal,
knows he has to
keep her there or
both his fathers

business and the town will suffer. Delaney

feels trapped by the thought of staying
longer than a few days, and even her feelings for Cal arent enough to break
through her fears. Delaney and Cal both
have realistic, albeit frustrating, refusals
to let go of their self-images as a homeboy
and transient, even with overwhelming
evidence otherwise. The attempts at generating external conflict through Cals
aunt feel forced, but the rest of the secondary characters, especially Delaneys
aunt Raylene, make Prophecy a place to
visit again and again.

Silver Awakening
Jessica Prado. Jessica Prado, $16.99 trade
paper (328p) ASIN B015600UMG

In this intriguing yet unfulfilling

debut, Prado considers themes of destiny
through the supernatural story of seemingly normal college student Silver Sanz,
who wakes up alone in the forest after a
decade in a deep trance. Noah Steffen, a
park ranger (the exact setting is never
specified), stumbles across Silver as she
runs through the woods shortly after
regaining consciousness. Silver has no idea
what has happened in the last decade, or
what she is running from.
Through a
mystical connection, Noah
is able to intuit
Silvers identity
after recalling
the story of a
young lady that
had gone
missing 10
years earlier. As Silver begins to piece
together what happened, she starts to
sense strange abilities that she cannot
control or explainabilities that led her
to be smuggled out of her home world,
Kai. Though she was to remain hidden,
her enemy from her birth planet tracks
her to Earth. This enemy, Cyril, has
chosen to believe that he is as powerful as
the one true God. With heavy-handed
foreshadowing, Prado connects a devastating event from Noahs past to the
strange arrival and disappearances of
Silver. The instant love and borderline
obsession between Noah and Silver makes

39c P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

the prophecy that surrounds Silvers

future even heavier to bear. This book is a
valiant attempt to tell a love story that
crosses planets and attempts to explore
the real meaning of faith and destiny.

To Trust a Rogue
Christie Caldwell. Christie Caldwel, $3.99
e-book (288p) ASIN B01AB1EQL6

Readers will be bored and then exasperated by the wishy-washy heroine of

this awkward Regency romance. When
impoverished single mother Eleanor
Collins heads home to London to be a
paid companion to her aging aunt, she
has to come to terms with her painful
past. Eight years before, after being
raped, she fled her home and the only
man shed ever loved: Marcus Gray,
Viscount Wessex. Now she returns with
her daughter
the product of
that horrible
night. Marcus
has never forgiven Eleanor
for leaving him
without a word.
He still wants
her, but he
refuses to admit
that their connection is emotional as well as physical,
and thus he only offers her a place in his
bed, not in his heart. When he learns of
the terrible secret shes been keeping, he
vows to be there for her and her daughter,
but first he has to get her to trust him and
have faith in their future. Eleanor cant
decide whether she wants to be strong
and determined or swoon into Marcuss
arms, and while some readers will sympathize with her assumption that hed
blame her for being assaulted, others may
struggle to join him in forgiving her for
running off without giving him a chance
to help her. Eleanors Aunt Dorothea is
lovable and adds some much-needed lift
to the sensitive central topic of rape and
its aftermath, but Caldwell (the Lords of
Honor series) falls short on the plotting.
The story is nothing but one big misunderstanding bogged down with excessive
narrative detail that fails to move the
story along at an acceptable pace.

REVIEWS
Untouchable Lover
Rosalie Redd. Rosalie Redd, $3.99 e-book
(401p) ISBN 978-1-944419-00-4

This clunky debut begins the Worlds of

Lemuria: Earth Colony series by placing a
stereotypical variety of near-human species in a poorly articulated fantasy setting
clearly inspired by role-playing games.
Redd wraps the story in the vague context
of interstellar colonization: Zedron and
Alora, competing gods from the planet
Lemuria, have sent these species to Earth
to act as pawns in a contest to determine
whether the Lemurians will take the precious water of Earth by negotiation or
force. King Noeh of Aloras beast-hearted
Stihaya saves vampiric Melissa from the
leader of Zedrons reptilian Gossum and
feline Panthera. Noeh protects Melissa in
his underground keep, as she is sought by
the Panthera
leader and is
also the target
of the universal
male attention
that comes from
being the only
fertile female
Lemurian in
hundreds of
years. But the
gods insistence
that Noeh break his childhood vow and
take a queen before the next new moon
leads him to pursue her himself. Four
more species mentioned but not
appearing in the Earthside setting telegraph future volumes of the series, but
readers have little reason to want to continue beyond this stodgy opener.

World-Mart
Leigh M. Lane. Cerebral, $12.99 trade paper
(297p) ISBN 978-1-5187-4443-3

In this grim series launch, a family

struggles to survive in a resource-starved,
climate-ravaged, corporate-controlled
future America. When Virginia Irwin is
killed by a terrorist-deployed virus, the
tragedy sends her husband, George, and
their two children into a financial and
emotional tailspin. Meanwhile, Virginia
is actually alive, albeit transformed by the
virus into one of the oppressed minorities
known as deviants. While George clashes
with the soulless corporate bureaucracy,

Virginia becomes involved with a deviant

rebellion dedicated to destroying the
ruling class. As the Irwins face their individual fates, the authorities and deviants
ready their plans
to devastate each
other. Lane (The
Private Sector)
presents a
chilling dystopian scenario, but
the sheer
onslaught of
hopelessness and
pessimism makes
this feel more like
a parody of the genre than a warning; as a
result, her message regarding conspicuous
consumption and resource exploitation is
lost. Sadly, theres just no emotional resonance for the reader to relate to.

Nonfiction
Debunking the Bump:
A Mathematician Mom Explodes
Myths About Pregnancy
Daphne Adler. Daphne Adler, $14.99 trade
paper (368p) ISBN 978-1-5053-9312-5

In this important book, Adler, a

mathematician, management consultant, and self-proclaimed numbers
junkie, equips mothers with researched
data behind recommendations for what
to do (and not do) during pregnancy and
kids early childhood. She decided to
write the book after becoming exasperated with the bounty of conflicting (and
often scary) information about pregnancy.
Revelatory
chapters
address pathogens, environmental toxins,
voluntary
poison
(tobacco,
alcohol, marijuana, cocaine),
lifestyle, positive influences, and unavoidable risks.
Adler writes that not only is it nearly
impossible to avoid food poisoning
through dietary changes, but that only a

handful of food-borne illnesses will cause problems

for ones pregnancy. Each
myth is summarized with Adlers own
threat/benefit level rating system; for
instance, the threat level of eating oysters is very low, while kissing your kids
poses a medium threat, due to viruses.
Comprehensive appendices cover Adlers
methodology and calculations and the
exhaustive catalogues behind her conclusions. She writes in a tone that is both
authoritative and assuringthat of a
mother rooting for all other mothers.

Deconstructing Jack:
The True History of the
Whitechapel Murders

Simon Daryl Wood. Marywood, $19.95 trade

paper (580p) ISBN 978-0692582-43-5

Woods thought-provoking reexamination of the prototypical unsolved murder

mystery lives up to its billing as the Jack
the Ripper Conferences 2015 book of the
year. With painstaking attention to detail
and warranted skepticism toward previous accounts, Wood goes a long way
toward debunking dozens of theories of
the case and
expands on the
work of others
who have questioned whether
a single person
was responsible
for the 1888
murders. Wood
plausibly casts
doubt on even
some of the
most basic facts, asking, for example,
whether the five women widely regarded
as Jacks victims were actually prostitutes.
Unfortunately, he never provides conclusive proof of his provocative thesis that,
rather than a linear mystery, the
Whitechapel murders were a series of discrete events, with a quasi-supernatural
Jack the Ripper employed as an umbrella
device to explain things away whilst
whipping up a diversionary scare as part
of a high-level cover-up. Here, Wood
offers intriguing speculation, rather than
evidencefor example, he hints at a
political agenda behind the Whitechapel
murders, possibly connected with a judiW W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 39d

REVIEWS
cial inquiry into criminal
allegations by the Times
against Charles Stewart
Parnell and the Irish Home Rule Party.
Serious students of the crimes can only
hope that Wood further develops his own
theories in a future volume.

Dysfunction Interrupted: How to

Quickly Overcome Depression,
Anxiety and Anger Starting Now
Audrey Sherman. Concord Publishing, $19.99
trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-0986153402

Those tired of suffering the negative

consequences of a dysfunctional family
upbringing will find this handbook by
Sherman, a psychologist, to be full of
useful ideas. Shermans primary message
is simple: Once you have identified a
problem, it is much easier to fix.
Treating clients
who were
dealing with
troubled pasts
and who felt
stuck in
destructive patterns, Sherman
developed a
strategy: challenge them to
examine their
underlying beliefs and investigate the
beliefs origins in order to address those
issues and move past them. The first part
of the book provides intimate case studies
of individuals plagued by the impacts of
negative parenting styles. The second part
identifies the many mental-health symptoms that can result from an unhealthy
childhood. The third part delivers
Shermans recommended tools for change,
such as distracting oneself, engaging in a
hobby, and meditationjust to name a
few. Toward the end, unfortunately, the
book loses focus and presents suggestions
regarding time management and vehicular decluttering that have seemingly
little or nothing to do with the overall
premise. Nonetheless, this user-friendly
guide should be welcomed by its target
audience; an extensive and informative
section on different parenting styles
should prove particularly invaluable to
readers.

Full Circle: A Memoir of Leaning

In Too Far and the Journey Back
Erin Callan Montella. Triple M, $14.99 trade
paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-9973821-1-2

Montella, who was chief financial

officer of Lehman Brothers during the
financial collapse of 2008, chronicles the
rise and fall of her career in this compelling and thoughtful memoir. Montella
(then Erin Callan) grew up in Queens,
N.Y., where she excelled academically and
in tennis and gymnastics. After attending
Harvard she went on to NYU Law, eventually landing a job as a corporate tax
lawyer. In 1995, Callan felt the need for a
significant change and resigned even
though she was on the path to make
partner; she landed at Lehman Brothers,
where she remained for the next 13 years,
working relentlessly (at one point the natural gas company called to ask why she
hadnt turned on her stove in 18 months).
As the author traveled the world, married,
divorced, and devoted herself to her
career, she leaned in so far that she
nearly lost herself. Callan is her own worst
critic, in hindsight appalled by her disregard for personal relationships and selfcare. When
Lehman
Brothers fell
and her professional world
collapsed along
with the global
market, Callan
had to rebuild
and refocus her
life; fortunately,
she had gained
the wisdom necessary to welcome love and
balance. The realm of high-stakes finance
is authentically portrayed in this ultimately uplifting story of transformation.

Not Taught: What It Takes to Be

Successful in the 21st Century
That Nobodys Teaching You
Jim Keenan. A Sales Guy, $14.99 trade paper
(184p) ISBN 978-0-6925-2076-5

Keenan, CEO of A Sales Guy, a consulting and recruiting firm, debuts what
he calls the new rules of success, examining how the path to achievement has
changed in the Internet age. He presents
his book as a means for readers to learn

39e P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

new things that they need to know before

they can achieve success in todays world.
Keenan proposes that humankind has
moved into a new era, the information
age, in a shift as significant as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. He
focuses on how the greatly increased
amount of
information
available
through the
Internet has
changed the
playing field for
businesses, creating new platforms for company-consumer
interaction, the
spread of products, and the dissemination of information. The downside of this seismic change,
he argues, is that those over 30 are in the
dark, and no one is teaching them the new
rules. However, the nuggets of wisdom he
offersadvising readers to expand reach,
self-brand, and take chanceshave long
been touted. His claim that academic
degrees are less important today than
problem-solving skills and passion is
mildly provocative but fails to live up to
the earthshaking shift he insists is
occurring.

Orchid Care: For the Beginner

Barb Schmidt. Barb Schmidt, $18.95
trade paper (84p) ISBN 978-0-69262711-2 Schmidt demystifies orchid care
for a wide audience in this slim, instructive volume. The book can function as a
reference guide, but its best read cover to
cover, as the information is well chosen to
keep from frightening off beginning
enthusiasts. Schmidt is a horticulture
instructor who
points out that
the key to
being successful at
raising orchids
is to mimic
their natural
conditions as
best as possible
without
driving your-

REVIEWS
self crazy. She takes readers through a
brief history of the orchidthese supposedly delicate flowers have been around
since the Late Cretaceous period. They
live mostly in the tropics, but also above
the Arctic Circle. Schmidt differentiates
between keeping an orchid alive and
raising one, writing that the difficulty
comes in correctly meeting its needs to
get it to flower again. Readers come to
understand the three different ways
orchids growupright in soil, on another
plant, or on or near rocksbefore
Schmidt segues into the basic light
requirements (varied) and watering needs
(less is more) of each group. For those who
havent yet purchased their first orchid,
Schmidt provides suggestions on
selecting the best-quality, most forgiving
plant, so that ones first orchid experience
is as happy and successful as possible.

90 Lessons for Living Large in 90

Square Feet (...or More)
Felice Cohen. Dividends Press, $10 trade
paper (142p) ISBN 978-1-5006-5785-7

Cohens (What Papa Taught Me) 90-sq.ft. Manhattan apartment became the subject of a viral YouTube video. Her subsequent book offers wisdom gleaned both
from living in a tiny space and working as
a professional
organizer.
Cohen begins
and ends with a
narrative about
her life,
including a nod
to Thoreau,
while the rest of
her book offers
90 fortune
cookielike
nuggets of insight and organizing advice:
Only keep the clothes you wouldnt mind
your ex seeing you in. Always arrive 10
minutes early. Go into a room of your
home, roll a die, and give away the
number of items the die shows. Dont
multitask. Its not the advice, however,
that animates the book, but Cohens optimism and exuberance. Without ever
being cloying, Cohen manages to reframe
her life in a monks cellsize apartment as
a privilege, one giving her access to the
many treasures of Manhattan. Cohens

ability to reframe seeming deprivation

into liberation infuses her organizing
hints with a luminous quality. Readers
wont just shed their shoes; theyll reclaim
their souls.

Childrens & YA
Upside Down in a
Laura Ingalls Town
Leslie Tall Manning. Leslie Tall Manning, $14
paper (366p) ISBN 978-0-9961306-5-3

After her terminally ill mother dies,

16-year-old Brooke Decker is happy to
play the role of partying slacker given the
tough, responsibility-filled year she has
had. Her father isnt, though, and signs
up the family for a reality TV show to be
filmed in the North Carolina backwoods.
The Deckers
must spend four
months living
as though the
year is 1861,
and if they
break character
or sneak in any
contraband,
theyll be
kicked out. As
the family
begins its adventure, not even a cute boy
named Wendell can stop Brooke from
plotting a way to be sent home. Brookes
voice feels authentic as she struggles to
reconnect with her fractured family, and
Mannings historical research shows as the
Deckers learn to plant crops, cook over a
fire, and use an outhouse (theres more to
it than one might think). Conversely, the
shows structure is never explained fully,
and certain plot points associated with it
become distracting as they dont make
sense until the end. Even so, Manning
(Gaga) has created an entertaining novel
with realistic characters readers should
find it easy to invest in. Ages 14up.

Downburst
Katie Robison. Quil, $3.99 e-book (290p)
ISBN 978-0-9850465-0-7

A teenage runaway named Kit becomes

embroiled in a supernatural war by being
in the wrong place at the right time in
this fast-paced yet inconsistent adventure.

After witnessing the murder

of a girl who resembles her,
Kit is accidentally kidnapped in her place and forced to participate in a strenuous wilderness exercise.
This places her
at the heart of a
secret training
camp for teens
capable of
windwalking,
where she has to
conceal her
inability to use
air currents to
fly. Though Kit
is determined
to escape before her true identity is discovered, she is instead forced to fight for
her life when a rival tribe of windwalkers
attacks. Robisons premise, which
involves hidden indigenous tribes capable
of flight, is solid, but the slow trickle of
information is more frustrating than
intriguing, as are the third-act revelations. Its a strong showing, nonetheless,
with visceral combat scenes and creative
exploration of the paranormal concept at
the storys core. The second and third
books in the Windstorm trilogy, Coiled
Snake and Firestorm, are also available.
Ages 12up.

Baggywrinkles:

A Lubbers Guide to Life at Sea

Lucy Bellwood. Toonhound Studios, $19.99

paper (132p) ISBN 978-0-9882202-9-4

Bellwoods stints as a deckhand on the

Lady Washington, a modern-day replica
of an 18th-century brig, inform this
funny and
enlightening
comics collection, which is
part memoir,
part breezy
overview of
nautical history and lore.
In six longer
comics and
several interludes, she discusses her own
introduction to confusing nautical terminology (So Im guessing you could easily
find me the fortopmstayslhalyrd, jokes
a crewmate), the scourge of scurvy, the
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 39f

REVIEWS
dubious history of plank
walking, and a notable
voyage of the original Lady
Washington to Japan, more than 60 years
before Commodore Perry showed up,
among other topics. Bellwood is a gifted
raconteur, skillfully blending historical
anecdotes with irreverent contemporary
humor (So were gonna need like... all of
these, two admirals tell a Sicilian lemon
farmer, aiming to curb scurvy). Her artwork, meanwhile, is in line with of-themoment creators such as Kate Beaton and
Lucy Knisley, and her chunky line work
also nods to woodcut prints and tattoos,
the latter getting their own chapter, too.
The only downside to this collection is its
brevityheres hoping Bellwood has
more stories on the way, nautical or otherwise. Ages 912.

39g P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6

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