March 201

Tips for S
elf-Publis
hing
Cookbook
s
Irena Ma
cri Serve
s Up
DIY Paleo
Cookbook
Smart Ind
ie Au
at Writers thors Connect
Confere
nces
Reviews R
oundup
41 New Ti
tles Liste
d

DIY COOKBOOKS

Recipe for Success

or chefs and cooks who are

as hands-on with creating
their cookbooks as they are
with creating their dishes,
self-publishing seems like
a great fit. But what should prospective
cookbook authors bear in mind before
embarking on their self-publishing
journeys?

COVER PHOTO: VIKI2WIN/DREAMSTIME.COM

Preheat Before Cooking

Traditional publishers can be reluctant to

offer book deals to chefs who arent Food
Network stars or whose blogs dont reach
hundreds of thousands of readers per
month. While self-publishing success
doesnt require those kinds of numbers,
authors should have some sort of platform.
Make sure you have a following
before you begin, Anna Watson Carl,
author of The Yellow Table (2014),
advises. She says that she had been growing her audience for her blog, which
shares the name The
Yellow Table, for a
couple of years, but
she didnt quite have
the numbers that
would attract a bigfive publisher. On her
blog, she wrote that
rather than slink
away in discouragement at rejections
from big publishers,
she chose to seek out a little help from
my friends and self-publish.
John Sundstrom, James Beard Award
winning chef and founder of Lark restaurant in Seattle, had been approached by
publishers years ago to write a cookbook.
However, he and his business partner,
Jared Stoneberg, chose an independent
approach. We already had a couple
thousand people on our mailing list. We
had a social media presence, he says. I

By Grace Bello
felt really confident about my presence as
a chef and restaurateur in the Northwest. The pair felt that Sundstrom had
enough of an audience to self-publish
and that they should add a twista
companion app. The result was Sundstroms book Lark: Cooking Against the
Grain (2013) and its ensuing app, which
presented additional food photography
and video demonstrations.

Prepare One Strong

Concept

Name recognition helps, for sure, but it

wont save a bad cookbook, says Paula
Forbes, senior editor at Epicurious. The
key is to fill a niche, to write a book people dont even know theyre craving.
Amelia Saltsman, author of the selfpublished The Santa Monica Farmers
Market Cookbook (2007), agrees. If youre
creating a cookbook that you hope will
have a broad appeal, then you have to
think of it from a publishing point of

view. Is there an audience? What is the

reader going to get from this book? Why
should they care? she says. If they dont
care, then its a vanity project.
Saltsman learned this when she was
conceiving her cookbook. As a longtime
food writer, food stylist, and member of
the farmers market community, she says,
One of the things about this book is that
I wanted to express the sense of market
culturewhat it means to be a part of

30 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

Tips for
Self-Publishing
Cookbooks
that community, and to shop in that
way, and to get to know your farmers.
The cookbook resonated among locavore foodies. The book is in its sixth
printing, she says, and it was named
one of Cooking Lights top 100 cookbooks of the last 25 years. Its having
an extraordinary life.

Infuse with Funding

Make sure you have a way to pay for the

steep costs of self-publishing, Carl says.
For her as well as for Sundstrom, capital
came in the form of crowdfunding via
Kickstarter. Carl raised more than
$65,000, and Sundstrom raised almost
$55,000. Sundstrom detailed his Kickstarter experience on Medium: In hindsight, we should have asked for about
$50,000 more, he wrote, saying that
they consequently worked fast and lean.
Saltsman also tried to keep her production costs low while creating the highestquality book possible. My goal in writing
the book was to
be an inviting,
helpful, friendly
resource. I made
the choice that I
would rather have
a more beautiful
softcover book
than a more expensive and not as
beautiful hardcover book.
Forbes agrees that pricey choices arent
always the best ones: As far as other production elements go, Im not a fan of fullpage treatments, and I think heavy,
glossy paper is overrated.
Saltsman recommends thinking more
broadly about your books message and
using those principles to inform your
economic choices: What suits the book?
What suits the audience? What suits the
subject that Im covering? It helps guide

DIY COOKBOOKS
you in making all kinds of
decisions: aesthetic decisions,
editing decisions, and business decisions.

good food porn?

recipes. He sent this preSaltsman was more
view content of the book
concerned with the text,
and app to donors who
the recipes, and the overpledged $10 or more, and he called these
all story. Im a proficient
multimedia previews roughcuts. That
Whip Up Your
was to build excitement. The idea was to
and accomplished recipe
Dream Team
keep people involved and to keep [the
writer, but I did hire a
Another advantage to selfcookbook project] on their radar.
very smart copy editor
publishing is being able to
not only to catch any mischoose the people who will
Serve While Hot
takes but also to make
John Sundstrom
bring your vision to life.
The last challenge for any self-published
sure that I was communiHire people who are not only excelcookbook author is distribution. Wherecating clearly.
lent at what they do, but with whom you
as big book publishers can rely on their
Saltsman felt that, for her cookbook
really enjoy working, Carl says. She
already established sales pipelines, indein particular, food photography was not
offers the example of searching for her
pendent cookbook authors must create
essential. Some of the best cookbooks
book designer: I love classic typeface, I
their own channels to deliver their book
dont have a lot of pictures, and theyre
love illustrations. I wanted someone who
to readers.
still great classicsJulia Childs, for inwould really let the photos in the book
Saltsman decided early on to hire a disstance, she says. A good, clear title and
shine. She posted her call for a book
tributor. I did not want to be in the
evocative writing can carry the book.
designer on her blog and her Instagram
business of fulfilling orders. I was willing
and ended up connecting with designer
Add a Large Helping of
to pay someone part of the sale of the
Marketing/PR
Katie King Rumford. They shared the
book so that I [could have more time to]
same understated aesthetic, and Carl was
Its not enough to write and produce the
promote the book, she says. You may
happy with the result.
book. With self-publishing, the author
be splitting a wholesale cost 75/25 with
Sundstrom applied the same ethos to
is responsible for marketing and publicthe distributor, but 75% of that wholehis team that he does to his restaurant:
ity as well.
sale price is all yours. Youre paying
local and artisanal. Weve always
yourself royalties, and youre
Carl initially tackled marbelieved in supporting local farms and
getting the publishers fee as
keting and PR on her own
artisanal producers, he says. We wanted
well.
giving it a creative spin. Before
to employ local peoplelocal photograCarl notes that distribution
the book came out, she partphers and designers. It was a way to supwas her biggest challenge. She
nered with Volkswagen and
port our local economy.
struggled to fulfill the orders
Whole Foods to embark on a
herself via USPS. So many
road trip in order to throw dinbooks got lost in the mail, she
Make Your Content Sizzle ner parties across the country
says. Now that were doing
Forbes says of beloved cookbooks, These
and spread the word about the
our second printing, Im havbooks arent just a collection of recipes:
book. Volkswagen provided
Anna Watson Carl
ing all orders fulfilled by Amathey explain concepts, techniques, and
the car, and Whole Foods dozon. Sure, they charge a fee to do that,
philosophies in an effort to educate the
nated food and wine. She also partnered
reader.
with prominent food bloggers to probut it is worth every penny.
Sundstrom, a chef who had already asmote the gatherings. Right before the
Self-publishing a cookbook means
sembled a collection of recipes, knew
book came out, she also hired freelance
more than just creating and testing recithat great visuals would make the books
book publicist Jill Browning to promote
pes. Its a process the challenges of which
content shine. Most of the money that he
it. Carl says that, if she had the chance to
include building an audience, weighing
do the process over again, I would have
and Stoneberg raised on Kickstarter went
production costs, hiring and managing a
hired a publicist earlier to help get buzz
to video and photography, book layout
team, marketing and publicity, and disabout the book going at least a month or
and design, and app development.
tribution. However, for Saltsman, Sundtwo before it came out.
Forbes agrees that high-quality images
strom, and Carl, the decision to wear not
Sundstrom notes that Kickstarter was
are a major consideration for any cookonly the chefs hat but the publishers hat
a marketing tool in and of itself. During
book author. Food photography is
was a positive one. If youve got a great
the creation of the bookfor about seven
essential to a great cookbook. Photograidea, and the vision and passion to create
phy can illustrate what words cannot:
months starting with the Kickstarter
a book, go for it! Carl says. Creating
appropriate texture, for example, she
we began to produce recipes and content.
this cookbook was the most rewarding
says. Besides, who doesnt love some
We had photos, videos, and the actual

thing Ive ever done.

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

31

INDIE SUCCESS

Paleo Publishing
The success of Irena Macris Eat Drink Paleo
shows how creative recipes and professional
design can whet readers appetites
By Alex Palmer

rena Macri might seem to be an

unlikely advocate for the paleo
diet. Based on the idea that
humans are best suited to eating
what their Paleolithic (i.e., caveman) ancestors ateberries, nuts, meat;
not dairy, grains, and saltthe culinary
approach is often associated with diehard
evangelists and intense CrossFit devotees. Macri is the first to admit that I am
not dogmatic and I dont really see
[paleo] as a diet. She takes a more
casual approach.
Macris accessibility may partly
explain the strong sales of her cookbook
Eat Drink Paleo. In 2011, the Australian
foodie started a blog of the same name,
which she used to share original recipes
and musings on eating like a huntergatherer. After much planning, marketing, and, of course, cooking, Macri selfpublished the cookbook in 2013. Her
accessible tone and the books professional presentation helped sell thousands
of copies, and now Penguin has grabbed
it up, along with Macris follow-up.
There is a time in every food bloggers
life when [he or she] plays around with
the idea of creating a cookbookselfpublished or through a traditional publisher, Macri says. Its a bit of a holy
grail of food blogging, really.
For Macri, writing a cookbook made
particular sense. A year after the blogs
launch, she had attracted a dedicated
audience of about 40,000 monthly visitors, and her new recipes drew enthusiasm from the growing paleo community.
She began bringing in a steady if small
income through sales of ads on her site, as
well as affiliate marketing, and she imagined that a book might provide a more

direct stream of revenue.

Macri saw a gap in the Australian
market for the type of high-quality
cookbook she envisioned. I wanted to
create something that was much better
than what was on offer, she says. Even
if it was self-published, she wanted the
book to be professionally edited and
designed, with original photography of
actual meals.
Sometimes when self-publishing,
there might not be a budget to pay professional designers to help you bring
your book to life, says Carla Hackett, a
book designer and friend whom Macri
would tap for the books layout. Having
a professional and unique design helped
Irenas book gain popularity and, of
course, can only help sales.
Because of budget constraints, Macri
turned to her readers for help, launching
a campaign through the Australian
crowdfunding site Pozible. The campaign struck a chord with readers. Lasting
35 days, it drew more than 300 backers
pledging 13,000 AUD.
With funding in hand, Macri set to
work planning the book. She continued
to blog at the same pace she had and also
worked part-time at a gallery. Over the
course of about two months, she laid out
the structure of the book, the format of
the chapters, the major topics, and the
types of recipes to include. I was living
in spreadsheets and scribbling Post-it
notes everywhere, she says.
Soon, Macri added pots and pans to the
mix. She had a handful of recipes that had
been popular on the blog that she knew
would need to be included in the book.
But beyond that she created brand-new
ideas, testing them in the kitchen, mak-

32 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

Irena Macri

ing sure I covered many different key

ingredients and cuisines, and holding
on to the best ones.
As the recipes moved from scribbled
notebook pages to final documents, Macri
got to work on the books layout. She
tapped Hackett, who was in the midst of
launching her own hand-lettering business in Melbourne, to devise the look of
the project. I flew her over to Sydney
for about 10 days and we basically got
into this amazing collaborative frenzy,
Macri says.
They gathered a bevy of food-styling
props, painted chalkboards, and bought
an astronomically large amount of
food. They cooked, shot images,
cleaned, then repeated, getting 1015
dishes each day for a week, inviting
friends over for nightly dinner parties to
feast on the huge volume of food. (A
time-lapse video of Macri and Hackett
creating the books cover can be viewed
at vimeo.com/61996151.)
I put together some style references
for Carla and she had some strong
concepts in mind that would reflect my
brand, but then we brainstormed a lot of
it on the spot, Macri says. My partner
built a crane to suspend the camera over
the table so I could have these amazing
top anglesit was all very DIY.
She really wanted it to feel very real,
genuine, and approachable, Hackett says.
It really was a collaboration in the true

INDIE SUCCESS
sense of the word, with Irena and I being
on the same page from the beginning.
Macri conceived Eat Drink Paleo as an
e-book, having considered the added costs
and challenges print could present, especially for an art-heavy book. But she still
created the material as if there would be
a printed book in the futureensuring
all art was produced in high-resolution, it
got a flexible design, and so on. Once the
art was complete, Macri finalized the
recipes and chapter introductions, preparing the marketing and promotional material as Hackett returned to Melbourne and
completed the designs and layout, processing the photos using Lightroom and
Photoshop.
Editor Jodie McLeod worked quickly
with the text, reading over the pages,
editing and proofing them. In the week
or two ahead of publication, Macri met
with Hackett at her studio and put the
finishing touches on the design. I even
got into the InDesign to help with laying
out the pages as Carla was making handdrawn illustrations, she says.

in its first weeks, the books sales climbed.

After Eat Drink Paleos first month as
an e-book, with hundreds of copies selling weekly, Macri felt confident that it
was a good time to try it in print form.
Hackett repurposed the master file for the
slightly different dimensions of a print
book, and Macri created a few short print
runs, covering the up-front costs herself.
She found an affordable and high-quality
printing house in Germany that would
turn around runs of a few thousand books,
printing 2,000, which sold out quickly,
then another 3,000 books.
Eat Drink Paleo was hardly the first
book on the subject. But Macris efforts
to come up with creative, original recipes
and package them in an eye-catching,
professional layout set it apart from

Release and Reception

Throughout all of the steps of funding,

photographing, and finalizing the book,
Macri kept her readers updated through
her blog and social media. She found that
this created a healthy amount of buzz as
readers offered support and comments
and shared the updates with their own
friends and family. By the time the book
actually came out, I had a line of readers
wanting to purchase it, Macri says.
To connect with readers beyond her
core audience, Macri also drafted a press
release, which she sent out to magazines,
newspapers, food and wellness bloggers,
and others in the paleo community. She
sent free copies of the printed book or
e-book to those who might review it
(without obliging them to do so), and
submitted guest posts and recipes to
other blogs. She used Google Ads and
giveaways, as well as a launch party to
which she invited guests known well
among paleo enthusiasts. I basically did
anything and everything you can think
of, Macri says. The effort paid off. With-

many other cookbooks that regurgitate

the same kind of recipes over and over
again, repurposing and adapting the
classics, as she puts it.
The book also stood apart in its more
accessible tone. While the paleo market
is full of doctrinaire voices offering commandments pertaining to what one must
and must not eat, Macri emphasizes
moderation.

Penguin Picks It Up

Eat Drink Paleo moved about 8,000 copies,

and soon began catching the attention of
major publishing houses, which reached
out to Macri about releasing the book
with them. As she was making good
money on sales and happy with the professional quality of her self-published

book, Macri was in no

rush to sign on with one
of the big houses. But,
about a year and a half after the books
release, as Macri began to plan a followup, Penguin sent her an email about
working together.
I really jumped to my feet, Macri
says. For starters, were talking about
Penguin, who publish some of my food
idols. Secondly, they were asking about a
new book and I have always wanted to do
at least one book through a traditional
publisher.
After an initial meeting at which the
publisher expressed interest not only in
Eat Drink Paleo, but her next book as well,
negotiations deepened and Macri began
seriously considering the offer. On the one
hand, Penguin offered extensive distribution and a marketing apparatus that could
help spread the word beyond Macris own
paleo network. On the other hand, she was
concerned about re-releasing a book that
had already done well, not to mention
giving up the sole rights to the book.
I could no longer sell it myself, which
after having so much control over it was
very hard to do, Macri says. She admits
that the decision was a difficult one, but
the promise of reaching so many more
people convinced her it was worth moving
to a big publisher. In short order, her
instincts proved sound, as Penguin
generated major publicity and distribution with Penguin Books UK and the
Switzerland-based German-language
publisher AT Verlag. Hopefully it will
soon get picked up by other countries as
well, Macri says.
In addition to riding the continued
success of Eat Drink Paleo, Macri has now
jumped into work on her second book,
this time collaborating closely with the
Penguin team.
To others considering self-publishing,
Macri insists that success is possible as
long as they create a very good product.
To do that, as she found, an author first
needs, great content, a solid market,
some money, and lots of hard work. If you
have that, go for it. You never know

where that will lead you.

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

33

BOOKWORKS COLUMN

Smart Indie Authors

Connect at Conferences
By Betty Kelly Sargent

e are happy to report that self-publishing

is alive and well on the West Coast; in
fact, its thriving. More than 500 editors,
agents, designers, bloggers, and self-publishing experts attended the 12th San
Francisco Writers Conference last month, and most writers we
spoke with said they were now, more than ever, excited
about the possibility of becoming indie authors.
[SFWC] is an unparalleled opportunity for writers
to meet bestselling authors, literary agents, and
editors, as well as many of the movers and shakers in
the indie publishing world, says Joel Friedlander, the
publishing guru who runs a blog called the Book
Designer. The interest in self-publishing has grown every year
Ive attended and this year it seemed that more and more authors
are giving serious thought to what happens after they publish.
For indie authors, conferences like SFWC provide significant
networking opportunitiesand this is why it makes so much
sense for self-publishers to attend writing conferences whenever they can. Where else is an author going to get a chance
to chat with Smashwords founder Mark Coker about e-book
distribution, get tips on how to market books from pros like
Penny Sansevieri and Nina Amir, or pick up insights on libel,
contracts, and copyright from lawyer Helen Sedwick?
If youre an author seeking a marketing advantage for your
books, then a writing conference is one of the best long-term
investments you can make, says Jane Friedman, the author of
Publishing 101. Theres no replacement for beginning to build
a relationship in person; once you make that connection, your
later follow-ups, via email or social media, are much more likely
to be successful.
Meeting people face to face matters, period, Friedman adds.
It doesnt matter who you are approachingsuccessful indie
authors, people who work at the major e-book retailers or
distributors, or anyone in the publishing community.
There is little question that writing conferences and events

34 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

enable indie authors to meet key players in the self-publishing

industry, network, get the word out about their books, and
attend informative panel discussions. However, not all writing
conferences are created equal. Some focus on helping attendees
become better writers while otherssuch as SFWCconcentrate on publishing and marketing skills. So, be sure to do some
homework before signing up for any conference or event.
If you dont happen to live near New York City, San
Francisco, L.A., or Chicago, not to worry. There are
several ways to find out about conferences near you.
Of the many online resources with information about
conferences, you may want to look at the Poets & Writers
conferences database (pw.org/conferences_and_residencies)
or check the conference directory put out by the Association of
Writers & Writing Programs (awpwriter.org/wcc/directory_
conferences_centers).
After that, you might want to look at PW and BookLifes
rundown of some of the key conferences and book fairs in 2015
(booklife.com/market/
events/01/20/2015/bookfairs-and-writers-conferences-in-2015.html) or
try out Poets & Writers
Local, a new app from
Poets & Writers that lists
and maps local literary
events and even provides
a database of the literary
Screen grabs from the Poets & Writers
history for 17 cities.
So, when you stop to Local app.
think about it, is there any better way to spread the word about
your book than by hooking up with like-minded book lovers in
your very own hometown or nearby communities? We cant

think of one.
Betty Kelly Sargent is the founder and CEO of Bookworks.

SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS

New Titles
from Self-Publishers
Booksellers, publishers, and agents are encouraged to look at the 41 self-published
titles listed 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 Autumn Crush
Andrew Eustace Anselmi. Inkwater Press.
$17.95 paper (424p), ISBN 978-162901-120-2; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 9781-62901-121-9
Inkwaterbooks.com, Amazon, BN.com,
Powells
Guy Bennett was a postWorld War II
success story. Born to Italian immigrants,
he became a captain of
industry, with a son in the
U.S. Senate. But in 1989,
Bennett stands accused of
double murder. The DA,
who lost the Senate race to
Guys son, believes he has
all the evidence he needs. The defense spans
the globe and reaches back generations,
unearthing a family secret that reveals the
devastating truth.
Earths Imagined Corners
(Round Earth Series, Book 1)
Tamara Linse. Willow Words. $14.95
paper (472p), ISBN 978-0-9909533-2-6
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram
In 1885 Iowa, Sara
Moore is a dutiful
daughter, but when her
father tries to force her to
marry his younger
partner, she must choose
between the partner, who

treats her like property, and James Youngblood, a kind man she hardly knows who
has a troubled past. When Sarah confronts
her father, he beats her and turns her out of
the house, so she decides to elope with
James to Kansas City with hardly a penny
to their names. This is a novel that comprehends the great kindnesses and violences
we do to each other.

is closely examined by
their children after a child
she gave up for adoption
dies. This novel captures
the small-town dynamic of
a familys private secrets
being exposed to the
world. A poignant look at the melding of
two Americanized cultures.

The Kidnapping of
Jamaicas Homeland Security:
The Adventures of the Expeditor
Joe S. Davis. Creative Publishing Partners. $5.99 e-book, ASIN B00QP7SLEY
Amazon
A story about terrorism on foreign soil
told from the perspective of kidnappers. Kidnapping is being used as
the engine to control
the country and, if successful, other countries.

Sighing Woman Tea

Mark Daniel Seiler. Xlibris. $15.99 paper
(388p), ISBN 978-1-4990-6363-9
Amazon, BN.com
In this serio-comic novel, a large corporation tries to take control of a tiny teaproducing island nation, threatening its
traditional way of life. Viridis was founded
in the 12th century by a mixed-race crew
whose ship was blown off course. Thomas
Burke, descendant of an island founder, left
to pursue a career in mathematics. Now he has
returned to warn the
gentle islanders that their
tea, more expensive per
ounce than gold, is in
danger of att racti ng
greedy attention. When an occupying force
takes over Viridis, Burke and the locals
must find an island way of protecting
themselves by calling on sacrifice, patience,
showmanship, and the spirit of the island.

The Liberation of Ravenna Morton

Suzanne Jenkins. CreateSpace. 99 e-book,
ASIN B00KSOPT2M
Amazon
Ravenna Morton is an American Indian
woman living an old-fashioned life in a
primitive cabin at the edge of the Kalamazoo River. She faces modern problems
when her lifelong affair with a Greek artist

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

35

SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS
Strong Convictions:
An Emmett Strong Western
GP Hutchinson. The Hutchinson Group.
$12.99 paper (306p), ISBN 978-1-49915102-2; $3.49 e-book,
ASIN B00TPZMQM6
Amazon, BN.com
Texas Ranger Emmett
Strong must overcome his
reluctance to draw his
sidearm, avenge his brothers death at the hands of a
mad gunslinger, and rescue
his forbidden love interest.
Sweet Muse of Madness
(Song of Greece Series, Book 1)
Anthony Giarmo. Anthony Giarmo.
$20.90 paper (603p), ISBN 978-0-61569772-7
Songofgreece.com,
Amazon, BN.com
A historical novel centered on the compelling
interaction between nature
worshippers and early
monotheists.
Zoo Story: A Tail for Our Time
Miles Wortman. CreateSpace. $9.95
paper (132p), ISBN 978-1-50601680-1;
$4.99 e-book, ASIN B00UGTDXMW
Amazon, BN.com
When the zoos animals
revolt and seize control,
the blogosphere and global
outrage spin out of control
in this Orwellian satire on
the decline of language
and political discourse in
social media.

POETRY
Foxglove in Springtime:
Poetry and Short Stories
Abigail-Madison Chase. Amazon. 99
e-book, ASIN
B00U1Y8R7S
Amazon
In this collection of lyrical expressions of love in
the springtime, many of
the poems reflect on

longing and great passion. Written from

the perspective of a lover, the poems are for
every mood and occasion.

MYSTERY/THRILLER
Betrayal by Blood and Demons:
The Judas Factor
Ian McBride. Lulu.com. $9.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4834-2196-4
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Lulu.com
The depths of human
darkness are probed in an
epic battle of good versus
evil as a father attempts to
overcome the ultimate
betrayal as the Twin Towers fall in 2001.
Dead Letter
Marc Kuhn. CreateSpace. $8.75 paper
(204p), ISBN 978-1-4909-0673-7
Amazon, BN.com
Eastern Shore, Maryland, 1943. This is a story
of young love, misguided
jealousy, a world war, and
a soldiers lost letter that
delivers a shocking ending
40 years later.
Dividers
Travis Adams Irish. CreateSpace. $3.99
e-book (610p), ASIN B00O7H7CC6
Amazon, BN.com
A story of betrayal,
romance, tragedy, and the
struggle against madness.
Earl Calbraws most cruel
and resourceful enemy is
his own son, Jacob. Jacob
wants the truth about the
disappearance of his mother, while his
father pursues the forgiveness of a world
scarred by the greed of his ambition. Each
man is mindlessly caught up in the passion of the game, having at each other
with ferocity and cunning. In the throes
of their hatred, another enemy is born,
discerning and ruthless, inspired unto
their destruction.
The Kingdom of Assassins
Erik Mackenzie. Erik. $2.99 e-book,

36 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

ISBN 978-0-9837615-4-9
Amazon
In the near future, a disillusioned New York City
counterterrorist detective
investigates a terrorist cell.
A beautiful Arabian princess comes to identify one
of the dead from an assault
on a safe house. A Saudi diplomat is soon
found dead, as is another man with no identity. Tensions rise between Iran and the
kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From the concrete canyons of New York City to the
searing oceans of sand in Arabia, Detective
Mike Maclaymore pursues the truth to its
terrifying conclusion.
Sundown on Top of the World:
A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery
R.E. Donald. Proud Horse Publishing.
$15.95 paper (307p),
ISBN 978-0-9881118-8-2
Proudhorsepublishing.com, Amazon,
BN.com, Chapters
Former homicide investigator Hunter Rayne
heads to Alaska, where a
chance meeting with a
young woman reawakens
his interest in a cold case
involving a bloody cabin and two missing
people.

SF/FANTASY/HORROR
Anne Manx and the Blood Chase
Larry M. Weiner. Radio Repertory Company of America. $6.99 audio,
ISBN 978-0-9771342-4-3
RRCA.com
Anne Manx is dying! In this sixth
installment, Anne (played by Claudia
Christian from
Babylon 5), the
galaxys finest PI,
trails a cryptic clue
to Balduria,
seeking to save her
life. Hot on her
tail, the flame-haired fiend Jean Richmond (played by Patricia Tallman from
Babylon 5 and Night of the Living Dead) is
going to steal the secret to multiple lives

SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS
for herself. With fast-paced dialogue and
two-fisted double entendres, Anne Manx
and the darkly duplicitous Brighid
(played by Moira Kelly from One Tree Hill,
The West Wing, and The Lion King) spiral
into danger as they try to outwit Chief
Arum (played by Jerry Robbins from
Powder River and Beacon Hill) and the
entire planet, who are literally out for
their blood.
At the Sharp End of Lightning
(Oceanlight, Book 1)
N.R. Bates. N.R. Bates. $8.99 e-book,
ASIN B00T0TJLYI
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com
The interwoven fantastical tale of family, loss and
sacrifice, unexpected gifts,
and coping with disability
and new abilities set
against the backdrop of climate change occurring
across parallel worlds.
Compendium
(Artifacts of Lumin, Book 1)
Alia Luria. Willowslip Press. $19.99
paper (477p), ISBN 978-0-9908403-0-5;
$4.99 e-book, ASIN B00T44VIFY
Alialuria.com, Willowslip.com, Amazon
Lumin is dying. Its only
hope is 500 years of darkness. When they disable
the Network, all devices go
dormant. Will future generations remember how to turn it back on?
Crescent City
(An Alec Winters Series, Book 1)
Chariss K. Walker. CreateSpace. $15.95
paper (196p), ISBN 978-1-5032-8390-9;
$5.99 e-book, ASIN B00ROPS18C
Amazon, BN.com
Often, perpetrators
dont get punished for
their atrocious crimes. In
New Orleans, Alec Winters gives these sexual
predators exactly what
they deserve.

Cyrus Persian
Holly Simpson. Xlibris. $29.99 hardcover (222p), ISBN 978-1-5035-1623-6;
$19.99 paper (222p),
ISBN 978-1-5035-1624-3
Amazon, BN.com, Xlibris.com
Born in the sixth century B.C.E. in
Persia, Cyrus Persian becomes a vampire
later in Egypt. He falls in
love with a Greek girl, and
they marry and adopt twin
sons; one dies and the
other becomes a vampire.
After Lydia, the Egyptian
priestess who owns Cyrus,
dies in the arena in Rome, they flee to
Gaul. Later they escape from the world and
sleep for a thousand years using Celtic
sacred words. They return in 1973.

breeding by the Powers,

Heather Staman makes deathdefying choices throughout this postapocalyptic read.

Juarez Square and Other Stories

D.L. Young. Concordia Professional
Services. $2.99 e-book,
ASIN B00TJLNRBK
Amazon
Eleven stories, including new works
exclusive to this collection, explore the
near-future impacts of
advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, automated warfare, and
genetic engineering. The
Reader, Training the
Fundies, and the title
work envision an anarchic, cutthroat existence along the U.S.-Mexico border. In
Ximena, a woman opens a robot brothel
in Madrid. The Jacob Seeds takes place
on a man-made floating island nation,
where a scientists revolutionary breakthrough in genetically modified food
becomes the prize of a high-stakes,
winner-take-all political battle.

Shattered Dreams
Brenda Kennedy. Lulu.com. $13 paper
(240p), ISBN 978-1-312-68434-8
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com,
OverDrive, Smashwords
Emma Greyson, age 22, has a loving husband and a newborn son. She is finally
living her dream, until fate steps in and
shatters everything. Trying to deal with the
death of her husband and learning how to
be a single mom, Emma moves from Fort
Drum, N.Y., back to her
hometown of Sarasota, Fla.
Four years later, Emma has
a fresh start with a new job
and new friends. She meets
an attractive doctor, Alec
Collins. Taking things
slowly, she is happy with the way things are
going until fate steps in again and reveals
the ugly truth of Alecs past.

Revolution (The Scent of Roses, Book 1)

Sabrina Seidner. CreateSpace. $15.95
paper (484p), ISBN 9781-4948-2310-8
Amazon
As an officer for an elite
Maintainer force tasked
with reclaiming genetically desirable beings for

ROMANCE/EROTICA
Annalisas Highway Blues
David Reichart. CreateSpace. $6.99 paper
(152p), ISBN 978-1-4700-6494-5
Amazon, BN.com, Smashwords
Hard times force a
smalltown girl into the
male-dominated world of
long-haul trucking, where
she finds danger, loneliness, hard work, and something unexpected out on
the roadthe kind of romance shed always
dreamed about.

INSPIRATIONAL
New Testament: Breakthrough Version
Ray Geide. Breakthrough Version Publishing. $14.95 paper (352p),
ISBN 978-0-96280124-2
Breakthroughversion.com,
Amazon, Baker & Taylor,
BN.com, Ingram
This new version of the
New Testament is accurate,
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

37

SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS
easy-to-understand, brings
out nuances in the Greek text,
and corrects problems in other versions.
Seamless Subtleties:
The Path to Enlightenment
Michael Raymond. Raymond Valente.
$17.95 paper (222p),
ISBN 978-0-692-34708-9
Seamlesssubtleties.com,
Amazon, BN.com
This is a book of the
human experience. It puts
forth a path that better
allows for the power of our
mystery. It takes personal
experiences of a boy growing up in the
Bronx, N.Y., and expounds upon them in a
way that shows how many accepted habits
are working against us.

NONFICTION
Be a Critical Thinker:
Hone Your Mind to Think Critically
(Revised Edition)
Donald L. Karshner. Bullen Publishing
Services. $9.99 paper,
ISBN 978-0-615-78374-1
Amazon, BN.com
A guide to applying
critical thinking skills in
daily life to scrutinize
ideas, facts, and interpretations, even when they are
inconsistent or contradictory. Readers will be better equipped to
clarify their thinking process, intelligently
critique what they read and hear, correct
errors, dispel misunderstandings and ignorance, and make a positive contribution to
a discussion or debate.
Dads War Photos:
Adventures in the South Pacific
Neal Bertrand. Cypress Cove Publishing.
$19.95 paper (306p),
ISBN 978-1-93670724-9
Baker & Taylor, Ingram
The author traces his
fathers steps from home
to war and back, using his
photos and battalion

journal. Includes 14 chapters of planes and

New Guinea natives in daily life.
The Men Who Made the Yankees:
The Odyssey of the Worlds Greatest
Baseball Team from Baltimore to the
Bronx
W. Nikola-Lisa. Gyroscope Books.
$19.95 paper (144p),
ISBN 978-0-9912183-2-5
Amazon, Ingram, BN.com
This book traces the rise
of the New York Yankees
from the origin of the
American League to the
Yankees first world championship title in 1923.
Wishes to Die For:
Expanding Upon Doing Less in
Advance Care Directives
Kevin J. Haselhorst. Kevin J. Haselhorst,
PC. $12.95 paper (220p),
ISBN 978-0-99157140-6; $5.99 e-book,
ASIN B00TJMBQ6C
Amazon
Veteran emergency
physician Haselhorst
advocates for dying with
dignity through personal
empowerment and spiritual awareness in this book of wishes to
inspire and guide advance care planning.

BIO/AUTOBIO
From the Danube to the Hudson
Katherine Griesz. CreateSpace. $19.95
paper (482p), ISBN 978-1-4701-6505-5
Amazon, BN.com
Narrative nonfiction
about a Hungarian familys rise, fall, love, loss, survival in WWII, behind the
Iron Curtain, and finally,
in America.
It Takes a Fool:
A Tough Lesson Learned on Bullying
Sasha Dreams. I Dream Business. $7.95
paper (108p), ISBN 978-0-9909026-2-1
Amazon, BN.com
The author explores the darkest depths
of poverty, addiction, and bullying, and

38 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

how even the innocence of

a child can be twisted into
something monstrous. If
readers sign the pledge to
end bullying, $1 will be
donated to the Stop Bullying Now Foundation.
A Long Way from Paris
E.C. Murray. Plicata Press. $16 paper
(280p), ISBN 978-0-9903102-1-1
Amazon, BN.com, IndieBound
In this story flecked
with humor and heartbreak, a city girl is transformed by her life herding
goats in the remote mountains of southern France.
Muddy Jungle Rivers
Wendell Affield. Hawthorn Petal Press.
$19.95 paper (352p),
ISBN 978-0-9847023-0-5
Amazon, BN.com
The author gives the
reader a close-up look at
life on a river boat during
the Vietnam Wathe
frustration, rage, terror, death, betrayal,
and search for redemption.

SELFHELP
Lucky Go Happy:
Make Happiness Happen!
Paul van der Merwe. AuthorHouse.
$14.95 paper (108p),
ISBN 978-1-4969-4164-0; $3.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-4969-4163-3
Luckygohappythebook.com, Amazon,
AuthorHouse, BN.com,
Ebookmall
Lucky the rat encounters some wise and colorful characters in the
African bush in this
modern-day fable, helping
readers to make happiness happen for
themselves and those around them.

CHILDRENS FICTION
The Gatekeepers Son
C.R. Fladmark. The Shokunin Publishing
Co. $15.99 paper (348p),

SELF-PUBLISHED LISTINGS
ISBN 978-0-9937776-0-8; $3.99
e-book, ISBN 978-0-9937776-1-5
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor,
BN.com, Kobo, OverDrive, Smashwords
With the help of a mysterious girl, a teenager
saves his grandfathers
business empire while discovering things about himself and his family that lead
him back to ancient Japan.
Kiwi in Cat City (Kiwi Series, Book 1)
Vickie Johnstone, illus. by Nikki McBroom. CreateSpace. $2.99 e-book,
ASIN B004YKSZMM
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor,
BN.com, Flipkart, Kobo, OverDrive,
Oyster, PageFoundry, Scribd, Smashwords,
Txtr, WHSmith
Have you ever wished
your cat could talk or wondered where he or she goes
when you are not around?
One night, Amy and her
brother, James, follow their
cat, Kiwi. But with a flick of her tail, Kiwi
magically changes the children into kittens
and leads them on the adventure of their lives.
In the blue-lit world of Cat City, the budding
detectives help Inspector Furrball investigate
the mysterious catnapping of Mr Katz and
find out what happened to Madame Purrfect.
Luz, Rebound
Jeania Kimbrough.
Smoke Signal Press. $17
paper (214p),
ISBN 978-0-99605621-2
Amazon, BN.com
A coming-home story about a girl on the
rebound.
Parents for Sale
Nicole Audet. AuthorHouse. $3.99
e-book, ISBN 978-14969-5745-0
AuthorHouse
Discover what happens
to the Clark twins when
they try to sell their parents
to save their dog, Pistachio.

Roccos Wings
(Tales of Terrakesh, Book 1)
Rebecca Murdock, illus. by Kalen Chock.
Bark & Howl Press. $14.99 paper (266p),
ISBN 978-0-9920413-3-5
Amazon
Rocco is the only villager with wings. His are
blue, and at night also bioluminescent. He is captured by urvogels (winged,
humanlike creatures) living on the cliffs of
Upper Terrakesh. He witnesses urvogels
getting their wings cut offpunishment
for so-called vanity crimes. Roccos new
friends Basalt, Vesta, Magma, and Iggy are
facing trial. If convicted, they will lose
their wings. Rocco must decide if he should
help them or escape on his own.
Rungle in the Jungle
Logan Rogers, illus. by Rachel McCoy.
CreateSpace. $14.95 paper (82p),
ISBN 978-1-4904-3252-6
Amazon, BN.com
A poetic rhyming story
set in the jungle with three
main characters who
decide to host a race. They
go through the jungle,
inviting all the animals.
They are excited until the snake appears
and enters, creating fear in his competition.
The two main heroes dont listen to his
boasting and go on to win, proving positive
thoughts overcome negativity and fear.
Street of Dreams
Norma Hansburg. Inkwater Press.
$15.95 paper (132p),
ISBN 978-1-62901-210-0
Inkwaterbooks.com, Amazon, BN.com,
Powells
For middle-grade
readers, youth, and adults
alike, this story is an emotional escape into the world
of a 12-year-old growing
up in Brooklyn in the mid1970s, who experiences the many facets of
city life, including crime, police, various
and cultures, as she walks the tightrope
between youth and early adulthood.

Get one.

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booklife.com

Reviews Roundup
In the last month, weve reviewed 43 self-published books submitted via
BookLife, PWs website dedicated to indie authors. Among the highlights are
three titles that received starred reviews: Mistress of Melody, by Anthea Lawson;
Some of the Best from Tor.com, edited by Ellen Datlow; and Bad Dyke: Salacious
Stories from a Queer Life, by Alison Moon.

Fiction
Amaskans Blood

The House They Couldnt Build

Raven Oak. Grey Sun, $12.99 trade paper (451p)

ISBN 978-0-9908157-0-9

B. Mamatha. Goldman Press, $14.99 trade paper (122p)

ISBN 978-0-9929394-3-4

The Belle of Charleston

Painting the Moon

Jerri Hines. Amazon, $2.99 e-book (158p) ASIN B00Q8M1EYK

Traci Borum. Red Adept, $14.99 trade paper (310p)

ISBN 978-1-940-21532-7

Between These Walls

John Herrick. Segue Blue, $15.95 trade paper (470p)
ISBN 978-0-9915309-1-5

Beyond Cloud Nine

Greg Spry. Greg Spry, $4.99 e-book (391p) ISBN 978-0-990822-41-7

Breaking Free
Rob Lubitz. iUniverse, $17.95 trade paper (272p)
ISBN 978-1-462052-86-8

Crossing the Ice

Jennifer Comeaux. Jennifer Comeaux, $2.99 e-book (306p)
ISBN 978-0-9904342-0-7

Double Cover: A Warren Kingsley Mystery

Sherban Young. MysteryCaper, $29 (176p) ISBN 978-0-9912324-2-0

Evel Knievel Jumps the Snake River Canyon

Kelly Jones. Ninth Avenue Press, $12 trade paper (202p)
ISBN 978-0-9914468-0-3

Every Able Body

David Reichart. CreateSpace, $8.99 ISBN 978-1-477545-65-2

The Finnish Girl

Dennis Frahmann. Loon Town, $16 ISBN 978-0-692-23648-2

Fleeting Chance: An Enescu Fleet Mystery

Sherban Young. MysteryCaper, $29 (240p) ISBN 978-0-991232-46-8

In Gallup, Greed
Tower Lowe. CreateSpace, $11.95 trade paper (286p)
ISBN 978-1-500151-72-0
40 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

The Perfect Tea Thief

Pam Chun. CreateSpace, $15 trade paper (380p)
ISBN 978-1-5001-6430-0

Mistress of Melody

Anthea Lawson. Fiddlehead, $12.99 trade paper (268p)

ISBN 978-1-68013-061-4

he entertaining and satisfying

second entry in Lawsons Music of
the Heart historical series (after
Sonata for a Scoundrel) introduces
Jessamyn Lovell, newly famous in
Victorian London as the Gypsy
Violinist, and Morgan Trevethwick,
the uptight Earl of Silverton. Morgans
undercover work for Scotland Yard has
him trailing Jessas guardian, Mr. Burke, a suspected blackmailer. Lawson creates a strong, sympathetic heroine in
Jessa, who allows her unscrupulous uncle to profit from
her performances in exchange for keeping her beloved,
simpleminded sister safe from a lunatic asylum or a sinister
marriage. Morgan has compensated for his wild youth by
adopting a rigid propriety, but his search for a suitable wife
is derailed by his attraction to Jessa. When she appeals for
his protection from her uncles devilish plans, he struggles
between accepting her offer to be his mistress and giving
in to his growing realization that she is the one woman he
wishes to marry. This well-paced, humorous love story will
delight fans of daring Victorian cross-class romances.

REVIEW S ROUNDUP
Race to Tibet

Home with Henry: A Memoir

Sophie Schiller. Tradewinds, $12.50 trade paper (356p)

ISBN 978-0-692254-09-7

Anne Kaier. PS Books, $15 trade paper (108p) ISBN 978-0990-47151-6

Saffron

Living Passionately

Vic Warren. CreateSpace, $10.95 trade paper (240p)

ISBN 978-14961-7327-0

Edited by Maria Blon. Two Harbors, $19.99 trade paper (196p)

ISBN 978-1-63413-138-4

Scarred Hearts

Nearly Orthodox:
On Being a Modern Woman in an Ancient Tradition

Billi Tiner. CreateSpace, $10.50 trade paper (212p)

ISBN 978-1-5027-5657-2

Some of the Best from Tor.com: 2014

Edited by Ellen Datlow et al. Tor.com, $0 (652p) ISBN 978-1-4668-8587-5

Terms of Surrender

Angela Doll Carlson. Ancient Faith, $18.95 trade paper (304p)

ISBN 978-1-9362-7096-5

Not in the Pink

Tina Martel. Tina Martel, $30 trade paper (192p) ISBN 978-0-9939548-0-1

Lorrie Farrelly. Amazon Digital, $3.99 e-book (347p)

ISBN 978-1-4681-8252-1

Panic: One Mans Struggle with Anxiety

Thieving Forest

Worldchanging 101:
Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness

Martha Conway. Noontime Books, $14.99 trade paper (416p)

ISBN 978-0-9916185-0-7

Harry Floyd. Belle Isle, $14.95 trade paper (80p) ISBN 978-1-939930-23-1

David LaMotte. Dryad, $16.95 (235p) ISBN 978-0-9906500-0-3

Daniel P. Douglas. Geminid, $15.95 ISBN 978-0-9907371-0-0

Childrens/YA

The Vineyard

The 52nd

Michael Hurley. Ragbagger Press, $29.99 (384p)

ISBN 978-0-9761275-7-4

Dela. Wise Ink Creative Publishing, $12.99 paper (472p)

ISBN 978-1-940014-38-8

The Way into Magic

A Brand New Day: A Banana Split Story

Harry Connolly. Radar Avenue, $13.99 trade paper (228p)

ISBN 978-0-9898284-4-4

A.S. Chung, illus. by Paula Bossio. Pigeonhole Books, $4.99 e-book

(32p) ASIN B00LXJ3I2Y

The Wounded World

A Wolf at the Gate

Ariele Sieling. CreateSpace, $11.99 trade paper (244p)

ISBN 978-1-5008-7499-5

Mark Van Steenwyk, illus. by Joel Hedstrom. Mennonite Worker Press,

$12.99 paper (76p) ISBN 978-0-98623-334-0

Nonfiction

The Keepers

Truth Insurrected: The Saint Mary Project

The 30-Day Vegan Challenge

Anoosha Lalani. Reuts, $12.99 paper (270p)

ISBN 978-1-942111-03-0

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Montali, $29.95 (330p)

ISBN 978-0-9906272-0-3

Waiting for a Sign

Bad Dyke: Salacious Stories from a Queer Life

Audio

Alison Moon. Lunatic Ink, $9.99 trade paper (132p)

ISBN 978-0-9838309-7-9

The Beatles and Me on Tour

Ivor Davis. Cockney Kid, $15.99 trade paper (338p)
ISBN 978-0-9903710-7-6

Falling Off Broadway

David Black. Mezzo Books, $15.99 ISBN 978-1-63192-325-8

Esty Schachter. Lewis Court Press, $9.95 ISBN 978-0-692-28698-2

Gadzooks! A Comically Quirky Audio Book

Adele Park, read by a full cast. Straight to Audio Productions,
unabridged, MP3, 7.5 hrs., $14.99 ISBN 978-0-9837074-2-4

It Happened in Boston?
Russell H. Greenan, read by Robert Fass. Robert Fass, unabridged, 9
CDs, 11 hrs., $34.95 ISBN 978-1-4815-1524-5
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

41

Reviews
Fiction
Amaskans Blood
Raven Oak. Grey Sun, $12.99 trade paper
(451p) ISBN 978-0-9908157-0-9

The first volume of Oaks Boahim series,

a large-scale saga of fathers, daughters, and
sisters in the well-worn fraying-kingdom
mode of epic fantasy, strains the limits of
suspended disbelief. Adelei is the daughter
of King Leon of
Alexander, who
thrust her into the
assassin cult of
Amaska in the hope
that they would
loyally protect her
from the kings
enemies. The cult
provides a surrogate father who
trains her into an
accomplished killer. Adelei is hired by Leon
to protect her whiny sister, Margaret, and
finds herself hip-deep in palace intrigue on
the eve of Margarets arranged wedding to
dastardly Prince Gamun, whos eyeing
Leons throne. Loaded with flashbacks and
adolescent dialogue, this complicated plot
lumbers along, hamstrung by unconvincing
characterizations. In an extended denouement following a predictable revelation,
Adelei undertakes to save the kingdom,
protect Margaret, and discover what truth,
loyalty, duty, and family really meana tall
order for any heroine, and especially for one
hampered by clumsy writing.

The Belle of Charleston

Jerri Hines. Amazon, $2.99 e-book (158p)
ASIN B00Q8M1EYK

Hiness first Southern Legacy romance

has all the elements of intriguing antebellum fiction: a mansion near Charleston,
a beautiful woman, and two men who are
both in love with her. Josephine Buchanan
Wr ig h t is c o nv i nced that Wade
Montgomery will marry her instead of
abiding by his familys wishes and marrying

the fiance of his deceased brother, Percival.

When Wades cousin, Lt. Cullen Smythe,
informs Josephine that Wade will uphold
his familial duty,
she is heartbroken.
Though Cullen
offers for her hand
to minimize the
damage to her reputation, Josephine
is convinced her
father would not
allow the marriage,
as Cullen is a
Yankee. But Cullen refuses to withdraw his
offer, as he finds Josephine extremely attractive. Fickle Josephine falls in and out of love
too quickly, and while Hines keeps the story
moving, the lack of character development
and precipitous ending are likely to disappoint.

Between These Walls

John Herrick. Segue Blue, $15.95 trade paper
(470p) ISBN 978-0-9915309-1-5

Herrick (The Landing) will make waves

particularly with Christian conservatives
with this tale that explores the uneasy intersection of Christianity and homosexuality.
Hunter Carlisle has hidden his attraction to
men since middle school, a secret he buried
even more deeply
when he became a
Christian. He dated
girls, hoping to be
cured, he says,
but his feelings
didnt change. He
meets Gabe, a massage therapist, and
in one jolting
moment Hunters
life changes forever. When their relationship is discovered, Hunter must come clean
to his pastor, girlfriend, family, and friends
about who he is. Herrick explores the
struggle Hunter faces, offering readers a
unique look at how gay Christians might
feelwhich is the strength of the book. Its
shortcomings are its length and inadequate

ending. Sex scenes and swearing, plus the

topic, will keep this off most evangelical
Christian bookstore shelves. It may find
more sales online, where those struggling
with this issue may be quietly searching for
answers.

Beyond Cloud Nine

Greg Spry. Greg Spry, $4.99 e-book (391p)
ISBN 978-0-990822-41-7

Sprys debut, which kicks off his Beyond

saga, is a fast-paced, old-fashioned space
opera that effectively draws readers into his
created universe. In 2247, Lt. Brooke Davis
is serving as an Aerospace Defense pilot in
the Jupiter orbit, with dreams of becoming
the first human to fly faster than light.
Complications in
her prenatal gene
therapy have given
her upper-percentile spatial awareness, which shes
supplemented with
nanorobotic narcotics. Brooke
needs all her skills
to survive an explosion on Europa that claims 50,000 lives and
may have been the work of terroristsor
previously unknown aliens. The truth
behind the attack is also being probed by
Brookes estranged sister, Marie, a reporter
in Chicago. The mystery unfolds against an
interesting backdrop; advances in biology
allow for mental pathway reconfiguration
and the prevention of birth defects. Despite
scientific progress, humankind is still at
war with itself. Brooke, whos haunted by
guilt over the circumstances of her fathers
death, is a nicely flawed lead, and the
ending makes the prospect of the sequel
intriguing.

Breaking Free
Rob Lubitz. iUniverse, $17.95 trade paper
(272p) ISBN 978-1-462052-86-8

Set in 1986, Lubitzs competent series

kickoff introduces lawyer Ryan Butler, a
former baseball prospect. On track to be
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REVIEWS
named partner at a prestigious
Philadelphia firm, Ryan is
increasingly estranged from
his wife and alienated by his work. One day,
in an effort to save time on his drive back
home, he leaves the highway and ends up in
Middleton, Md., in front of the insurance
business of an old teammate, Steven
Shannon. When he
calls Stevens home,
hes stunned to
learn that his
former teammate is
in a coma, and that
right before he
lapsed into unconsciousness he emptied his personal
and business bank
accounts. The tragedy puts Ryan in contact
with Stevens stunner of a second wife,
Alana, and his attraction to her motivates
him to seek the truth about what happened
to her husband. His efforts soon attract the
attention of the CIA. Lubitz does a good job
of keeping things moving, though not
always plausibly, especially toward the end.

Crossing the Ice

Jennifer Comeaux. Jennifer Comeaux, $2.99
e-book (306p) ISBN 978-0-9904342-0-7

The ultra-competitive world of professional ice skating comes to life under the
deft touch of Comeaux (Life on the Edge),
who pairs an insiders view of the skating
world with a sweet romance in the first
installment of a contemporary series. After
pair skaters Courtney and Mark turn in a
poor showing at the World Championships,
Courtneys long-distance boyfriend dumps
her for someone elseand Courtney and
Marks longtime coaches announce that
they will be simultaneously training
the skaters biggest
rivals, Stephanie
and Josh, a toprated sibling team.
Courtney and Josh
soon strike up a
romance, but ice
princess Stephanie
is determined to
break them up. Courtney is conflicted, realizing that her partner and her coaches likely
wouldnt approve of the match, yet she falls

more deeply for sweet, shy Josh with every

moment they spend together. As Courtney
and Josh wend their way past the enormous
roadblocks of their relationship, readers
will find their story immensely satisfying,
though the ending is a tiny bit rushed. This
solid effort will especially delight skating
fans who want an inside look at the sport.

Double Cover:
A Warren Kingsley Mystery
Sherban Young. MysteryCaper, $29 (176p)
ISBN 978-0-9912324-2-0

Bertie Wooster fans will appreciate

Warren Kingsley, the inept star of this
comic mystery, which will have readers
chuckling. Warren has just taken on a new
job, protecting businessman Thomas
Redding on a trip to Berwald Island, Conn.,
when someone bludgeons Redding to death
in his hotel room. Confined to the island
due to the broken ferry and fearing for his
life, Warren gets
his own bodyguard
in the form of short
but sturdy Borodin
Mahrute. The pair
soon do their own
sleuthing to ident i f y R e d d i n g s
killer. Young does a
decent job of recreating Wodehouses
style (It seemed pretty clear to Warren,
though, that if 007 happened to stop by for
the weekend it would probably turn out
that Mahrute had once saved him from the
clutches of a double agent, and it would
only be a matter of time before the two were
guzzling brandy and laughing about the
good old days).

Evel Knievel Jumps the Snake

River Canyon
Kelly Jones. Ninth Avenue Press, $12 trade
paper (202p) ISBN 978-0-9914468-0-3

Joness collection of tales of recent

middle-American life covers a wide range
of protagonists: a 10-year-old boy spending
the summer with his grandmother when
Evel Knievel comes to town; an elderly
woman confronting the loss of yet another
husband (shes had five); a woman putting
her life back together after an abusive relationship. These stories all are deftly told
character-driven tales set in quiet towns,

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with sensitivity and

affection for the
characters. Jones
moves fluidly
between (mostly)
female protagonists
of various ages and
life experiences and
a y o u n g b o y s
coming of age; the
small town, and the
Watergate-era life portrayed in the title
story, creates a strong sense of that world.
Though there are no serious revelations, the
very intimate character (and setting) studies
of this collection create an incredibly strong
sense of contemporary Americana.

Every Able Body

David Reichart. CreateSpace, $8.99 ISBN 9781-477545-65-2

A genuinely creepy villain is the best part

of this average thriller set in Mobile, Ala.,
in 1943. Former football star and ex-cop
Frank Truck Lundy now works as a PI,
having been rendered physically unfit for
military service. Lundys path crosses that
of the psychopathic Claude Gagnon, leader
of the Calibis, a scary group of swamp
people rumored to
engage in cannibalism. Gagnon
adds white slavery
to his criminal
resume, abducting
three women for
sale to a South
American man.
Lundys efforts to
stop Gagnon are
aided by Valerie Gilbreath, a reporter who,
conveniently for the kidnapping plot line,
is herself a very attractive woman. Valeries
interactions with both Lundy and Gagnon
follow predictable lines. Reichart
(Annalisas Highway Blues) does a decent job
of portraying life on the home front down
South, complete with racial tensions, and
while the maverick private investigator is a
familiar figure, Lundy has enough personality to sustain a series.

The Finnish Girl

Dennis Frahmann. Loon Town, $16 ISBN 978-0692-23648-2

Frahmann (Tales from the Loon Town Caf)

REVIEWS
takes inspiration from events in his own
family to create this somber tale that begins
and ends with the suicide of Lempi Makinen
Lahti. The book opens in 1983 Wisconsin,
with ninth grader
Danny Lahti, her
son, returning
home from school
to find his mother
dead. Shocked and
lost, Danny looks
through papers
from the bottom of
a hope chest that
was passed on to his
mother. Each photo, newspaper clipping,
and letter offers a glimpse into the lives of
Lempi and others from Dannys family.
These documents weave together events
such as deaths in the family by trichinosis.
Misfortune stalks Lempis family, from her
adopted mothers suicide to Lempis own
culpability in her biological mothers death.
The prose is unfortunately flat, with some
very abrupt narrative transitions. But the
very specific place, time, and sense of community may appeal to readers, particularly
fans of Jerry Apps and other Wisconsin
authors.

Fleeting Chance:
An Enescu Fleet Mystery
Sherban Young. MysteryCaper, $29 (240p)
ISBN 978-0-991232-46-8

Youngs fourth Enescu Fleet mystery

(after 2013s Fleeting Note) is a nice blend of
humor and detection, with a clever resolution that may surprise even veteran whodunit readers. Sort of a modern, bearded
Sherlock Holmes with a pronounced
Hemingway complex, Fleet and his loyal
sidekick, John
Hathawaywhos
about to marry his
longtime love
interest, Lesley
Darlingtonare
among the passengers on The Stacked
Deck, a yacht off
the coast of
Astorbay, Canada.
A late-night poker game turns unexpectedly eventful when the play is interrupted
by a cry of man overboard. Fleet quickly
retrieves the fallen passenger, math pro-

fessor Arnold Bernard, from the cold waters,

but when John returns to the parlor to
resume the game, he finds that another
player, Leslie MacDonald, has been stabbed
to death. MacDonalds death is not the end
of the violence, and a disappearance ups the
ante for John significantly. Readers who
prefer murder puzzles with a light touch
will be satisfied.

In Gallup, Greed
Tower Lowe. CreateSpace, $11.95 trade
paper (286p) ISBN 978-1-500151-72-0

Lowes first novel, the sixth entry in a

series that began with five short stories,
features an unusual pair of New Mexican
sleuths. Burro, a schizophrenic, is susceptible to psychotic visions that sometimes
bring him a kind
of knowledge born
of facts and intuition, a gift that
comes in handy
when hes working
on a case with his PI
partner, Cinnamon.
The two only
recently got
licensed by the
state as civil rights investigators, who specialize in helping clients (such as children
with special needs) overcome discrimination. Cinnamon uses the income from their
investigations, and the access to information that they provide, to try to track down
the mother who abandoned her decades
earlier. The central plot deals with Mirage,
a former roommate of Cinnamons mother.
Mirage, who blacked out after a party and
woke to find her brother, Lonnie, stabbed
to death, fears she killed Lonnie. The far
from run-of-the-mill leads and Burros distinctive investigative methods are the
books main draw.

The House They Couldnt Build

B. Mamatha. Goldman Press, $14.99 trade
paper (122p) ISBN 978-0-9929394-3-4

The settings for the six stories in this

collection are rundown and often desolate
placesfull of empty houses and squatters
and junkies and people who wouldnt or
couldnt hear you if you were screaming
blue murder is how the narrator of one
story describes themand they foster
behaviors in their characters ranging from

the eccentric to the reprehensible. In Pork Chop, a family

living in a decrepit slum
apartment falls victim to a brutal home
invasion. The Smoke is about a man who
keeps a massive Komodo dragon in an abandoned house for reasons that are more elaborately ghoulish
than anyone would
guess. In The
Symbiosis, a mans
relationship with a
maggot-like creature pulled from a
bath drain begins
supplanting the
social interactions
in his life. Even
when their experiences border on the surreal, characters respond in ways that seem
believable, as in The Mirror Trick, in
which a subservient young girls mirror
reflection shows her repressed emotional
reactions to her domineering mother.
Mamathas (Keeping Lastly) skill at summing
up situations through arresting imagesof
a former British soldier she writes, He
hinted at some interesting stories, flashing
them like a pair of cheap knickers but
keeping the details to himselfground
her flights of fancy in a world both real and
tangible.

Mistress of Melody
Anthea Lawson. Fiddlehead, $12.99 trade
paper (268p) ISBN 978-1-68013-061-4

The entertaining and satisfying second

entry in Lawsons Music of the Heart historical series (after Sonata for a Scoundrel)
introduces Jessamyn Lovell, newly famous
in Victorian London as the Gypsy
Violinist, and Morgan Trevethwick, the
uptight Earl of Silverton. Morgans undercover work for Scotland Yard has him
trailing Jessas guardian, Mr. Burke, a suspected blackmailer.
Lawson creates a
strong, sympathetic heroine in
Jessa, who allows
her unscrupulous
uncle to profit from
her performances in
exchange for
keeping her
beloved, simpleW W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 41c

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minded sister safe from a
lunatic asylum or a sinister
marriage. Morgan has compensated for his wild youth by adopting a
rigid propriety, but his search for a suitable
wife is derailed by his attraction to Jessa.
When she appeals for his protection from
her uncles devilish plans, he struggles
between accepting her offer to be his mistress and giving in to his growing realization that she is the one woman he wishes to
marry. This well-paced, humorous love
story will delight fans of daring Victorian
cross-class romances.

Painting the Moon

Traci Borum. Red Adept, $14.99 trade paper
(310p) ISBN 978-1-940-21532-7

As a child and teenager, Noelle Cooke

spent enchanted summers in England with
her grandmother; her great-aunt, Joy
Valentine, a famous painter; and her best
friends, Jillian and Adam. Now in her 30s,
she lives in San Diego with an unfulfilling
job and a series of dead-end relationships.
When she receives a letter informing her
that the mysteriously reclusive Joy has died,
leaving Noelle the sole heir of a Cotswold
cottage and a
failing art gallery,
she expects to spend
a few days winding
up Joys affairs
before returning to
California. But the
discovery of a
locked room full of
masterpieces worth
millions changes
her plans, as do renewed friendships with
Jillian and a nascent romantic connection
with Adam, who is now a successful architectand has a fiance. Noelles discovery
of her aunts journal and her parsing the
secrets of her artwork is more intriguing
than her faux-innocent and flirtatious relationship with Adam as they revisit the nearromance of their adolescence.

The Perfect Tea Thief

Pam Chun. CreateSpace, $15 trade paper
(380p) ISBN 978-1-5001-6430-0

Chuns (The Seagulls Gardener) tame historical fiction novel focuses on Scottish
gardener/adventurer Robert Fortune and
his theft of the secret of tea from China in

the mid-19th century. All of China has been

cowed by the British gunboats and their
victory in the Opium Wars , so even though
foreigners are
forbidden to
travel inland or
acquire any
knowledge of tea
production,
Fortune flouts
these laws freely.
Chun tells much
of the story from
the perspective
of Mandarin Poes family, tea merchants
who keep tabs on Fortune, attempting to
thwart his plans. Though the true story of
bringing tea to the West could have been
an exciting novel, this isnt it, and any
readers knowledge of the current ubiquity
of tea time saps the suspense. Hints are
occasionally dropped of a secret society and
martial arts masters, but nothing comes of
them. Chun beautifully describes the teas
and landscapes of China, but Fortunes dastardly exploits arent enough to power this
story.

Race to Tibet
Sophie Schiller. Tradewinds, $12.50 trade
paper (356p) ISBN 978-0-692254-09-7

Fans of Jules Vernes travel adventures

will find Schiller (Transfer Day) has done a
solid job of transforming an obscure reallife Victorian expedition into a thrilling
yarn. A sex scandal blights the name of
Prince Henri
dOrlans in 1888
Paris, and his
father, the Duke of
Chartres, fears that
his continued misconduct will only
further weaken the
royalist cause. The
dukes solution is to
make the princes
inheritance contingent on his leaving
France for a year to stay out of trouble, a plan
that neatly coincides with explorer Gabriel
Bonvalots desire to be the first Westerner
to reach Lhasa. Gabriel lacks the funding to
finance the complex and dangerous venture
and agrees to take Henri along in exchange
for the dukes backing. Schiller makes the
physical challenges of the trip palpable.

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There are occasional lapses into purple prose

(Ive had enough of your callousness, you
fiendish devil), but for the most part
Schiller succeeds in keeping readers
engaged in the plot.

Saffron
Vic Warren. CreateSpace, $10.95 trade paper
(240p) ISBN 978-14961-7327-0

Diver Jamie Edmondson gets a call from

a rich eccentric to investigate rumors of
strange creatures off the shore of presentday California. After discovering a race of
undersea humanoids, Jamie fights to keep
them out of the
hands of the government in the first
book of a series that
features a great
premise but falters
in execution. While
the imagination
and wonder of
finding the telepathic Neptunes
balances out some of the bad dialogue (such
as Jamies unironic exclamation of You
fiend!), Warren (Stairway of the Gods) falls
quickly into relying on caricatures of evil
government agents and noble employees
within a corrupt system. Most egregious is
the lack of agency for Jamies hot actress
girlfriend, Mercy, who exists primarily to
be kidnapped, and the completely unnecessary sexual assault of a young Neptune to
prove how evil the government is. This
missed opportunity sinks under the weight
of its faults.

Scarred Hearts
Billi Tiner. CreateSpace, $10.50 trade paper
(212p) ISBN 978-1-5027-5657-2

Tiners Wild West romance eschews its

setting to focus on character. Physically
scarred and staunchly independent homesteader Claire
Montgomery is
known in her
unnamed rural
town as a woman
with healing hands.
She has no formal
medical training
but did provide the
Union Army with
extensive medical

REVIEWS
assistance during the Civil War. Claire and
her father figure Tobias, a former slave, are
doing just fine in the troubled postbellum
days, living off the land and raising
orphaned eight-year-old James. As James
takes in wounded animals, Claire takes in
wounded people. Enter ruthless but principled gunslinger Nathan Longley, in need
of extended care following a shoot-out.
Even Claires charming little domestic trio
may not be able to tame the itinerant gun
for hire. As Nathan and Claire overthink
their mutual attraction, the local sheriff
decides the compassionate Claire will make
the perfect wife. Mild tension ensues. Tiner
comes close to overstepping the bounds of
syrupiness, but her credible characterizations will have readers cheering.

Some of the Best from

Tor.com: 2014

Edited by Ellen Datlow et al. Tor.com, free

(652p) ISBN 978-1-4668-8587-5

Datlow fills this sprawling fourth annual

collection with 26 richly envisioned short
and mid-length works of speculative fiction
from innovative online magazine Tor.com,
an independent offshoot of Tor Books.
Postapocalyptic futures include alien
invaders in Ken Lius Reborn, earthquakes in Charlie Jane Anderss humorous
As Good as New, and a traveling carnival
in Seanan McGuires Midway Relics and
Dying Breeds. Adam Christophers Brisk
Money turns traditional noir crime fiction
upside-down. Kelly Barnhills Mrs.
Sorensen and the Sasquatch and Max
Gladstones A Kiss with Teeth are surprising love stories. Marie Brennans
Daughter of
Necessity tells the
story of Odysseuss
wife holding down
the fort at home,
while Kathleen
Ann Goonans A
Short History of the
Twentieth Century,
or When You Wish
upon a Star
explores the life and times of a female astronaut. Tor.com welcomes longer works
shunned by print magazines, a thrill for fans
of speculative fiction novellas and novelettes. These uniformly excellent stories are
all exactly as long as they need to be, and all

the more powerful for it.

Terms of Surrender
Lorrie Farrelly. Amazon Digital, $3.99 e-book
(347p) ISBN 978-1-4681-8252-1

Farrelly, a three-time Jeopardy! champion, introduces Michael Cantrell, a paroled

Confederate officer, and Annadane Annie
Devlin, a solitary rancher, in this series
launch set in 1866
America. Michael
heads west to put
the travesties of the
Civil War behind
him. Crossing
through Wyoming,
he finds Annie and
her younger brother
being accosted by
three of Elias
Randolphs hired guns. Randolph, a ruthless local rancher, is determined to get
Annies homestead by any means possible.
While Michael manages to save the Devlins,
he sustains a serious gunshot wound. As
Annie nurses Michael back to health,
romance blossoms. The sexual encounters
overtake the drama at times, but the plot
still moves along quickly. The protagonists
are well developed, with their appeal
drawing as much from their flaws as from
their endearments. Farrelly successfully
melds history, romance, and Wild West
lawlessness into a steamy adventure.

Thieving Forest
Martha Conway. Noontime Books, $14.99
trade paper (416p) ISBN 978-0-9916185-0-7

In Conways novel, four recently

orphaned sisters in 19th-century Ohio are
abducted by Patawatomi Native Americans,
and a feisty fifth,
Susanna Quiner,
the youngest, is
forced to brave the
untamed forest in
order to rescue
them. Aiding her
on her quest is
Adam, a crusty
tracker, and Seth
Spendlove, a secretive young neighbor. Meanwhile, the kidnapped sisters are overcome with fear and
uncertainty. Susannas long journey finds
her struggling with a situation that forces

her to grow up quickly.

Though overwritten at times,
Conways book renders the
Black Swamp region very well; the environment itself, seemingly endless and unmoved
by Susannas human trial, is so evocative as
to feel like a formidable antagonist. The
scope of this old-fashioned pioneer adventure yarn is also impressive, and the full arc
of Conways characters development, combined with a satisfying ending, is memorable.

Truth Insurrected:
The Saint Mary Project
Daniel P. Douglas. Geminid, $15.95 ISBN 9780-9907371-0-0

Douglass debut tacks SF elements onto

a stock noir scenario. Bill Harrison, an FBI
agent turned private detective, is on a routine stakeout when he observes an unusual
object in the night sky. Soon Harrison
begins receiving postcards and letters mysteriously signed Echo Tango (E.T.). An
informant gives Harrison and his former
FBI partner bits of information that they
piece together to
reveal the criminal
activities of the
Saint Mary Project,
an obscure and
secretive initiative
of the U.S. military.
Douglas depicts
Harrison as an outof-shape smoker,
entirely conforming to private-eye stereotypes.
Although its initially hard to track the
many characters, their development and
relationships become clearer as the plot
develops. The intrigue is entertaining. An
insightful final twist refreshes the otherwise
predictable plot . Though nominally SF,
this novel will primarily appeal to avid
readers of mystery and crime.

The Vineyard
Michael Hurley. Ragbagger Press, $29.99
(384p) ISBN 978-0-9761275-7-4

An enigmatic loner upends the lives of

three desperate and disparate women in this
well-written second novel. Reuniting for a
summer on Marthas Vineyard 10 years after
they first met, college chums Turner,
Charlotte, and Dory have all run adrift in
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 41e

REVIEWS
their lives. Charlotte has even
mapped out a permanent
escape route: an elaborately
planned suicide via drowning. When she
carries out her plan she realizesnearly too
latethat her will to live is still alive and
kicking, and the
fisherman inexplicably materializes
and pulls her to
safety. The aftermath uncovers
damaging secrets
and painful
betrayals, yet the
three friends
embark on the
course to salvation. This is a riveting tale
with complex characters, and a religious
undertowas the name the fisherman
might suggest. Hurley (The Prodigal) has
crafted a strong story that examines friendship, corruption, mysticism, and love.

The Way into Magic

Harry Connolly. Radar Avenue, $13.99 trade
paper (228p) ISBN 978-0-9898284-4-4

Picking up immediately from the events

of The Way into Chaos, Connollys gripping
second epic fantasy novel continues to build
tension. With the empire fallen, Tejohn
Treygar, once a
feared and respected
noble, has gone
from kings shield
bearer to the lowliest of servants to a
prisoner in a dungeon, captured by
self-designated
King Shunzik and
tortured for information about the missing true prince. His
former companion Cazia Freewell, once a
student magic user and now a wizard, is
held captive by the invading Tilkilit, who
want her magic to help them conquer the
rest of the continent. Escapes are made,
plans are formed, alliances are tested, and
intriguing and subtle mysteries are introduced. Connolly avoids the middle-book
doldrums with deft twists and complications that keep the reader guessing. As wellwritten as this installment is, readers should
not start here; though released as three
novels, the story is actually structured as

three parts of one saga, and cliffhangers

abound.

The Wounded World

Ariele Sieling. CreateSpace, $11.99 trade
paper (244p) ISBN 978-1-5008-7499-5

Doors are portals between worlds, each

linked to a specific location. Both the
worlds and the Doors are created by a snooty
committee of humanoid super-beings who
live for thousands of years. When committee member Quin Black finds a strangely
colored Door that responds to the users
thoughts, he defies the committees rules
and goes through in search of his missing
father, accompanied by his friend
John. Sieling (The
Lonely Whelk)
builds a variety of
worlds for the
friends to explore.
The inhabitants are
sometimes unaware
of the Doors, and
other times well
aware of their significance and use. The
characters stumble into situations, never
quite able to focus on either the search for
Quins father or their desire to figure out
the importance of the new type of Door.
When they do begin to get answers, its
almost anticlimactic. The dialogue is often
made of non sequiturs rather than actual
discussion. The characters peculiar and
unemotional responses to each other and
their situations give the novel a disjointed
feel, more of an outline than a completed
book.

Nonfiction
The 30-Day Vegan Challenge
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Montali, $29.95
(330p) ISBN 978-0-9906272-0-3

Patrick-Goudreau (On Being Vegan) presents a compassionate and reasoned approach

to vegan living and eating in this volume.
Her stated goal is to help readers navigate
the first 30 days of a vegan diet, providing
support and guidance and answering questions along the way. Patrick-Goudreau
covers the basics of what to eat, includes an
assortment of healthful vegan recipes, and
also addresses the ethical and health issues

41f P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

underlying the vegan choice. She defines

veganism (i.e., no animal flesh or products),
and explains the benefits of a plant-based
diet in fighting
heart disease,
cancer, type 2
diabetes and
oth er p r o b lems. She also
a rg u e s t h a t
compassion
toward animals
is reason in
itself to follow
the vegan path. Readers on the fence or just
starting the vegan journey will appreciate
the intelligent discussion of issues they will
face (eating out, baking without eggs,
finding protein sources, living cheese-less,
etc.), and seasoned veganistas will enjoy the
recipes and interesting factoids (how to
make coconut bacon; Skittles no longer contain gelatin). Patrick-Goudreau helps
vegan newbies navigate the choppy waters
of social situations, celebrating holidays
and finding harmony in mixed households as well. While clearly a devout
veganeven honey is nixedPatrickGoudreau stresses that intention is more
important than perfection. With an earnest
but level tone, she provides all the tools one
needs for making the switch to vegan cuisine, values, and lifestyle.

Bad Dyke:

Salacious Stories from a Queer Life

Alison Moon. Lunatic Ink, $9.99 trade paper

(132p) ISBN 978-0-9838309-7-9

Moons (Girl Sex 101) voice is clear, frank,

and refreshingly without shame as she
recounts her winding and often-confusing
path toward discovering her sexual identity.
While at first these
descriptions of
vaguely connected
sexual adventures
and awakenings
seems profoundly
personal and even
self-indulgent,
messages quickly
begin to emerge,
shining a sly light
on issues like bi erasure, elitism within the
lesbian community, and the challenges of
living with shifting and fluid sexual identi-

REVIEWS
ties. This series of vignettes illuminates the
life and path of one dyke, and at the same
time it offers a positive example for others
who are still trying to find their own voices
and their own way.

The Beatles and Me on Tour

Ivor Davis. Cockney Kid, $15.99 trade paper
(338p) ISBN 978-0-9903710-7-6

Davis, a British journalist transplanted

to Los Angeles, was commissioned to go
with on a tour of the U.S. the Beatles in the
summer of 1964, mostly to be a ghostwriter
for George Harrisons column in the London
Daily Express. He got to know the boys
and the intricacies
of their relationships, witnessed
their sexual peccadilloes on the road,
and became close to
t h e i r m a n a g e r,
Brian Epstein. He
was present when
the Beatles met
Elvis and when
they smoked pot with Bob Dylan for the
first time. Fans of the Beatles will absolutely delight in Daviss insider account of
a frenetic tour, and there are several stories
that enthusiasts have heard before. While
Davis has a legitimacy that other authors
do not, he clearly straddles the line between
journalist and fan. That doesnt make him
shy away from the Beatles less attractive
traits (John Lennons anti-Semitism and
mocking of the disabled, for example), but
it does put a glossier patina on his tale.

Falling Off Broadway

David Black. Mezzo Books, $15.99 ISBN 978-163192-325-8

Blacks faltering memoir of a remarkably

twisty career path reads as if he accidentally
stumbled into a series of jobs that he wasnt
particularly good
at. Black spends his
youth trying to live
up to his charism a t i c f a t h e r,
feeling like he never
measures up. While
at Harvard, he falls
in love with a
wealthy heiress, but
her WASP family

disdains his Jewishness, while his father is

not pleased with Black becoming an enthusiastic capitalist. Black tries to be an opera
singer, an intelligence officer, and a mutual
fund salesman. After Wall Street loses its
luster, David continues to reinvent himself,
this time as a Broadway producer. Though
he meets a number of luminaries, he is only
somewhat successful; he finally finds unexpected rewards as a painter, but without the
parental approval he craved. Black often
drops threads without really following up
on them, like the dissolutions of his first
marriages. Blacks attitude to his careerhopping is comical and light, but readers
will find his story forgettable because of his
unwillingness to dig deeper into his
thoughts and feelings.

Home with Henry: A Memoir

Anne Kaier. PS Books, $15 trade paper
(108p) ISBN 978-0-990-47151-6

This endearing pet memoir begins in

1997 when copy writer Kaier encounters a
cat in the middle of the road on her commute home from work. She proceeds to pull
the car around, park on side of the road, and
stop traffic just
long enough to
scoop up the poor
orange fur ball
and rush it to the
veterinarian. Little
does Kaier know
that adopting this
cat, a frightened,
untrusting ball of
orange fur with
great green eyes who she names Henry,
would prove to be an exercise in patience
the early days of his adoption are spent with
him hissing and spitting at her from underneath her guest room bed. In direct contrast, Kaiers other cat, Lucille, an affectionate feline rescued in a rainstorm, is
curious to meet her new cat companion but
must be content with momentary glimpses
through the slightly ajar door. One day,
Henry gathers the courage to explore the
authors Philadelphia townhouse and slowly
integrates himself into Kaier and Lucilles
lives. This sweet little book lovingly
recounts the journey of trust both Anne and
Henry take together and in their own time.
Readers who have rescued pets and have
given them the grace and love they needed

to learn to trust again will see

themselves in Kaier and will
cheer for Henry when he
finally allows his rescuer to reach out and
pet the soft fur behind his ears.

Living Passionately
Edited by Maria Blon. Two Harbors, $19.99
trade paper (196p) ISBN 978-1-63413-138-4

In this essay collection, Blon and 21

others examine times of great adversity and
how those experiences taught them valuable life lessons. The opening chapter
exhorts readers to
examine who they
are and why they
matter, and several
poignant stories
follow. A young
mother whose
eight-month-old
child died from a
congenital heart
defect eventually
learns to see challenges as opportunities.
Blons daughter, Carina, volunteers in
Haiti after the tragic 2010 earthquake,
where she sets up a school and learns the
importance of observing and listening.
Shad St. Louis, who emigrated from Haiti
to the U.S. as an infant, returns to his
homeland to help with Carinas project,
discovering in the process that hope and
perseverance can change anyones life.
Financial planner Charles Yarnold learns
his father hid his Parkinsons from his
family for years, which he takes as an illustration of the importance of relationships.
Bradley Nelson, after originally planning
to get an M.B.A., instead becomes a holistic
chiropractic physician; this teaches him to
listen and then act. Sue Keane, whose
32-year-old son functions at the mental
level of a three-month-old, discusses how
even in the darkest of situations, its important to enjoy life. Blon and her coauthors
tug at the heartstrings while teaching
readers to follow their own passions.

Nearly Orthodox:
On Being a Modern Woman
in an Ancient Tradition
Angela Doll Carlson. Ancient Faith, $18.95
trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-9362-7096-5

Carlsons meandering memoirbased

on her blog, Mrs. Metaphortakes readers
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on a long journey exploring
what it means to convert to a
new religion, and to try to
adhere to a spiritual tradition in modern
times. Within this text are many shorter
essays about her multiyear process of converting to the Eastern Orthodox faith,
what implications it has for her as someone
raised Catholic, and the impact it has (or
doesnt have) on her family. Carlson
touches on her youthful flirtation with the
punk scene, while painting the portrait of
a young woman very sensitive to the world
around her and desperately afraid of doing
the wrong thing. Thematic sections make
it easy for readers to discern the path of her
thoughts and are structurally appealing;
her writing is deliberate, but some word
choices come up so
often that readers
will get frustrated
(e.g., calling her
children chaosmakers). For all
the ambivalence
demonstrated
about moving forward in this spiritual path, she
doesnt tell readers what drew her to
Orthodoxy until the very end of the book,
which definitely leads to some reader confusion. That said, she is skillful with her
imagery and deliberate in her language.
Readers looking for a quiet retrospective
on faith in the modern world may find
something useful here, but they will also
be intensely frustrated by the authors lack
of forward momentum.

Not in the Pink

Tina Martel. Tina Martel, $30 trade paper
(192p) ISBN 978-0-9939548-0-1

Mixed media artist Martels illustrated

memoir documents her experience and
subsequent treatment of stage 2 breast
cancer. The heavily designed pages collage
brief paragraphs of text with paintings,
drawings, photographs, and other digitally assembled and manipulated images.
The narrative focuses almost exclusively
on the medical experience, beginning with
diagnosis and ending with checkups.
While the artists backstory (her work as a
teaching artist, her relationship with her
husband) occasionally enters the narrative,

the text occupies itself squarely with surgery, chemotherapy, side effects, and the
frustrations of the Canadian medical
system. Martels
regular cynicism
and preference for
honesty over optimism provide a
few refreshingly
raw moments,
although not
enough to distinguish this from
the many available memoirs documenting cancer and the
narrative of treatment. Similarly, the
images of fractured bodies, pink bears, and
the like rarely contribute to the content,
and at times seem more like background
noise than essential information or style.
While Martels work strives for honesty, it
falls short of the insight and complexity
that similar memoirs deliver, and the
whole of its assembled text and images
fails to add up to anything greater than
those individual parts.

Panic:
One Mans Struggle with Anxiety
Harry Floyd. Belle Isle, $14.95 trade paper
(80p) ISBN 978-1-939930-23-1

As a lifelong sufferer of anxiety, Floyd is

all too familiar with panic, whether on the
first day of school,
in the days before a
cross-country race,
or simply during
everyday tasks. He
shares a journey of
battling anxiety
and panic from
youth to adulthood, offering
reflections that will
appeal to anyone who has ever experienced
even the smallest tinges of worry. After
opening, in media res, with one of Floyds
many memories of anxiety, the books first
part proceeds chronologically through his
life. Fifth Grade recounts how panic
plagued Floyd as a young child, and how
he slowly came to understand his bodys
reactions; Time to Perform tells how, as
a growing child, Floyd learned to recognize
his cues and triggers, and specific manifestations such as trichotillomania, the com-

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pulsive desire to pull out ones hair.

Eventually realizing he needed professional
help, Floyd started taking fluoxetine (aka
Prozac). The books second half charts the
authors progress through counseling,
behavioral therapy, and self-assessment,
closing with the crucial tools and goals that
equipped him to overcome and manage his
anxiety. In the books last sentence, Floyd
tells the reader, Get to know yourself,
which, as his own story amply demonstrates, is sage advice.

Worldchanging 101:
Challenging the Myth
of Powerlessness
David LaMotte. Dryad, $16.95 (235p) ISBN
978-0-9906500-0-3

LaMotte is a multifaceted individual:

musician, activist, Rotary World Peace
Fellow, and founder and president of PEG
Partners, a charity that supports schools
and libraries in
Guatemala. In this
book, he credibly
suggests that stories of large-scale
change predicated
on superhuman
individual actions
can be discouraging rather than
inspirational. He
suggests that, instead, stories of change
precipitated by the small actions of many
people are both more instructive and more
common. Even heroes, in LaMottes
opinion, tend to build upon seemingly
small actions. For support, he points to the
story of Rosa Parks. The authors own
humanitarian track record lends credence
to his theories. He creates a unique blend
between his own narrative of starting PEG
Partners and his suggestions for effecting
change, including bumper stickers, online
petitions, marches, and establishing nonprofits. LaMotte also offers tips for young
people, suggesting that What do I do
next? is a more manageable question than
What am I supposed to do with my life?
He ends with a series of additional questions for readers that will help them ignite
their passion, harness their unique skills,
and find ways to impact their family, community, and the world.

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Childrens/YA
The 52nd
Dela. Wise Ink Creative Publishing, $12.99
paper (472p) ISBN 978-1-940014-38-8

While driving home from work, 18-yearold college freshman Zara Moss crashes her
car trying to avoid a skeletonlike creature.
She is rescued by Lucas Castillo, a new
transfer student, who is actually an
immortal Watcher. He informs Zara that
every 52 years, 52 female virgins are sacrificed to the Aztec and Mayan underworld
as part of a deal to keep its gods in check;
Lucas and his family have the job of making
sure the abductions go as planned. However,
Zara has been prophesied as the sacrifice
who can close the portal to the underworld
and stop this ritual forever. This series
opener offers an intriguing premise born
from the bloody mythology of Central
America. Firsttime author Delas
inclusion of cultural details like
Lucass familys tattoos and Cortezs
conquest enriches
the novel, while
leaving room for
qui et m o m ents
between Zara and
Lucas. While Lucas can be domineering
where Zara is concerned (My muscles
flexed as he casually talked about what I felt
was my property. The girl belonged to me),
fans of mythology-driven stories will appreciate Delas integration of Mayan/Aztec
legends into an otherwise typical supernatural romance. Ages 14up.

Waiting for a Sign

Esty Schachter. Lewis Court Press, $9.95 ISBN
978-0-692-28698-2

In a touching story that explores sibling

relationships while offering insight into the
Deaf community, 15-year-old Shelly has felt
estranged from her older brother, Ian, ever
since he enrolled at Hawthorne School for
the Deaf, coming home only on weekends.
Though Shelly can capably speak ASL
(which Schachter writes as italicized dialogue), Ian has shut her out. Accepting that
she and her brother may never be as close as
they once were, Shelly clings to her out-

going best friend, Lisa. But Hawthorne may

be closing its doors permanently, Ian is
acting especially angry and distant, and his
growing coziness
with Lisa also
builds tension
between the siblings. Schachter
( A n y a s E c h o e s )
deftly conveys the
complexity of
being a Deaf teenager with hearing
family members, as
well as the close bonds that can form among
individuals united for a common purpose.
A tragedy that further disrupts Shellys life
initially comes across as an attempt to add
weight to a slender story, but Schachters
handle on character development and
honest descriptions of the grieving process
allow the event to resonate meaningfully.
Ages 12up.

A Wolf at the Gate

Mark Van Steenwyk, illus. by Joel Hedstrom.
Mennonite Worker Press, $12.99 paper (76p)
ISBN 978-0-98623-334-0

Van Steenwyk (That Holy Anarchist)

retells the story of St. Francis of Assisi and
the wolf of Gubbio in his first book for children. This time, the story is narrated from
the point of view of the wolf with a red coat,
born under the red glow of the Hunters
Moon, a clever shift that adds tension and
new beauty to a familiar tale. When her
pack is forced to leave their native forest
because humans in nearby Stonebriar
deplete the wolves
food, she remains.
Angry and starving,
the red wolf begins
to prey on humans
and their livestock.
Soon, Blood Wolf,
as she is now called,
meets the Beggar
King, beloved by
the common folk.
Under his tutelage, she transforms from
angry, violent predatorfeared by animals
and humans aliketo kind friend to all,
renamed Sister Wolf. As a result of her
instruction from the Beggar King, Sister
Wolf comes to understand that all life is
worth preserving and that loving kindness

is the greatest of all gifts.

Influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, Hedstroms
stark, solid, and lovely illustrations appear
throughout. Ages 812.

The Keepers
Anoosha Lalani. Reuts, $12.99 paper (270p)
ISBN 978-1-942111-03-0

Sixteen-year-old Isra and her younger

sister, Zaffirah, face homelessness and kidnapping in Islamabad, Pakistan, after their
parents deaths. Farid and his adopted sister,
Maya, also in Islamabad, contend with
adult brutality as they beg on the streets.
Told in the alternating voices of Isra and
Farid, first-time author Lalanis disjointed
narrative chronicles the discovery that both
teenagers are keepers of amulets that unlock
the paradise of Adam and Eve, known as
Zarcane and ruled
by Abaddon, Queen
of the Red Court.
Keepers come with
their own angels as
protectors, and
while Isras is determined to help her
choose between
Earth and Zarcane,
Farid and his angel,
in league with Abaddon, seek destruction.
Overcoming complete ruin takes a legion
of otherworldly creatures, including an
Angel Queen and a company of centaurs.
With Zaffirah in a coma and Isra falling for
her protector, her plight often overshadows
Farids, creating unbalanced character
development in places. Violent and squeamish scenes abound, including a lecherous
kidnapper and flesh-eating bugs, adding
grit to a crowded but intriguing tale. Ages
12up.

A Brand New Day:

A Banana Split Story
A.S. Chung, illus. by Paula Bossio. Pigeonhole
Books, $4.99 e-book (32p) ASIN B00LXJ3I2Y

A girl celebrates happy moments with

her mother and father throughout the year,
even though her parents no longer live
together. Chung sidesteps any potential
moments of sadness or insecuritythe
girls rhymed narrative remains resoundingly upbeat throughout. I love Mondays
and Tuesdays when I get to stay with my
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Dad, she begins. I get to
help make dinner with recipes
from his notepad.
Unfortunately, similarly convoluted and
stilted rhymes continue as the girl gardens
and plays hide-and-seek with her mother,
explores artistic
pursuits and takes
a camping trip
with her father,
and enjoys other
activities (I walk
our cute puppy
and play in the
sun./ I laugh in
delight from
having so much
fun). Bossios (The Line) illustrations are
more successful: washed with soft grays and
accented with pink, they convey the familys close bond with a light touch and gentle
humor, without becoming sentimental or
cloying. But by avoiding the real emotional
difficulties that can accompany parental
separation, the book is limited to a rosy
portrait (literally and figuratively) of
divorced family life. Ages 48.

Audio
Gadzooks!
A Comically Quirky Audio Book
Adele Park, read by a full cast. Straight to
Audio Productions, unabridged, MP3, 7.5 hrs.,
$14.99 ISBN 978-0-9837074-2-4

This offbeat audio production aims to

capture the unusual polygamous culture of
fictional Navel, Utah, while also playfully
exploring the question of assisted suicide.
The actors performances generally rise to
the quixotic tone of the story, the most

entertaining being the portrayal of a polygamist wife who has helped several former
husbands meet their maker a bit sooner than

they expected (especially on their wedding

nightwhen better to poison a patriarch
than when the whole town is already assembled together?). Other characters include a
rectal surgeon who moonlights as a rock star
and a young woman whose popular skin
products feature marijuana as a key ingredient. Between chapters, listeners get historic musings from the towns 19th-century
founder, who is now looking down on his
community from the afterlife. Several of
these same actors have appeared in Adele
Parks previous productions, such as Yikes!,
but have little audio book experience
beyond that. Regardless, the only real misstep here is the braying nasal tones used for
Nancy Neptune. These are so grating that
its hard to believe the character makes a
living as a radio hostand that shes only
in her 30s, when the performance sounds
like its coming from a much older woman.

It Happened in Boston?
Russell H. Greenan, read by Robert Fass.
Robert Fass, unabridged, 9 CDs, 11 hrs.,
$34.95 ISBN 978-1-4815-1524-5

Veteran narrator Fass brings his best to

his reading of this appealingly quirky first
novel, which 40 years after its first publication has gained
cult classic status.
The story unfolds
through the voice
of an unnamed
narrator, a painter
of exceptional
talent who teeters
on the edge of
insanity. He is
determined to find
God and, holding the deity accountable for
all the evil in the world, kill him. The artists journey toward his goal is a surreal collective of travels through time, angel apparitions, art forgery, existential musings, and
murder. Fass manages to navigate his way
through this convoluted but captivating
tale with ease. He gives the anonymous
artist a soft, respectable voice that pulls the
listener gently into his increasingly irrational world. His rendering of the eccentric
collection of secondary characters borders
on caricature, but works well in the shifting
reality the author has created. A Modern

Library paperback.

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