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Marketing &

Social Media
September 2015

Your Guide to
Self-Publishing
Book Marketing 201
Jane Friedman on
the Library Market
74 New Titles Listed
Reviews Roundup

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Standing Out in the Crowd


Marketing self-published books requires leveraging
both new tools and tried-and-true strategies
BY ALEX PALMER

he self-publishing industry
continues to expand, opening up new opportunities
for young writers and becoming an attractive place
for veteran authors with traditionally
published titles under their belts. The
self-publishing boom broadly benefits all
authors, with new discoverability tools
and innovations to go along with readers
growing interest in self-published books.
But it is also creating a more crowded
field in which authors must struggle to
stand out.
The self-publishing landscape is shifting, requiring authors to evolve their marketing and social media strategies if they
want to stay on readers radars. To take one
prominent example, an active Facebook
author page is not what it used to be. The
social media giant is constantly refining
its algorithms to better spotlight posts
that might be of interest to members and
filter out less-relevant content. This has
made it increasingly difficult for authors
to get noticed, even by readers who already follow them. The marketing firm
Ogilvy & Mather recently reported that in
2014, a Facebook post from a given brand
only reached 6% of that brands followersdown from 16% in 2013.
The basic idea of shouting on social
media about your book has become saturated from a social standpoint, and the
social networks are filtering these out as
best they can to ensure their feeds arent
filled with spam, says Dan Blank, founder of author consultancy WeGrowMedia.
Last fall, Facebook announced that it
will reduce the number of overtly promotional poststhose with words such as
like, comment, or sharein mem-

bers newsfeeds, making it more important than ever for authors to ensure that
their posts encourage interaction from
followers. Blank sees this shift as a good
thing, requiring authors to go back to
their roots of using social media to truly
be social in forging relationships.
Not coincidentally, Facebook has also
expanded its advertising options, making them easier, cheaper, and often more
effective for authors, and ensuring that
paid posts enjoy greater prominence on
member newsfeeds. It is Facebooks way
of placing value on content for brands,
says Emily Taffel, founder and co-owner
of Mugsy PR, which manages publicity
for a number of authors. It is great as a
social user, but as a marketer or a brand
using the site for their promotions, it has
made it very difficult.
The new system means that authors are
now required to pay to play in the social
media space more than they were just a
year ago. If a specific post seems to be getting some attention, it may be worthwhile
for an author to boost the post, investing
a few dollars to help make a popular post
go viral. The ads allow authors to target
their messages based on age, gender, location, education level, income level, and
even relationship status. I see a lot of authors being more open to buying Facebook ads, Blank says.

Getting Visual
Compared to a year or two ago, social media has also become a much more visual
medium, and authors of books with eyecatching elements may find it worthwhile
to have a presence on platforms such as
Pinterest, Instagram, and even Snapchat.
Childrens books, fashion, weddings, and

48 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

sorts of things that are very visual, work


well for Pinterest, Taffel says. Novels
and such that arent as visual work well
with promotions on Twitter to reading
groups and such. Instagram is great for
authors for visibility, but doesnt lead to
sales the same way Pinterest does.
Taffel urges authors who use Pinterest
to use it wisely, following similar strategies of interactingnot promotingas
they would on Facebook. She gives the
example of how an author who has written a book about Florida should avoid
creating something as on-the-nose as a
board called My Florida Book and Merchandise. Instead, the author should create relevant and interesting, but not always book-specific boards like Uniquely Florida or Floriduh and then pin the
book among other inspiring images.
Author Natasha Boyd gives the example of a recent Instagram campaign
that she launched with a small group of
other authors (New York Timesbestselling author Colleen Hoover among them),
in which users were invited to join in a
scavenger hunt for an Amazon gift card
on Instagram. Each author posted the
same picture, tagging it with authors in
the group. When people clicked the photo and followed the tagged authors, they
saw the same photo on their page and
clicked that photo to find a new author
tagged and continued adding authors until they circled back to the first one they
had followed. It resulted in thousands of
new followsand, in full disclosure, about
a 40% attrition rate in the following
weeks, Boyd says. But the exercise was in
building visibility, and that was a success.
These social media platforms can also
be good places to connect with libraries,
bookstores, and other outlets that may
want to stock an authors books.

New Marketing Tools


Beyond social media, when it comes to
marketing self-published books, the
tools have changed in that there are so

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1 p.m. EDT
many more of them, says Jim Donovan, speaker and self-published author of titles including the recent Happy@Work. These
new offerings are not about reinventing the wheel. The same
basic rules of book marketing (build a steady list for email newsletters, consider dabbling in paid advertising, anchor it all with
a compelling author website) apply, but the new offerings allow
an author to build on this existing foundation.
Donovan adds that there are more opportunities for crosspollination between marketing platforms and tools, as brands
like WordPress and Squarespace have worked to enhance their
design offerings and social media integration. For example,
Squarespace 7, which launched last fall, offers enhanced social
media integration for cross-posting blog posts and book news,
as well as an Amazon Block for authors to more easily add a link
from Amazon to their site. It also offers authors new Cover
Pages that allow for a splash page to promote a particular new
book or offer.
The popularity of these landing pages points to a more general shift taking place with author websites: demand for brevity.
Rather than hitting visitors with an onrush of details, writers
are finding that to-the-point marketing messages are often the
most effective.
Alan Canton, managing partner of NewMedia Website Design, which works with a number of authors, says that his company has shifted to a less is more approach in its offerings.
That means more basic pages that can easily be shared on social
media and viewed on a mobile device, promoting the book and
its key offeringsbut little else.
Like Squarespaces Cover Pages, NewMedias simple sites
keep the message basic in order to stick out in an increasingly
crowded market. Rather than a comprehensive author site, it is
just a four-screen site for the book, with a home page to capture attention, the next screen with more info about the book,
a third screen about the author, and a final screen with reviews
and testimonials.
New plug-ins and additions are also helping to enhance the
marketing options for authors websites. Donovan has integrated
SumoMe into his WordPress site. It offers plug-ins like List

Builder (which promises to increase daily email list signups) and


Heat Maps (which help an author see where on his or her site
visitors are clicking), and Donovan says the addition has increased my subscribers significantly.Authors are also tapping
into app technology to help reach readers. For example, BookGrabbr offers an easy way for authors to share selections from
their books through social media accounts, making it easier for
followers on LinkedIn and Facebook to learn more about the title
than they could just by going to an Amazon or other e-commerce
page. But perhaps more valuable than helping authors share
books, the tool also offers in-depth analytics, such as how many

W E B I N A R S

Marketing
& Social Media
for Indie Authors
Booklife continues its commitment to provide
informative and trusted advice from top industry
professionals. Join Adam Boretz, editor of Booklife
and PW Select, and a panel of industry leaders in
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most sought-after and in-demand topics.
In webinar #1, sponsored by Publishers Weekly
and Booklife, bestselling author Bella Andre, book
designer and author Joel Friedlander and founder
and president of IndieReader Amy Edelman guide
indie authors through the ins and outs of marketing
a self-published book.
Covering everything from social media and
publicity to book reviews and live events, this
webinar provides indie
authors with a basic
PANELISTS
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their latest releases and
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long-term careers.
Registration Fee
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Book Designer, Author
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Register Today at http://pw-ne.ws/f4696


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

49

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA


impressions (friends of friends or followers of followers) the book received, how
many people clicked the Buy Now button, and the demographic and geographic information of the readers.

Maximizing Traditional
Channels
Even with the frequent changes in social
media and marketing technology, the
relatively old-fashioned marketing tool
of an email list is proving to have lasting
value. [Email marketing] gives you a
direct conduit into your readers, without
having to worry about the next Facebook
or Amazon algorithm change, says Bryan Cohen, cohost of the Sell More Books
podcast, and founder of the book marketing firm Best Page Forward. Get readers
on your list by offering something for
free, like a free novella or novel, and then
get as much traffic onto the page where
youre making the offer as possible.

Cohen says every other element of selfpublished book marketinggetting online reviews, driving sales shortly after a
books release, and morecan be facilitated by a strong email list. Providers
like AWeber and MailChimp continue to
be the most popular, and offer simple solutions for authors to integrate mailing
list sign-ups into their websites.
Live or virtual author events also remain valuable ways to engage readers
and create opportunities for added media
coverage, and new platforms make such
events easier for authors than ever. Programs like Skype in the Classroom are a
great way for authors who write books for
younger readers to get face-to-face with
students without racking up travel costs.
Other live-streaming apps are making
it easier for authors to interact directly
with fans and potential fans. Both Periscope (owned by Twitter) and Meerkat allow authors to instantly notify their followers of an impromptu video event, inviting comments and interaction in real time.

Network
Despite all the newfangled marketing
tools that are opening up new possibilities for authors, traditional marketing
approaches remain as potent as ever for
indie authors. Chief among these are
making and working personal connections to help expand an authors impact.
Collaborating with fellow authors
whether traditionally published or selfpublishedcan be a powerful way to
boost ones marketing strength. While
group pages on Goodreads, Facebook,
and elsewhere provide an effective way to
communicate with other authors in ones
genre or region, this kind of interaction
can extend into real life as well.
Steven Porter, who oversees integrated
marketing and communications for Stillwater River Publications, provides an
example of this. Three years ago, he and
five other authors in the Rhode Island
area decided to pool their resources and
create the Association of Rhode Island
Authors (ARIA). Together they organized a series of open-mike readings and
a tour of local schools for Reading Week,
50 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

and held monthly meetings where industry figures (agents, editors, designers, and
so on) attended and shared their expertise.
Interest in the activities grew, and
ARIA now takes part in the large Providence International Art Festival and has
forged partnerships with nonprofits like
the School Librarians of Rhode Island,
which established a collection of childrens books by ARIA writers that is
available to circulate among the states
school libraries.
But an indie author does not necessarily need an association to effectively partner with other organizations. Eric Liguori, who teaches entrepreneurship at the
University of Tampa, has published both
traditionally and independently. For his
latest book, The Startup Student, he went
the indie route, but, instead of spending
money on online advertising, he focused
on attracting the interest of organizations whose members would have an interest in the books message. Four organizations proved receptive.
Two of the organizations agreed to do
email blasts announcing the books availability to their entire membership, as
well as promote it via social media during
our launch period, Liguori says. The
third organization gave me free expo
space at their annual meeting to not only
promote the book but build an email list.
The fourth organization immediately
placed an order for 100 copies.
Of course, seeking publicity through
traditional magazines, newspapers, TV
shows, and blogs remains a valuable marketing strategy. But the more crowded
book market makes it more important
than ever for authors to be smart about
what they pitch and to whom.
Media is being pitched more books
than ever, says Kevin Finley, director
of publicity for Leabhar PR, which
works with a number of authors, both
traditional and indie. Targeting media
outlets with tailored pitches [is] critical: why is the book they are pitching a
good fit for the outlet they are pitching? This means being informed about
what the outlet and journalist or editor
writes about.

INDIE SUCCESS

From Novice to Teacher


A New York Timesbestselling indie author turns mentor
BY JENNIFER MCCARTNEY

efore she was a New York


Timesbestselling author,
Victorine E. Lieske was a
busy entrepreneur who
injured her back lifting
her daughter out of a car seat. Lieske was
on bed rest for a week while her muscles
healed. The rubber stamp business she
and her husband ran out of their house in
Seward, Nebr., had to be put on hold
and she decided it was as good a time as
any to try to write a novel. I put a laptop
on my knees and typed, she says. At the
end of the week, she had the first draft of
the romance novel Not What She Seems. It
would take four years of workshopping
before she decided to publish the book
through Amazon, and, soon after, it hit
the New York Times e-book bestseller list,
where it remained for six weeks. The
book went on to sell more than 150,000
copies. Her latest title, Reluctantly Married, hit the USA Today bestseller list and climbed
to #15 in the Amazon store and
#1 in the Nook store after its
release this January.
In 2012, Lieske published a
handbook to help other indie
authors. I found myself repeating the same advice over and
over after hitting the New York
Times bestseller list, Lieske explains. She decided to put that
into her 98-page handbook, How
to Find Success Selling eBooks,
available in digital and paperback through Amazon. The
book is full of practical advice
and includes sections on writing, expectations within genres, cover
design, creating a title, and writing effective descriptive copy. One of the
things that readers have told me they like
about the book is I include my own sto-

ry, she says. They enjoy


the frank way I talk
about sales and my conclusions to how the book
sold so well. Lieske says
a key ingredient to success is to simply write a
story that people want to
buy. Youd be surprised
at how many writers
dont understand why
their part science fiction,
part womens fiction,
part space opera, part Victorine E. Lieske
paranormal romance,
part dog mystery based loosely on their
life story isnt a bestseller, she says.
Understandably, many writers are reluctant to share sales figures or strategies,
but Lieske writes candidly about her
achievements. My little how-to book is
pretty much all my advice I
would give you if you asked me
what I did to become successful
and how you could do the
same, she says. For example,
shes up front about why she
feels that marketing isnt the
secret to selling a lot of books.
After she dropped the price of
Not What She Seems to 99 to see
what would happen, Lieske says
she began to see an uptick in
salesto around 40 copies per
day. One month later, her sales
jumped to 150 copies per day,
then 300 copies per day. She examined her marketing and publicity efforts but remained confused. Sales were steady and
didnt jump when she posted a blog or
bought an ad. So what was influencing
people to buy her book? Lieske says she
got an email from a woman that helped
solved the mystery. She said, Amazon

recommended your book


to me, and I really enjoyed it. At that point,
Lieske realized that it was
not her tireless marketing
efforts that had resulted in
more sales. I was doing
all this work, blogging,
and posting on forums,
and making book trailers,
and all these things that
werent reaching people,
she says. But Amazon
could reach hundreds of
people each day. She decided that the key to a books success
must happen before the book is publisheda combination of writing, story
line, cover design, blurb, and price. If
those key elements are in place, authors
can set themselves up for success, Lieske
says. So, while she still uses BookBub
and buys ads in Ereader News Today,
she doesnt focus a lot of her attention on
that aspect of the publishing process. I
do most of my marketing by doing market research and figuring out what needs
to go into the book to make it appealing
to my audience, rather than trying to sell
it after its done, she says.
Lieske says it can be tough to find
readers even if an author does everything
according to her formula. But she also
advises authors to keep writing should
they not achieve success with their first
or second books. I have one novel I
wrote that I love, but it just does not
sell, she says. Even with a new cover, a
new description, and good reviews, the
book hasnt found broad sales. Ive
come to the conclusion that sometimes
books just dont appeal to a wide audience, and thats just it. When that happens, she advises: Move on and write

another one.

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

51

THE LIBRARY MARKET

Helping Indie Authors Succeed


What indie authors need to know about the library market
BY JANE FRIEDMAN

t has become a clich to talk


about how e-book distribution
has leveled the playing field for
indie authors and made the publishing environment more democratic. But accessing the library market
remains somewhat more difficult for
single authors with just a few titles.
While indie authors can gain some access to libraries by making their books
available through major library distributors, that doesnt mean that those books
will be purchased. In many ways, getting
self-published titles into libraries hasnt
changed since the e-book revolution: authors still have to prove that they have
quality products that fit the collection.
And, unfortunately, authors still face the
stigma of self-publishing: theres a long
history of patrons offering to donate
handwritten poetry collections or memoirs to their libraries.
Though some libraries work with their
communities to publish local writing for
their collections, thats not what I want to
address. Rather, I want to provide a framework for how self-published authors can
understand the opportunities and challenges represented by the library market.
First, genre makes a difference. Those
writing commercial fiction are better positioned. Self-publishing success stories
are predominantly within genre fiction,
and thats where patron demand often
lies, as well. Also, its easier for librarians
to assess the quality of adult fiction than
nonfiction. With nonfiction, librarians
need reassurance that someone is vouching for the integrity of the information,
as well as the authors credentials. And
childrens work has to reflect an understanding of childrens learning and development. (Some librarians I spoke with
said that self-published genre fiction has

achieved professionalism, whereas selfpublished childrens literature has not.)


Second, discovery rarely happens
through library databases. Librarians
will not necessarily see or go looking for
a self-published e-book just because its
available through a service such as OverDrivea major digital distributor to
libraries. It becomes invisible in a sea of
thousands of titles. Librarians have to
know that the title exists, and that it is
of quality, before they seek it out. Heather McCormack, who has been working
for libraries since 1998, told me that at
least a couple of times a month librarians
ask her how to determine which selfpublished books to buy. Thus we come
to the heart of the problem.
Traditionally, librarians find out about
new books through trade publications
such as Library Journal, PW, and School
Library Journal. But most self-published
titles are not reviewed by these journals,
leaving librarians to come up with their
own methods of discovery. McCormack
says that there isnt a trustworthy onestop source for finding self-published
titles, and librarians typically have more
pressing concerns than staying on top of
the indie market.
Still, some librarians do make covering
self-published books a part of their jobs.
Robin Bradford has been working in libraries since the mid-1990s and is currently at the Timberland Regional Library in Washington. She doesnt make
a distinction between self-published and
traditionally published books when acquiring, but says that finding self-published titles is an issue. Her go-to sources are genre fiction blogs, but she also
follows authors and pays attention to
chatter about upcoming releases and indie authors on social media. She also re-

52 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

ceives and acts on patron requests, another avenue of discovery.


There are also two services in the early
stages of development to help librarians
find quality self-published titles. One is
Self-e, a joint venture from Library Journal and BiblioBoard. The other is eBooksAreForever, started by indie author J.A.
Konrath. An important element of both
programs is curation. Librarians dont
have time to sort through a database of
thousands of titles, nor do many have the
budget to add hundreds of titles at a
time. Plus they have to make acquisitions in light of their current collections
size and balance.
This partly brings us back to square
one. Self-published books need to succeed on some level or be vetted by reviewers in order to come to the attention
of these programs. And the way to give
off the appearance of success is to make
sure your book is reviewed and talked
about onlineon book blogs and social
media. The process of being recognized
by the library market isnt necessarily
different from that of getting traction
with readers and retailers.
Finally, its important to recognize
that getting a book added to a librarys
catalogue is just step one. Gary Price,
who writes Library Journals Infodocket,
emphasized this point when I talked to
him. Even if libraries help books get discovered, what does the library do to make
patrons aware of new books? Before you
market yourself to any library system,
study how it publicizes new additions to
its collections. Does it have displays or
end caps, informational newsletters,
events or interviews with authors? Its
one thing to get your book added to the
collection but quite another to generate
interest and make it something that the

community wants to read.


Jane Friedman teaches digital media and
publishing at the University of Virginia and
is the former publisher of Writers Digest.

D
-L JU
AU S T
NC
HE
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New Titles from Self-Publishers


Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 74 selfpublished 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
After the President Disappeared
Rodger Christopherson. CreateSpace.
$12.95 paper (329p),
ISBN 978-0-914597-24-7
Amazon, BN.com
The U.S. president and
other world leaders disappear onto a remote island,
and the world is in crisis. The worst of
human behavior erupts, both on the
island and off.
The Brandenburg Quest: A True
Story; The Unproduced Screenplay
Ib Melchior. BearManor Media.
$19.95 paper (140p),
ISBN 978-1-59393-856-7
Bearmanormedia.com
The final screenplay of
Melchior, who died in 2015.
Breaking the Silence
Diamante Lavendar. CreateSpace. $12.99
paper (134p), ISBN 978-1-5023-8125-5;
$2.99 e-book, ASIN B00Q0CJAYO
Amazon, BN.com, BooksA-Million, Google Play,
Shelfari, Smashwords
A story of one womans
healing from abuse and loss.
A journey from her brokenness and pain to her freedom, joy, and
inspiration.
Eterlimus
Aziz Hamza. Sibawayh.
$9.99 paper (236p),
ISBN 978-603-90645-2-7
Sibawayh Books, Amazon,
BN.com

An epic that takes place during the


reign of the seventh king of Rome, Lucius
Tarquinius Superbus, including the rape
of Lucretia in 509 B.C.E.
Evangeline: The Seer of Wall St.
Clint Adams. Credo Italia. $26.95 hardcover (376p), ISBN 978-0-9768375-7-2;
$15.99 paper (376p),
ISBN 978-0-9768375-9-6;
$7.99 e-book, ISBN 978-09768375-8-9
Abebooks, Alibris, Amazon,
BN.com, Bokus, Books-AMillion, FNAC, Google Play, Kobo,
Powells
Astrologer Evangeline Adams flees
provincial Boston in 1899 to launch her
business in New York City. On the train
ride, she casts her own horoscopic chart.
Her findings alarm her.
Gods Domain
Robert Gallant. iUniverse.
$15.95 paper (220p),
ISBN 978-0-595-42471-9
Amazon, BN.com
In this thriller, graduate
student Chesney Barrett and archaeologist David Phillips search for the sacred
site of a legendary ancient god.
Help Wanted
David Scott. AuthorHouse. $14 paper
(316p), ISBN 978-1-4208-3841-1;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 9781-46349804-7
Amazon, BN.com
Peter Dale and Darcy
Garcia get involved in
solving cold-case homi-

54 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

cides in Los Angeles as their feelings for


each other grow.
How to Game People Without Even
Trying: A Daughters Legacy
Elizabeth Cooke. Archway Publishing.
$33.95 hardcover (220p), ISBN 978-14808-2104-0; $14.99 paper (220p),
ISBN 978-1-4808-2103-3; $3.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-4808-2105-7
Amazon, BN.com
The fictionalized story
of the murder of Saul
Mammon. From Brooklyn,
he climbed the ladder to
power to become an international financier with connections at
high levels. The story is told by his
daughter, his only child.
The Lady Was a Spy
T.R. Garrison. iUniverse. $20.95 paper
(364p), ISBN 978-1-49176619-4; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4917-6618-7
Amazon, BN.com
Jean Webb, a tough,
attractive spy who once battled Nazis, gets called back into action
after discovering someone wants her dead.
Random Shootings
Frank Drury. CreateSpace. $14 paper
(225p), ISBN 978-1-5056-2084-9;
$3.99 e-book, 978-1-31079293-9
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Books-A-Million,
Kobo, Powells, Smashwords
From mall shootings to
school shootings and even to
military base shootings,

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS


Drury offers a reflection on gun violence
in America today.
Requiem for the Phoenix
Skip Allen. iUniverse. $25.95 paper
(474p), ISBN 978-0-59540319-6; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-595-84695-5
Amazon, BN.com
Al-Qaeda extends America
an olive branch in one hand
while concealing its newest terrorist plot
in the other.
Spirit Talker: The Legend of Nakosis
Tom Coles. FriesenPress. $23.29 hardcover (585p), ISBN 978-1-4602-4833-1
Amazon, BN.com, Chapters
A young shaman comes of
age amid the primordial
wilds of North America in
this epic tale of adventure,
magic, love and loss, and
spiritual fulfillment.
Turnstiles
Andrea McKenzie Raine. Inkwater Press.
$16.95 paper (302p),
ISBN 978-1-62901-012-0
Inkwater.com, Amazon,
BN.com
Three people attempt to
redefine themselves against
the friction of idealisms clash with societal expectations.
Vaudeville 1922
Ian Finkel. More4Many.
$19.95 paper (368p),
ISBN 978-90-819354-3-2
More4manywebshop.com
Vaudeville is about the
sound. All show business stars knew that at
each performance you had to reach out and
grasp it so that you could pull it into the
empty cavity of your soul.
Viva Vivaldi: A Novella
Eusebius Clay. CreateSpace.
$9.99 paper (92p),
ISBN 978-1-5077-1200-9
Amazon; BN.com
This novella is divided

into sections corresponding to the seasons


of the year. An absinthe binge triggers the
death of the protagonist, who then begins
to experience past and future lives.

POETRY
Breakfast with My Fathers
Kevin M. Isaac. AuthorHouse. $16.95
paper (180p), ISBN 978-1-4969-2074-4;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4969-2073-7
Amazon, BN.com
This book is a timeless
journey of self-discovery
that uses verbal photography to explore fond memories, relationships, and
life. It is also a celebration of fatherhood.

MYSTERY/THRILLER
Aberration
Lisa Regan. Sapphire Star Publishing.
$3.99 e-book, ASIN B00D6QKWIA
Amazon, BN.com
When a series of sadistic
murders bearing the same
signature occur in different
parts of the country, FBI
analyst Kassidy Bishop
finds herself the target of a ruthless killer.
Auf Wiedersehen, Lampione
Vincent Palazzo. CreateSpace. $14.99
paper (190p),
ISBN 978-1-4959-5996-7;
$2.99 e-book,
ASIN B012T4S2O0
Amazon, BN.com
Everything dark and disturbing in this thriller begins and ends
with lasagna and cannoli.
The Boy and the Bastard
Russell Newell. Dog Ear Publishing.
$14.99 paper (328p),
ISBN 978-1-4575-3670-0
Amazon, BN.com
At a time before Amber
Alerts and Americas Most
Wanted, on Christmas Day
1977, the young son of the
premier mutual fund manager in America disappears.

EYE of the Scorpion: EYE Spy Mystery #1

Cheryl Kaye Tardif. Imajin. $2.99


e-book, ASIN B00T0PZEZW
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Google
Play, Kobo, Oyster,
Smashwords, Scribd
Eileen Edwards, a former
cop turned PI, is given the
task of locating a missing
street kid named Zipper.
Finding Zipper proves to be the easy part;
keeping him alive is the challenge.
Finding Claire Fletcher
Lisa Regan. Sapphire Star
Publishing. $3.99 e-book,
ASIN B00AHJN7BS
Amazon, BN.com
Detective Connor Parks
takes solace in the arms of a woman he
meets at a bar, but in the morning, Claire
Fletcher is gone, leaving behind clues to a
decade-old mysteryher own abduction.
Hit and Drag: A Ham Marks, M.D.,
Medical Murder Mystery
William H. Simon. iUniverse. $11.95
paper (134p), ISBN 978-1-4917-6393-3;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4917-6392-6
Amazon, BN.com
Dr. Ham Marks becomes
a suspect following the
mysterious death of his golf
partner. Will his attempt to
overcome various dead-end
clues prove his innocence?
Renaissance
Timothy Freriks. CreateSpace. $16.95
paper (417p),
ISBN 978-1-5141-1937-2
Amazon
Robert Curry must save
the world from imminent
nuclear destruction by
returning to the past and gaining
enough financial and political power to
rewrite history.
Renewal
H. Perry Horton. CreateSpace. $12.99
paper (560p), ISBN 978-1-5114-6057-6
Amazon
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

55

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS


Unflinching and stark in
its brutality and humanity,
this is the cautionary tale of a
man seeking the truth about
his brothers murder at the
hands of an agrarian cult.
The Rival
Sandra Gustafsson. Sandra
Gustafsson. $14 paper
(204p), ISBN 978-1-51200246-1; 99 e-book,
ISBN 978-919825503-4
Amazon, BN.com, Kobo
A claustrophobic thriller about jealousy, revenge, and the consequences of
manipulating others.
Sizzlin Summer Surprise
Alton J. Myers. Xlibris. $15.99 paper
(118p), ISBN 978-1-41349920-9; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4535-9512-1
Amazon, BN.com
Surprising events around
a summer of study at a university in Detroit when a riot breaks out.
Thirty-Nine Sixty:
An OBeirne Family Novel
T.P. Johnson. Kepha Press.
$4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0692-34522-1
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Kobo
In this contemporary
thriller, Aedan OBeirne discovers his
wife and son have vanished. He has until
the first stroke of Christmas to find them,
or he lose will them forever.
A Web of Evil
Richard McMahon. Ironwoods Press. $25
hardcover (280p), ISBN 978-0-99615688-2; $14 paper (280p),
ISBN 978-0-9961568-7-5
Amazon, BN.com
When Michelle Iverson
disappears after posting a
provocative message on a
BDSM Internet bulletin board, her father
hires Mason Grant to find her.

SF/FANTASY/HORROR
The Color of My Blood
John H. Sibley. Sibsartstudio. $12 paper
(257p), ISBN 978-0-692-51639-3
Amazon, BN.com
Sibley wrestles with questions of identity, racism,
Americanism, and alien contact through the lens of the
alien Damon James.
Decomposition
K.M. Boze. Trafford. $15.33 paper
(316p), ISBN 978-1-4907-2169-9;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4907-2170-5
Amazon, BN.com
After Xyla Roses experiment went haywire in Empty
Vessels, Xyla and her friends
are on the run from the zombies to search for safety.
Nightscape: Cynopolis
David Edwards. Imperiad Entertainment.
$14.99 paper (350p),
ISBN 978-0-9897487-3-5
Amazon, BN.com
A former counterculture
radical starts a thought
virus that turns Detroits
dogs feral and its underclass into jackalheaded beasts. The few remaining
humans must find a way to survive.
Pokergeist
Michael Phillip Cash. Chelshire. $12.99
paper (266p), ISBN 978-1-51207496-3;
99 e-book,
ASIN B013KJC49C
Amazon, BN.com
Telly becomes the protg
of world-famous poker
champion Clutch
Henderson. The only catchClutch is a
ghost. Telly and Clutch navigate gambling
in Las Vegas, learning to trust each other.
The Skyview of
Astronauts
Sean Kestrel. Kestrel
Court. $5.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-9847840-4-2
Amazon, Apple iBooks,

56 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

Baker & Taylor, BN.com, Google Play,


Ingram, Kobo
In the Western Forest Space Colony a
new and positive skyview grows in popularity, and folks in the forest begin to look
at the sky in a different way.
Tooth & Talon: 11 Dark Tales
James Lee. 2nd Sight Press.
$16.95 paper (304p),
ISBN 978-0-9966058-0-9
Amazon, BN.com,
Books-A-Million
A new collection of 11
dark tales that explore obsession, survival,
and despair.

ROMANCE/EROTICA
The Amish Heiress
(The Paradise Chronicles, Vol. 1)
Patrick E. Craig. P&J Publishing. $13.99
paper (363p), ISBN 978-0-9965334-0-9
Amazon, BN.com
This novel is part mystery, part romance, and part
thriller. An Amish girl is
trapped in a web of deception and intrigue.
Compromised! A Pride and
Prejudice Variation
J. Dawn King. Joy Dawn
King. $4.49 e-book,
ASIN B01496BFQS
Amazon
When Elizabeth Bennet
finds Fitzwilliam Darcy alone and vulnerable, she makes a decision to bend the rules
of propriety to help someone in need.
Discovery changes their lives.
Let Me Heal Your Heart
Lily Foster. Shore Front
Books. $2.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-9905941-7-8
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com
One hockey phenom, destined for the
pros. One summer hell never forget. One
girl he will never stop loving.
Terms of Surrender
Lorrie Farrelly. CreateSpace. $12.99 paper

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS


(346p), ISBN 978-1-4681-8252-1
Amazon, BN.com
A haunted Civil War veteran allies himself with a
stubborn, courageous woman
who will take his heart by
storm and test the limits of
his honor, his courageand his passion.

INSPIRATIONAL
From Happiness to Tragedy: To Bliss on
the Borderline (Lamentations of a Fool)
Nicholas E. Cleveland. AuthorHouse.
$19.95 paper (264p), ISBN 978-1-49696636-0; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-4969-6637-7
Amazon, BN.com
This book describes the
authors roller-coaster ride
through two marriages and
why he stayed with his second wife, who
has borderline personality disorder.
Rainbows and Banana Peels:
Surviving Lifes Knocks with Grace
Katharine C. Giovanni. Newroad
Publishing. $12.95 paper (165p),
ISBN 978-1-931109-04-8
Amazon, Baker & Taylor, BN.com
Giovanni has always met
life with positivity and
laughter, and she needed
every bit of that lifesaving
attitude the day the doctor
told her, You have cancer.
Spectrum of Mind: An Inquiry into
the Principles of the Mind and the
Meaning of Life
J. Michael Yang. Hint Press.
$14.99 paper (252p),
ISBN 978-0-692-37949-3
Amazon, BN.com
Yang explains the principles behind the human mind, how they
can reconcile religion and science or different cultures, and how they deepen our
appreciation of life.

NONFICTION
The Box House
Brigid Marlin. Infinity Publishing.
$12.95 paper (176p), ISBN 978-1-4958-

0434-2; $5.99 e-book,


ISBN 978-0-9965238-0-6
Amazon
This book is based on the
story of an abused and
neglected child whom the
author befriended more
than 50 years ago in England. The story is
told through the voice of the child.

Amazon, BN.com
To address problems
about educations importance to the competitiveness of business, this book
examines areas of national
education policies, programs, practices,
and resources. It focuses on the stakeholders in the education environment.

Cherish the Exception: Navigating the


Confluence of Faith and Science
John Allen Resko. iUniverse.
$26.95 paper (428p),
ISBN 978-1-4917-5482-5
Amazon, BN.com
After nine years in a seminary, Resko walked away
from it all. What changed
his mind? Check out the second part of
this memoir.

How Aging Works:


What Science Can Do About It
John F. Murray. Page Publishing. $33.95
paper (413p), ISBN 978-1-68139-171-7;
$9.99 e-book, ISBN 978-168139-172-4
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Google Play
This book offers new scientific understanding about
what occurs as people grow old, and provides simple, easy-to-carry-out recommendations on how to live a longer, more
enjoyable life.

The Classical Vegetarian Cookbook for


Professional Chefs and Inspired Cooks
Ron Pickarski. Eco-Cuisine. $59.95
hardcover (420p),
ISBN 978-0-692-41536-8
Eco-cuisine.com
With over 400 recipes for
modern American and classical French vegan-vegetarian cuisine, this book for experienced
chefs also provides a comprehensive basic
understanding for novice vegetarian cooks.
A Curious Fetish:
Mandalas of a Secretive Mind
Raju Peddada, illus. by Raju Peddada.
Satyalu + Kristi Media, USA. $5.99
e-book, ISBN 978-15136-0189-2
Amazon, Apple
iBooks, BN.com,
Kobo
Never-before-seen cathartic ciphered
drawings and spontaneous words by
Peddada on the state of affairs in the world.
Education Is Everybodys Business:
A Case for a Business Model for Public
Educational Services
Fred Bedell. Xlibris. $15.99 paper (96p),
ISBN 978-1-4990-6060-7

Mountain Mantras: Wellness and


Life Lessons from the Slopes
Kathryn Kemp Guylay. Healthy
Solutions of Sun Valley. $15.99 paper
(240p), ISBN 978-0-9965328-2-2
Amazon, Atlas Books,
Baker & Taylor, Ingram
Guylay provides simple
tools and inspiration to successfully tackle lifes challenges using stories from her
own life to inspire and entertain. The book
is full of practical wellness and life lessons.
Not All Poor People Are Black:
And Other Things We Need to Think
More About
Janet Cheatham Bell.
Sabayt Publications. $20
paper (180p),
ISBN 978-0-9616649-7-8
Janetcheathambell.com,
Amazon, BN.com
Bell says blacks take whites too seriously. This essay collection ranges from
the personal and spiritual to public interactions: economics, entertainment, mass
transit, politics, and race relations.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M

57

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS


Origins & Meaning: How Science and
Religion Have Failed Humanity
Rodger Christopherson.
CreateSpace. $14 paper
(248p), ISBN 978-0914597-28-5
Amazon, BN.com
Christopherson says science and religion have failed to find ultimate truths. This book explores evidence
science ignores and religion misunderstands that points to a deeper, more profound reality.
The Power Foods Lifestyle
Kristy Jo Hunt. Ringmasters. $16.99
paper (200p), ISBN 978-1-942298-07-6
Amazon, BN.com
Hunt says that as you
adopt the principles of the
Power Foods Lifestyle, your
cholesterol, blood pressure,
and blood sugar readings
may approach normal ranges.

$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-14697-1505-6


Amazon, BN.com
This book sends the
reader on a visionary quest,
unfolding lifes profound
meaning and purpose. Edwards guides
the reader through ancient traditions and
mythic visions to access the presence of
the Divine within.
Surviving the Flesh-Eating Bacteria:
Understanding, Preventing, Treating,
and Living with the Aftermath of
Necrotizing Fasciitis
Jacqueline A. Roemmele and Donna
Batdorff. Outskirts Press.
$21.95 paper (322p),
ISBN 978-1-4787-2477-3
Nnff.org
This book presents the
facts regarding flesh-eating
disease, or necrotizing fasciitis.

The Priscilla Revelation and the


Discovery of the Apple Constellation
Carolyn M. Beehler. Xlibris. $19.99
paper (132p), ISBN 978-1-5035-9120-2
Amazon, BN.com, Xlibris
While trying to prove that
Priscilla wrote a book of the
Bible, an artist uncovers a
2,000-year-old secret that reveals the date of Christs birth.

There Is Still Time!


Peter Seidel. 360 Degree Editions. $15
paper (214p), ISBN 987-0-578-15543-2
Amazon, BN.com
Seidel examines how
were destroying our planets life support system and
have created weapons that
could wipe out life on
Earth, yet we refuse to work together to
eliminate these threats.

Seven to Seventy:
My Journey Through Time
Lavera Goodeye. iUniverse. $19.95 paper
(262p), ISBN 978-1-4917-1398-3;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4917-1399-0
Amazon, BN.com
In this memoir, Goodeye
recalls her experiences living
with trauma and religious
conflict while building productive careers, creating satisfying relationships, and raising four sons.

To All Airline Passengers


Carlos Enrique Diaz. Dorrance
Publishing. $12 paper (90p), ISBN 9781-4809-1234-2
Dorrancebookstore.com,
Amazon, BN.com,
Books-A-Million
Explanations and answers
from an experienced airline
pilot to questions airline passengers may
have about what happens or may normally
happen on a regular flight.

The Souls Journey:


Guidance from the Divine Within
Lawrence Edwards. iUniverse. $19.95
paper (296p), ISBN 978-0-595-12648-4;

The Adventures of Daniel: Introduction


Rene Ghazarian, illus. by Sebastian
Schug. AuthorHouse. $19.99 paper

CHILDRENS/YA

58 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

(30p), ISBN 978-15049-0895-5; $3.99


e-book, ISBN 978-15049-0910-5
Amazon, BN.com
Readers will meet the friendly Daniel,
Sparky, and Daniels family and join
Daniels adventures in this picture book.
Defects (The Reverians, Book 1)
Sarah Noffke. One-Twenty-Six Press.
$11.99 paper (222p), ISBN 978-1-51519321-0; $2.99 e-book,
ASIN B010UGWTYS
Amazon, BN.com, Powells
The easiest way to control
people is to make them think
theyre defective, but that
works only until they realize theyre not.
Doley the Guatemalan Street Dog:
The Sounds of San Marcos
(English and Spanish Edition)
Jill Brazier, illus. by Marcio Daz.
Artworkz Press. $11.95
paper (44p),
ISBN 978-0-615-51124-5
Doleybook.com,
Amazon, Elliott Bay,
Powells
This is the first of a series of bilingual
picture books, based on the five senses.
Written in English and Spanish, children
explore Doleys world in both languages.
Doris and the Ankh
B.K. Brain. Brian Holtz. $9.99 paper
(218p), ISBN 978-1-5153-1385-4
Amazon, BN.com
Readers can get lost with
13-year-old Doris in a
world where flowers sneeze,
fairies cant be trusted, and
a big imagination is all you
need. That, and a dead mouse.
From Footlights to Flashlights:
Ten Conceptual Plays that
Reach and Teach Teens
Gwyn English Nielsen.
Dog Ear Publishing.
$15.95 paper (248p),
ISBN 978-1-4575-3292-4

NEW SELFPUBLISHED LISTINGS


Amazon, BN.com
This book is a collection of characterbuilding plays for teenagers.
The Great Carp Escape
Irish Beth Maddock, illus. by Lucent
Ouano. Word Alive Press. $12.99 paper
(24p), ISBN 978-1-4866-0508-8; $6.99
e-book, ISBN 978-14866-0511-8
Amazon, BN.com,
Christianbook.com
This inspirational
fish tail based on a
true story is an allegory about Jesus and
how without God we are all fish out of
water.
I Have Two Homes
Ben Pedersen. Partridge Singapore.
$22.35 paper (26p),
ISBN 978-1-48283120-7; $5.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-48283121-4
Amazon, BN.com
This book guides children of separated
families to better relate to their circumstances and to try to find positives in what
can be an emotionally disturbing situation during childhood.
The Improbable Wonders of
Moojie Littleman
Robin Gregory. Mad
Mystical Journey Press.
$14 paper (294p),
ISBN 978-1-942545-00-2
Amazon, BN.com
A disabled boy is abandoned by two
sets of parents and seeks to find a family
that he can call his own.
The Life and Times of Gabby Gabby
aka Inspector Eyes:
Assignment #1
Kathy Levy. CreateSpace.
$7.99 paper (46p),
ISBN 978-1-4820-4897-1
Amazon
Gabby Gabby is talkative. Shes smart.
She can fix gadgets. Gabbys special
Inspector Eyes help her see clearly to make

repairs, but she cant fix Ajay to stop


annoying her.
Life on the Water: A Commercial
Fishermens Tale on
Lake Superior
Janet Johnson. Xlibris.
$21.99 paper (40p),
ISBN 978-1-4653-3800-6
Amazon, BN.com
The story of a fisherman who endures
the tough life on the water. This book
depicts the lives of commercial fishermen
and how they are proud, committed, and
hardworking.
Mean Mike
Anne Toole, illus. by Michael Andrulonis.
RoseDog Books. $15 paper (28p),
ISBN 978-1-4809-1671-5
Rosedogbooks-store.stores.
yahoo.net
Mike is a bully at school.
After he gets hurt, no one
comes to visit him. Is it too
late for Mike to learn kindness? Can the
other children learn forgiveness?
Momster
Laura Jensen-Kimball,
illus. by Peter Mahr.
Wackystackbooks.
$19.99 hardcover (32p),
ISBN 978-0-9963646-0-7
Amazon, Beaverdale Books
After ignoring his mothers repeated requests, a boy realizes what
a grave mistake he has made.
Omega (Omega Series, Book 1)
Lizzy Ford. Captured Press. $12.99 paper
(480p), ISBN 978-1-62378-207-8;
$3.99 e-book, ASIN B0131ZPZUA
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram
In a modern world torn
apart by territorial Greek
gods, the fate of humanity
rests in the hands of a teen girl
with incredible powers and
her unlikely allies. Young adult dystopia.
Sapphire: A Tale of the Cold War
Thomas Graham Jr. AuthorHouse.

$19.95 paper (388p),


ISBN 978-1-4969-2785-9;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-14969-2848-1
Amazon, BN.com
A young woman navigates a maelstrom of danger, deceit, and
crisis during perhaps the most dangerous
period of the Cold War, the years 1954 to
1961.
The Secrets of Yashire:
Emerging from the Shadows
Diamante Lavendar. CreateSpace.
$6.99 paper (160p),
ISBN 978-1-4937-8376-2;
$2.99 e-book,
ASIN B00GRDRK20
Amazon, BN.com, BooksA-Million, Shelfari,
Smashwords
A young adult fantasy adventure that
takes place in a young girls mind. Visit
Yashire, where anything is possible.
Seven Islands of the Fog
Thomas Terraforte. AuthorHouse. $16.95
paper (192p), ISBN 978-1-5049-1120-7;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5049-1119-1
Amazon, BN.com
An adventure filled with
magic and fantastical creaturesdragon men, cat
people, wizards, and sea
creatures. The answer to
each travelers longings may be revealed
when they discover the key to finding the
mysterious seventh island of the fog.
The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy,
Book 2: Chasing Dreams
Claire Youmans. American I Publishing.
$9.95 paper (196p), ISBN 978-1-51438070-3; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-09903234-1-9
Amazon, BN.com, Smashwords
The bird-children must reach their
lord, secure their status, and
follow their dreams.
Harassed by Tengu, helped
by Tanuki, facing new technologies and people, they at
last get home.

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

59

Reviews Roundup
This month, we reviewed 26 self-published titles submitted via BookLife, Publishers Weeklys website dedicated to indie authors. Among the highlights are three books that received starred reviews: Day of the
Dragonking by Terry Irving, False Start by Barbara Valentin, and The Rockets Red Glare by John Darrin and
Michael Gresalfi.

Fiction
Bright Morning Star
Tom Coffey. Oak Tree Press, $18.95 trade paper (318p) ISBN 978-161009-169-5

The Catalain Book of Secrets


Jessica Lourey. Toadhouse, $14.99 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-9908342-1-2

Cat in a Zebra Zoot Suit: A Midnight Louie Mystery

The Rockets Red Glare


John Darrin and Michael Gresalfi. Biblioque, $16.95 trade paper
(388p) ISBN 978-0-692-41890-1

The Rogue Queen


Marcia Maxwell. CreateSpace, $14.99 trade paper (376p) ISBN 978-15075-0341-6

Ten Percent: Hollywood Can Be Murder


DL Bruin. DL Bruin, $15 trade paper (324p) ISBN 978-0-9743479-0-5

Carole Nelson Douglas. Wishlist (wishlist-publishing.com), $18.99


trade paper (326p) ISBN 978-1-943175-01-7

Twisted Dark, Vol. 1

Courier

Witches Protection Program

Terry Irving. Ronin Robot, $14.99 trade paper (302p) ISBN 978-0-9860873-1-8

The Dark

Neil Gibson et al. TPub, $14.99 trade paper (204p) ISBN 978-0-9569434-4-6
Michael Phillip Cash. CreateSpace, $11.99 trade paper (238p)
ISBN 978-1-5114-1134-9

Forrest Carr. Premonition, $14.99 trade paper (300p) ISBN 978-0-692-43602-8

The World as We Know It

Day of the Dragonking

Nonfiction

Terry Irving. Ronin Robot, $2.99 e-book (345p) ASIN B00UZUAL9U

False Start
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday (gemmahalliday.com), $11.99 trade
paper (216p) ISBN 978-1-5027-6693-9

Finding the Rainbow


Traci Borum. Red Adept, $14.99 trade paper (292p) ISBN 978-1-940-21540-2

Goshena: Queen of the Big In-Betweena


Chuck Bright and Maureen Burdock. Dr. Chucky Publications, $19 trade
paper (154p) ISBN 978-0-9907398-0-7

Help Wanted
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday (gemmahalliday.com), $3.99 e-book
(206p) ASIN B00XK8ZSLK

How to Survive Your Sisters


Ellie Campbell. Across the Pond, $15.55 trade paper (448p) ISBN 978-09915381-2-6

Lilas Hamsa: A Novel of Love and Deception


Arlene Kurtis. Xlibris, $19.99 trade paper (230p) ISBN 978-1-4990-6039-3

Private Lines

Curtis Krusie. CreateSpace, $12.99 trade paper (334p) ISBN 978-1-5061-2001-0

Good Decisions... Most of the Time:


Because Life Is Too Short Not to Eat Chocolate
Danielle Brooks. Aviva (avivapubs.com), $27.59 (404p) ISBN 978-1938686-63-4

Douglas MacAgy and the


Foundations of Modern Art Curatorship
David Beasley. Davus, $19.95 trade paper (168p) ISBN 978-0-915317-09-7

Ina Coolbrith:
The Bittersweet Song of Californias First Poet Laureate
Aleta George. Shifting Plates (aleta-george.blogspot.com), $19.95 trade
paper (362p) ISBN 978-0-9861240-1-3

Childrens & YA
Darien and the Lost Paints of Telinoria
Jeanna Kunce, illus. by Craig Kunce. Windhill (windhillbooks.com), $16
(192p) ISBN 978-0-9844828-6-3

Hairy Harold & His Extraordinary Trip to New York

Emma Gates. Wells Street, $15.95 trade paper (332p) ISBN 978-0-9888906-8-8

Andrs Quintero. Andrs Quintero (hairyharold.com), $19.99 (32p)


ISBN 978-0-692-45510-4

Return to Mateguas Island:


A Tale of Supernatural Suspense

Lucky Rocks

Linda Watkins. Argon, $16.95 trade paper (392p) ISBN 978-0-9908831-0-4


60 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

Murray Richter. Ten Story (tenstorybooks.com), $11.99 paper (180p)


ISBN 978-0-9916348-8-0

Reviews
Fiction
Bright Morning Star
Tom Coffey. Oak Tree Press, $18.95 trade
paper (318p) ISBN 978-1-61009-169-5

In Coffeys uneven novel, cub reporter


Emma Pierce attempts to learn the truth
behind an atrocity committed during the
Philippine-American War. The story
opens in 1902 with Emma waiting at the
New York Harbor for a glimpse of her
first love, Caleb Johnson. The handsome,
thoughtful, caring son of an itinerant
minister is now a military prisoner convicted of murdering civilians in the
Philippines. The circumstances are
murky, and Caleb hasnt tried to defend
himself; still, Emma cant believe hes
guilty. The two met and fell in love nearly
three years earlier, during a Christmas lecture hosted by Emmas father, the head of
the secularist Seneca Institute. The love
story has an overworked whiff of Romeo
and Juliet, with the young couple separated by families that cant get along.
Emma attends
college, then takes
up journalism.
Caleb joins the
Army and is sent
to the Philippines
to fight against
insurrectionists
who are determined to prevent
American colonization. The most compelling part of the
story is how the war severely tests Calebs
faith, ultimately revealing just what kind
of a man he is. That would have been
enough to carry this story as a work of historical fiction, but too much of the book is
hamstrung by the love story.

The Catalain Book of Secrets


Jessica Lourey. Toadhouse, $14.99 trade
paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-9908342-1-2

In Faith Falls, Minn., four generations


of strong Catalain women use their own

form of magic to confront a family curse.


With the opening line (Ursula was
twelve when her mother asked her to
murder a man), Lourey expertly concocts
a Gothic fusion of long-held secrets, melancholy, and resolve. Catalain women possess special gifts: matriarch Velda charms
men, daughter Ursula mixes elixirs, and
her daughters, Jasmine and Katrine, cook
with magic and
read emotions,
respectively.
Jasmines 14-yearold daughter,
Tara, sees each
persons greatest
pain. In 1965,
after Ursula
unwittingly kills
her own father, a
generational curse is unleashed, dooming
all Ursulas female descendents to endure
bad men. The curse begins on a spring
night in which subterranean snakes rise
up. In 1985 when the snakes return,
10-year-old Jasmines magical cooking
revived a sinister evil that sent Katrine
away. Now that the snakes are due again,
Katrine returns home, and the ancient
evil is hunting Tara. Exquisitely written
in naturally flowing, expressive language,
the book delves into the special relationships between sisters, and mothers and
daughters.

Cat in a Zebra Zoot Suit:


A Midnight Louie Mystery
Carole Nelson Douglas. Wishlist (wishlistpublishing.com), $18.99 trade paper (326p)
ISBN 978-1-943175-01-7

Douglass 27th Midnight Louie mystery (after 2014s Cat in a Yellow Spotlight)
is strictly for the faithful. Louie, a
twenty-pound alley cat who thinks hes
Sam Spade, and Temple Barr, the public
relations freelancer with whom he lives in
Las Vegas, Nev., lead lives that are typically full of danger, angst, and confusion. Temple escapes unscathed after an
intruder attacks her in her apartment, but

the threats continue as she ends up


involved in investigating a bizarre
murder. Someone killed Cliff Effinger, the
stepfather of Temples ex-priest fianc,
Matt, and tied Cliffs corpse to the figurehead of a pirate
ship attraction on
the Vegas Strip.
Louie and streetwise minx Miss
Midnight Louise,
his feline partner
in Midnight
Investigations,
Inc., swing into
action. The humor
will mainly appeal to those who chuckle
when Louie refers to a pawcity of evidence or signs a note Very best fishes.

Courier
Terry Irving. Ronin Robot, $14.99 trade paper
(302p) ISBN 978-0-9860873-1-8

Peabody Awardwinner Irving, a veteran TV news writer and producer, uses


his own formative experiences in the business as the starting point for this conspiracy thriller set in Washington, D.C.,
in 1972. Rick Putnam survived his tour of
duty in Vietnam, but remains haunted by
his experiences there. He now works as a
courier for the Associated Broadcast
Network, transporting film from the field
back to the studio on his motorcycle.
After Rick picks
something up
from the networks top investigative journalist,
Joe Hadley, a hit
man takes out
Hadley and his
crew, the first of a
number of murders carried out to
conceal the contents of the images Rick
was given. The next victim is an accountant Hadley interviewed who worked for
the Committee for the Reelection of the
President. Though that revelation signals
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that the bloodshed is connected with the White
House, Irving uses a lesserknown allegation of Nixonian villainy as
his payoff. The fast-paced action will
appeal to Baldacci and Meltzer fans.

The Dark
Forrest Carr. Premonition, $14.99 trade paper
(300p) ISBN 978-0-692-43602-8

In this yarn blending horror and SF,


Carr (A Journal of the Crazy Year) sends a
spaceship into absolute, unimaginable
darkness and watches as terrifying things
press in from outside and emerge from
inside the crew. A new space drive lets the
vessel Santa Maria jump not only beyond
our galaxy but past the edge of the whole
universe. There, as Catholic priest
Cameron Teal observes, God has no presence, since its a place beyond divine creation. That leaves humans with no savior
to appeal to as
chief astrogator
Lydia NguyenJoness persistent
nightmares about
a rotting
bogeyman take
physical form,
while Capt. Sirius
Cermenos resentment against his
father is translated into increasingly murderous rage against his subordinates. In
short order, everyones personal vulnerabilities are magnified into deadly form,
and multiple mechanical failures threaten
to strand them all in the dark forever. The
story doesnt stand up to serious examination, but thats beside the point. Carr
mainly just wants to make readers twitch
and cringe, and he succeeds.

Day of the Dragonking


Terry Irving. Ronin Robot, $2.99 e-book
(345p) ASIN B00UZUAL9U

Fans of Robert Anton Wilsons fast and


loose approach to political conspiracy and
Douglas Adamss bumbling unwilling
heroes will eat up Irvings first batch of
giddy, clumsy world-saving adventures,
which launches the Last American Wizard
series. A mystical terrorist group sacrifices an airplane full of innocents to a
dragon and uses the deaths to power an

event that wreaks magical havoc on


Washington, D.C. All the wizards in the
U.S. governments employ abruptly lose
access to magic,
and the worlds
computers and
gadgets become
sentient. Secondstring journalist
Steven Rowan
embodies the tarots Fool and is
forced to figure
out the cards
magic on the fly. Bombshell soldier Ace
Morningstar, who used her magic to disguise herself as a man so she could become
a SEAL, drafts Steve and his cell phone,
which contains the ghost of a Chinese factory worker who now communicates
through screen animations and bad autotranslations, to help fix the mess.
Gathering allies, including NSA supercomputer Barnaby and Aces BMW, Hans,
the team fights off newly transformed
demons, dog monsters, and ogres while
trying to find out who is controlling the
Illuminati before the villains embark on
the next step of their world-domination
strategy. Irvings smart parody of Beltway
life and his high-energy storytelling carry
through to the end and promise to maintain momentum well into the next installment.

False Start
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday (gemmahalliday.com), $11.99 trade paper (216p)
ISBN 978-1-5027-6693-9

Valentin launches the Assignment:


Romance series with this quick-moving
and thoroughly delightful contemporary.
Mattie Ross, an advice columnist at the
Chicago Gazette, is getting her life back on
track after being left at the altar by
unscrupulous
Eddie DeRosa.
She decides its
time to talk to the
newspapers publisher, Lester
Crenshaw, about a
raise. Meanwhile,
Lester is meeting
with high school
athletic coach

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Nick DeRosa, Eddies twin. Eddie almost


ruined Nick by stealing his identity and
framing him for embezzling. Lester makes
Nick a deal: if he trains an unfit adult to
run in the Chicago Marathon, Lester will
cut Nick a check to get him back on his
feet again. When Spandex-clad Maggie
walks into Crenshaws office to ask for
that raise and unwittingly presents herself
as the perfect unlikely marathoner-to-be,
the story is off and running. Maggie is an
appealing protagonist, flawed and struggling with emotional vulnerabilities but
determined to press on with her life.
Valentin deftly keeps the reader engaged
by allowing details of Nick and Matties
pasts to gradually come to light; their
mutual attraction constantly increases,
but consummation is continually
thwarted by misunderstandings and plot
twists. This is a lighthearted and
endearing blend of comedy, drama, and
romance.

Finding the Rainbow


Traci Borum. Red Adept, $14.99 trade paper
(292p) ISBN 978-1-940-21540-2

Fans of Borums Painting the Moon will


enjoy this return to the idyllic setting
and quirky characters of the small
English village of Chilton Crosse. When
Holly Newburys mother died, Holly left
university to help her workaholic father
raise her three younger sisters. The
drudgery of
dealing with her
siblings conflicting personalities and completing her
studies online is
pleasantly seasoned by her
friendship with
Fletcher, an
American screenwriter temporarily in town to film an
adaptation of Jane Austens Emma, and
less pleasantly by her fathers decision to
move on from mourning and marry the
Newburys housekeeper. When Holly
and her boss (and would-be boyfriend)
Frank decide to hold an Emma book club
at the home of Hollys misanthropic
cousin, Holly realizes how much Austens
novel parallels her own dilemmas and

reviews
desires surrounding Fletcher. Borums
slow-unfolding romance holds few surprises, but thats forgivable in a story as
much about place as people.

Goshena:
Queen of the Big In-Betweena
Chuck Bright and Maureen Burdock.
Dr. Chucky Publications, $19 trade paper
(154p) ISBN 978-0-9907398-0-7

In Greek mythology, Charon is the


silent ferryman who transports the souls
of the dead, an archetypal figure that represents the transition into the afterlife. In
this graphic novel, Goshena is this figure
of transition, except shes loud and brash
and threatens argumentative souls with
being eaten by her
pet frog, Jingles.
Goshena meets
her match when
she encounters
Soul #24, named
for the number on
his morgue
drawer, because he
cant stop asking
questions about
why hes there. Seemingly without any
memory of who he is, or was, #24 seeks
explanation from the world of the dead,
even as he continues to overhear conversations from the land of the living. What
makes the narrative engaging is not
simply the premise, but how consistently
artist Burdocks surrealist canvas revels in
the amusing meditations on death and the
afterlife that author Bright offers. As a
character, Goshena is an experienceone
that readers should find themselves thoroughly enjoying.

Help Wanted
Barbara Valentin. Gemma Halliday
(gemmahalliday.com), $3.99 e-book (206p)
ASIN B00XK8ZSLK

Themes of marriage, gender roles, and


compromises between money and joy are
effectively conveyed with heartfelt tenderness in Valentins second Assignment:
Romance contemporary. Claire Mendez is
an overwhelmed and overworked mother
of four. She resents her husband, Paul;
just months after losing his job at a prestigious investment firm and taking over
as primary caregiver for the kids, he was

dubbed Mom of the Year by their school


PTA. Claire blames Paul for their economic woes, urges him to get a new job,
and emotionally
distances herself
from him, only to
be fired from the
tech writing job
she hates. Now
shes sexually and
emotionally frustrated, and torn
between jobhunting and pursuing her dream
to become a writer. Rich characterization
adds to the palpable emotional and sexual
tension between Claire and Paul as they
struggle to balance their attraction to
each other with their fears and needs.
Valentin deftly interweaves characters
and situations from the first novel, False
Start, as Claire meets prior heroine Mattie
and tries her hand at being a freelancing
advice columnist, while Paul pursues a
job opening in the same building.
Though Claires stubbornness and selfpity sometimes threaten her likability,
Valentin keeps the story bubbling with
humor and romance.

How to Survive Your Sisters


Ellie Campbell. Across the Pond, $15.55 trade
paper (448p) ISBN 978-0-9915381-2-6

Sibling rivalry and family secrets come


to a head in this listless chick lit tale from
Campbell (the pen name of real-life sisters
and writing partners Pam Burks and
Lorraine Campbell). Reluctantly
reuniting for an upcoming wedding, sisters Avril, Milly, Natalie, and Hazel converge at their childhood home, where
their socially awkward mother and
not-quite-on-thewagon father
threaten to throw
a wrench into
Nats viciously
perfect nuptials.
Add in a way-toosmall bridesmaid
dress, snooty
almost in-laws, and the disconcerting
presence of an old family friend, and happily ever after becomes a decidedly for-

eign concept. Largely presented as archetypescareer


-driven single, harried stayat-home mom, judgmental absolutist,
rootless globetrotterthe sisters are
unappealing protagonists who offer little
reason to invest in their fates. And with
far too few moments of genuine affection
and compassion to temper the extreme
vitriol they hurl at each other and at
others in their orbit, Campbells story
simply lacks heart.

Lilas Hamsa:
A Novel of Love and Deception
Arlene Kurtis. Xlibris, $19.99 trade paper
(230p) ISBN 978-1-4990-6039-3

For her first novel, Kurtis presents a


cautionary tale rife with intrigue and
deceit. Lila, a pre-K teacher, finds herself
pursued by a well-regarded professor,
Alton Ostro, who, despite some strange
behavior, is generally docile and generous with money. They wed and have a
daughter, Chloe, but Lila feels endangered when Alton erupts after her suggestion that he see a psychiatrist. A fiery
car crash provides
Lila the opportunity to fake her
own death, and
after assuming a
new identity, she
and Chloe seek
refuge in a Jewish
neighborhood
outside of
Pittsburgh, where
she thinks Alton will never find her.
Lilas budding interest in Judiasm
deepens as she embeds herself farther
into the community. Her ruse works
until she meets Mort, the widowed father
of a student. As Lila wrestles with her
dishonesty, Alton seems to flourish in
his. He, too, has started a new life under
a new name, fathering another child and
becoming a successful craftsman.
Kurtiss prose is descriptive and wellstructured; however, her far-fetched scenarios and the characters implausible
behavior result in a plot that just does
not ring true. One of Kurtiss own characters provides the most accurate summary: This is really a soap opera.

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Private Lines
Emma Gates. Wells Street,
$15.95 trade paper (332p)
ISBN 978-0-9888906-8-8

In this business thriller, Tyler is a global


alliance manager for a huge international
telecom company, which keeps him traveling constantly. While hes in France to
broker a fairly straightforward deal with
FranceFon, he
meets their alliance manager,
Delphine, with
whom he has
instant chemistry,
but she is reluctant to close on a
deal that was all
but done before
she came on board.
They get closer, and when he presses about
her reluctance, she reveals that GlobeAll,
Tylers company, is engaged in financial
improprieties with which she doesnt want
FranceFon associated. This revelation
sends Tyler into a spiral of self-doubt,
especially because it was his mentor, Nick,
who brokered the crooked deal.
Meanwhile, Carly, a Milwaukee-based
GlobeAll account manager, is struggling
with an ailing mother, a demanding boss,
and an emotionally unavailable lover.
Carly and Tyler meet via video conference,
and they become captivated with each
other. As both are soul searching while
GlobeAll starts to crumble, they start to
reevaluate their lives. Gates remarkably
manages to make the intricacies of telecommunications interesting to laypeople.
That said, the romantic tension between
Tyler and Carly falls flat because the obstacles between them arent emphasized
enough, nor does his attraction to
Delphine seem like much of an impediment. Readers will find themselves more
intrigued by the shadowy Department of
Defense deals laying the groundwork for
the Iraq invasion than by the romantic
entanglements of the leads.

Return to Mateguas Island:


A Tale of Supernatural Suspense
Linda Watkins. Argon, $16.95 trade paper
(392p) ISBN 978-0-9908831-0-4

Fans of Watkinss Mateguas Island will


welcome this solid sequel. During a vio-

lent storm on the Maine island, Bill


Andersen apparently drowns in a swamp
behind the family house, but his body is
never recovered. Ten years later in
California, his teenage twin daughters,
Terri and Sophie, want to return to
Mateguas to determine his fate once
and for all. Their
desire to rake over
the past doesnt sit
well with their
mother, Karen,
who has moved on
and remarried. In
the end, Karen
agrees to accompany the girls to the island, where Terri
and Sophie learn, among other startling
facts, that they have a half-brother, the
product of an affair their father had with
their teacher. The Andersens soon find
that something unnatural is at work after
an owl and a murder of crows attack Karen
without provocation. Watkins smoothly
integrates the paranormal with a complex
family drama.

The Rockets Red Glare


John Darrin and Michael Gresalfi. Biblioque,
$16.95 trade paper (388p) ISBN 978-0-69241890-1

Darrin, a career radiation-safety expert,


and Gresalfi, an adviser to the White
House on terrorism, deliver a gripping
thriller reminiscent of Larry Collins and
Dominique Lapierres The Fifth Horseman.
Islamic extremists team with violent
Christian fundamentalists to plan a series
of acts of nuclear terror throughout the
U.S. A sophisticated scheme nets
them a supply of
cesium 137 from a
private Tennessee
facility, but the
plot comes to the
attention of the
authorities when
one of the vehicles
transporting the
lethal isotope is stopped by the police. Cal
Bellotta, a consultant for the Department
of Homeland Security on radiological
WMD threats, labors frantically to thwart
the terrorists, but the authors, plausibly,

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dont turn him or his colleagues into miracle workers. The story line is one that
genre readers will find familiar, but
Darrin and Gresalfi give it new life and
urgency through a combination of taut
prose, punchy chapters, and convincing
detail.

The Rogue Queen


Marcia Maxwell. CreateSpace, $14.99 trade
paper (376p) ISBN 978-1-5075-0341-6

Maxwells novel approaches its subject


with great enthusiasm, but does little to
illuminate the much-maligned Queen
Isabelle of France, or the 14th-century
Europe in which she lived. Maxwell avoids
Isabelles childhood and her nearly 30-year
widowhood as mother of the indomitable
Edward III, sticking instead to her life
with Edward II and the main fumbles of
his reignthe failed war with Scotland,
spats with his barons, and his reliance on
the Despenser family. Maxwells Isabelle is
hot-tempered and
foul-mouthed, and
yet curiously
declawed, stripped
of the historic
queens household,
court, and estates.
Still, as a character
she demonstrates a
shade more complexity than the buffoonish Edward II, or
his villainously caricatured favorites.
Rather than a shy bride of 12 who develops
political savvy and then hard ambition,
Maxwells Isabelle resembles a suburban
housewife and hands-on mom who,
thwarted in her child-rearing and marriage, becomes a reluctant champion of the
people, invades England for justice and
good governance and to make the king
see reason, and only inadvertently
dethrones her husband and elevates her
son. Historical fans may enjoy Maxwells
largely dialogue-driven plot, but those
interested in the real woman might prefer
Alison Weirs Queen Isabella for historical
detail and depth.

Ten Percent:
Hollywood Can Be Murder
DL Bruin. DL Bruin, $15 trade paper (324p)
ISBN 978-0-9743479-0-5

Bruins noirish serial killer thriller

REVIEWS
takes a nicely cynical view of Hollywood
and its players. LAPD homicide detectives Maxine Maximum Calderas and
Greg London have landed a red ballthe
search for a murderer the press has dubbed
the Coyote, who strangles women and
dumps them by the highway. Meanwhile,
a parallel story charts the ascent of actor
Cody Clifton,
whose star is on
the rise after he
lands the lead role
in a TV PI series.
Codys ambition is
stoked by a classic
greedy and heartless agent, Shelly
Monroe, who has
channeled her own
frustration at not succeeding as an actress
into squeezing whatever she can out of the
Hollywood dream machine, and who has
no scruples against viewing her clientele
as just a warm-blooded means toward that
end. Predictably, the two story lines intersect, but the payoff will surprise some
readers and makes the book more than
just a broad parody of the entertainment
industry.

Twisted Dark, Vol. 1


Neil Gibson et al. TPub, $14.99 trade paper
(204p) ISBN 978-0-9569434-4-6

Horror stories more often than not


come in the supernatural variety, but horrors rooted in the mundane world of
everyday humanity and the depths to
which man can sink can be just as
chilling. Gibson mines dire situations
across a multinational, multicultural
landscape, coming up with unsettling
short story gold, and theres not a dud
among the lot.
Suicidal musings,
coping with
tragedy via delusional denial,
human rights violations, opportunistic manipulations in the name
of power, technology as an aid to
psychopathy, vengeance, frustration,
Munchausen by proxy, and a host of disturbing elements populate these pages,

resulting in a banquet of strong meat for


the reader who can handle the grim vibe.
Six illustrators provide a diverse visual
tapestry, with a distinct and memorable
degree of deep unsettlement for each
story. A refreshing change of pace from
rote horror comics, Gibsons work scores
on the strength of its relatable humanity,
much of which casts a dour reflection of
its audience.

Witches Protection Program


Michael Phillip Cash. CreateSpace, $11.99
trade paper (238p) ISBN 978-1-5114-1134-9

Distinctive characters populate a


familiar yet satisfying adventure
set in a magical
version of New
York City. Blond
and burly inept
cop Wes
Rockville is down
to his last chance
to prove himself
when hes transferred to the secret Witches Protection
Program. Led by the wiry and humorless
Alastair Verne, the unit protects the
good Davina witches from the nefarious
acts of the evil Willa witches. Wes and
Alastair investigate Pendragon
Cosmetics suspicious new face cream
after receiving a tip from informant
witch Junie Baby Fat Meadows. Willa
witch Bernadette Pendragon, the ruthless owner of the cosmetics company, put
her own DNA into the face cream so that
she could control millions of women
worldwide. Infiltrating the company
and stopping the shipments will be difficult; Bernadettes niece and heir,
Morgan, who is sweet on Wes, may be a
way in, but first they have to get past
Scarlett, Bernadettes personal assistant
from hell, and her shape-shifting goons.
Cash (The After House) mixes predictable
elementscorporate intrigue, sexy
witches, cat familiars, car chases, family
secrets, and steampunk weaponryinto
an enjoyable story. While little here is
surprising or new, the action and humor
will leave cozy magical mystery fans
hoping for more adventures of Wes and
Alastair.

The World as We
Know It
Curtis Krusie. CreateSpace,
$12.99 trade paper (334p) ISBN 978-1-50612001-0

Krusies debut novel delves into a philosophy of the apocalypse, focusing on one
mans journey to decipher the great mysteries of life. Before the collapse of the
world financial markets, Joe was a man
who seemed to have it alla high-paying
job, a loving wife, the right car, a big
house. When the collapse comes, hes left
with little more than his wife, friends, and
shelter on a friends farm. Lacking insight
about his place in this new world, Joe sets
out on a nationwide tour on horseback
with the intent of helping set up a new
postal system. His search for answers
takes him through
the best of
humanity and the
worst of his own
stupidity. Though
it has an
intriguing
premise, the narrative is very light
on traditional
ideas of faith and
focuses more on idealized notions of what
life is like without common institutions.
Heavy-handed sections often overwhelm
the topical plot, making for typical
bluster about the end of days where whispers among wayward survivors would
have done just fine.

Nonfiction
Good Decisions... Most of the Time:
Because Life Is Too Short Not to
Eat Chocolate
Danielle Brooks. Aviva (avivapubs.com),
$27.59 (404p) ISBN 978-1-938686-63-4

Readers looking to lose weightor


just eat more
healthilywill
enjoy this wellorganized and
educational
approach to
making better
nutritional
choices.
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Nutritional therapist Brooks
uses the image of the
hallway of life, which we
can use to walk toward either illness or
health. According to her, by incorporating the nutritional foundations
described here, everything else will fall
into place. Brooks provides information
about simple carbohydrates and outlines
the no-sugar challenge, the books first
nutritional foundation. Other sections
feature complex carbs such as legumes
(regarding vegetables, Brooks said, Eat
as many as you like), healthy fats and
oils, and water and electrolytes. Brooks
also covers recipes such as vanilla rumsoaked pineapple, roasted garbanzo bean
snacks, and an herbal brain booster. Each
section has a simple homework assignment and lesson about the psychology of
food. Those lessons cover awareness of
choices, heeding your inner voice, and
even meditating your way out of eating
French fries. Brooks bolsters her insights
with nutritional nuggets (fish oil might
help achy legs; seafood eaters should add
dandelions to their diets). Even with all
the information imparted, the books
most appealing aspect is Brookss patient,
authoritative voiceno preaching, no
cheerleading, just an informed guide
sharing useful advice.

Douglas MacAgy and the Foundations of Modern Art Curatorship


David Beasley. Davus, $19.95 trade paper
(168p) ISBN 978-0-915317-09-7

In this concise biography of an often


forgotten art crusader, Beasley remembers
the progressive modern
art curatorship
of Douglas
MacAgy
(19131973),
whose career
extended
through the
Cold War era
and helped
transform museums from mausoleums to
happenings. Born in Winnipeg, Canada,
MacAgy conducted his lifes work across a
number of different museums, galleries,
and organizations, from the Cleveland
Museum of Art to Unesco. At the San

Francisco Museum of Art (now San


Francisco Museum of Modern Art) in
1941, MacAgy introduced programs
that related community interests to
modern art, curating smart and accessible circus- and jazz-themed exhibitions,
which, Beasley writes, had an outstanding influence on the exhibiting of art
in American museums. In 1945,
MacAgy took over the California School of
Fine Arts, where he hired a relatively
little-known painter, Clyfford Still, who
came to have a lasting influence on the
school and who benefitted greatly from
MacAgys support. Later, while serving as
director of the Dallas Museum for
Contemporary Arts in the midst of the
McCarthy era, MacAgy resisted narrow
thinking by exhibiting avant-garde artwork and was accused of being a communist. The political narrative that Beasley
wishes to spin often undermines his
ability as a biographer, but his book is a
workmanlike introduction to a figure
whose example has enduring relevance for
curatorship today. B&w illus.

Ina Coolbrith:
The Bittersweet Song of
Californias First Poet Laureate
Aleta George. Shifting Plates (aletageorge.blogspot.com), $19.95 trade paper
(362p) ISBN 978-09861240-1-3

In this noble
but unsatisfying
biography of
Californias first
poet laureate,
George attempts
to bring Ina
Coolbriths story
to a wider audience. Coolbrith was born Josephine Smith
in 1841 Illinois, named for her uncle,
Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the
Mormon church (a fact she concealed by
changing her name). In 1851, her family
moved to California, where Coolbrith
began her career, first publishing poetry
at age 15. She became a contributor to
magazines such as the Californian and the
Overland Monthly, was published by Bret
Harte in Californias first poetry
anthology, and formed friendships with
such notable figures as Mark Twain,

60f P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y S E P T E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

Isadora Duncan, and Ambrose Bierce. She


was left with little time for writing,
though, as her job as head Oakland
librarian and her rather dysfunctional
family were equally demanding.
Coolbrith seemed happiest in her later
years in New York City, free of these obligations and the rheumatoid arthritis that
tormented her in California. Coolbrith
clearly was a woman of substantial character, but Georges portrait never quite
coalesces convincinglyperhaps in part
because many primary sources were
destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco
earthquake and by Coolbrith herself.
Nonetheless, Georges book enriches the
kaleidoscope of American literary figures
and may bring new attention to this
regional writer.

Childrens & YA
Darien and the
Lost Paints of Telinoria
Jeanna Kunce, illus. by Craig Kunce. Windhill
(windhillbooks.com), $16 (192p) ISBN 978-09844828-6-3

After 10-year-old Dariens babysitter


cancels, her parents have a neighbor, Miss
Mildred (old Miss Mildew to Darien),
watch her for the afternoon. What could
have been a dreary day stuck indoors
transforms into an adventure when Miss
Mildred gives Darien a mysterious set of
paints; as Darien begins creating a forest
landscape, she enters the painting and an
enchanted world populated by talking
dragons. After
winning the trust
of a dragon named
Amani (dragons
are suspicious of
humans, who capture them to melt
their scales into
gold, Amani tells
Darien), she
accompanies him
on a perilous mission to rescue his parents
and to help end a rift between dragons
that have mated across color lines and
those still clinging to ancient tradition.
First-time author Jeanna Kunce creates a
thoughtfully developed universe with
medieval and fantastical elements (the

REVIEWS
walls of an underground city are lit by
tubes filled with luminescent fish). Craig
Kunces delicately etched b&w illustrations help add to the magic of a fantasy
starring a heroine empowered to do the
right thing. Ages 8up.

Lucky Rocks
Murray Richter. Ten Story (tenstorybooks.com), $11.99 paper (180p) ISBN 978-09916348-8-0

Set in 1979, Richters coming-of-age


story centers on the close friendship
between three boys in Texas during the
summer before seventh grade. The adventures of Rudy,
Preech, and narrator Kevin
mostly involve
fishing and
spending time
with a grandfatherly, one-legged
WWII vet they
nickname The
Oracle.
Mishapslike almost losing Kevins familys aggressive parakeet, a shark
encounter, and a steady stream of pranks
between Rudy and Preechprovide
light, wholesome humor. Despite references to bands like Queen and Kiss, the
boys quiet, summer excursions and
brotherly banter could just as easily be
unfolding in the 1950s. The source of the
storys charm is also its weakness, as it
lacks tension. The primary conflict
Rudys ongoing abuse by his stepfather
is hinted at throughout, and comes to a
head with sudden force in the closing
pages. Its a needed shot of adrenaline in a
lazy river of a story but, somewhat like a
shark in shallow waters, it cant help but
feel out of place. Richter sets up a new
plot development at the conclusion that
suggests the possibility of a sequel. Ages
812.

quintessential odd couple. She loves red


shoes, French fries, and diet soda; he dines
on bugs and
enjoys
tending the
garden.
(Harry is a
beefy gorilla
in glasses,
while Clara is
a waifish
rabbit.) When
Clara pursues
her dream of visiting New York City, she
wants her best furry friend to come
along, so they take a bus because Harry is
terrified of heights. With an almost
Dadaist eccentricity, Quinteros illustrations capture the chaos of the city in collages that incorporate pencil and inkdrawn buildings, maps, advertisements,
and other ephemera, while also highlighting some very stylishly dressed animals. The two visit museums, ride the
subway, and go window-shopping. When
the money runs out, Harry responds to an
ad that reads, Needed: Gorilla to jump off
a 100-ft. high diving board. Good pay,
forcing him to face his biggest fear.
Quinteros storytelling isnt quite as confident as his illustration skills, but this is
still a rewarding, offbeat N.Y.C. adventure
that combines a loyal friendship with a
gentle critique of consumerism. Ages 48.

Hairy Harold & His Extraordinary


Trip to New York
Andrs Quintero. Andrs Quintero (hairyharold.com), $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-69245510-4

Quinteros impressive debut, which was


crowdfunded through Kickstarter, introduces shy Harry and outgoing Clara, a
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 60g

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