M ONEMBER

NOV T H 2017
2017

Your guide to self-publishing

Horror
Meet the
Authors
JudgesTake
of the
a Stab
BookLife
at Self-Publishing
Prize Book Marketing
Want to Made
Succeed
Easy
at
Self-Publishing?
Cover Redesign
Dont Skimp
First
Cunning
Lines from
Stunts
BookLife
HowAuthors
to Master
Your OnlinePresence
94 New Titles
Murder
Listedin the Court

From Podcast to Bestseller

the bestseller experiment

MARK STAY (l.) AND MARK DESVAUX

Coauthors take BY MATIA BURNETT

a multiplatform
M
ark Desvaux and Mark Staythe coauthors of the comical
approach to sci-fi novel Back to Reality, about a mother who gets a life
reboot by time-traveling to the 1990shave done their home-
novel writing work so aspiring authors dont have to. They have known one another
since they were teenagers growing up in Surrey, England, and are
both men of many hats. Stay works with Orion Publishing Group in
the U.K. and is also a screenwriter. He cowrote the 2015 film Robot
Overlords, which stars Gillian Anderson and Ben Kingsley. Desvaux

44 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
INDIE SUCCESS
lives on Vancouver Island, British
Columbia, where he writes nonfiction
under the name Mark Oliver, works
as a life coach, and plays in a band
named Urban Myth Club.
After Stay wrote the novelization
for Robot Overlords , Desvaux gave
his longtime friend and fellow writer
a call. I was blown away with what
he had achieved, he says. I got in
touch and uttered the fateful words:
Ive always wanted to write a novel,
but never got beyond 20,000 words.
Stay was eager to write more prose
as well, so they decided to collaborate
on a book. Not just any booka best-
seller. And what better way to write
a bestseller than to talk to the bestsellers them-
selves?
Believe me,
theres
nothing like a public
declaration of a
deadline to get your
fingers typing.
And so the Bestseller Experiment podcast was
born. Over the course of a year, beginning with
the first episode in October 2016, the two inter-
viewed bestselling authors (with combined sales
of over 100 million copies), who offered their advice.
Stays ties to publishing proved helpful: Ive worked
in bookselling and publishing for 25 years, and it
turns out I know a few people. And Im very per-
sistent. He adds that getting actor Bryan Cranston
on the show to talk about his memoir, A Life in
Parts , was a turning point. It was an incredible
interview that went viral, Stay says. If you heard
Cranston say he would leave the U.S.A. if Trump
got in, he said that on our show first!
The podcast also gave Desvaux and Stay the kick
in the pants they needed to follow
through. Believe me, theres noth-
ing like a public declaration of a
deadline to get your fingers typing,
Stay says. He also came up with a
way to further stoke the fire: by
inviting other writers to join them
in the experiment. I figured at least
one listener out there would have a
half-written book on their laptop
that would beat us to it, and weve
been delighted to see so many listen-
ers finish and publish their own
novels, he says.
Desvaux and Stay began their
writing process by focusing on their
shared passions: Before we wrote
a single word, we filled out a huge spreadsheet
with all the things we loved, just to see what kind
of crossover there was, Desvaux says. They kept
coming back to their shared love for Douglas
Adamss The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ,
Back to the Future, and rock music.
After creating an outline, Stay wrote drafts and
Desvaux revised, a process that sometimes led to
debate, but ultimately resulted in a book about
family, second chances, mothers and daughters,
living your dreams, time travel and rock n roll...
and theres a funny bit with a cow, Desvaux says.
Were both over the moon with the finished
book, Stay says. Im very proud of what weve
achieved.
Next they turned to promotion. It began with
the podcast, Stay says. If we could convert listen-
ers into readers, then we knew we stood a good
chance of selling a few copies on launch. Social
media channels came next. Their efforts paid off:
by the end of the novels publication day, it had
earned a bestseller flag on Amazon in the U.K. and
U.S., also reaching the top spot on six Kindle best-
seller lists. Desvaux and Stay also published Vault
of Gold , a free e-book with writerly advice from
the podcast.
The most common advice they heard from fellow
authors? Write every day, Desvaux says. If you
cant write every day, then be thinking about your
story every day.
Stay adds: There are no shortcuts. For a book to
connect with people, it has to come from a truthful
place, and that can be the hardest thing of all.
B O O K L I F E .C O M 45
 COVER ART

Cover Redesign
This month, our new designer, Michelle Argyle at
Melissa Williams Design, reimagines the cover of
Living Fulfilled: The Infectious Joy of Serving Others
by Lisa Thomas-McMillan.
To submit a book for a free cover redesign, email us at booklifeeditor@booklife.com. Original Cover

Bringing focus The original has

to the word many images
joy in the title competing for
conveys the attention, so
main theme of we chose one
the book. This central image
was achieved to quickly
by enlarging convey the
the font size warmth and
and picking a joy of service.
color that com-
plements the
central image.

Using an image
that shows
A blank back- hands giving
ground brings not only food
focus to the but love tells
title. But we the reader what
didnt want to expect from
the cover to this memoir.
be stark white.
A soft cream
color creates an
inviting feeling.

46 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
BOOKLIFE PRIZE

Meet the Judges

Of the more than 700 books from seven genres submitted for the 2017 BookLife prize,
only 35 advanced to the semifinals. A panel of seven judges, who are all bestselling or
award-winning authors, then selected seven titles to advance to the finals. The grand-
prize winner will be announced on December 18. We caught up with the seven judges to
talk about what they were looking for and the titles they picked for the finals.
BY NICOLE AUDREY SPECTOR

Eleanor Brown It has an interesting setting, in Iran around the

If You Want to Know
About Stories, Study
Movies
Writers who are just starting
out tend to nurse the fantasy
that if they could just land a big
book deal or garner a massive
audience, their creative problems
would be forever solved. Bring
this idea up to Eleanor Brown, our general fiction
judge and the author of The Weird Sisters, a New
York Times bestseller, and The Light of Paris, and
she will assure you that it doesnt work that way.
You just get a new set of problems, Brown says.
No ones struggle is over. [The life coach] Martha
Beck talks about the day she hit her goal weight and
nothing changed; she still had to get up and eat
right and exercise. For me, I have seen that success
is unpredictable and fickle. What matters is keeping
yourself challenged as a person and as a writer.
What also matters: giving readers a character they
care about, whether that story is explored in a novel,
short story, essay, or memoir. Brown isnt a fan of
pitting forms or genres against one another, assert-
ing that a good story is a good story no matter how
its told. If you want to know about stories, study
movies, she says, adding that she shows a clip from
the 2004 flick Sideways to her writing students.
A returning judge, Brown had a bit of a heads-up
on what to expect from this contest, but was still
surprised by the quality of the entries: There was
something wonderful about each one. She went
back and forth between a few manuscripts but
ultimately chose A Hundred Veils by Rea Keech for
the finals of the BookLife Prize.
time of the revolution, Brown says, noting that she
was immediately drawn in. The author had lived
there, so it has lots of great lifelike details. Its
mostly a serious story, but occasionally its very
funny, which is a hard combination to strike. Its
also a love story, which in this case serves as a
metaphor for cultural expectations and conflict. It
keeps you invested and asking what will happen
next. Its just a really nice entire package.
Mark Dawson
What Are You Waiting For?
Google Mark Dawson and one of the first searches
suggested (after his work and classes of course) is
Mark Dawson net worth. Thats because the self-
publishing all-star ishow do
we put this delicately?making
mad coin, raking in six figures
a year off of his books alone.
But its not as though hes kick-
ing back watching the money
roll in. The bestselling crime
author is virtually always work-
ingif not on writing, then on
marketing and connecting with
fans or aspiring writers.
After a disappointing go with a traditional press,
Dawson began dabbling in self-publishing in 2011.
By 2014 he was doing so well as an authorthat he
was able to quit his job and devote himself entirely
to his rapidly flourishing writing career. He may be
especially talented and impressively prolific (releas-
ing an average of five books per year), but Dawson
insists that any author can be successful if he or she
is dedicated and has the chops.

B O O K L I F E .C O M 47

I wouldnt wait any longer, Dawson says to
writers still be on the fence about self-publishing.
Get it online and start selling it. Start building your
tribe. There are plenty of examples of traditional
publishers keeping an eye on the charts and offer-
ings deals to big selling indies. (Its happened to
me.) Doesnt mean you have to accept those offers,
and you might not want tobut youll never know
unless you take action.
Though it was dozens of books ago, Dawson vividly
recalls the challenges he faced when he first set out
as a self-published author. As a judge in the BookLife
Prize, he hopes to be a source of support. I remem-
ber what it was like to be starting out, and the abil-
ity to help someone get a head start with their
publishing career was too good to pass up, he notes.
Compassionate as Dawson is, his patience wears
thin; hes not willing to sit around for pages on end
for a book to get interesting. I think you can get a
pretty good idea from the first few lines, he says.
A good writer is usually pretty obvious.
Dawsons expectations of great crime novels are
straightforward and no-nonsense, as is his advice
for aspiring indie novelists: You need to be able to
do bothwrite and promotein order to stand a
chance of making it in a busy market.
Dawson selected Face Value by Ian Andrew for the
BookLife Prize finals, praising the book for its taut
writing, bone-crushing action, and a pace that never
relents.
Vic James
Calling All YA Memoirs
When Vic James completed her first novel a decade
ago, she didnt go out for celebratory drinks or
proceed to query. Convinced that shed written
something truly terrible, she locked the manuscript
in a drawer and set out on a
career in TV production.
She didnt look back, until she
got an idea for a brilliant fantasy
novel that she just couldnt shake.
I started writing frantically, and
ended up with a first draft I wasnt
ashamed of, says James, who
now writes full time. Writers are
a phenomenally self-doubting
and self-critical bunchas we should be, because it
drives us to produce our best workbut most of us also
possess Spidey-senses that tingle when weve got a
good un, and I knew this might be it.
48 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
BOOKLIFE PRIZE
Jamess instincts were spot on. The Gilded Cage
is a beautifully wrought, suspenseful YA fantasy
that centers on the power struggles of the 99%
against the cruel, enchanted elite. It sold to Del Rey
at Random House and was published earlier this
year. The press also scooped up the next two books
in the series, both scheduled for a 2018 release.
Though James went the traditional route with her
books, shes an avid supporter of indie writers and
reads droves of self-published books and even some
unpublished serials on Wattpad. All good writing
deserves to find readers, and judging a contest
designed to help unpublished and indie writers find
an audience really appealed [to me], she says.
Jamess pick for the finals of this years contest is
Faithful and Devoted by Jenna Rose Robbins, which
she describes as a vivid and immersive account of
a superfans trip to see her idols, Depeche Mode, in
concert, thats also a heartfelt coming-of-age story.
She was struck by Robbinss decision to opt for
memoir over fiction, a move she wishes more YA
writers would make.
As I lost myself in Robbinss escapades, in which
not everyone behaves well and more than a few hard
truths are learned, I found myself wondering where
all the YA memoirs are, James says. There are some
gems out there, but memoir is perfectly suited to
capturing the intensity of teen experience, as Robbins
does here. More, please!
Taran Matharu
A Pure, Beautiful Experience
Taran Matharu, a returning judge, became a fan of
middle grade novels at the age that most people do:
as a child. But, unlike so many kids, Matharu never
outgrew his dedication to the genre.
I stayed attached even as a teenager and, of
course, now as an adult, says Matharu, who has
been on a writing rampage pretty much since he
was nine years old, and has no plans of slowing
down. The digital nomad, currently traveling in
South America, has a fourth book in the popular
fantasy series Summoner (a prequel called The
Outcast) coming out next May, and then a new sci-
fi series, also middle grade, slated for debut in 2019.
Matharu may be on a middle grade roll, but it
wasnt one that he had necessarily anticipated. In
fact, when he first started sharing his work on
Wattpad, and then sold the Summoner series to the
Macmillan imprint Feiwel and Friends, he didnt
know whether the work would qualify as middle
BOOKLIFE PRIZE
grade, YA, or adult fiction.
When I wrote my first book,
I had no idea when it would be
placed in the market, Matharu
says. When my book was put
out to publishers, it was consid-
ered middle grade, YA, and adult
because it straddled all three.
Matharu feels that the series
was ultimately classified as
middle grade because of the accessibility of the prose,
the age of the characters, and the absence of overly
graphic scenes. What I like about middle grade is
that the plots tend to not be muddied by romance and
violence, making for a very pure, beautiful experi-
ence, Matharu says, adding that though the plot
may be less convoluted than fiction aimed at older
readers, it is hardly simplistic. He recently secured
another deal with Macmillan for a companion guide
to the Summoner series, a work that will provide a
comprehensive breakdown of all the different levels
and statistics of the series demons, along with
detailed backstories and other fan treasures.
As a BookLife judge, Matharu is not necessarily
looking for the same level of complexity as readers
might find in his books, but he is keen on richness,
pacing, and story, and though he leans toward action
books that are not set in contemporary times, hes
trying to ignore subject matter and just look at it
from the characters perspectives.
Matharu chose The Accidental Pirate by Denise
Deegan for the BookLife Prize finals. He called it a
swashbuckling pirate adventure on the high seas.
Julie Powell
Immediate Distance
Julie Powell has not only lived the bloggers dream:
she helped create it. The author and judge of the
memoir category (a new genre for the BookLife
Prize) launched the Julie/Julia Project blog in 2002,
during what she calls the Wild, Wild West days of
the blogosphere. The blog, chronicling her attempts
to cook every recipe in Julia Childs Mastering the
Art of French Cooking, became a sensation and
landed her a book deal with Little, Brown, and
Company. Then the book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days,
524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen was turned
into Julie & Julia, the Nora Ephronadapted hit movie
starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams (as Powell).
It was crazy, Powell says of the deluge of success,
but notes that it didnt happen overnight. I spent
a year doing the blog, and then
the book happened and then the
movie. Its like when you put a
lobster in a pot of lukewarm
water: by the time youre boiling,
youre used to it.
Powell is quick to assert that
to an extent she was in the right
place at the right time. But, shes
also a savvy writer who recog-
nized that a collection of blogs does not make a book.
People wanted me to basically print the blog out
because no one knew how to [turn it into a book],
Powell says. I knew that wouldnt work.
Still, Powell credits blogging with granting her
the space to get out there and experiment, and feels
that writing memoir was key to her self-discovery
as a writerand that a great memoir, a 13 out of
10, is incredibly hard to pull off. She adds, with a
self-deprecating laugh, that she doesnt believe she
has written one.
A remarkable memoir brings immediacy laced
with insight and wisdom, Powell says. If you can
find something that is hard and beautiful, thats
the gold. Its really tough to do about your own
experiences, to have that distance that still feels
immediate.
Its this rare gem of a memoir that Powell seeks
as a BookLife judge. If youre honest and generous,
the memoir will be worth it, but there will probably
still be some tense family dinners, she says.
Powell selected Beautiful Hero by Jennifer Lau for
the finals of the BookLife Prize, praising the book
as a crushing and all-too-relevant story of one
refugee familys fight to survive in the wake of war,
starvation, and genocidal cruelty.
Tim Pratt
Patience with Monsters
Tim Pratt, a returning judge for the BookLife Prize
(in the SF, fantasy, and horror category), may spend
a long time thinking about an idea, but, once he sits
down to write, he needs only a weekend to complete
a story.
I almost always know how its going to end, says
Pratt, who publishes a new short fiction work every
month on Patreon. Ive been doing this profession-
ally for 15 years now, and I spent my whole childhood
trying to figure it out, so Ive broken past the process
of having to write pages over and over.
Pratt is a hybrid author, self-publishing as he
B O O K L I F E .C O M 49

deems fit, but also publishing the traditional route.
On November 7, Angry Robot released The Wrong
Stars, a novel that Pratt enthusiastically describes
as a sci-fi space opera battle.
Though fantasy, sci-fi, and horror are distinct
categories, Pratt finds their readerships tend to
overlap. An avid writer and reader of all three, he
doesnt cherish one over the other, but there is one
aspect that he values above all. Im a character
person, Pratt says. I want
characters who are psychologi-
cally believable no matter how
unbelievable their situation is;
I want the way they deal with it
to be convincing.
Pratt is also a sucker for a turn
of events that he didnt see com-
ing yet at the same time makes
total sense. It is for all these
reasons (character development,
intense situations, and great yet fathomable surprise)
that his pick for the BookLife Pr ize finals is
Transference by Kate Jonuska.
The main character is a terrible person. I was
waiting for him to be eaten by a monster, Pratt
says. Hes irredeemable, but you end up understand-
ing why he became the way that he is.
Though it is easy to root for an obviously heroic
character, Pratt adds, its always more interesting
to fall for characters such as Jonuskas, who strug-
gle with darkness. And yet, such darkness can be
a hard sell when it comes to traditional publishers.
A lot of publishers who receive this manuscript
could be turned off by this character and not stick
with the novel long enough to know why he is the
way he is and that he is capable of growth, Pratt
says. I hope this author knows shes on the right
track and that she keeps writing weird characters
and taking chances: thats a big advantage of self-
publishing.
Rebekah Weatherspoon
We Have a Long Way to Go
Our romance judge, Rebekah Weatherspoon, started
writing in 2005, but it wasnt until 2010 that any of
her work saw the light of the day. By that time, she
estimates, shed completed four fan-fic novels. She
may very well have gone on writing privately were
it not for a revelation.
If I was going to write that much, I might as well
get a check, Weatherspoon says, adding that the
50 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
BOOKLIFE PRIZE
push to get her work into the hands of readers wasnt
a matter of building up the confidence, but a matter
of wanting to be paid for something I was spending
so much time on.
Weatherspoons debut novel, Better Off Red (which
kicked off the Vampire Sorority Sisters series), is
suspenseful lesbian erotica with a fair share of
paranormal play. It was published by Bold Strokes
Books in 2011. Shes since had several more books
published with BSB, but the Los Angelesbased
author isnt bent on traditional. Weatherspoon also
self-publishes, noting that she has gone indie with
two novels and six novellas. Her
hybrid sensibility seems to help
her stay prolific: in the past six
years, shes had 14 books pub-
lished.
Weatherspoons readership
probably wouldnt mind seeing
her unleash many more volumes.
Romance readers read so much,
and its great to know they are
always hungry for books as fast
as you can write them, she says. Weatherspoon is
currently working on a holiday novella before dig-
ging into book three of her Beards & Bondage
romantic suspense series.
The undying devotion of romance readers may be
a source of motivation, but Weatherspoon finds that
the industry isnt without its letdowns. The biggest
disappointment, especially when it comes to work-
ing in romancewhere there are so many bright,
talented womenis the amount of discrimination
marginalized authors come up against within pub-
lishing, says Weatherspoon, who runs the Tumblr
page #WOCinRomance. We have a long way to go.
As a writer, Weatherspoon prides herself on the
ability to inject humor into all of [her] stories, even
in darker romantic suspense, but what shes really
looking for as a BookLife judge, is a hook that keeps
me turning pages.
Weatherspoon selected A Scandalous Matter by
Margaret Locke for the finals of the BookLife Prize,
calling the novel an extremely clever time travel
romance that has you rooting for the intelligent,
earnest heroine from the first page of her amazing,
magical love story.
Nicole Audrey Spector is a writer whose work
has appeared in Vogue, the Atlantic, and the
New Yorker.
 D
HE
AU S T
NC
-L JU
RE

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and Publicists in the Business

And thats just for starters.

Let us help you Prepare, Publish and Promote your
books. We show you how to make indie publishing
easier and, yes its truehow to make it fun.

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bookworks.com

Ten Tips for
Autopilot E-book
Marketing
These set-and-forget marketing
tricks help make books more
discoverable
BY MARK COKER
M
arketing is critically important to a books
success, yet time spent on marketing means
less time for writing. Here, I share 10 set-
and-forget tips to put an e-books most important
marketing on autopilot. These tricks work 24 hours
a day to make an authors books more discoverable
to readers.
1. Add These Three Sections to Your
Back Matter
These sections drive sales and build an authors
social media following:
About the Author: A short two- or three-sentence
bio to humanize the author.
Connect with the Author: Listing social media
hyperlinks will make it easier for new fans to start
following authors and subscribe to their mailing
lists.
Other Books by This Author: The reader just
discovered a new favorite author, so help them find
their next read!
2. Add a Discussion Guide
Its great to sell one book to one reader, but if the
readers a member of a reading group, that could
mean even bigger sales. If they see a reading group
discussion guide at the end of the book, theyre
more likely to recommend the book as for the groups
next read.
3. Add Sample Chapters from Other
Books
The reader just finished the book, they loved it,
and now theyre ready to read more. Let them jump
52 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
BOOK MARKETING
Mark Coker
into other e-books by offering generous samples
of other titles.
4. Do a Sample-Chapter Swap with
Another Author
Many indie authors have friends who also write in
their genres or categories. Offer to swap sample
chapters. Each author places the other authors
sample chapter in the back matter of their books.
Be selective. Only swap with quality writers who
target the same readership.
5. Add Enhanced Navigation to
E-books
E-books support a hyperlinked table of contents.
If the author adds the enhanced back matter recom-
mended above, they can advertise and link to those
sections in the table of contents.
6. Make at Least One Book Free
Free e-books get about 30 times more downloads
on average than books that cost money, which
means that more readers are exposed to the enhanced
back matter. Nothing hooks a reader like a free
first book, especially for series. Authors who write
standalone books should consider running free
promotions of priced titles to help introduce first-
time readers to their bodies of work.
7. Editing Turbocharges Word of
Mouth
Good book s arent good enough anymore. An
author only gets one chance to wow a new reader
with a five-star reading e xper ience. Its the
BOOK MARKETING
five-star read that leads to the ultimate form of
autopilot marketing: reader word-of-mouth. To
maximize reader satisfaction, hire a professional
editor, preferably one with experience editing other
books that became bestsellers in the same genre
or category. There are multiple types of editing:
developmental editing, copy editing, and proofing.
Each is critically important, and none can be skipped.
Developmental editing is the most expensive but
will have the biggest impact on reader satisfaction.
8. Work with Beta Readers
Beta readers are test readers. They read the authors
book prior to publication and provide feedback to
help guide the final revision. A properly managed
beta round could provide feedback similar to that
offered by a developmental editor. To learn how to
run a beta reader round, check out my December
2016 column, Making the Most of Beta Readers,
or listen to Episode 5 of the Smart Author Podcast.
9. Occupy Multiple Price Points
Readers harbor pricing bias. One readers bias will
Live
Maria Nhambu's
inspiring journey.
A biracial African
orphan learns
about being
Black in America.
be different from anothers. Some readers will only
try a new author if the book is free, while others
will only try the author if the book is priced under
$3.99. Other readers will avoid low-cost e-books
altogether for fear that lower prices indicate poor
quality. By occupying multiple price points, the
author can accommodate a wider range of pricing
biases so that more readers will give the work a
chance. Once the author earns the readers trust
with one book, price is less of a factor.
10. Always Release with a Preorder
Books released as preorders sell more copies because
preorders enable more effective book marketing.
Much of this benefit is on autopilot. Indie authors
can get their books listed for preorder up to 12
months in advance of release. During this entire
preorder period, these upcoming titles are mer-
chandised alongside the authors other books at
retailers. It means more months of selling time.
Mark Coker is founder of Smashwords and the
host of the new podcast Smart Author.
B O O K L I F E .C O M 53
 BOOKS TO WATCH

Scouting Report
In this months roundup of the best-reviewed BookLife
titles, we highlight historical fiction, dystopian sci-fi,
a comical guide to fatherhood, a hard-boiled thriller, and
the biography of a little-remembered American poet.

Through the Age of Order

Barricades JULIAN NORTH
DENISE DEEGAN
Synopsis: In this dystopian
Synopsis: In 1913 Ireland, sci-fi thriller, a kid from the
Maggie Gilligan meets wrong side of town gets a
lawyer Daniel Healy. But as chance to attend a presti-
their friendship turns to gious school in New York
romance, WWI begins and City, the capital of the 49
Healy signs up to fight. states led by the faux-meri-
PWs Takeaway: An engross- tocratic Orderist movement
ing look at a chapter of Irish history. and the exclusive realm of the highborn rich.
Comparable Titles: Between Shades of Gray by PWs Takeaway: North has created a near-future
Ruta Sepetys world that feels all too believable.
Sample Line: Maggie woke coughing. It was Comparable Titles: The Windup Girl by Paolo
dark but there was something other than dark- Bacigalupi
ness in the air, something that climbed into Sample Line: Flashing globes scrutinized the
her mouth, scratched at her throat and stole scene beneath the drones rotating turret,
her breath. an artificial gaze seeing, recording, targeting.
Read the review: Read the review:
publishersweekly.com/9781540695666 publishersweekly.com/ASINB01N25QE72

Slow Bullet War Poet This Is Not

JOHN L. LANSDALE
Synopsis: During
Vietnam, Robert
Spicier saved Clark
McKays life. Years
later, McKay learns
of Spicers mysterious death and
resolves to find the truth.
PWs Takeaway: Those who like
their thrillers with a heavy dose
of violent action will be satisfied.
Comparable Titles: Mickey
Spillanes Mike Hammer series
Read the review: publishers-
weekly.com/9780999036112
MICHAEL HILL
Synopsis: A look at
the life of little-
remembered
American poet
Alan Seeger.
PWs Takeaway: A wonderful
introduction to a fine poet. This
volume will bring Seegers work
to a new generation of readers.
Comparable Titles: Miranda
Seymours Robert Graves: Life on
the Edge
Read the review: publishers-
weekly.com/9781973794967
Your Fathers
Fatherhood
BRIAN K. PINAIRE
Synopsis: Pinaire
hilariously
attempts to make
sense of modern fatherhood
after the birth of his son.
PWs Takeaway: New fathers will
learn valuable tips from this
account of becoming a parent.
Comparable Titles: Drew Magarys
Someone Could Get Hurt
Read the review: publishers-
weekly.com/9780692802991

54 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
FIRST LINES
First Lines
Our monthly look at some of the best
opening lines from titles by BookLife
authors
This month brings us late assassins, nautical
conception, and a girl without dreams. To submit
a first line, email booklifeeditor@booklife.com.
Before the Court of Heaven
JACK MAYER
The assassins were twenty minutes
late.
The Hope Store
DWIGHT OKITA
My name is Jada Upshaw. I started
out as a girl without dreams and grew
up to be a woman without a future.
Hardbarned!
CHRISTOPHER J. DRIVER
I have straddled the line between
blue collar and white and have
stepped boldly with two feet into both
worlds.
Life After the Undead
PEMBROKE SINCLAIR
I will never understand peoples
fascination with the apocalypse.
Passages Through Pakistan
MARILYN R. GARDNER
I was conceived, I am told, on the
Queen Mary.
Chase
SYDNEY SCROGHAM
Real life has run out of good stories
for me, so I live my own.
B O O K L I F E .C O M 55
 WRITING ADVICE

Ask the rooftops.

Well, I wouldnt go that far, but
pace of a story. Of course Patsy
is happy if she is suggesting giv-

the
in general I agree with him: ing a party. A scene should make
adverbs interrupt the flow of the its characters feelings obvious,
narrative. Think about he and the adverbs used to describe

Editer clenched his fist tightlyhow else

can one clench ones fist? Or the
siren blared loudlycould it blare
A veteran editor answers softly? These are good examples
of redundant adverbs weakening
your writing questions the verbs that they modify.
She walked down the street
BY BETTY KELLY SARGENT quickly is not a terrible sentence,
but wouldnt she hurried down
Dear Editor: the street work just as well? One
what they are saying to each other
are unnecessary, even infuriating
sometimes.
Good writing is lean and con-
fident, says William Zinsser in
On Writing Well . This is always
true, in my opinion. But how can
a writer achieve that? For start-
ers, lose the adverbs.

W hats your opinion on

adverbs?
Adelaide K.
way to cut back on adverbs is to
use stronger verbs. Let hurried
do the work.
A particular peeve of mineand Betty Kelly Sargent is the

T he adverb is not your friend,
s ay s S te p h e n K i n g i n O n
Writing. In fact, he says, I believe
one of Kings as wellis using an
adverb in dialogue attribution.
Sentences like Lets have a
founder and CEO of BookWorks.

If you have a question for the

the road to hell is paved with party, said Patsy, happily are editor, please email Betty Sargent
adverbs, and I will shout it from just plain annoying and slow the at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

THE
BALJUNA
COVENANT
PRESENTED BY TIM PELKEY
Part historic fiction, part archaeological mystery,
Availab and part political thriller, The Baljuna Covenant tells
le in
paperb
ack & stories of a poor boys rise to the heights of world
kindle power, of two friends and unimagined betrayal, and
of a secret kept for over half a millennia.

Insightful . . . quick . . . A clever, complex tale that should

pique readers curiosity about Genghis Khan and leave
them looking forward to the authors next book.
--Kirkus Reviews

Buy Now http://timpelkey.com/purchase/

Now available on: ISBN: 978-0996842679

Pages: 364
Publisher: SDP Publishing

56 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
 PAID LISTINGS

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New Titles from

Self-Publishers
Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 94 self-
published titles below. Each appears with a list of retailers that are selling the book and
a description provided by its author. Some of these writers are waiting to be discovered;
others have track records and followings and are doing it on their own. If you are a self-
published author interested in listing titles in this section, please visit publishersweekly.com/
pw-select for more information.
Fiction born cousins, have gone their separate Hold My Heart Captive
Because It Was Raining ways: Mike went to college; Sally has Devin Dmaster Gordon. Xlibris. $15.99 paper
Skyler Worley. CreateSpace. $2.99 e-book, vanished. Will Sally haunt Mike forever, (60p), ISBN 978-1-5035-7686-5; $3.99
ASIN B075ZNPVDL or can a fire escape save them? e-book, ISBN 978-1-5035-7685-8
Amazon Amazon
A young man, tor- The Generals Wife: Author Johnny Coastist
mented by his past, The Final Betrayal has been kidnapped by
descends into a world Charlotte Cassidy. Xlibris. $19.99 paper his #1 fan, Mindy
filled with drugs, sex, (114p), ISBN 978-1-5144-2119-2; $3.99 Cowell. Tied in chains
and violence in an e-book, ISBN 978-1-5144-2118-5 with more trouble on
attempt to find salva- Amazon the way, Johnny finds
tion and meaning in life. A novel of the never- himself oddly drawn to
before-told struggles Mindy. Will he escape, or will a bad case
Blood & Water of a woman who has of Stockholm syndrome be his psycho-
Katie ORourke. Pronoun. 99 e-book, ISBN been deceived by the logical undoing?
978-1-5378-3422-1 man she called her
Amazon, Apple iBooks, husband for 39 years. I, Joaqun
BN.com, Google Play How can a woman Melvin Litton. Crossroad Press. $3.99 e-book,
Tucson, Ariz., is a endure so much? ASIN B00LJLQOE0
place for runaways. Amazon, BN.com, Kobo
Everyone came from High Desert High A fictional memoir of
somewhere else and Steven Schindler. The Elevated Press. $16 Joaquin Murreta, the
has a story about what paper (303p), ISBN 978-0-9662408-0-1 famous bandit of the
they left behind. These are their stories. TheElevatedPress.com, Amazon, Baker & California gold rush
Taylor, BN.com on whom the ever-
The Fire Escape Belongs in Brooklyn Undercover cop Paul popular Zorro is
(A Novel Based on the Fire Escape Santo gets fed up with basedas told by his head encased in
Stories) New York and after a alcohol.
Chuck Cascio. family tragedy drives
CreateSpace. $18.95 cross-country with his Jake Wolf Attorney at Law
paper (451p), ISBN 978- estranged daughter to David Shaw. iUniverse. $10.99 paper (90p),
1-5469-7583-0 begin a new life in the ISBN 978-1-5320-1248-8; $3.99 e-book,
Amazon, BN.com mysterious California ISBN 978-1-5320-1249-5
Its 1968. Mike and high desert. Amazon
Sally-Boy, Brooklyn- A Native American ex-Marine lawyer

B O O K L I F E .C O M 57

opens practice in
Omaha, near his child-
hood home on a reser-
vation. He meets past
acquaintances, and
soon the relationships
of all the characters
come together.
The Learning Curve
D.H.C. Carter. AuthorHouse. $13.99 paper
(108p), ISBN 978-1-
5246-2379-1
Davidcarterbooks.com,
Amazon, AuthorHouse,
BN.com
A young man grows up
dealing with a mental
illness in the late 1980s
and early 90s.
Love in the Cretaceous
Howard W. Robertson. Anaphora Literary
Press. $20 paper (130p), ISBN 978-1-
68114-332-3
Anaphoraliterary.com,
Amazon
A love story set in a
dinosaur park a cen-
tury from now. The
fate of Homo sapiens
is uncertain, and Ted
Beebe loses the love of his life. Canny
coping ensues.
Moving On/Never Leaving
Martha Beimer. Xlibris. $19.99 paper (144p),
ISBN 978-1-5245-5148-3; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5245-5147-6
Amazon
An often amusing
ramble through lifes
memories allows
readers a glimpse into
one womans heart.
This journey paints
various phases of a life
filled with love, joy, and hope.
Nazarene Dream:
A True Legend
Michael Vadok. AuthorHouse. $20.99 paper
(380p), ISBN 978-1-5246-8462-4; $3.99
58 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
PAID LISTINGS
e-book, ISBN 978-1-5246-8461-7
Amazon
A novel examining the
origins of Christianity
from a skeptical per-
spective. Inspired from
an extensive investiga-
tion of historical Jesus,
the book challenges
readers to question all orthodoxies.
The Painters Apprentice:
A Novel of 16th-Century Venice
Laura Morelli. The Scriptorium. $16.49 paper
(406p), ISBN 978-1-942778-92-9; $9.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-942778-91-2
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor, BN.com,
Ingram, Kobo
Displaced by the
plague, the daughter
of a Venetian master
gilder is apprenticed in
a painters workshop,
where she must keep
a secret that threatens
to destroy everything she loves.
Party Girl Nurses Journey
Victoria Godwin. Toplink Publishing. $11.99
paper (172p), ISBN 978-1-946801-75-3
Amazon, BN.com
Victoria Godwins life
was almost perfect.
That was, until her
family entered the
drug world. Their lives
changed, but she
became stronger with
Gods help and his unfailing mercy.
The Pear Tree
K.M. Sandrick. Ingram. $13.88 paper (355p),
ISBN 978-1-947605-01-5
Amazon
A debut historical
novel about the
destruction of a small
Czech town in World
War II and the fate of
some of its women
and children and the
Nazi perpetrators.
PW SELECT LISTINGS
A Perverse Romance:
A Tourist Dance to Art and Satirical
Provocation
Pru La Motte. Xlibris.
$52.41 paper (176p),
ISBN 978-1-5245-
2031-1; $4.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5245-
2030-4
Amazon
A satirical tale of an artist writing and
drawing real life in Ghana. As a pragma-
tist, she seeks black flesh on white; as
an idealist, the traditions of the north.
Separate and Parallel
Beverly Williams. CreateSpace. $14.99 paper
(424p), ISBN 978-1-5411-1898-0
Amazon, BN.com
Clarissa fell in love
with Sam. Sams par-
ents hated Clarissa.
They kidnapped
Clarissas older
daughter and left
Clarissa with her new
baby girl. The two sisters went seven
decades until they met.
Sin Against the Race
Gar McVey-Russell. Gamr. $14.99 paper
(358p), ISBN 978-0-9993815-0-2; $4.99
e-book, ISBN 978-0-9993815-1-9
Amazon
Alfonso, part of an
African-American
political dynasty,
comes out of the
closet right before his
father Fords reelec-
tion campaign for the
City Council, much to Fords dismay and
anger.
Sin of Ambition
Mary M. McNaughton.
Xlibris. $19.99 paper
(266p), ISBN 978-1-
4535-5906-2; $9.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-
4535-5908-6
Amazon
Naked ambition
 PAID LISTINGS

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causes a young woman to marry a man interlocking stories of fictional black common thread of all human experi-
she doesnt love in this romance novel women characters from the Peoples encelove, loss, and coming-of-age
set in Canada and Seattle spanning the Temple church who took radically differ- through the scope of her own
years 19641980. ent paths to tragedy in Jonestown, perception and experiences.
Guyana, in 1978.
Trailer Trash with a Girls Name: Mystery/Thriller
Father Figures Wild World The Amendment Killer
Stacey Roberts. Sons of Peter S. Rush. Prior Manor Press. $26.95 hard- Ronald S. Barak. Gander House Publishers.
Joy. $5.99 e-book, ASIN cover (281p), ISBN 978-0-9990665-0-8 $16.95 paper (570p), ISBN 978-0-
B07613ZHT6 Amazon, BN.com, IndieBound 9827590-9-7; $9.99
Amazon A novel of power, cor- e-book, ISBN 978-0-
Robertss newest ruption, injustice, cour- 9827590-7-3
novel includes stories age, and hopeone Amazon, BN.com,
from his childhood as tenacious young man is IndieBound
well as his familys vagabond travels determined to overturn A feisty 11-year-old
across the U.S. in a used Winnebago RV. the system with unex- diabetic is brutally kid-
pected consequences napped to control her
Truth and the Serpent for his own life. grandfathers swing vote upholding or
J. Rutledge. J. Rutledge. $20 paper (498p), invalidating the 28th Amendment.
ISBN 978-1-5412-3548-9; $2.99 e-book, Poetry
ASIN B01N7SVJO6 Dancing on Dewdrops Ending Big
Amazon Mark John Terranova. Greyson Bryan. CreateSpace. $14.99 paper
A present-day man Outskirts Press. $8.95 (420p), ISBN 978-1-976238-21-5
encounters the ser- paper (93p), ISBN 978- Amazon, BN.com
pent of the Garden 1-4787-6195-2 International lawyer
of Eden. The serpent Outskirtspress.com, Duncan Luke wran-
gives a firsthand Amazon, BN.com gles with arms deal-
description of the The rustic poetry, ers, terrorists, and CIA
tales of creation, the great deluge, the prayers, humor, and spies in the North
exodus, and others. short stories for children are intended to African desert while
appeal to all ages. battling at home to
The Ultimate Arena: share custody of his autistic son.
The Sacrifice of an American Gladiator Reclaiming Myself
Dan E. Ireland. Xlibris. $19.99 paper (244p), Lynndel Schuurman. Balboa Press. $11.99 Gemini Ascending, Book 1:
ISBN 978-1-4931-5989-5; $3.99 e-book, paper (126p), ISBN 978- Eternal Twins
ISBN 978-1-4931- 1-4525-9020-2 Mark John Terranova. Outskirts Press. $12.95
5991-8 Amazon, BN.com paper (206p), ISBN 978-
Amazon Schuurmans poetry 1-4787-7870-7
A cautionary tale of reflects her personal Outskirtspress.com,
life and death in the journey of healing and Amazon, BN.com
George W. Bush era. self-reclamation from James Montgomery
It is a tragic story of an sexual abuse. has existed almost as
American gladiator long as the country he
sacrificed by his own government. Some Days, Here: lives in. Born at the
From Pebble to Ripple dawn of the 17th century, he has seen
White Nights, Tricia De Jesus-Gutierrez. cultures rise and fall and progress
Black Paradise AuthorHouse. $10.99 made in every facet of life. After four
Sikivu Hutchinson. Infidel paper (96p), ISBN 978- centuries, James begins a journey that
Books. $10.95 paper 1-5246-6943-0; $3.99 will lead him to his fraternal twin.
(325p), ISBN 978-0- e-book, ISBN 978-1- Together they may hold the key to sav-
692-26713-4 5246-6942-3 ing the world and continuing the exis-
Amazon AmazonDe Jesus- tence of humanity.
This book explores the Gutierrez explores the

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

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The Girl Who Lived SF/Fantasy/Horror Solar flares erupt, causing power and
Christopher Greyson. Astrum Divinus communication problems along with
Greyson Media. $4.99 John D. Christopher. AuthorHouse. $20.99 massive meteorological storms. Will one
e-book, ASIN paper (362p), ISBN 978-1-5246-6871-6; family survive and reunite from across
B076FNQWTF $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5246-6870-9 the country amid all the chaos?
Amazon Amazon
Ten years ago, four Historian Peter Romance/Erotica
people were brutally Northcott is about to Dangerous to Know:
murdered. One girl lived. Years later, discover a secret that Jane Austens Rakes &
Faith decides to track down her sisters will alter humankinds Gentlemen Rogues
killer and then discovers that shes the future and its past. Is Edited by Christina Boyd. The Quill Ink.
one being hunted. he really the Astrum $12.95 paper (300p), ISBN 978-0-
Divinus that will con- 9986540-1-0
Mad Librarian quer the enemies of Heaven? Amazon, BN.com
Michael Guillebeau. Jane Austens novels
Madison Press. $20 Girlfight: are littered with
paper (410p), ISBN 978- The Official Motion Picture Script unsuitable gentle-
0-9972055-2-7 Kelcey Coe. GirlFightMovie.com. $19.99 menWilloughby,
Amazon, BN.com paper (320p), ISBN 978- Wickham, et al. Eleven
A small-town librarian 1-976079-75-7 Georgian-era stories
has to steal to keep Amazon, BN.com reveal how Austens rogues came to be
her library alive. Half of all income from Out to prove shes the while remaining true to canon.
this book goes to the Awesome best, a wicked femme
Libraries Fund. fatale jeopardizes the Life. Love. You!
fashion show and Bogdan Nicolae Groza. Xlibris. $19.99 paper
The Prophets Alibi lures hungry models (112p), ISBN 978-1-5035-8223-1; $3.99
Timothy Korzep. Toplink into brutal cage fights to the death for an e-book, ISBN 978-1-
Publishing. $15.99 paper opportunity at fame and fortune. 5035-8224-8
(248p), ISBN 978-1- Amazon
947620-62-9 The Long, Lost Exit Home A Romanian immigrant
Amazon, BN.com Chris Roberts. CreateSpace. $2.99 e-book, and an American
The world must ASIN B075Z8HY29 businesswoman
watch and wait as Amazon struck up an acquain-
world leaders suffer hours of terror and When people begin tance online. Things
the world approaches the brink of to disappear in a started off as trivial biz talk, but fate
disaster. California coastal has a different plan.
town where a series
Sundown: of gruesome murders Shattered Perfection
Engineering Gives and the most Heather Guimond.
the Devil a Sunburn unimaginable events take place, a CreateSpace. $15.99
Carl Mitchell. Covenant visiting 19-year-old heroin addict, paper (354p), ISBN 978-
Books. $22.95 paper Laura Masterson, becomes embroiled 1-5150-2955-7
(418p), ISBN 978-1- in a dark conspiracy of parasitic aliens Amazon
64003-204-0 and biological monstrosities. Mimi Bishop and
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram Vance Ashcroft enjoy
In 2057, not having oil has driven the Solar Reboot a whirlwind courtship filled with humor,
world into the grip of the World Matthew D. Hunt. happiness, and steamy sensuality until
Council. NYPD detective Nick Garvey Matthew D. Hunt. $12.99 Vances behavior mysteriously begins to
struggles to solve the murder of the paper (484p), ISBN 978- change.
vice president while protecting his 0-692-91669-8; $4.99
family. e-book, ASIN Comics
B0749D5CQS The Cautioners Tale:
Amazon, BN.com Mary Morgans Journal, Book 1

60 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
 PAID LISTINGS

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R.M. Wilburn. R.M. ologies from Theodore Roosevelt to the ASIN B01N75MV38
Wilburn. $5.99 e-book, present day, including commonsense Amazon
ASIN B0763DLKD3 solutions for major problems and the This book analyzes
Amazon need for an Independent Party. American political
In the year 2047, entities of 2014
murder, deceit, and The Capitalist-Christian Contradiction: concerning a Second
sabotage combine to God Against Greed Constitutional
stop young investiga- Samuel White III. Xlibris. Convention. Sadly,
tor Mary Morgan from discovering a $19.99 paper (124p), some conditions do not help the
secret past nearly obliterated by the ISBN 978-1-5434- Constitution in the future.
Last Great War. 1293-2; $3.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-1-5434- The Conquest of Cancer
Nonfiction 1292-5 A Long-Ignored Breakthrough:
Blueprints for the Eagle, Star, and Amazon Autologous Tissue Anticancer
Independent This book argues that Americas love for Immunization Therapy
Will Good. Xlibris. $15.99 paper (244p), ISBN money has created income inequality Vladimir Kalina. AuthorHouse. $24.34 paper
978-1-4628-7865-9; and social injustices and corrupted the (356p), ISBN 978-1-
$1.99 e-book, ISBN church to promulgate a prosperity gos- 5246-7918-7; $4.99
978-1-4568-9388-0 pel that fosters our spiritual poverty. e-book, ISBN 978-1-
Amazon 5246-7922-4
This book traces the Chronicles of the Kwedake Dikep: Amazon
formation of A TimeLine of the Indian Spring on the Kalina describes the
Republican and Hill TL of 2014 circumstances of a
Democratic Party ide- Robert J. Thayer. Imlandis. $5.99 e-book, revelatory experience

A dangerous clan wreaks havoc

in post-bellum Louisiana...
For six years following the Civil War, gunslingers John West
and Lawson Kimbrell led the notorious West-Kimbrell Clan in
robbing unsuspecting travelers on the El Camino Real. John
West found a criminal kinship in partner Kimbrell, and as gang
leaders they were absolutely merciless in creating mayhem far
and wide, to an unprecedented degree. "Nightriders"
chronicles
ch the rise of these madmen in and around Winn
Parish, Louisiana, and details their ultimate downfall.

- Kirkus Reviews

ISBN-10: 1511590181 | ISBN-13: 978-1511590181 | Pages: 348 | Publisher: CreateSpace

B O O K L I F E .C O M 61
 PAID LISTINGS

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made by Karel Fortyn in 1957 and its with the angelic realm Amazon
fundamental scientific significance in that she says she Jesus refers to his own body as the tem-
the struggle against cancer. didnt know existed ple of God. Disease is the result of the
until she was struck by choices you have made. This book
Debunking Myths Around African Talent lightning and saved by explains Gods path to disease-free living.
Rudy L. Massamba. Reach Publishers. $13.50 the voice of an angel.
paper (216p), ISBN 978- In recounting others Growing Up Guyanese:
2-9557776-0-2 near-death experi- A Memoir About Growing Up as a First
Amazon ences, Pighini tells of a nonphysical Generation Indo-Caribbean in America
The grandeur of the world that can help people live the most Ashti A. Motilall. Xlibris.
black race rests on the fulfilling lives possible. $19.99 paper (116p),
bosom of the African ISBN 978-1-5245-
continent. When Africa Fifty Curious 7276-1; $3.99 e-book,
rises as a superpower, Questions: ISBN 978-1-5245-
black people in the world will no longer Pabulum for the 7275-4
have to prove their talent. Enquiring Mind Amazon
Martin Fone. Motilall tells of the
Enjoy Stress: AuthorHouse. $15.18 Guyanese thriving culture that is consis-
Ready? Get Power! paper (112p), ISBN 978- tently overlooked. She shows others
Searching for Usable 1-5462-8002-6; $5.16 what it is like to be a West Indian grow-
Simplicity? Dont e-book, ASIN B075469CSQMartinfone.com, ing up in the United States.
Drown in Advice and Amazon, AuthorHouse, BN.com
Details In answering the irritating questions life Haunted by History, Vol. 1
Stanley E. Abbott. Xlibris. throws along the way, this book shows Craig Owens. Sad Hill. $50 paper (409p),
$15.99 paper (90p), the lengths scientists have gone to to ISBN 978-0-9976881-
ISBN 978-1-5144-5893-8; $3.99 e-book, push out the frontiers of human knowl- 0-8
ISBN 978-1-5144-5892-1 edge. Bizarrela.com, Amazon
Amazon Owens uncovers little-
This book attempts to illustrate ways in A Girl with a Special Name: known facts about
which the reader can obtain the power A Memoir of Life, Love, Death, eight prominent
to get ready for a productive, creative, Redemption, and Recovery historic hotels in
and joyous coping with stresses. Adelina L. Kennedy. Southern California
iUniverse. $13.99 paper and the origins of many of their ghost
Evolution Now (180p), ISBN 978-1- stories.
David Penny. Xlibris. $30.20 paper (226p), 5320-1265-5; $3.99
ISBN 978-1-4990-9929-4; $4.99 e-book, e-book, ISBN 978-1- He Could Make Words Sing:
ISBN 978-1-4990-9930-0 5320-1266-2 An Ordinary Man
Amazon Amazon During Extraordinary
Penny details a This book offers a look Times
Popperian approach at one womans thirst David Greene. DCG
to evolutionary study for unobtainable perfection and the life- Publishing. $17.95 paper
starting from 1600, to threatening repercussions that followed (198p), ISBN 978-0-
Darwin, to the Out of her pursuit. 9980182-0-1
Africa theory, and Bookmasters.com
more. Gods Path to Walk through the extraordinarily
Disease-Free Living: tumultuous 20th century with Harry
Expect the Extraordinary: What the Scriptures Greissman, whose story should resonate
Angelic Messages, Spiritual Tell Us About Health with most Americans.
Encounters and the Soul of Skye Bob McCauley. WestBow
Sue Pighini. Livin the Dream Media. $12 Press. $13.95 paper How to Get Even with the Universe by
paper (123p), ISBN 978-0-9971638-1-0 (148p), ISBN 978-1- Getting Right with the World:
Suepighini.com, Amazon 5127-6593-9; $3.99 Working Within Sacred Space and Time
Pighini relishes an ongoing relationship e-book, ISBN 978-1-5127-6594-6 Steve Guettermann. Steve Guettermann.

62 B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
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$16.99 paper (170p), The Jihadi agement techniques for staff. It includes
ISBN 978-0-9860939- Tohon. New Generation commentary pertaining to the motivation,
1-3 Publishing. $15.99 paper supervision, and training of staff.
Amazon (148p), ISBN 978-1-
This book offers sug- 78507-859-0 The Making of a Leader:
gestions, explana- Amazon Franklin D. Murphythe Kansas Years
tions, and exercises to A portrayal of a mans Nancy Kellogg Harper. Jayhawk Ink. $20
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Maria Is My Pal
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REVIEWS
Fiction
Age of Order
Julian North. Julian North, $2.99 e-book
(339p) ASIN B01N25QE72
In this tense dystopian science fiction
thriller, a high school track star from the
wrong side of town gets a chance to attend
a prestigious Manhattan school, but the cost
could be more than she expects. A near-
future New York, now the capital of the 49
states led by the faux-meritocratic Orderist
movement, has become the exclusive realm
of the highborn rich. Running has always
been a haven for Daniela Machado, the
fastest high school athlete in ragged Bronx
City, but when shes offered a place at
Manhattans posh Tuck School, its only
natural to be suspicious. Los richos, the
superwealthy Orderist families of
Manhattan, have little use for people like
Daniela and her family. To most of her new
classmates at Tuck, Daniela is just a
nopea normally produced embryo,
born without the expensive genetic
enhancements customary among the
wealthy. When Daniela learns her brother
is dying of a genetic disorder manufactured
as part of a highborn plot that could turn
Manhattans social and political structure
upside down, she has to choose a side before
its too late. North has created a near-future
world that feels all too believable. Daniela
is a pragmatic and compelling heroine
whose voice will hold readers attentions
and linger long after the story is done.
The Big Dreams Beach Hotel
Lilly Bartlett. Notting Hill, $5.99 e-book
(345p) ASIN B073VN2RN6
There are plenty of sweet moments in
this romantic comedy by Bartlett (aka
Michele Gorman), author of the Carlton
Square series. Twenty-eight-year-old Rosie
MacDonald is a flawed and keenly likable
protagonist who navigates her love life and
big dreams for running a resort town hotel.
The narrative moves smoothly between
Rosies life working in a New York hotel
three years earlier and her present life as the
manager of a hotel in Scarborough, England.
Its unclear at first how the two stories will
connect, and the switching between them
adds tension and humor to the story. The
descriptions of the hotel and its eccentric
live-in guests are less satisfying; Bartlett
never really captures the seaside town or the
disruption caused by the transfer of the
English hotel into American hands. That
said, the simple and happy plot is charming,
especially for those who swoon at the use of
Britishisms, and the accounts of Rosies
hapless romances with Americans are very
entertaining.
Circled
Anne McAneny. Farrington, $9.99 trade paper
(392p) ISBN 978-0-9888469-9-9
The death of 14-year-old Macy LeGrange,
who had heart-shaped lips and ever-pink
cheeks and possessed a laugh worthy of a
jolly, self-assured woman, is at the center
of McAnenys intriguing fourth entry (after
Skewed) in her Crime After Time series.
Macy was riding her bike when she was
fatally struck by a car driven by her boy-
friend Hoop Whitakers father, the town
drunk in Beulah, S.C. The next day, Hoop
disappeared. Twelve years later, Macy and
Hoops former classmate Chloe Keyes, who
works as a reporter, revisits the tragedy after
a fire at the towns general store leads to a
dark discovery in the basement: not only
was the stores proprietor, Boyd Sexton,
using it to manufacture meth, but a blood-
stain and duct tape suggest that Boyd kept
a captive there as well. Chloe fears the pris-
oner was Hoop. McAneny does a fine job
maintaining suspense throughout.
Dragon Heat: Dragon Heat, Vol. 1
Ella J. Phoenix. Ella J. Phoenix, 99 e-book
(229p) ASIN B00W8UDDTU
Phoenixs overstuffed debut, an erotic
paranormal, finds vampire king Tardieh
reconnecting with draconian demigoddess
and shape-changer Zoricah in present-day
New York, 200 years after she saved him
from a torturer in Romania. She seeks his
help in rescuing kidnapped women who are
slated to be tortured and killed by an
immortal sociopath. The team-up is
stormy; their steamy attraction to each
other clashes with Tardiehs distrust of
Zoricahs motives and her impatience with
his unfounded suspicion that shes setting
him up for a fall. Meanwhile, a sizable sup-
porting cast, including the players in a sec-
ondary romance, is thoroughly introduced
then mostly ignored. Though readers might
enjoy the wide range of paranormal entities
and their complex backstories (dropped in
lumps of text throughout), the erotic ten-
sion and subsequent sex scenes mesh awk-
wardly with the horrors inflicted upon the
captive women, whose deaths are too soon
forgotten in favor of the protagonists rap-
prochement and a melodramatic climax
that feels unearned.
Eri, a Japanese Ghost Story
Martin Connolly. Snowchild, $7.68 trade
paper (104p) ISBN 978-1-911100-00-3
Eri, the heroine of Connollys haunting
novella set in contemporary Japan, feels
neglected by her boyfriend, Toru, a conve-
nience store employee whose priority
always seems to be his job. He disappoints
again when he cant join her on a planned
get-together with friends on an unnamed
mountain, increasing her fears that he will
become enslaved to his work. As Naoko, a
friend of Eris, has warned, even the best
men, with the very best intentions, would
ultimately fall into the arms of his company
rather than into the arms of his wife. Eri
sets out on her own to the remote house
where her friends are gathering, but soon
rues her decision. Her solitary trek up the
silent and isolated mountain leaves her
feeling vulnerable, at risk of being buried
by the snow. Her anxieties increase when
she reaches her destination, only to find it
empty but for the sound of unintelligible
whispers. Connolly does a good job keeping
the reader off-balance throughout this enig-
matic, ambiguous tale.
Fates Aflame
P. Anastasia. P. Anastasia, $16.95 trade paper
(430p) ISBN 978-0-9974485-3-5
This science fiction fantasy mashup by
Anastasia (Dark Diary) falls short on mul-
tiple fronts. Lt. Valhara Hawksford is reas-
signed from the Celestial Galaxy Academy
to the Silver Diamond Academy back on
Earth in order to resolve ongoing squabbles
between the two. There she is befriended by
Cmdr. Mattheia Draven, second in com-
mand of Silver Diamond. Strangely, the pair
do not work together to resolve the issues
that separate the schools and, in fact, what
those issues might be is never revealed. In
general, there is little worldbuilding to
B O O K L I F E .C O M 66a

speak of, so the reader never learns even
basic things such as the location of Celestial
Galaxy in relation to Earth or why the stu-
dents of Silver Diamond are forced to use
pens and paper in this spacefaring society.
Logic is weak throughout, and word choices
occasionally miss the mark completely
(when Mattheia thinks My injury would
be less instigated that way, readers can only
guess what that might mean). After very
little happens for a long while, Valhara and
Mattheia begin a series of adventures in
which magic appears, too late to save this
poorly written work.
A Gleam of Light
T.J. and M.L. Wolf. CreateSpace, $9.99 mass
market (340p) ISBN 978-1-5410-5563-6
Native American mythology intersects
with UFOlogy in this earthbound tale of
first contact and extraterrestrial influence.
In 1995, eight-year-old Una Waters and her
family are on a plane that has a terrifying
close encounter with an unidentified object.
In 2016, Una, now a Beltway bureaucrat,
returns to the Hopi reservation in Oraibi,
Ariz., where she grew up, in response to the
mysterious appropriation of lands for an
excavation project at nearby Sacred Peaks,
revered by the Hopi nation. Teaming up
with newspaper reporter Jack Howser, Una
discovers a top-secret government opera-
tion on the site. When two teens from the
reservation sneak into the site, one dies and
the other returns with his intellect abnor-
mally amplified. Una, Jack, and friends
decide to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The Wolfs venture into Chariots of the
Gods territory by suggesting that visitors
from outer space may have influenced the
mystical beliefs of Native American tribes
and other ancient civilizations, but this is
still a timely tale about the sanctity of tribal
lands and Unas reacquaintance with her
heritage.
Jane the Quene
Janet Wertman. Janet Wertman, $11.57 trade
paper (280p) ISBN 978-0-9971338-1-3
Wertman portrays her discreet and plain
Jane Seymour as a religious and political
focal point in this delicate historical novel
with romance elements, the first volume of
the Seymour Saga, set in the volatile court
of Henry VIII. In 1535, King Henry is
66b B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
traveling through England to meet his
people. Queen Anne Boleyn has not given
him the son he desperately needs, only the
daughter Elizabeth, and King Henry is
searching for a new wife. Unmarried Jane,
a maid to the fiery queen, is 27 and on the
verge of spinsterhood; her domineering
brother Edward has been unable to arrange
a suitable marriage for her. During the
kings procession through England, he
stops to visit Janes ancestral home, Wolf
Hall, where she has made all the arrange-
ments for his visit. They share a tender
moment that leads to a romantic spark.
Pious Jane knows the fatal consequences to
Anne, yet she loves Henry and wants to be
queen. Wertman describes the pageantry,
gowns, and architecture of pre-Elizabethan
England; presents an ample cast of nobles
and ladies-in-waiting; and exposes the
tense religious turmoil and malicious
political machinations of the Tudor court,
led by dastardly Thomas Cromwell. This
enticing, historically accurate story lends
immediacy to the events.
Life in High Def
Kimberly Copper Griffin. Night River, $15.95
trade paper (362p) ISBN 978-0-9972190-1-2
Griffins contemporary romance suffers
from an abundance of purple prose, obvious
villains, and an unlikable heroine. Reilly
Ransome, a closeted lesbian actress whos
just been nominated for her second Oscar
at the tender age of 23, is the typical
paparazzi-stalked celebrity. She fills her
days with scripts and fittings and her nights
with cocaine and alcohol as she flits from
party to party using her gay costar as a beard
and meeting her steady girlfriend on the
side. Her life falls apart when she awakens
at the Santa Monica Pier with no recollec-
tion of the night before and learns she has
killed a man while driving drunk. Shes
sentenced to two years in prison. Reilly
becomes somewhat more self-aware and
charitable following her incarceration, but
the narrative is too easy on her: her career
booms and she reconnects with an attrac-
tive, lithe yoga instructor while making
peace with family and friends, even those
who would harm her. Griffin insistently ties
loose ends into pretty bows, and this story
feels as unrealistic as a movie set.
REVIEWS
Mr. Ridley
Delilah Marvelle. Delilah Marvelle, $3.99
e-book (282p) ASIN B06XBQ8ZWT
The first book in Marvelles Whipping
Society trilogy melds the delight of a his-
torical romance in 1830 London with an
intriguing mystery and just a touch of
BDSM. Evan Oswald Ridley was present
for his fathers vicious murder, and hes
spent 20 years hoping to bring down the
killer. In the meantime, jaded and coca-
addicted, he solves mysteries. His latest
case involves 18-year-old Jemdanee, a
mixed-race botanist from India. She just
arrived in London with her guardian,
doctor Peter Watkins, and was almost
immediately accused of poisoning
someone. Knowing Jemdanees sterling
reputation as a scientist, Ridley engineers
her escape from prison and promises to
clear her name. He fights his inappropriate
attraction for the vulnerable young
Jemdanee, whose humor and survivors
spirit are evident as she falls head over heels
in love with him. Soon the two develop a
sensual power-exchange relationship with
Evan in the dominant role. Marvelle (Merry
Christmas, Mrs. Robinson) focuses on
exploring the dom-sub elements and
showing off her historical research, some-
times to the detriment of the rest of the
story, but the excitement of mystery and
taboo keep the story moving. Book one
ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, with Ridley
and Jemdanees story continuing in the
remaining two installments.
Providence
Karen Douglass. KVDBooks, $14 trade paper
(372p) ISBN 978-1-5304-5484-6
The swift currents of change sweep fami-
lies together and apart in this uninteresting
near-future sequel to Accidental Child. The
novel tracks the coming-of-age of Cobalt,
a child who follows his father through a
time slide. They both land in Providence,
R.I., but the slide deposits them eight years
apart, in 2040 and 2032. Cobalt is adopted
into a family with another orphaned boy,
Harry, but that doesnt spell an end to his
troubles. Sea levels have been steadily
rising, and storms devastate the city.
Families flee inland hoping to escape the
brutal encroachment of the ocean. By
chance, Cobalt encounters Teresa, the
REVIEWS
daughter of another refugee from his own
time, who eventually falls in love with
Harry. As Cobalt grows up, he spots a
familiar face in the city: his biological
father, Slate, who wants to save Providence
from the floods. Despite the change or
die dictum of climate disasters, the char-
acters feel uninspired. Douglass writes well
about the conflicts and pressures of found
families, but the story sinks under the
weight of too many unsatisfying
subplots.
Slow Bullet
John L. Lansdale. BookVoice, $27.99 (330p)
ISBN 978-0-9990361-1-2
Mickey Spillane fans will welcome this
page-turner from Lansdale (Zombie Gold).
During the Vietnam War, Capt. Robert
Spicier saved the life of a wounded fellow
solider, Clark McKay, by carrying McKay
on his back as he outran Charlie to [the
American] lines, firing an M-16 over his
shoulder to slow them down. In the
present, McKay, now a retired army colonel,
is stunned to learn from Spiciers son that
Spicier appears to have murdered his wife
before killing himself in their Washington,
D.C., home. Spicier was working for the
CIA, so anythings possible. McKay, whos
good at killing people, resolves to find the
truth behind the tragedy, despite his inex-
perience as an investigator. He soon learns,
to his peril, that the bad guys are deter-
mined to locate an archived file that Spicier
may have taken from the CIA. Lansdale
effectively delays revealing the novels big
secret until the end. Those who like their
thrillers with a heavy dose of violent action
will be satisfied.
Tizita
Sharon Heath. Thomas-Jacob Publishing,
$14.99 trade paper (342p) ISBN 978-0-
9979517-2-1
Heath (The History of My Body) continues
the story of fictional young Nobel laureate
Fleur Robins as she pursues matters of the
heart as well as her cutting-edge physics
research, while facing challenging social
interactions. Fleurs 21st birthday celebra-
tion is also her send-off for her fianc, Assefa
Berhanu, who is returning the following
day to his native Ethiopia in search of his
missing father. At Caltech, Fleur and her
research team discuss possible avenues to
harness the dark matter within all living
organisms to transport people by means of
the principle of dematerialization. After
finding his father, Assefa remains in remote
Ethiopia to reconnect with the beautiful
Makeda Geteye, whom he knew as a child
and who is now part of a team running a
home for children orphaned by AIDS.
Meanwhile, Fleur deals with the crush that
a new research assistant has on her, Assefas
sudden physical and emotional distance, a
neighborhood squabble, and some medical
issues. With so much going on, this could
feel overstuffed, but Heaths adroit writing
makes Fleurs remarkable life consistently
captivating.
The Vampire
Sandrine Genier. CreateSpace, $21.20 trade
paper (625p) ISBN 978-1-5168-6653-3
This dramatic but thinly plotted urban
fantasy series opener immerses readers in an
absorbing, atmospheric chronicle of friend-
ship and caution. In New Orleans, vaca-
tioning college graduate Jason Sterling is
hired by the enigmatic and obscenely rich
recluse Laurent Augere, whos the same age
as Jason, to be his live-in personal assistant.
Making the arrangements is Laurents
equally mysterious law firm, Genier &
Genier. Laurent and Jason settle in Bostons
posh Beacon Hill, where an appreciative
Jason cant believe hes living in a mansion
and working one day a week for someone
who shares his love of movies, art, and goth
fashion. But Jasons luck begins to unravel
when he accompanies the moody Laurent
through Venice, Paris, and London. After
Jason witnesses terrifying events and real-
izes Laurent is a vampire, he believes
Laurent and the Geniers will kill him to
keep their secret. Surprisingly, they release
him from his contract. Free and alive, yet
racked with regret, Jason yearns to return,
but will Laurent take him back? This trav-
elogue-style tale is much more about the
journey than the destination. Laurent is
dangerous and alluring, Jason hesitant yet
curious. (Readers hoping for an amorous
angle to their relationship will be disap-
pointed.) Geniers narrative effortlessly
glides through Jasons induction, wonder,
and tests of loyalty and betrayal.
Wicked Rivals
Lauren Smith. Lauren Smith, $17.99 trade
paper (440p) ISBN 978-0-9962079-9-7
Clever wit and predictability are the hall-
marks of Smiths fourth League of Rogues
historical erotic romance (after Her Wicked
Proposal), set in 1821 England. Lady
Rosalind Melbourne is a young widow who
is the agent of her own destiny. The death
of her husband left her well off and in charge
of her own businesses. Baron Ashton Lennox
is a member of a small, exclusive brother-
hood known as the League of Rogues, gen-
tlemen loyal only to each other and their
spouses. Ashton is determined to avoid
marriage, which he sees as a trap, and is
focused on bringing down Hugo Waverly,
a lifelong nemesis of the Rogueswho hap-
pens to be Rosalinds business partner.
Rosalind readily engages Ashton in a battle
of business acumen, and both make stra-
tegic moves as well as occasional risqu
ones. Ashton enjoys the thrill of the chase;
for Rosalind the stakes are much higher, and
shes determined to win. Smith starts off
strong with a unique view of the London
elite of the time and richly detailed back-
stories for the characters, but the cycling
through mutual respect, arguing, and pas-
sion starts to feel repetitive, and the sex
scenes are awkward.
Nonfiction
How to Build a Piano Bench:
Lessons for Success from a
Red-Dirt Road in Alabama
Ruthi Postow Birch. River Grove, $16.95 trade
paper (282p) ISBN 978-1-63299-108-9
In a breezy narrative, Postow Birch tells
of growing up in a poor 1950s Mobile
County, Ala., mill town. She dreamed of
leaving the South and being on stage in
New York, but was burdened with an
almost pathological level of insecurity. She
felt abandoned by her adoring older siblings
when they left home as well as later in ado-
lescence as she transformed from a cute kid
to a sensitive teenager always conscious
about her weight. Using a philosophy her
father lived by (There is always just one
right next stepyou know it because its
the only one that makes sense. Find that and
do it), Postow Birch learned two valuable
B O O K L I F E .C O M 66c

lessons: that people had stories to tell and
just wanted someone to listen, and everyone
appreciates even the smallest of gestures
that show someone is paying attention.
With those thoughts in mind, she eventu-
ally found fulfilling work as a recruiter at a
personnel agency where she had to call
strangers to get them to hire her candidates.
She explains how she derived great joy from
talking and lending an ear, going on to
found her own recruiting agency in
Washington, D.C. Postow Birchs story
isnt flashy, but it will strike a chord with
those hoping to chart a course to creating a
bigger, richer life.
Soft Souls Living in a Harsh World:
How to Strengthen Your Spirit
Without Hardening Your Heart
Tim and Jamie Ursiny. Advantage Coaching
and Training, $19.95 trade paper (252p)
ISBN 978-1-929314-06-5
In this sincere but overwrought amalgam
of memoir and self-help, siblings Tim and
Jamie Ursiny, respectively a business coach
and teen counselor, share the painful story
of their dysfunctional, abusive upbringing
and offer guidance to others recuperating
from similarly difficult circumstances.
They discuss the merits of soft souls
such as compassion, empathy, and the desire
for harmonyin a world where softness is
often considered a weakness and character
defect. Soft souls suffer, the authors write,
because they havent learned to protect
themselves from the pain of the world.
Outlining six basic personality types,
loosely based on the New Testament beati-
tudes (the merciful idealist, the persecuted
narcissistic charmer, the fighter against
injustice, the pleaser who wants peace, the
invisible one poor in spirit, and the meek
addict), the authors use personality profiles
of their parents, siblings, and selves as illus-
trations and to provide a healing path. Their
depictions of various sources of personal
traumaincluding addiction, adultery,
divorce, mental illness, and sexual abuse
are raw and honest, but perhaps also coun-
terproductive to the books goal of pro-
viding solace. Although clearly written
from the heart, this expression of anguish
and eventual self-acceptance is undermined
by being repetitive and overwritten.
66d B O O K L I F E , N OV E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
This Is Not Your Fathers Father-
hood: A Comic Memoir
Brian K. Pinaire. Moonshot, $15 trade paper
(214p) ISBN 978-0-692-80299-1
After the birth of his first son in 2005,
Pinaire (The Constitution of Electoral Speech
Law) decided to take 12 weeks of paid
leave offered to him as a professor at
Lehigh Universitya decision that
changed his life, as he details in this inti-
mate and entertaining look at fatherhood.
Admitting that he had no intention of
bonding with anything other than my
laptop and cranking out some articles,
Pinaire soon realized that the idea of an
easy opportunity to be more productive
while also being a parent was a completely readers.
stupid notion. Fortunately he decided to
keep notes on his growth as a parent and
a father, and shares his experiences through
humorous anecdotes and observations as
he attempts to make sense of modern
fatherhood. Pinaire is at his best when he
observes the ways in which his expectations
were shaken by reality, such as his chapter
on the discrepancies between what dif-
ferent child-care centers promise, such as
not treating a baby like a package of
office supplies. But other sections, such as
a sarcastic look at erectile-dysfunction
ads geared to fathers, feel rehashed.
However, new and younger fathers-to-be
will learn some valuable tips from this
account of becoming a parent.
War Poet: The Life of Alan Seeger
and His Rendezvous with Death
Michael Hill. CreateSpace, $14.95 trade
paper (203p) ISBN 978-1-9737-9496-7
In this enlightening look at the life of
American poet Alan Seeger (18881916),
historian Hill (Elihu Washburne) chronicles
the events that influenced this important
but now little-remembered voice. Hill
follows Seeger from his boyhood in New
York City and Cuernavaca, Mexico, to his
formative years attending Harvard and,
postgraduation, moving to Greenwich
Village to pursue a career as a poet. Seeger,
Hill shows, truly blossomed as a writer
after deciding to move to France. He also
felt a profound affinity for his newly
adopted country and, upon the outbreak
of WWI, enthusiastically enlisted in the
Foreign Legion. What follows is the heart
REVIEWS
of Hills account, as Seeger entered a period
of prolific writing both in anticipation of
and during his service. Hill does an admi-
rable job tracing Seegers journey up to
his death at the Somme in 1916 and
includes photographs of Seeger at various
points in his life, and of some of the places
he saw, which help the reader better
understand Seegers world. Hill also
shares some of the poets best works,
including the piece referenced in the
books subtitle, I Have a Rendezvous
with Death, reportedly John F. Kennedys
favorite poem. A wonderful introduction
to a fine poet, this slim volume will bring
Seegers work to a new generation of
Win in Your Life:
Follow the Path of Champions
Michael London. Win in Your Life, $27.95
trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-6928-4129-7
Entrepreneur London, also a rabid
Villanova Wildcats fan, offers up 16 pearls
of wisdom derived from Villanova basket-
ball coach Jay Wrights core values in this
lopsided book. London began his obsession
with Villanova basketball in the early
1970s as a freshman at the university.
Decades later, his passion for the team is
still a significant motivating force. So
much so that he dedicates the first four
chapters to the teams history, successes,
and failures. The heart of the book, the
sweet 16 lessons that enable readers to
prime themselves for success, dont come
into focus until 82 pages in, an extremely
long wait unless the reader is an equally
enthusiastic Wildcats fan. Once London
gets there, the advice is sound, although
hardly earth-shattering. He highlights
attributes such as a positive attitude,
humility, hunger for success, and being a
hard worker. Examples of how these attri-
butes successfully play out are mainly from
Villanova athletics but also from Londons
own business career and from an eclectic
array of famous names from the past,
including Michelangelo and the Beatles.
London would have better served the reader
with less Villanova hype and more focus on
Coach Wrights practices, but for those
willing to dig, there are takeaways offered
throughout.
REVIEWS
Childrens/YA
Through the Barricades
Denise Deegan. CreateSpace, $15.95 paper
(372p) ISBN 978-1-5406-9566-6
Deegan (the Butterfly Novels series)
thoughtfully examines a potent time in
Irelands past in a novel that received the
SCBWI Spark Award, which recognizes
excellence in childrens books published
through nontraditional means. Before
Maggie Gilligans father died, he told her
to make a difference in the world. The
year 1913 finds 15-year-old Maggie volun-
teering in soup kitchens to support striking
workers, though she longs to do more.
Daniel Healy, the privileged son of a lawyer,
knows nothing about the plight of the poor.
That changes when the two meet and
Daniel learns how British rule has held
Ireland back. As WWI begins, Daniel and
Maggies friendship turns romantic just as
he signs up to fight. Back home, Maggie
joins a rebel organization and hopes to par-
ticipate in what will become known as the
Easter Rising. Maggie and Daniel are well-
developed characters with evident chem-
istry, and their relationship will hold
readers attention as they both work to rec-
oncile their beliefs with their feelings for
each other. Its an engrossing portrait of a
chapter of Irish history that may be new to
many readers. Ages 14up.
The Cave
Jim Allen. Strategic Book Publishing, $11.95
paper (162p) ISBN 978-1-68181-432-2
Allen offers an earnest tale about a family
finding a lost Aztec treasure in California.
Friends Keegan and Brad regularly explore
the land around their home in an old mining
town. Recently, theyve become interested
in mummies that were supposedly discov-
ered in a nearby cave in 1879. The location
of the cave has been lost to history, but the
boys are determined to find it, eventually
uncovering a cave with a skeleton and Aztec
artifacts. Later, the boysalong with Toms
father and a few staffers from a natural his-
tory museumdiscover that the tomb is
actually a map, but with hidden gold pos-
sibly at stake, not everyones motives are
scholarly in nature. Allens story reads like
a clean-cut adventure from the 1950s: the
good characters are essentially flawless, the
(rather-adult-focused) narrative rarely
misses a chance to comment on the appear-
ance of the few female characters, local
Native Americans are referred to as Indians
throughout, and morality lessons abound.
The historical information Allen provides
adds color, but other details remain hazy,
from the boys ages to when exactly the
story is meant to take place. Ages 812.
Oh Susannah:
Things That Go Bump
Carole P. Roman, illus. by Mateya Arkova.
Chelshire, $8.99 paper (64p) ISBN 978-1-
947188-13-6
This second book in Romans Oh
Susannah series, after Its in the Bag, finds
almost-eight-year-old Susannah Maya
Logan nervous to accept an invitation to a
friends sleepover: she believes Lolas house
is haunted. During 10 short chapters that
gradually build toward the sleepover itself,
Susannah struggles with her many anxieties
and fears while also noticing them in others.
Susannahs literal interpretations of
teachers comments cause her some confu-
sion (she cant understand what her teacher
is scared of when the woman announces,
Im afraid Ive caught a cold), but she
rethinks her own fear of the dark with some
help from a blind girl named Macy during
a charity event. Its a quiet, slow-paced story
but one that should give nervous readers
new perspective on their insecurities. Ages
710.
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